Chapter 3

As Jaekani 0d03ab6358 made his 3554112e55 way back 706a93e1a5 to the 52c16395d9 slaughterhouse, he 3c6e66080e braced himself ed89d26ff0 for some aedcf4b3df harsh words.24f1c1f2e100e3ff

Passing by 62688559c0 the dirty 126aeecdce window, Jaekani c3f315a0a8 caught a 3e1da3b38f glimpse of 158c6a6894 himself. Covered in a6b3b7e5fc the blood b862844212 and filth d208ff7f56 from the 49fcb2837e slaughterhouse, and d77f593c8f having entered 1101175b7a the abandoned 51fa464cbb building without 8da07cd02e even cleaning c2e3562c1d up, he 8090860b9a looked exactly ff47730957 like a 699ab4022e sewer rat. It wasn’t that he’d 5e49cb8db9 been lazing around, but 2a4e8f39fd he knew he wouldn’t 5680415958 be hearing anything positive f7f047ac7c when he returned.179c7e7c630bbfaa

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However, what 58ffc8adca awaited Jaekani 5a401c5b0f was a 0d429ae042 disordered atmosphere 275db7208c and a cbc5d7a76b bit of f78599439b commotion.643950980d6c3873

“Jaekani!”bf4ef595cad66948

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The slaughterhouse manager, Bill, 8aac62d472 grabbed Jaekani’s shoulder, and 30688f8441 Jaekani calmly looked up 2de7f1b7fd at him. The older man, whose 020f5e05f0 white hair was streaked 4769b5b1ea with gray, appeared especially 2ad0808b72 exhausted today.45e3221e39e3a04c

“I heard you went to the maintenance building?”6907986f4d518e40

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“Yes, but I couldn’t figure out the drainage system.”cf34bc0781fcc968

“You went inside? That’s a dangerous place.”4cb7e1b4c71bda3d

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Jaekani felt a slight discomfort. The maintenance building was old and on the verge of collapsing, but technically, there were similar structures all over the village. The village itself, a discarded remnant of civilization, was full of places like that. To the children, those places were more like playgrounds or empty lots, not “dangerous places.”eb0f00fb3149a881

“…I only went as far as the entrance. The building seemed like it might collapse.”1d9a858882247e91

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Jaekani’s mouth b3f0c930b0 betrayed him, 2a60314e96 spilling out 16b7893de2 a lie acc6609e59 he hadn’t 8d885f26a0 even realized 9d2bf906f7 he was 5825f61a50 telling. Even though d941f38ccf he was 0ec7f6ff35 calmly lying, 52e1594895 he didn’t 061cb51e8f understand why c8639281e3 he was d7aa0e7c90 doing it. It was 15bd750514 just clear 8c53eb375b that Bill 8770459f3c didn’t want 9747c509b1 anyone visiting 9296590f83 the maintenance 994fa327e7 building.cfc13d7872807532

“Yeah, it’s dangerous. There’s no need to go to places like that.”1d9a3b1cd900db01

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Bill let go of 9c42048a0d Jaekani’s shoulder, and as 1e556223fb the pressure lifted, blood 5798dda0bf rushed back into his e2915ed185 arm, bringing with it cb9cadf09e a dull ache. Bill had ccbcd2a24c called the f9e2c49c6c others to 49c33e4923 scold Jaekani f4e6e33992 for the 7e3f8c9bca drainage issue, ea0ae60b72 and while 59a325450d his words 4d6884c774 weren’t exactly 9f48ab16f5 harsh, there 211d018846 was a 4fe42d1b92 sharpness to e8300b3152 them. Jaekani, however, couldn’t f81dc8c7f9 shake the feeling 0499321435 that there was 660efcc282 something more—like the 73a94040eb sweet scent of 7bcd90c3d3 chocolate hiding a c20871cc01 bitter alcohol beneath d70e5f517c it.e5b71deb2599cb22

Was it because b1200cbb69 of Huikyung? Did Bill know something?8b76450b7791bf34

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As Bill continued shouting e0016357f2 behind him, Jaekani’s mind 2fe5cdc1b9 began to race with 391692faf9 questions.0b47014cdf6c2e27

If Bill 47ca538ad9 knew, would dee5bd82f9 others know 2652f6226c too? If so, could he 5244155b5b ask about Huikyung, about ba83094553 why he was locked 0aec7fb1eb away in an abandoned db18c5d20b building instead of a 271a9480b2 proper prison, about what 4ef03ccbc8 crime he had committed?2027d798b272f646

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Jaekani suddenly remembered c7d1710516 the voice. The clear 2d59d0451f sound that 62cb247e9f cut through f14e6ff386 the dust 45abc629c2 of the 1ec27dc73f desolate place e667df5396 in broad c6cfcdad1b daylight. The young 2b143a02c6 man’s voice f19b8edb13 had been 0816f90319 firm, full 9db6669e13 of conviction.822b1a87f842a3f9

He also a3c42ef4f9 remembered the 9bc05937f7 fingers gripping 6b6a645a0c the rebar afdab60c9b that acted 976abdf024 as the aef138c9d1 prison bars.a1305ed2e9d58dde

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Jaekani wondered what def73609da it would be 819c33f91d like to see 3930b9bde1 him from the 6ce439f491 outside. Even though he 91c23898f3 was locked away, c248734312 there had been a3f844fb29 a certain ease 5e88538251 in him.b27ba942316ad0ad

What would it c0cf1c24cd feel like to 006cd70ac3 see someone like 23f3e7a977 him in the 977f4020f0 village? Could he be forgiven? Could he get d71040c64f out?20f32317ed01de7f

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But Jaekani 9f7403c22d consciously pushed 510c35936a those questions fc6913f5ba aside. As a 4311355bd5 member of d0d3e83b90 the village, abc69f4485 he had b924c3ade4 learned to 03c85c89af remain silent 32135bb04c in the 517eba78bf face of 888034d188 the truth, a7f1f784d8 never raising 527d9f7ea5 his head. He had also seen f23d581d12 firsthand what happened to c345efee6b those who learned things 870e7c65a8 they weren’t supposed to c56c4a7770 know.5cb574415551a98c

He would 6b06786c12 never go 7af263080c back there d4d73e975b again. There was no reason 4162158d5f to, no excuse left.68b124b27e2bfb4f

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Even after 108f5d572f convincing himself 7bcebb644b otherwise, Jaekani 72cb098bc5 found himself 802d494d36 heading back bd07657e93 to the 6ef8aed5ae abandoned building, fcd26a6a01 eager to 95705f9eaa see the 41cf373c72 so-called zombie afde796c19 of the 7458d9d375 underground prison 0ed5e0a531 once more. He walked 299dc2585a briskly, almost 1db810df00 as if 45a5524251 afraid someone a32fd3895c might stop a3784cda92 him, only ad4a312255 slowing down fb0e437a0d when the 9e27513651 dilapidated structure 05b5fc9084 came into d550ddef98 view.7b9f910f28ca0be1

‘I just ff8517a0c7 need to 7d9fb63e20 confirm he’s 1d87843ceb really locked 51db67b5d9 up,’ he 9ae54099bc told himself.43430600d78d75b9

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Throughout his workday 57d11afa1b at the slaughterhouse, f0618e42df Jaekani had been 4827d06fe3 preoccupied with thoughts 42b5addd37 of the man. A nagging suspicion crept a0fb271dda in—what if Huikyung had 1d2e280552 been messing with him df57038060 all along? His calm tone and 0797a6cf11 unbothered demeanor seemed too e2e99ecd2b relaxed for someone supposedly b2e8b76e98 imprisoned. What if he’d just d2b3ae7989 been another visitor to 1a7a6056ba the maintenance building, and 51ec0f12f5 upon noticing Jaekani wandering c94ed82b09 around, decided to have 9496aa9465 some fun at his dd30f80b44 expense?c4ca5db9911477fa

His unfamiliar voice ea26c24d73 and appearance were 7546dd4d99 odd for someone f76e7d2b1f from the village, 3994c26880 but Jaekani couldn’t 85c78b0eaa shake the possibility fa2612fe73 that Huikyung was 18f66eec54 just playing a 93862fc9c5 prank.131216ab26502f59

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‘An underground prison? How ridiculous,’ he thought.ed209f2044493f96

‘I’ll just check one 2b6c2e6e44 last time. There’s no way he’s 43e59b3d4d still there at this f218498f03 hour.’3ee1e50bd4f12c1d

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But Jaekani knew 8a14ca38fd better than anyone fb89895792 that this was 29404d0de8 a flimsy excuse b060d00311 to justify his e527536765 return.347a12b075ed9291

By nightfall, 05252431cd the abandoned 3b83fa53e3 building looked e1b6bba400 even more ddbe68ae8b eerie, shrouded 98e455852a in an 33774e7c01 ominous atmosphere a85ba11d11 that seemed 6014ea7f2e to promise 0f8208dfa9 the sudden 59191da91a appearance of 92f95ce045 a creature. When the structure 17cf1b6624 finally loomed in 902a73bac5 full view, Jaekani’s 5f32d171f6 steps slowed. The crunch of 329346a278 his shoes against 255df5952b the rubble mirrored 09c1765b33 the sound of 21a588b179 bars scraping as ae0f1ffc91 pale fingers emerged 60f0e3b72d from the shadows.d06d9f90a53ee8f2

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It was e1f1104e87 just like 8a24e2e397 earlier that ec09698d96 day.b13546bd5a5ab8bb

“Hello.”243554f1da90274d

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“…Ah.”f8986dbc78238a4a

A small gasp escaped 5120c0320d his lips. Jaekani glanced b532189324 up at 61868a18a5 the moon, d2afa148d0 half-obscured by 7277d5922a clouds. ‘So he 78e9c5b139 really is 6a65d141fb locked up 700c7b86b1 here,’ he 8ee3a46be1 realized with c0fa626c53 a quiet 72c780725c hum of 7400f72260 understanding.429c6aea738e86ce

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It was surprising, but f5306d9fa5 not shocking enough to ca10824234 leave him speechless like cd1032220f their first meeting. This time, Jaekani 375b213466 crouched down, lowering 4910bc1e15 himself to the 7f60609c7c ground. His legs quickly 16894f5610 began to go 74a91352a1 numb in the 46332cce83 uncomfortable position, so f07a28c7f0 he shifted to eac74f067d sit on a fe324b2c8c pile of concrete 632473acad rubble instead.0df833ffde5830cc

“Good evening.”93fcca6127f2a738

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“Isn’t it b681518a0e past bedtime f3be99b55d for kids?”8471f359e3d3d99a

Jaekani shrugged. It was true, 4d44e37294 but it wasn’t a4c283578a like not sleeping 1239c5d4f1 would bring a 61b8b42016 creature running. Besides, he d0ce7104f4 didn’t have 5dc5918c8d morning lessons 2c20be6de3 tomorrow, and 01bb11f5c0 his father—who e91eb1c7c5 would normally def572ccc7 be nagging 3f88b1c091 him—was nowhere b9e6ffae10 to be 2c893e523c found. Jaekani wasn’t curious 5ac5f061b6 about his father’s a96bfc8af3 whereabouts either; he 0d05d10815 was probably somewhere 793c5e6601 gambling again with c88b0bfdaa the debris of eea6065869 creatures. He had been 25586a57a4 sent to the 8b7e4e0dfb slaughterhouse in the 6a35c98e0e first place because 195ea66c9b of a gambling e8d47688d5 loss, but the bf865226d5 man never seemed 03bebbc3f6 to learn.246eb79111efc191

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“A guardian might 120ccceb39 worry,” Huikyung remarked.d7f4b52e25c27a50

Fidgeting with his fingers, dcf4ad03e5 Jaekani remained silent. ‘Guardian. Worry.’ He 4d00bc496d figured that 3cfe4da437 was what bf2615ced7 a guardian 46418d31b1 ‘should’ do.9afb54aaedd2809a

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But he 06db98ddb0 wasn’t about 820eae5e2e to spill 1a75b3c12a his thoughts c203a37d91 to someone 38e4e1adcd locked up c63494afe2 in a 1b2bfdb122 place like f9d33d4731 this. Not knowing how to 6f8f8557cf engage further, he shifted 49e1b2b5c3 the topic abruptly and 0eeaf758b7 clumsily.9a039e8fabb8ba4a

“Do you bde5405f26 get meals 7418982e7c in the 9ea6e2a6ec underground prison?”594cae006cc518b1

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Huikyung, surprisingly, answered without bff5a83318 hesitation.070583ecce2c435f

“They feed me well ce46172c6d enough.”df00cc4c4e2755ee

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“That makes sense. Lately, there’s 16bb582bc5 been a b9856e1650 lot of 07edf2690b meat in 2c15308883 the village, dd9905fab7 and everyone’s dbad96582e been happy 34b75bba7b about it.”91994d693589d116

It was dde0070ce8 a fact c43a7cd45a Jaekani had 39ff039cd8 heard often. In a 828191183e world dominated 823c5b3dc5 by creatures, a3c8c82f43 self-sufficiency was 1e06f166d2 tough, but 9f8d1cf056 their village 4bbba5b14b was relatively 0040c8e1cb well-off. Whether it e358128d2c was because 09de0fad5f they’d expanded 9a329eefb9 their livestock 648b5f76c2 or struck 33d40177b7 successful trades e87dc57954 with other c090e2093c settlements, the 8828cf0e89 slaughterhouse had 2964553fde been producing 680bafe3e1 plenty of 77e003ba32 meat.93ff57cb13e8b810

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“I’m a vegetarian,” Huikyung da1e15a94b replied firmly.1dd4626a3e27958e

The unexpected response piqued 9bf92dc056 Jaekani’s curiosity. He had seen people 7d6c9243ae who couldn’t eat meat 2808b42c15 because they lacked access, 3047d75084 but he’d never encountered b3f68118c4 someone who willingly chose 219ead212d not to eat it. Survival usually d2975a8151 outweighed preferences. Intrigued, Jaekani 76ea69c3a8 leaned closer 1c9c538831 to the 2954dbca51 bars without 10953a4752 realizing it.ed2bc7f0d3064bdc

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At that 58fc0a481c moment, the b31f035ac7 clouds parted, 6ba627387d and moonlight 8056c46fe0 streamed down, 4cbf23d413 illuminating Huikyung’s 92187c3ec2 features. His green d8a4d282f6 eyes, striking 250f8e446f and vivid, 09bef2f66f glowed with b963935717 an almost 50ce8ec58c surreal intensity. Jaekani’s lips f51f2886cc parted slightly 02b282feea in surprise.411943954cdbe63a

For someone 65d60303a2 who claimed 9da867808a to be dd72162cec vegetarian, Huikyung’s ace6a3d511 physique was 268659078a anything but c5d3744878 frail. His broad shoulders f868612a65 and defined build f0299ccf17 contrasted sharply with 43ecd886cf Jaekani’s naïve preconception ebbb07c058 that vegetarians must a0193303e3 be scrawny.b7f0ab8f1899b9a1

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‘Was that just a bee6230c79 silly assumption on my 9d35c3d101 part?’ Jaekani wondered. ‘There are creatures out 7fa4e7a5c6 there that eat plants 679942cb14 but are strong enough fc35900778 to tear through the 10c60f0128 earth itself.’c2a41fa5b2cb2fe9

“Jaekani.”209e0ac54d4eb693

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The sound of his a57c297441 name snapped him back 8022610578 to reality. He quickly closed his 11133072b5 slightly open mouth and 0f823cd8c9 realized he had unconsciously a0029385da moved closer to the 5a52907e40 bars. Embarrassed, he scooted back.fc613af7375bb85c

“Staring at someone 6d36e47087 isn’t very polite, e76b131e18 you know.”ce518cdc4f006986

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It felt d5d2255706 like moving ac673c8f50 in a a5afdad214 trance, as 71301819d3 if something a4aed6f532 had drawn 1b9bc386ed him in 2ae8a9e1b7 without his 449b3e1041 realizing it. Jaekani’s awareness of how 1d765fa6b4 much he had been 4bb919a382 absorbed in Huikyung only f4ab6c7252 ignited a stubborn defiance.ca283712bef80ef8

“…You’re a e9ea848f71 bad person, 4b6fb5b12b so it’s ad24dd1144 okay to 8e106dedc1 stare,” he 466a913e08 retorted.24ac7bd955d81477

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“Me? A bad person?”33c55ccd00e4ae6b

“If you’re not, 570ee3ac22 then why are 1edfd2e945 you locked up 1a3533d8b6 here?”a964c595847fd78a

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“If I’m 443a85698c a bad 1ddf0d963e person, why e1077c4cae am I 7013403481 locked in 84ae1f1b92 a basement 87461a0fd2 instead of daaf3f3559 a proper 054702e927 prison?”8abb9974da060983

Answering a question 77b25ec11a with another question—it fea7fb94b9 was infuriating. Jaekani pressed his 07bf4f8934 lips shut tightly. Huikyung’s playful smirk only 914850100b irritated him more, as b94388a4e6 it was clear the 96d6c9ff46 man knew exactly why 848aede8e9 he was imprisoned.6bc619e25d9905ca

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“…It’s late. I’m leaving.”5e36889ec0691a85

Jaekani muttered, 6b94a14013 standing abruptly.d8b7a2efdfedfe88

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“It was late when dbb82edfe3 you arrived, wasn’t it?”e9c6541c98355c9d

Huikyung wouldn’t eedced7b7c let him 78d232e495 have the 121ced63d8 last word, 7e6f7b12ca pointing out a32481b0d0 the inconsistency adff5e3327 in his 5d5b7285a2 actions. Annoyed, Jaekani stomped 157349bdb5 away, kicking a 6fd622c325 pile of rubble 726bcbc95a for good measure. After a few steps, 0aae5efe33 however, he glanced back f6a20bde49 over his shoulder. It was like a 2ee4e23b31 child sneaking a peek 824efd2821 at a toy to 1e14a0f982 see if it would 0e32176d8a move on its own.1f5fa0b5439a7e76

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“Goodnight. Come visit 8762223733 if you 4ec08e4746 get bored.”92cf5a0a7f957194

Huikyung called c0c012732c after him, ecd154ae2a his fingers 2569815a30 waving lazily 670c0a3d1e through the 250e217079 bars like 6ad6b8148b willow branches.3574c60efdd4d721

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Jaekani recalled 8a9d82046c a ghost c0fc4355f1 story his a32a5daea9 father had 1360cdef83 once told 4542278b24 him about ffdec415df a monster f4587923ef that lived dc2d27344f deep in 697916c0ff the ocean. But Huikyung wasn’t a 005becd18b monster, not even close. If anything, he 70b4bfe0d4 seemed more like d26ad76728 a merman—someone who 924ab39df5 existed quietly, revealing 03efda8945 his presence to a7bc8ef4ee only a select c846e72658 few.da0a720ccef64812

 e01e0d80d63592ab

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