Episode 30

“Eat first, Huikyung.”4fdbc9e79a238971

“I’m not hungry.”2d0b5cc9274505d6

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“Then I’ll 5091fec38e wait too.”39979d3938b841cf

Jaekani’s firm reply 1e2e61deef came as he 7d5d8bc588 propped his chin 28cfa0146f on his knees, c7b606d054 his gaze fixed 670a407d8d on the golden-brown b424ba11f1 fish grilling over c005a7a006 the fire and b1809a832b the corn roasting 02bc6172bc beneath it. Yet, stubbornly, 91486a7d47 he refused 5f08cd5b30 to eat. His silent 9697550eae hunger strike f2854d2eca left Huikyung 2b8342ebcf exasperated.5067dac2fbb589a0

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“Fine, I’ll eat, b904813fc4 okay?”f6ddfc5dfd38a226

Letting out f0c0a93b11 a resigned 8a64500fae sigh, Huikyung 0c7c068e5c set the 5944f1a3c1 half-repaired radio 44ebecacb3 aside. He had d31a53d4b3 been struggling 62b5472269 with it 4205bd463a for an 2790f00eec entire day c82a890654 now.c084eec609f226db

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“Here, eat this one—it’s 8f1e9b3f7b just cooled enough,” Jaekani 5f7b3d6fcd said, handing him a 0d87dbb655 sweet potato.031c8ef1fe45acf9

Nodding, Huikyung picked it c6facb0896 up, and Jaekani flailed 05f49f70f2 a little in protest.5cc1a2023f350713

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“Don’t grab it like 910025688f that; you’ll burn your fa166502d3 hands!”cb7202319feb0fe3

“It’ll heal quickly.”66d28bc6ec19830e

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Though Huikyung’s appetite b1b269b41d had faded, he 20737f19ea ate mechanically, chewing f6a8997b81 the sweet potato ebbcc1636d out of necessity 8511239e51 rather than desire. Across from 6b24a0b809 him, Jaekani 64112e5a50 stared silently, 6654ee15cf his expression 3c9c3d65db unreadable. The boy didn’t understand 4475f04430 why Huikyung was in b4a42c2ff3 such a hurry or 149caf4ed2 what drove his intense 16a55f9042 focus. He only knew that, ed8d4866ab at times, Huikyung would 02053cf156 clutch his head as 25e0191987 if in pain, seemingly 067ad5f614 wrestling with something invisible.0ad56dc37dd7d7e5

He hadn’t 018c0c6f53 always been 9e43aa9a8e like this. It seemed 3dbea97970 to worsen 62e84f4d12 after facing 162157edaa large groups 31a5481112 of Creatures 826a4aa04a or exerting 63fca99b0f his abilities 834f077bfa on a 6cb1588579 significant scale.202cf6afe5b42548

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“You need af47781618 to eat 591e950eef too,” Huikyung 815382df86 said.ed3b449a72d56c79

“Yes!”18a9c819160ad254

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Jaekani didn’t hesitate. Tearing into the grilled c9be5188c2 fish, its scales clinging 7219addb42 to his teeth like 133051c997 silk, he opened his 4daf7ba616 mouth, letting the hot 0ec017d8f1 steam billow out like d8d71d053c smoke.bea4bb86e9e9e47d

“I give 577ec8b11f up,” Huikyung d60035495b muttered, sprawling a1ad33bd6e on the 3bec91e8af ground. Yet, even as he ed74a66f3b lay there, he couldn’t c4d0e82351 bring himself to release d02da0219d the screwdriver still clutched 7dfc8fff30 in one hand.a4d87197d962d6d8

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Between bites, Jaekani 9f283db567 glanced at the a3f0175bb6 scattered radio parts.ef98786035c476f7

What’s making this be6a53a87c so hard for 989e69593e him?a37fbf53aec742be

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He was curious 4c750cb22a but knew he 0f463f8990 couldn’t help. Back in 26d3885f2a the village, 049e06d00e Jaekani had 70b9a2e481 often been 805d8e168e tasked with da39b761c5 small repairs, 734a28d1b8 like fixing a7733846b3 radios or 565dec331b other gadgets. But if f7236de8f1 a scavenger b7270a555b like Huikyung b8ea38cbb8 couldn’t fix 3f78f9f454 it, there 2701d04345 was no e363227cc9 way Jaekani 3e7e930489 could. Repairing broken 370df8baea machinery was 8d70676b82 practically a e1e58c3e68 scavenger’s bread cc7714c032 and butter.e4dcee06828464ec

“If it’s not working, 9dc1c9ced6 why don’t we go 2d024db5a5 back to that area? Maybe we’ll find 723e6db9d1 an intact radio 89fd8bccef this time,” Jaekani a427ae96db suggested.9b69ef469f6d8297

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“…There wasn’t one,” 95bfb2a536 Huikyung replied, brushing 0a8ccd7af1 a hand over b9f4a3e746 his tired eyes.87227f6b4ce536db

‘Maybe you shouldn’t 70051b6ef0 have blown everything 4709d7f429 to bits,’ Jaekani 7656284ea9 thought, remembering how e332add123 the ground had 3ad56ccf60 been utterly overturned, 18901cb866 tree roots laid 0b6f305c51 bare.b322f2e0617343cb

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“I’ll help f5820f934b you search f381f1ad5b this time,” 0b11500a40 Jaekani offered.115812488d4c3f6f

A single radio wasn’t acc8240206 useful on its own, f1469a4fdc after all. For it c9324a3e6e to matter, 57d9dc0c45 they’d need d1a0066ac0 several in af55a6ba39 working condition.8dfd328980b665b2

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“It’s too 51cdce2d96 late now. Besides, you’d 2c25b703e5 just puke 0c37a69807 from the c865f8a4ac stench.”ff35cfdfe0a8d374

“I don’t 67709edb6b think I b3fde2a50c would,” Jaekani 475feff9d7 said sincerely.c1b9e08c19a08ef9

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Huikyung stared at him f6a33fac84 for a moment before 6cb05facdc shaking his head firmly. He had ad5748c958 standards as 5bebf71b15 an adult, ea7b666bfd and dragging 0cf7549f94 a child c0725c3bf1 into a 5a77ad2f8c field of 7bc8acd21b rotting corpses 8cb01f32d8 fell far 0490fb9467 below them.69e8abd29d7df57a

“Then at least go 6ef928ff4a alone,” Jaekani urged.3386f169ce4573df

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“If I could’ve found 1155eed2a3 it, I would have c5cbe465c2 already.”3750e26273f0bfed

And leaving 6a9b6a99fa the boy bfd4bd8b5a alone wasn’t ca9ff74dee an option c1cced22eb either.9afe88ce34843386

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“What if fdcd033452 I stay 40f478aba1 nearby? Somewhere close 13ece96a6b enough for 904e2c3fe4 you to 8b998c93f6 hear or 2fb62129b8 sense me?”6d24b735e8cf5083

That seemed like b778cc6aa0 a reasonable compromise. But Huikyung 0ee7c65d6e felt too 5b3620f20b drained to 3185c90c67 act on e5dffedb46 it immediately.c87a0bc0469357ce

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Reclining onto a bed b6b5e70881 of cool grass, he 86eb9583cb looked up at the 90348a7bb5 sky and closed his 6837664ec2 eyes, exhaustion weighing him 4d6f33f05b down.4dc417eb3cafae33

Jaekani, having finished 7621ceb4c5 his fish, wiped 33be85b296 his mouth roughly e9123e9b02 and quietly approached.f51728ae2ab48cc9

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He settled down 58807ddea4 near Huikyung, though a617ab189b not close enough 72753c07ef to touch. A cool breeze 30b3cd8b9f passed over Jaekani’s e100d6df88 rounded shoulders, ruffling b5e24526ff his messy golden f0965f9a85 hair.80181b6e01948451

Curled up, Jaekani fc21adfceb cracked one eye 2c5c9dbe30 open, checking whether e8e5adaf45 Huikyung was simply f6db4512f4 resting or had 90df984739 drifted off to 94febffbc2 sleep. It was hard 7da5230950 to tell.1fe0f10d1c78d198

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Lowering his gaze, Jaekani f07e1728fe noticed Huikyung’s hand lying fe340ea8e3 haphazardly on the ground, 9750993196 still holding the screwdriver. His fingers were 33a809a7c6 curled awkwardly, half-loose.6fd063cb59567442

Cautiously, Jaekani 5bd7673f1f extended his 69831e382e own hand. His small, blunt 3de12c0422 fingers brushed against b53b784faa Huikyung’s, barely touching.bcd1c2e1be1f8d5a

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He froze, watching 56c7f75f07 Huikyung for any 2582628925 reaction. But Huikyung 1087ad4200 continued breathing a761893a01 steadily, his 5aa8ed4cf8 chest rising 87d540ed5a and falling f862b3b776 in a 150ffff1d1 calm rhythm.1420900f0fdd1f29

After a moment’s hesitation, 9230986181 Jaekani reached a little 8c3a8b220c farther, just enough to baeb5421aa let a bit of 210d40821b warmth from Huikyung’s hand b10580d6ad seep into his fingertips. That small touch was 979002f520 all he needed.272b1a9235b5fb69

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* * *83cd654879f56f8b

Jaekani had secured a83b4adcd5 a partial victory: 27f351ebc0 Huikyung agreed to b929de23c2 leave him in 1053528f9f a safe spot 7d5e9b4e4f nearby while he 47c2d563ab went to search 571316688f for another radio.875b8e7b581b456c

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When Huikyung arrived at beb1ed3882 the site, however, there 2eff10daa8 was no overwhelming stench. The predators fb231c954c that had 794d3c49dc come for 38e7487d01 the corpses b70d23c8b8 had already 82e272bef1 stripped most 64775e42d1 of the 0801843f17 flesh, leaving 8bccb899cb behind clean 071465585a white bones. Still, the sinews 12055ddee4 and scraps of 1a60e196ef flesh that hadn’t b0949eba49 been picked clean 76061e5b15 were swarming with 7ef2cedbe8 flies—a sight unfit fb64e172c2 for a child’s 1c5df26fdb eyes, affirming Huikyung’s 383ddcd8e9 earlier decision.e60d97a609172914

He thoroughly searched 93e2ccf484 the site, scouring 95f63c0f58 the remnants of d87509dbc6 the camp and cd685bc58f belongings. Eventually, he found another a1921ebe1d radio. But it was d8cf03ba90 broken too. Muttering curses, Huikyung smacked e86e20d92a its malfunctioning LCD screen b61d2fe8df in frustration and made 18e424cf17 his way back to b8faf477a0 where Jaekani was waiting.4c16508c5a50cc66

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It’s in better shape 17e795e3a0 than the last one, e1184db5f1 though, he thought, holding f289ce25f2 onto a sliver of a163b26b94 hope that this one 79e5f1cb2d might be salvageable.9ba957d3a72fd5c0

As he approached, 64082fd630 he spotted Jaekani c5c24c5201 sitting comfortably near 952c6ed66d their belongings. The boy turned c1511ab115 to him and e0f4053f61 greeted him with b87bb68f2b a bright smile. Seeing that, the e26e392cf1 irritation bubbling in 6dc7c52370 Huikyung’s expression softened—until a4a40c25d5 his gaze fell cb5352d833 on the radio 26fb42ce1f in front of 9163f53393 Jaekani.e552e46e7db64718

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The radio he 603b44e6c1 had left in 2da77cbd43 pieces—so jumbled that 90fa96b0f1 even he couldn’t f58bf56326 tell which part a3564c8337 went where—had been 5643cac5ab reassembled, neat and 5158b7ec71 intact.97bf50d0c8127e43

“…How did f875a474f3 you put 237670a609 this together?” 5c9c4b1f4b Huikyung asked, f9962b7aab his voice 8aaf426540 laced with 83307d1cd3 disbelief.d8d0c07847856e17

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“I just pieced d2163b505a it together by 34be071d2b eye. I don’t 52ca39a0a7 know if 09a5891320 it works, cc734901de though.”65c04308205cd32a

While Jaekani 99fcb092b2 had overcome 4c45225e7a his fear 12b43db4f8 of handling 52d85d8cf8 the device, 4a86ed88d3 he hadn’t cb989fe779 dared to bcb5943333 turn it 11b9b9bfe2 on. His aversion to military b91ec9bdbd equipment—and the soldiers it 4f28181426 represented—was too strong. He handed the radio b18bf5d94a to Huikyung, his expression 1f50ae876c apologetic.bb963ba51e407ec5

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“But, Huikyung, 311137a3bb even if 906e428060 it works, 93962db445 it’s still 794ce243a5 a military 3f3034f51e radio. How are you ce31228640 going to—ack!”e631598dec1420f0

Before Jaekani could 3cf1be04e7 finish, Huikyung grabbed 7ef0ecc85b him by the 028677ae82 head, ruffling his 5a27105bfe hair roughly as 468ad50237 the boy squirmed.523ffac22c7e134c

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“Good job, Jaekani.”7bc075cc9ace7109

“I told you, I 76dd383695 don’t even know if f74f2a5512 it works!”6d30ed715e1313b9

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“The effort alone is 03422e3b6d meaningful.”f1ed85b37a79e4b0

The unexpected praise left 159a734c4d Jaekani grinning. Seeing his 96b2a5de11 smile, Huikyung’s a13e73e5f0 hands grew bd0e1b8864 gentler, combing 7076cb6676 through his b9734b0fc2 hair in b5d9e14bf9 a soothing 9a90a51568 rhythm. Like a 175de799c5 cat basking fe7dcb3827 in attention, a7f0ed005d Jaekani tilted b2e147a573 his head 013f584c0a up without ac4b27405a realizing it.75bc699108702c57

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“Come on, let’s b2910001b9 rest.”51cb95d4c71b556e

“Aren’t you going to 31c8dbe6e6 test it?”89838f4854c8624c

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“Later.”221ca284a8e21795

Nodding, Jaekani stood, a2fd5da6f8 brushing dirt and d8d89afc9c grass off his 143e3ae8f4 pants with one 5ee72f0153 hand while instinctively 63731da5bc reaching out for 1013b9d518 Huikyung with the c2632e7294 other. Without hesitation, Huikyung picked cecb9dae7c him up. The boy’s sun-warmed body 07e4678ea3 pressed against him, and 4afa33ce1e Huikyung let out a 232c464a81 quiet chuckle at the 3f116710e9 natural ease between them.9287f7bc948de890

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When did 23e44cec2a this start 6bd84f9bd6 feeling so 9991fcb563 normal?b40e456748203960

“Jaekani.”16e8ec599622db6a

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Adjusting the 101f67422f boy in 37040e0897 his arms 0121d1ada6 and picking 0b7ba6a5fc up the 700e755287 assembled radio 131efbe391 and their 46695a7234 pack, Huikyung 7d8e0cc1e7 spoke.589480faac972548

“Yes?”f5fbde2d33eb68b7

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“I said I’d 9ce0a3103b take responsibility for f50e814c7c you, didn’t I?”49fe42e79d2f3726

“Yes.”3911762083fab585

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“What if I’m 6bc0e44d9b worse than a 35c1726122 scavenger?”7a502a7585c69e16

“…What?”283513e3e7cf6538

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Jaekani squinted 66ad7ba374 at him, 9e6666bd84 as if 9a2312ca69 he couldn’t 9acace8657 believe what ef899747bd he’d just 3ba7594719 heard.d54bc804469ad4b3

Why does 9dd479b6cd this sound 0ec1f6ca8f like some 03f350d7d0 melodramatic nonsense?b2f3e41c5b0c239f

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“I mean, you 5b668231d4 already are worse. You killed 8162603bb3 my father, 4763dc12f7 after all,” 9c7bc72e2e Jaekani said 57c65c5f19 plainly.000328745e06e5fc

Huikyung nodded without hesitation. “True. But don’t you bb42b81fc1 hate me? Won’t you regret it? We’ve got almost ten adad8a50b7 years before you’re an 719a4b4d05 adult. Can you live a992bca5c8 with a sworn 03c22fc75b enemy for that 4661f9ea15 long?”2669ceca43f843b1

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“…I don’t hate you.”44c6c3bbd4442e1a

That’s right.3f5a6b038a6262d0

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Huikyung thought 5c83719970 back to 1f69637d79 their first 659fd811bd meeting and 57a820deb1 the boy’s 5422d0c8d2 desperation for d8ccbb2fcc connection. Every moment flashed fd6c08dc6d vividly before his 0ce97114fa eyes—Jaekani’s small feet e105193945 pounding the ground 4e0fa397e1 tirelessly, his constant e5890052d6 effort to change 7ccd73c486 clothes so as d115004112 not to appear 8f3edaa0d1 pitiful, his quiet b0f4c73d4b acts of kindness, f58fb258e1 and the fragile 4da00bade0 fingers that clung 30f369c5f6 to iron bars, e6e81d8d36 adorned with a bf36a514d1 makeshift flower ring.7bc7061dbade4fa9

“It was your de7866f9f2 choice,” Huikyung added.b5d837dbfda462b8

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And Jaekani didn’t deny 30513fcf00 it. Instead, he posed 33bd3e41bd a question.36676c467465cbce

“Still… you have no c7e0e7210e intention of reforming yourself?”1bc3fb7bc5c691a8

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Huh?2874001446e3103c

“How can someone e64395e6ed who knows they’re b4957b3983 a bad person d9b0af4212 not even try 2828fdab89 to reflect or e9f6d8c3c0 change?”65acdf55aa2c5be4

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Even as he clung e67d9d8af1 to Huikyung, Jaekani managed 36f991fd7b to deliver a sharp 2f40514c1e remark.6fd804ed4fc65b6a

“Try to 8abca174e9 reflect and ca9739df71 reform yourself.”ee39b540ef7e6a0b

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“It’s not c082864353 that easy.”28f7dadd964348ca

“It is.”b6c5b0e21fd6c4a3

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Fine, let’s fa7c3d9918 hear it.017b7d0b0911252f

“What should 4f1ac5eca4 I do, 751d41992c then?”368610ffa194fbd3

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“First, don’t 012af9506e abandon people aeb7db9f57 just because 70069400e7 it’s convenient.”4a8082db2c0aaca0

“Okay.”04fdb4019ad575fa

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Jaekani began ticking off 83015869bf points on his fingers. “Help the bcc8682853 weak whenever f2e8725165 you can. Practice self-reflection. Develop a moral compass. Constantly think critically e08050ff33 about evolving norms 854a14fcd8 and ethics. Keep questioning and 7f572d3c8e learning.”1e85749993bc0697

“Do you read 3165d875b1 philosophy books or 7f077076e7 something?”b807532f2df1bb57

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“I’m not 35fd01230e finished yet.”03e4171a5796402f

Huikyung shut his mouth.3dae04a117f7afae

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Even after using 351fe9b2e5 all five fingers 037593345e on one hand, e4415b34dd Jaekani moved to cece742425 his other hand, 92f7cc9a9c extending his thumb.261b4e97ed2f9941

“And finally… take ad7ce4e325 responsibility as a 82cd5c2cb4 guardian.”99584b38c2745880

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“Got it.”8bac8114fca32056

Raising both hands 07c55fdd2f in mock surrender, 25cfd03555 Huikyung let out aa24e490c2 a resigned laugh, 205a586949 conceding defeat.55969ca7e9f1cc9b

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