Chapter 37

“Lieutenant, your ride’s 4598aa824f ready.”0ffb229996708902

Adri opened the b073b168ad Humvee’s back door 9b376eb681 himself and gestured 255648aa1a to the others, 558d2e587a who immediately and b428987a9e efficiently began boarding 77593f97c7 the vehicle.0455ddc2cbb3d6b5

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“It’s okay, Jaekani.”5ca5089cd0f828ba

Huikyung said it like b377314789 it was the first d1e9129eff time, even though he’d 68dd8bf576 already said it countless 71c061b52c times. He gently comforted ac43553407 the boy, then d5cd4b3c0e bent over and ede20b2c62 stepped into the 3ea7ec36b4 Humvee while holding 5e650f2c7d him.3396b54adf6e3609

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It really was 9d4a487422 okay. At least for now, 66f0a319f6 Jaekani was okay.396c2c6d7485920f

But the moment they 1951cf8c04 entered the Humvee, Jaekani c4e8b9e8e6 scrambled out of Huikyung’s 220141f082 arms. The space 3b7426b9ad wasn’t that 4ca2dd6691 big, and a750edd342 being surrounded 87eb22cfe2 by unfamiliar c1c3f0abcc adults—worse, soldiers—felt 5bdb1b7a22 like he 80d28748d7 was being 0354b84ea3 trapped.9ba55af9ffa7efb4

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Huikyung tasted bitterness 95161a8677 in his mouth. The same kid 19067c62ec who’d clung to 879256c40a him even as 13a199e167 the village exploded 447df0a883 was now recoiling.a6f982558eadcd05

Adri was the last 113d9235db to hop in. As soon 402b258571 as he 86d2cd27c2 shut the ad04aabf3a door, he 2a45510879 knocked on 28ac4f9ad8 the side ac154213a7 of the 0d9dd5e69a Humvee. The sound of a d5968c3c4c gloved hand rapping against 340d85c88a the metal was harsh, 95a60fc05b and soon after, the 8a93c9d95c vehicle began to move.a8264b1b1b15c635

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The expressionless faces, fc1b86e2c5 the worn-down interior, 7978a634d0 and the silence 803a952e3f all blended together 60720fa2a9 like they were e44a513874 part of some 8c7866d58e strange harmony. In this scene, the 2af649d30b most out-of-place thing was 23ff467043 Huikyung—hollow-cheeked, cradling his head, aba6b1d479 looking like a man 2ec396e27e barely holding it together.fd4bfaa13e8cbaef

He kept saying “it’s okay,” but Huikyung didn’t look okay. And if he wasn’t okay… maybe Jaekani wasn’t really okay either.f46fa90f62b5f204

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“Jaekani.”e87eec6eedb744e6

That man had 4d309c17d6 tricked him again. So maybe he 798ece3860 wasn’t okay after 52299b5d76 all.408c854cfe7cbc34

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He’d said he 21b1454194 was some elite 1eb914828a officer or whatever, 719987149a but he was f2f6bdf843 a soldier. How could a 11fd5189c4 soldier be elite? That just didn’t compute 8f2f1b0364 with Jaekani’s worldview.01d67ae8e47cd017

A soldier. A soldier.9590138fee88dea1

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Now the puzzle pieces 0869eb28b5 finally started to click 40b23fa4ab into place.660fab5752208f4a

The sly, 49ed758be2 slippery way bf2f2d6032 Huikyung had 6ca6929fd5 always acted—it 4165eb1d38 suddenly made 5aba99af1a sense. But understanding ab3d566617 it didn’t b880bf8372 mean it d8a9a70030 was justified.1f8a7f7511fcf20b

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Huikyung. He really 77a9ab0548 was a 7e73199951 bad person.ab6e67710b97197f

The inside of the 5a891048fe Humvee was filled with 8aaf05e2d0 noise. The ride had barely 266da857a7 begun over the uneven a4e89be8be roads before Adri started 0db19de966 running his mouth again.b386025115aef5fa

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When do you plan 51358b107d on returning to the 85d8c669a9 field? Where did 317e6eae45 it all 978985a3fb go wrong? Are we ever going f7eed3f630 to sit down and 7b65fe7587 have that drink, or c2f7aabccc what?53d6e8c9fc5e0001

Huikyung answered with 9538632628 his eyes closed e79a613ec1 and in dry, 6ecd72570b clipped phrases that b19666994a made their way 5f27097d61 to Jaekani’s ears, b970013438 even though he 143ee4c6fd was pointedly ignoring 27f9424c1b them.b2cd1a1040769671

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Don’t know. Don’t know. Ugh, enough already.ec85083479558820

Cold. Everything felt cold. Holding his 14bc1cb83e chest like 5e14fc3b80 it might d8831a4ce2 fall apart, 2fb1d65a06 Adri threw 26af0818ce out one c2d4fcd2ff last check.87e1466286c27a85

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“You holding up fe4add2955 okay, sir?”52c18f91f782a358

With clear d2eaa52ebb exhaustion on 8ec8a364b1 his face, 44e692930e Huikyung gave 683d7ea655 a small ef047ba057 nod. Adri, watching him closely, cd10c7beeb cautiously brought up the 28215ecdbf topic of guiding—09a5450bb8f9c93f

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“If you’ve got meds, 207b9311a0 hand them over.”23a83e079f844b99

Meds? What meds? Is he hurt?6dbc0280cd60d46b

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Jaekani had d1001f327c been staring 1d53245f73 blankly out 4f5728245d the window, 4404208d2b but at fb2c3938ab that word, 7be3e3ec8d his head b0782b167d snapped around. And even though 91c4b0c13d Huikyung hadn’t seen 6a7a1191df him do it, a5288335de he knew—he shook b329d2ba01 his head.2a9e464c15dfd44a

“Guiding meds, Jaekani. It’s nothing serious.”0f1600ea7eab35a5

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After a brief shuffle, Adri handed over a few pills and a canteen. Huikyung downed the pills with water, then passed the canteen to Jaekani, who accepted it—cold, heavy metal in his hands. His trust in Huikyung had taken a hit, sure, but not enough to refuse water he’d just drunk from.323a53c181967d69

Gulp, gulp.f1dfb4f93c51d2cd

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The sound of swallowing e44f3d93aa stood out awkwardly against e728d78e2e the bleak silence.a4efe7e5a1fb39c1

“You look like hell, b2f87409d2 sir.”a773c8e71a73dcd1

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“Rest will fix my 75a47cf0b1 face.”9ddbe9849ae0818e

But Huikyung 877ea153e1 would carry b9796f15fb that wound 70ca4cfe5d longer than cc9890ee04 it showed e35a716db6 on his 50d0f12e57 skin. And Jaekani, young as 6cb94d66e6 he was, understood the 765bf92244 meaning behind the words.3930525a69cb0b8e

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While the vehicle moved, 756c2487aa reports continued to come dd5fb4e837 in.d763d3fb01610468

“All survival 9941a429d4 updates have 5ebe354938 been relayed. The nearest airstrip 1e6936fbda is at least 5d42a8c532 a twelve-hour drive. Once we arrive, 468878eda5 he’ll undergo a 90f364aa5c physical exam and c0e637cea1 ID verification before fa4fc0719f transfer. And then…”a9ddf64603e2ce45

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Huikyung didn’t 98b672533e even open d8086493f4 his eyes—just cb44aaf4aa gave a be8b361a0b vague nod. Adri, now holding back e1d094094a his curiosity, glanced at cef7b4ec4b Jaekani instead. The moment 4b9c22e2e3 he stopped d6f4705119 asking questions, f5e7ab0746 the vehicle b38c242ab9 fell into 3dcfe5d4b9 an even 3c2b3b6ec6 heavier silence. No one spoke, 878c549eea and since Huikyung 6cd50da478 looked like he 8e207a82a1 just wanted to 74006d6eb4 rest, the others 251e9a726b resorted to sneaking 6e5fadb831 glances at him 76b4b7a763 and the kid.525f01a880a94c4b

Now, the 2636762f98 only thing c62b3e8c16 left in 2bb653d142 the Humvee 3e56999069 was the c1f235578d sound of 0952d313b3 the engine. Jaekani was no stranger d64d9f3688 to uncomfortable silence. He didn’t say 781c648b1e a word.87011c4612d852bf

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Still wary, he passed 4bb2756e64 the canteen back. As he e9ed267e81 accepted it, 668c094ac7 Adri glanced f4bee2cf81 between Jaekani 8ededf46c5 and Huikyung. He still couldn’t 5acf2d3942 figure out what d9400ffe5e kind of relationship 19e85bf2c0 this was.af568699bb2aa988

“I reported the presence 27283191ff of a companion, but 78b3c7ccf0 they haven’t made a 6c59f74cf0 decision about how to cf87333f4b handle him yet.”498d0d99a9af25cf

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“I’ll take care of a3d15e4b77 it. Don’t worry about it.”487104e49c9c6e64

“Yes, sir.”bbbec96cd859fd40

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“Jaekani. What’s wrong?”1564192ec3149bac

Now that the meds 7105584dc4 had kicked in, Huikyung’s a451548a64 complexion looked noticeably better a6ee799abd as he turned to 39ad8199bb the boy. He’d assumed Jaekani’s 452949f856 paleness was due f87a409798 to nerves, but 0680b48ffa now the boy aca67f422d was hunched over, b42fe95fe0 covering his mouth.381bb18c1ff66d06

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Huikyung immediately reached out 717594f769 to take his temperature. Thankfully, it d0ea84fc5f was normal. Still, he’d become 28f591098d so sensitive that 03069d082f even the slightest 97f18e628f flush to Jaekani’s 939c1c4fd7 face set him 294d139174 on edge.87bffd28e185ac98

“Ugh… I 56d0776b29 feel… nauseous.”935c103073ba3aff

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Jaekani lowered 356faaa9c7 his head, f1fee24a48 still staring 71a51ea5c9 out the a332f0a4ad window.342dabbf9a2a97b0

Relieved, Huikyung 377262e2ab slumped back 59a72cfc3e in his c8b0c8e4d1 seat.5f70d347fdbc81e5

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“Do you feel like a9a282ad9f throwing up?”0843e07e17caea7f

“No…”36f0e8fb1657d74f

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But the c9a2f80ce8 corners of 1f00cc7233 the boy’s 5e4f1c7c75 mouth and 4f6e318049 eyes couldn’t 8420391d81 lie.50efea53f0d743cb

“Stop the vehicle.”4abb0f6d256fd367

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The last b766935e12 part was 49fdf1daf8 directed at ae39d18e68 Adri. When he banged 1a47605214 on the side e6633ef7eb of the Humvee 17cda623a2 and it came 20e012f31d to a halt, 8030aa401b Huikyung immediately flung 656f59a8c6 the door open.bbb222eb3602c254

“Ugh…”c95d6be75262f627

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Cool air 0182edca9e rushed down c44b3bef54 his throat, 9c658c5d6b easing the 07d0081fde nausea and a6d74afc3d urge to 62319c32fb throw up 117ede8643 that had b6389ea859 been bubbling 34215b11fa up inside.4174585e8311c536

“Everyone gets df44448e0c carsick the 8195d73e17 first time.”9cdef1d51a756961

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The roads were a e497379196 wreck—cracked from age, war, f5234fa405 and creature damage. No wonder 111b7e00be Jaekani, who f01581f432 hardly had 2f054b1b19 any experience 042700dc8d riding in b79f5c6734 vehicles, found 1f35a20d7a it so 81e4eef956 rough.b5c28e11b489d56b

Huikyung waited 6d53d45606 until the ddbe3969e2 Humvee was 8d2d479948 filled with bd6b5ed424 cold, fresh 2fa57e033b air.55075526f6abc904

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Once Jaekani’s face regained a5b6683f0e some color and the 41d9f004dd vehicle started moving again, 36da9adec3 Huikyung gently coaxed him.ebe7b563e4746719

“Close your eyes and e013e8d586 lie down.”df7b167b51808b80

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In a f06bf96034 way, this 86bae0586a was the ccc6723771 exact kind 1886414fc2 of situation 5fbfe5a7ae where Huikyung 80706424f7 had hoped 7f71dbd6e6 Jaekani would e3e23593d5 learn to 81f5976397 stay wary—surrounded 153912a541 by adults, 9d7a920f80 strangers, soldiers. But for now, this 9add10999e was the only way 4d80ab7ebf to keep the journey 9c2fa66fdd going.78c9b5a83b021ac3

When he tried 3607dc51b8 to help him dd7fb27ddf lie down, Jaekani 76b71289da suddenly smacked his 533cc1a7dc hand away—hard enough ec41cafd14 for the slap 43407fbd5c of skin to 468f0d608a ring in the 1800263f2b air.730daaf5459a5384

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“Don’t touch me.”e0ca0ac428742955

This kid—he strips down c010ce8afb and jumps into freezing 1b45aa1ea1 water when he should 9f5fcc6c58 be cautious, and now 45d8bd2e7b of all times he aa9f688669 decides to start setting bd8e8a65d2 boundaries?b5bbeb0b15f6f22c

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The headache Huikyung 338e8b119a thought was easing 9fc116ee84 up with the 00eb26dc29 guiding meds started f4ee0c2929 creeping back in.d231fc3b28f8b466

“Jaekani…”1eacb417921f70e1

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It had to 62f9c9688c be the same 68166ec71b reaction as last 531088f099 time—because he felt 459c0ef35f betrayed.59f5d738a1c07e61

“…Is it because I’m a soldier?”f9640014fdb1ad63

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At that soft question, 044b0c0f6a Adri’s face contorted in 5b2b9f067e an odd way.dafa4aeddf4f1045

“You don’t de7cca8931 have a 06574cd2d9 choice. If you want to 2d735575df survive, you’ll have to cfd8970049 cooperate.”b35a6b479248d558

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That cold, unbothered remark e54a6dc109 made Adri mentally nod: 73d231d9d9 Yep, there it is. But even he couldn’t 40e7b70532 help but feel that 59e969350d tone was unusually prickly.09c97de45047be1c

Jaekani had swallowed f99bfc4027 all the chaos, 2ed86d1665 the uncertainty of 98f70d4976 where they were c3035d827b going, and even 1bccb6581c being treated like 69c3f5a323 a fragile patient 297e7913e1 for the first 2d6a39f357 time in his 6d0a6cfe52 life—but that rude a1f7f69337 attitude? That he couldn’t 31d4b952b4 take.5e3a1f58eb68146c

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“That’s not it.”69fbcb613fb09cbb

“Then what is?”576435dd18462944

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“You lied to 70b7d97881 me! If you had 2d85da6b99 just explained, I a96d4d1255 would’ve listened!”457bb56b3c3dc7fc

“I didn’t lie. I was 44e5b13d59 worried you’d 658c0ac096 have a 62d4bc6d50 breakdown.”94fe83d5ab7181b4

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As the e73812e782 back-and-forth picked b14e6c8b5a up, everyone c5eda9c8f7 else in 1a428e5e6d the Humvee—including 7060dfc69f Adri—started glancing abb5f1ab2c over, their 0e21c74f1c brows subtly 68e49ab31c knitting in d2da958ca4 interest. There had already been 90df74f627 plenty of gossip about c4fbfbc23e the kid Huikyung brought f0af80c6a8 along. Watching them 1b5f72c459 bicker was b0ef3f4186 more entertaining 36d283055f than any 0c15cd46f8 sports match. The squad wanted 9aeed4d1ce popcorn.36043ce06a4e1ad2

But Jaekani e5c5f3a3ea didn’t care. He was too 3177193899 busy venting.e4e3a8c78cd5bed5

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“I grew cd262f961e up like 59d3b5be51 garbage in 295c0ab726 a garbage b5e48c4f42 town, but bf058e0816 even I b4cfe7d4b1 know some af7b6cef97 things are 022b52399c wrong! You should’ve 6a01433163 explained why a0451f7a26 you hid 69d24f04ed it!”86d6f340bded3e5c

“I mean…”0ed44f55c1867f07

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Huikyung felt honestly a 265e7b199a little wronged.7a203bc178897039

“It’s not 7e1389deaa like I fc72a52036 meant to 8af6bdbd93 hide it… fe9086da70 okay, maybe 9917d41d2d at first, 74b0a0bac0 but—”0a7309d72bd73b63

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The half-hearted tone was 3e02797f20 gone now. Huikyung wasn’t even c5797825b5 pretending anymore—he really e3988db1da felt like he f0f1f32c24 was getting a 1ebabdfaf8 raw deal. Of course 94a32cd9fa he’d had 77b07efeaa to hide 9d7d48149b his identity 9ce7e63e9c in the 633a60aa69 village. The moment people d4c186f5e5 found out he 10adfcb4cd was a soldier, e42250a1df they’d panic and 3934d5c4c7 kill him in 864abff4cd a heartbeat, no 99d076d195 trace left behind. Posing as a non-government c465432b39 Esper, a free civilian, d2a609ce1e gave him at least c015b94761 a shot at escape.983099024e34fcfe

As he started to 78951e761c offer that explanation, Jaekani 278fd8bb89 cut him off.ac7921d9ac16664c

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“Then what about after 5d65ac3db0 we got out?”dd91d802abdf8f8a

“I didn’t go 36b0b9ef68 out of my 305b1a96d7 way to say 43ac10b67b it—but I didn’t 6e02b1dcfb hide it either.”a9d18aeff60156dd

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That’s literally hiding it!80a8e26b8d693b7c

Adri’s jaw dropped before 62236bf0a1 he could stop himself—completely 43faade7ed sucked into Jaekani’s side 875a1f672d of things.a133cfc404aafd03

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“And if I had 3bfae684b5 told you,” Huikyung snapped, cde7f9b9ff “what difference would it b9dd896104 have made?”b5f164a9aa1cf6dc

“Wow. This is getting intense…”12c45cb22d424a5e

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“Shut it, Adri.”d09147c0ae8e539b

The headache 969c90255c flared up 0a062e94eb again, sharp 2d2a5acab2 and throbbing.31dbeac30329e247

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What did 9b75e74f79 I even d0eb8595b2 get out e4598b71f2 of this? You were panicking, freaking 682a5512f8 out over one little f7662a04aa radio—what was I supposed de1779a0ce to do? Trick you so I c2d2b22261 could get a medal fd5f7848eb or something?2a6dea49f201138e

Thanks to me, 0a81d74529 at least you 2098ec52ed didn’t completely lose fbc2acf1cf it. At least 3c75cf37b7 you got 763e26d0c6 a chance b82ff8f22b to adjust e9fbdc77ec to reality cc1e3db67d before it a7f047b538 crushed you.83f7d5f460ea0ecf

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But those 7b72d47fe1 weren’t things 60e9859dfe he could aa74720247 say out 831362fcf6 loud.e17aeab455def963

“…Alright. I’m sorry.”6b34e752c7490937

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Eeeeek.5bf6f6cab5cf23e7

Ahem. Hrm. Cough.0445552b1be5284a

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The soldier driving the fbd2c48745 Humvee accidentally hit the 7b0efdc67a brakes after hearing Huikyung’s dbc059cc74 apology, then cleared his 63ff849d0f throat awkwardly. Under Huikyung’s 6488c1319e sharp glare, 9072172b3d he slammed 6af602d3e8 the gas feb1345d7d again, and 8c4438c48d the Humvee 254da6fc04 lurched forward.8beb382f1bdfebd9

“I said c791582168 I’m sorry. Can we stop making dfbcbdb90f me out to be 70093d657a the bad guy already?”f166b19e8a3a455e

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Still not the first c58f5a3a60 apology Huikyung had ever 171810219d given—but this time, it 2f82573add came out smoother than 3a3f7fe591 before.c34e3d6bc892df4e