Chapter 4

Children with no classes often spent their days doing chores or playing around. Adults were generally lenient with preteens, even when assigning them tasks or errands.

While hauling waste at the slaughterhouse, Jaekani straightened his back for a moment, trying to ease the ache that came from hours of stooping. His spine protested belatedly as though in retaliation for the prolonged strain.

From somewhere nearby, the sound of children laughing echoed. Jaekani wiped the sweat off his brow with his shoulder and bent back down, focusing on his task.

The laughter grated on his nerves, like background noise he couldn’t escape.

The slaughterhouse wasn’t a job anyone aspired to. In times when food was scarce, it might have been valued for the occasional opportunity to sneak meat. But now that hunger was no longer an immediate concern, the meaning of the work had changed.

Jaekani hated the slaughterhouse. He detested it with every fiber of his being. To avoid following in his father’s footsteps, he knew he needed to excel in school and earn the favor of the village elders. His dream was to apprentice under an electrician or work in the medical field—anything but the slaughterhouse.

In truth, Jaekani was doing well academically, particularly in math and practical skills. Yet, the comments from his teacher were always the same:

‘At least you’re good at calculations. Unlike your father, Jaekani.’

No matter how hard he worked, the shadow of his father’s reputation dragged him down. There were times when it drained Jaekani of all his motivation.

By the time he finished his last task for the day, the sun was already setting. Even after dinner, Jaekani felt a gnawing hunger—not physical but psychological.

Before heading home, he found himself glancing in the direction of the maintenance building. Though it was hidden behind other structures, overgrown shrubs, and piles of garbage, Jaekani could almost picture the white fingers gripping the bars, the deep green eyes staring back at him.

‘Come visit if you get bored.’

The memory of Huikyung’s voice played in his mind. It had been so casual, so indifferent, as though Jaekani’s departure had left no impression.

‘Come visit if you get bored.’

He thought again. He knew it was a terrible idea.

The man was a prisoner.

The biggest mystery—whether he was really locked up—had already been resolved. There was no reason to go back.

* * *

At home, Jaekani instinctively pulled out a book. He was one of the few students fortunate enough to own textbooks, even if they were second-hand. In a village where resources were scarce, having any kind of book was a luxury, even if it was full of markings from a previous owner.

Besides, used books often came with an advantage: occasionally, the answers were written in the margins. While he still had to show his work for homework assignments, having the answers helped him study on his own.

Flipping to a bookmarked page, Jaekani prepared to tackle his latest assignment.

However, as he held the pen to the paper, his thoughts kept drifting back to Huikyung.

Try as he might, he couldn’t focus. The question on the page felt insurmountable, though it shouldn’t have been.

After wrestling with it for a long while, Jaekani finally looked up. It was late, but his father still hadn’t returned. He needed to finish his homework tonight; tomorrow was a school day.

‘If only there were someone I could ask for help,’ he thought bitterly.

But his father’s circle of friends wasn’t the kind of crowd Jaekani could rely on for academic guidance—or anything else, for that matter.

Tapping the back of his pen against the wooden desk in a rhythmic pattern, Jaekani’s gaze wandered to the direction of the maintenance building.

* * *

“…So you came all this way to ask me to help with a math problem?”

Clutching a spiral notebook and textbook to his chest, Jaekani avoided Huikyung’s eyes, feeling the weight of how ridiculous his excuse sounded. Still, some stubborn part of him made him lift his chin defiantly. Why shouldn’t he ask?

Huikyung, observing him with faint amusement, let out a quiet laugh—or maybe it was just a smirk.

“Are you uneducated or something?”

Jaekani shot back, his tone a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

“…I know you didn’t mean it as an insult, but it sounded like one.”

“If you can’t help, that’s fine.”

Jaekani made a move to leave, dusting himself off as he rose from the pile of rubble he’d been perched on.

‘What a stupid, transparent excuse,’ he thought bitterly.

But just as he turned away, Huikyung’s voice cut through the air like a rumble of thunder.

“Read the problem.”

Jaekani froze, hesitating with his back still turned.

“Didn’t you come here for help?”

Huikyung’s voice carried a teasing lilt, as though he knew exactly how conflicted the boy was.

Unable to resist the personal temptation, Jaekani turned back toward the underground prison. Clearing his throat unnecessarily, he sat down again, propping his knees up like a makeshift desk.

The moonlight was unusually bright tonight, casting the abandoned building in an ethereal glow. As Jaekani opened the cover of his book, he glanced up at the night sky.

A full moon. It was one of those nights bright enough to feel less lonely, even if he was entirely alone.

“Can you even see anything in this light?”

“Yes.”

Though he had to hold the book closer than usual, he could make out the words on the page. Conscious of Huikyung’s gaze, he fumbled through the pages, trying to find the right one.

“Nervous? Maybe bring a candle next time.”

The suggestion was casual, but it carried an implication that there would ‘be’ a next time.

Next time.

Without realizing it, Jaekani nodded and continued flipping through the book.

‘Here it is.’

He thought, stopping at a page that looked about right. The moonlight illuminated the top of the paper well enough, though the page numbers at the bottom were harder to read. Confident he’d found the correct question, Jaekani began reading it aloud.

It was a geometry problem. As he read, Jaekani tilted his head in confusion.

‘Wait, is this the problem I was stuck on earlier?’ he wondered.

‘Why does it feel unfamiliar?’

“You’re tackling some tough problems. Maybe you’re not such a kid after all.”

“Even multiplication isn’t something only kids can do.”

Jaekani snapped, scanning the multiple-choice options.

But as he read further, he realized he had made a mistake. The problem didn’t match his homework.

“This isn’t it. Let me try another one—”

“Choice C. Isn’t it?”

Jaekani lifted his head from the bottom of the page, and the moonlight illuminated the man’s figure. Huikyung rested his chin on the edge of the bars, gazing up at Jaekani with a playful grin.

“‘C’…” Jaekani murmured.

“Mark ‘C’ and take it with you,” Huikyung suggested.

“I wasn’t asking you to help me cheat. I wanted you to explain how to solve it. Besides, the answer isn’t—”

Just as he was about to say there was no answer key, Jaekani noticed a faint check mark next to option C. It was one of the perks of owning a second-hand textbook: some problems came pre-answered by a previous owner. By sheer coincidence, this problem had been one of them.

“…It’s ‘C.’ How did you know?”

Jaekani asked, narrowing his eyes.

With a mischievous smirk, Huikyung replied.

“Believe it or not, I’m an elite.”

Jaekani didn’t believe it, not even for a second.

Shaking his head at Huikyung’s boast, he flipped further ahead in his textbook, determined to find the problem that had stumped him earlier. After some searching, he finally found it.

“This one’s easier than the last. You’ll know it right away,” Jaekani said.

The question was noticeably shorter this time, so Jaekani read it aloud without hesitation. He also recited the multiple-choice options, emphasizing that the method of solving it mattered more than just getting the answer.

“‘A.’ …Alright, I’ll explain. Stop glaring at me like that,” Huikyung teased, feigning fear even in the dim light of the night.

“Is this math normal for your age?”

He asked as he began walking Jaekani through the solution.

Still scribbling in his notebook, Jaekani glanced up at him. He was, in fact, enrolled in the most challenging math and practical skills classes available. Conveniently, those classes didn’t overlap with his slaughterhouse work shifts, which worked out well for everyone.

“What’s wrong with my age?”

“You don’t look like someone old enough to be working in a slaughterhouse.”

“I get told I look young all the time,” Jaekani replied flatly.

The fact that Huikyung knew about the slaughterhouse surprised Jaekani.

‘Who is this man, and why is he locked up in a place like this? Why does the slaughterhouse manager seem so averse to anyone approaching the maintenance building?’

But Huikyung’s relaxed demeanor made it clear he wasn’t going to answer those questions easily.

“You really do look young, Jaekani. I’d believe you if you said you were three years old.”

“…”

At thirteen, Jaekani didn’t bother responding to the jab.

With his curiosity about the current problem satisfied, it was time to move on to the next one. But now Jaekani was intrigued by Huikyung’s claim of being an “elite.”

‘Even if he is, how does he remember all this? Most people don’t go to school, and even if they did, they’d forget this stuff by the time they joined the village workforce.’

‘Where did Huikyung live before coming here?’

As he glanced at Huikyung, Jaekani flipped to the back of the book and picked another problem, deliberately choosing one with a marked answer.

‘Let’s see if he gets this one right too.’

“I’ve got one more,” Jaekani announced, diving into a lengthy problem. He read both the question and the answer choices, then looked at Huikyung expectantly through the bars.

This time, Huikyung had shifted his position slightly, resting his temple on the edge of the bars. He let out a soft laugh, his round head catching the moonlight, his dark hair glinting faintly, and his voice resonating quietly in the still air.

For all its eerie decay, the abandoned site felt oddly comforting.

Eventually, Huikyung raised his head and said.

“I’ll tell you the answer to that one when you’ve covered it in class.”

Jaekani’s face flushed faintly, realizing his intent had been seen through. But in the cover of the dark, he took comfort in the thought that his reaction wouldn’t be visible. He straightened his posture, feigning confidence. After all, Huikyung couldn’t see how flustered he truly was.