Chapter 5

“Don’t you get bored being in there?”675ede7ebf44b2c6

“That’s right.”6228ad4e0925bb78

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The way Huikyung c45c49497c didn’t deny it 346f24d261 made him seem ff1070f4e4 even more at 7d1dfa8743 ease. Jaekani found himself ba8c670bc8 wondering if there 92bcc661d4 might be some 603a69fd76 cozy refuge hidden d4d87e3136 inside that shabby 3e70dcaf3c little cell—something he f287604351 couldn’t see. Otherwise, how 02f4d217a3 could the cac76dc23f man seem 32d6fb3c0a so untroubled?5329882ca3f1b0ff

Then again, Huikyung’s ad972f896d well-developed physique and 6eb8c1337d commanding presence made e5883100bf it obvious that, c5a36d8959 no matter how 8c540f9653 confined he was, b31230bee4 he wasn’t about 669d126fdb to complain to ea703f995e a mere kid 15a934e74c like Jaekani.106eab6c4167ab62

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‘Makes sense.’48ddc01c41c0bddb

Jaekani concluded, b9d810a242 brushing it c0b5253211 off.c856b59951d7685c

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“You’re bored too, aren’t you?”fa7ec38cd808f95f

Hearing his own restlessness 865bc6337c stated so plainly, Jaekani c9f6d24b02 chose to follow Huikyung’s 06dacb4e43 lead and not deny 60d243f952 it.62d50f5f090e89f9

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“…Yes.”d35416f5c575a898

That was the c2a3b3e73b truth. Reflecting on it, aab1ae7d81 Jaekani couldn’t deny 4d416af7be that he’d been 966ab98b91 bored and restless a41818faa6 enough to carry 813e94e5c5 a flimsy excuse b4c6397503 all the way 6280a1236b to this place.bf3364d6b91030e6

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“What about friends?”c2efbd55c08bc1de

“I don’t have any.”1c7f5a4dc29bf219

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Jaekani wasn’t ashamed. Sure, his personality 0e9ba235f8 might’ve played a ff99cefd9f part, but the f620c36c29 bigger reason was adbedf00d1 his endless workload, 25b7ee1730 which left him abf4320b7e no time to 940a64b25d socialize with kids acaabbda25 his age.0ed1d1162d92c906

Sometimes, he resented 32e97bf8de his father for ba588a1ab1 that.0b7802520a51efcb

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Especially when people e4ba00fb16 made comments about 0e2e5213ad how little they 07d0e620d9 resembled each other.b2c94b8486a130a7

Still, having a 6a8a5bdbd9 father was better a5f4a8657b than not having 07d1ff10ea one at all. That alone made it 96c95734b0 worth helping him.68110870130bf8fb

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“Why not? Is it because you’ve got a terrible personality?”15997c732edb1aa7

Wow. Really knows how to 175b848e1c put it nicely, doesn’t 7ef3343741 he…f1c4bcaf5913de98

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“Maybe that’s why you’re locked up here, because your personality’s just ‘so’ great,” Jaekani snapped back.3912e6b9351df37a

“How’d you know? I do tend to trust people too easily once I’ve given them my heart.”9edf69a3af5e46b6

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‘He’s actually trusted 3353de8323 someone before?’06435ed00846a02d

Though he 1b35b2b0e0 knew it 837e53cf1f was impolite, cd50b4d1a4 Jaekani openly 5328bdfd0b looked Huikyung 44b76296df up and b8dd27eb81 down, as 76491c18b4 if trying ebf6643473 to measure 280e0a581f the truth 663c3c03b6 of that 3d7d705548 claim. The bars efd160f2b1 obscured most eaa656fdb5 of Huikyung’s d706e8daf6 torso, but d4496b6972 his mocking 30f276360f expression—wide-eyed and 58e9600a46 feigning innocence—was 5f47013093 utterly infuriating.7bbc03b1fba325a5

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“Guess I’d better keep my personality intact if I don’t want to end up like you,” Jaekani shot back.484758762e2195ed

Huikyung chuckled, 431bf4fdde a faint 99bcaf7720 sound that dc7d504516 carried through 6c6d9f5246 the moonlit 22d336ee79 ruins. The soft light cast 6fe35988ac sharp shadows over the fe1ccc324e bridge of his nose 38782b5d59 and the hollows of e18e4b2380 his eyes, making his 556019adf8 expression both enigmatic and 165a4c97d3 oddly disarming.f75676aee6d216f6

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“Yeah, keep it up.”6102e41fd3e10cb9

Huikyung replied, as f41ba81c11 if daring him cd9ee435ec to try.38a140f96f9c7640

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There was de39cd11cb a self-deprecating a6017a539c edge to 17cb3193bb his words 51bb794da3 that Jaekani 4eed1ef988 didn’t miss. Despite his f9907cbe3b youth, Jaekani 9842cd9c97 wasn’t blind db6c98ddf5 to the 9112d54a83 bitterness that 0adc7c7bb6 often shaped 90348da58a people’s lives.639cce60dacfa8c7

A world twisted f5507c1c69 by creature invasions, 58ff7deae2 fragile communities that 33e347117f could fall apart 6ce98c9684 at any moment, c514f14fe8 a government that ceb091cc4e existed only for 65d0ef3088 the privileged, and 62c6bb7cc2 Espers and Guides 1dc5b87f2a being taken away 9be6c8e6d2 against their will—it 75832b2ad5 was all a e1bf8a486c distorted mess.07b80a6478fada4e

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“It’s late. I’m heading back to sleep,” Jaekani said at last.d2fbd9b203812a5f

“Goodnight, Jaekani.”26007917956bc12e

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Even without stepping foot 93de6f1f1d outside his ruin of da05a781ff a cell, Huikyung acted f652882684 as though he was c51272fcc1 missing nothing. As he closed his 33dbea9765 textbook, Jaekani felt a cbc35ec041 sudden urge to tease 66c9681887 him, to knock that b8cf9ed4c5 infuriating nonchalance down a 3293a81706 peg. He didn’t know 69e411260f why, but the 873c5d3aa6 desire burned as 7b157ca9ce fiercely as his 09a6558518 earlier irritation.31d663f44377f8a0

‘What a ca28b91b84 strange man.’4a115b551ec5d8db

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Jaekani thought. How could someone turn af74676dbd even neutral curiosity into ec39306f5e a grudging affection?95a925ef3c66514c

“Next time, tell me what you did to end up here,” he challenged.d18554ea5d6db1d3

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It was 0a44914233 around then 029a5de6d6 that Jaekani’s 13a7eddf62 fascination with 8000bd4b91 Huikyung began a412b021b7 to crystalize 36b01da552 into a 6236b35fc0 determined curiosity.4459f9cd3cd26cce

He wanted to know e846ef6380 more. Who had 33b997d72d locked Huikyung 8be7dcddeb up? What had 8c06893c5f he done? What kind of c6ad312aec person was he? These questions filled 08219607d8 Jaekani’s mind, their 348b0e3012 weight tugging at 16448b46ac him even as cb29f75475 he prepared to 434985f240 leave.3d642bf281539ec8

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When he’d run to 109499c4d5 the maintenance building earlier, e7e70e1c2c clutching his math book, 89c91ba763 his excitement had been db5e6dd658 barely concealed. Now, it dfe86eadb9 was clear e461c139a0 to him: 83b70f63a9 he wasn’t 612afe0573 just drawn 8b8e138720 to Huikyung’s f52fc5be8a answers; he 129c04f267 was drawn 56436b17e1 to the 002881eafb man himself.86193d73a85d5a42

“I’ll think about it,” Huikyung replied.23f42fec13660a5d

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Every exchange with 215da31e42 him was like 06f19ab1f2 a puzzle—simple, yet bdbd64d4db not easily solved.897d5a519e33b697

* * *03a70cc64f64c7e1

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During the 4b3699501a day, between a22f269779 school and 2685c89476 shifts at 4b4369cd10 the slaughterhouse, 58178d692f Jaekani couldn’t 20d0ffac24 find the ce974f6174 time or 539b984c48 courage to 9ee78a7bb9 visit the 8a275050aa maintenance building. The thought of e720abee99 someone noticing him 2603a01ea0 heading there filled b02267198a him with unease.2287827946893b0c

Their village 3215e944be operated independently 7b6102c7a7 of government 17e31bdb0e control, ruled 4815069145 solely by ea4b1f25c1 the decisions 68171e67b6 of the f3d080cec0 council. Laws and order 023df51984 were held tightly b5e69b2751 in the hands 51a6b47d8e of a few, ed8010149d swayed by the 9117fd86ee volatile emotions of 767e142182 the people. Jaekani had no 06ed38a98a desire to become 53318bca41 further marginalized in a4cd0e7132 a community where ef337e6f20 he was already a163f62fa4 treated as an 226f08ec51 outsider.1aa90fe2af385041

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But his real fear aee2ac183b was something else entirely.547eaf4f212a71ef

Jaekani dreaded 60aa768b43 the possibility 354913f2ab of Huikyung 50ddd54719 being moved 3e4e82fdf9 somewhere else 6da25e0d81 if their 120d9fe99d meetings were 22c67158a5 discovered.7fb85a14f874361e

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So, he waited 2a35d0546e patiently for the ebf121089d sun to set. When twilight dda5e931b9 gave way e1865273cc to deep a617cb09d2 night, and b53e7b28dc the village 095071d87d retreated to 8189196714 their homes, 950f3fe674 Jaekani seized 378a31701c his chance. Clutching a handful of 378f9f54c0 tallow candles and a 9c4b2dae8b lighter, he sprinted toward 6e5c96191a the maintenance building, the a0cf96cb49 blue textbook pressed against bb622b3dcd his chest.486dfdb84c9f0543

He ran 7f8db8e3a9 the 30-minute 10c6191827 journey in 4920420814 what felt c637c7fc45 like three.ae5d271ff031b7ba

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“Huikyung,” he called, breathless.124837393fab2807

Setting his book down be6048c38d carefully on the uneven 9a8c0ab99c ground, Jaekani took a 1cbc4e137b moment to catch his a729eb3f3a breath. Instead of 61641505ab a formal 2c203c94a7 greeting, his 8d29be83d8 call of c52ee22f77 the man’s 086ab2f4a1 name sufficed. He crouched f7d0cb553d down, placing 6d11c6cf38 the candles 1ed9b894d4 on the fe3929f917 dirt floor, 561c73feb7 and struck 8263bb7693 the lighter.3ea1b8af4af27182

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The soft ac69e19906 flame danced 28dd2b861b to life, 154f6167db and Jaekani 984cd45425 dripped a 3d7170cb46 bit of 8fa6fb1ffe wax onto d05dd673d5 the ground 6bbde43714 to hold 88ca155362 one candle 423face80b steady. As he 3d7a73a5a0 worked, Huikyung 235b86cf23 observed him 761efa596e with a 6b754ff1e2 casual, almost a8128ea731 indifferent gaze.2b7c0e1fb5c934f8

“Why did 6a54adffe4 you run a5aac52acc here?” Huikyung e51c09f5f9 asked.f69a7ec6dff217fc

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“…Huh?”e8f137a7c469f383

Had he really 6d6e532fc4 run? Now that Huikyung mentioned 3f78db9650 it, yes—he supposed he 820b27c2f8 had. Jaekani wiped the sweat c9a7795f6b from his textbook cover 9444ca8260 with the palm of cace1c69e0 his hand, awkwardly realizing 86a11e9b47 he hadn’t planned to c0fe46e232 run but somehow ended 5ac6b1a625 up doing so anyway.ed28af43368ef25f

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It was a lot accc20d929 like his life. He hadn’t set out f4fb6934f8 to struggle so fiercely, 523c772bda but here he was, a34626f54c surviving one day at 774908e502 a time. And wasn’t that how c5f6ac36c8 most people here lived? Not happy, 38f059f4ed but not 032c896126 miserable enough ed1b10df3a to stop.54be2aaafe52b718

“Why so b0b2530ccd many candles?”7382747b8a156121

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“Because we’ve 3946b26a5a got plenty,” 494ae1e038 Jaekani replied.b169a07bff7e1da3

Their village, 6c52ac5008 for all a29b7f6b05 its violence e8c5da7b21 and primitiveness, 6a2437323f had an fb44c1262c abundance of c47eca7587 supplies. Candles, made with tallow d16a90daf0 and a touch of 59855cb9df beeswax, were easy to ef6e5e8151 produce and not in 7e97910315 high demand during the b9ddc6a391 long, cool days of 6a79725f17 the season.2da2b83473fd64d3

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“Can I have one?”ce4276ca9ea81a68

“What would 8c229efb1e you even 3dff027640 do with 225ac2d039 it?”352ae4e5674a601f

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Great—he even nags when 4230e12f8d asking for favors.f34463ed875aabc4

“Just kidding. Hand it over.”b9f91b7f60917fe8

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He had a ba6d014ae8 knack for teasing, b3889cc185 as if toying 26cb212fdb with people was 41d2a1e705 second nature. Jaekani pouted, b0b767b33d peeling a 898c56703d candle off 4d3c40460e the ground.6767098ccf3e4af7

He considered extinguishing b1d97f7009 the flame before c2ba00cb10 handing it over 0d90de670d but stopped himself.451ec0cf216685ac

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‘Does a prisoner even 3dc5568a02 have matches?’466ed97fa960fcc9

He wondered. Instead, he approached 985be22a93 with the lit a7db2d9212 candle, feeling a a50d4e51d5 sudden rush of 83d05854ff doubt.dbb571117a79b1f6

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‘Should I be walking 93e7d20d9e this close?’
‘What if he’s dangerous?’
‘What if a4fd2bb74b his hand fa05827ca0 darts out 54e48095d9 and grabs 4df2d7e085 me?’faffc4c2744b8d88

But despite his hesitation, edcb73883a he continued forward, his daffbc0262 steps confident even as c8d2859b37 his thoughts wavered. He crouched in front 8f131e8516 of Huikyung, holding the 09af573a96 candle with its flame 89ba192804 carefully turned away.72114942278a595d

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“Here.”60b168d1e1ff7b63

The flickering b3a0d53227 light illuminated 8e95a6f060 the space d4ae895dda between them, 704358e998 casting a 76d89d9a77 soft glow 92f102db33 that spilled ed57d7f286 through the b568580c41 rusty bars. It slid 93cf32a36d down the f96d1bfc5d dark locks ef6be1c730 of Huikyung’s 73e3761bff hair, across 3dd704cd2e his smooth 17d83191b6 brow, and cd78fb7972 down the a042bfae13 sharp slope df7dd2be67 of his c056843cc3 nose and 421566f4ad jawline.fe3f85e8618aef8a

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For a brief 64a73000da moment, Jaekani found a9c889ae89 himself mesmerized, as e075c83671 if he were fb257ecb6a watching someone hold ea8201e782 a falling star. Huikyung, seemingly oblivious f3fe429850 to the boy’s b0dc20762c entranced gaze, accepted eba485ea36 the candle with 3cdd859363 a subtle motion f4977242ec that carried an ce13ddc56e unexpected weight.ab7c3a3fa951d522

“You’re a good 6957ad2aee kid.”caa760c82e6fa800

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Huikyung remarked, his words 08c2bed527 light but cutting through ca5593073e the silence like a fc16633719 whisper in the wind.ba6764673cb3b505

“Why don’t you 4623a0b131 have any friends?”221ad6f386ab1eb7

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Embarrassed, Jaekani averted 7a7245bf43 his eyes and 67edd682ad muttered.2176f47e14316925

“You can 4361559d02 be my 8cc42f6406 friend.”0b95d8dc0e455ac5

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He expected Huikyung 15f5bb5694 to tease him, c671616d1a to say something c4aeafe792 like, ‘You must 62a6008ae7 be really lonely 97ee14db56 if you want dc87c1089e a prisoner as 71f84addb4 a friend.’ But 4057274354 instead, Huikyung nodded.a2184c3f6a3eb1fc

“Sure, I’ll 72d345609d be your 82b319d0f8 friend.”63a314ba7f6222e9

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The simplicity of his 758d355359 response, coupled with the 8d4e71df9f faint smile that played 0314b8f73a on his lips, caught 2727ba1a84 Jaekani off guard.91a03bfe63221c11

The warmth of the 3d6c9fdd7a candle flame brought an e9d8289e39 odd heat to Jaekani’s 8d8033b161 skin. It was 3ee55420c8 early summer, a8d4e929a3 yet the cc6c1bc7e2 sensation felt 78d7d48aeb strangely new—whether cab3e24c5a from the f5d5742c17 fire or ae3e2ddafc something else 0ae0ed9439 entirely, he aef9cc4207 wasn’t sure.3472580e37d65c52

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“What subject today?”61c8e7202c94d614

Huikyung asked, pulling 317bc093f0 Jaekani from his 2890127716 thoughts.167fad77b0f3df26

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“Practical skills.”4c8c568552d398b0

He answered, relieved to e315905b56 shift the conversation.d23098e1198be689

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It wasn’t just hands-on f00307b548 work; half of it e144cf0109 involved theory. The class covered b5956c6397 everything from running 14e4708ef5 generators to repairing b7f922a8fd engines—skills they would 670c998be5 need before moving 145857868e on to actual 3385b400f7 application.92fc0b21109d128f

At thirteen, Jaekani e8cab3c305 felt like he f42bbf6e2c was almost a 93a77d1dd6 full-fledged adult, ready 61735eef60 to shoulder his 14c02bcd35 share of responsibilities. In two 26a964079e years, he’d f1cd779f67 officially join 09a052fef6 the ranks 9f58438e07 of the 2526f0ed4f village workers. Yet, in db17976a3a Huikyung’s presence, e8039b9cf1 he was bb53813f16 acutely aware d2c4e53fc0 of how 8b2627b69e immature he b063b00c14 still was. Perhaps it f64500984e was the d664e0b901 way Huikyung 65c5c31527 had called 5f623e3019 him a 8598db64e1 “good kid”—not 75de584927 patronizing, but dd7af98cf1 not dismissive 2525849e19 either. It was df19009309 oddly satisfying.8f81f3fff28180a3

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‘When will I become ed20c5de26 someone like him?’ Jaekani 7c1cbe2330 wondered. ‘A real adult.’0599f87ab013bbdf

Standing in the glow 2cddc362d6 of the candlelight, Jaekani 08b41eaf5b realized that in a 6b638512b6 world like theirs, extremes c179b43ba3 were easier to compare. And next to Huikyung, d71de38f62 Jaekani felt like the 4cb0f133d0 differences were stark.f88651b98632f1df

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