Chapter 8

“What the hell are you looking at me like that for, you little shit?”

Jaebadi spat curses at the boy, who stayed silent, merely tying his shoelaces. Lifting his head slightly, Jaekani looked at his staggering father. The boy didn’t feel hatred for him. He wasn’t upset or disappointed, either. He pitied him—enough to understand even his self-loathing.

Now that he was ready, it was time to leave. Jaekani stood up but hesitated, remembering the sandwiches he’d left under the table. ‘Hoo… puff…’ Jaebadi, reeking of alcohol, had slumped into one of the dining chairs. Jaekani didn’t trust himself to approach the table without provoking his father’s inexplicable anger.

He could just leave. But then, Jaekani recalled how happy he’d been when he heard they’d be receiving sandwiches today. Wouldn’t Huikyung be just as happy?

That man, for all his sharp and teasing remarks, was still human. Surely there were times when he felt joy, though his miserable confinement left little room for such moments.

Leaning back against the wall, Jaebadi muttered curses again while staring at the ceiling. After some deliberation, Jaekani crouched low. Using his father’s ragged breathing as a signal, he began to crawl toward the table, moving as quietly as he could.

Suppressing every possible sound, Jaekani crept closer, one arm after another. He could see his father’s legs, sprawled limply under the table. He regretted leaving the sandwiches in the farthest corner, close to where his father was sitting, all because he thought it would keep them shaded. Still, he pressed on, inching closer with patience.

Finally crawling under the table, Jaekani stretched his arm out. The sandwiches, wrapped in crinkled paper, were just out of reach, almost touching the wall. After a couple of futile swipes, Jaekani paused to catch his breath. He could move closer, but that would require shifting the chair, and that would almost certainly provoke his father.

Taking a deep breath, Jaekani stretched his body as far as he could, extending his arm to its limit. His trembling fingers brushed the edge of the sandwich wrapper. Just as he managed to hook it with his fingertips, he noticed something unsettling: his father’s heavy breathing had stopped.

Slowly, Jaekani turned his head. Too late, he felt the alcohol-laden breath against his cheek. Bloodshot eyes, a face twisted in fury born of nothing but rage and more rage.

“You little bastard. I’ll kill you.”

With his body bent forward and his face upside down, Jaebadi reached out his hand.

* * *

It wasn’t late at night, so on his way to the abandoned maintenance building, Jaekani encountered a couple of people.

Although the bleeding had stopped, his reddened nose, swollen cheek, and unbuttoned shirt made it clear what had happened. No one in the village greeted him.

‘That’s a relief.’

Jaekani thought. He wasn’t sure he could return their greetings as if nothing were wrong, looking like this.

Still, he had the sandwiches, and that was enough to content him.

The walk from his house to the building usually took about thirty minutes, but with his bruised legs and unusually heavy body, it took much longer before he finally arrived.

The sun had still been up when he left the house, but by the time he reached his destination, it had completely disappeared, leaving no trace.

‘That’s another relief.’

Jaekani thought. At least Huikyung wouldn’t have to see him like this. That would make things easier for both of them.

“Hello, Jaekani.”

Today, Huikyung greeted him first, in the same tone as last time, and the time before that, and the time before that.

“Hello.”

The sun had long since set, and there was no candlelight, so Jaekani couldn’t see Huikyung’s face clearly. It seemed the same was true for Huikyung, as he asked.

“Did you bring candles?”

When Jaekani sat carelessly on the ground, the candles in his pocket pressed against his leg. There was a lighter in his left pocket and candles in his right, but Jaekani shook his head.

“I forgot.”

Jaekani stood up, holding the sandwiches in his hand as he approached. From far away, even before Jaekani’s small face had fully come into view, Huikyung had worn a faint smile. But as Jaekani came closer, his expression changed completely. Huikyung’s gaze moved from the sandwiches in Jaekani’s hand to his arm, and finally to his face.

“These are sandwiches. I didn’t make them—I got them.”

Relaxing into the darkness, Jaekani met Huikyung’s eyes. He assumed Huikyung couldn’t see much either, aside from the faint outline of his face and his eyes.

“Once you turn fifteen, you’re considered an adult. Adults usually get assigned missions outside the village—patrolling, trading, or securing supplies. When they come back successfully, they hand these out. There’s a party too, but I don’t go. You can only eat as much as you work for.”

When Huikyung didn’t immediately take the sandwich, Jaekani found it odd and held it closer. When Huikyung still didn’t respond, Jaekani adjusted his grip and pushed the sandwich through the iron bars.

“You said you’re a vegetarian, so I took the ham out. I ate it myself.”

Once again, silence crept in. Sensing something was wrong, Jaekani opened his mouth to press for a response, but a quiet murmur broke through.

“…I see.”

There was something off about his voice, and Jaekani’s gaze turned to Huikyung. Under the faint moonlight, Jaekani carefully observed his expression and saw the stiffness around his eyes.

‘Was the sun not fully set? Was I mistaken? …Did he see?’

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

The words themselves weren’t unusual, but there was no inflection in his voice.

‘He should have been happier,’ Jaekani thought. ‘It’s hard to predict with him.’

He hadn’t expected Huikyung to jump for joy, but he hadn’t expected such a stiff response either. Jaekani felt a small pang of disappointment.

The crinkle of unwrapping paper broke the silence. Expecting to hear the sound of a bite soon after, Jaekani tilted his head in confusion when the quiet persisted.

‘He’s so difficult. Should I have brought sauce or something?’

“I can’t eat this.”

‘…Does he need sauce? Or maybe soup?’

‘Why is he so picky?’

Jaekani furrowed his brow, but Huikyung said something unexpected.

“It’s too dark. I can’t see. Light a candle.”

“I told you, I forgot.”

“What’s that, then?”

Huikyung tapped lightly on the iron bars near the pocket holding the candle. The metallic sound rang out softly.

‘How did he know?’

Startled, Jaekani craned his neck to see if it was even visible from there. He couldn’t understand how Huikyung, in the dim light, could notice what was in his pocket when he himself could barely make out Huikyung’s face. But there was no denying it now.

“…Oh, I guess I did bring it.”

Feeling awkward, Jaekani lit the candle, holding it far from himself and closer to Huikyung. Then he pulled his knees up and buried his face against them. ‘This way, he won’t see me well,’ he thought.

“Jaekani, show me your face.”

“I’m, um, a little cold.”

“…Looks like I’ll end another day without seeing a single person’s face. You know, it’s hard to see anyone when you’re stuck in here.”

At the self-deprecating tone, Jaekani peeked up slightly. It was the first time Huikyung sounded… wistful. If you don’t lift your head, Huikyung muttered bitterly, I’ll end another day without making eye contact with anyone.

Jaekani’s chin lifted a little more. His thoughts whirled as he weighed his options.

‘Can he see? Can’t he? He noticed the candle, but he hasn’t said anything about my face… So maybe he can’t see? But if he could, wouldn’t he have said something by now? …Maybe he can’t.’

While Jaekani’s mind spun in circles, Huikyung’s gaze moved over his face, taking in the swollen cheek, unusually red nose, bruises, and handprints on his neck.

When Jaekani finally lifted his head fully, he saw Huikyung’s eyes glinting like those of a predator in dense brush. The sharp, deliberate focus in them froze Jaekani in place, as though they were piercing straight through him.

Jaekani recoiled slightly, curling in on himself like the leaves of a mimosa. Seeing the boy’s reaction, the coldness in Huikyung’s expression slowly faded.

Only his steady, even tone hinted at his emotions.

“Was that from just now? Or last night?”

‘He saw.’

It must have been the candlelight. Frustrated, Jaekani kicked lightly at the wax pooling around the candle.

“Do others know?”

‘It would be harder to find someone who doesn’t,’ Jaekani thought, but the question only made him uneasy.

“Let’s start with this.”

Jaekani pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

It was the homework Susan had assigned as punishment.

The question wasn’t from any book Jaekani owned, so there was no answer key. In truth, he’d already finished the assignment without difficulty, but he’d wanted an excuse—a pretext.

Without something prepared, he couldn’t imagine how to spend the long night with Huikyung.

Strictly speaking, he could imagine. That was exactly why he felt so unsettled. Ignoring the unexplainable discomfort and fear gnawing at him, Jaekani steered the encounter back to the safer ground of homework.