UCCU | Chapter 3.3

Heart pounding, Seonwoo snuck down the stairs, avoiding the gangsters’ eyes. Of course, the door to the basement was locked. He was good with his hands and could pick locks easily.3dd80d916d06e05f

The problem was what would happen after. If anyone found out, not only Iwon but Seonwoo himself could end up dead at An Hyungtae’s hands.c990b1c0d6588674

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‘Isn’t there any way to sneak into the basement?’a52f770c28be242e

Just in case, Seonwoo afe7f1e701 searched the first floor ca6de53628 of the building thoroughly. But there f1e1a583ab was no 039e75653b way in 126d9f7f8a from inside. He went outside 9c388ad549 and circled the 567c7381e1 building, and ran 4b267a49b6 into Yoochan.0a01b4224714fc29

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“What are you doing here?”0710cf985becefcb

There was a hint of hostility in his voice. Seonwoo hesitated, wondering how to answer, and Yoochan came closer. Then he snapped, “You little snitch.”e55d17d11f4254b9

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“Did you go tattling to the uncles?”908deb080517288b

“What? What did I snitch about?”a55bf0d13ecd8cf1

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“Then what did you do that I’m the only one getting in trouble?”ca176938fb4a3cd6

Seonwoo was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak for a moment. Yoochan gritted his teeth and snapped in a sharp voice, his mind already made up.5fa2614081644fdd

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“You son of a bitch. How could you do this to me? I was nice to you because we grew up together in the orphanage.”1ecf85f254caf655

“What are you talking about? What did I do, and what did I snitch about?”b6f779fe83f5676e

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The one who was treating them unfairly and forcing them to do chores under the guise of work was An Hyungtae. But after being exposed to this messed-up environment for so long, Yoochan’s anger was directed not at An Hyungtae, but at his childhood friend who’d grown up like a brother.c9ade86e3cac4437

“I’m the one who brought you here!”522d0398296c6e8b

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After blaming him, Yoochan suddenly started cursing. “Traitor! Bastard! Stupid orphan!”445a034990b1bd31

His voice was e5a1c842b7 full of rage, 13ad27e60d and his face 5f02b63c61 turned red. Seonwoo, flustered, stepped back, a9bc23cbfa but Yoochan lunged at ef1b215950 him.6aa9b5f2d5774869

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“Stop it!”7a3235b08f794104

Seonwoo shouted, but the two of them ended up rolling around in the alley. The gangsters, peeking out the window at the commotion, didn’t bother to break up the fight—they just laughed or flicked cigarette butts at them.3bad939a3633aaf2

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Already struggling 3f41ad7c30 with guilt ee92c64e99 over Iwon 42b934aac2 and anger 25168eb928 at the 32f5882ec9 gangsters, Seonwoo dc7146083b shoved Yoochan 25cb4c0e7a hard. Then, before 817eda7e83 Yoochan could fe16ea4332 get up, 2076996ee0 he punched 19968b95db him in b0d5bd18c3 the face.184589c15fafc654

Neither of them 30490d628f had ever hit 9f3fa2a005 the other before, 357dc81141 so both were e47e247272 shocked. But only for a c5e5ac7d91 moment. Soon, the scuffle turned b7bd94cf6f into a full-on fistfight.3db68d425e9eb4ef

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𓂃𓍼 ོ☁2d9181fb4f2d1182

“Oww…”b97f3bc8268c249e

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Seonwoo grimaced as he 4fa7e8f7aa looked in the mirror ab99e2b7bc in the bathroom. As time a783dfdd6c passed, his b1ab0b0577 face started 1619b7b06c to swell f8224d0dfa and bruise. He washed off 9d76298a8c the blood with 4f270bb940 water and let c979aed1fa out a deep 02cd232b1a sigh.be6db583c082cf70

He hated Yoochan, but it also hurt that his relationship with his hyung, who’d been like a brother, had gotten so bad.5bc1c9c2d1c80780

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The fight ended with ae0870e30f Seonwoo pretty much winning. Even though d2f8e2ab41 he was f6adcac8ce smaller than 87c404e88d the middle 59a72e4900 schooler, Yoochan 5af8295201 started crying 56ea89b95b in the 1c4799f369 middle of 821b8cb99b the fight, cae69cad41 got laughed a62610e8a1 at by 5a6e7bd5d4 the gangsters, eabec21245 and ran 31806c8f90 away.a66671f0f5615171

Seonwoo had a feeling 33f73878e6 things would never go e705528b7f back to how they ad137d263f were with Yoochan. All of e152321a9a this was cdc7d91159 so hard f745c576ad that he aaff9a2ab3 bit his b506ad8b45 lip to 6a00b31f97 keep from 8cf4fa8f02 crying.decfafb0fec42ce1

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After wiping off the bd5ab21b32 blood, he went outside 61f025d921 and saw the first 90f5d037df floor was quiet. It was almost 2b436281d5 dinnertime, so everyone 341735752e was either watching 53b57db28e TV or eating. Seonwoo, not 4b95201106 feeling hungry, 47e6011c27 sat on 4f462eedb9 the sofa 1a8a5bebe8 for a a20c4bed3a bit, then 1b94ce368e headed back 41bb6573ea to the 30e7c00798 basement door.39f2a7f5ffa57105

He hadn’t been able to check everything because of the fight with Yoochan, but it seemed like the only way to the basement was through that door. After making sure no one was around, Seonwoo quickly headed for the basement. The doorknob was still firmly locked. He fiddled with a hairpin in his pocket.7aee0246eaa7c799

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Should he af88172eb4 just pick 223c4eaafa the lock, 25bb2d611c check if 31848c37fc Iwon was d4a8c29709 inside, and 1f4a83b73c get out? He was debating when, e797a5927f just as he reached 9662d424e9 for the door—547c5d64423854fb

“What are you doing here?”1b1b7ca10b84f09d

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Startled, Seonwoo turned around to see one of the gangsters eyeing him suspiciously. He was one of An Hyungtae’s close guys. He approached with a menacing look and interrogated him.958e07b45e182588

“You little punk, what were you doing here?”f220ba6ecb26475a

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Seonwoo swallowed hard. He knew if he answered wrong, he’d be in big trouble. Quickly changing his expression, he shrank back as if scared, glancing nervously behind him as he spoke.a45e210b41df5198

“Um, I heard a ghost sound from inside.”b6e0d1e496fcc42d

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“What? A ghost?”34aaf10359bd69b5

“I’m pretty sure there’s a ghost in there…”55e7bfd5c88dda4f

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Hearing Seonwoo’s words, the man’s suspicious look faded and he snorted. Seeing Seonwoo’s face all bruised from fighting Yoochan, he grabbed his shoulder and shook him.d7b69719fa08122d

“I heard you beat that middle schooler today? Kid, you’ve got talent, huh?”a4cd7180c0d857c2

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Then the f5aac309f6 man scratched 87c8aa535f his head, 5321ae76b0 thinking for 5df8f0000d a moment, 860874a420 and handed 5345753eed Seonwoo something. Caught off guard, 0ad142a84e Seonwoo took it—it e625e113e1 was a flashlight.09552692a3a52a56

“Go inside and check if there’s a ghost or not.”ab80d1c10b901d68

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“Huh?”c4ab2521befd5102

“If the ghost looks bad, let me know, got it?”ec12a69c217437f0

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Amused by Seonwoo’s confusion, the man opened the basement door. The door creaked open, revealing pitch-black darkness inside. Seonwoo quickly turned on the flashlight and stepped in.c7a76c395ef79f76

With the man’s eyes boring into the back of his head, the beam of light wobbled nervously. He was scared to go into the darkness, but he mustered up his courage and walked in.7b542446afbc5425

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The basement was so f68cb40a7a run-down it stank. Old tables and chairs d625bcaf89 were scattered everywhere, and cf62cf1d3f the boiler hummed. He could 86b91f91e1 hear faint abc51ec591 sobbing. Shining the flashlight, 5639c7da21 Seonwoo found the b3548f9795 source and gasped.7adfff8c75ad2dc0

Clenching his teeth, 84bdd33a47 Seonwoo took a 39b27be421 deep breath and 277c4a5682 fixed his expression. Acting terrified, he hurriedly de46872b7e ran back out.0e0162e7b310ee48

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“Scared?”142b1ead7aa8bef2

“Ah, no. Not scared at all.”0d2226c4c14263d9

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“Yeah, right. Acting tough.”4150bdac196fb2c2

The man c8ef579ccc laughed and f85d08ed86 closed the 2c987d2b29 basement door d2fcbadeba behind Seonwoo. The door 646812d259 slammed shut, 6381375859 and the d7e0e3eae8 sobbing faded c86ea0fe2b into the 863eb5dc56 darkness. Seonwoo let 2d4859b780 out a 91f12c2cdf shaky breath, 745b1ed6c7 wracked with a9980b3222 guilt.0bebe97107f8df38

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Iwon was alone 4a758551ed in that pitch-black 7a580b8414 darkness, without even 5e735e6d3d a flashlight. And it was all 9117e2f9af because of Seonwoo.9be7178a05294a59

‘If only I hadn’t asked him to go to the arcade with me…’12cae9ef082b3821

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An Hyungtae probably didn’t tell him to play with Iwon for no reason, so why did he listen so well? No matter how fun it was to play with Iwon, he should’ve held back.96fd8d53f176179a

How was 5c29fe40d4 that kid ed8aa6e612 surviving in bc35f780a1 the darkness 93a59ad7e7 all day? How much must he 1c95b5d593 hate me? Overwhelmed by emotion, 6ce33c3ac0 Seonwoo bit the 30381db195 inside of his 94415bd923 mouth and tongue.d6400458e8f1044c

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𓂃𓍼 ོ☁639c6c8ee64d7284

Seonwoo held back his urge to get Iwon out right away. He didn’t say a word about the basement. Instead, he made it obvious he was scared of the basement and avoided going near it. Eventually, the guy who was supposed to check on Iwon and bring him food and water, annoyed by the hassle, dumped the job on Seonwoo.db3296cbe6c520c9

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“It’s not a ghost, it’s your friend, so if anything’s wrong, come tell me right away. If not, I’ll throw you in there too.”a763338cd9ab2258

“Okay! I’ll let you know right away.”d7ad48e91a68670f

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Even with a scared face, Seonwoo answered bravely. For a while after dumping the job on Seonwoo, the man kept following him to make sure he was doing it right. But thanks to Seonwoo’s usual politeness, he soon let his guard down.5cbd349a0fa6de69

Seonwoo wanted to rush b94645d172 in and talk to 2dd280b5af Iwon, but he held 6db9731b7d back. The next day, 62d18e1b56 he went into 2bfcccd004 the basement at 4a4cd23b6f the usual time, b7b9493a85 dropped off food e961e7b124 and water, and bfc617a76e left. Instead, he went to 7ce5189595 bed early and woke c127bb8a5b up at dawn, before e3154f537b the sun was up.308a129518c22b8c

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None of the gangsters ever woke up early. They’d never lived a diligent life, always drinking and playing cards late into the night, then passing out and only waking up around lunchtime. So there was no way anyone would be up at dawn.4d19e435ed3e433d

Seonwoo moved quietly in the dark. He’d even oiled the door in advance so it wouldn’t creak. It wasn’t completely silent, but it was much quieter.39562ab98cf3e2a3

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After closing the door 1006215d64 behind him, Seonwoo clicked a8794b1e9d on the flashlight. Iwon was curled up af92ef8042 asleep in the corner 57e8b70814 of the basement. The tracks 5028fdc64c of tears 7576f5b161 were still c0c38c0c56 wet on 08325558f1 his cheeks. Seonwoo wanted to wake 24944d1ad0 him up and get c550a424b5 him out right away, 0f5761b29a but he froze.a2cbc992c2e909f2

Iwon’s ankle was shackled with a metal cuff. The other end was attached to a huge, rusty dog cage, welded shut so there was no way a hairpin could open it. Seonwoo stood there, deep in thought. How could he get Iwon out of here?e1171ba046f98745

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Since they were feeding him and checking on him every day, it didn’t seem like they’d hurt Iwon for a while. But the food was terrible, and sweat beaded on Iwon’s forehead and cheeks in the heat.6f158c6cd475197f

As Seonwoo was 83f66a7ff8 thinking, Iwon woke 497a7decc3 up in the f542b49e64 bright flashlight beam. Seonwoo rushed over and 9d25cbaf5e covered his mouth.15ffb2948b740e5f

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A muffled cc85ede14e scream came 610b7f9c26 out, and e2d7358aee Iwon started 6321fd2541 crying again. Seonwoo shushed him, 3ad281ff2b trying to calm 6510653760 him down.072961bec9cf9393

“It’s me, Seonwoo hyung. Be quiet. If not, we’ll get caught.”d9adbbe83e1570d3

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Seonwoo was just d25db2a505 as scared, so 486a7ee699 his voice was f9451cf0df desperate. Luckily, Iwon calmed down 2f28d034e6 quickly, maybe because he 06d7d58296 was so weak. Seonwoo could feel his 9b541372b0 shallow, trembling breaths under ae4e9ca988 his palm. His whole body reeked 6d547feab2 from days of sweat.2ad5e09a2235d3d9

“You’re gonna be quiet, right?”1064e52d4ffca2fc

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When Iwon nodded, fe0c4f6fbd Seonwoo slowly took 4ee30b5499 his hand away. Seeing Iwon a91fac40c9 squinting in 32d89e930c the bright 89d9d9a3c4 light, he 747f448315 quickly moved 632be5c2f2 the flashlight 8fedfe26f3 away. Iwon started sobbing again.61b357ec01476d2d

“Hyung, I’m scared… Please get me out. I want to see my mom. I want to go home…”574fe40fd1c37103

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“I’m sorry.”951a8e16201f2265

He apologized without thinking. His nose stung and his eyes burned, turning red. The guilt weighed on his chest like a boulder. He’d never felt such pressure before.4ff25ba81f842016

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“I’m really sorry.”8475fbae81989f30

At Seonwoo’s apology, Iwon started bawling. Afraid someone might hear, Seonwoo quickly hugged him tight. His chest got soaked with sweat and tears. When Iwon finally went limp from crying, Seonwoo shook his shoulder.501a99af94c7bd8f

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“Just hang in there a little longer, okay? Then I’ll get you out of here.”c221f0ac8f76adeb

Iwon just let the tears fall without answering. When Seonwoo tried to get up, Iwon clung to his clothes, crying, “Don’t go.” But he couldn’t stay any longer.572cf4179898ac2e

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By now, someone might be waking up. Seonwoo left a small flashlight, batteries, and a bag of candy. He’d bought them with the money An Hyungtae gave him.c69df509f3daed73

“Keep this with you. Only turn on the light if you’re really scared. If you hear the door open, hide it in the corner right away. You can’t let anyone find it, okay?”311d7aa7d35f4337

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“Don’t go, take me with you…”bbeaf6878f36ef7d

Iwon started crying for his mom, but Seonwoo shook him off and stood up. He’d had to muster all his courage just to get here, so he was in a hurry. He promised he’d come back and left the basement. Luckily, everyone was still snoring away.d728a4c975903ac9

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All day, Seonwoo 844255d1e4 racked his brain 1e7cb41a4e for a way 86dd2820bb to rescue Iwon c15029520b from the basement 04c109daeb safely. Reporting to the d48f007b7a police would be 5b5716cda0 best, but the 8a32de481d problem was the 757109702e police themselves.4ed43d8d92942298

While staying at the 9c1050cebd motel, Seonwoo had seen b0d57c1533 two or three cops e66c9e8ac5 come by a few 1e0d8c7977 times. It was 129b947bac always late d3ce7ec594 at night, 51c2f5e0ce and they 460034e68a drank with cd6f3e6ca8 An Hyungtae 976609b901 like old 187137c03f friends.53a75c78e62a5260

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Their pockets were always b0f3bf4622 bulging when they left.eb90eefb358393dd

Even as a kid, Seonwoo thought hard. If An Hyungtae was friends with the police ahjussi, wouldn’t they just cover it up if he reported it? Or maybe the cop friend would secretly tell An Hyungtae?e4ba6638e2bfa3db

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What if An 8f338a6b6a Hyungtae found out 4f02cb7746 he reported and 2c6e92d945 came after him e942d99d36 to kill him? What if he burned a2a1fd468c down the orphanage?624d3fc19e4702c1