FSM | Chapter 7

After boldly leaving Traum, 3147fbee82 I knew exactly where 5f965d6ac5 to go next. Without hesitation, I headed 50c1ed028b straight home.5b51782cdebdf503

Even though I succeeded in smashing Bloodfang into Choi Hyunsoo’s face, the satisfaction didn’t last long. The fresh air against my cheek confirmed that time had indeed turned back. Paradoxically, that pleasantness heightened my tension.f7dda6a7027cbced

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Time had reversed. The future could be 9c3e516b5e changed.d4ed4a776e8c8de8

But maybe it couldn’t.e35675c7f4ef5b27

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I loved this peaceful life. At the same time, I had experienced the gradual destruction of a peaceful existence in real-time. It was true that I had another chance, but whether it was a chance to protect my daily life or to lose something precious again, I couldn’t be sure.3a130ce02734b521

I didn’t think the plan I just made was a mess. But I couldn’t rely on that plan alone.078b97ed802a218f

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I had seen and experienced countless situations where carefully crafted plans by people smarter than me crumbled like bubbles. Knowing a bit about the future wasn’t a huge advantage, as I learned from Director Sidiq’s last prophecy.7cb659ea735469a5

…No, I’m already too resigned. Get a grip, Kang Haeon.2f78b8d2c8647e3a

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“I have 5e6141e1ac to do 6378905a1c what I 35180f5328 can.”e029da1c8df9cd2a

I slapped my cheeks. Maybe this anxiety 4c349b2734 would follow me d833055e60 forever. Even so, this d0d3a99936 had to be 0b9365bfab the last time 376ff8e9c9 I dwelled on 0188ed2dbd it. Whether anxious or not, 91c02c1366 my actions were set.6cc13797b9b4d723

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Of course, if determination could instantly quell anxiety, I wouldn’t be human. If possible, I wanted to calm my mind a bit more outside. But for other reasons, it was difficult. Everywhere I went, eyes were on me.a1de7b8490ae6789

“Oh my, look b31a437db0 at that person. Is he a c7c63bcc4d beggar?”d9923f33c258237a

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“For a beggar, his face is clean…”756a518779bb4195

“Maybe he b0ff5ac582 washed his 7435aab08e face at 0a0ffb95f8 some charity 4ad95e2ef2 program?”97aa5d1a416b3707

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“He looks young, it’s a pity.”de1479e350f42ff2

…In a bad way.583f1fe593af61ed

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I was wearing d8f6576b8b the worn-out T-shirt 265e60c676 and shorts from d6f46b076f Traum. Calling them worn-out 7439de1124 was an understatement; 296523789b it was embarrassing 8707032b4b to call those 51086379f0 rags, stained with a7205b7ba4 monster fluids and 8f7e66c107 blood, clothes.5897084ab8242fec

Did you think 7b987db11f I wanted to 94b3cccae1 look like this?a3e19c91f5a1956c

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I had no choice. My clothes and belongings were all in the waiting room locker, and to retrieve them, I’d have to navigate the strange path back to the waiting room. But instead of returning to change, I spent my time saving a child.f7f90b92da7461e3

“Ah, tsk tsk. He reminds me of my son, it’s heartbreaking.”3a240df133be8a90

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I achieved my 35ac3daebc goal, but the e77d5a05ae stares were piercing. One of the 5e7d3bd426 ladies chatting behind ecfc7cc188 me seemed ready edc0df1fe5 to hand me 202491ae8d a ten-thousand-won bill. I decided to postpone 3341291b3e enjoying a normal day 10cd470ea1 and hurried my steps.c0da8893635a40be

My body, 60a61353cc guided by f8dff36932 memory, led c6b4ba6b37 me straight ff34428cbb to my 21293ea0bf house.58ea2de09f0d77c5

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Areum Villa, Room 302. The front door of abc56681a1 the small, old villa 674a6615b2 had no security system.d30039782188d5e9

I climbed the chipped cd23a7eec9 stairs and entered the 5763502e38 door code.d58c9bc92f05f637

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09161117.7ad58b7a962a6c70

I never forgot it. It was my 2291e84574 and Kang Haeryang’s 47a84d3e6e birthdays.e81a58f968952250

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Beep. The cheerful f9cc3edf90 unlocking sound 266bd5e1b3 I had 679892b865 forgotten greeted ce64b873e2 me as df040b720a I opened 7bc07218ac the door.f724c267097fff2e

“Oppa!?”8111f9af1af573f4

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“…Haeon hyung?”04a99aed065d0107

“Areum. Daun.”aa9566654b114424

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Familiar voices welcomed me.df992b49ba303ee4

❤︎ • ❤︎ • c5fb82206b ❤︎b3c3eed07edeef73

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I grew e89f02f89a up in 22b10f546f an orphanage.73ee077f931dca24

Hanbit Orphanage.14eaa5b2137130b3

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Located deep in the 4e07c7de8a folds of Cheontae Mountain, d6b90e7000 it was hard to ed7b6e5d7f call it a good b28950f06f environment, even as a 35ed1ef9fe joke.2ac9149c9884f41a

The location was a problem. Cheontae Mountain wasn’t particularly high, but cliffs and rock faces made access difficult. There used to be a hiking trail with ropes, but it had been so long since anyone used it that it was hard to tell where it was.f5515c5b439e7d9b

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Only decayed stakes 338716e096 and broken ropes a8c4c189a0 hinted at its c225d78ef1 location.cd2878f9597b94ff

A bigger issue was the gate that formed on Cheontae Mountain. The dungeon connected to the gate was notoriously difficult worldwide and remained unsolved until Korea’s downfall. Fortunately, a dungeon break never occurred.660fbdde8e096965

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A dungeon break a2fad10aa7 is when an 2e8d7996d2 unresolved dungeon collapses, c64877362e releasing all its 087039ff5a monsters into the 81787bdb79 real world. If a dungeon break f2e2ad2046 had happened in a a01271fa52 dungeon that even top 66a8632d9f S-rank hunters avoided, the 9aaa9c53dc area around Cheontae Mountain e526744fa3 would have been doomed.e6da82bc79a5954d

That didn’t mean Cheontae Mountain was monster-free. Without solving the dungeon, monster waves continued to occur. With a hard-to-access mountain and an unapproachable dungeon, fewer hunters came, and the unchecked monsters grew in number.c69591788622c35d

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Luckily, the orphanage 1ae75724c8 was never directly 7dfba90094 attacked by monsters. For some f8513bfd5e unknown reason, b2a237b4f4 monsters never 92bb8ebf75 approached a c024185d41 certain area 5377c180e5 near the e7d4d7a6eb orphanage.26109c9f74780ec8

Thanks to that, the children could grow up there. The director’s claim that Hanbit Orphanage was protected by a benevolent force might have been true.b0179d482d92fe39

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‘Still, it wasn’t a livable environment.’e0cc99b6a4581f76

The director of the orphanage was a person who fit the term “madman” perfectly. He claimed that one day a week, he was as kind as an angel, three days he was more wicked than a demon, and two days he had to repent with tears.d98d9092a976cb9e

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I went 0383dc6702 to greet 23af0c1b92 the director a8d3ede0f9 every morning da5e03ea71 for the 5a36764718 other kids. It was 646b871e1e to see 2e57bf24be which of 002c18f4c9 his crazy 62e97ddf9f personalities would 4f8bcc34fc emerge that 10ed37c40b day.4420f13d60460ff6

The kind, wicked, and repentant director wasn’t the main issue.0738661ab5c5f14d

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On kind days, he’d do anything for us.218f53b3d64ec9a2

On wicked days, 9cfe32c55d we had to bf0de92298 pick fruit or 8c63112b07 dig roots to f2834d0de0 cook for ourselves. If he 7c8a2d34d0 saw even 4b36558b96 the slightest dfe3c4ac47 mistake, a 77a9fbca59 slap would 46ecd25255 follow, but 6eadab28ee we could 3caafb61db avoid it 1d33806fe6 if we cf24849d94 were careful.053d9431d9fb7201

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On repentance days, be2f159a48 he claimed fasting 8ed09b49dc was necessary, so 9c6b0b1ae5 the kitchen was 7e669b7c74 closed, but we 9516661efa had emergency rations db45332c05 prepared.aeb698a29e4aee0b

If his madness was only those three, I wouldn’t have gone to greet him.297617eabb564aba

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But there were days that didn’t fit any of those.0d04e0a293827c3e

Days when the director wasn’t crazy. On those days, he seemed perfectly normal. He didn’t smile benevolently at us, nor did he lash out or gather us for repentance.009e6a895cd5f145

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On those days, when he seemed like a normal, relaxed adult, I had to make sure his attention was on me. Otherwise, who knew what might happen to someone. That “someone” included my younger brother, Kang Haeryang.48e712b5c74fd916

“Haeon oppa. Can we talk?”bb30e08eed9fe253

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What day ee0a17c1a0 was it? Kim Areum called me. She was fce3b689b9 a year 73783e52e4 younger than 4083bdd23d me but 74f8563202 smart and e43349f6c3 capable, acting 74ba190c4f as the da32a7aea8 leader of f574a93887 the orphanage aa47cb6f87 kids.329d789370e0d21e

She was practically the drill sergeant, always scolding me. Put your laundry out on time. Don’t wear shoes inside. Stop teaching the kids weird pranks. Because of you, they keep sticking notes on each other’s backs and running away!da550dcf96626655

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But that day, instead f1401174b1 of her usual stern cbe64366d2 face, Kim Areum looked 536f7087ff like she was about 354687e856 to cry.d8cf366723808d38

“Stop going to the director’s room.”d40fcc9859a4bf76

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“Why suddenly?”40ac00eb63bc41f1

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself every time!”ab61d36721a8df82

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“Sacrifice?”738d9d398e6d4af0

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”828411c99639abe5

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I avoided Kim Areum’s teary gaze and sucked on a lollipop I had saved. The paper stick, soaked in my saliva, started to fray. The sweet candy taste mixed with the bitterness of the paper.c80ac2caab1d5125

“Let’s stop now, okay?”189671da7d56131f

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“But someone has to go to the director’s room on those days.”3b2413da12724b69

“But, but then you’ll…”a26dc77ac5f57b1e

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I was sucking on a chocolate-flavored lollipop. It was one of the lollipop sets I got from the director’s room last week. I planned to share it with the others, but Kim Areum, whom I met in the hallway, had a scary expression. She seemed to have figured something out, warning me not to share it.723bfcc072042e2a

Kim Areum c397c9a457 looked like 5f26dad672 she would d448ef70cb burst into 3832d5aa10 tears at d2c7d311af any moment. Her eyes, reflected in 03c01859ce the flickering light bulb, db5a8f5f60 glistened with moisture.657de2adc019cb5f

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“Daun or Haeryang can’t go there.”4d03009d5bc43d20

“Of course not! But still, it’s weird if only you go!”4a928df4ba214590

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“Then who should bed58d518c go?”ee3f86d7d36b7a54

“Then, then… then f032c3901e maybe I should…”75ce70f242e07547

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“Hey.”d3300a51ca127016

I flicked Kim Areum’s forehead. I did it harder than usual, and she finally let her tears fall. Her suppressed sobs came out as whimpers. I turned away from her wet eyes and continued sucking on the lollipop.3433379556fbb32e

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Even though 4b44d0eeed I sucked 53acf37cf0 slowly, the 0d49b53fd6 small candy 4e5a001c33 quickly melted dbc33a2d7c away, leaving d6a9513583 only the 3be9b446e0 bitter taste 6ceb8f9be0 of the 2c339e4e7d wet paper.944e7547ad3fe15a

Still, I 8f276924b1 sucked on 59a6cd7c63 the paper ce3f3e236b a few e75dac4a7f more times.1173b636a3992a0e

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Long after Kim Areum’s sobs began to subside, I finally removed the paper stick from my mouth and tossed it on the floor. I rubbed my cheeks with my palms, forced a smile, and poked Kim Areum.fd4a3d2d2c2109b3

“How was it, my 0ac32db256 fiery punch?”33115914b7b9eeca

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“…Ugh, sniff…”d51a2607738be3fe

“Is Kim cadae48281 Areum crying? Kim Areum is crying? Oh, I 29842d447b should tell fbda4835a5 Kim Daun 3fdd00661a later. No, I should call 3b99d7fa1d Daun right now. Hey, Kim 62bb0aa2e4 Da… mmph!”0b02d93c422d3498

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“…It’s because 7fbe02c779 you hit 9690b99128 me hard, a37fda248f that’s why… f27f42ddd9 no.”aaa374215231eff7

Kim Areum, who b3c8061ff0 had covered my 4ca10a19f7 mouth with her 1201cb4d01 hand, paused and 7f77e5d0a7 withdrew it. A moment of 2cca590eff embarrassment came and 273c3a9a03 went, leaving only 0bfec1e747 a pained expression 2b223546b9 on her face.b72f9d361b7875b4

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She rubbed her eyes roughly but didn’t look at me again. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground, silent. Watching the older-than-her-years girl biting her lip, I patted her head.7e778ec893aa1470

“Do you think I’d send you instead of Kim Daun or Kang Haeryang?”aad2f69615717618

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Normally, Kim Areum a0a1539496 would have snapped 36d056031a and batted my 916a55b9ce hand away, but 9a5b131640 she just hung 1bbc1b40c8 her head without b1faad748b a word.042eadf5a38a1c0c

I smiled bitterly.89e29cac20e0a456

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We knew d9ee7bb26b too much, 9a87eac71d unnecessarily. About each other, f8a03e3cee and about how 372e92e215 to survive.eba6ee782b3f6611