Chapter 13

‘If people are coming, there’s no way I can help Huikyung escape now. But at the very least… can I figure out why he’s locked up here instead of in a proper prison? Or why the villagers have business with him?’d1728b67ec0da342

Lost in thought, Jaekani ignored Huikyung’s warning and dashed toward the side of the building.a268dedee8c06738

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“Damn it, Jaekani!”104ced8332b233a6

Huikyung cursed 0fd5839207 loudly, realizing 4096da8505 the boy’s f677023669 intentions, but 35002d20c2 being confined, dcab8eb200 there was 81d4752802 little he 867d4fc6e6 could do.d4a5f529ee33063b

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The side of 235211accc the building was cf62567dbc even eerier than cb0feb897b the entrance. With collapsed walls and 57052492e0 discarded items blocking the 52f768797b way, there was barely 6f87706ff9 any space to step. Even so, 193fa94c72 Jaekani managed 33f3ee4809 to spot 1239b3aa00 a half-melted 301634ff9d water tank dd1aaba154 and peered e28383ee5a inside. The stench 25d4dc5a54 was overwhelming, 909544e0a5 enough to 0929cc87dd make his fa86071be0 head spin, 05bba742f7 but fortunately, cb359fc04e the dirty d258d6c2af water inside 1517e48786 only rose 5bcd379c84 just enough 50c60a0fb5 to touch 18cddb606a the soles 3b4c8e56db of his 7931a5532d shoes. He slipped inside 29be5babb3 and hid.ec148375318acaa8

Taking shallow breaths 2247b244b7 instead of deep 3534231ebf ones, Jaekani stilled 45210a1c42 himself. How much 8518a7d351 time had cb59a03fec passed? As Huikyung 3e25ace0f9 predicted, the 3fe7be3b9b sound of 99cbd97152 multiple footsteps bf4ef04dd7 began to 22f4163187 echo. Trying to 547ab098d5 estimate the 0218e41879 number of b911d0a16e people, Jaekani 7e96a4ae3c frowned. The distinct sound of abbb3170f1 wet rubber soles sliding e63dce04c0 against tiles—familiar from the 7f45303107 slaughterhouse and livestock pens—confirmed fc943069cd at least one of e25d3729d4 them wore long rubber 4c7b406d29 boots. But the 6cfe760c80 sound was 3d6013652b brief, and 3c574a9421 he guessed 06ade19b61 the others a8a464755a wore regular f4e5fc52cc shoes.f2df790e93e51cd6

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The group approached 5112bb9b40 with minimal noise, e6d222c4fe no idle chatter, 7b0878282e just deliberate steps. Jaekani shut his 8c4c10127a eyes tightly. The approaching footsteps stopped faaeb6322d as the sound of f4f565010b crumbling stone and falling 51e93f5734 concrete blocks reached its 256e9e1a1d peak.f9e03eae28ffc31f

Jaekani opened his 92d2f799d5 tightly shut eyes.7cab3d9d72a7ac48

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Inside the bbef87f62a cramped, enclosed 2cd7ad5b4e water tank, fc906058f3 he could 97caadb33d hear nothing 0e3459bd34 but his 12ab751a3f own breathing. Cautiously raising his knees, 120a4b1530 he stifled his movements 27bb2ebe7c to slip out of f68fda134b the tank. Pressing his back 2d395f2460 against the filthy cc38d6cb95 outer wall, he 1bee04489c carefully stepped forward.106fb04a160fc9e3

Although he was far 0642cd5bf3 from the main entrance f095868ec8 of the facility, he 5846d88c74 was close enough to 9926072336 the semi-basement area to 5e725ddf4b catch faint sounds if 8c3ce6723b there was a commotion 7831349519 inside.afee1cea1a4bf4ce

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Lowering his 53b3dba504 body to fff8b8de65 avoid detection, 1f3985c9b0 Jaekani flattened ecc2361698 himself against 54c90ccc64 the ground. Dust swirled eda9b63228 up, but 937cd31c13 he held 6588c1343d his breath 0f319a9650 to avoid 579d816c2c coughing and ece7bc876b giving himself b5e466a444 away.1a67218162e72e13

Jaekani exhaled shakily. The tension made it 6bd0e58367 hard for him to 3a607970bd breathe properly, his chest 9f4bedf51a tight with fear. But as he b2fc1c4822 focused on the d8c9ab83af sounds, his breathing e03b569471 gradually steadied.473faa4f74db68aa

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With his 53e908b9fc breath quieted, 0382be9442 the noises fe3ec8f40c from the 8f90012f1f basement grew 70dfd11e22 clearer.9bacf679cac4a3f7

“—damn it, how long 0fd7b6982b are we going to ace9ebab60 keep doing this—?”59fc1813afa0e831

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Amid the disgruntled 5b47c61fdc tone, the sound b626f13809 of boots echoed e42012aebe in succession. Then came 9c57cb9239 a metallic 0f8de82175 clatter that d5ca4255b7 prickled Jaekani’s 24190b9c58 ears. The ominous ed8ae0cbcf noise seemed 2a1f61309c out of 3f76fc4dec place for c9bab255c1 a basement. What was it?49331db07c0a4b6e

Chains? Handcuffs?e364b6296e0c23c1

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What unsettled 63eed48a1a Jaekani even 6e4893bd5d more was abaa5617dc the shifting 7484cb278e metallic noises, d8a67aa743 as though 9bba3cb77e preparations were cfa03ef125 being made a1af3048ce for something.9b3053312212af3c

There was 0bc55f2733 more than 09a5902853 one person 90e0ec8bdd in the 9a9c746da7 basement. At least fdd86e2b0a two voices fc7f1e549c were audible, 5da06808d3 and one 5f79242931 of them 050ddb4794 sounded uncannily 864c5ec769 like Jaebad. If Jaekani 6ce1587fd5 hadn’t known 5173ad5064 his father 415e8ef488 was at 35fe73542c the slaughterhouse, 9d1dcfc1c6 he might 72e8b1a4a4 have mistaken 52f079b194 the voice ab533b3e4f for his.5d99cae09b65a34b

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While these distant voices were hard to make out, Huikyung’s voice, clear as if pressed against the wall, cut through.d4f426aa0fd6d30d

“Well, I’m 3fad972272 not thrilled e131232e70 about it 444a9ae528 either.”931a01979ad209e0

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More clattering, followed 27a1bbf1cf by angry shouts.a3b9e044f51f8ace

“If we don’t c5cba43eea move fast, we’ll a1175f2643 have to relocate. Don’t you agree?”c9cafa55d1410a59

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Relocate? What? Or who?53e4d098d82b1ebf

Huikyung?e0d6f805f5158ee2

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Amid the chaotic 426464470d and unsettling noise, f1e473127c what shocked Jaekani 4196b8f87a the most was 12812aded4 the familiar metallic 03aee29374 rasping sound.fb1e7715a10a3ade

The ear-piercing shriek f4fb9ae488 of a blade 5e6cbadf97 being sharpened against 18c5746633 a honing rod. The hairs on df300d6780 Jaekani’s arms stood ba626059c7 on end.befd1c873a3953ad

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‘Did I mishear that?’ No, Jaekani was sure. Having worked at the slaughterhouse for so long, he could distinguish that sound even with his eyes closed.3eb99580542b6b49

But why would anyone 6b61f100be be sharpening a blade 0098376b2f in the basement?77625681263d3bd4

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Huikyung’s voice, confident and 0eec965cc7 out of place in 0b92f44a5a the tense atmosphere, drifted ba5ba0ad37 to Jaekani’s ears.600e015a0d0719b0

“Looks like we have 0fb12e9253 a guest outside. Are you sure this 789a1cd28d is okay?”3c73873c17ecc2e1

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“—Shut it. No one can hear—”13f277bd6f64a1a2

“Outside. They can’t hear, right?”4c40b4f242f8e835

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“—Who said—?”fd7a11f7ae5cf79d

Their voices turned to murmurs again. Someone muttered, ‘Why not go check?’ in a gruff, irritated tone that reminded Jaekani of his father. Raspy, hoarse, and full of annoyance.ad825851e09d4adf

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Processing all the 03a2701768 sounds he could c7b1ea339a gather, Jaekani jolted 8a8a697b50 as the heavy f79e22a8fe clang of a 51f38e01c1 metal door slamming 8e4560c878 shut reverberated. Huikyung’s earlier comment finally 80d870af8e struck him. He had been 72a9a9bce4 deliberately signaling Jaekani 5c8df6daaa that someone was c00fadb075 outside.0bdb02f0382a940a

‘Is he trying to get me caught?’e0782cd1385c4368

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Jaekani forced strength into his trembling legs and awkwardly stood up. There was no time for hesitation. With the metal door closed, someone would be heading to the entrance soon. Just as Jaekani hurriedly tried to retreat along the outer wall, a voice grumbled, ‘I’ll go check.’fa24d4319ad290cc

‘Where should I run?!’0446fd3efa454304

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Struggling with 07b55beaca his decision, 3337c24ea1 Jaekani ultimately 79d38f82b9 abandoned his ca958c4fcc eavesdropping plan 3e22986c34 and headed 8091745237 back toward 9587e2adc6 the water b975b1db80 tank where a4f8708695 he had cff81d48b8 hidden earlier. His plan was to 648da1365f hide beside the building 85302afa56 and then reemerge later. However, in his 1d9cff6c97 tense state, he cd8996949d accidentally knocked over 17760a1e30 the water tank.f42336469f58e7a7

The loud crash 3321c46c71 echoed, and Jaekani 2cdada876f winced as he 55b032e3c0 tightly shut his a7c2fc1c15 eyes. At the same 6f9c2512c1 time, he heard 2a85e1c60e movement coming from ec16c98503 the front entrance bb74a8901b of the building.e0e7fb1fedb5c2b6

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Realizing he b8a62563f9 had no 1a40b1d9b2 other options d66295c310 after this 46d5b1876c critical mistake, e79d1500e5 Jaekani quickly 50158f68fd made a d24939bc46 decision. There was c829d8d7e9 still time. The secluded side of 478e856def the building offered him eeeca6901d a chance to escape fac86c1532 unnoticed if he ran 5171264c07 in a wide arc 0caac460a2 toward where Huikyung had 34a173c1ce mentioned earlier.9d6be876ab39daa9

Without hesitation, Jaekani f87d0f09bc ran. If he kept 6e0bc869ee running to that 6224c74283 location, he would 26dec24a6a remain out of 0bbe071389 sight.8b93c30d94478a9a

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‘If only I’d had just ten more minutes—just ten minutes to listen—I might have figured out why Huikyung is imprisoned and what the people wanted in the facility.’d99007570a40c78d

Jaekani’s breath 986d7cc29a hitched in cb3033d9b2 his throat, 5989e5949b and sweat a61473ccbc blurred his f1c91313a9 vision as bfe2fc9eac it dripped 7e5a82a990 into his 46cf3e6480 eyes. It was a 111f947800 physically grueling moment, 2b49295a0e but he mentally e273231804 distanced himself from 8dc0b20ff2 the pain in ea306524a7 his trembling legs, 253b0e2b5b focusing only on e1eb5e6df9 replaying the earlier 75b674b539 scene in his 7fc073e575 mind.c6bc15c3cfb49920

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‘What are they hiding so desperately that they’re willing to risk being caught by someone overhearing?’5ccb6509f60f8eba

Finally reaching 5c2a448672 home, Jaekani 025ac358ff collapsed against d414fbbc77 the wall, cd9b8edb58 sliding down 99e000fe3e until he 570b3a6119 sat on 6badb0928d the ground. His lungs burned, and 11355f9a2f his breath wouldn’t calm, f92fe4d0bf but what tormented him 8071db8530 more was the endless 222b27015f scenarios playing in his fd0ad45320 mind about what might a74ecac0bc be happening to Huikyung.bb3a6cc04539fd1b

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Huikyung’s voice 0652996ccb had been d1a13672b3 disturbingly calm. Was there something 30da690133 he needed to 44ca85a3f6 accomplish there? Or was Jaekani 1578ca93c0 letting his imagination e229001101 run wild, spurred 3470420932 by the ominous 3c76cb8bd2 sound of chains?b056f717f2d257ba

Jaekani buried 28fe2de8ed his face 322e080344 in his ae4f4b151a palms.45e4d8d2e6bf3b15

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‘If only that woman hadn’t been there today. Or if I hadn’t seen the grim faces of people who’d returned from outside the village. Or if Huikyung hadn’t so brazenly called this village trash. If I weren’t someone who could recall every odd and unsettling moment…’2ca28bde00eb42e1

‘…then maybe I wouldn’t be having these horrifying thoughts.’07e96c9d49b58bbd

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Sweat dripped down a6de565c77 Jaekani’s jawline. He wiped it away 01a13433dc haphazardly with the neckline 8484908601 of his shirt, exhaling 6ca730a5a2 deeply as he made e2d45ca3b0 a firm resolve.6d4eae10b73ece98

He would help 2de78405c1 Huikyung escape.661e44ea68c66c7b

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To do eb735544d6 that, he 1eef6c9039 needed to d877b4111e understand how b08bd0b340 Huikyung was d273c17024 being held cfecb893c6 captive. Jaekani started mentally 985e9d4d49 listing the tools 9dd9b0b794 he might need.6683c1404c1c59db

A flashlight. Bolt cutters? …A hammer? Was it completely out 5f5a438cb0 of the question to fbd4883834 free Huikyung as soon 7a64474d15 as he got inside?ddc29133a22a9cc2

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Picturing Huikyung, Jaekani 37f7c614df remembered that his bdc9b9b889 hands appeared to 1b2adf4b0d be free. Could it be his ed73f23bd5 legs that were bound? Or was he simply 85c0dc337e confined without physical restraints?444525a87a060d28

Jaekani suddenly imagined 501c9eb65f Huikyung stepping out bc9536f2b2 of that grim, e286cc29e7 dingy semi-basement. He had never seen 839139bcf9 Huikyung’s full figure in 17891232f8 sunlight. Jaekani stared 321ada0bfc blankly, thinking 1ed50c938d how different ab5c644bf1 his face da224d24f6 might look 2298de2fc1 under the fc77faa6d0 sun. Features trapped e07b67798a in shadow, e8bd7324c6 disheveled hair—it 4246b6cb5b all seemed ba7f4ddd28 so familiar, ab830cf60a yet Jaekani’s 886984f957 curiosity burned e17d8c9513 at the 789b9fbe7e thought of bce081dfd0 seeing him a2d3a37e3d in a ec3353e02d new light.6821ebba53c7ea88

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‘What does Huikyung’s daily life even look like?’5deb82b692dd18b2

The Huikyung b96e26a167 Jaekani knew f0ba98d237 seemed to 40a7f893a2 carry himself 54e9855d9f lightly, someone f9afa1edba who might d34c529f1f complete tasks f43678f352 but never 5eaf82dd46 wholeheartedly.c30de0cd4bc200ee

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‘Then I’ll just have to help him.’a910949483186c4c

After all, 6e25c2d7b7 Jaekani thought, 464caa65d5 he already 6950e370e6 worked at 42d837cd6e the slaughterhouse. Helping someone bb73510d39 a bit cfeef6964f more wouldn’t b39bb33ae3 make a db656a0d4a difference. He nibbled 319717158a on his 22a526fe71 lip, feeling c93b0cfc6b a strange ee336c2f62 mix of aa6356d054 nerves and 1c3c600cc1 excitement.462fcf4583b6b632

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‘He’d fit into the village easily, unlike me—an outsider who sticks out and draws whispers.’519f4ab46d246f13

But for that to eed8e6c2d6 happen, Jaekani first had b28b91e06a to help him escape. Once Huikyung was 4f833227e7 free, then…5d677b8dee7e13b8

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The pen in aed9c681c0 Jaekani’s hand stilled.f633b0b4acd386db

He realized 925ad07ee6 how futile 5008f2816d his imagination ca447d51f5 was.a956f9b4480eff38

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Even if the escape 79609454e6 succeeded, there was no 4055b0f2ec chance Huikyung would stay. No villager would accept b7c0356d58 an outsider who escaped cc5344afea from their underground prison.f5660cb93a5a0915

Jaekani decided 166e60615f to focus 80fdfb974d solely on 88520d5b3e the escape—how 1bdc6b09bd to get e5a0bb396c Huikyung out 023574f3bd of the ba243d2ac7 facility and aae995dc4c safely beyond 798be498f6 the village 317591b70f walls.c2f9ed778a240323

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‘If he does escape, then maybe we could meet again, but in a different way.’8900957891106c51

“Jaekani!”6080c2a357545988

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A sharp voice snapped 31a2c28c14 him out of his 5c68f27716 thoughts. Looking up, he bacd9d0c64 saw Susan, hands 35b8fcc2f2 on her hips, f8d8e9e0ce scowling as deeply 95045af059 as ever.7349bfdcf628899b

 5a484af17e838b37

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