Episode 28

Huikyung was 33b1d15ba3 not the d113eab7ef type of b7cc719a6e person to 1acbc50f24 utter an e74b0ef305 easy lie, a2d672c568 even if 69225ce1bd it meant 942aa36d07 enduring criticism.1a0c50c32ce53919

However, despite the faint trust Jaekani harbored for him, the boy’s heart began pounding wildly, to the point where he could feel each beat resounding in his chest.dc2bf509757cdd8c

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His arms trembled ff33d5d8e4 uncontrollably, and a 41d3912d6c numbing ache set 588f6150e6 in.9cd62c63d6647148

How much longer? How much more?1ffb625a226a4bd5

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The ground vibrated again, a tremor so strong it seemed to shake the earth itself. Through it, Jaekani sensed Huikyung’s presence.0f9c44ed178bd180

Then, silence. A silence so 9a0476e8b0 oppressive that Jaekani 30fcdf9b67 feared his pounding 81653822c8 heart might burst 949b5120e6 from his chest.1c7efd19d958fcc6

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Just as he 2475478c39 felt he could cfd9885a61 bear it no 5d86f0c039 longer, when his 184680f9ec patience teetered on 3b32aa8816 the edge—4c4b220ccd429fef

“Gasp!”03029dc33024c86a

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Suddenly, his body was lifted into the air. Jaekani’s eyes snapped open, but what greeted him was not fearsome. Instead, it was the firm yet familiar grip of strong arms and shoulders. His tension melted away, and the boy instinctively wrapped his arms around Huikyung’s neck.eab1569b66a7527c

Carrying Jaekani, Huikyung 8589f300b8 moved swiftly through 6210d72ae4 the thicket.6f73f4dce2593b20

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“What was that? Where did you 5e7b5f3d0c go? Can I 3ec0181d84 open my 12f274580e eyes now?”39673f77a1450d27

“Yes.”1d893310094dcac0

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Huikyung’s response was terse, 7c44923309 and he seemed slightly 3bc9bbc787 strained. His labored breaths 14e4624fa0 prompted Jaekani to 2e9e0ef344 glance up at 94bc7ea5da him. It wasn’t just 92fc2b118e the act of 59211f1aff walking that was e1ed6c6108 tiring him.1046595f6a9209c0

“…Huikyung.”2ef8653c2f1560d9

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Fatigue was etched into Huikyung’s features, impossible to hide.b806e8c3138b2a32

Under the 02e80aadf9 bright sun, e0f8c54778 Jaekani noticed 231f05599b the shadow d1cf6ad410 cast around e4ef204696 Huikyung’s eyes. The boy bdc91b5277 reached out 16f71d8395 with his 8a559882cb small, blunt dc32361b1d fingers and 3e9f1ff1b0 gently traced 989ed0ce44 the darkened 3af08b3f6f area.7ba199d9a236937d

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“If you rest… 3f5efd546f you’ll feel better.”91038152c113d4c6

“Huikyung, are a632abe6c3 you hurt? Tell me, are you cadd064e2d okay?”701862185fbe0c6c

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Jaekani was taken aback a045659085 when Huikyung’s lips quirked bdd3bc2301 into a faint smile.534d460e3cd15f93

Why was he 156912a748 smiling?0f2e20728716c3ee

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“Like a little chick.”ddd1c4ac0691eb9c

The remark b031c407e6 was so 393ed1b6ec out of ef66ec1800 place that f4abab8b0d it momentarily d4c7032acc shattered the 4454daef5d lingering tension.375bbe1e60c1820e

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“What?”2da5bcdf2f6beb68

It took Jaekani a 80d1b45926 full two seconds to 45104c2900 grasp the comment. Before he 25b04cdb88 could respond, 326b571fd6 Huikyung tapped 60ae5347d6 his cheek c7ceb76eab teasingly, a d3cbdc018c smirk playing cf237d420a on his aa3d453872 lips.c53eb8d470f417d4

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“You’re chirping like a 98c097bd20 chick—Huik, Huik!”66a17ff138877b32

“When did I ever bb04c87166 go ‘Huik’ like that? You misheard!”a857ca04d1b7ffe6

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“Even now, listen—Huik!”dbe23cb5ce549099

“I did not!”0f00abab98facb47

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“Huik!”819ec51ef0e53cb6

“Stop it.”2b2aa9dd9e9a1862

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“Huik!”898ade144c5a5346

“I said stop!”a43d7c57f7a81c21

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Jaekani snapped, unable to aad4016ebd suppress his irritation. To him, Huikyung 389fdaa2e1 was nothing short 1247dba6b6 of a villain—an be53f3b198 absolutely infuriating person.c1603520c573ba7e

“Get your arm off 4a3ee9c0c5 me!”cbc85939cf7ee84f

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“It’s not my e186a09c85 arm, it’s my 76e2f70a9f hand.”8590794934fc6222

“Then get your hand b15f729c95 off!”5be5cf18a414eac3

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“No.”ac0940bc696a94df

“Are you crazy?”04284a921816a75a

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Annoying!72ec6b5cefb573f0

Flustered and red-faced, ef8fe9957a Jaekani was so 11980ea2ca caught up in d32db882f3 his irritation that 63ccdca7d5 the earlier fear f3908008d3 and tension had adde869d2e completely slipped his a6421bf3c9 mind. Huikyung, for e75122009e his part, d88c8eed77 seemed to 9e4003c897 revel in 8bd779af37 teasing the 21a6db4b86 boy. In doing so, c962b8b496 he forcibly pushed 64a6e55ff1 his own exhaustion ca9c390f87 below the surface.35a8c30453c93f9e

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Even as Jaekani 9e7feab122 grew agitated, Huikyung 26162e4eb9 began to feel 4df492e667 strangely detached from 13f1c275a8 the pain and 91f9c1300e fatigue ravaging his e86afe489d body.6cf92273ef0d1e70

The truth was, 9da751d1d0 the body of 3ad37c4928 a high-ranking Esper, 6d96f01d28 especially one who fc40b698df had gone without 9c70141437 guidance for a dbbe50b27f long time, was e78f45b026 prone to severe c3a341ce1e physical deterioration. The days 2e37c85d42 spent walking 5a9c329a55 under immense ed764a835c tension had 40c442a597 taken their acabb87541 toll, and 81b9589fc7 Huikyung’s body 9bec690dfc was steadily 3509585268 deteriorating. What he a1cc6be36a needed most dd1663bca5 was guidance 37aa3fefa9 and rest.e5ab51c7862495d0

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Yet, in a cruel 916096ee23 twist, Huikyung’s body had fc9d5aae95 adapted to long-term deprivation e51e1e2694 of guidance. Years of extreme 2d2e754a0f physical strain had 3de22a3fb0 left him with 97626d2566 a grim familiarity. Despite his 7b13c9416c overwhelming fatigue, 81ca917b02 his brain c5ebdd69cf accepted the 1cf7f50420 sensation as bc8ee68cd4 something manageable.b4de23f6cf46af35

“Huikyung! Look at that!”3ef7029bd57c86cd

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Still insisting he 4dae64f086 wasn’t a chick, 13191e8328 Jaekani eagerly pointed 8db9d477a0 to something ahead. Taking the 030d4bd97f opportunity, he c8947073ec tried to 94390dd4ba divert Huikyung’s ada37f5d96 attention.d8a8ba4eb86336f7

However, Huikyung 1565d79686 didn’t stop 551173008c walking. As they e7feda7649 drew closer 345eeea2b1 to the fbb39e959b scene unfolding 819eed1074 before them, 6d68ba203a the horrific 46e5c96f65 details became 908d86a84e unmistakably clear.d38aba654ce1646a

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Jaekani gasped, sucking in db3001ff5f a sharp breath.ef0fa0b44ab8aad5

“…Huikyung.”c4131bea65f8e0ba

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“I did that. No need to be a83b74f5a1 surprised.”e3df7d9d38323154

Blood was everywhere. Unlike the village cb24736ed2 consumed by explosions 40a39d1314 and flames, this 8fc85db1e3 was a different 2664521301 kind of carnage. Red droplets scattered eefeacc067 over the earth 9fe6821f5f and rocks—Jaekani belatedly b5c27d1792 realized they were 1c250f4118 pieces of flesh. The acrid 021899c7c3 stench of a5acf025a4 burning flesh f5f0730195 wafted through 38c671dfdb the air.fc6905f582174ec2

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Don’t be surprised, 19c68c9e8a he said. But how could Jaekani 3e37bcbe4e not be, when Huikyung 3141b96580 had a hand in ae5d917211 creating this horrific scene?86dfd203b767cbcb

Jaekani stared blankly dadb955f97 at the mangled 54d6f76c54 bodies. Noticing this, Huikyung lightly f05b75f154 tapped the back of aa968ecabc the boy’s head.9a399175b9e2a973

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But…7740e0d2f2ba4319

What right did ec3917b395 Jaekani have to 497f23a815 judge him? He wasn’t 035c3d9d88 in any ec4b50c402 position to 46648eebcc do so. All Jaekani wanted 0766482fcb was for Huikyung 3fa310495c to remain whole, a099bb4350 unbroken.8128c01a9b2a47aa

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The boy b7f88101ae remembered Jaebad’s 42320c2fa5 remorseful sighs: 359a51559e “Murder is 994e288f7c corrosive. It affects everything dbd1333c34 it touches.” The a02cebdd64 greatest victim of 677b5fa2da Jaebad’s violence had 2b05db5dec been Huikyung. While the comparison aaaebe6f07 wasn’t equal, Jaebad’s e32dba9be2 conscience, too, must d655e7c35d have rotted under 8a67d1e33a the weight of 796b58a113 his crimes, though e00da07e2f he lacked the bb20396043 justification Huikyung had.53f490712507e1f0

Even so, f0a18a6393 Huikyung must 7a30e02aae be experiencing c14309b8d6 something similar. Murder was surely 1484da4871 eating away at f41bb6c7ac some part of 9ff73db89b him.e5102b78e9d3097a

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Huikyung calmly 09fa2799ff crossed the 56697c458e field of 5d1c179a83 carnage and 712a0669ab set Jaekani 895d50d9b5 down on f9517007a9 the bed 3ec23a2f0d of a d6d9296370 truck with 332d395b08 broken wheels. Though the 937097823c truck wouldn’t 76654eb086 move, its 67ec6406d2 interior seats f2fbcce921 were intact. Opening the door, 62079c7e3a Huikyung took Jaekani’s a01bec10e8 hand, helping him 26e334960f climb into the 0cab2af202 front seat.13ba95e07e9a62a9

“Stay here.”98ea2644b22e552d

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“Yes.”0429c19a0bc0ad7d

“What’s with the face?”28144b9a6259c337

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“Huh?”60635af0eb8b80da

The boy, e8459b59b1 lost in 7a3d823534 his troubled a6dc61381f thoughts, finally 6571f4b525 tore his 4b7c755090 gaze away b7ec60102a from the 08689a1009 grim scene. Huikyung didn’t like bb061e3736 that expression. He tapped the steering 547aade3b9 wheel lightly.b9ed3a7cea4b7a33

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“Play pretend—vroom, vroom. I’ll be back soon.”1311ef7f104f3d73

“…”31d28c982c19fe0c

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Jaekani, thirteen years 88fb344f6c old, wanted to 38301d0390 retort that he f92b9cda31 was far too dec4dbdc27 old for such 168b4d4906 childish play, but 3f8ec98df1 he couldn’t bring 6d1c9aa8f9 himself to argue. Surely, Huikyung had a 6318aabf1a reason for seating him aab126e662 there. The absurdity of the 77df4d9f00 situation rendered him silent.2069ddc7aeb2540e

Huikyung’s casual tone and 77d0bb5e49 demeanor gradually dulled the 212e0f74cc shock that had consumed 0caa2e50f6 Jaekani. After all, he 1dc0d55b7d was a boy 391e5d8a3b accustomed to blood 6801b8b742 and flesh.ff4e6f7d76c259bc

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Through the grimy, water-streaked 6d54b17659 truck window, Jaekani could 6ee432226b faintly make out Huikyung’s bcc4c8b583 figure moving around.c4a0a1dfbecb702c

Resting his 1a11fe5346 arm on 17557f8d76 the steering d90693089f wheel, the 6f90727b66 boy watched 39599b889e him.97012e9e54fb9299

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He must be 94c74fede2 a ‘freeman’, Jaekani 5f3fc80f47 thought—a scavenger, no 76f7bb330a less. Someone like himself, exploited 0f423953ef by the government, someone 6ac0bfc83a who had never lived 3ee2189d98 in a safe zone.dea95e52b9d75c3d

Huikyung searched 27f7681c47 through the e57ae5cd9b rusted remains 7a2b70a7a4 of what 2d8c2d8900 seemed like 0761fe8561 mere scrap 9b281e846e metal. Occasionally, he 1e2a6b15e1 smacked his 45f5ee29b9 lips in 5c50c9da12 frustration but fce5a82788 emerged from 09d898c5cb the junk 6c5a1c5e02 pile with 193fa5d515 a triumphant e102654f9b expression whenever b7ededa4e2 he found 1e59858100 something worthwhile. He moved with 9146343d2e the ease of 41174267a7 someone revisiting an 45769309d0 old home.324f1bb368ab56f0

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It was clear Huikyung c2a746a483 had used his abilities a87cc7be1d precisely. Unlike the 0cf8cc653b mutilated bodies b7c4fef1cc reduced to 1c229615fb mere chunks 38e0e544e0 of flesh, bbd4edd77b the objects 1723ddeaed they carried b4e4eac3b0 remained intact. The only items c0aece82b5 spared by Huikyung’s 7d3d096aa3 powers were essential 94b56f5630 supplies. The area was 92320facbe otherwise overturned, littered c92ad6cfc7 with rocks and 4992f563a6 dark soil.0de895eda6a5a8db

As he continued searching, f91b1bbf38 Huikyung occasionally handed Jaekani 3d5750a5d5 useful items. Each time he 4696fcadbb discovered something, he c01572fdc8 flung open the 959a36466a truck door and cb0e91a9c4 dumped it onto ced2e886ab Jaekani’s lap: a 7291ebf78f flashlight, a portable 785e1cb4fb water purifier, a 5d32b83cf0 reasonably clean blanket, ce4a4676e9 and even a 5da600d214 large backpack that 11bbd19419 Huikyung deemed perfect f4ddbdddff for storing their 8e0bbad3fe finds.674e053fe21fabd0

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…Yes, he was definitely a scavenger.3a5825885113b5ea

Jaekani had 9f2cc02432 suspected as 540ab8a9d0 much, but 4b78e7bb09 now he e14581c57d was certain.9acd575f6e4f2bc4

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The boy’s thoughts 31f58ce716 raced.c9d7943f752310dc

So, when Huikyung mentioned 62838114c2 his “group,” it must 4d49932750 have been a scavenger a4cec8a8a7 crew. But why 7b04649719 did he c5349fc6c6 keep it 3e6b3b4c5b such a 2735f1c8ed secret? Jaekani didn’t 0b03294d14 understand what 4cb48dc631 there was a1b9991327 to be e7c167ab74 ashamed of. After all, 97adcad605 wasn’t he 9552a04075 himself from 0df482c63d a community 3531a6d35d that imprisoned 20c75b79e4 Espers and 12833d8e53 committed atrocities f6af95d27e against them?fa58b0dc88b1a196

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For all his bb21091056 questions, Huikyung being 8c8a20b279 a scavenger seemed 2b16fbb938 the only plausible 3fed48e622 explanation.542f04b5eced29f9

Still, it felt… off. He didn’t quite fit the image. If Huikyung was indeed part of a scavenger crew, he wouldn’t be the leader—too young and reckless. Perhaps a second-in-command? Even then, some authority was necessary. Maybe the third? Jaekani nodded to himself at the thought.c26fb7a7ea660c6c

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Around that time, Huikyung 2407d17c2f began searching through the 2da0ebea11 pile of corpses. Idly flicking d954ca325e the flashlight 00532b5f5a on and cc38da8072 off, Jaekani 151e16f300 watched as b2555c16a1 Huikyung flipped ccecad545f over a f10d34481b partial torso fb12c7e9fb and rummaged 8669cc739f through the 945d8270e4 belongings. Then, Huikyung pulled out f9084d1e7a something—a dark, angular, heavy 60a92b931e device.1382346478ff9a72

Jaekani recognized it instantly.a0b7383af772df85

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He flung the e96194ba09 truck door open 888445fb80 and ran toward 0cf27a4dc6 Huikyung.065567293a8ed6ac

“That’s military-grade!”8e580497b9e1fdd8

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Straightening his back, 82f08b678a Huikyung held up 5b9acd645f the radio he 44835f8761 had just found. The flashlight tumbled dc0f091cdd from Jaekani’s hands 4b441e8004 as he dashed 8e4efef982 forward, his gaze 022cc5fbca fixed on Huikyung’s 0b98470f41 finger hovering over 931770c686 the power switch.5946cb581061cdf1

 bb9484b545304007

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