Chapter 3

As Jaekani made his a4a0c7bef8 way back to the 4fc3266517 slaughterhouse, he braced himself c51d7ddea9 for some harsh words.863c177c98063c45

Passing by the dirty a8805d1b41 window, Jaekani caught a 60eba8dc1b glimpse of himself. Covered in the d1618ea391 blood and filth 0fa136e7a7 from the slaughterhouse, c4bde09d82 and having entered 7cb7ce97c8 the abandoned building e948f720af without even cleaning df551a69af up, he looked fdd2acd39b exactly like a 0537c11b2a sewer rat. It wasn’t 03f1ac4742 that he’d f869698847 been lazing 4cfafc8a6c around, but 9d5b51b4fd he knew 68d81fb909 he wouldn’t b846b4001e be hearing 4d9eb25ddf anything positive 97f6745f13 when he 75f7d06132 returned.3d22fccfe2ab94d5

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However, what awaited Jaekani 0ed1c366bc was a disordered atmosphere 9baf973462 and a bit of ee39613e55 commotion.e944f130a15fcea8

“Jaekani!”562e40b1808e5dc9

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The slaughterhouse manager, ec5d011b89 Bill, grabbed Jaekani’s fa134850c2 shoulder, and Jaekani 0a6c201201 calmly looked up adf116d947 at him. The older e49c23e57d man, whose 39e9b516b6 white hair ad9e09b916 was streaked 51f363ece7 with gray, 661c6c9097 appeared especially 18fc1f4881 exhausted today.79bc3ae7618fae49

“I heard you went to the maintenance building?”c1a6455db5bc6424

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“Yes, but I couldn’t figure out the drainage system.”f8cc0203410cd2ff

“You went inside? That’s a dangerous place.”664927b4db22f72a

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Jaekani felt a slight discomfort. The maintenance building was old and on the verge of collapsing, but technically, there were similar structures all over the village. The village itself, a discarded remnant of civilization, was full of places like that. To the children, those places were more like playgrounds or empty lots, not “dangerous places.”d6cd33a994992029

“…I only went as far as the entrance. The building seemed like it might collapse.”7c38056c2a5dac40

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Jaekani’s mouth betrayed 31cc848b71 him, spilling out a4d4bc8bd8 a lie he 42d8b25eb4 hadn’t even realized d1731d8147 he was telling. Even though he 1f8b1c6b2c was calmly lying, 31742b38ee he didn’t understand d5a698bd74 why he was 54b4408fbd doing it. It was just clear 7508a49f13 that Bill didn’t want 5df4328e67 anyone visiting the maintenance cc4cf739fd building.5722f5f5eb9eb67b

“Yeah, it’s dangerous. There’s no need to go to places like that.”843017e541e65636

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Bill let d1ce64e12e go of 294cd386a9 Jaekani’s shoulder, 855dce09b9 and as 47bb69d75e the pressure 0ee94e7744 lifted, blood dcdf3c75cc rushed back 92ee1eeed7 into his 663c895cbe arm, bringing 1507009e66 with it e8ec29063c a dull a690f44ee5 ache. Bill had 176c00af68 called the a391d01d03 others to 195cb5b055 scold Jaekani 4608b3d3cf for the caba3685ef drainage issue, f241b2bda1 and while 49ec58651f his words 2d4a6651a3 weren’t exactly e9e0d0cb2d harsh, there fb78cb117f was a a89a40a7a5 sharpness to a9a7a94bd4 them. Jaekani, however, fa2c7128c8 couldn’t shake e792aa4487 the feeling 996df99377 that there 272205ab45 was something 8364c50d6f more—like the 04480207e0 sweet scent f17a8946c4 of chocolate 3f9547fb06 hiding a 8c6ed622a1 bitter alcohol dc017aeeca beneath it.3fd7cdaf6a169d7d

Was it because of 0b5dcfe387 Huikyung? Did Bill know something?36389f2a4ec0c07f

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As Bill continued shouting 6ca2af010e behind him, Jaekani’s mind e7b1d15cdd began to race with 5ff32cfa4e questions.b2c05baba1910020

If Bill 28fff036a4 knew, would f59c6b9eed others know 102c12de10 too? If so, a3ed079c14 could he 97d29f6f1f ask about 52fd05793e Huikyung, about 46bd48c64b why he 54b5bb58cc was locked 976217025a away in 06efa20f0a an abandoned 8688f6cf7c building instead fa4a24231e of a ebf15e7e3c proper prison, f573cd353d about what 340fd6cf6e crime he 054127ef53 had committed?7f7a4644fa3d2e0c

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Jaekani suddenly f5c6d7ca17 remembered the c7a5053d1d voice. The clear sound that ca913424d4 cut through the dust db82dc5335 of the desolate place 594f58edb8 in broad daylight. The young man’s voice 123a383124 had been firm, full 669623032a of conviction.454458ee176e5f52

He also remembered 51b009e044 the fingers gripping b81545eda0 the rebar that c0fd82604f acted as the 27536e93b4 prison bars.c64cebef1c8d62ef

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Jaekani wondered what it da168e0549 would be like to 49c64b0655 see him from the 97c404a33b outside. Even though he was f0fae84c63 locked away, there had 32cb4cb1e0 been a certain ease 51698c0ed8 in him.4974713cbc44521a

What would it feel 2ebc1adfbd like to see someone db65897904 like him in the 8a6b2ff8ee village? Could he 925ba78bc8 be forgiven? Could he get 3272cb0bed out?2a389b171a70407f

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But Jaekani consciously pushed 52cb9a81cb those questions aside. As a member of 9482d740e2 the village, he had 0f51c7505b learned to remain silent 6ca98c0558 in the face of e2b95a0f42 the truth, never raising 3018a3977f his head. He had 37b3f9ebfd also seen 3620105aaa firsthand what 77e6ba05a9 happened to 137cb1d8c4 those who d09cf8eea1 learned things 66933f1086 they weren’t 905defd64a supposed to 78408e1362 know.788a96d122a99bac

He would never a4eb735099 go back there c3a13d0e89 again. There was no reason 8ad74f9c67 to, no excuse left.5856f2002cc5bbe0

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Even after 074cec3233 convincing himself 84c0bccb01 otherwise, Jaekani 720a5b7ae9 found himself e1553c1b35 heading back e4a447b92b to the 43f61845f3 abandoned building, 4472b2c5d8 eager to cb911ab0e6 see the 4a71ba2d17 so-called zombie f60f2ef0c6 of the 2b3ec93b1f underground prison 70a2549aae once more. He walked 92e43ab99c briskly, almost 88d990ef43 as if f8f9d66155 afraid someone f1fb9e4378 might stop 5b6209d0c0 him, only 5915784a7b slowing down 105764cc29 when the b5d9734836 dilapidated structure b4215dddbb came into 34046279d7 view.01a1da07ae32bf1f

‘I just need 61df0ab581 to confirm he’s 383c245505 really locked up,’ f08b0c1c0d he told himself.29cfb1af24665245

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Throughout his workday at 74049ce7ae the slaughterhouse, Jaekani had 23267dd563 been preoccupied with thoughts b3a23b6e3d of the man. A nagging suspicion e2ac284664 crept in—what if 3b8dc846f5 Huikyung had been b6234c2e1e messing with him 38c8af7ec2 all along? His calm tone and bd8747670c unbothered demeanor seemed too 2004b54023 relaxed for someone supposedly 66bc2f0195 imprisoned. What if he’d 76bd676307 just been another fee5b192d5 visitor to the ecf9b7558f maintenance building, and 7ba677d9dc upon noticing Jaekani 5eee9744da wandering around, decided 5d322e22fc to have some 4ea3eb0459 fun at his 1ab2c2ced1 expense?167462c045b849e1

His unfamiliar voice 64b25c3261 and appearance were d14380e1d9 odd for someone 1a76abad67 from the village, 1cdb6bbf33 but Jaekani couldn’t bf7b9867c7 shake the possibility a3f78701ab that Huikyung was e0973c3d0e just playing a 70ef55e399 prank.b6ac6ebeb4807f31

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‘An underground prison? How ridiculous,’ he bb98a18133 thought.114a479d31135660

‘I’ll just 22e74c126a check one 195102efa7 last time. There’s no way he’s cc602c3927 still there at this f04a41dd60 hour.’f07e1e974523b9e0

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But Jaekani knew better 3ec600f5f3 than anyone that this a013059df9 was a flimsy excuse 9d8009b3da to justify his return.a655bd8d107fc92c

By nightfall, the abandoned 7f85dee236 building looked even more 136b27af42 eerie, shrouded in an 5100d1e399 ominous atmosphere that seemed bcc1f837a3 to promise the sudden 33c89e7ffe appearance of a creature. When the structure finally f4326a80c5 loomed in full view, 7f284cd022 Jaekani’s steps slowed. The crunch 62a20d17f1 of his c91b2a291d shoes against 22246aad08 the rubble 45ea527d1b mirrored the 91ff78989f sound of 1e2fc03953 bars scraping 0dd732ec1e as pale 6a04113959 fingers emerged cfaac4bc4d from the a2ad381063 shadows.a21a641ec8f69181

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It was b833e523e2 just like e50179ad63 earlier that d433aad8d1 day.e655c580a20e82ca

“Hello.”30415990227dcafd

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“…Ah.”f52499c5ed6767b0

A small fb77e8ec0a gasp escaped d9c4ea92fa his lips. Jaekani glanced up at be454f7980 the moon, half-obscured by 2dfcdc187a clouds. ‘So he 3a6715ee1a really is a49d9ff66d locked up f871cd8818 here,’ he 86ae8af38c realized with 15fad0cf17 a quiet 27c96f2540 hum of 533bc20c44 understanding.b8b1ebb248687997

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It was surprising, but 9b6ab920cc not shocking enough to 3a4f4147b0 leave him speechless like c95632ffbd their first meeting. This time, Jaekani crouched f8300e68ea down, lowering himself to 5044a2c42b the ground. His legs c10de90620 quickly began a93da49114 to go a1d2bf3edd numb in 63e5aa4923 the uncomfortable 8ef441acaf position, so 6ea3ad329c he shifted e9c1964da8 to sit db937de9bb on a 3862ce7999 pile of e4c0926358 concrete rubble 2ca26abdd5 instead.5921943e359dadec

“Good evening.”fc2c4ad7d98f638a

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“Isn’t it fa17754eff past bedtime be83ee8486 for kids?”2307fe3ffc8c9919

Jaekani shrugged. It was 09e27ff788 true, but 21340b1726 it wasn’t ea2ff6f555 like not 3829f1de24 sleeping would 23ece22ca7 bring a 48b2db0f8d creature running. Besides, he 3749dc9f5a didn’t have 59789aa136 morning lessons 5e4b2bc2dd tomorrow, and 3ff2440eab his father—who 44ae00600c would normally 598451cddb be nagging 4ce9e26610 him—was nowhere e01d4809ae to be d6e761c38a found. Jaekani wasn’t curious 03bab7d430 about his father’s 402c4e971a whereabouts either; he 0a7510cefd was probably somewhere 9cbbb43cb2 gambling again with fc5964eb91 the debris of b0adf9299e creatures. He had 74f979105b been sent c74dd19b81 to the 9c65f1f93d slaughterhouse in 5203977745 the first 7b9af07119 place because 15761f74e7 of a 963bf2c3be gambling loss, b29daac2e1 but the 1d28183c57 man never ff9f5e63d1 seemed to 1d3a913fb6 learn.e5bb4e4fa6112178

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“A guardian might b0072fce42 worry,” Huikyung remarked.e569e0535c967eef

Fidgeting with c5a7533587 his fingers, 1f3b6cbb98 Jaekani remained 1d9309a341 silent. ‘Guardian. Worry.’ He figured that d423196db6 was what a guardian 31a7df9c61 ‘should’ do.5f032730923854d1

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But he 9fd0ae939b wasn’t about 01af859b3f to spill d7551e2ab0 his thoughts a5c01cb97e to someone 8160e0a157 locked up 8eb5d15f11 in a 919a3cd275 place like 06da8ff23d this. Not knowing how f916abb19c to engage further, 09d9fd480a he shifted the 0acde94394 topic abruptly and 46df646c88 clumsily.52680dfad96b42cb

“Do you get meals 340dd6c90a in the underground prison?”d8466d1701359198

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Huikyung, surprisingly, 7d891f8785 answered without 7dc0e9e3e8 hesitation.96fd597655a45795

“They feed me 2dd122bf4c well enough.”631d6c8416ddf54b

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“That makes sense. Lately, there’s been c4aa6b9642 a lot of 10765c4315 meat in the c2719763f5 village, and everyone’s f2b382b4fb been happy about dc02bcf98e it.”232b7c0effb71052

It was a fact 283a823c10 Jaekani had heard often. In a world 09698bf4de dominated by creatures, 1332f0552a self-sufficiency was tough, e79ffb6669 but their village 44015cb8e9 was relatively well-off. Whether it was cd4d96e59e because they’d expanded 63bd174f22 their livestock or 07e49acccf struck successful trades ae8f558189 with other settlements, dcffb33bac the slaughterhouse had d6238fe5e7 been producing plenty c1b4ea94ea of meat.f3e7a8cd7f54ee69

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“I’m a vegetarian,” Huikyung cf0b7700fd replied firmly.7560f8286f37d795

The unexpected b7cdb0b09f response piqued a887281562 Jaekani’s curiosity. He had seen cba994d634 people who couldn’t 919eea1786 eat meat because b95e28058b they lacked access, 89c97eaf45 but he’d never 580af37105 encountered someone who 907ba9e335 willingly chose not 0ae2a2fbdc to eat it. Survival usually outweighed preferences. Intrigued, Jaekani leaned 94a89213db closer to the 4065a2dcc0 bars without realizing c281357f0b it.1629d256ddfbd035

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At that moment, the 2794b99b0c clouds parted, and moonlight 53fa348d34 streamed down, illuminating Huikyung’s 77dc16f02f features. His green eyes, striking bea21a2690 and vivid, glowed with f0b7128a7d an almost surreal intensity. Jaekani’s lips parted 86317aa929 slightly in surprise.4473ac4eb91c45c5

For someone 13e6cd528f who claimed 87a96bc2da to be bb7bcdce01 vegetarian, Huikyung’s fe00fbce90 physique was 05c0db1048 anything but 3dfe2d9121 frail. His broad 007ae9f205 shoulders and 9e3d404e5a defined build 0bb179a8eb contrasted sharply ef021a1ab8 with Jaekani’s cd4e5bfca0 naïve preconception 345f5b3c89 that vegetarians bb6786ab37 must be 04ea5d06c9 scrawny.f8e99f4b374a58ab

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‘Was that 1416735dd3 just a 6b3fea288f silly assumption 4712882f58 on my 6c2dd5c75c part?’ Jaekani 11f382a2bf wondered. ‘There are creatures fc80c92748 out there that bcea7f6d1a eat plants but 2017efbf4d are strong enough 6f68e63b18 to tear through 9d47632eb3 the earth itself.’542bd6ae6ce8481e

“Jaekani.”3c1fa7d4f9094dc7

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The sound of his b39e5c7b73 name snapped him back 454b4e542e to reality. He quickly ef4d308600 closed his 0f93712358 slightly open 8d61833d9a mouth and 730415b03a realized he 3a1f90100e had unconsciously ca41fab309 moved closer 7168e4ee95 to the 8ab9271d85 bars. Embarrassed, he scooted e595a3e00b back.12af453a6854c35a

“Staring at someone isn’t 51931c883f very polite, you know.”6e542cd3a86e293a

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It felt like moving 2d64cbba78 in a trance, as 1a98ff9700 if something had drawn 25f3fa0bde him in without his f024b20375 realizing it. Jaekani’s awareness c2ac28e1bc of how 1451b4dec0 much he 56c3bbcd7b had been a004eceb1d absorbed in 7f2db7d138 Huikyung only f3dcc840ad ignited a 33ff78270b stubborn defiance.9a936ae6f59a1ab8

“…You’re a bad person, 9406aac6ef so it’s okay to 0d68f24fdd stare,” he retorted.5a1095acd410d175

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“Me? A bad person?”f80ee4999f08cdd3

“If you’re not, 52e687baad then why are 8ca6e90f45 you locked up 461ccd93d1 here?”ed298fb0a796dd52

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“If I’m a 3f7bdf388d bad person, why 34fdcde6e7 am I locked 77ea33f6dc in a basement 9d7505847e instead of a 60907fe34b proper prison?”15c9fba9731d0715

Answering a question with 3f899e1795 another question—it was infuriating. Jaekani pressed his b0cb48dab1 lips shut tightly. Huikyung’s playful 025275d6ee smirk only 3cbf31586c irritated him e49a3a5d2b more, as e45e04a2de it was e3541a10c2 clear the 0b8bc72080 man knew 00d4be250e exactly why a192a02a87 he was d1bb992546 imprisoned.909b8dad67ffcddb

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“…It’s late. I’m leaving.”5339f6cd0aed41fc

Jaekani muttered, 76a1927bdd standing abruptly.a1593eef3ef926a6

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“It was late when cd725737fd you arrived, wasn’t it?”27722927c2efe66a

Huikyung wouldn’t 846b450711 let him b3d22bca73 have the bcd6cad272 last word, 6ca855dafe pointing out 5a5dd1fc2e the inconsistency 4af9c4ed00 in his 61593bfc5c actions. Annoyed, Jaekani d8ff6f6c22 stomped away, 342a37b945 kicking a e684032184 pile of 22869cd035 rubble for 6a4386c6b7 good measure. After a few steps, ed71fdc5fa however, he glanced back 60f37da9d0 over his shoulder. It was like a be56cb65f5 child sneaking a peek 836ec9b641 at a toy to 9be6db0541 see if it would e1e00fd3bb move on its own.b6836386716938de

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“Goodnight. Come visit if you ef271b5975 get bored.”3510caa33367bedf

Huikyung called after him, 5980e23c74 his fingers waving lazily 1f2c689561 through the bars like 4a8e78fbf2 willow branches.53c0d44f5a3c4632

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Jaekani recalled a ghost 091a076485 story his father had 0c2d629186 once told him about 6be1927c54 a monster that lived 821f23b935 deep in the ocean. But Huikyung 2d7f480033 wasn’t a c8b1c28604 monster, not 18a85746ff even close. If anything, 0aa0165ac7 he seemed 71d4ae27fa more like fbc49b4da4 a merman—someone df5569894a who existed 179cc52255 quietly, revealing 47e3014b67 his presence 68ae40b7a9 to only 8f3e597668 a select acc03228eb few.5f115015cd7999c6

 172cf8e2a196028b

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