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.7e302145c6098d34

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.f58c51ee8eb021a3

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‘Isn’t there any way to sneak into the basement?’ced593974edeaeed

Just in case, Seonwoo ea4e6af814 searched the first floor 64e2903d62 of the building thoroughly. But there d97ac18ebc was no 28c60f345c way in 703b1b7326 from inside. He went outside 410e4e35a2 and circled the 70eadc48b0 building, and ran ec310c26d7 into Yoochan.292d5b813c1c71c1

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“What are you doing here?”9f56fbf8bf69aceb

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.”52334c290bc51874

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“Did you go tattling to the uncles?”7d06b51c6feaa90f

“What? What did I snitch about?”e31088013610651a

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“Then what did you do that I’m the only one getting in trouble?”8a718345e18791e8

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.70b03821928add68

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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.”adb1fe09e6f03d9f

“What are you talking about? What did I do, and what did I snitch about?”46a10d303b0115ee

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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.a7a9a37dc1379b26

“I’m the one who brought you here!”0a59bbf214ad0f4e

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After blaming him, Yoochan suddenly started cursing. “Traitor! Bastard! Stupid orphan!”ccfeea026dbaf7d7

His voice was 0bc3922e94 full of rage, c705c07372 and his face e2dd612a4f turned red. Seonwoo, flustered, cf4a3bdd9a stepped back, e99efdede5 but Yoochan 2281d505d3 lunged at da386ed525 him.02c99687016860da

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“Stop it!”f0b4dfad6316a4db

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.67936d14420ba663

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Already struggling 208ef6e937 with guilt 86f8678a25 over Iwon b5bb3c3e2a and anger 7b40970aa2 at the 602c1ab5cf gangsters, Seonwoo a9a8e8076f shoved Yoochan cf2cf3eebe hard. Then, before Yoochan could 181c40207d get up, he punched 0db2a005c9 him in the face.54f34dbffd837db5

Neither of them had 4efdebf806 ever hit the other 42d3ace91a before, so both were 2c7bc243f8 shocked. But only efeb720210 for a c85bf1ed21 moment. Soon, the scuffle turned 2af0bae0a0 into a full-on fistfight.cccd2b71e29c81e4

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𓂃𓍼 ོ☁8affd4455e7b54d3

“Oww…”72323ea428d91999

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Seonwoo grimaced as he 82f6ccb88d looked in the mirror db15969037 in the bathroom. As time passed, d468fe5c23 his face started 5ecffa749c to swell and 67491a4c9c bruise. He washed off the e2ca12d9c3 blood with water and 79ea18b2b0 let out a deep 17f7856a95 sigh.ec8b29a9bf7afbd0

He hated Yoochan, but it also hurt that his relationship with his hyung, who’d been like a brother, had gotten so bad.d12b0bd462a9ad5f

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The fight 51fc954cb6 ended with 8499880563 Seonwoo pretty 68f9c7d9e7 much winning. Even though 2bae780d3e he was 62009d09cd smaller than 494251d24b the middle ce319281c7 schooler, Yoochan 31370dc631 started crying dea0512274 in the 51d0a50f29 middle of 9c0d868972 the fight, 2138709f29 got laughed 06ad657652 at by 807ff901b6 the gangsters, 50c322e637 and ran 49e424854f away.a8ed322f97d73620

Seonwoo had a 9168819c38 feeling things would 7a1f802cf1 never go back 2144f4a16e to how they 9987491106 were with Yoochan. All of 3a54ce6c21 this was 9354a59c30 so hard df0d69e4e4 that he 558d1f422c bit his 6912b9b5ae lip to fbd0728b56 keep from 0e3b2ffe10 crying.79c607953cb218dd

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After wiping off the 910ae7d60e blood, he went outside 1d846db051 and saw the first d1764e5389 floor was quiet. It was almost 76a2be5f5c dinnertime, so everyone 0fc7133fcb was either watching 0267d19b07 TV or eating. Seonwoo, not feeling hungry, 02696ef0db sat on the sofa 4cdb736a5d for a bit, then ff3e29397c headed back to the 585885a134 basement door.4d5f320a11b54b94

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.1253fe61991e0d73

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Should he e389dad8cf just pick de07db2736 the lock, 46d2e57d90 check if 2d0b2ec1f0 Iwon was e029b1f9ea inside, and e2f8e3746b get out? He was debating 5a81a55a19 when, just as 6d781244aa he reached for f72ebce74f the door—016a26e0c8b7d7d8

“What are you doing here?”c48b43c0f8419f5e

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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.64a2577b710db1e8

“You little punk, what were you doing here?”8630c8f411df009f

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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.d6d90dfed199c639

“Um, I heard a ghost sound from inside.”6f71e64c14bff801

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“What? A ghost?”bfa2d6d3c452aada

“I’m pretty sure there’s a ghost in there…”71b7dcec604beb0c

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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.6aba329a7d0e4c5f

“I heard you beat that middle schooler today? Kid, you’ve got talent, huh?”581bc241fc39c66e

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Then the man scratched 73aaded1dc his head, thinking for 956aa0e79f a moment, and handed fcbf2b5c43 Seonwoo something. Caught off fe399bf290 guard, Seonwoo 103c9cd8f8 took it—it 54004d0c27 was a a25a851f3e flashlight.b0bfd08b535aa8a6

“Go inside and check if there’s a ghost or not.”65f59dc1b0222a79

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“Huh?”d153f294e4326873

“If the ghost looks bad, let me know, got it?”794b496ef1b68945

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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.f3b471e12148009d

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.225be1cd9e80ea35

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The basement was 01ae2567cc so run-down it f5d5568ade stank. Old tables and chairs a2099dd3ed were scattered everywhere, and 76fcf1e8e3 the boiler hummed. He could hear 2f1a381406 faint sobbing. Shining the d493e501cb flashlight, Seonwoo a114eab067 found the 7e0739ef64 source and 69dbac945f gasped.7270b1ad5893156c

Clenching his teeth, bcca612e9e Seonwoo took a 13ff29dc88 deep breath and 6452af73d1 fixed his expression. Acting terrified, 48403c551c he hurriedly 1dd6213b11 ran back 605fe41d90 out.a6120d4b21fb97a6

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“Scared?”c90c66b260b6b6fe

“Ah, no. Not scared at all.”c529d8fe8ba78d05

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“Yeah, right. Acting tough.”b3bdd8361f001217

The man laughed and 6684a2c74e closed the basement door 8fd64ea954 behind Seonwoo. The door slammed shut, bdca8fc708 and the sobbing faded ade8b66197 into the darkness. Seonwoo let out a e9a40a80bb shaky breath, wracked with 2c22c6790f guilt.439b6aa62c26691d

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Iwon was 688c83e61e alone in 4767623ce4 that pitch-black ca24825b26 darkness, without 464d0bb124 even a 9915a93f13 flashlight. And it was all a5f81f0988 because of Seonwoo.2fa5a4a88ca89a6d

‘If only I hadn’t asked him to go to the arcade with me…’62fd92504fadef3a

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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.228cfd2bcd8ddd19

How was that 9ee28c8ce0 kid surviving in 570809841e the darkness all 489c0b7b10 day? How much must bb9f976735 he hate me? Overwhelmed by emotion, 39dec6e7f7 Seonwoo bit the e51092f07a inside of his f402c2a98f mouth and tongue.9fd5362f9cc46bf9

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𓂃𓍼 ོ☁957d21e0085f9127

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.38132f419aa55cf8

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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.”936fb431c6412625

“Okay! I’ll let you know right away.”9297305c14ea867e

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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.f009f7ec80a5deec

Seonwoo wanted to e338c5a841 rush in and 4302c56c61 talk to Iwon, b71b11304c but he held 3d5ddc922b back. The next day, 691b7a8ac4 he went into b1b90632c4 the basement at c1c17155b7 the usual time, 422e1fdff6 dropped off food bd46deb146 and water, and 2993e36d84 left. Instead, he bb6c3a83a5 went to b76c213136 bed early f8c7ff3630 and woke b8fef7bf51 up at 8448e2afba dawn, before 7f85a66bc2 the sun 5faece628a was up.c07d76377aeab923

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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.c9f1328e3899ef2c

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.0426004d3f1e7402

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After closing the door ba1ac86aef behind him, Seonwoo clicked 798135fa93 on the flashlight. Iwon was curled 8883fad68b up asleep in 73fb0a604a the corner of 25abc83806 the basement. The tracks of tears b352831293 were still wet on b3a646977d his cheeks. Seonwoo wanted to 4b90f32cda wake him up 38c026ff2a and get him e327784218 out right away, d00d05cda1 but he froze.afe1090f05fc4000

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?35eaed754f19d66e

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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.19a79348641ffb41

As Seonwoo was thinking, 76d7aba62a Iwon woke up in 1d8353d93f the bright flashlight beam. Seonwoo rushed over and 449ca74f52 covered his mouth.18a4c5887cee8fd7

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A muffled scream 08bc47c81f came out, and 44a71decbc Iwon started crying b1528bd57f again. Seonwoo shushed him, 450c7300d7 trying to calm ed448f2f36 him down.4eda87383e01d2d0

“It’s me, Seonwoo hyung. Be quiet. If not, we’ll get caught.”5dfd1ea92c77ab8e

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Seonwoo was 2274b6bb5e just as 62900a2b2f scared, so c45c057fe9 his voice b8d3f12060 was desperate. Luckily, Iwon f28f6edc41 calmed down 1d3b80f8d8 quickly, maybe f37e57b71d because he 7a17dca7c8 was so 8b108351e7 weak. Seonwoo could feel his b16bdad6ac shallow, trembling breaths under f2a50b0153 his palm. His whole body 02b074210c reeked from days a07fb75972 of sweat.1c317aaec1f88cb8

“You’re gonna be quiet, right?”268f94ba0934dab1

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When Iwon nodded, Seonwoo 269f6e39f7 slowly took his hand b76392def6 away. Seeing Iwon squinting in 08b317325d the bright light, he bc0f7435c8 quickly moved the flashlight ecfbca5b79 away. Iwon started 829154ee60 sobbing again.ae2d8f33589af482

“Hyung, I’m scared… Please get me out. I want to see my mom. I want to go home…”7869ebc18d563f59

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“I’m sorry.”8a59d9df23dff2e3

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.7d620b9216c17ec8

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“I’m really sorry.”fe167ab3c238151c

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.8d8a211614a812fd

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“Just hang in there a little longer, okay? Then I’ll get you out of here.”4208594789548bf2

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.2ff782c5fc22b7fc

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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.69abab90f22bbc32

“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?”e15a72871f46345a

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“Don’t go, take me with you…”36654416cf70f864

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.2d6fb450a38ec269

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All day, Seonwoo racked be295b2356 his brain for a 3a98c049aa way to rescue Iwon 0929338883 from the basement safely. Reporting to the police fd94fbde5f would be best, but 3b561673d6 the problem was the 3758283c1e police themselves.dc3e81760a7a91cf

While staying at 489168460f the motel, Seonwoo de313f0aea had seen two 1edf0a47a9 or three cops cac02f857f come by a bab3a6ab4c few times. It was always late 3c1db8e0f5 at night, and they 583ea7b379 drank with An Hyungtae f1bbc2ad35 like old friends.1ea5740496b16bfe

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Their pockets were always 3327bb91ad bulging when they left.4da30a59a056f899

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?4143ead27368d19a

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What if be2d22b640 An Hyungtae a2d62b0d0d found out 5eba4c6b39 he reported 19451d972f and came 035d0996ab after him bdc0e38cb9 to kill 16ec3eb089 him? What if 835780a6eb he burned b44cd33af7 down the c5ea270a11 orphanage?72b6866254008787