Chapter 22
Even after daybreak, Kim Doyun did not return. The first day was bearable, but by the second night it became painful, and by the third day, I gave up eating.
Would he really not come back? I tried counting on my fingers all the possible reasons Kim Doyun couldn’t return, using my mind that wasn’t working well, but I gave up on that too.
Surprisingly, unlike before, my feelings of despair had subsided. I just had this thought. I had a groundless belief that Kim Doyun wouldn’t abandon and give up on me like that, though I didn’t know why.
Fumbling around, I crawled to take out fruits that I could eat. I had to somehow hold out until Kim Doyun returned. I was about to divide the amount just for myself when I thought about how hungry he might be, so I set aside two pieces. What if he’s struggling out there?
The wind seemed good, so I hung the damp tablecloth on a thick branch. Since my body was still shivering, I hung one and covered myself with the other. Then, fearing it might blow away in the wind, I sat holding one end of the hung tablecloth.
The tablecloth fluttered in the wind. Time passed well as I sat there absentmindedly. I took out one of the fruits I was holding and put it in my mouth, nibbling on it bit by bit. My mouth was swollen, perhaps from the fever, making it difficult to eat, but I ate steadily, even if just a little. I had to recover my body somehow.
I searched carefully for somewhere in the forest where Kim Doyun might be. Seeing the sun setting, I was discouraged, but my eyes steadily looked for where he might be. Could it be over there? Or under that tree?
*Rustle.*
While yearning desperately for Kim Doyun, the bushes shook. It’s Kim Doyun! Startled, I hurriedly pulled down the tablecloth I had hung. It was his, after all. I needed to wrap it around him when he was tired.
The bushes occasionally shook, gradually coming closer to the tree where I was. I wanted to call out Kim Doyun’s name at the top of my lungs, but I pressed down my tongue, which felt like it was about to burst out, just in case. The creatures might have appeared quickly seeing the sun setting. I lay flat, casting a gaze mixed with expectation, fear, and self-deprecation toward the bushes.
However, the figure that emerged from the bushes did not have a black body. And it wasn’t the familiar Kim Doyun either. A man wearing a dirty, crumpled hat and another man with graying hair were walking together, chatting.
“Damn it, you said it was this way, but what is this?”
“Ah, people can make mistakes in life.”
“You crazy bastard. How could this be a mistake? What are you going to do? The sky is turning dark.”
“Just wait. Let me think more…”
“If you’re going to, do it quickly! Before we all die!”
The gray-haired man pounded the other’s back wildly. The man wearing the hat shrank his body, then flailed with both hands outstretched.
“Why are you only blaming me! You also said it was fine back then! And even if I think about it alone, if the result isn’t good, you’ll just blame me again!”
“Look at this guy. Who was the one insisting this was the right way?”
The gray-haired man’s hand gestures became more intense as he pounded the hat-wearing man. I pinched my cheek at the sight of the unexpected beating sounds echoing through the forest. Although I felt pain in my cheek, I was still uncertain whether this was a dream or reality.
People. Two of them, at that.
To think that the people I had so desperately wanted to see would appear. What if I’m seeing hallucinations because of the fever? I rubbed my eyes vigorously and pinched my cheek, but the people were still there. I hurriedly raised my voice.
“Excuse me…!”
They stopped beating each other and began looking around. The two people, who were looking around with wide eyes, whispered something to each other, then moved their bodies to a corner. Afraid they might disappear, I urgently shouted.
“Don’t go! I’m, I’m right here!”
As I shouted with my cracked voice, coughing surged. My throat was in agony, so I held my neck with one hand and wildly waved the other outside the branch. Though tears prevented me from seeing clearly, I waved for a long time in the direction where the people had been moments ago, and then I heard a voice.
“There, there he is, mister.”
The man wearing the hat must have seen me. I stopped waving my hand and rubbed my eyes. They were standing in front of my tree, tilting their heads back as far as possible, and opening their mouths. I leaned my head out further to face them.
“Huh, there really was a person.”
The gray-haired man pointed at me with a surprised face, then exchanged whispers with the hat-wearing man. The man tilted his head, then cupped his hands around his mouth.
“How did you get up there?!”
I hesitated for a moment. While I was glad to meet people, it felt somewhat awkward to meet others while Kim Doyun was away. But even before I could respond, they discovered the vines intertwined with the tree and began climbing up using them. Even with the “rope” of vines, they weren’t skilled at climbing trees, so they kept slipping and scratching their bodies on protruding branches throughout their ascent.
“Wow, this is quite useful, isn’t it?”
The man who had crawled up the vine slowly removed his hat and his eyes lit up. His drooping eyes appeared innocent, but the man’s behavior and speech contrasted with his eyes. He rubbed his waist, looked around the branches, then smiled at me.
The bright smile enhanced the man’s image, but the mark of a missing canine tooth slightly detracted from it. As I stared intently at the gap of the missing tooth, the man closed his mouth, embarrassed.
“Ah, this… well, there was a bit of an accident.”
“Accident?”
“It’s the work of those nasty creatures that roam at night.”
The gray-haired man grumbled, and I looked at the man with a start.
“Did you fight those creatures?”
The man hesitated at my words, which were full of surprise. He was about to cautiously open his mouth while rubbing his reddened nose bridge, but the gray-haired man interrupted.
“What fight? He was kicked by those creatures and flew away.”
“Ah, come on!”
“What?”
“You could say it in a nicer way.”
“This is the truth, what’s there to say nicely?”
“You could also say I was hurt by them!”
“Crazy bastard. Showing off such false pride.”
The gray-haired man spat in front of the man, who jumped around furiously, saying it was dirty. And the two quarreled for a long time. I stared blankly at their behavior, but as the argument grew more intense, I stepped in between them.
Despite the presence of a stranger, the men’s fight was unrestrained. The man gestured angrily toward the gray-haired man, avoiding me, and the gray-haired man tried to break the man’s fingers. The two, who had been raising their voices to the point my ears rang, finally stopped fighting when I let out a scream in frustration.
“Let’s stop this.”
They quietly closed their mouths, perhaps thinking they had gone a bit too far. I sighed and called to the man with the reddened nose bridge. The man approached, scratching his nose bridge.
“My name is Kang Seongho. And yours…?”
“I, I’m Han Jong-wook! Nice to meet you.”
“…Son Byung-chul.”
“Ah, nice to meet you. But how did you…”
I stopped and pondered. How did you pass through here, where did you come from, where were you trying to go? I had many questions, but I couldn’t grasp which one to ask first. But deep down, there was something I wanted to ask before all those questions.
Have you seen a tall, handsome man named Kim Doyun? Did he tell you about this place?
“We were trying to return to our original place, but this guy took the wrong path, and we went completely astray.”
Son Byung-chul interrupted before I could finish my question. He grumbled again while looking at the sky beyond the branches, and the impulsive man was about to pour out complaints but closed his mouth after checking my reaction. I wiped away the cold sweat that had formed on my forehead and smiled.
“Do you remember which side the dark clouds were on from your original location?”
“Clouds? Why clouds?”
Son Byung-chul, who had always been gruff, looked at me with suspicious eyes. I wiped my sweat again and explained.
“Those clouds are always in the same place. They’re a great guide for finding your way when you’re lost.”
Son Byung-chul’s sunken eyes lit up. He looked outside as if to confirm my words, and Han Jong-wook, who had also stretched his neck out, raised his shoulders in amazement.
“Wow, I didn’t know about that. You figured that out really well.”
“I learned it from the person I was with…”
“The person you were with?”
Son Byung-chul looked around the branch again. The man, who had been scanning the tablecloth used as bedding, the bag containing items, and the net filled with fruits, smiled briefly.
“You’ve got quite a setup here? Seems useful.”
Han Jong-wook, too, as if he had just discovered it, was busy examining the bag, pressing his face toward it. And I discovered one thing I hadn’t noticed until now. Hanging on the men’s backs as they turned their bodies were elongated objects. Hunting rifles.
Hunting rifles? Where did those come from? Tension rose instantly.
Han Jong-wook, who had been taking out some items from the bag and laughing joyfully, asked me with a curious face.
“By the way, where did that person you were with go?”
“…He’s stepped out for a moment.”
I moved back, wary of them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
