Chapter 16
“Fuck! Taking in beggar bastards, giving them work, giving them food, letting them sleep… I can’t even bury the bastards who talk back to me, I’m a fucking saint. A saint.”
*Kaak, ptui!* The phlegm the Boss spat stuck disgustingly to the floor. When he obediently turned around and headed outside, his gang also threw Hanyeong aside to Geumseum and let him go. The Boss barked at the two who were staggering and slumping to the ground to work hard, then left the tent.
“You bastards, I hope the rift monsters chew you up and eat you on your way out.”
Hanyeong grumbled, not daring to speak loudly in case they might hear.
“Why do you always talk back when you won’t even break even?”
Geumseum stretched out his sleeve and gently wiped Hanyeong’s tear-stained cheeks. Even though he couldn’t see, he was quite good at things like this.
Hanyeong stared intently at his face. His clean silver hair sparkling in the light was dazzling to look at. Though it wasn’t visible because of the bandages wrapped around it, his beautiful eyes like blue jewels were surely looking at him.
“Geumseum.”
“Yeah. Hanyeong.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
Hanyeong grabbed Geumseum’s arm and pulled him close, burrowing into his embrace. Hanyeong’s body was tiny. Due to poor nutrition during his growth period, even though he was over twelve years old, his build was half the size of Geumseum’s.
All the people living at the Bottom were like this. Those with power and authority in this place were different, but the majority of people struggled to solve even basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
That’s why Geumseum was definitely different. He had a beautiful face and body that could only be seen in old books, and his skin was soft. Hanyeong called out repeatedly in Geumseum’s embrace, “Geumseum, Geumseum.”
“Don’t be deceived. You’re definitely someone great. I’m the one who found you. That’s how I know.”
Hanyeong carefully caressed Geumseum’s gentle face with his dirty hands as Geumseum just laughed it off with a “haha.”
It had been about three years since Hanyeong found Geumseum and made him family, and even while rolling around in this hellhole, Geumseum was still beautiful.
* * *
Around this time three years ago, Hanyeong was struggling through days when he couldn’t even easily find a meal to eat.
Perhaps as reward for not being able to turn away from Geumseum even in that situation and taking him in to care for him, Hanyeong’s life improved day by day as much as Geumseum regained his health.
Regarding Geumseum’s ability to purify rift byproducts, people said Geumseum must definitely be a hunter. Moreover, they chattered that his strange appearance, different from ordinary humans, was suspicious. Everyone told Hanyeong to be careful, saying Geumseum must definitely be a hunter who had committed crimes and been exiled or was a fugitive like the Boss’s gang. But every time Hanyeong heard such talk, he shook his head.
‘Someone so beautiful… that can’t be. He’s different from the Boss.’
The wounds and scars that had been tangled like a net all over his body when Hanyeong first brought him home gradually faded and were now hard to find even when looking closely. His skin was white enough to be transparent, his nose was straight, and his well-shaped lips seemed not of this world. Moreover, his soft, flowing hair was silver like starlight – truly, Geumseum was a great beauty.
If there was one flaw to point out, it would be the bandages covering half his face, but even that Geumseum overcame with his sensitive senses, walking around quite well like someone with perfectly good eyes.
Found on a moonless new moon night, so named Geumseum. Geumseum, who said he couldn’t remember even his own name, was sensitive to light like his new name suggested. His blue eyes were very beautiful to look at, but tears would well up quickly even when exposed to just a little light. He suffered even with his eyelids closed, so when Hanyeong wrapped them several times with thick cloth, he gratefully said he felt like he could live.
Kind Geumseum. Hanyeong rested his head against Geumseum’s chest.
“When I become an adult later, I’ll definitely kill the Boss for you. Just hang in there a little longer. Then let’s do business with rift byproducts, just the two of us.”
Geumseum didn’t respond, only quietly stroking Hanyeong’s head. That wordless touch seemed to mean he didn’t expect anything, making Hanyeong bristle and pull away.
“Just wait and see. I’ll earn money and definitely send you back… to where you originally belonged.”
“……”
“You’re different, Geumseum. We were born in this ‘Bottom’ from the beginning, but you’re different. I’ll send you back. Whatever happened, I’ll help you get back everything that’s yours.”
Following the presence of Hanyeong’s pointing finger, Geumseum also turned his head. Beyond the crude air hole punched in the ragged tent was blue sky – that’s what Hanyeong was pointing to. He couldn’t see the tower rising high toward the sky or the aerial city built on top of it, but he could picture it in his mind.
Whenever Hanyeong talked like this, image fragments would randomly surface in his mind. Even amid the chaos, there were quite clear scenes that made it easy to imagine.
*Duuung*, a heavy siren sound could be heard from far away. It seemed hunters were entering a rift that had occurred somewhere again. The people at the Bottom trembled like Hanyeong whenever they heard that sound, but strangely, Geumseum’s heart stirred. It was hard to explain, but it felt slightly different from fear.
“I don’t need to go back.”
Geumseum murmured quietly and raised his hand to tap his tightening solar plexus. Strangely, whenever he thought of that place, his chest would throb and ache.
It felt like he had left something important behind, but conversely, it also seemed like his instincts were warning him never to go near there.
* * *
“Geumseum! Try these on!”
Late into the night, Hanyeong came running in excitedly. Geumseum glanced toward where the clock was with his unseeing eyes and spoke in a displeased voice.
“It’s dangerous to wander around this late. What if you run into a patrol?”
The patrols coming down from the aerial city basically ignored the Bottom people, but they didn’t leave alone those who rummaged through the waste disposal site. If caught, getting beaten was basic – if unlucky, they could lose their lives.
“Your thoughts will change once you try on what I brought.”
“What is it?”
Geumseum pushed aside his detoxification work and sat down on the sleeping area as Hanyeong led him. Soon he felt hands taking off his shoes and fiddling with his feet. The shoes Hanyeong carefully put on him were leather workers that firmly held his ankles. They were almost new with not a single torn or twisted part.
He had skillfully found such a thing in that vast waste disposal site. He probably rummaged around until his hands were raw. Geumseum smiled elegantly, raising the corners of his mouth.
“They fit well. Thank you.”
“Don’t say thank you. You and I are family.”
After being so confident about bringing a gift, Hanyeong suddenly became bashful and jumped up from his seat. He went outside the tent, roughly washed his hands and face with collected rainwater, then wasted time unnecessarily by chatting with passersby.
It was nine-year-old young Hanyeong who had found the dying Geumseum, brought him home, cared for him, and saved him, but once Geumseum recovered, their relationship quickly reversed according to their age difference. Moreover, Geumseum was capable of detoxification work that no one else living at the Bottom could do.
Hanyeong sometimes looked at Geumseum, the protector he had gained through his own strength, as if seeing a dream. Even now, he was surely taking time to cool his completely flushed cheeks.
As Geumseum’s gaze lingered long toward outside the tent, a yellow bird that had slid down from his shoulder along his arm firmly bit and pecked his finger.
“Ow… don’t bite.”
*Sseup*, Geumseum whispered so quietly that no one could hear.
“Hanyeong will get suspicious if I get hurt.”
Even as Geumseum tried to persuade it, the yellow bird only tilted its head. When he took his gaze off it and turned his head toward where Hanyeong was, it pecked his hand again firmly.
“I told you not to.”
Geumseum clicked his tongue and shook his hand. Even when he got annoyed again telling it to go away, perhaps taking it as meaning to play around, it flew frantically around the area until all its golden feathers were scattered. Even its *peep peep* cries were loud, which was absurd in its own way.
This strange bird that was clearly visible even to eyes covered with five or six layers of bandages couldn’t be seen or heard by anyone else in the tent village. Since only he, who couldn’t see, could see it, could there be another creature as bizarre as this in the world? But since the bite marks showed up, only Geumseum felt wronged.
Whenever Geumseum got unknown injuries on his body, Hanyeong would worry excessively. He would anxiously ask what sad thing had happened or if his memories had returned. Someone from a neighboring tent seemed to have told him about self-harm – that there were often people who tormented themselves when their hearts hurt.
“Yes, I understand. I like you more than Hanyeong. Really.”
Geumseum let out a small sigh and stroked the head of the bird rubbing its head against his neck.
Life at the ‘Bottom’ where rifts could spread at any time. A land where simply being alive when opening your eyes in the morning was fortunate. A life where survival itself was an adventure had made â– â– simple.
He had no time to wonder about his original name. Only the occasionally aching chest and this yellow bird visible only to him were slightly, just slightly bothersome like sand in shoes.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
