Of course, if he was caught, things might get worse. But considering everything, Jiwon thought it was worth a try. Especially now, with Jak away—this was his best chance. If he let it slip by, he’d regret it later.
Ju-heon obediently prepared the training clothes and even helped him change. They went outside and started walking. The forced walk had become routine. He definitely felt a bit more stamina than before. Jiwon didn’t hate the feeling.
“It’s a nice day.”
“Yeah.”
He pretended to admire the sky. After about 30 minutes, the signal came. It was the effect of the three glasses of milk. Plus, they were already far from the building, in a secluded mountain area.
“Ju-heon…”
“Yes?”
“I… I need to use the restroom…”
“Huh?”
Ju-heon’s face rarely showed surprise. Jiwon looked troubled and pleaded.
“Can I just go over there for a minute?”
“……”
He pointed to the mountainside. Ju-heon hesitated, then nodded.
“The mountain is dangerous, so don’t go out of sight.”
He warned quietly. Jiwon really did need to go, so he ran into the woods, pulled down his pants, and urinated. And then he thought: Ju-heon is soft. Really soft. If it were Jak, he’d have followed right beside him, holding his cock as he peed. He was that kind of man.
After quickly emptying himself, he adjusted his clothes. Jiwon glanced back. Ju-heon was turned away, perhaps embarrassed. This was his chance. He quietly slipped deeper into the woods. From afar, Ju-heon’s voice called out.
“Leader, are you done?”
“Not yet. It won’t stop.”
Jiwon lied casually, moving further into the woods. Then he hid behind a tree and started running.
“Leader?”
Ju-heon’s voice came from farther away. Jiwon ignored it and ran harder. The training clothes and sneakers were perfect for escaping.
“LEADER!!”
Ju-heon’s shout echoed through the mountains. Jiwon’s body flinched, but he couldn’t stop. This was the end. Instinctively, he knew. He put on a burst of speed.
He couldn’t look back. He was afraid of seeing Ju-heon’s angry face. The thought of that face made him too scared to stop. Jiwon ran, eyes fixed ahead.
How long did he run? The bright sky was blocked by dense trees, darkening his surroundings. His legs gave out, his body swayed. Jiwon leaned against a sturdy tree, panting.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
Luckily, he hadn’t climbed the mountain but followed its edge, so the paths seemed to diverge. Ju-heon wasn’t following. At least he’d managed to shake him off. That alone was an achievement. Jiwon caught his breath and rested until his legs regained strength.
Now, he’d go further down to the flatlands and find a house. Or at least a road. If he saw someone, he’d ask for help. Jiwon put strength into his legs and started walking slowly again.
The road appeared easier than expected. Jiwon walked along the two-lane road. Thump, thump. He was tired and wanted to rest, but he didn’t know when he’d meet someone, so he kept walking.
Mountains, mountains, mountains. They said 70% of Korea was mountains, and it was true. The road existed, but no cars passed. It was clearly a remote area. Jiwon felt a surge of frustration. What if he got lost? What if he was never found?
No, that can’t be. That can’t be….
Anxious thoughts kept surging up. Jiwon tried to suppress them as he walked. That’s when he heard it—the sound of a car in the distance. Jiwon turned his head. A truck was coming. He bolted onto the road.
Screeech—!!
A blue truck skidded to a halt in front of Jiwon. The driver stuck his head out and shouted, “Are you fucking crazy?! Won’t you move?!”
But Jiwon couldn’t move.
“P-please! Help me! Save me!” he begged the driver, who was his only hope. The man, who looked to be in his mid-60s, stared at Jiwon as if he were insane. Jiwon could see him trying to reverse the truck and go around him. Desperate, Jiwon rushed to the driver’s side and pleaded, “Please, just give me a ride! Take me to the police station!”
“Won’t you get off?! I’ll shove you out!”
“I don’t remember anything! I don’t know where I am or who I am!”
It was the performance of his life. For the first time, Jiwon realized he had a talent for acting.
“What?”
The driver’s voice softened slightly at Jiwon’s words, his confusion evident.
“Please, can’t you just give me a ride? Take me to the police station.”
“Hmph…”
The driver looked troubled. Then, with a slight nod, Jiwon heard the click of the passenger door unlocking. He quickly climbed in.
“I can’t take you all the way to the police station… but there’s a village up ahead. I’ll drop you off there, so you can figure it out from there.”
“Thank you. If you could just give me your contact information, I’ll never forget this kindness.”
“Forget it. I’m only taking you that far.”
The driver drew a clear line. He didn’t want things to get complicated. Jiwon smiled inwardly. If there really was a god, it seemed to be on his side.
The truck drove for about ten minutes. Just as the driver had said, a village appeared. It was sparse, with houses and fields scattered about—a typical rural area. Jiwon felt tears welling up. He had forgotten this kind of ordinariness.
“Get off now.”
The driver coldly made Jiwon get out. Jiwon stepped out and looked at the village. Then he walked into it.
The smell of earth and wind. The smell of people living… As he walked through the unfamiliar yet somehow familiar scenery, the villagers glanced at him.
This village seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, too. Beyond the outermost houses, only mountains stretched out, with no roads leading to other villages. Jiwon guessed he would have to go further to find more people, and decided to ask the villagers for help. He approached a middle-aged man working in the field.
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
“……”
It was natural for small villages to be wary of outsiders. Jiwon smiled, trying to appear harmless.
“Do you know where this place is?”
“……”
“I’ve lost my memory…”
The man silently eyed Jiwon with suspicion. Suspicious. Of course he was suspicious. There was no way he wouldn’t be. Jiwon knew that. But he had to ask.
“Excuse me…?”
But the man stood up abruptly and walked away without answering. His resolute back made it impossible for Jiwon to call out again. He turned to ask someone else, but the others were the same. Everyone ignored him and avoided him.
Did he smell strange? Did he look suspicious? He checked himself. Actually, it wasn’t so much his appearance as his behavior that was suspicious, but he couldn’t help that.
Jiwon started walking through the village again, looking for someone else to ask. But strangely, no one was in sight. It was as if everyone had known he was coming and had run away. And there was something off. He felt uneasy.
“What should I do…”
Should he move to another area? But he was already exhausted. The food he had eaten in the morning had long since digested. His throat was dry. He didn’t have the strength to move to another area.
As he stood there, lost in despair, a group of people suddenly appeared in the distance. Their faces were expressionless, but they seemed angry.
“Huh?”
Why were they angry? Each of them held a weapon—a sickle, a hoe, someone even had a rope. Jiwon was scared. He felt like he should run, but fear paralyzed him.
“Get him!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
