Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

BREAKING NEWS: MISSING CASE OF TWO HIGHSCHOOL STUDENTS DECLARED TOP PRIORITY BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES. 

“It has been a total of three days since the first heartbreaking announcement here in Sunshine City. Two students from the local high school, Sunshine High, have reportedly vanished in thin air.  Parents of the two children called the police office three days ago when both kids hadn't arrived home by 2:00 AM.”

“Local police officers are now considering this case as their ‘top priority’ and will use as many resources as they can to find the two missing students. With that being said, the local authorities would like your cooperation. If you have any information as to where the students are or where they were last seen, please call 008-0023214.” 

No one knows how to deal with the news. Every single student in Sunshine High has heard about the missing boys. Besides, they weren’t nobodies. They had friends, they attended classes, or ate at the cafeteria; they roamed the school grounds just like any other student is right now. 

Except now the school whispers about them in small voices. 

Students here and there talk about the two missing students. Each one of them having their own ideas as to why they disappeared. “They said that they ran away from home,” or “I heard that they were killed in the alleyway behind the old building.” 

These were the hushed rumors Euijoo hears about ever since the students disappeared.. He hears them especially now as he walks back along the dim hallway as the last of the students in the school leaves to go home. Euijoo should be going home too, but he left his running shoes at the gym locker rooms. 

“Aren’t you going home yet Euijoo?” a student asks.

Euijoo shakes his head, “I left my running shoes at the gym. I have to get it back.”

“Why not come back for it tomorrow? It's not going anywhere if it's in the gym lockers.”

“Well, unfortunately for me it's not inside my locker. I don’t know why but I just left them on the bench and completely forgot about it.” Euijoo gives a small laugh.

The student returns the laugh and gives Euijoo a pat on the shoulder as they walk past him. “Wait—” the student stops and hesitates for a bit, “get home safely okay?”

Don’t get lost. Don’t go missing. Is what they really meant, Euijoo thinks. 

Euijoo gives them a nod and waves, “you too. Get home safe. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Thankfully the student doesn’t have anything else to say and just reciprocates the wave and walks away. Euijoo doesn’t wait for them to be gone, as soon as the student starts walking away he does the same too. 

Out on the field away from the main campus is where the gymnasium is located, the open area allows the students to enjoy their sporting activities. It's a rather large field too, usually used for football (which is apparently Sunshine’s pride and joy.) Inside the gymnasium is where indoor sports like badminton, taekwondo, table tennis, or Euijoo’s sport– Fencing. 

Connected behind the gymnasium, right beside a large locked storage room. Only the janitors are allowed inside but Euijoo has been in this school since elementary and he has never seen anyone go in and out of that storage room, not even anyone opening the heavy chain locks. 

The crickets chirp, the trees shake and sway as the wind blows,  the sound of Euijoo’s footsteps on the grass as he walks towards the locker rooms. The sky has become darker now, the moon’s light is starting to show along with the field lamps surrounding the area as he walks towards the locker room entrance. 

Running shoes are fortunately easy to find since Euijoo immediately spots his white running shoes right where he left them. He doesn’t waste anymore time and picks them up and walks out the locker rooms after double checking for anything he might have forgotten. 

Once he was out the door, he continued his walk by following the path he used, opting to go through the field instead of around to make things faster. Right when he was about to step into the field he hears a loud crash and clank of metal followed by the unmistakable sound of chains falling down causing him to startle and stagger in fear – turning around to check whatever made that sound, 

“Who’s there?” Euijoo prompts. The area was too dark to see clearly, so he took out his phone to turn on his flashlight and pointed right in front of him. “I’m not going to ask again, who’s there?” 

He sweeps his hands left and right trying to use the flashlight to see whoever was responsible for the noise.

Nothing. 

As much as his mind is telling him to get the fuck out right now, something inside him just screams to stay, so with nothing but a stubborn personality and a feeling in his bones he bravely points his flashlight infront of him and takes a step closer to whatever awaits him. 

He feels his heartbeat goes faster the more steps he takes because at some point Euijoo thinks that his heart is going to burst out of his chest from how fast it is. It doesn’t help that just like an omen the wind started to blow even harder than before causing the trees to sway very hard that Euijoo fears they might break. The cold wind mixed with the sound of birds and crows squawking in the distance makes it even scarier than it should be. 

Eventually, Euijoo finds the answer to his questions. He's standing in front of the storage room that he thought was abandoned a long time ago and on the floor right below the door handles lies two broken padlocks in between broken bundles of heavy metal chains. 

It was the chain used to lock the storage door. 

Euijoo’s mind starts running miles thinking about what could have broken the chain off the handles that way. It was in pieces, it was as if someone grabbed and ripped it off with sheer strength. He looks around with his flashlight, he goes in closer to the door and around it to try and see if there is anyone pulling a prank on him but just to his dismay there was no one there. 

Even if the wind keeps pushing harder into the trees and the birds are louder than ever it is not what makes the chills in Euijoo’s body increase tenfold. It is when the rusty-old storage room door clicks and slowly opens that makes his knees wobble like jelly. 

I think I’m going insane. Euijoo thinks to himself. 

Euijoo knows that If he stays here any longer there is no question what would happen to him. So many worse case scenarios pop into his mind as the door continues to open. And yet, there is that tiny little voice in his head again, screaming – begging for him to come closer. Like a siren drawing sailors in with their voices; Euijoo falls victim to it. 

His feet move on their own as they walk closer and closer to the slightly opened door. Eujioo couldn’t do anything but let his body move like it was on autopilot. The closer he gets to the door, the more detached he feels from his body. At some point he starts hearing whispers. 

We need you! Only you can help us! 

This is where you belong, Euijoo! This is your world too! 

“Hey!” 

Everything stops and Euijoo feels his consciousness slam back into his body when he hears crunching of gravel a few feet behind him. 

“What are you doing here kid? Turn around,” –Euijoo obliges and turns around– “Students aren’t allowed at the school premises by 7:00 PM kid. What are you still doing here?” the security guard asks.

“I–I just went into the locker rooms to get my shoes that I left,” Euijoo stutters, “I was about to go home but the storage room door suddenly opened.” he points to the door behind him.

The security guard tilts his head to the side and looks past Euijoo and stares at the door. He scoffs and crosses his arms, “What nonsense are you talking about boy. That storage room is always locked.” 

“I swear! I was walking away but I heard the chain broke so I went in to check! Look, the door is wide open!” Euijoo turns around and his heart drops.

The door is closed and chained up. 

“What–” 

“I don’t like being lied to, kid. Do you want me to write you up for a violation?” the security guard scowls

“No! I swear that door was open just now.” he dashes towards the door and tries to try and open it. He grabs the door handles and pulls but is only met with heavy resistance. He slips his fingers in between but the door still wouldn't budge. He reaches for the chains around the handle to try and shake them off, but it was too rusty to move. 

“Don’t even bother with that kid.” the security guard scowls, “that storage room has been locked and unopened for years. No one knows where the keys are. I don't even have the keys to open it.”

“I’m not making it up! It  was open! The chains were broken in half and it opened on its own!” 

The security guard rubs his face with his hands and exhales, seemingly agitated from Euijoo’s persistence. “Look, kid. First of all, that chain is made of heavy stainless steel. The only way you’re breaking that is with an electric saw. Second, even if it was broken, I highly doubt that the doors would open on their own. Look at it, it's rusty.” –he beckons Euijoo over– “so, why don’t you just go home okay? Or else I have no choice but to write you up.”

Euijoo sighs and does what the security guard says. He knows there's no winning this argument, the security guard will never believe whatever Eujioo has been spewing.  “I’ll go.”

The security guard gratefully nods and gives Euijoo a little pat at the back as he passess by him, “Get home safe kid.” 

After one final bow to the security guard, Euijoo walks home. 

The road home wasn't different, everything was the same like he always used to.  Once he arrived he inputted the same password for his apartment door and everything else that followed were as mundane as Euijoo's life could be. He removed his shoes when he got in and immediately went to the showers. When he was out he immediately cooked a simple dinner of just rice and whatever canned food he has left. After dinner it was time to study, he reviewed and took notes of everything that was taught in class the whole day, when that was done, he took some leisure time for himself so he turns on his phone’s wifi. 

Immediately after the phone starts buzzing to notify all the missed messages he has throughout the day. 

[Class 2A Group Chat] 14 unread messages.

[Swish Swoosh Fencing] 9 unread messages.

[2 giants and 2 rikis] 48 unread messages. 

Euijoo goes in and taps on each group chat to see what he has missed. The class group chat were only messages from their class president reminding everyone of their assignments, quiz dates, and other important announcements. Euijoo takes a moment to write down the important dates on his calendar. 

The next group chat he opens was the fencing club group chat. Nothing special were mentioned. It was just their club president telling everyone that practices will continue tomorrow and everyone must be present since there would be an announcement from the coach. He also mentioned a few students telling them to stop hiding each other’s stuff because no one wants them to run around the locker rooms naked. 

Of course the said students were quick to react with their own defenses and reasons. But their captain had put their foot down and it was the end of it.

Euijoo opened their friend group's group chat last because he already knows its going to be nothing but tomfoolery. 

[Short riki]
9:31 PM:   I'M JUST SAYING
9:31 PM:   IF WE ALL JUST MOVE IN TOGETHER,  WE WOULD SAVE SO MUCH MONEY.

[Ugly riki]
9:32 PM : I am not living with you. 

[Short riki]
9:33 PM: RUDE

[Ugly riki]
9:34 PM : yeah, I'd rather die. 

[Short riki]
9:34 PM: I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS.
9:35 PM: JO PLEASE TELL ME U WILL LIVE WITH ME :(  

[Beanpole]:35 PM:
9:35 PM: please stop screaming…

[Short riki]
9:35 PM: WILL YOU.
9:35 PM: OR WILL YOU NOT.
9:35 PM: LIVE WITH ME.

[Beanpole]
9:36 PM: ……
9:36 PM: I choose dare?

[Short riki]
9:36 PM:  TRAITOR.

[older beanpole]
9:37 PM: why are you guys so loud..
9:37 PM: don’t you guys have any homework to do?

[beanpole]
9:38 PM: oh thank god you’re here. 

[short riki]
9:38 PM: EUIJOO <3
9:39 PM: MY BESTEST FRIEND OF ALL <3
9:40 PM: THE GREATEST PERSON IN THE WORLD <3

[ugly riki]
9:41 PM: don’t fall for it.

[older beanpole]
9:42 PM: what is he on about this time….

[beanpole]
9:43 PM: please don’t ask.

[short riki]
9:44 PM: I WAS TELLING THEM THAT WE COULD TOTALLY DITCH OUR DORMS AND LIVE IN ONE PLACE.
9:45 PM: ALL 4 OF US
9:45 PM: IMAGINE HOW MUCH MONEY WE CAN SAVE UP.

[older beanpole]
9:46 PM: oh
9:46 PM: absolutely not.

[ugly riki]
9:47 PM: lol

[beanpole]
9:48 PM: lol

[short riki]
9:49 PM: I hate all of you, I swear.
9:50 PM: I'M GOING TO BED >:( 

[older beanpole]
9:51 PM: come to school early tomorrow
9:51 PM: the principal wants to hold an assembly

[beanpole]
9:52 PM: really? 

[ugly riki]
9:52 PM: why so sudden?

[older beanpole]
9:53 PM: I actually have no idea.

[ugly riki]
9:53 PM: do you think it has something to do with the missing students?

[beanpole]
9:54 PM: most probably.
9:55 PM: it's the only thing the city has been talking about

[older beanpole]
9:56 PM: It still gives me chills just thinking about it

[ugly riki]
9:57 PM: Yeah, me too. 

[beanpole]
9:57 PM: I’m going to head to bed now. You guys should too

[older beanpole]
9:58 PM: yeah
9:58 PM: I was about to go anyways
9:59 PM: i’ll see you guys tomorrow

[beanpole]
10:00 PM: goodnight.

[ugly riki]
10:00 PM: night y’all

[older beanpole]
10:00 PM: goodnight. 

When the message was sent Euijoo is quick to lock his phone, plugs it in his charger, and finally turns his lamp off by his bedside table, the window curtains are still drawn open but he is too tired to close it. Besides, it shrouds the room with subtle darkness and glistening moonlight that he will always feel safe in. He tests and turns for a bit to adjusts himself into a comfortable position. He gives in one last deep exhale Euijoo feels his body finally relax, because as mundane as Euijoo’s life could be, the only thing he would look forward to was this; an escape from the long-monotonous days he experiences.  

For Euijoo always dreams of a world not like his. 

Euijoo never really understood why his dreams were always like reality. As if it was actually him experiencing it firsthand. 

Right now the wind feels cool yet sharp against his skin as he dashes across whatever obstacle goes into his way. The it rushes against him as he runs as fast as he could, when he side-steps away from people in his way, he feels the pressure on his hands when he vaults over barrels and wagons, his legs feels scratched and withered as he slides across the dirt underneath planks of wood being carried between two men,  and he feels his whole body  ache when he climbs and jumps across the buildings and roof decks. 

Every single sense in his body, he feels. 

“Don’t let him get away!” he hears one of the guards shout,

He takes a quick look back and sees three of them in heavy silver-metal armor, clanking and pounding against each other as they run his way. The one in the middle doesn’t let their small stature bother him, instead it makes him run a few more steps ahead the other two guards. Unfortunately for them, Euijoo is faster and more agile than all three of them combined. He knows the ins and outs of these streets in the back of his mind. 

A woman yelps and drops the basket of freshly picked cabbages she was holding when he dashes across her. They                                                                                                                                 roll down all over the floor beneath the guard’s feet, delaying them enough to put some more distance between. They try their best to keep up, eventually just pushing the woman away and stepping on the cabbages. Eujiioo gives a sly laugh and continues to run forward.  

A sense of liberation fills his heart and air into his lungs. In the midst of danger, they feel alive, their senses heightened, and their mind sharper than ever. He knows that it's a dangerous game they play, but it's one they excel at. He turns right into a nearby alley to try to stop the guards from reaching him. The alley is dark and small for any normal person, but it’s big enough for Euijoo and he knows it. Tight spaces like these are his favorite, he can always navigate through the tight spaces like it was a walk in the park.  

Almost halfway through, he hears a guard yell. “He’s in the alley!” 

“Get around him! Go!” another guard yells. Euijoo takes this as a cue to move faster. 

He leaves the alley and ends up somewhere near the middle of town where all the people are bustling, merchants and townspeople walking around with their own agendas and destinations. “He’s over here!” 

Euijoo glances to his left and spots the guards closing in. He knows they must think quickly to avoid capture. Sweat runs down his temples and back as his body reacts from the scorching heat of the sun on him. He starts thinking of a way out. Eventually after a few more minutes of running and dodging away from whatever obstacle there is, Euijoo notices a stack of crates up ahead and immediately comes up with a plan. 

When he arrives next to the stacks, he grabs a crate in the middle and yanks it down. The crates above break and crash as they fall atop of the guards. It takes a moment for the guards to get back to their right footing, meanwhile Euijoo continues to run and grabs a large brown linen conveniently being hanged by a nearby clothing rack, wrapping it over himself like a makeshift cloak as he heads for the center of the town where many people were gathered. 

The guards arrive moments after, but they lose sight of their target from the amount of people around. they push through and grab on to anyone who showed a semblance to the thief. 

‘’I can’t see them anywhere captain.’’ one of the guards says, panting. 

‘’Look harder!’’ the captain orders, ‘’he can’t be far from here! go split up if you have to.’’

With one final salute the soldiers rush back into the crowd. Meanwhile, a few feet away near an abandoned building Euijoo walks with his head down to allow the cloak to hide his face from anyone around as he saunters his way through the crowd towards the nearest alley for his escape. 

Just like Euijoo has expected, the guards never caught up to him, even as he sheds off the makeshift cloak. He doesn’t leave it behind though, quickly folding it up into a small bundle. He twists back a bit to place down the homemade rucksack he carried behind him on the ground and opens it to check if everything is still intact. 

Four loaves of bread, a whole pig’s leg wrapped in parchment paper, and two silver bracelets with multitudes of shiny gems attached to it – all freshly stolen from the Cagun Market by none other than Euijoo himself. No wonder the guards took the chase way longer than they normally would. 

There was no remorse coming from the thief. Why be regretful and sad when all the people he stole from deserve it anyways. Maybe the loaves and the meat are worth being sorry about since they’re no more than ordinary people like Euijoo, just trying their best to live for what tomorrow comes. But the silver bracelets? Euijoo can confidently say he has not a single sliver of shame or guilt for it. Those upper class men who only come to the market –wearing all their glims and glams— so people would think they give a damn about those below them. They bask in the stares and awes from people, some even bend their way to snake hands with them. They’re nothing but egotistical bastards who give no single attention to those in need. 

And Euijoo despises the rich. 

Besides, these bracelets and their gems will bring Euijoo a hefty amount of gold coins if sold to the right blacksmith. That income along with the loaves and meat can definitely keep him and the group fed for at least three weeks—four, if they all decide to budget it properly.  He could even buy them those weapons they’ve been talking about. Well, maybe a cheaper one but it's the thought that counts. 

Seeing all items where they should be, the bundled piece of cloth gets placed inside the rucksack. After checking if everything else is safe, Euijoo pulls strings close, secures it on his back again, and treads forward with a profound sense of pride, happiness, and excitement. 

Euijoo takes into consideration not to pass by the areas where he thinks the guards would patrol in. Every step he takes is careful, trying not to put any sort of attention towards him. No one can be trusted in these areas. 

He finally can breathe a bit easier after passing through the main city without getting noticed. He loosens up a bit and speeds up his travel by jogging a bit down southwards where the unguarded gates are located. It is the only gate in the Kingdom of Ardeca fully opened. It is where everyone enters or exits the kingdom. It is mostly the farmers, with their crops planted by the fields outside of the kingdom, and the traders who go out their way to travel the land and trade whatever they deemed valuable. Sometimes, visitors from other kingdoms come through this gate with their fancy chariots and horses. Euijoo never bothered to pay attention to those kinds of people anyways.

He passess through a few more houses before he reaches the silver gates. He steps over the main road after giving one last look side to side for any trouble. 

“Stop letting people out!” 

Euijoo quickly crouches down behind a barrel. A guard comes jogging towards the gate giving orders. “Don’t let anyone out just yet, we have a thief on the run. They might go out this way.” 

Euijoo curses every God and Goddess looking down on him right now. 

The guards start stopping the townspeople in their tracks, forcing them into a line so they can inspect each and one of them if they’re the ones they’re looking for. Euijoo definitely cannot go through now. He pokes his head out a bit above the barrel, eyes narrowed as he inspects the silver gate and its surrounding for anything he can use to aid him in his escape. There are two guards by the gate exit, each one of them carrying their spears that shine with each movement–a constant reminder of the dangerous situation he is right now–meanwhile one lone guard stands slightly in front of them, he seems to be the one in charge of checking each person, it clearly shows from how he doesn’t hesitate to grab a person's face or roughly pulling down any hoods above their heads just to get a clearer view of their faces. 

Running through is definitely out of the question. Euijoo knows that he can outrun these guards easily, but the distance between him and the gate is purely a disadvantage; it's too far away. If he runs, the guards will be able to see him coming, and with their distance apart it is enough for them to prepare to tackle him down. Climbing the wall also seems out of the question too. The wall is too smooth for him to climb on. There are no bumps or holes he could use to grab on to as he climbs. Even if  he does somehow get up the wall, guards stationed above will easily detain him. The only way out is through the gate. 

Running a hand through his hair he could feel the beads of sweat soaking his hair and forehead, his temples throbbing painfully while his heart roars inside him. His fingers tapping rapidly against his thigh. He shuts his eyes tightly as he tries to steady his breathing. He really needs to find a way out.

A horse’s hoof clops rhythmically along with the sound of something heavy rolling on the gravel path a few feet away from Euijoo and his eyes immediately shoot open. 

It was a wagon.

The boy immediately twists and moves to the far end of his hiding place to peek into the road across him and just as he expected, a wooden wagon is moving towards the gates. The brown horse trots forward as its coachman holds the reins wrapped around its mouth. The coachman–who looks old enough to be a father– steers the horse and wagon with ease. The tunics that cover the man aren't one of those high quality ones, holes are even present in some areas of it. Some bits and areas of their exposed face and skin are covered in dirt and grime from the probable hard work this day has challenged him with. 

Behind them, Euijoo’s saving grace. A wooden wagon follows the horse and its coachman, it's big–probably as tall as his chest if he stands beside it–and big enough to carry loads of whatever. The wagon is covered with white cloth wrapping over it in an arch like a makeshift roof, making it impossible for anyone to see whatever is being carried inside unless they go inside themselves. 

Euijoo finally has a way through the gates. 

Time is of the essence, he thinks, as he immediately sprung his escape plan into action. Slipping out of the shadows, eyes directly on the wagon a few feet away, he moves swiftly. Not too fast yet not to slow, just enough for him to pass through without gaining any suspicion from other people passing by. He keeps his steps light as he walks right into the wagon’s direction. The man was quick to pull the reigns back to slow the horse down to avoid collision, meanwhile Euijoo stops and steps back and yelps making it seem like it was unintentional.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going boy.” he warns.

Euijoo only gives the man an apologetic bow and stepping back a little more to give space for the wagon to continue its travels. With one last sneer to Euijoo’s direction, he lightly whips the reins up and down for the horse to move.

Just as Euijoo planned, he just stands there waiting. the horse and the farmer pass by him and the wagon follow. An arch-like opening right behind the man by the front end of it gives him a glimpse of what’s inside. Stacks of hay and crates of carrots and potatoes fill the inside of the wagon, a perfect cover for someone to hide. Eventually the wagon almost fully passes by Euijoo, just a few more and he’d be at the far end of the wagon. He steps his right foot back a bit and turns his body to the right in preparation and when it finally reaches the end, his body springs into action.

His left hand grabs on the edge of the wagon and he swings his right foot over, bringing his leg and upper body along with it. With his left hand as a pivot point and the momentum of his body, he vaults over the wagon with ease and lands crouched down inside, light as a feather and without a sound.

Inside he crouch-walks through the crates and haystacks trying not to bump into them and cause a ruckus. His feet slowly bring him to the front. He’s now right behind the coachman, still continuing to control the whole thing and none the wiser about the threat behind him. He inches closer and closer to the man, ready to put the most important part of the plan into action.

Euijoo will feel bad about what he’s about to do when he finishes, but he has got this far so far and so close to getting away. Empathy can wait.

In one swift motion he unsheathes a blade hidden behind the bandage wraps on his right ankle and grabs the man from behind. His left hand finds shelter on the man’s mouth, keeping him silent as the dagger lays threateningly right on his neck by the jugular. One slice and the man bleeds out in less than a minute.

Euijoo can feel the man’s body suddenly stiffen. His hand turns white from gripping the reins so hard. If he listens closely, Euijoo could hear the man’s heart beat erratically inside his chest. Fear can do wonderful things to the body. Leading the knife away from the men’s neck for a moment to point it at the horse.  

The man hesitates, for a moment trying to understand what Euijoo was making him do. He pulls on the reins to make them stop thinking that was what the thief wanted but the hand on his mouth tightens, and the knife comes back immediately to his neck. The man quickly tries to look back at Euijoo, who only shakes his head. Thankfully that was enough for the man to understand what the thief wanted. He gives the reins a good flick up and down to ensure the horse doesn’t stop.

Satisfied, Euijoo loosens up his hand covering the man’s mouth—knife still threateningly by their throat—in favor of dragging his thumb and first finger together across his own lips in a zipping motion. ‘Be quiet and don’t tell anyone.’ he would say.

The man nods immediately, tears slowly building in his eyes from the fear crashing throughout his body. Once Euijoo is satisfied, he retracts the knife and ducks down to hide himself behind the crates and haystacks. For extra measures, he takes the cloth from his rucksack and throws it over himself as cover. He doesn’t sheath the dagger back though. Just in case worse comes to worse.

He stays there with his back pressed by the potato crates as he waits for what’s about to happen. Eventually, he feels the wagon slow down; they must have arrived.

“Good day sir.” He hears the man say, “is there something going on?”

“Nothing of concern honestly.” Another person replies. The guard, most likely, “there’s a thief we’re trying to catch right now, stole some hefty things, ya know? Do you mind telling me what’s inside the wagon, sir?”

“o-oh.... It’s just uh…. some carrots and potatoes. Yeah. Nothing suspicious really.” The man stutters with a hoarse voice. Euijoo can only pray the guards don’t suspect him too much, or else it's game over for him.

“You bought them?”

“N---no sir! I--- um, I grow them myself and--- and sell them. But no one bought these ones today. So, I---I’m taking them back home. Don’t want them to spoil and rot you know?” the man barks out a nervous chuckle.

“Do you mind if we give it a little check inside?”

Both Euijoo and the man’s eyes go wide.

“Is it---is it really necessary, sir? I--- I mean, it’s just crops?”

“Just a quick check and then you’re good, okay?”

Euijoo doesn’t hear the man reply. Right where he’s hiding, he hears the gravel underneath crunching as someone’s heavy boots walk around the wagon. In the corner of his vision, he sees the man’s gaze follow around guard who is about to check, eventually his and Eujioo’s eye meet. The man is sweating, his pupils dilated, and his throat bobs occasionally as the man tries to swallow whatever nervous lump there is.

Euijoo puts his index finger on top of his own lips and brandishes the dagger, an effective warning for the man who just nods and shifts his eyes to the guard who is now at the far end of the wagon. A few crates and boxes rattle and shake as the guard inspects each of them with haste. The longer the guard checks the more Euijoo’s heart pounds faster in his chest. The man in front isn’t doing better as well. He fiddles and fidgets with his nails, occasionally biting the nail beds. Not to mention the beads of sweat furiously running down his face.

Eventually the rustling from behind stops and Euijoo could silently release a relieved breath --- not until the wagon wobbles and a larger thump is heard inside.

“What about those crates in the back?” the guard asks, voice louder now that their proximity with each other is more than an arm’s reach.

“Just some haystacks I bought from one of the traders,” the man quickly mumbles out, “I needed some food for this horse right here.”

“There sure are a lot of them...”

“Well, this beast right here eats enough for two.” He gives the horse in front of him a hefty pat along with a nervous chuckle, “isn’t that right big guy?”

For someone who is gravely nervous the man is surprisingly selling this act out very well, Euijoo thinks. The horse may not have reacted much after what the man did but thankfully he laughs along with the man and walks out the wagon without continuing checking the rest of the contents of the wagon. The sound of the wooden floorboards creaking gets fainter and fainter and eventually the wagon wobbles and one final thud is heard.

“This one is clear!” he hears the guard bark out. “you’re free to pass now sir. We hope your travel is safe.”

Euijoo barely hears the man reply before the wagon starts moving immediately. Although they both continue the road for a while, he stays down behind the crates as if he was still hiding, until the man had spoken to him.

“We—we’re a few yards away fr—from the gate now, sir.” He says, making sure to emphasize the formalities. “I think you’re safe now...”

 The thief could tell it took the man a lot of courage to even start talking to him again. Who wouldn’t be? He did just threaten the guy a few moments ago and even gave him a little scar. Euijoo would be terrified too if he was in his position. This does however make him feel a little bit good about himself. It wouldn’t hurt to play along for a bit.

He creeps up behind the man without a sound and pops his head out the front of the wagon, surprising the man making him let out a high-pitched yelp.

Euijoo pulls out a weathered-down wrinkled paper and unrolls it for the man to see. It’s a map of the whole land of Eldkaine. As worn down as it was, he made sure to keep it as it still had the important areas drawn and their letters still readable like the Kingdom of Ardeca, the Deadlands, Lesten Forest, Paglan Oceans, Crespo, and even the Wagan Mountains.

With the map fully open in front of both of them, Euijoo points at a small area just south of the Kingdom of Ardeca, the farm fields, it is where the king has apparently gracefully offered all of the farmers their own lands to plant and grow their own crops in exchange for loyalty and for the promise of selling them inside the kingdom to maintain their economy—of course, all the farmers didn’t hesitate to agree.

“The farming fields?” the man asks, which the thief nods in response. The man still seems to be in the dark about what Euijoo wants. The thief gives off an annoyed huff and tries again. He points to the man, then to himself, the horse, and finally on the map.

“You want me to take you to the farming fields?”

Euijoo finally nods in relief. It takes a lot of effort for him to start jumping in joy now that the man finally understands what he wanted, so without even waiting for a response, he slips back into the hidden shadows of the crates of carrots and potatoes, his heart light with satisfaction. Another day another win for Euijoo against the guards. He has escaped them once again and they remained none the wiser.

Slowly but surely, with the added speed of the horse dragging the wagon along, he gets further and further away from the gates. The swaying leaves of the forest trees bathed him in comforting shades, a fitting reward for his audacious feat. He lets out one satisfied exhale and lets the exhaustion from all the chasing earlier put him to sleep. 

Euijoo’s slumber ends as a few taps on his shoulder are felt. He slowly starts to hear someone talking, although he doesn’t immediately understand what he hears, he can identify whoever is talking is repeating the same thing. Eventually though, he fully comes into his senses.

He feels a tap on his shoulder, “Si—sir?”

Then another—slightly harder, “Sir?”

Apparently, there were not only one person talking but two of them instead. “I still cannot believe this.” the other person hisses. “You brought a strange– a THEIF into our home.” 

“I had no choice, okay?”

“No choice? You had every chance to just leave him by the gates? You could have even left him by the forest, but no, you had to bring them here.”

“He threatened me!”

“He’s asleep! He's not going to stab you in his sleep, Arthur.”

“We don’t know that!”

Euijoo sits up and both scream in unison, the loud shrill of both of their voices combined made the thief grimace a bit. Even after a while the screaming still can be heard as a plethora of “oh my lords” and “calm downs” still ring throughout the field and into the thief's ears. Eventually, he gets tired of the panicked voices, so he turns to look at them. Now that he is finally awake and aware of what’s happening, he learns that the other person was a woman, probably the man’s wife based on the nagging earlier and how she’s visibly shaking behind the man.

The thief glares at both of them with his squinted eyes, eyebrows squeezed together, and a mouth in a scowl – aggressively pointing at them both and immediately to his ears followed by his fists moving side to side with the palms facing down. ‘you’re too loud!’ he would have said.

Sensing the annoyance coming from the thief, the couple immediately gather themselves. Straightening up and coughing out any last screams that needed to be let out.

“we’re at the farming fields si-sir.” The man, Arthur, if Euijoo recalls what he heard just a few moments ago, stutters out.

The land around him looks cultivated. Not a single natural vegetation is seen, long grass, no bushes, and not even rocks. All Euijoo sees rows and rows of perfectly lined soil, some even have healthy looking crops growing on them. There’s carrots and potatoes just like what the man was carrying around his wagon, there are also other vegetables like cabbages and beetroots. They’re probably not fully ripe yet since they weren’t selling it alongside the carrots and potatoes.

The southern part of the fields marks where the Lesten Forest begins—ultimately where Euijoo is headed. The sea of trees is known to be misleading to the ordinary man as many stories warn the people about the dangers within it. The common saying: ‘Venture in the Lesten Forest without direction and drown by its denseness,’ is enough of a sign for people to back off.

It also makes a good safehouse for anyone daring enough to stay in it –which is exactly what Euijoo and the others did.

Speaking of the others, Euijoo thinks about the time he has wasted. From the looks of it, the sun will set in a few more hours and he must be back at home by then to make sure everyone is safe. It's going to take an hour at most for him to walk from here so he must be quick to do it.

He turns to grab the rucksack lying beside him and since he did close his eyes for a bit, he felt like opening it up to make sure everything was still there was necessary. Relief floods his body when he sees that nothing has gone missing. It would have been a shame to lose any of them after all he’s done. 

The man seems to notice him fumbling about the sack and speaks, “We didn’t—touch it,” he pauses for a bit, “the rucksack, I mean.”

Throwing the said rucksack up onto his back, Euijoo only nods in response and his shoes thud on the ground as he hops off the wagon he was previously lying on. He heads down  south where the border between the fields and the forest lie. The grassfields crunch under his feet with every step he takes forward with purpose —the sounds of the couple arguing slowly fading away as he gets closer to the forest. 

When he arrived, he entered the forest with no hesitation. He has done this for so long that he could probably navigate through the forest with his eyes closed—not the whole forest but only a part of it. He and the others may live in it, they are all aware of how dangerous the forest is. 

Right now, the forest looks beautiful. The dimming glow of the slowly descending sun filters through the dense canopy of trees, dappling the forest floor with pockets of warm, golden light. The air is crisp and filled with the earthy scent of moss, wood, and dirt. There is no path that snakes through the woods for travelers to use to lead deeper into the heart of nature's embrace but Euijoo marches through the sea of trees, the rucksack heavy on his back with his boots crunching on fallen leaves as he navigates through the uneven terrain with ease.

If this was of the early day, the forest would have been bustling alive. The birds would chirp, the fallen leaves in the distance would crunch as the wild animals that inhibit the forest run around. As he walks, he keeps a keen eye on the trees nearby for a mark carved into them, a triangle with a line through it by the middle, he and the others use it as navigation tools like a landmark to know they’re going the right direction and are halfway there. 

Once he sees it, relief washes over him, knowing that he’s almost home. He looks up and sees the sky about to turn dark so he quickens his pace. The path slowly starts to slope gently downwards, the trees slowly but surely getting less dense than before, and he hears the distant sounds of yelling. 

Eventually, the forest opens up to the view of the sea and the sky, the sun barely halfway down the horizon. Euijoo has come home by dawn, just like he always promised everyone. Right along his side just a few yards away from the shore, their own medium sized cabin sits. The wooden structure showed signs of being weathered down by the days. It even has a front porch which they recently just built together. 

Euijoo stands frozen for a bit, just taking everything in. Today was tiresome for sure, there was a lot of running and hiding, and threatening; barely had time to even take a sip of water –which now that he notices, he is absolutely parched. 

“Woonhak! It's getting dark! Get in now!”  

“Has anyone seen my satchel?”

“I’m going to wash up first!” 

Euijoo hears simultaneously from inside the cabin. He couldn’t stop the smile from forming in his face. Hearing everyone safe, he can't help but feel a deep sense of peace. 

“Is he still out there? It’s dawn, he should be back by now.”

That was his cue. Everyone is looking for him now. He resumes his strides and once he reaches the cabin, he opens the door and steps inside. The first thing he sees is the  cozy interior, filled with the scent of wood and the warmth of memories. Then he hears the others.

“He’s home!” a boy yells, alerting everyone within the vicinity of his arrival and immediately after the sound doors opening is heard, followed by multiple footsteps thudding towards his direction. 

The remaining air in Euijoo’s lungs gets coughed out when two boys start tackling him down to the floor. He lands on his back with the rucksack and its contents digging painfully into his spine, “Finally! You’re home!” one of the boys says, a grin visible across his face. 

“Did you do anything cool today?” the other one asks. 

Euijoo could only cough out and wheeze, trying to put some air into his lungs instead of answering. The boys are either too excited to notice the life and death situation he is in right now or they’re seriously ignoring his agony in lieu of curiosity and excitement. 

“Did you really go into the kingdom?” 

“Did you see any guards?” 

“How about mages? Did they cast any new curses on you?” 

“Did you see the king?”

The boys bombard Euijoo with questions one after the other, he barely catches up to half of the questions asked, too busy trying not to die from lack of air. Thankfully enough, one of the other boys —Sungho, a lean boy with slightly long dark hair, decides to ease him from his suffering, easily picking up the two by the collars of their shirts.

“Okay, that’s enough. Let the man breathe first,” Sungho says as he removes both boys from atop of the struggling boy. 

Euijoo wheezes and huffs when the heavy weight of both boys are gone. He gives this savior a glance as he touches his chin with his fingers and brings the hand forward, similar to a flying kiss, towards Sungho. 

“You’re welcome,” Sungho grins, offering a hand for Euijoo. 

He takes it without hesitation, Sungho letting out a small grunt as he helps Euijoo up, giving him a pat on the back once he was standing properly on his two feet. 

Euijoo quickly swats off his back, his arms, and even his buttocks from any dust from the floor that managed to stick into his clothes. When he finishes, he looks up to everyone patiently waiting for him. Euijoo could feel the difficulty breathing slowly fade away, being replaced by this warm feeling inside his stomach. It feels foreign but not unwanted. The sudden reminiscing feeling suddenly washes through him, the memories of how each of these boys came into the picture.

By the dining table sits Jaehyun and Riwoo — they're the same age as Sungho; however, amongst the three, Riwoo and Jaehyun came into the group first. Euijoo remembers finding them deep in the forest almost a year ago when he heard screaming and crying as he was coming back from the kingdom. They were crouched down by one of the big trees trying to take shelter with Jaehyun, barely in and out of consciousness, injured by a nasty cut that ran along his left side, meanwhile Riwoo was sobbing hysterically beside him as he tried to make the bleeding stop and keep his friend alive. When he noticed Euijoo, he immediately crawled over and begged Euijoo on his knees to help keep Jaehyun alive. 

It must have been the way Riwoo was desperately crying for help that caused Euijoo to accept. He rushed over to the bleeding boy, ripping a piece of his own cloak to wrap up the wound to stop any more blood from leaving. He secures the cloth with a tight knot and lifts Jaehyun onto his back. He remembers how uncomfortable he felt knowing that a supposed growing boy on his back weighed like nothing. It made him even more determined to help the two boys. 

With Jaehyun still on his back he quickly beckons the other boy to follow him—which he did without any questions asked. The three of them trek the forest with haste due to the gravity of the situation. Euijoo doesn’t ask anything along the way knowing the current state of panic and hysteria Riwoo is in. The cabin doors get kicked open as they rush in to put the bleeding boy on whichever flat furniture was the closest. 

The night went on with stitches and a lot of crying from Riwoo begging his friend to not die on him and eventually ending with him sleeping beside Jaehyun—-refusing to even let go for a second. Jaehyun wakes up 2 days later, groggy and confused but just like his friend he was very grateful to be alive.

Looking back into the room there he sees Sungho in front of him, smiling as he holds on to the two boys that knocked him down earlier —Woonhak, the youngest amongst the group, and Harua, a few years older than Woonhak. Both boys practically hang on to Sungho as they clearly try to contain their excitement as to what Euijoo brings in for the day.

Sungho and Woonhak are the most recent addition to their little group, they’ve only been together for a few months now and they fit in like a glove. Both came as a pair and a huge fright since they sneaked their way into the cabin a few months ago. Jaehyun was the unfortunate soul to find them when he woke up extra early to follow through the promise he made the night before to make breakfast for his fellow friends since his wound was apparently healed —something Riwoo had a lot to say about—- only for him to find two ragged boys in their living room. One sleeping on the long chair meanwhile the other sleeps sitting down on the floor next to it. 

The scream Jaehyun emits was enough to wake not just the rugged boys but everyone inside the cabin from their slumber. The rugged boys shoot up from where they were to back up defensively across the room, away from Jaehyun. Multiple doors slam open, the floorboards thud from running footsteps approaching, and the distinct yelling of “what's happening!?” echoes through the room. The rest of the boys arrive in high panic from the scene in front of them; two strangers inside their cabin—-one of them armed with a small rusty knife. 

Riwoo runs defensively towards Jaehyun who immediately frightfully grabs on to his friend. Meanwhile Euijoo and Harua stay by the stairs trying not to startle the boys across the room. 

“Stay away,” Sungho warns, pointing the knife to anyone who dares to move. Euijoo goes down a step to try and diffuse the situation, only for Sungho’s gaze to shift towards him, “I said stay away! Nobody moves!” 

Nobody would have thought that an early morning in the cabin would feel this suffocating. The air thick with tension, opposite from the soft glow of the early rising sun that envelops the room, casting it in a warm yellow hue. Nobody dares to move, afraid of being hurt by the hostile armed boy. 

They all stood in place, scared of getting hurt. Euijoo somehow remembers trying to diffuse the tension by offering Sungho help –only to which he swifty denied. Slowly but surely Sungho inches towards the front door, knife still pointed outwards, the loud creaking of loose floorboards and everyone’s labored breathing the only thing to be heard. 

Until a small yelp and loud thud surprises them all. 

On the floor lies little Woonhak, writhing and shaking as he tries his best not to cry. Sungho immediately crouches down to help him get back up on his feet as gently as he could. The younger boy tries but eventually stumbles back down into Sungho’s chest. 

Riwoo gasps out, eyes focused on Woonhak’s right leg. His body reacts immediately, he takes a step forward towards the bleeding boy but Sungho was quick to draw the knife out threateningly again. 

Everybody in the room tenses up from the sudden outburst. Even from a mile away everyone could see the hostility radiating from Sungho. His hands almost pale white from how hard he is gripping the handle, his jaw clenched shut, the pupils dilated, and his shoulders turned defensively towards the rest of the boys. Wonkak cowering and shaking behind him as he grabs onto the hem of the older boy’s shirt. 

Euijoo then offers aid for little Woonhak, they had a few spare linens and left over herbs that were used when Jaehyun was injured. So, Sungho mulls it over, from all the running and the fighting they had to endure the past few days, strangers pose nothing but a threat to him and Woonhak. He gives the little boy a quick glance and is met with soft pleading eyes looking back at him which makes him hesitate even more. He knows Woonhak is hurt badly and just like any older brother he wants nothing else but to keep his little brother safe. 

After he turns back and scans every single one of them from head to toe, looking for any signs that they’re not who they say they are. None of them are armed that's for sure and none of them look clean and proper enough to be one of the guards from the kingdom, Sungho prays to the saints for protection for what he is about to do. 

“Show me.” Sungho asks, “the supplies, how do I know you’re not lying to me” 

Euijoo releases the breath he has been holding. He whistles to get Riwoo’s attention and nods when they meet eyes. The younger boy hesitantly moves away from shielding Jaehyun to walk towards a large chest by the door. He digs through its contents and pulls out a roll of white linen and a satchel of what Sungho believes to be the herbs they were talking about. 

Riwoo was quick to help out, ordering Sungho to carry Woonhak on the long chair so he could easily check the wound's severity. Jaehyun offered to help Riwoo too, staying by his side, handing out the things he needed. The amount of times Sungho had asked "what are you putting on?" or "what are you doing now?" and the occasional, "You're hurting him!" had Riwoo scowling. Thankfully Jaehyun was surprisingly patient with Sungho, offering the nervous boy words of assurance whenever it was needed.

Woonhak took everything like it was nothing, He'd squirm and hiss out but he'd hold it in as much as he could. Harua offered to talk to the boy, asking about his name and where he's from. They learned that night about how brave Woonhak was, taking a slash on the leg from a royal guard's sword to push Sungho away. Eujioo will always remember the proud little smile across Woonhak’s face after Sungho had thanked him and told him how proud he was. 

Eventually, Woonhak has fully passed out on the long chair, bandaged and ready for healing and Sungho is sitting at the table along with the other boys as they enjoy a quick meal. Euijoo remembers how the day ends with Sungho thanking everybody. That day the Euijoo’s little cabin family grew. 

Euijoo’s reminiscing gets interrupted by quick taps on his arm. He startles for a moment from the sudden rush of being pulled back to reality. A quick scan across the room helps Eujioo fully come back into the real world. Apparently, Woonhak and Harua haven't stopped yapping about whatever adventures they thought their older brother had. Euijoo sees desperation in Sungho’s eyes when he looks up, so like the good big brother he is, he peels Harua off from Sungho and right into a playful headlock that gets the younger boy giggling. 

When he lets go, he points towards the table by the kitchen where Jaehyun and Riwoo are and signs his right pointer and middle finger down into the edge of his palm, mimicking legs sitting down. 

“He wants us all to sit down,” Harua says, 

Woonhak sprints out of Sungho’s grasp towards the table which makes Jaehyun pull out a chair for the boy to sit on. Sungho follows after with Riwoo happily moving over to clear some space for him to sit. Euijoo gives Harua a pat on the back before leading the boy to a nearby chair. 

Everyone is seated and all eyes are on Euijoo. He gives them all one big smile as he sheds the rucksack off his back and crouches to set it down on the floor. He unwraps the rope that ties the sack close and before reaching in he bends a cupped hand on top of the other, twirls his right pointer finger around, points at his mouth with an open hand, and places the hand down into the other. 

“Tonight, we will be eating well.” Harua translates as Euijo starts rummaging through the rucksack, He pulls out the loaves of bread first as it wasn’t uncommon for them. The boys cheer out from joy by the sight of edible food–Jaehyun looking the most excited with his wide grin and sparkling eyes. Euijoo offers the loaves to Riwoo who sits closest to him, the latter accepting it wholeheartedly with both his hands. They set the loaves down on the table, the boys unable to hold their excitement as they grab and inspect each loaf. 

Euijoo forms an “O” shape with both hands and brings them together. 

“There is more!” Harua squeals and everyone turns their attention back to the eldest in front–anticipation palpable from each one of them.

Euijoo had a hand already inside, holding on to the next surprise. He makes the reveal with as much flare as a magician showing off their trick, he closes his eyes and keeps his head down dramatically as he pulls the pig’s leg out as fast as he could and raises it up into the air as if it was a sword. 

The room falls silent as Euijoo waits in bated breath for any reactions from the rest of the boys. The fireplace crackles as the fire within it devours wood, the wind whispering in their ears as it breezes through the open windows, and the birds and insects outside sing their songs—and yet no sound from where Euijoo expects them to be. Slowly, he opens his eyes -–hand and pig leg still in the air-–to see everybody frozen in place. Jaehyun, hand halfway through slicing a loaf of bread in rations; Woonhak, a slice of bread in his mouth; Riwoo, Sungho, and Harua, with a hand over their mouths. 

All the remaining resolve within Euijoo’s body has faltered—shriveled up like dead, dried out weeds— Euijoo has the proper mind to try and just blow it out of existence himself. But, It takes one, two, and three long seconds for the chaos to begin. 

The combined sound of everyone as they burst into screaming joy could shake even the biggest mountain in the Wagan Mountains. Some of them jump up and down while gripping their hair, while some excitedly run up to Euijoo---loaves of bread long forgotten on the table. 

An overly excited Harua tries grabbing the piece of meat from his hands but Euijoo was quick enough to move it aside, narrowly dodging the nimble hands reaching for it. Instead, he reaches over to pass it on to Jaehyun who gratefully accepts it with eyes shining in awe.

“Where did you get this?!” Jaehyun asks, “A slice of meat costs like –2 silver coins! A whole leg like this would have cost a fortune!” 

Euijoo laughs. He places a thumb under his chin and brings it forward then forms an ‘okay’ sign with both hands– touching each other where the tips of the index fingers and thumbs meet–then separates them in a circular downward swoop until they meet again. 

“You must have stolen it didn’t you!” Woonhak happily points a finger towards Euijoo in mock accusation. “There is no way we can afford this!” 

Guilty as charged, Euijoo puts an index finger to his lips and gives a sly wink in response, which everybody in the room laughs at. He gestures to the kitchen, as if to say “let’s eat!” and everyone follows. 

Along the way Jaehyun lists out the meals he could prepare from the things Euijoo has brought home. Fried skin, Braised pork, Soybean sauced pork, the list goes on and on. Even Sungho and Riwoo had a few suggestions they wanted to try as well. The conversation went along even after everyone sat down –except Jaehyun and Riwoo who were at the firewood stoves since Jaehyun had to cook and Riwoo, who couldn't seem to leave the former’s side, helping out as much as he could.

Minutes passed and dinner was ready to serve. The boys help out setting the table. Euijoo and Sungho clear out the table while Woonhak and Harua start putting new bowls on the table. 

“Hot plate!” Riwoo warns, holding a wooden bowl filled to the brim with steaming food, “move aside please! Hot plate! Sungho move!” he gives the boy a quick bump away with his buttocks and loudly places the bowl down on the table, hissing and shaking his hands immediately afterwards to cool them down. Beside him, Jaehyun calmly places two more steaming bowls down. 

“If you would have listened to me, I told you we had spare mittens over there.” Jaehyun says, removing two large mittens and tossess them back on the kitchen counter. his warnings seem diluted by worry from how he grabs on to Riwoo’s hands and gives it a quick blow to sooth the pain. “There, all better. Now, sit down and let’s eat.”

Riwoo just smiles sheepishly and goes on to sit on the emty chair beside Euijoo. Maybe Jaehyun notices the redmess on his cheek but Jaehyun says nothing about it nonetheless. The rest of the boys follow suit and sits down on their own chairs. Euijoo sits on one end, Riwoo on his left with Jaehyun beside him. Haura on his right next to Woonhak, and Sungho on the opposite end of the table across from him.

Everybody takes a moment to give thanks to Euijoo and to all the saints that have blessed them with their meals, they individually say their own gratitudes and rush in to eat. the boys ravage through the meals like starved soldiers after passing through wars. their wooden bowls and spoons clank around each other as they take bite after bite. The older boys were a bit tame in eating, allowing the younger ones to eat as much as their little bodies could. They were growing boys, they thought, they needed all the food they could get. 

Euijoo hears his own bowl click and splatter. Looking down, he finds it partially filled with dinner —a spoonful at most. he turns to see Harua beaming at him, cheeks round and full, with his fisted hand rubbing circles on his own chest. “Thank you.”

Euijoo gives him a small courteous bow and digs in. 

faster than it took to make, the boys finish in no time. They lay back on their own chairs with satisfied faces and happy stomachs; it takes them a while to start cleaning up too. Normally its the younger one’s duties to clean the bowls at night but looking at Woonhak barely awake on his own chair ,drooling and head bobbing occasionally. Both Riwoo and Jaehyun offered to carry the young ones up to their rooms so Sungho and Euijoo stay and clean up. 

Riwoo grunts as he picks a sleeping Woonhak up on his back and making sure he wouldn't fall down while going up the stairs, meanwhile Jaehyun reaches over to grab onto Harua’s hand. 

Before the four of them walk away, Euijoo taps on Harua to gain his attention and tells him that he would be waking him up early because he wanted him to join him inside the kingdom somewhere. Harua happily nods and promises to sleep early. Euijoo waves him off and the four boys go up into their rooms. 

Euijoo turns back to find Sungho carefully walking in from the back door carrying a pail of water to use and setting it down by the kitchen. 

“Is there a reason why you’re suddenly taking Harua out to the kingdom? I saw what you said to him,” Sungho asks, scrubbing up a bowl. 

Euijoo holds a palm up and walks over the rucksack he has left on the floor and fishes out the two silver bracelets he has stolen for Sungho to see. the other boy looked surprised, quickly wiping down his wet hands to reach for the silver bracelets and inspects its carefully in between his hands like its going to break anytime soon. the look of awe and disbelief is plastered all over his face–which Euijoo finds amusing. 

“Th–these are real..” Sungho stammers, “real silver and gemstones…these are going to cost a fortune!”

Euijoo proudly nods. 

“Are you going to sell it off in the market?” Euijoo nods again.

“Haura is coming too?” 

Euijoo flops his hand down by the temple of his head with the index finger flexed down, similar to a hook. ‘Harua needs to learn.’ 

“Do you need anyone else? Riwoo and I could come with you.” 

Euijoo shakes his head no and with a spread-open-hand he taps his chest with his thumb. ‘its fine.’ 

“Alright. If you change your mind, let us know.” Sungho turns back to grab a wet bowl and tosses it over to Euijoo who catches it with ease. He playfully waves the bowl around and gives Sungho a smug look–which immediately gets wiped off from a washcloth smacking right on his face. “Hurry and help me with this, I’m not the only one who offered to clean up.”

Sungho’s laugh accompanies Euijoo’s sigh of defeat as he rips off the washcloth from his face. He was tempted to throw the fabric back for the sake of his pride but he realizes how angry Jaehyun would be if he finds both of them with their own unfinished tasks; so he swallows it down and starts helping out. 

With both boys on cleaning duty the bowls and spoons are squeaky clean in no time. they take their time to return the bowls where they’re supposed to be and wipe up any leftover stains in the kitchen. 

It's Sungho who—-after at least four consecutive yawns and two tiny arguments about how important sleep is from Euijoo— heads off to sleep. He bids Euijoo goodnight and disappears to his own room, leaving the older boy alone in the warm candle-lit home. He takes his time again to clean up anything they have forgotten. The rucksack on the floor, the chairs still scooted out from the table, and a few areas in the house that needed dusting. Once he is satisfied, he dusts off his clothes and heads over to his own room for the night. 

tiredness immediately crashes and washes over Euijoo’s whole body once inside the comfort of his own room. his eyes heavy, body weak, and feet shaking–wanting to just drop dead right on the spot. But euijoo persists long enough for him to barely reach his own bed before his body just completely collapses on it. He gives out one big satisfied exhale and like magic, all the knots and pains Euijoo had on his body vanishes. 

As he waits for the Saint of Rest to bless him with a good night's sleep, he adjusts himself into a much more comfortable position hoping that the Saints come faster. He thinks about his day, about how proud he felt outrunning the guards like he always did. He thinks about how amazing the new batches of bread the bakery sold in the morning, how annoying those rich men in the Cagun Market flaunting their riches as if it was something they got through ethical means. He thinks about the small kid and his big brother walking around the town smiling ear to ear and how it made him feel, and finally how beautiful the lady by the flower store looked.  

he starts feeling his eyes slowly getting heavy therefore he doesn’t fight it. He thanks the Saints one last time and Euijoo drifts to sleep.