By Zephyria 
“Ah—”
Seeing what the grimy child offered, Kim Ha-yoon couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He had brought a cooked black insect, about the size of a thumb. At first, he thought it was a beetle, but upon closer inspection, it resembled a cockroach.
When he refused to take it, the child, as if to show off, brought it to his mouth and took a bite. The ‘crunch-‘ sound made Kim Ha-yoon quietly curse under his breath. It would be better to take me away and torture me. Seeing them eat rats and cockroaches right before my eyes made my already nonexistent appetite disappear even further.
“Why aren’t you eating, mister? I roasted it extra crispy.”
Another child, who had been watching silently, asked. They couldn’t possibly know that the problem wasn’t the roasting. What was more annoying, however, was something else.
“Don’t call me mister.”
“If you’re not mister, what should I call you? Miss?”
The other children burst into laughter, delighted by the impudent retort. If he had money, he could have bribed them and persuaded them, but now all he had was his body, so that wasn’t an option. Yet, looking at the children smiling so brightly, his unpleasant feelings strangely vanished.
As soon as he smiled along, his wound pulled. Ugh— the moment he scowled, the children worriedly asked what was wrong. They even patted his back with their dirt-stained hands. It was bothersome, but their sincerity was touching, so he let it be for now.
“Mister. Do you have a son?”
Kim Ha-yoon smiled wryly.
“No. I have a lover.”
“Are they pretty?”
“Yes. Extremely.”
Wow— as they marveled, an old man appeared. He was the leader here and the only physician. When asked if he had a license, the old man simply asked what that was. Still, seeing that he had saved his life, his skills didn’t seem bad.
The old man sent the children away and placed a worn bandage and herbs to the side. Meanwhile, Kim Ha-yoon looked around. No light entered from any direction. At first, he thought it was because it was night, but on the second day, he realized this was a city built underground. He didn’t know who built it or when, but it was quite large, and they seemed to have lived by gathering food from mountains and lakes.
“How are you feeling?”
The old man began to untie the bandage around Kim Ha-yoon’s abdomen, then spoke, looking at a bowl of insects nearby.
“It would be good to eat something. That way, you’ll recover faster.”
“No, thank you. I’ll pass.”
“Seeing that you’re picky about food, you won’t die. Do you know what happens when people truly starve? Even your closest companion can start looking like meat.”
Then, a young man standing nearby chimed in.
“Normally, I would have caught some fish for you. But because of what your companions did, all the fish in the lake have died. One of our own companions died after eating them, not knowing any better.”
His tone wasn’t accusatory; it seemed to be purely informative. Did the government poison the lake? Perhaps it was inevitable. Even so, only one person occupied his thoughts. What happened to him? Did he return to his district? Did he feel relieved? What expression would he wear when they met? It all ended with ‘I miss you.’
“I have a request. Please send someone to district A. They will come to pick me up. I will provide ample compensation.”
The old man looked at the young man beside him with a troubled expression. The young man hesitated before standing up, leaving the old man alone. He sighed and spoke with difficulty.
“Actually, I sent someone.”
“And?”
“They couldn’t return.”
“……”
“It seems they have no intention of looking for you.”
Realizing the situation belatedly, he laughed as if incredulous. Haha, you damn bastards. Then, his blood began to cool. His disappearance also meant Ire could be in danger. Ire would demand a share of the gold mine, and they would never give it up.
Damn it.
As he tried to get up, the old man grabbed his arm. He ignored the warning that moving could reopen his wound and be dangerous. It wasn’t the time to waste here pathetically. He had momentarily forgotten that there were more than a few people glaring at him with murderous intent, ready to stab him in the back.
Stepping out of the room, Kim Ha-yoon was speechless at the sight before him. It looked like an anthill. Tunnels dug into the earth connected various places, and people were gathered in small groups, eating.
Could that even be called eating? He had thought the child offering him insects was playing a prank, but they were actually eating them. He didn’t know how long they had lived here, but despite their meager circumstances, the children looked cheerful.
After taking only a few steps, he sank back down. The child who had offered him insects earlier came over, hesitated, and took something out of his pocket. Wrapped tightly in a dirty cloth, it was an unidentified dried fruit. Judging by his eyes, he had been saving it. When Ha-yoon didn’t react, the child insisted, pressed the fruit into his hand, and scurried away.
He stared blankly at the fruit in his palm as blood seeped through the bandage wrapped around him. Fuck. It was so frustrating not being able to move his body as he pleased.
Suddenly, he thought of his mother. What must she have felt, lying like a corpse for twenty years? Hadn’t she prayed for death? Knowing that, had he ignored her out of his own greed?
As he closed his eyes quietly, afterimages flickered. He realized for the first time how truly miserable helplessness could make a person.
* * *
Baek Seol smiled brightly as lights flickered on everywhere. Two days ago, people from district A had arrived in trucks loaded with equipment. At first, they were wary, but contrary to their worries, they said they were there to repair the power plant. And finally, today, the lights came on.
Unlike his colleagues who were overjoyed, Jang-cheon couldn’t shake off his deep concern. Ire hadn’t returned for several weeks.
“Shouldn’t we have gotten permission from the Captain?”
“The Captain wanted this too. We thought it would be useless, electricity or anything, if Kim Ha-yoon died, but it seems the people from district A aren’t entirely heartless.”
“Is that all? They brought a lot of food too.”
“We should invite the others too, while we’re at it.”
Gilsu agreed with Baek Seol. Now that they had electricity and water, there was no need for their colleagues to live scattered apart. Instead of stealing from others, they could resolve things here. If possible, they planned to invite other organizations they were acquainted with. The Captain had also said that using this vast district by themselves was a waste.
Meanwhile, Baek Seol examined the seeds given by district A. If they planted these in the fields, they wouldn’t starve this year. He was so happy just imagining it that his shoulders bounced. To think that such a day would actually come. He felt so moved that he thought he should have a drink today, but Jang-cheon shook his head.
“We must not let our guard down, especially now. I’m honestly suspicious. It makes me uneasy that they’re so readily accepting our terms. If Kim Ha-yoon is dead, they wouldn’t have to pretend to care.”
“If they pretend, will we just let them?”
“Yes. We’d charge in and destroy them.”
Even as he said that, they keenly felt that they were no match for them. Jang-cheon’s words weren’t wrong, so Baek Seol put the seeds back in his hand and returned them to their place. He thought it wouldn’t be too late to discuss and make a decision once Ire returned.
Then, Baek Seol spotted Lee Boram in the distance. He was in a long conversation with someone from district A. Lee Boram had originally lived in district A but had been exiled on charges of bomb-making and drug offenses. Then, he had returned with a brightened face.
“What’s wrong? Is something good happening?”
“I can go back!”
At the sudden remark, Gilsu’s face contorted. Go back? Where?
“My crimes have been pardoned!”
“How?”
Lee Boram’s expression turned slightly sad.
“It seems my brother was severely injured in the battle you guys went to. So, it seems they took that into consideration. My father only has two sons: my brother and me.”
Ah, Lee Boram’s brother was there that day too. From another perspective, it wasn’t strange. He had heard his family held considerable power. They should congratulate him, but everyone’s expressions were awkward. They had called him a junkie and treated him poorly, but now that he was leaving, a sense of sadness came first.
Moreover, he had made most of the weapons, and if he were gone, they worried about who would fill that void. Then, Baek Seol clapped his hands, changing the mood.
“In any case, it’s something to celebrate, right?”
Gangsan and Jang-cheon also chimed in, saying it was good. Gilsu felt secretly guilty for having been mean and bothering him. He thought they would be together forever… but still, it would be better to be with family, right?
Then, he suddenly felt anxious that Ire might never return. Didn’t he have precious family too? Compared to that, weren’t their relationships formed out of necessity? As his thoughts reached that point, his melancholy deepened.