The middle week in February in South Korea is Graduation Week. The pinnacle of that week is Graduation Day. And the pinnacle of that day is the Graduation Ceremony, celebrating the 3 years that students have spent in high school.

     The ceremony took place during the day, around mid-morning in the gymnasium, a fairly recent building with no heating. The floor was covered in tarp and the Grade 3 students were given the seats of honor on the main floor while the school band played for the pomp. Grades 1 and 2 students were also in attendance to witness the graduation of their seniors. Many who sat in the bleachers were forced to attend, but most came willingly as it was their last chance to see their favorite seniors before they move on to university and steal the hearts on its campus. In select areas, portable heaters were trotted out, giving places for the standing parents and teachers to congregate in the back of the gym. Everybody was cold.

     Flowers were apparently mandatory gifts during graduation. The blossomed beauties were suitable for both the blossomed boys and girls of the graduating class, and they were as ornate as possible. Kim Jihoon, a graduating student, stood by his trusted friend, Lee Haneul, in the third row of the first section. Both of them carried numerous bouquets from family, friends, and admiring classmates. Jihoon had hoped no one would gift them with the flowers until after the ceremony so he could avoid tiring his arms, but there was someone who wanted to be the first to gift them both before anyone else. Oh Seojoon, the two’s friend whom they had met in London that one summer, wasn’t familiar with the customs and procedures of Korean schools. He couldn't figure if there's some timing involved with the presenting of flowers. Some students seem to have them right from the start, whereas others were presented with them after returning from the back of the gym to take snapshots with parents, fellow students and their awarded diplomas. Upon witnessing a handful of students holding their bouquets, Seojoon took the opportunity to be the first to hand them to Jihoon and Haneul, and others followed suit. Compared to others, Seojoon’s bouquets were unique in its display. Both their bouquets had flowers matching other students, including roses and baby’s breath, but what differentiated them were the inclusions of honeysuckle and snowdrops. By the end of the ceremony, everybody will have flowers to proudly display them in numerous friendship photos.

     Seojoon sat himself next to Jihoon’s older sister, Soojin, within the Kim and Lee families as they watched the ceremony. Soojin was what you could expect from an older sister. She was mature in appearance, classy in her demeanor and knew how to dress. She was rather tall for the average Korean girl and her slender legs made up more than half her body ratio. Her chocolate brown hair reached down to the middle of her spine and was styled in loose waves to give it a more natural look.

     The ceremony itself is what one would expect: classes come up on stage, get their piece of paper, and go back to their chairs. It wasn’t hard for them to spot Jihoon and Haneul in the crowd. Hair is the big thing for the graduating high school student. Like flowers, hair is another area of great gender neutral investment. Because the graduates had to wear their uniforms for graduation, some girls had gone the extra pretty distance to stand out, while many males went for a perm, waves or coloring, etc. Jihoon and Haneul went against the trend and stayed basic with their black hair down.

     “Why didn’t they style their hair?” Seojoon asked in a curious whisper as he leaned over to Soojin. “Almost everybody else got something done.”

     Soojin chuckled to herself and turned her head slightly, her eyes still forward respectfully. “You know how Jihoon feels to have gel or hairspray in his hair. It’ll be more uncomfortable once other things get into it after.”

     Seojoon looked confused, not understanding what she was saying. “What other things?”

     The older female held a finger to her lips and made a soft shushing sound before pointing forward. The ceremony was about to begin. “You’ll see.”

     Haneul tugged at his necktie, trying to loosen it as his mother had made it too tight when she dressed him that morning. At this point, he was itching to rip the uniform off for good.

     When the ceremony and formalities were over, the parents have gone back to the work. “Congratulations” Soojin cheered as she and Seojoon approached Jihoon and Haneul after the families had finished taking their group photos. “Will you be staying for the after celebration?”

     “We should, shouldn’t we?” Jihoon answered, giving a glance to Haneul, whose attention was at their club members.

     “Celebration?” Seojoon questioned, wondering what it was. “Can I join?”

     Haneul’s attention was brought back by Seojoon’s question. He let out a laugh. “I don’t think you’d join once you know what it is.”

     “No way,” Seojoon concurred, going in between both of them and wrapping his arms around their shoulders. “I came all this way to celebrate with you guys for your graduation. You can’t leave me out now!”

     “You sure?” Jihoon said with a smile, pointing at him with a finger. “If we let you come, you can’t back out.” He looked over to his sister. Soojin nodded at him and lifted up a bag she had prepared to give them. “Here you go.”

     Once Jihoon and Haneul accepted the paper gift bags, Soojin gave a smile and effortlessly spun around in her high heels to exit the gymnasium in a strut. She had just made it out before the mayhem.

     Seojoon peered into the bag before Haneul pulled out what was inside. A carton of one dozen eggs. Jihoon pulled out a bag of flour from his. “This is your graduation gift?” Seojoon asked, just as confused as before. After the officials and teachers all had left, the students whipped out flour and eggs; lots and lots of eggs. Jihoon looked at Seojoon with a giving smirk. “How much do you like that coat?”

     What happened next was hard for Seojoon to witness, as the flour crowded the air and blocked a clear view. Next thing he knew, he felt the cool, goopy egg yolk slapped onto his face. The students, including Jihoon and Haneul themselves, had gone into a tossing frenzy. The graduating students had celebrated their entering into adulthood with a senseless exchange of flour and eggs until they saw nothing but white and yellow; and Seojoon was now caught in the crossfire.

     When the ‘dust’ settled, all the students were covered head to toe in egg yolk, shells, and tons of flour everywhere. Most importantly; all over their uniform. In the ceasefire, many of the tired students left the gymnasium and went home. The trio laid on the floor together and caught their breaths in heavy sets.

     “High school is really over, huh?” Haneul said in a questioning tone. The disbelief was real.

     Jihoon nodded and exhaled deeply. “We’re going to be adults.”

     “What’s next for us?” Seojoon asked with a chuckle, as he stared up to the ceiling.

     “I guess a normal life. University. Hopefully, a good job. Marriage, if we’re lucky.” Haneul answered, his eyes finding its way to the ceiling as well.

     “Do you think so?” Seojoon continued to pose questions. “You don’t think things will change from now on?”

     “Everything already has changed. Everything will keep changing. That’s life.” Jihoon sighed and finally stared up at the ceiling. “Let’s just hope it’s for the better.”

     The other two nodded in agreement to Jihoon’s wise words.

     “To our futures.” Jihoon said aloud, throwing up a fist into the air.

     Haneul and Seojoon followed suit, raising their own. “To our futures.”

     “May there be nothing but greatness.”

     May there be nothing but greatness.

     The cold month of graduation had long gone, but their moment in the gym seemed like only yesterday. All three of them participated in their opening ceremony for their university after their short-lived two-week vacation. Life moved forward and they were all happy to be able to show off their own sense of fashion on campus, instead of wearing their stuffy, tight uniforms. The seasons continued to change and everything was normal as their new normal could be, until the winter had come back for its turn.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

     “STOP! PLEASE! HELP ME. PLEASE!”

     The initial cry caught Jihoon’s attention, causing him to stop the snowmobile as requested and turn to where he believed the sound was coming from. His eyes subconsciously widened at the sight before him. The red-headed female that sat bloody and battered on the cold ground while wearing what was left of a gown.

     “I don’t want to go back... please, help me. I don’t want to go back... Please...”

     Jihoon stared at her as she continued to speak, unsure of what to make of the situation. It seemed too surreal to be true. But what is surreal anymore to him? He decided to think of the more important questions: What kind of person like her would be in a place like this, while looking like that? Was this a trap? Did she see him earlier when he returned to his sled?

     Despite his growing questions, there was one thing he knew: the blood smelled real. It smelled odd. And it smelled oddly familiar.

     Jihoon turned off the engine of the snowmobile. However, he felt his hand firmly grip its handle, twisting it as he refused to let his guard down until he got a better grasp of the situation. “Did you see me?” Being the first words that asserted itself out of his mouth.

     The girl did not respond as she kept her head low, beginning to sway from side to side in her sit.

     Jihoon followed up with additional questions. “Go back where?” “Are you alone?” “Is there anyone looking for you?” She made it aware that there was a place that she came from and a third party that made her stay against her will. Judging by her gown, it could be some sort of specialized hospital or institution. It seemed odd. Jihoon was not aware of any in Inje, especially in these part of the woods.

     “Concentrate.” He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and took a heavy breath, trying to focus. His ears twitched.

“She’s gotta be here somewhere. Keep looking.” A voice of a man said.

“Do you think she could really get far?” Another voice had questioned.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” A third voice confidently spoke. “She wouldn’t even know where she’s going. Damn thing will be running about going nowhere and exhaust herself. She won’t last. It’s too cold.”

“When should we shoot her?”

     ‘Shoot her?’ Jihoon’s eyes flung open as he heard a conversation from a distance. ‘Are these the people she’s running from?’

     His eyes looked over to her before he got off the rider’s seat. He knew he couldn’t keep sitting there and thinking. Whatever was happening, he needed to act fast. The men he heard could catch up to their location at any time. ping his jacket as he approached her, Jihoon draped it around her shoulders before kneeling down to lift her up into his arms.

     “Salvation.” The girl murmured weakly, gaining Jihoon’s attention.

     A deep and intense feeling of relief washed over her exhausted figure when Jihoon’s pair of warm arms scooped her off the bitter cold winter-covered floor. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Her body lay limped within his hold as he seemed to carry her back to the sled she saw he had.

     “Thank you...” Gratitude coated her words as she felt tears prickled at her colored eyes.

     There was one thing she needed to tell him. One thing she had to tell him. She couldn’t risk getting any type of medical attention. It would be the most possible thing for someone to do after seeing her condition, but public eyes were out of the question. Not if she wanted to remain hidden from the monster.  Blood seeped through her tattered clothing, drowning the once light blue fabric in scarlet. Her hand reached up to her side, pressing against the wound; fighting the lurking shadows that were trying to pull her into the abyss.

     “I’m going to bring you to a hospital,” Jihoon stated as he reached his sled, “You need a doctor.”

     “No hospitals,” She quickly answered. Insane. That was probably best word to she believed he would describe her at the moment. “Please—they’ll find me there.” Her voice as raspy from the dry throat and lack of vocal usage, letting her body slowly shut down from the exhaustion and blood loss she was experiencing at the moment. 

     “Miss, you need to see a doct—“

     “No…” She answered again firmly.

     Jihoon exhaled deeply and clicked his tongue in frustration before nodding. “Fine. Let’s just get you out of the cold for now and we’ll decide from there. Rest and I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

     His last words lulled her deeper into the peaceful state, the last thing her eyes imprinted was his face before everything faded to black. 

     “N-n-no, ho-hosp-hospit—.”

     Before her last plead could finish, slumber finally fell over the tired woman. Leaving her faith for now in the arms of the stranger that rescued her.

     For now, she would rest without worry.

     For now, she didn’t have to worry about going back to that monster.

     For now, she could bask in the relief feeling of knowing she was free and saved.

     Just for now.

     Once she was asleep, Jihoon kicked aside a number of his equipment to make room for her on his sled. He laid her down on it carefully as he would a newborn baby. Afterwards, he took out his phone carefully out of his jacket pocket while she slept, but this time, he was making a call.

     “Hey” Jihoon began once the person had answered his call.

     Once his conversation was over, Jihoon hung up and began typing something before putting his phone into his pants pocket. With that, Jihoon glanced over to where the girl had come from and the trail she left before looking up at the sky. He merely waited and stared. Not long after, the trees began to shake and the snow on the branches fell to the ground from an incoming gust of wind.

     At that moment, Jihoon held onto the girl’s hand and grabbed the edge of the sled before they and everything with them dissipated from the scene in an instant, leaving the strong blowing wind to remove any trace of their existence from the forest clearing and beyond.

     Not a second later, everything reappeared in the backyard of his home. Jihoon took a few slow and heavy breaths as he looked around to see if they arrived at the right place. Just then, he felt a lodge in his throat and started gagging before he spat out blood onto the white snow. He took a moment to himself as he felt his heart throbbing hard within his chest cavity. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he kicked some snow over the blood. It didn’t help it disappear, but at least it was less noticeable.

     Jihoon opened the back door to his home and treaded back to the sled to carry the girl inside. He brought her to the sofa in the living room and laid her down once more. She was still asleep. Rubbing the back of his neck as he was unsure of what to do next, Jihoon decided to bring her a heavy down blanket. Other than her wounds, her clothes were frozen. Her hair was wet yet also frozen enough that locks of hair resembled icicles. Her skin was so damp and cold that his jacket wouldn’t be enough. Before the blood loss from her wounds kills her; hypothermia would kill her first.

     Jihoon ran upstairs to the guest bedroom and grabbed clothes from his drawer and the heavy downer off the bed. Upon returning, he threw it over her and tucked her in quickly to not let any more heat escape her body. As this was all he could do for now, he hurried into the kitchen area to retrieve his first aid kit.

     “Hmmmm…” Ignoring the throbbing yells of pain her body was sending throughout its nervous system, the female whimpered quietly as she felt her body slightly warming up from the blankets. Her eyes slowly opened, her vision just as blurry from when she went to sleep.

     Jihoon returned at that moment and sat on the coffee table in front of her. He placed the clothes and first aid kit beside him and opened the latch to reveal the assortment of medical aids. “Are you awake?”

     “Y-Yes… I... I am.” The female answered weakly.

     “Good. I need you to stay awake for now so we can wrap up your wounds. Can you do that?”

     Subconsciously, the female’s body tensed up as she forced herself to shift onto her side, holding back a whimper that threated to leave her lips from the pain that pumped through her system. Whatever her father injected into her the night before was slowing down her abilities.

     The nameless female watched the first aid kit being unpacked and realized she was basically blinded in the human world. Her eyes landed on the tan-skinned angel that saved her from being caught. He didn’t need to help the nameless woman, like he just did. He had nothing that tied her to him, no reason to lend a hand to her. Humanity was a race that was supposed to be selfish, she thought. That’s what her father told her as she grew up. There are those who are blatantly evil. Those who were kind; were merely evil like the rest. Only difference was that they took pleasure in messing with the naive and innocent ones.

     “I’m going to tell you now; I’m not a doctor.” Jihoon spoke, unknowingly shaking her out of her deep thoughts, “I can only do so much.” He didn’t want to be forceful about the hospital since she reacted negatively, but he knew that sticking a few bandages and a few rolls of gauze dressings weren’t going to mend her broken bones. He just hoped that with this, she decided to seek professional medical attention.

     “It’s okay. They’re just cuts and bruises.” She replied with a weak smile, gingerly beginning to move the blanket before Jihoon stopped her.

     “No, not yet,” he said and presented her with a long t-shirt from the set of clothes he brought. “Change into this first. You can’t get warmer with that gown on. Change under the blanket.”

     Jihoon set the shirt beside her on the sofa and stood up to leave to give her privacy. “I’ll be back.”

     He had given her a good amount of time to change. Jihoon went to the kitchen while she changed and filled a large plastic bowl with warm water. He also grabbed a brand new hand towel from one of the cabinets before returning to her.

     Seeing she changed, Jihoon sat back down on the coffee table. “Okay, we can take off the blanket now.” He said and attentively moved it to wrap around her shoulders for her. He didn’t want her to move too much due to her undetermined injuries.

     “Stay put.” Jihoon folded the hand towel twice before dipped it into the warm water. Carefully, he dabbed and wiped away the dirt and blood on her arms and legs.

     “Oh my god. I think you fractured your ankle.” Jihoon exclaimed, discovering swelling and bruising not just at the base of her right ankle, but also above and around her leg. Unless his eyes were mistaken, Ae’s ankle looked a bit twisted as well. “You ran with your ankle like this? This is dangerous.”

     “No, it’s just a sprain. I’ll be fine.” She replied. She hoped that he didn’t notice, but it had already started to swell up.

     “A sprain is something I know how to help with, at least.” Jihoon dug out an elastic bandage from the kit and wrapped it accordingly around her ankle. Scooting over, he had her leg extend out and elevated it on top of the coffee table with a small sofa cushion. After he finished cleaning her wounds, Jihoon uncapped a tube of antibacterial ointment and generously applied it everywhere it was needed, before sticking adhesive bandages for the minor scrapes and cuts.

     “What is your name, by the way?” Jihoon asked her as he unrolled a gauze around her upper arm. “My name is Jihoon.”

     The female looked at him and then down at her hands. “…My name is Ae.”

     “Ae?”

     “It’s short for ‘Aethra’.”

     Jihoon blinked at her. “Which one would you rather be called?”

     “You can call me either one. It’s up to you...” She bit down on her lower lip.

     Jihoon hummed in thought. “I’ll call you Aethra.”

     Finishing up, he picked up two metal clips and fastened it on the gauze to secure it in place.

     “Do you feel pain anywhere else?” He added in question. “I saw that the gown you were wearing was bloody around your stomach.”

     “No. That was all.” Ae reassured, not wanting him to worry and bring her to the hospital without hesitation. After all, she still had some broken ribs. “Thank you. All I need is rest now and I’ll be better.”

     “You can sleep in my guest room upstairs,” Jihoon pointed up with his index finger. “It’s better than the sofa. I can make you food while you sleep. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

     Ae’s ears perked up when she heard him mention food. He was correct. She was hungry. Starving, even. Her escape had depleted her. “Yes… I’m hungry... Thank you.” She couldn’t help but thank him for every little thing he did for her so far. She had never experienced such kindness.

     “Okay, let’s go. I’ll help you.” Jihoon stood up and offered his hand to her so she can stand. Regardless if she were to say that she didn’t need assistance, he would have helped her. It almost became routine that Jihoon had Ae wrapped in the downer and lifted her off the ground into his arms. He made his way up the stairs and to the guest room from where the downer was originally from. Entering, he rested her down onto the bed.

     “If you need me. Just call my name.” Jihoon said to her. “You don’t need to get out of bed. I’ll hear you.”

     “Thank you.” Ae once again said, her eyes beginning to glisten.

     Jihoon walked over to the heater in the room to make sure it was and then shut the door behind him.

     Ae closed her eyes to try to fall asleep. She felt a tear roll down from the outer corner of her eye and drop onto the pillow. Finally, all the emotions she held within the past day began to flood out of her.

     No more chains.

     No more experiments.

     No more killing and most importantly; no more him.

     She was free.

     She believed her invisible chains that once bounded her to that horrid facility and the man that created her were now broken. Although she didn’t belong in this world, the creation was now free from damnation. “Freedom.” The word that was once so hard for her to pronounce now flowed from her lips easily. A light feeling coursed through her frame, making her eyes tremble as tears continued to stream down her face, not caring how uncomfortable it had become to tear up as her body ached.

     She wasn’t even sure why she called out for his help when she knew what would happen if they were to be found. All she cared was the distance that this man, Jihoon, was helping her put between herself and the monster that wanted her back. Death would come to her first before ever thinking of stepping back into that hell she was born in. The ability to move was now out of her reach since it seemed like her muscles decided to shut down on her. This was her body telling her that it wanted rest. With her muscles shutting down, she felt more relaxed. As if it had numbed the pain. Along with her body, her consciousness soon followed after, shutting down and letting her fall into a much needed slumber to heal both.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

     Leaving Ae in the bedroom, Jihoon relocated to the bathroom and the sink faucet. He cupped his hands together under the running water and filled his mouth. He swished the water around with his cheeks before spitting it back into the sink, witnessing the newly red-tinted water go down the drain.

     A few hours had passed when Ae had gone to bed. Jihoon took his time as he toiled away over a hot stove for his unexpected guest and patient, preparing dishes he believed would help nourish her body. The dining table became decorated with a variety of Korean cuisine. A few soy sauce and garlic chicken wings, a plate of stir-fried vegetable and glass noodles, seafood pancakes, one earthen bowl of steamed dumpling stew, and a slab of grilled pork belly with fried kimchi and garlic were neatly laid out. Jihoon went to the refrigerator to pull out some side dishes his mother had packed for him and filled some small serving plates. He finalized the table with a bowl of rice.

     Jihoon checked his wristwatch for the time. He wondered if she had gotten enough sleep to sustain her while she ate. Carrying the pants and boxers that remained on the coffee table, Jihoon went upstairs and slowly opened the door enough to peek his head in. “Aethra. The food’s ready.”

     Ae was unresponsive. Smelling something, Jihoon felt himself slowly becoming panicked, yet he was unsure why. He went to her bedside and leaned over. Becoming closer, Jihoon noticed Ae broke in a cold sweat. He reached out to touch her shoulder, lightly nudging it. “Aethra.” He whispered.

     Aethra stirred awake to the sound of his voice, opening her eyes to be greeted by his face, just as she had done before. “Aethra, are you feeling okay? You’re sweating a lot. Was it a bad dream?”

     Ae shook her head weakly as she blinked more to try and focus her vision. “I was just exhausted.”

     “Just exhausted? Do you still feel any pain?” He asked.

     “No, I am just exhausted, but I’m feeling better…”

     “Okay. Well, the food’s ready.” Jihoon said to her calmly. “Do you need me to carry you downstairs?”

     Shaking her head, Ae cautiously sat up on the bed. Sitting up was becoming a difficult task, causing her body to slump forward and sway to the side from her weight. Thanks to the rest she managed to get, it was getting better. “I don’t need help, thank you.”

     “If you feel okay to move by yourself, I’ve left a pair of boxers and pants for you to wear.” Jihoon placed the garments on the bed and went outside to wait for her, closing the door behind him.

     Ae persevered, finished dressing and hopped to the bedroom door on her left foot. Jihoon had her hold onto his shoulders as they travelled down the stairs. He led her to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her to sit. Her eyes widened at the sight of the food. It didn’t look like food she was familiar with. It looked extravagant compared to what she usually ate. As she sat down, she looked over at Jihoon, who was pulling out a chair for himself after placing a pitcher of water and two glasses onto the table. gulped as she watched him.

     Feeling her eyes on him, Jihoon’s met hers and blinked, wondering why. “You can eat now.”

     And just like that, Ae’s quick-moving hands almost blurred as they scattered themselves across the table, devouring all things edible. Her hands had mindlessly filled as she was in her blank state that no more food coated the dishes in front of her. Observing her behavior, the way she ate seemed less barbarous in her consumption and more that of long awaited relief. Despite not knowing what she had been through to build up such a hunger; it was to the degree that she had lost command of herself when it came to food, and he understood that. With that understanding, Jihoon queried why he made so little food.

     Ae’s mouth chewed the last remains of food before reaching out to pour herself a small amount of water. She had already devoured everything he made for her without taking much consideration into if he was eating or not. 

     Luckily for her, Jihoon didn’t seem phased by her lack of forethought to whether he wanted to eat as well because he wasn’t all that hungry. His eyes continued to watch her for the whole episode until she went for a drink.

     Timidly, Ae reached out for her cup after setting the pitcher and drank the liquid, moistening up her dry throat and vocal muscles. throbbed with satisfaction while silence filled the air around them. Maybe it was time to speak? She was sure he was probably wondering about her or wanted her out.

     ‘Finally she stops for a drink’, Jihoon thought, feeling it would be annoying to have a lot of food eaten without even a sip of a cold drink to refresh oneself in between.

     “Thank you.” The words came out again like a broken record. Ae’s voice was soft yet it had a husky hint to it from the abuse her vocal cords endured. “I’m sorry for breaking your food supply and eating the sealed food.”

     As the female began apologizing, Jihoon got up from his seat to prepare more food for her. There was a question he wanted to ask but he’d rather ask her sitting down face to face. He just kept his active labor over the hot stove, grilling up more slabs of pork belly and stir frying the kimchi and garlic together in a wok. The wok was burdened with the weight of a jarful of kimchi and three cloves of garlic.

     Ae’s eyes avoided his direction as they stayed glued to her now empty plate, her fingers picked at each other underneath the table. “My injuries should be healed soon, and I’ll be on my way... I can’t stay here for long. I need to keep moving.”

     Jihoon listened but did kept from responding. Keeping the contents separated in the wok to not mingle the tastes too much, Jihoon went to the fridge as they simmered and got the containers of side dishes to bring to the table. If she was going to clean out plate by plate, then he’d rather save the dish work and let her eat straight from the containers.

     “Don’t worry about the food. Food can be replaced more easily, unlike people.” Jihoon simply said.

     Bringing the containers of side dishes to the table first, Jihoon then brought the large bowl of fried kimchi and garlic in one hand, with another bowl of the same ware b with grilled pork belly. After setting the bowls, the male’s eyes glazed over the table to see if this was still enough for Ae. He felt if he sees it run low again, he wouldn’t hesitate to cook more.

     “Eat until you’ve had enough.” Picking his own pair of chop sticks, he ate a piece of pork belly. “Then you tell me what happened to you. We also need to talk about what to do with your injuries. Injuries like those will take a while to fully heal. They won’t disappear overnight.”

     “All I need is a night.” Ae concurred. Despite stating this, she figured she needed longer than a night. Maybe days. She wasn’t sure, judging by the condition of her figure, but if she could afford a night; she’ll take it.

     His mouth took in more pieces of meat to replenish himself from the energy he lost from cooking. “Were you kidnapped?” The first question he had asked her was off even to him. If she was kidnapped, going to the hospital wouldn’t be much of a problem because the kidnappers could be apprehended if they searched for her there. “Or did you escape from an abusive family?” This question made more sense. If she were to go to a hospital, her family can easily find her by name. In the case if they were family, who knows what excuse they could make for her running away. Mentally ill, perhaps?

     Ae caught her breath. “Do I have to tell you?” she asked.

     “Yes.” Jihoon answered unyieldingly. “Bringing you to my home was me doing you a favor. You telling me what happened to you is you owing me that favor. I need to know in order to help you better.”

     Ae in her lips, keeping quiet for a brief moment. “Do I have to tell you everything at once?”

     “… No.” Jihoon sighed at her uncooperativeness. He couldn’t blame her. He didn’t know how she felt, but in her state, it could be overwhelming. “Tell me what you can for now.”

     “I… am running away from…” Ae took a deep breath. “…Bad people. They hurt me. I-I just need to get away from here. Wherever here is.”

     “You don’t even know where you are right now?” Jihoon was a little baffled. “You’re in Inje County.”

     “Inje County…?”

     “It’s in the northeast region of Korea.”

     Ae looked at him with troubled eyes.

     Jihoon blinked. “South Korea.”

     Ae shook her head timidly. “I’m sorry. I… don’t know names of places or where they are.”

     ‘She must have been raised in captivity.’ Jihoon thought as he swallowed and gave a nod.

     “I’m going to Seoul today.” He began to speak, “Seoul is a city. And it’s a few hours away from here. You can come with me if you want, or you can rest here and leave elsewhere when you’re healed.” Jihoon tilted his head a bit as he looked at her, trying to see her reaction to his offer. “I have a car so you don’t need to walk. You can still rest on the way.”

     Ae stayed quiet, collecting her thoughts. Jihoon watched her and continued to speak. “If you want to separate when we get there, you can. But if you need to rest more, which I’m sure you do, there’s another bed that’s welcome to you.”

     “I’ll-I’ll go with you.” Ae finally spoke and then bit her bottom lip. If Jihoon said Seoul was farther than here, she wanted to go there as quickly as possible. She wanted to widen the distance as much as possible, as soon as possible. “I’m sorry to trouble you. I can’t thank you enough for your kindness.”

     “Don’t worry. I am just paying it forward.”

     “What does that mean?” Ae asked.

     Jihoon gave a chuckle. “It means to be kind to someone after someone else has been kind to you.”

     “Ah, I see...”

     “Enough talking for now. You should finish eating and we’ll go.”

     “Thank—” Ae stopped herself from finishing her repetitive sentence and gave a nod to thank him instead.

     As Ae was getting ready, Jihoon washed the dishes and organized them on the drying rack before he went outside to turn on the car engine to have it warm up before they made their departure. He went back inside and stood by the closet door near the entrance to fish out another jacket for himself to wear. He slipped into the jacket, one sleeve at a time and went to the sofa where Ae had left his other jacket and helped her put it on at the doorway.

     “Climb in.” Jihoon said as he opened the door to the passenger seat, closed it after she did so and sat himself in the driver’s seat. “You can recline the seat back so you can sleep.” He did the task for her, reaching across her for the little knob beside her seat. Ae simply watched as the male became very close, shifting her eyes to the side afterwards before feeling herself leaning back along with the seat. Subsequently, Jihoon pulled on her seatbelt and inserted it into the buckle to secure her, before leaning back in his seat to wear his own.

     “Go to sleep now. It’ll be a while.” Jihoon said to her and turned his attention forward.

     “Jihoon.” Ae spoke in a tired voice.

     “Yes, Aethra?” Jihoon answered as he glanced at her once more.

     “You’re much taller than I thought…” She said with a small smile and felt herself drifting off to sleep.

     “O-kay?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow from the random compliment. “Haha, I am pretty tall, I guess.” He shifted gears and started travelling down the driveway. Ae closed her eyes to let herself resume recovery. It would be a few minutes until they reached actual road, then the highway that would guide them towards Seoul.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

     The sun continued to descend, turning day into night as they left the countryside and entered the city. The car continued to drive on the highway until it was time to make an exit into local streets. It took another twenty minutes or so for them to reach his home. Jihoon drove into a fenced off property that resembled an old brick factory.

     “Aethra, we’re here.” Jihoon gently nudged her shoulder a few times, but she didn’t respond and stayed fast asleep. Raising his hand to her forehead, he felt her temperature, putting another one to his own to compare. “Let’s get you inside fast.”

     Jihoon carried Ae on his back as he entered the building and took the elevator to the second to last floor. With his hands full, he couldn’t type the entry code in the keypad nor pull out his keycard. Jihoon ended up knocking on the door with his foot.

     In a few minutes, a voice on the intercom by the door was heard. “Jihoon?”

     “Yes, it’s me” Jihoon answered. “Open up.”

     The door opened with a twist of the knob, revealing the face behind the voice. It was a dark-haired male in a stone green long-sleeved t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants. He was slightly shorter than Jihoon, but his pulled-back hair made up for the height difference. “Who’s the girl? Is she okay?” The drowsy male asked as Jihoon rushed passed him to lay Ae on the antique leather sofa.

     “Haneul, I need help. Her name’s Aethra. I think she’s getting sick.” Jihoon answered, quickly ping her jacket to reduce the heat on her body once she was laid down. “She was injured earlier. I found her in the woods back in Inje County.”

     “What’s going on?” Another male asked upon entering the room, startled from the sudden loudness. This male’s height mirrored Jihoon’s, but his skin was fairer by comparison. Unlike Haneul, he donned a burgundy pullover hoodie and black drawcord sweatpants.

     “Injured in the woods?” Haneul exclaimed, rushing over to the sofa as well. “Was she attacked by an animal? What are you doing here then? You should be bringing her to the hospital!”

     The third male crossed his arms and noticed the girl on the sofa. He looked up in thought after taking a breath through the nose. Curious, he walked over to her and leaned over a bit examine her condition. “Is no one going to tell me what’s going on?” He asked repeatedly.

     “Seojoon, you couldn’t hear from the other room?” Jihoon asked him.

     Seojoon shook his head, uncrossing his hands and putting them into the pockets of his sweatpants. “We agreed not to listen in on each other, remember?”

     “Right.” Jihoon nodded, remembering. “I’ll explain later to you guys, but I can’t bring her to the hospital.” Jihoon stated firmly.

     “Why not?” Haneul asked.

     “She’s running away from someone.” Jihoon admitted sternly and locked his eyes with Haneul.

     “Running away?” Haneul couldn’t help but ask questions about the sudden patient in their home. “We should let the police take care of it, Jihoon. If the person she’s running away from is bad news, then they need to be caught.” Haneul ran a hand down his own face, feeling concerned as Jihoon appeared to not be paying attention to his words. “Listen to me. We need to report this. It’s not our business to keep her from people who can help her. The police can help her. She’s injured, and on top of that, you said she’s getting sick. The hospital can help her. We can’t.”

     Hearing Haneul’s words, the look in Jihoon’s eyes changed. He hoped that he didn’t have to say what he was about to say. “Haneul… She’s different. Her blood smells different.”

     Haneul was rendered speechless. “What do you mean? D-do you mean she’s—”

     “—I don’t know what she is,” Jihoon interrupted, “but I know she’s not human. Not fully. If we bring her to a hospital, what happens if they do blood tests and figure that out?”

     Haneul rubbed the back of his neck, trying to think while Seojoon headed to the sink in the kitchen to dampen a folded cloth.

     “Well whatever she is— whoever she’s running from must be very scary.” Seojoon stated as he walked back over to the feverish Ae and dabbed the damp cloth around her cheeks and neck before resting it on her forehead. “She smells terrified and panicked. She must be hurting a lot too.”

     “She said she didn’t want hospitals. Said that they’ll find her there. I told her I wouldn’t bring her. She came with me because she trusted me on that.” Jihoon went to the where they had stored the first aid kit in the apartment and pulled out a digital thermometer. “If it’s just a fever, I’m sure we can take care of it.” Joining Seojoon, he carefully placed the thermometer between Ae’s lips and tucked the tip under her tongue. It only took a few seconds for it to read her temperature. “Less than 38.9°C. We’re in the clear for now.”

     “Jihoon.” Haneul stayed standing, turning around to watch the other two tend to Ae on the leather sofa. His eyes caught sight of the bandages on her legs becoming spotted with dried blood. Haneul felt his teeth clench together. He took a deep breath and went to the open first aid kit Jihoon left on the table and brought it to the wooden coffee table in front of the sofa. “I don’t know what to say anymore. Let’s just… focus on getting her better.”

     Haneul sat on the available space at the end of Ae’s feet and scanned the number of bandages and wrappings on her legs that needed to be changed. He started with the one on her shin, carefully unwrapping the gauze dressing to replace it with an elastic wrap bandage. “Jihoon?”

     “Yeah?” Jihoon answered after he had opened a cabinet to get Ae some ibuprofen to help with the fever.

     “You said you found her in the woods.” Haneul spoke, his voice conveying some skepticism. “When was this?”

     Jihoon looked at him from afar. “Today. A little after I texted you guys back. That’s why I came late.”

     “Just today? And these are bandages that you put on her?”

     “Why, what’s the matter?” Seojoon interjected, peering over to Ae’s legs.

     Haneul paused and looked up to Seojoon and then Jihoon. “Her wounds are already healed over.”

     Seojoon and Jihoon quickly went over to Haneul’s side to inspect his claim.

     “It’s true.” Seojoon was astounded, deciding to unwrap one of the gauzes on her arm, only to reveal the same result. “She’s not normal. I don’t think even the fittest people heal this fast.”

     “Check all of them,” Haneul instructed, motioning to Seojoon to follow his lead. “Replace any that hasn’t healed.” He turned to Jihoon after. “Jihoon, can you make her something to eat? Hot soup or porridge?”

     “Okay, I’ll make something.” Jihoon went to fetch the medicine he had abandoned along with a short glass of water and walked over to Haneul to hand it over. He dropped the tablets in Haneul’s open palm before walking back to prepare a hot meal for the healing female.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

     Heavy audible breaths left Ae’s lips as she started to regain consciousness sometime after their arrival. She shifted slightly, feeling her muscles sore. Opening her eyes, she learned she was in a new place by herself. The unfamiliarity made her uneasy. “Where am I? J-Jihoon?” His scent she had acquired from their initial meeting was still present, but he was nowhere in sight.

     Ae continued to call Jihoon’s name as she sat up on the sofa which caused the damp cloth to fall from her forehead and onto the carpet. Her call for Jihoon was met with the entrance of Haneul and Seojoon. “W-who are you?” Ae asked, wary of the new faces.

     “Nice to meet you, Aethra. My name’s Seojoon,” Seojoon brightly greeted and then patted Haneul’s shoulder. “This is Haneul. We’re Jihoon’s friends.”

     “His… friends?” Ae kept a skeptical eye on them before pushing her hands down on the sofa to help herself stand up. She still felt sore, but she didn’t feel as weak as before. “Where’s Jihoon? I know he’s here.”

     “He’s sleeping right now in the room over there if you want to check.” Seojoon said while he pointed to a door nearby, trying to lessen the nervous atmosphere. “Jihoon made soup for you too. I’ll heat it up for you if you’re hungry. It’s soybean paste soup with napa cabbage.”

     Ae shook her head quickly. “I just want to see Jihoon.”

     Haneul walked over to the entrance where Jihoon was said to be sleeping inside and opened the door slowly in order to not wake him. Ae took careful steps towards the door, keeping a watchful eye on the two men as she did so and peered in. Jihoon was indeed asleep on the bed inside. Ae could hear his breathing. He had slept on his stomach, looking as if he had collapsed onto the bed right after changing into casual home clothing. From what her eyes could see, he wore a white long-sleeved t-shirt similar to Haneul’s.

     Ae continued to stand by the doorway, fixated on Jihoon’s tired expression as he slept.

     “He wanted to be there when you woke up,” Haneul told Ae as he looked on as well, “But then he fell asleep after he made you soup.”

     Listening to Haneul as he spoke, Ae lowered her eyes and turned to him. “…I-I would like the soup, please.” Ae said softly, keeping her eyes down before she looked up at met his eyes.

     “Of course.” Haneul nodded and looked over to Seojoon. Seojoon nodded and hurried over to the refrigerator to pull out the pot of soup to reheat it on the stovetop.

     “Let’s sit back down while we wait for it to heat up.” Haneul gestured Ae towards the sofa while Seojoon attentively stayed by the stove. “I need to talk with you.”

     As Haneul and Ae sat beside each other on the sofa, Haneul clasped his hands together, squeezing occasionally as he thought about how to start the conversation. “How do you feel? Do you feel better?” To that question, Ae nodded, trying her best to keep eye contact with the male. “Good, good. Uhm… I know it may seem sudden to what I’m about to say, but I think it’s the best time since Jihoon’s asleep.” Haneul paused for a moment. “We know you’re not fully human, at least that’s what Jihoon told us. We started to suspect the same thing because of your wounds. They all healed too quickly.”

     Ae looked down and gripped on her t-shirt with both hands. She figured she needed to diffuse their conclusions and decided to lie. “I think Jihoon is mistaken… These wounds were already healing when we met.”

     “How is that sprained ankle?” Haneul simply asked her.

     Ae froze in reaction, her eyes shooting down to where Jihoon had patched her up earlier that day. Evidence of the injury had disappeared, only left was a light bruise on her right ankle.

     Haneul continued to speak. “Jihoon swore it was severely fractured, but here you are, walking around on two legs after only a few hours.”

     “J-Jihoon is mistak—”

     “Aethra—If that’s your real name. I’m going to be honest with you.” Haneul interrupted. Ae kept silence, her wide eyes on alert at his serious expression. “If you’re going to keep lying, then you shouldn’t stay here. Jihoon may be protective of you, but I am protective of Jihoon.”

     Watching from afar, Seojoon felt the atmosphere becoming tense and turned off the stove after the soup started to boil. He scooped the contents into a serving bowl and brought it over to the coffee table with a spoon. Seojoon placed the bowl and spoon in front of her and then sat beside Haneul. “Here you go. Eat, eat.” He encouraged her, however she didn’t dare to touch the bowl. “Haneul, you’re being too aggressive.”

     “I’m perfectly in the right, Seojoon. You should be one to understand.” Haneul disagreed and kept his attention to Ae. “Aethra. Jihoon is a special person. And he believes you are too. If you choose to keep lying, and that lying ends up putting Jihoon or any of us in danger, I will not forgive you.”

     “I’m sorry for his forwardness, Aethra. Don’t be too scared of him. He’s been friends with Jihoon since middle school, so he can be a little sensitive when it comes to him.” Seojoon chuckled nervously and wrapped an arm around Haneul’s shoulders, using his free hand to pat Haneul’s chest. “What Haneul is trying to say is that, uhm, we are more than willing to help you, but there is a risk if you don’t tell us what we need to know or answer our questions honestly.”

     Ae’s eyes shifted towards Seojoon. The last thing she wanted to do was put her savior in danger. “I… I understand. I’ll answer honestly…”

     Seojoon clapped his hands together. “Good. Let’s start off with the first question. You’re not fully human, correct?”

     Ae nodded in confirmation.

     “Okay. Next. Uhm...” Seojoon hummed, “We know your name. How old are you?”

     “I don’t know.”

     “Aethra—” Haneul said strongly.

     “—I was born and raised in a lab.” She interjected, wanting to explain herself. “At least that’s what I believe because I don’t have any memory of my life outside it. I didn’t even know when it’s day or night when I was there. I was lucky I ran away when I did.”

     “In this lab— it sounds like they did experiments on you.” Seojoon said, crossing his legs and laying back against the sofa.

     Ae nodded to his speculation. “Not just on me… There are others. They even made us fight each other at times.”

     “Fight each other?”

     “To measure our skills and powers.”

     “Powers.” Seojoon repeated and leaned forward at the last word. Seojoon and Haneul glanced at each other. “So that accelerated healing is one of your powers.”

     Ae nodded once more at his educated speculation. “Another reason I don’t need the hospital.”

     Haneul sighed deeply. “Do you know the name of this lab?”

     She unfortunately shook her head. “No, I don’t know.”

     “Well that doesn’t help us figure out how to stop them.” He groaned and fell back against the sofa.

     “We don’t need to stop them.” A random voice said, having all three of them look towards its source. It was newly awoken Jihoon standing at the doorway. Ae’s eyes lit up as she watched him come towards them to sit on the coffee table. Jihoon picked up the bowl of soup and spoon, offering it to Ae. “Eat, Aethra. It going to get cold again and won’t taste as good.”

     Ae wholeheartedly accepted the bowl from his hands and delicately ate by the spoonful. Jihoon watched her eat before he turned to face his concerned friends. “We don’t need to stop them. Aethra is out of their hands and that’s what matters. Even if we find out who they are, we can’t report them without basis. If we tell them about Aethra; we’d be basically informing them that we’re the ones who helped her. We can’t tell anyone without exposing her and risk exposing us.”

     Seojoon nodded in agreement, shivering at the thought and hugged himself. “I’m with Jihoon. I don’t want to be under a microscope.”

     Ae’s bowl was nearly empty, but she left the spoon in the bowl, in her lips for a moment and let them go to speak. “I can leave. It was wrong for me to want to stay here. I don’t want to put anybody in danger. I’ll be fine on my own.”

     “Aethra, where would you go?” Jihoon sighed, took the bowl from her and set it beside him. “How would you live? In fear? Always running? You’re not familiar with the world. If you live your life constantly looking over your shoulder, then this newfound freedom you have truly isn’t freedom.”

     There was that word again. Freedom. Hearing that word come from Jihoon’s lips made her eyes well up in tears like a trigger. The word that represented what she desperately longed for. The word that she always believed was out of her reach; until today. What he said was right. Running for the rest of her life wasn’t truly freedom. She knew that deep down. Ae lowered her head and rubbed her misty eyes, trying to regain her composure.

     “I’m sorry, Aethra.” Haneul apologized, feeling bad from seeing her cry. “Jihoon’s right. You shouldn’t live like that. No one should. I’m sorry that I didn’t think of it that way.”

     Ae tried not to sniffle when she felt tears fall from her eyes and onto her thighs.

     “Can you forgive me?” Haneul asked, feeling remorseful.

     “You don’t need to apologize…”

     Ae finally spoke as she wiped her tears away and looked up slightly.

     “You were in the right—”

     She gripped hard on the fabric of her pants.

     “—and we’re not friends.”