"Jiyeon, you can spend the night here," his father said gently. "We bless your relationship."

"You stay here tonight—" Her father released her from his embrace and looked alternately at her and Jaehyun. "You two move into the cabin tomorrow. I'll pack your stuff and drop it off to you tomorrow morning."

We move out tomorrow? My dream of living in a cabin in the woods will finally come true! Excitement bubbled inside her. Jiyeon and her partner exchanged beaming smiles. She felt like she wanted to jump into his arms, but then her excitement vanished as she realized something.

Tonight is the last time I met Mom. Her lies hurt me, but I still love her. Mom, I'm sorry for all of the tough times I put you through, for all of the fights. I will miss you. You will always be in my heart… Jiyeon ducked her head down, feeling an ache of sadness seep into her body. A lump formed in , and her eyes welled up. A tear escaped and rushed down her cheek.

"Why are you this sad?" Her father ran his finger down her cheek wiping the stray tear away. "Are you regretting your decision?"

Jiyeon lifted her head and met her father's eyes. She noticed the glisten of unshed tears in his eyes. "No, I'm not regretting it. I'm just sad that tonight is the last time I met Mom," she croaked. "Dad, I want to hug her before leaving."

"You heard it yourself your mom won't let you live in the woods. She does not play with her words, Jiyeon. Sometimes, it's better not to say goodbye. Someday, I'll bring your mom to the cabin. Okay?" Her father caressed her head lovingly. His caress sent a warm, fuzzy feeling zinging through her chest. Jiyeon gave him a nod.

"We, parents, easily think our beloved children are our own because they came from our own body. If we think really hard, there's not one thing in this world that we can truly own. We cannot take a single thing with us when we die. When our children get to a certain age, there comes a time when eventually we have to let go of our children." His father's soothing voice was like a hug. "But more importantly, what it means to be a good parent is after we've cared for our children and protected our children from harm up to a certain age we must let go of our children and allow them to experience life on their own just like how most animals do. Sure, letting go is always very hard. Letting go of someone you love is especially very difficult. But in many situations in life, greater rewards are usually paid for things that are much more painful and difficult to do."

"Yes, that's what it means to be a good parent. Unfortunately in our country, especially many mothers would go against that natural order of things and simply won't let go of their children for too long and continue to advise and dictate their children's courses," her father responded. "Then things eventually become very toxic and harmful for both the parents and the children. That's why I want my daughter to move out as fast as possible." He shifted his gaze from his father to Jaehyun, who had his head ducked down low. "Jaehyun," he called softly. Jaehyun lifted his head to look at him.

"I admire your way of thinking outside the box," her father continued, "and I trust my daughter to you."

Jaehyun rose to his feet and moved towards her father. He dropped to his knees and held her father's hands. His eyes shone with unshed tears as he spoke, "Thank you, Dad. I definitely take care of her and make sure she eats enough."

"I trust you, son." Her father bent down and kissed the top of his head. A tear escaped the corner of Jaehyun's left eye, and then there was another.

"I am grateful and honored that you trust me," Jaehyun said gently as her father wiped the tears from his face. Jiyeon and his father exchanged big smiles.

"I'm glad she chose you to spend the rest of her life with. You both share similar values..."

The ringing phone interrupted her father. He reached into his inside coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "It's your mom." He pressed the accept button and held the phone to his ear. At the same time, Jaehyun went back to his seat.

Jiyeon heard her mother's apprehensive voice on the other line: "Where are you right now?"

Her father remained silent for about three or four seconds before answering, "I'm in Mr. Jung's house."

"Mr. Jung? You mean that boy's father?"

"Yes. Is there something wrong?"

Her voice rose several notches, coated with anger, "Why did you go there? Our daughter ran away from the dinner meeting. She lied she didn't go home. I'm sure she went there. I'm going there and take her home."

"From the dinner meeting or the engagement banquet?" her father retorted. "Don't go anywhere, I'm going home. Do you understand?"

The line went silent.

"Do you understand?" he repeated firmly.

"Okay, I'm waiting for you here in our house." Her mother's voice sounded calm but firm. "You must bring her along."

Her father hung up and put the phone back in his pocket. "Mr. Jung, I'm heading out. See you tomorrow," he said before standing up. The others followed suit.

"Dad, I'm going to drive you home," Jaehyun said.

"No need, son. I want you to stay here with her—" Her father switched his gaze from Jaehyun to Jiyeon. "You don't need to worry about your mom. Take a rest. You're moving tomorrow." He kissed her forehead.

"Jaehyun, take her to your room to have a rest," his father instructed. "I'm going to drive her dad home."

Jaehyun nodded. "Father, Dad, be careful on the way."

Their fathers gave them smiles before walking towards the front door. Jaehyun bent slightly and scooped Jiyeon up bridal style, his arms firmly supporting her legs and her upper back. She clamped her arms tightly around him, hiding her face against his neck as he carried her upstairs to his room.

Once Jaehyun set her down on the bed, Jiyeon asked, "Where's your sister?"

"She is at our grandfather's house. She will be back tomorrow morning," Jaehyun replied as he put her bag on the table then strode over to the wall. He flipped the switch, and the light went off. She felt the mattress depress as he lay down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly against him. "I can't wait for tomorrow to come. Our dream will finally come true."

"Me too." She smiled joyfully and snuggled her head on his shoulder. "Why did you never mention the fact that your late mother was older than your father?"

"I didn't think that mattered." Drowsiness crept into his voice. "I once asked you about s in relationships. Did you remember your answer?"

She touched her lips to his lightly. "Yes, I did." She settled her head into the crook of his shoulder and closed her eyes. His warmth soothed her. Eventually, she dozed off.

…

Jiyeon climbed up from the depths of slumber, feeling Jaehyun's body molded against her back. One knee rested casually between hers and an arm draped across her hip and around her waist. She stirred and stretched languidly as his warm breath tickled the skin at the nape of her neck.

Jaehyun's arms tightened around her. As moist lips touched , she found herself turning to her back and staring into his smiling brown eyes. "Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?"

She smiled brightly and rolled out of his arms. "Oh, I did." Facing him, she rose to her knees. His face looked fresh, as though he'd just had a bath, and he'd changed into a blue-and-white flannel shirt open over a plain white T-shirt with black hunt trousers. A quick glance at the digital clock on his bedside table showed her it was 7:35 a.m. She rocked back on her heels. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier? I really wish I could watch the sky turning from night to day with you." Her disappointment was palpable in her voice.

Jaehyun sat up and cupped her face in his hands. "You were being chased last night. I knew you were exhausted, and I didn't want to wake you. I wanted you to have enough rest." His deep voice thrilled her heart like music murmuring in its fount. "Did you forget we're moving today?"

Jiyeon shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Our dream finally comes true!" she cried out excitedly as she flung herself on him, hugging him tightly.

"You're choking me." Jaehyun gasped and tried to extricate her octopus-like arms clinging tightly to his neck. Jiyeon grudgingly let go of him.

He breathed out in relief. "That's your outfit." He indicated the neatly folded clothing on the table. "Our fathers are in the living room. Taeyong and my sister are chatting in the front porch."

"Taeyong?" Her voice rose in disbelief. "Wow, he does skip school! He has never done it before!"

"He seems really interested in..." Jaehyun trailed off when her stomach growled, obviously he heard it.

"You're probably hungry, huh?"

She chuckled softly. "I didn't eat anything yesterday, only drank two glasses of water."

He let out a long, deep, audible breath. "Go and take a shower first. I will bring your breakfast here."

"Okay." Jiyeon gave him a peck on the lips before jumping out of the bed. She went into the bathroom while Jaehyun walked out of the bedroom. She peeled off her clothes, tossed them in the laundry basket, then the water. She stepped under the warm spray, letting it pound against her back and shoulders, soothing her nerves. It's the last time I'm enjoying this warm shower. She closed her eyes and stayed underneath it until the water grew cold.

Jiyeon emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She strode over to his table and draped the towel over the chair. Right after she put on underwear, Jaehyun entered, carrying a glass of water and a plate filled with steak and two boiled eggs cut in half without yolks. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at her, unblinking. She watched the muscles in his throat working, Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, "I didn't mean to disturb you." He turned very quickly.

His reaction made her laugh inwardly. He had taken two steps when she asked, "Where are you going?"

"W-wait for you outside."

"Come on, don't be awkward like that. We're already committed to each other, and we even almost had ."

He turned back around to face her. She looked at his adorable flushed face, a slow smile spreading across her face. A shy smile crossed his face as he walked over to the bed. He put the glass on his bedside table and sat down on the bed, his back facing her. She quickly slipped into a plain black T-shirt and dark green hiking pants. She approached him as she put on her black-and-white plaid shirt, leaving two buttons ed.

"You don't eat yolks, so I ate them," Jaehyun said as Jiyeon flopped down beside him. He handed the plate to her.

"Thank you." Jiyeon placed the plate on her lap. The half-cooked steak had been sliced into small chunks. The meat was juicy red. It smelled wonderful, and watered. She picked up her fork and popped a small chunk of meat into . As she chewed, the meat tasted rather bland with the exception of the salt.

"Does it tasty?" Jaehyun asked.

"It's perfect. I like it a lot. No doubt it's free from artificial seasonings."

"I only added sea salt."

"I'm actually not really hungry, but this steak is just so delicious I can't resist." Jiyeon popped another chunk of meat into and chewed it with great relish. "I've been noticing I feel less hungry when spending more time in the sun since I tested the theory 'looking directly at the sun leads to blindness'. The sun charges us."

Jaehyun combed his fingers through her wet hair, his voice soft as he spoke, "Yes, the sun charges us. Our skin's exposure to sunlight produces cholesterol sulfate, an important regulatory molecule. UV light produces nitric oxide in the skin; nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and dilates them, which helps the blood flow more easily and lowers blood pressure. UV light activates solitrol, an important hormone in the skin that works in conjunction with the pineal hormone, melatonin, to generate changes in mood and circadian rhythms. Dr. Auguste Rollier known as the Sun Doctor espoused that the sun was an unsurpassed broad-spectrum medicine. In 1903, Dr. Rollier followed in the footsteps of Danish physician Dr. Niels Finsen, who received a Nobel Prize in 1903 for his treatment of tuberculosis using UV light. He opened his first clinic at Leysin, where he obtained excellent results in the treatment of tuberculosis by insolation in the brilliant Alpine sunshine. Dr. Rollier referred to sunlight as the 'best masseur'. He found, just as the ancient Greeks did, that when stimulating sunlight shines on bare skin in the cool air, it induces and maintains tone in the muscles without movement. It is a form of muscular activity essential for body heat, proper posture, and maintenance of bones. In Dr. Rollier's days, the motto was 'the deeper the tan, the better the cure.'"

After a short pause, he continued, "While Dr. Rollier was practicing in Switzerland, Dr. Oskar Bernhard became known during World War I for his skill at preventing wounds from developing tetanus and gangrene, and saving limbs other physicians would have been forced to amputate; Dr. Bernhard was a heliotherapist. In World War I wounds of soldiers were exposed to sunlight to achieve rapid healing. Dr. John Nash Ott was the pioneer of full-spectrum light, who highlighted the benefits of UV reaching the eyes from sunlight. Full-spectrum light is so essential to proper hormonal function that Dr. Ott cited four cases of women previously unable to get pregnant who became pregnant when they stopped wearing sunglasses. Dr. Ott coined the term 'malillumination' to describe the negative effects of sunlight deficiency and of fluorescent lighting on behavior, learning and health. Natural light equals healthy life. But 'experts' are telling us the sun is dangerous. We have to protect ourselves from sunlight to survive. We must use sun-protection clothing, sunglasses, hats and heavy-duty sunscreen. Ideally, we should act like Count Dracula: 'Fear the first ray of light; you might turn into dust!' These 'experts' are corrupt. Humans have always lived under the sun, in fact, many ancient cultures 'worshiped' the sun."

The sentence Jaehyun emphasized made her want to laugh. Jiyeon found it funny. She gulped, nearly choking on her food. "Not only does sunscreen block out the vital UV light the body needs, it is known that your skin absorbs 60 to 70 percent of a product that you apply to your skin that subsequently absorbs into your bloodstream and pollutes your lymphatic system. The skin is the largest and most permeable organ in our bodies. It is easy to see that what we use on our skin ends up inside our bodies. The sun is demonized when it's actually environmental toxins such as sunscreen, bad diets, radio waves from electronic devices, medications, so on and so forth, giving people cancer. Sunlight is the nutrient of life. The sun is an outer manifestation of our inner light."     

"The medical establishment claims that ultraviolet light is the major cause of skin cancers. This theory is based on the assumption that our thinning ozone layer allows more UV radiation to reach the earth's surface and cause destruction of all kinds, including damage to our skin and eye cells. The fact is there is no evidence that UV levels have increased at the earth's surface, despite the claims of worldwide 'ozone depletion'. The study, conducted by Dr. Joseph Scotto and his collaborators at the National Cancer Institute, published in the Feb. 12, 1988, issue of Science, presented evidence that the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching ground level stations across the United States had not increased, but in fact, had decreased between 1974 and 1985. When this study was released, the government shut down the network of observing stations because the results did not support the 'ozone depletion'-skin cancer theory. In 1982, the Lancet published a study conducted by Dr. Helen Shaw et al, which reported that exposure to fluorescent light at work was associated with a doubling of melanoma risk. In fact Dr. Shaw discovered that the lowest risk of cancer was in those individuals whose out activity was sunbathing." Jaehyun exhaled loudly. "The studies done on animals with ultraviolet light are flawed because they all exposed animals to highly abnormal amounts of ultraviolet light in unnatural ways. For example, in one experiment entitled 'Action Spectrum For Retinal Injury From Near Ultraviolet Radiation in the Aphakic Monkey' done by Dr. William T. Ham Jr et al, the monkeys used had cataract surgery. A lid speculum was placed in the eyes to hold the eyes open. This prevented the normal physiological response of blinking. And a 2,500 watt xenon lamp beamed high levels of ultraviolet light into their exposed eyes for sixteen minutes. This would never happen in real life so how are the results generalizable to normal exposure sunlight? This experiment was simply an animal torture."   

Intrigued by his knowledge, Jiyeon paused to listen carefully to him.

His eyes narrowed as he went on, "The 'ozone hole' was actually scam, a trial run for the climate fraud. They taught us in school that ozone is being destroyed by CFCs. You know they didn't teach us at school quite a lot of facts about atmospheric ozone that once you learn them you realize their argument is terrible. One of the things they didn't tell us in school was ozone is renewable. Ozone is formed when the ultraviolet light from the sun strikes oxygen molecules, splitting them into its ionic state which then seek out other oxygen molecules and attach themselves forming O₃. The so-called ozone layer is not a definitive quantity. Ozone is constantly created anew by the interaction of sunlight and oxygen molecules. Ozone's life cycle takes place in the stratosphere. Now because it was so easy to form it's also really easy to break it down and chlorine is what actually breaks it down. They didn't tell us this in school. They just told us that hairspray and air conditioners are bad. They didn't tell us why they were bad. They didn't tell us why freon was bad. Freon to the refrigerant you know it has chlorine in it. Chlorine is just one part of freon. Freon is an inert gas, its carbon–fluorine bonds are hard to break. There's a lot of ways that natural chlorine gets into the atmosphere for instance, forest fires and volcanoes emissions. The other thing they didn't tell us about freon was that it weighs four times more than air. In order to find the significant concentrations of ultraviolet light that can break apart freon and release the chlorine, you've got to get above 40 km. Freon doesn't just make it up that high. It's a heavy gas, four times heavier than air. It would obviously sink. So why is there so-called 'hole' at the Arctic? It reasons quite simple. Obviously where sunlight isn't present, there isn't going to be much forming of ozone because sunlight and oxygen make ozone. For 24 hours a day in winter the Arctic is dark. No sunlight, no ozone generation."

Even though Jaehyun straggled to keep his voice low and mild, Jiyeon could see that he was seething with repressed anger. His fists balled in his lap. She rubbed his back soothingly, earning a tiny smile from him. His chest rose dramatically as he inhaled deeply. He let out his breath in a deep, audible sigh.

"The reality, as opposed to the 'ozone hole' scare, is quite different. The 'ozone hole' phenomenon is a natural, endless, repetitive cycle. The so-called 'ozone layer' requires for its very existence, that O₂ molecules interact with the sun's ultraviolet light, in order to create O₃ molecules. Antarctic and Arctic are two places on the face of the earth where, for a portion of the year, no ultraviolet light strikes ordinary oxygen molecules, and therefore there simply cannot be any conversion of oxygen into ozone. 'Ozone holes' really aren't holes but merely an area in the atmosphere where the ozone producing a photochemical reaction between ultraviolet light and oxygen doesn't occur," Jiyeon said in a gentle, calm tone of voice. "As CFC molecules are several times heavier than air, they tend to settle into the ground. Ozone is an extreme oxidizer. CFCs by design are not flammable which means they cannot be oxidized. Because CFCs cannot be oxidized ozone has no effect on it. Hence the theory of ozone depreciation by CFCs has no scientific legitimacy. I'm not in favor of any strange laboratory-created substances polluting the air I breathe, and I wholeheartedly endorse the campaign to ban CFCs. But just stop for a minute and think. If CFCs caused the so-called 'holes,' why are these 'holes' only over the polar regions? Are human beings using too much air conditioning or hairspray in the coldest parts of the earth? If CFCs had much to do at all with the so-called 'holes,' then the 'holes' would be over New York, or Seoul, or London, or at least somewhere relative to these places where it could be shown that the air currents were causing the CFCs to accumulate."

She popped a half of the egg into and chewed it thoughtfully. She swallowed before she continued, "'Climate change' is a popular belief but more people believe that this is happening. It's always so hard to get them to open up their minds just a little bit to the possibility that popular belief isn't always right even though history has plenty of examples of popular belief being wrong and consensus isn't science. During the 1970s the media promoted global cooling alarmism with dire threats of a new ice age; the northern hemisphere would freeze by 21^st Century. People were convinced and began moving south. Of course, any who 'denied' it, were uninformed idiots. What we have to recognize is, the world believes these reports to be true simply because mainstream scientists declared it. You know it's kind of funny every time the weather is record cold, that's just weather even if it breaks the record books. But every time it's hot, that's climate."

"If people look at the science of all these things, look at the fact freon weighs four times more than air and that ozone is renewable, they easily see that this was a big scam that continues to have fallouts to this day, and they'll notice that the symptoms of 'climate change' are pretty much the same symptoms of the ozone scam. The 'climate change' has a lot of similar fallacies. Carbon dioxide is what they're demonizing here. Carbon dioxide just like freon weighs more than air, so it's going to sink. It's not going to stay up in the atmosphere for long. You know it's a little bit heavier than air so obviously it's going to float a little bit especially if it's heated up, as this gas cools, it falls to the ground level where it is absorbed by plants or sinks into water. This is the reason that they put carbon dioxide in fire extinguishers because it sinks to the ground and smothers the fire from oxygen. Greenhouse growers actually pump carbon dioxide into their greenhouses in order to maximize plant growth. Without carbon dioxide we can't have trees and plants, so to classify carbon dioxide as a pollutant is one of the biggest mistakes these people make. They're going after a gas for which life cannot exist without. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. In nature's wonderful balancing acts, green plants take in carbon dioxide, extract the atom of carbon as a 'building block' in their cellular growth, and expel oxygen. This is why it's so important that we stop destroying all the green stuff on the land by over clearing, replacing with concrete, and stop polluting the oceans, and thereby killing all the tiny green plants known as phytoplankton, one of the biggest ocean pollution contributors is sunscreen—" Jaehyun opened the drawer bedside table and took out a piece of paper.

"I printed a diagram of earth's energy budget from America's space agency website. I've been wanting to discuss this with you for ever since." He handed her the paper. "I've inserted Celsius temperatures beside a few of the radiant fluxes marked on this energy budget."

Jiyeon held the paper in her left hand. Her right index finger traced around the diagram as she examined it:

Jaehyun grabbed his phone off his bedside table and fiddled with the touch screen. He showed her an article entitled 'Attribution of the present‐day total greenhouse effect' published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres. He swiped his finger to scroll down the page and said, "Gavin Schmidt, a climate modeller, in this 2010 article, wrote that we quantify the impact of each individual absorber in the total effect by examining the net amount of long‐wave radiation absorbed in the atmosphere. This is zero in the absence of any long‐wave absorbers, and around 155 W/m² in the present‐day atmosphere. This reduction in outgoing LW flux drives the 33°C greenhouse effect defined above." 

He closed the web page and opened a pdf document entitled 'Earth's Annual Global Mean Energy Budget'. "Kiehl and Trenberth, the creators of the official energy budget, in this 1997 document, wrote that values for the net surface shortwave flux range from 154 to 174 W/m²—" He shifted his gaze from the screen to her. "Clearly they are saying that in their conception of the greenhouse effect, 'greenhouse gases' add something like 155 W/m² beyond what the sun can do. If that is the case, then why does their official Energy Budget try to imply something else, something extra?"

Jiyeon beamed inwardly, feeling proud of his ability to think critically. He placed the phone back on the bedside table. His finger traced green arrows on the diagram as he added, "As you can see here, they are trying to imply that 'greenhouse gases' provide 340.3 W/m². Isn't that what they are doing?" 

"Can you give me a pen?" she requested. He picked a four-color pen out of the drawer and handed it to her.

She set her plate aside on the bed and continued, "Here they are trying to perpetrate a subtle fraud. How do they accomplish this?" She put the paper on her right thigh, clicked the pen to black and circled the absorbed by atmosphere, thermals, latent heat values, then clicked the pen to blue and circled the back radiation value. "It's very simple. They add the values circled in black to the true value circled in blue—" She wrote 340.3-77.1-18.4-86.4=158.4 in the top right of the diagram. "So which is it? Do 'greenhouse gases' emit 158.4 W/m² or do they emit 340.3 W/m²? Clearly the former. If they are lying about such small things, what else could they be lying about?"

"They can lie about everything," Jaehyun responded. "The sun is considered the sole energy source, providing 340.4 W/m². According to their own diagram, earth receives 163.3+340.3 = 503.6 W/m². 503.6/340.4 = 1.48 > 1. Apart from the subtle fraud, isn't this a blatant violation of the first law of thermodynamics?"

Jiyeon nodded and let out a barely audible sigh. "We have to recognize that models are merely doing what is put into them with many assumptions. They are never proof. Neither are they substitutes for experiments. The source of energy on this energy budget is the sun with the power of 340.4 W/m². A watt is an energy transfer rate of 1 joule per second. So if 340.4 joules per second are being emitted to space while 340.4 joules per second are being absorbed, there's no room for a thermal savings account. Hence the assumption that gases like carbon dioxide 'trap heat' is a myth—" She wrote 163.3-18.4-86.4=58.5 in the bottom right of the diagram, 58.5+340.3=398.8 with one arrow pointing to the emitted by surface value and the other arrow pointing to the net absorbed value in the bottom left of the diagram.

Pointing alternately at the down yellow arrow and the up small strong-orange arrows, Jiyeon continued, "The bottom right of the diagram shows that the surface falls to 58.5 W/m² after initially gaining 163.3." She then pointed at the green arrows. "The bottom left shows what happens when 340.3 is added to 58.5: 398.8. 0.6 watt is diverted, so the surface now radiates 398.2 at 16 degrees. This is radiative forcing, i.e., mindless addition, at work. Like Nikola Tesla said their maths bear no relation to reality. Radiative forcing–the addition of opposing fluxes–is a fiction, and therefore, the greenhouse theory is a false paradigm. In an actual greenhouse, warming is caused by restricting the convectional motion of the air. The part played by the glass is the prevention of the escape of the warm air within the enclosure. If there was no roof to the greenhouse, the warm air would escape and the greenhouse would rapidly cool-down, in fact this is a known method of cooling a greenhouse, you just open up the vents and feel the temperature drop. I've read John Tyndall's 'Contributions to Molecular Physics in the Domain of Radiant Heat'. Nowhere does Tyndall measure, attempt to measure or document, any increase in the temperature of any of the gases in the tube. He merely assumes it. The reason he does not and couldn't have done so, is quite simple. It's called 'local thermal equilibrium'. The effect of which would have run counter to any point he was trying to falsely to imply. Carbon dioxide or any other so-called 'greenhouse gas' for that matter, can only ever induce cooling, such is the nature of 'radiative energy transfer', passive feedback mechanisms and thus reality." She handed the paper and pen back to him.

Jaehyun placed them back in the drawer. "The greenhouse effect is delusional nonsense. Think of it like this with regard to the much vaunted 'back radiation', if 1 unit of energy is emitted from the surface, and if a fraction, 0.z is radiated back, the sum at the surface is now -1 + 0.z, i.e., less than 1 or cooler, and not +1 + 0.z, i.e., warmer. How much simpler does the maths need to be? A volcano major event can replicate the huge increase in 'greenhouse gases'. The result of which is always cooling and never warming. The utter lunacy of carbon dioxide driving atmospheric temperature change is truly breathtaking in its blind stupidity. Earth's climate has been constantly changing. It warms, it cools, it never stays the same. Earth changes are natural. There is no climate crisis. Pollution deserves our attention, not carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring gas, the gas of life. Far from being a pollutant, carbon dioxide is the miracle molecule without which life on earth would cease to exist except microbial life. Climate alarmists are a danger to life on earth. They destroy rainforests for 'green energy'. Solar panels contain toxic heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. All this electric car nonsense is a joke. Lithium mining is absolutely horrendous on the environment. They spray aerosols into the atmosphere to block the sun. Then they want to build carbon dioxide storage systems—" He blew out a harsh breath, clearly angry.

His chest rose and fell as Jaehyun took deep breaths. He then continued, "It's about control nothing more, nothing less. 'Global cooling,' followed by 'warming,' then 'climate change,' were simply the ideal vehicles. Modern science as presented through the mainstream media only serves the purpose of furthering political agendas. 'Global warming' ignores scientific logic and provides a digestible alternative to the reality that the earth's biosphere is being destroyed by corporate and political entities."

"You're right. It's all about control. Fear is the greatest propaganda technique. Hitler's Propaganda Minister, Goebbels exploited and motivated the German population by striking fear into them. John Adams once said 'fear is the foundation of most governments.' A fearful population is easier to control. Mainstream media, political parties equal fearmongers." Jiyeon ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're definitely a critical thinker."

"The way to alleviate fear is through true knowledge. I love actively seeking knowledge." Jaehyun smoothed his hair back out of his eyes. "I'm sure you know 'critical thinkers' are now labeled deniers. When critical thinking is stifled, political thinking becomes rational regardless of absurdity."

Jiyeon couldn't agree more with his last statement. "Unfortunately, knowledge is of no use against the fear as anyone trying to desseminate knowledge is immediately dismissed as being a lunatic conspiracy theorist, and most people don't want to listen anyway," she remarked. "They naively believe that the governments have their best interest at heart, that the mainstream media would never lie to them. Their blind faith in science is on par with people's blind faith in religion. The only difference is the heretic is the 'denier.'"

"You're totally right." Jaehyun sighed. "Science has become scientism. Straight up religion. It not only takes much faith, if you dare to question it, you might lose your job and reputation. Its zealots resort to insult and bashing so they don't have to defend their arguments. They learned that from the likes of Richard Dawkins. Their blind faith will doom us all. That's why I choose to live off the grid away from them, from materialistic society."

"I've actually made up my mind to go live off-grid in the woods even without you, and my parents' approval. I'm so sick of our materialistic society worshiping man-made creations and demonizing Nature. Physical appearance is everything. Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are not 'a beautiful person', you belong to 'a cosmetic underclass' in other words a lumpenproletariat class of beauty. Teenagers often receive a plastic surgery as a birthday gift or a graduation present. Changing the body to make it more 'beautiful' is a simple act of initiation into society. Plastic surgery is, like the use of luxury products, a means of advertising one's social status. It's no secret that many workplaces discriminate based on a person's looks during hiring and promotions, especially for women. Men use anabolic steroids to build muscle for that 'perfect body'. It infuriates me how society and government like to blame 'brain chemical imbalances', germs, 'viruses' and the sun for the suffering and sickness, which are actually caused by their sins against Nature. As Hippocrates once said, 'Illnesses do not come upon us out of the blue. They are developed from small daily sins against Nature. When enough sins have accumulated, illnesses will suddenly appear.'" Jiyeon breathed deeply, calming herself.

"Beauty is big business in our country. The business of business is business, it's all about profit. Corporations don't care if they kill people as long as it's profitable." Jaehyun's voice rose a notch, and then dropped to just above a whisper. "People who don't use cosmetics are doing themselves a huge favor health-wise. Endocrine disruptors, cancer-causing ingredients are loaded in both high and low end cosmetics. Cosmetic consumers not only poison themselves, they poison our environment. Real beauty, happiness and confidence all come from within. Real beauty means being mindful of important issues that affect us, move us and shake us. We must live our lives unmasked and refuse to change ourselves just to meet conventional standard of beauty. We're in control of who we are. We are enough."

Jiyeon only nodded her agreement. She put her plate back on her lap and continued to eat. Jaehyun lapsed into silence, watching her. When she had done eating, he picked up the glass and handed it to her. She took the offered glass and drained it in one long gulp.

"I'm satisfied." Jiyeon rubbed her stomach.

Smiling, Jaehyun took the empty glass from her hand and plate from her lap and said, "I almost forgot Teacher Im called me early this morning. She asked me where you are, and I told her you're in my house. Her sister is going to come here to meet you."

"Why does she want to meet me?" Jiyeon asked. "Does Baekhyun accompany her?"

"I don't know I didn't ask." Jaehyun rose to his feet. Jiyeon followed suit.

"I've put our backpacks in the car's trunk. We're going to the woods after the meeting," he added as they walked out of the bedroom, heading towards the staircase.

Jiyeon made no response. She slowly descended the steps, her eyes downcast as she wondered whether her parents had a fight last night. She went to the living room while Jaehyun headed towards the kitchen.

"I'm surprised to know that our children have already picked out names for their future kids." Her father's voice sounded a little hoarse. "Jaeyeon and Jihyun are beautiful names." 

"Jaehyun came up with those beautiful names by combining their names." His father's voice took on a rather proud tone. "It never occurred to me to combine parents' names for a kid."

"Good morning," Jiyeon said, bowing politely to them.

"Did you have a good sleep?" his father asked.

"Yes, I had a good sleep," Jiyeon answered politely before she sat down beside her father and held his hand. "Dad, how is Mom doing?"

Her father took a moment silent before answering, "She locks herself in our room. We had an argument last night. I ended up threatening her with divorce. It was the only way to stop her dictate your life. I knew I hurt her." A single tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek.

Dad did something he will probably regret for the rest of his life because of me. A knot of guilt twisted up in her stomach. Her eyes grew moist. Jiyeon swallowed the lump in as she wiped the tear off his cheek then hugged him. "Dad, I-I'm sorry...I'm really sorry I've caused you and Mom to argue and fight," she mumbled.

"It's okay. You did nothing wrong, Jiyeon. You want to experience life on your own, and the only thing I can do is to support you. You don't need to worry I will never leave your mom," her father whispered so softly and gently as he fondly caressed her head. "I promise I'll take her to the cabin someday. You must take good care of yourself until then."

Her father's reassuring and comforting words made her guilt fade away. His caresses induced a wonderful, warm, fuzzy feeling in the centre of her chest. Jiyeon closed her eyes, savoring the moment. She opened her eyes when she heard Eunji call her name.

Eunji was standing beside her own father, wearing baggy khaki-colored hiking pants, and a brown long-sleeve shirt. She flashed a smile. "Someone is waiting for you outside."

Jiyeon excused herself and stood up. They walked side by side towards the front door and stopped in the doorway. Mrs. Im, dressed in a business suit with her hair tied back in a bun, was standing before Taeyong, who was sitting at the bottom of the porch steps. Her eyes were fixed on him as she scolded him for skipping school.

"You really aren't supposed to be here. The main purpose your parents work hard to send you to school is for you to study. Attend classes and not skip."

"Studying can happen anywhere, anytime, not just in the classroom," Taeyong retorted, annoyance lacing his tone. "Who are you to interfere in my business?"

"Taeyong, you said you want to change your uniform. Come on, I'll take you to the bathroom," Eunji butted in. Grabbing his school bag off the step, Taeyong rose to his feet, turned around and walked over to her. They both stepped inside the house.

Jiyeon approached Mrs. Im and bowed in greeting to her. In a calm voice, she said, "Last night I told you I don't like Baekhyun one bit. I'm not going to apologize for messing up the engagement banquet."

"I came here not to talk about that." Mrs. Im pulled her into her embrace, making her gasp. "I checked Baekwoon's photo album last night. You were the girl he called sun girl. He called me every day just to talk about you. Your bravery to look directly at the midday sun inspired him to overcome his fear of ghosts. I'm so happy I've finally met you."

Her embrace was soft and kind. After a moment, Jiyeon pulled away and asked, "It was true his fear of ghosts that led him to be labeled a schizophrenic, wasn't it?"

Mrs. Im gave her a nod and sat down on the step. "His fear of ghosts got worse when his university roommate died in a freak accident as the motorcycle he was riding on collided with a container truck, and his body was broken into pieces. Baekwoon couldn't sleep at night and hide under his blanket. He didn't dare to go to the bathroom alone. As a result, he wetted the bed. His lack of sleep caused him to do things he normally would not do," she explained in a low voice. "I decided to bring him home, so I could take care of him. My husband opposed my decision fiercely, but after a psychiatrist diagnosed him with schizophrenia, he finally agreed."

"What was the university he attended?" Jiyeon sat down beside her. "And what was his major?"

"He attended the same university as you. He loved Chemistry and majored in it. He wanted to be a Chemistry teacher just like his aunt. I wish you didn't run away when he finally had the guts to talk to you…" Mrs. Im's voice trailed off and ended in a suppressed sob.

Her suppressed sob made her eyes grow moist. Jiyeon blinked them clear. She couldn't quite believe she and Baekwoon attended the same university. "I ran away because his thief-like-outfit scared me," she murmured.

Mrs. Im fished a tissue out of her purse and dabbed her eyes before she looked at her. Her faint smile contained sadness. "Yoona has told me about your voice-hearing experience and your relationship with your student. Early this morning, your student told her that you both are moving out to the woods today." Her voice sounded hoarse. "Last night, you wanted to ask me about something related to Baekwoon, didn't you? You can ask me now."

"Baekwoon's voice has constantly warned me to stay away from Baekhyun. Baekwoon said he is a playboy. Baekhyun gets angry whenever I mention him," Jiyeon began unhesitatingly, "my question is how was their relationship?"

Mrs. Im was silent for a moment and then replied, "Baekhyun and Baekwoon never really played together. Baekwoon had always been a straight-A student. Being a top student caused him to gain popularity among female students. He didn't do anything extra, he just had a really good memory and probably was good at solving problems. Baekhyun, on the other hand, didn't do well at school. My husband would constantly sit down with him and study for hours. Baekwoon would complain to me that his father only loved his brother. He had no concern for him. I would play guitar to comfort him and try to convince him that his father loved him too. He spent more time on his brother in order to help him improve his school performance. Baekhyun stubbornly refused to study whenever I asked his father to let Baekwoon join them."

After drawing in a long deep breath, Mrs. Im continued, "In high school, Baekwoon dated a classmate named Ahn Heeyeon. Knowing this, Baekhyun told her about his fear of ghosts. As a result, she broke him up. Baekhyun then dated her and dumped her after impregnating her. Her parents got so angry and demanded him marry her, or else they would report him to the police. As a mother and woman, I wanted him to marry her. I told him that having children out of wedlock is considered socially unacceptable. Baekhyun adamantly refused to take responsibility, saying he'd rather kill himself than get married at a young age. He wanted her to have an abortion, but Heeyeon refused to abort the child. I slapped him hard in the face twice and rebuked him for insisting on abortion, saying 'abortion is killing. Abortion without harm is simply not possible. It is fraught with long term risks of autoimmune diseases, infertility, increased ectopic pregnancy risk, regret, suicidal ideation and cancer.' My husband, on the other hand, defended him and challenged her parents' threat. He said that it wasn't a case, and he would hire the best lawyer he could find. His son had with their daughter with her consent. Going to court would only shame themselves. In the end, her parents gave in. Heeyeon dropped out of school and was turned down ten times in job applications. Baekwoon asked me to help her. Without my husband's knowledge, I gave her a small coffee shop and a certain amount of money every month to help the financial costs of raising a child. Heeyeon has been through an awful lot for being an unwed mom. She is branded as immoral and a failure. People treat her as if she had committed a crime. I'm glad she is now married to a nice man, and her son is doing well."

Heeyeon's experience of being treated as less than human for being an unwed mom is just another proof how materialistic society is. Marriage truly is just a piece of paper. All the problems we expose ourselves to are caused by materialistic society. People are valued and defined by what they have and how much they can accumulate.

Jiyeon brimmed with anger and disgust, her eyes narrowed, her nostrils flared. "Baekhyun was obviously very jealous of his brother's intelligence," she hissed through clenched teeth. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "No wonder Baekwoon warned me to stay away from him. He is a real douchebag."

"Yes, he is." Mrs. Im ducked her head down. "I used to blame my douchebag son and husband for Baekwoon's death. They put too much trust in psychiatrists. To them, it's wise to swallow poison in the pursuit of mental health. I also blamed myself for sending him to Japan. A week after his death, Baekwoon appeared to me in a dream. His clothes were so white and bright. He looked peaceful and joyful with that beautiful smile. He took my hand and hugged me and I felt so much happiness. He told me not to blame anything, not to be so sad and enjoy life. When I woke, it was intense, also there was a strong aroma of flowers. I came to the realization that sending him to Japan was the best thing I've ever done. He did not die in vain. He saved the life of another person. If he was admitted to mental hospital, a cocktail of drugs would slowly kill him."

Baekwoon's appearance in his mother's dream moved Jiyeon to tears. Her nose was running; she didn't even bother to wipe it. She pitied Mrs. Im for having two douchebag men in her life, for having lost her kind son. She now understood the reason he accused Jaehyun of such a thing in her dreamland. He might had been worried what had happened to his ex would happen to her. A familiar guilt trickled through her, making her stomach hurt.

Baekwoon, I'm sorry for being rude. Please do not worry about me. Jaehyun is very different from your douchebag brother. We love each other and trust each other and are totally committed to each other. Jiyeon sniffed.

Mrs. Im fished tissues out of her purse and offered one to Jiyeon while she dried her eyes.

Jiyeon took it and wiped her runny nose. "Did your douchebag son ever see his son?" She swiped a hand across her face, brushing away the moisture that dampened her view. "How old is his son?"

"No, he never saw his son." A note of bitterness crept into Mrs. Im's voice. "He is six years old. Do you have any other question?"

Jiyeon shook her head. "No, I don't have."

Mrs. Im looked at her wristwatch. "Well then, I'm leaving." She rose to her feet.

Jiyeon followed suit and hugged her. "I appreciate your taking the time to speak with me, Mrs. Im."

"I'm so pleased to talk to you," Mrs. Im whispered as she her head, evoking a warm, fuzzy feeling in the centre of Jiyeon's chest. "Congratulations on the commitment you made. I pray your life together will bring happiness and joy to you both."

Jiyeon smiled gratefully upon her. Mrs. Im broke the hug after a moment. She gave a little wave, turned and walked off.

"She really is a good mother." Jaehyun's voice came from behind her. Jiyeon looked over her shoulder to find him standing leaning against the door frame.

"Are you ready to move now?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Okay, I'm going to call our fathers."

Jaehyun stepped inside. Waiting for them, Jiyeon stared directly at the sun, her eyes squinted slightly against the bright glare. At count five, her eyes became adjusted. She watched as the sun's white disk gradually turned black, its warmth enveloping her, and her heart exploded into a million stars. She turned around when she heard footsteps. Jaehyun, Eunji, Taeyong and their fathers approached her. Taeyong had changed into a red plaid flannel shirt and blue jeans. Jaehyun smiled as he held out his hand, and Jiyeon took it.

"Eunji is going to drive you two to the woods accompanied by Taeyong," his father announced as they walked over to the car parked in the driveway. Eunji slid into the driver's seat while Taeyong got into the front passenger's seat.

Jiyeon hugged her father and said earnestly, "Dad, thank you for everything. I love you so much."

"I love you too." Her father kissed the top of her head. "Remember, you must take good care of yourself."

Jiyeon broke the hug and smiled. "No worries, I always take good care of myself." Then she hugged his father. "Father, thank you for trusting me. I am truly honored by the trust you have instilled in me."

At the same time, her father hugged Jaehyun. "Someday, I will take my wife to the cabin. You two must take good care of each other until then. I'm sure she will eventually approve of you."

"We definitely take good care of each other." Confidence crept into Jaehyun's voice. 

"Jiyeon, living in the woods will provide you with an immense amount of freedom, but you need to be prepared. Figuring out how to do things like seasonal property maintenance, chopping wood, and growing a garden is basically how you'll spend your first year." His father her head, eliciting a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. "Another thing you can do is learn to dry meat, so you don't have to throw it out. It's pretty easy to do and a great skill to have. Once it's dried, the meat will last a long time. Jaehyun has survival skills that will make him very reliable. Enjoy everything Nature has to offer."

"I will." Jiyeon pulled away from the hug.

Smiling, his father opened the passenger door for her. Jiyeon bowed politely to him and her father then got into the passenger's seat. Jaehyun climbed into the seat beside her after giving his father a goodbye hug.

"Jaehyun, you must promise me you will tell me when my daughter gets pregnant," her father stated firmly, holding the car door, his eyes fixed on him.

Jaehyun and Jiyeon exchanged surprised glances. Jaehyun then responded in a calm, reassuring tone, "No need to worry, Dad. I will definitely tell you when she gets pregnant."

Her father shifted his gaze to his sister. "Eunji, drive safe and be careful on the roads," he told her.

Eunji looked over her shoulder at her father with a smile on her face. "No worries, uncle. I'll drive safe."

Her father gave them a fatherly smile then closed the car door. Eunji started the engine and pulled out of the driveway slowly. Jaehyun rolled down the passenger window, and he and Jiyeon waved to their fathers. Their fathers waved back to them. As Eunji gradually increased her speed, Jiyeon laid her head on his shoulder. Jaehyun took her hand and rested their holding hands in his lap.

"Wow!" Taeyong shouted excitedly as Eunji to the highway, shifting gears and going faster and faster. He looked over his shoulder at Jiyeon. "Youngest teacher, if I knew it earlier that you are moving today, I would invite Chaeyeon to skip school."

"You skipped school because you wanted to learn mental math or see my sister?" Jaehyun teased. "Come on, be honest."

"Both, are you satisfied, teasing me?" Taeyong snorted, staring straight ahead. Jaehyun chuckled, shaking his head. Jiyeon lifted her head and stared through the rearview mirror at Eunji to see her smile.

"Sis, it turns out Baekhyun already has a son."

Just as the words flowed from Jiyeon's mouth, the car came to a sudden stop, causing them to be thrown forward in their seats. Fortunately, the highway was empty. Eunji looked over her shoulder at her. "How did you know it; did Baekwoon tell you so?"

Jiyeon shook her head. "His mother just told me about it. The old woman who scolded Taeyong is his mother. Baekhyun snatched Baekwoon's girlfriend, got her pregnant and dumped her. He never saw his son."

"He is an absolute douchebag," Eunji remarked.

Jiyeon and Jaehyun moved backward when the vehicle suddenly started moving forward. They drove in silence, enjoying the comfortable calm. A few hours later, Eunji pulled the car off the highway onto a winding dirt road that led to the woods. They travelled for a few miles until they came to a small clearing. Eunji turned off the engine, and they stepped out of the car.

"Youngest teacher, Jaejae, are you serious to go barefoot in the woods?" Taeyong looked down at their bare feet as they moved towards the back of the car.

"Of course, we're serious," Jaehyun responded vigorously. Simultaneously, Jiyeon teased, "Are you afraid of getting parasite invasion?"

Taeyong clicked his tongue loudly. "That's not funny, youngest teacher."

"Going barefoot in the woods is a very sensuous and a pleasurable experience." Eunji opened the trunk. "Try it you won't regret it." She pulled out her medium backpack and shouldered it.

"Human feet are not fragile little things that break if not imprisoned by footwear, which is unnatural. The fact is that humans are made to be barefoot. Shoes separate you from feeling the earth under you and weaken your feet over time. Bunions are caused by shoes. Many people, especially older people, suffer from painful bunions. Doctors do lots of money making surgery to remove painful bunions, but none of them will tell patients how to avoid pain and surgery by throwing away their shoes." Jaehyun pulled out his big backpack and shouldered it. "Going barefoot strengthens the muscles, bones and joints in your feet. Your feet quickly adapt to the environment and your feet get tougher. Walking barefoot is not profitable. It is no wonder barefoot walking isn't promoted." He pulled out Jiyeon's big backpack and handed it to her.

"I help you carry it." Taeyong grabbed her backpack and shouldered it.

"Thank you." Jiyeon smiled.

Eunji pressed her lips together, trying to hide a smile as Taeyong removed his shoes and threw them into the trunk. Eunji imitated what Taeyong did before slamming the trunk shut. Jaehyun took hold of Jiyeon's hand and led her into the woods. Taeyong and Eunji followed behind them.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the canopy of green; trunks soared upwards, their leaves drinking the light, their roots gripping the earth. It was peacefully beautiful. They walked slowly across the forest floor, stepping on twigs, plants and dirt. Jiyeon enjoyed feeling the composition of the ground with every step she took. Stepping on twigs felt like a massage to the soles of her feet and invigorating. A prickly massaged when she wiggled her toes in the nettle patch. There was nothing painful about these micro stingers in her feet. Damp dirt felt as though it had a heartbeat, and with each thud she could feel her body drinking in its energy and using it to recharge her own battery.

They stopped occasionally and listened carefully to birdsong, the rustle of squirrels in the leaf litter, insects buzzing. The fragrance of the woods was delicious. They inhaled deeply, savoring it. They exchanged bright smiles, feeling as if they had become part of the forest, a rock on the path, a fly in the air, the dancing leaves on the trees. Turning right, they followed dirt path with moss-covered rocks that felt like velvet. The path led to a tranquil clearing. As they paused at the end of the path, Eunji muttered something Jiyeon couldn't catch.

"That's the cabin we're going to live in," Jaehyun announced, jutting his jaw towards a log cabin nestled near a stream. A few meters from the cabin, there was a goat barn with a pallet fence around it, and a chicken coop on the right side of the barn. "I told my grandfather I'm going to live here. He blessed my decision and brought goats and chicken here two days ago." He unshouldered his backpack and handed it to his sister. "Sis, help me put it in the cabin. I'm going to the barn."

Eunji cradled his backpack to her chest as she headed to the cabin. Taeyong followed behind her. Jaehyun mouthed 'let's go' as he took her hand. They could hear the cluck of chickens as they approached the barn. He opened the fence gate, and they stepped inside. A pair of goats and two pairs of hens and roosters were grazing on grass.

"Do you know how to handle a chicken?" Jaehyun asked.

Jiyeon shook her head. "No, I've never touched alive chickens."

"Well, I'm going to show you how to handle it."

Jaehyun walked in a stooping posture towards a hen, spreading out his arms as he tried and ushered the hen into a fence corner. The hen squawked as he placed his hand on the middle of her back, securing her wings. With his other hand, he secured her legs and lower part of her body and gently and slowly lifted her. He hugged her close to his body and patted her. The hen stopped squawking, seemingly feel secure. Jiyeon smiled faintly, admiring his ability to handle chickens. Jaehyun set the hen back on the ground when they heard sounds like someone sawing a piece of wood. They left the barn, heading to where the sounds came from. Eunji was cutting a piece of hardwood about three inches in diameter into small pieces in lengths of about eight inches in front of the cabin while Taeyong sat on a log beside her, his eyes fixed on her.

"Sis is going to make wooden wedges known as glutes," Jaehyun whispered in Jiyeon's ear before they sat down on the ground covered with green grass in front of them.

Once Eunji had done cutting, she placed the folding saw on the ground and grabbed a hatchet. She held a small piece of wood in a near-vertical position and chopped the bottom part, tapering to a V-sharp point. When she finished making two wooden wedges, she said, "These wooden wedges will make splitting a log easier—" She pointed at the log Taeyong was sitting on. "Can you move? I'm going to show you how to split that log."

Taeyong's forehead creased as he gave Eunji a doubtful look but did not say a word. He got up and crouched down in front of the log. The log was about 10 inches wide and 14 inches tall.

Her fingers grazed the surface of the log as she continued, "As you can see here, there are no cracks, so the first thing I have to do is to make a good, deep, score line across this surface in order to get those wooden wedges started—" Eunji put the hatchet on the center of the log, grabbed a baton made of a branch and hammered the hatchet . She moved the hatchet and continued to extend that score line all the way through the diameter of the log. She went back and forth on that score line two times, then put the baton back on the ground and said, her index finger tracing the line, "You can see I made my score line which is nice and deep at this point. Once I knew it was deep enough and it was good enough, I came to the edge of the piece of wood. Then I'm going to start to hammer my hatchet in there, that's going to start to open up the score line a little bit." She grabbed the baton back and hammered the hatchet .

Jiyeon smiled inwardly when the wood Eunji was using to hammer on the hatchet just busted in half, and she totally ignored it. Jiyeon noticed the line open a little bit more.

"All right, as these cracks start to open up what I'm going to do is to start to put my wooden wedge in place. This is going to take a little bit of patience and a little bit of muscle to get this thing started." Eunji took a wooden wedge, put it on the center of the log and hammered it several times. She removed the hatchet, replaced it with another wooden wedge and repeatedly hammered it. Jiyeon could see that the split on one side of the log had almost already run right through to the end. Eunji then went to the other side of the log and put the hatchet on the edge of the wood then repeatedly hammered it. After a short pause, she continued batoning the hatchet and wooden wedges, driving them into the log, which caused the wooden wedge on the other edge of the wood to fall down on the ground. She used the hatchet handle to apply pressure, causing a light sound to ring out. The log was split in half perfectly.

"Just like that the log is split out perfectly just where I would want it." Eunji beamed a satisfied smile.

So cool, very easy! I'm sure I can do that too. Jiyeon couldn't stop from smiling, her excitement bubbling up inside of her.

Taeyong shook his head while clapping his hands together, an amazement look blanketing his face. "Who would have thought that small hatchet was going to split out a big log like that. Such an amazing skill you have."

"Our father taught us this method—" Jaehyun pointed at small flexible twigs on the ground. "Sis, you are going to make a log torch?"

Eunji gave him a curt nod, while Taeyong gave him a quizzical look and said, "A log torch? I've never heard of it."

"It's a 'one-log-campfire', made by spliting a log into how many sections depending on what you want to do with it. The fire is self-feeding, and the log burns from inside out. So once you've lit it, you don't have to really mess around with it. It's got flat surface, so you can cook on the top of it or boil your water. Depending on the type of wood, one log can burn for hours without needing any attention, so it's a really good system," Jaehyun explained. "A log torch or better known as Swedish torch was invented by soldiers during the Thirty Years' War for heat and light. The reason they came up with this idea is because where they were fighting during the war firewood was quite scarce and they didn't want to travel miles to collect firewood for them so they came up with this smart little idea of splitting the wood into sections and making a torch."

Taeyong shifted his gaze to Eunji. "Okay, show me how to make one."

"To make a log torch, you need to chop a segment of wood into four large pieces and remove the insides of each piece, so it forms a hole when you put the log back together. I've split the log in half, so I'm going to split the two halves in half." Eunji positioned one-half upright, put the hatchet on the surface and began to baton it. Once the line was deep enough, she removed the hatchet, replaced it with a wooden wedge. She began batoning the wooden wedge, driving it into the wood until the wood split out in half. She did the same thing to the other half. Done with that, she carefully chipped out the inside portion of a quarter. Once she finished chipping the insides of every quarter, she changed her squatting position to sitting on the ground.

"If you want to backpack for a night, but you don't want to carry that big axe and want to make one log fire, it's definitely doable. This method of splitting logs is a skill for your toolbox. There's a couple of things you can do to bind the quarters back together. You can dig this into the ground to hold it together. You can use small flexible twigs which will eventually burn away, or you can use some wire," Eunji continued as she put four large pieces back together vertically. "I don't have wire, so I use small flexible twigs." She wrapped a small flexible twig around the bottom of the log and tied it off.

Taeyong looked down at the hole in the middle of the log and said, "Looks like a stove. Skipping school today is the best decision I've ever made. I learn actual skills in the real world instead of learning a theory in the classroom."

"Using wooden wedges to split logs is how the settlers did it before chainsaws. This is an old skill that you never see anymore." Eunji wrapped another small flexible twig around the top of the log and tied it off. "If you truly have to survive, you might want to learn more about wild plants and herbs."

"Stinging nettle is very good to eat, incredibly nutritious. Truly one of the best survival foods around. Our late mother would make stinging nettles soup served with a boiled egg cut in half when I was little, absolutely delicious. Their presence in the environment is a good sign of nitrogen rich soil. This plant is high in iron and protein. It also has one of the highest chlorophyll contents of any plant and is high in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and K, as well as copper, manganese and calcium. It is a great blood purifier and thus clean eczema internally. Using stinging nettle with dandelion leaf to improve kidney function, reduces edema and relieves gout; this herbs act as a diuretic that not only won't deplete minerals, but will supply them," Jaehyun chimed in as he took the hatchet. "The stinging hairs contain acetylcholine, histamine, formic acid and serotonin, and the stinging sensation is mostly a histamine reaction. The stinging hairs are neutralized by hot water and cooking. You can eat nettles raw without getting stung by folding and rolling a leaf into a tight bundle and squeezing firmly on the bundle. They taste well and have rather a nutty flavor. The sting of the nettle actually produces beneficial results. The brave souls with arthritis or rheumatism purposely sting themselves with the nettles in a process called urtication. Urtication can be traced back to Roman times. Romans used to whip themselves with strands of nettles to encourage surface blood circulation in an effort to keep warm in England's cold and damp climate and relieve rheumatic pains. I once treated my neighbor's arthritic thumb with some of the stinging part, and he was amazed how it alleviated the pain around the joint." He chopped some grass to the bare dirt, then dug just a few inches below.

Once Jaehyun had done digging, Eunji set the log torch there and put some small wood chips into the hole. She fixed her eyes on Jiyeon as she spoke, "Nettle's iron content combats anemia and fatigue, and makes it a wonderful plant for us women as it can ease menstrual cramps and prevent heavy bleeding during menstruation. This wonderful plant is great for expecting or new moms, providing daily nourishment and milk production. Washing your hair with nettle tea helps stimulate growth and restore original hair color. I discovered through frequent experience that if allowed myself to become annoyed or bothered by being stung I would have a far worse skin reaction to the sting, but if I continued in a serene manner the sting soon went. The mind is capable of immense effects on the body."

"Hmm, this brother and sister are knowledgeable about this prickly plant. Jaejae, you deliberately led us to a patch of stinging nettles, didn't you? None of us have arthritis in feet," Taeyong remarked, shaking his head. "Walking barefoot through the nettle patch stings for a moment at first, then I find it more like pins and needles than painful. It's just like a tingling sensation. I do enjoy this sensation. We are brought up to avoid stinging nettles, hate them, because of their sting. It turns out they're full of goodness. Low on cash? Stinging nettles are free. Going barefoot, I feel more close to our mother, the Nature. I now believe the best things in life truly are free." His slow smile broke across his face.

"We're taught to fear Nature and worship man-made creations, aren't we? In case you didn't know, the best antidote for nettle sting is the nettle itself. Crush some of the fresh nettle leaves into a paste and put it on the stung area. It will stop stinging within about a minute. The juice of the nettle's leaves is a natural anti-histamine. Applied to cuts, wounds, burns and scalds, it helps to speed healing. If you believe in the serotonin depression myth, instead of poisoning yourself with antidepressant drugs, eat this nutritious plant and let sunlight enter your eyes; sunlight triggers the pineal gland in your brain to produce serotonin. Lots of nutrition in the plants and herbs. Leave those pharmaceutical drugs alone, and you'll live a healthier life," Jaehyun responded, his right hand holding the hatchet handle close to the head, his left hand holding a stick in a near-vertical position. He placed the hatchet edge below his left fingers and pushed it downwards, creating a thin curl.

"The low serotonin hypothesis is absolute medical fraud," Eunji added. "A nocebo is the opposite of a placebo. When a doctor estimates a patient's life span, the patient understands this as truth and accepts their fate. This strategy is designed by big pharma in order to convince them that they need to accept allopathy type of medicines. The health care systems, no matter where, belong to organizations whose goals are to put fear in people. Letting go of this fear would allow us to heal ourselves. Our minds and bodies are amazing and powerful. It's time to begin to think for ourselves. Question what you're told. Don't give your power away. Reject fear-based scenarios. Honor Mother Nature!"

Taeyong nodded. "If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't know stinging nettle contains its own antidote. Nature is portrayed as our enemy and man-made creations such as pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines are portrayed as our savior. Knowing the real reality is the opposite of what is portrayed sets me free. I'll definitely avoid pharmaceuticals like the plague and stay away from doctors to keep healthy."

Jiyeon remained silent, watching Jaehyun shave down the stick intently. Thin curls remained attached to the bottom stick, and she wondered why he left them that way.

After a few runs down the stick, Jaehyun placed the stick with a bunch of thin curls attached to the bottom on top of the log torch, saying, "These tiny curls are called feather sticks. A very well-known fire lighting tactic, especially for wet weather conditions."

Taeyong and Jiyeon exchanged looks, and then the words flowed from his mouth very smoothly. "Youngest teacher, it's obvious you don't know survival skills. That's okay. Jaejae will gladly teach you. That means he will be your teacher. Swapping roles, huh?" He chuckled, covering his mouth.

"We've switched roles before. I can't wait to switch roles again." Jiyeon smiled broadly.

"You both have switched roles before?" Taeyong alternately stared at Jiyeon and Jaehyun. "What did you teach her about?"

Jaehyun looked at Jiyeon, and his brow wrinkled. "Guitar? How to play it?" His confused expression matched his tone. Jiyeon's smile grew even broader as she nodded. His face broke into a smile. "Nature is the greatest source of learning and teacher. Jiyeon, we will help each other to learn—"

"Wait! You call our youngest teacher by her name?" Disbelief blanketed Taeyong's features.

Jiyeon clicked her tongue in annoyance. "There's nothing wrong with him calling me by my name. Did you forget you used to call me Yeonyeon, Jiboast in front of your classmates?"

"Our youngest teacher is now my life partner," Jaehyun proudly declared. He raised his dirty hand and patted Taeyong's cheek, leaving fingerprints. "If someday you date my sister, you can call her by her name." A teasing tone crept into his voice.

Eunji reached up to Taeyong's face. His Adam's apple bobbed wildly in his throat as she ran her palm across his cheek, wiping off fingerprints. Jiyeon could see his face grow red, and she laughed inwardly.

"You can call me by my name now." Eunji patted Taeyong on the shoulder gently. "No need to wait until you date me."

"Okay, Eunji." Taeyong quickly clamped his own hand over his own mouth, his eyes widening as if he was surprised at what he'd just said.

Eunji, Jaehyun and Jiyeon laughed at his reaction. When the laughter subsided, Eunji spoke, "Tae, we're going to stay the night here. We'll be back home tomorrow. No worries, I'll explain to your parents where we've been."

Taeyong pumped a fist and let out a loud "Yes!"

Eunji and Taeyong stared at each other, smiling. Jaehyun shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. He then moved to sit behind Jiyeon. He put both arms around her and drew her against his chest. Smiling, Jiyeon laid her head on his shoulder. They all lapsed into silence as they watched the bright rays of the setting sun flow through the trees, illuminating the green grass and leaves. Insects flew in the rays of the setting sun whilst the sound of birds, rustling leaves and a running stream provided a deeply relaxing ambience. The sky was painted an array of orange and yellow. Their faces were aglow with their radiant smiles as they enjoyed the serene beauty of Nature.

"Jiyeon, do want to try to light our log torch?" Eunji broke the silence.

Jiyeon lifted her head and gazed at her, "Sure, why not," she replied enthusiastically. Eunji opened her backpack, pulled out a camping knife and a round cylinder about six inches in length and handed it to her. Her enthusiasm vanished. She just looked at it and blurted out, "You offered me to try to light the torch, but you're handing me a knife and round cylinder instead of a match. It's not funny at all."

Eunji pressed her lips together, her whole body shaking with silent laughter. Taeyong and Jaehyun let out stifled laughter that turned into quiet giggles.

I didn't say anything funny, why are they laughing? Jiyeon sighed in exasperation and elbowed Jaehyun in the stomach.

"Jiyeon, that round cylinder is a tool called a Ferro or Ferrocerium rod; when struck, they produce very hot sparks that can be used to start a fire," Jaehyun explained. "The name ferrocerium comes from its main components, ferrum and cerium. They can even produce these hot sparks when they are soaking wet. You can use any knife as a striker." He took the rod and knife from Eunji's hand and handed the rod to Jiyeon. "Grip the handle of the rod between your thumb on top and the side of your index finger below."

Jiyeon did what she was instructed. She gripped the handle between her left thumb and her left index finger.

"The next thing you have to do is to place the end of the rod into or next to the materials that you want to ignite." Jaehyun handed her the knife. "There are two ways to strike the rod. Move the rod against the knife by pulling the rod up against the spine of the knife, and move the knife against the rod by pushing the spine down the rod. You have to figure out what works for you. Put some pressure on the rod or spine connection before you push or pull. If you're slower, that's fine as long as you've got good pressure. Slow and steady wins the race. Do you get it?"

Jiyeon gave him a nod. "Yes."

"Go ahead and light feather sticks I've placed on top of the log," Jaehyun continued. "Once the stick is lit, put it into the hole."

Jiyeon moved closer to the log torch and stood on her knees. Eunji, Taeyong and Jaehyun gathered around the torch, watching as Jiyeon placed the rod onto feather sticks at a 45-degree angle. She put the palm of her right hand holding the knife handle on top of the log, positioned the spine of the knife at the top of the rod and held it there firmly at a 45-degree angle to the rod. She applied firm pressure as she pulled the rod back towards herself in a slow and steady motion, producing a plethora of sparks that fell onto the curls. She blinked, surprised by the fact that she'd managed to ignite feather sticks with only one strike on the first try. The others swapped looks of disbelief but did not say a word. Beaming proudly, Jiyeon held the tip of the stick pointed downward, so flames grew larger. She put it into the hole, and small wood chips caught flame. They took two steps backward as those flames came shooting up out of the hole like a giant candle.

"No wonder it's called a log torch," Taeyong said, watching flames shoot out. "Youngest teacher, you're awesome. When I used the Ferro rod for the first time, it took me twenty-three strikes, but it only took you one strike. Using this tool is not as easy as it may appear."

"It took me sixteen strikes," Eunji muttered. Simultaneously, Jaehyun said, "It took me seven strikes."

"Oh yeah! I'm the winner!" Jiyeon laughed, clapping her hands together in delight.

Taeyong looked at Jiyeon then exhaled loudly through pursed lips. "You should thank sun boy for telling you the proper technique to use it. I'm now more interested in learning survival skills than mental math."

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me sun—"

Jiyeon interrupted Jaehyun by planting a quick kiss right on his lips. "That was a token of my gratitude."

Taeyong whistled. "Wow, you're so bold! You kissed him in front of his sister—" He snapped his fingers in front of Jaehyun's face, who was staring into space, seemingly shocked by her action. Jaehyun blinked as if snapping out of his trance. Taeyong assumed a serious expression as he continued, "Sun boy is a nickname I created as a token of my gratitude to you for opening my eyes to the truth about the sun. I never meant to make fun of you or anything."

"Well then, you can call me that." Jaehyun wrapped an arm around Jiyeon's shoulder and pulled her close. "You know Baekwoon called her sun girl. We're sun boy and sun girl, a perfect couple who love staring directly at the sun." He beamed widely, exposing those adorable dimples.

Sun boy and sun girl? How amusing! Jiyeon pressed her lips together lightly, laughing inwardly.

Taeyong placed his hand on his chest, pretending to puke. "You sound cheesy." He chuckled, then grinned. "Well, sun boy and sun girl, you two are really a perfect match for each other."

Eunji kept smiling at them, her eyes glistening. "You both are wonderful individually. It's so heart-warming that you've found each other. Wishing you a lifetime of love together."

"Thank you, sis." Jaehyun's beaming smile grew wider.

Jiyeon moved closer to Eunji and hugged her. "Sis, thank you for accepting me as your brother's life partner," she whispered. "Thank you for sharing your survival skills."

Eunji didn't say anything. She just caressed her back, evoking a familiar warm, fuzzy feeling in the centre of Jiyeon's chest. I really like this wonderful feeling. Jiyeon closed her eyes, beaming as she enjoyed each caress.

"If our mother were still alive, she would accept you too. She always admired those who question authority to think for themselves. You're one of those people," Eunji whispered after a moment's silence. She broke the hug and looked her straight in the eyes, adding, "It's my pleasure to share my knowledge. Our father considered survival skills were important, so he taught us when we were kids. Now, kids think survival is how well you do on a video game. Most of them would die in the wilderness on their own."

"Children get taught from a young age that money and working in a city is the only way to survive," Jiyeon remarked. "They're also programed to enjoy virtual reality. Well, that's just another way for power-hungry people to enslave and control humanity. Being enslaved to upgrade for the newest techno gizmos is a sad state of affairs."

"You're right." Eunji lay down on the grass and stared up at the evening twilight sky. "Money is slavery and pollution in a mental way. It generally makes humans greedy and defensive instead of more giving and connected. In this corrupt capitalist society everybody has to fight, is a race, an eternal struggle. Being in debt is like living in prison without the prison walls: you live a life of work to pay debt. What is life when you can't live?"

"Out in Nature, getting grounded every day is the natural way of living that we're supposed be living. We're not supposed to be boxed in and surrounded by toxic pollution. Bushcraft survival is an art that should not have died out. It's scary how many people don't even know how to do anything without man-made electricity. They have become too dependent and reliant on technology that if it were to be taken away from them they would be confused and lost. They are slaves to technology. They pursue it like lions pursue their prey. They refuse to accept the fact that EMFs from the unnatural sources such as hair dryers, laptops, cell phones, television and other appliances are harmful to all biological life. How can technologies that make their lives easier be harmful? So they persistent in the belief that only microbes, 'viruses' and the sun make humans sick," Jaehyun chimed in. "In the 1970's Dr. Robert O. Becker, an orthopedic surgeon and researcher in electrophysiology, warned that power frequency and radio wave fields were damaging to health. He lost his research funding and was forced out of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Syracuse University. In his pioneering 1985 book, The Body Electric, Dr. Becker explained that repeated exposure to electromagnetic radiation results in disturbances in the biological cycles of the body. Dr. Becker was one of the first people to lead the opposition to high-voltage power lines, and he has been named as one of the most influential figures in the area of anti-EMF activism." He lay on Eunji's left, close by. He patted the spot beside him, signaling Jiyeon to lie down. Jiyeon did as she was bid.

"Sun boy, you're really knowledgeable and familiar with different things. I admit it I'm a slave to technology—" Taeyong ran his hand over his face, rubbing his eyes. "I regret the time I've wasted on playing video games where I could have used it to learn survival skills." He sighed, sounding regretful.

"You can stay here a bit longer if you wish," Eunji said. "We can learn and practice those skills together."

"Then I'll stay here for a week!" Taeyong's voice rose in excitement. Beaming, he lay on Eunji's right. He kept a few inches between them.

Eunji yawned loudly. "I'm sleepy."

"Sis, go and sleep in the cabin," Jaehyun said. "Jiyeon and I will sleep here."

"Okay, I'll get a blanket for you." Eunji rose to her feet, grabbed her backpack and went inside the cabin. A moment later, she came back, carrying a blanket and a sleeping bag. She handed the blanket to Jaehyun. He thanked her as he took it.

"You can sleep in the cabin if you want." Eunji handed the sleeping bag to Taeyong.

"I don't want to disturb their moment." Taeyong rose to his feet. "I go sleep in the cabin."

"That's just your excuses," Jaehyun said in a joking tone. Taeyong gave him a wink and got a little smile in return. He followed suit as Eunji went back inside the cabin.

Jaehyun rolled onto his side, facing Jiyeon. "Finally this moment has come true. We're living off the land away from society." He her face lovingly, smiling brightly.

"Jaehyun, I've lived in an artificial bubble that encourages more abstract life skills. What I lack that our ancestors had was knowledge and experience. I'm lucky to have met you. Together, we're going to learn and practice practical skills." Jiyeon caressed his dimple, her expression mirroring his.

"We're both blessed to have each other to do life with." Jaehyun kissed her forehead with such love and devotion. Jiyeon grinned from ear to ear, feeling a warm, fuzzy, tingling sensation in her chest that radiated to the rest of her body.

Laying on their backs and holding hands, they watched the starry sky with a few light wispy clouds, passing by fully illuminated glowing moon, soothed by the soughing of the wind through the trees, the stream gurgling, and nocturnal creatures calling. I can finally escape the materialistic civilization and live peacefully surrounded by Nature. It's where my heart longs to be. Jiyeon beamed as bright as the brightest star in the sky, placing her palm on her chest. An indescribable feeling of warmth and boundless gratefulness filled her heart.

"Let's sleep now. Tomorrow is the beginning of our new life together." Jaehyun wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Jiyeon snuggled into him resting her head on his chest. They both peacefully drifted off to sleep under the stars. They would wake up to the rising sun, end the day with the setting sun.

---

Dr. Harold Hillman was mentioned in chap 38. Dr. Hillman is a genius, who repeatedly challenged the orthodox biological/medical community in its interpretations of the effects on cell structures of extracting, dehydrating and staining under the electron microscope. In his 2011 paper entitled Cell Biology at the Beginning of the 21^st Century is in Dire Straits, Dr. Hillman details the preparations required for a number of laboratory procedures and states, "When a tissue is prepared for histology, histochemistry, electron microscopy, or immunochemistry, an animal is killed; the tissue is excised; it is fixed or frozen; it is embedded; it is sectioned; it is rehydrated; it is stained; it is mounted; it is radiated by light, or bombarded by electron beams."

A particularly salient point is that any tissue sample that is to be examined is clearly no longer alive after it has been subjected to these preparation procedures. Dr. Hillman explains in his 2013 paper entitled A Serious Indictment of Modern Cell Biology and Neurobiology that there is a complete lack of recognition of the effects of such preparation procedures on the tissue sample and comments, "Biologists have shown little interest in the effects that the procedures they use, have on the structure and chemistry, of the tissues they are studying."

Dr. Hillman insists that any experiment involving electron microscopy is incomplete and its conclusions cannot be justified. He and his collaborator Dr. Peter Sartory had enormous difficulty in publishing their work. The orthodox biological community ridiculed their views in social situations and accused them of being "controversial".

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