“Kwan-ah, go and help the others… I will chop up these vegetables for us…”

Seungkwan smiled, nodding profusely as he jumped to his feet, gently guiding his vulnerable grandmother closer to the wooden table. He rubbed his hands over his beige shirt, leaving visible stains. He slowly walked out of the small house, feeling guilty of having his grandmother do any work.

“Seungkwan, here!”, a desperate voice called.

“Ah, Mingyu-hyung, I told you to leave the harvest to me, didn’t I? Look at you! Just look at yourself!”, he approached the other and hastily carried the basket of carrots and corns.

“Hey, your wobbly arms won’t pull out these roots anyway!”

Seungkwan and Mingyu had been friends since they were children, sticking to each other throughout the years – but their friendship mainly composed of constant bickering and complaints.

“So, how is your leg?”, Mingyu asked as he leaned against a large tree, the trunk itching his back but that was the least of his concerns, the least of anyone’s concerns.

Seungkwan exhaled heavily at that question, slightly pulling his trousers up to inspect the bruise, red and in the midst of healing. “I mean, it’s better now but it still hurts.” He let go and let the tattered fabric cover the wound, continuing to chew on the piece of cucumber he just harvested a while ago, the freshness being the only source of serenity under the scorching sun.

“Serves you right for ambling around the well at midnight…”

“Oh my God, I’ve told you a thousand times already, I was looking for the locket!” Seungkwan resisted the urge to throw the half-eaten cucumber at the other, before letting out a loud laugh as Mingyu put on a funny expression.

They spent the rest of the night under the imminent moonlight, carving shapes on the ground using sharp stones and blunt pebbles, aiming some far away to compete their arm strength or so. However, the tranquility didn’t last long.

“Kwan, get inside!”

Seungkwan nodded at Mingyu and rushed inside, immediately kneeling down by his grandmother. “Halmeoni, are you okay?” He let out a sigh of relief as the woman’s lips curved upwards, before averting his gaze towards the cavity in the wall – the only window in the house. He squinted his eyes as he continued staring at the field outside.

“Kwan-ah, why do you look so concerned?”, his grandmother’s voice quivered as she spoke. “Ah, Mingyu, my dear, come and sit beside me… I haven’t talked to you in so long…”

“Ah… Halmeoni, we had lunch together yesterday…”, Mingyu whispered as he scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed but more so pitiful. He glanced at Seungkwan, who still seemed anxious at the endeavours outside.

“Hyung, something’s happening… We should go, we should help, we should see what’s up.”, Seungkwan pleaded as he furiously stepped towards the creaking door by the corner.

“Kwan-ah, where are you going?”

His grandmother was slow to pick up on the situation, and Seungkwan almost teared up at their situation, for he knew – he knew what was possibly happening outside, the fear bottling up within him and making him feel at unease; he knew the day would come, but not so soon, not at all.

“Halmeoni, I will be back in a bit, I promise. Mingyu-hyung and I will just observe the commotion and come back, alright?” Seungkwan wasted no time in receiving a response as he pulled Mingyu by his arm and escaped the house frantically.