Sector 1 🛡 yungi [▶]

4

Yunho served the same food again for breakfast.

Mingi remained quiet since he woke up early due to disturbing noises. Apparently, it was only Yunho chopping firewood. Unaccustomed to early mornings, Yunho prepared with a straw bag, knife, and axe around 7 AM.

"I'll search for food; it might take a while," Yunho apologized. "So, sorry, you might miss lunch. There's leftover taro from breakfast if you get hungry."

Mingi nodded, helping Yunho sling the axe over his right shoulder. "Be careful."

Yunho smiled broadly and walked away.

Remaining at the doorway, Mingi wondered where Yunho went. To the south, there was a small path villagers used to go to the forest. It was brighter, safer, and more accessible. However, Yunho headed north, directly toward the drug warehouse Mingi had searched before.

Resisting the urge to follow Yunho again, Mingi entered the house, searching every corner meticulously. Taking pictures, he tidied up as close to the initial condition as possible. The kitchen yielded nothing. Mingi moved on to the living room and Yunho's room.

Despite meticulous searching, including clothes folds, Mingi found nothing related to drugs. Even the wardrobe held only clothes, some money, sewing tools, and fabric. Frustrated, Mingi rushed outside to check the small shed behind, where Yunho made charcoal and stored uncut wood.

However, he found disappointment again. Mingi had torn everything apart but found nothing. Frustrated, he considered Yunho might have a secret passage connecting this place to his drug warehouse.

Mingi inspected the floor, stepping heavily, trying to detect thin sounds from an empty space. The shed revealed nothing. All sounds and scents were uniform—no secret passage as Mingi assumed.

Frustrated, Mingi investigated the yard, stomping on the ground to find something. Doubting his assumptions, he repeatedly checked the same spots, going inside only to inspect places again. Nothing connected Yunho to drugs. Was Yunho innocent?

The question haunted Mingi, but his three years of investigative experience led him to another conclusion. Yunho was guilty. Mingi suspected Yunho had another warehouse, far from home, to avoid suspicion.

Had any investigator been here before, making Yunho this cautious? Mingi pondered, exploring different reasons for the lack of information. An opinion caught his interest: Yunho hid his illicit activities from someone. If someone frequently visited Yunho, it would be his friend.

Mingi found a clue. Yunho mentioned his friend last night. Regardless of the friend's identity, Mingi believed Yunho, if involved in drugs, would keep it hidden even from them.

Satisfied with his assumptions, Mingi waited for Yunho to return in the evening. With an axe on his right shoulder, Yunho arrived, holding fruits and a slaughtered squirrel in his left arm. Mingi, intentionally waiting at the door, assisted him.

"Do you often return this late?" Mingi asked, planning to steer the conversation toward drugs while preparing dinner.

"Yeah," Yunho replied, not shifting his gaze from the squirrel he was cleaning. "I've lived alone in the forest for almost ten years, Mingi. I'm used to it. Meeting wild animals isn't an issue; my parents taught me how to escape them. So, if you ask if it's dangerous, it's not for me."

Yunho paused, throwing a smile at Mingi. "Since I was a child, I lived in the forest with my parents. We'd occasionally visit the village for necessities. My father taught me hunting, gathering firewood, and identifying safe forest food. Meanwhile, my mother taught me cooking and crafting simple household items.

"As their only child, they hesitated to leave me alone. They imparted all this knowledge when I was ten."

Mingi noticed a subtle change in Yunho's expression, different from his usual demeanor. The smile seemed unsettling, as if it wasn't genuine.

"Unfortunately, their concerns became reality. My parents died from illness."

Mingi was startled. Yunho's revelation intrigued him. "We lived in the forest for easier and cheaper access to food. Medical care wasn't readily available.

"Due to economic issues, they couldn't afford treatment. Before they passed, my father advised me to live in the village like others—work, socialize, play, things I couldn't do in the forest.

"But after returning alone to the village, I didn't know where to go. Instead of socializing, I found comfort in isolation, closer to nature. It's more peaceful; I can do anything without worrying about others being upset. It feels liberating. Even now, at 22, I have no desire to live in the village or start a family. It's unfamiliar to me, and it might harm my family's memory if I force myself to be like them."

Mingi fell silent. "Don't you have a friend?" he eventually asked.

"Oh, yes. His name is Yeosang. We used to meet when I was little, when my father brought me to the village. We still meet occasionally. As I mentioned, he sometimes stays over. But Yeosang doesn't live in the forest; he only comes here to play. He's a fisherman and occasionally a trader."

As Yunho narrated his life story, Mingi forgot the reason for their conversation. Helping Yunho prepare dinner, wash fruits, and even serving the meal, he neglected questions about drugs.

"How about your life in the village before?" Yunho asked casually.

"Huh?" Mingi was surprised by Yunho's question, his third bite of dinner hanging in the air.

"I'm confused about how to explain it," Mingi replied, concocting a false life story. "Since childhood, I wasn't used to playing with kids my age because my father forced me to work. We didn't have enough money even to store food. My work involved helping villagers lift things or any job within my capabilities.

"The pay was minimal, barely enough for one proper meal. It continued into adulthood. One night, my father didn't return home. My mother panicked, blaming me. I didn't see him all day, only collecting shells to sell after finishing a beach installation.

"A week later, my father returned with a bag of money. Confused but happy, we thought our family's hardships were over. However, villagers suddenly attacked me when I was about to sell fish at the market. They claimed my father had stolen and engaged in dirty activities for money.

"I knew nothing and returned home to ask my father where he got the money. He remained silent. My mother urged me to stop asking. I couldn't risk being beaten by villagers again tomorrow, as they still believed my father did something wrong. I decided to leave and fish with night fishermen. That's how I ended up here, wandering the forest.

Mingi tried to maintain a composed expression, uncertain if Yunho would believe the fabricated story. To his surprise, Yunho didn't seem to doubt him, instead patting Mingi's shoulder gently.

"Forgive me for asking you. It's better to forget if it makes you sad. You don't need to doubt me; I won't kick you out. Stay as long as you want. Finish your meal, then rest. Recalling sad things can be tiring. You probably feel the same."

Did Yunho... believe? Was he that naive to trust Mingi's fabricated story easily?

"Thank you," Mingi responded stiffly.