Jinhwan rose slowly, eyes locked on the creature.
"What the hell are you?" he muttered, voice low.
The monkey pulled its axe free with a grunt, baring yellowed teeth in a grin that looked far too human.
"You wanna fight me, monkey?"
Jinhwan cracked a grin, tilting his head. "Fine. But I need a weapon too."
That grin deepened into something feral. He crouched slightly, muscles coiling, and in that instant, his blue eyes lit up, glowing faintly like a moonlit blade.
Before the monkey could even twitch, Jinhwan vanished and reappeared right in front of it.
WHAM!
He swung his leg up with perfect precision, landing a devastating blow between the creature's legs.
The monkey's face contorted in agony, a high-pitched screech tearing from its throat. Its knees buckled as it dropped, clutching itself, tears forming in its wild eyes.
Jinhwan chuckled.
"So you're a guy, huh? Knew it. You should've protected your weak spots better."
He stepped forward, reached down, and yanked the axe from the monkey's hands.
The grip felt good. Heavy. Balanced. Not bad for a random weapon.
Without hesitation, he raised it and swung clean for the monkey's neck. But just before the blade landed, the creature threw up both hands in surrender, eyes wide, chest heaving, lips trembling.
Jinhwan froze. The edge of the axe hovered a breath away from the monkey's throat.
His eyes narrowed.
"You've got intelligence?" he muttered, amused. "That's interesting."
He held the axe steady, not pulling back, not swinging forward. The monkey didn't move, just stared, still kneeling, breathing hard.
Jinhwan studied him.
"If you understand me." he said slowly, "then tell me. Why should I let you live?"
He raised his free hand and made a calm gesture.
Go on. Show me. Give me a reason.
The wind held its breath. The axe gleamed in the crimson light.
The monkey stared at Jinhwan, still frozen with the axe hovering near its neck. It looked confused, eyes darting between Jinhwan's face and his hand gestures.
Then, slowly, it reached under the cloth wrapped around its torso. From a small pouch, it carefully pulled out something, a fruit wrapped tightly in another piece of cloth, as if it were valuable.
It held the offering out to Jinhwan with both hands, silent.
Jinhwan squinted at him, suspicious.
"What's this?" he muttered.
He took it cautiously, unwrapping the cloth. Inside was a strange fruit, round, heavy, dark as coal, almost twice the size of an apple. Its skin had a faint shimmer under the crimson sky.
"Huh..." He turned it in his hand. "Looks like an apple from hell."
He glanced back at the monkey. "How do I know this isn't poisoned? What if I drop dead after one bite?"
The monkey tilted its head again clearly not understanding a word.
Jinhwan sighed.
Without another word, he tore the fruit cleanly in two. The inside was black as well, but it glistened with juice, thick and sweet-smelling.
He held out one half to the monkey, just under its nose.
"You first," he said, voice firm.
The monkey looked at the fruit. Then at Jinhwan. Then back to the fruit again. A second passed. Then another.
And suddenly, the monkey snatched it gently from his hand and devoured it.
Bite after bite, like it hadn't eaten in days. Its eyes closed for a moment in bliss, licking the juice off its fingers. When it was done, it looked back up, gaze flicking to the remaining half in Jinhwan's hand. It reached for it.
Smack!
Jinhwan slapped the hand away.
"Back off, that's mine. I was testing it for poison, not offering seconds."
The monkey flinched and drew its hand back, sitting down quietly like a scolded child. It crossed its arms and stared at the ground, looking ridiculously human.
Jinhwan rolled his eyes, smirking slightly as he took a bite.
The taste hit him instantly-sweet, juicy, and unexpectedly refreshing. His parched throat eased up, and a pleasant chill spread through his chest.
He let out a small sigh of relief and sat down, resting the axe across his lap.
"Not bad at all," he mumbled, chewing slowly. "Tastes like a blackberry and honey mixture."
The monkey watched him quietly now, head tilted again, curious. Jinhwan took another bite.
[Episode 25 End]