CLICK!
At the sudden sound, Jinhwan looked down at his right wrist. His watch lit up.
He raised his arm and stared at the screen.
[New language detected. Translation process initializing.]
[.10%]
[..20%]
[...30%]
[.....50%]
[...66%]
[.....89%]
[...92%]
[....97%]
[....99%]
[...100%]
[Process complete.]
What...? Process complete? What is this thing talking about now?
Jinhwan stared at his watch, brows furrowed, completely confused.
That's when her voice came again clearer this time.
Soft, polite. Almost careful.
"We're thanking you... for what you did for us."
Jinhwan's head snapped up, eyes wide.
She had stopped a few feet away from him, standing still under the glow of the cavern ceiling.
"You… you can speak Korean?" he asked, stunned.
But mid-sentence, he paused.
"..Wait. No... this isn't Korean."
He whispered the thought aloud, as if trying to convince himself.
I'm speaking.. and understanding her language?
His eyes slowly dropped back to his watch, which still flickered faintly on his wrist.
So it can adapt to new languages too..
That's....perfect.
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
He nodded slightly, impressed.
Jinhwan looked up at the girl, eyes narrowing slightly.
"So you're all thanking me? For what?"
He tilted his head.
"Didn't I kill your king or something?"
He watched her closely, waiting for an answer.
The girl shook her head gently.
"He wasn't our king." Her voice was calm and clear.
Jinhwan sighed and glanced toward the kneeling crowd still frozen in place.
"Before anything else, could you tell them to get up and go back to whatever they were doing?"
He waved his hand vaguely at them.
"It's getting a little annoying now."
Without waiting for her response, he turned around and walked back into the cave. The light from outside faded slightly as he stepped into the cool stone interior.
He sat down on a large, flat rock shaped like a seat, leaning back slightly to catch his breath.
The same monkey as before followed him in and took a seat quietly beside him, just like before, calm and silent, as if it had done this a hundred times before.
A few minutes passed.
Then the girl's voice echoed from outside, giving what sounded like quiet instructions. The subtle rustling of movement followed as the rest of the villagers began to disperse.
She walked into the cave soon after and sat across from Jinhwan on a smooth stone opposite his. Her presence was softer now, more relaxed. The tension from before had lifted.
Jinhwan eyed her for a second before speaking again.
"So you're saying he wasn't your king or leader... then who was that guy?"
Before she could answer, the monkey beside him reached out, offering him a strange black fruit.
Jinhwan took it with a nod, turning it in his hands for a second. The skin was smooth, a little warm to the touch. He took a bite.
Juice bursts against his tongue, sweet, dark, and rich. The flavor was even better than before, but maybe that was just his hunger talking. He hadn't eaten properly in hours.
He closed his eyes for a second, chewing slowly.
Delicious.
The girl watched him for a moment as he bit into the fruit, juice dripping slightly down his chin. Then she spoke, soft but steady.
"He was not our leader or king."
Her silver eyes stayed fixed on him.
"A few months ago, he came here out of nowhere, along with the underlings you killed. This place had everything, food, water, and safety. So he took it for himself."
She paused, a faint tension entering her voice.
"He killed our former leader and made this village his own. Treated us like slaves. Forced us to work all day... then rationed our fruit and water like we were animals."
Her gaze dropped for a moment.
"If someone couldn't work, even if they were sick, he denied them food. If anyone spoke up.. he killed them."
Her fingers clenched slightly.
"He was strong. Too strong. No one could fight back."
She glanced at the monkey sitting beside Jinhwan.
"And then, a few days ago… Coco found you. He was out on a mission to hunt for meat. He hated doing it, but he had no choice, he was the only one left who could still use weapons."
Jinhwan turned his head toward the monkey beside him.
He chewed the fruit, then nodded.
"So your name's Coco, huh? I'll remember it."
His voice was casual, mouth half full, juice dripping down his chin and around his lips as he devoured the rest of the fruit. His nose and mouth were sticky with it, but he didn't care.
Coco just sat there, silent and calm.
The girl continued.
"And then Coco brought you here. You killed that man… and gave us back our home. For that, we're grateful."
Jinhwan shrugged.
"I didn't do it because I knew anything."
He leaned back slightly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Coco just told me those guys were dangerous, so I dealt with them. I figured they'd attack me anyway, and I was hungry."
He reached for another black fruit from Coco's hand without hesitation and bit into it.
The girl raised an eyebrow.
"So.. you didn't come here to save us?"
She was quiet for a second, then smiled faintly.
"Still… you did save us. And we appreciate it."
She sat up straighter, her voice calm and clear.
"So, how should we repay your kindness?"
"If you want.. You can become our leader."
She waited, still and sincere.
"Leader?" Jinhwan scoffed lightly.
"Nah, I'm good."
He leaned back a little, licking the last bit of juice from his lips.
"Can you tell me how many days I was unconscious?" he asked.
"Two days," she replied calmly.
"That's good then."
He popped the last bite of fruit into his mouth and chewed lazily. Once finished, he reached for his dark blue jacket, ripped and stained, and wiped his mouth and hands clean with it, not caring about the mess.
The sticky juice smudged across the worn fabric, but he didn't mind. It wasn't like he had anything else to wear.
Then Jinhwan looked at her, his tone shifting as curiosity crept into his voice.
"Can you tell me about this world's history?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Why is everything up there... dead? Dry. Broken. But down here, it feels alive. Like a whole different world under the ground."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Why does this place have what the surface lost?"
The girl looked at him for a few seconds, her expression unreadable, then slowly, she nodded.
[Episode 31 End]