Chapter 14: The Early Dawn (3)

Morning came again, and as usual, the boy had woken up before everyone else and was watching the sunrise from the top of the mountain. There would be no repercussions to him even if he were to relax and take it easy like the other children, but this habit was so ingrained him, and the smell of the woods in the morning, as the sun shone through the trees, was so pleasant to him that he couldn’t stop. He also enjoyed the fact that he was alone, watching the sky grow brighter and brighter each second, so that he didn’t have to worry about other people’s perceptions of him. Though his expression was almost always stoic, inside he was always on edge.

The other children were beginning to wake by the time he made it back to the intitute, and when he entered the cafeteria to eat breakfast, he noticed that the kids were somewhat more excited than usual. Thinking of it, this was the last weekend of the month, and each month during this time, there was a volunteer worker who came in with an abundance of pizza and pork ribs. Going out to eat was something of an annual event for the children, so it was understandable that they eagerly anticipated this day. The boy also loved these foods, so full of surprising ingredients and flavors, but he liked the regular food just as much. Unwilling to give up the opportunity to eat as much as he wished to, he filled his tray with much more food than the other children had. His daily trips up the mountain had only increased his appetite.

“Wow, you’re eating a lot. Are you that hungry?” Even at Myeong-su’s concern, the boy continued to diligently empty his tray. “If you keep eating so much, you’ll end up a piggy. Oh, I know! We can exercise together!” How typical of Myeong-su. The boy smiled and nodded at his friend. All things considered, though, it was summer break, and a weekend at that. He could hang out with Myeong-su today…or at least before noon. “I’m gonna go to the mountain later with Hyung-geun hyung to catch stag beetles.” Myeong-su continued. “He says he saw a really white bunny up there, too, but it was too fast so he couldn’t catch it. He can’t do it alone, but he said that if there’s two of us, we can lure it so it’s easier. If you come and Cheol-yong hyung comes, that makes four of us, and we can all catch it together!”

During all his excursions to the mountain, the boy had never seen a rabbit. He had never even seen rabbit droppings. But instead of telling Myeong-su that there were no “really white bunnies” in the mountains, he simply listened to him talk and gesture wildly. Looking at Myeong-su, the boy couldn’t help but be reminded of his old friend. Myeong-su’s food grew colder and colder in his tray, but his face grew hot with excitement.

The four boys all tied their shoes up tightly and each prepared to climb the mountain. The younger boys had gathered at the front door, as told to by Hyung-geun, and were now following the older boy to obtain permission to go to the mountain. Coincidentally, one of the teachers was also near the front door, seeing off the children who had requested to leave during the weekend. “You’re the oldest,” she warned, “so you have to make sure the other children don’t get hurt. And don’t wander too far, okay?” “Yes, miss! Let’s go!”

With that, the four children ran off, with Hyung-geun up ahead and the other kids following after him like little ducklings. The teacher smiled inwardly as she watched them, but soon turned around when she heard a voice call her. “Oh, you’re Somi’s father! Welcome. And Somi, look at you, all dressed up. I can tell how excited you are to see your father. You’re as pretty as a picture!”

It was typical of teachers to give empty compliments about the children to their parents, but in Somi’s case, all compliments were sincere. As the teacher watched Somi leave with her father, she noticed that the girl looked very tired. It’s probably because of all the pressure, she thought. Somi was among the top students in her class, so all the studying must have gotten to her. ‘She’ll be fine once she eats some good food and spends time with her father. At least she has a father who visits her regularly.’ With that one final thought, she decided to worry more about the four children who had just left to climb the mountain. It would be much more productive than worrying about a child leaving the grounds with a parent. The teacher brushed off her already pristine apron and went back inside.

****

“Plaster~ Hey plaster face! What are you doing?”

“…”

“Plaster face~ What are you doing~?”

“…Stay put.”

“Plaster…”

“There you go.”

“Ew what is that?!”

Myeong-su jumped back in horror, but the boy simply followed after him and shoved whatever he was holding up to his friend’s face. “Pogonocherus dimidiatus. Also known as bird poop stag beetle*.” He explained simply. “A…stag beetle? This little thing?” Myeong-su’s previous boredom turned into pure excitement at these two little words. As the boy had said, the bug was so small and white that if one were to just glance at it, they would undoubtedly mistake it for…well, bird droppings. Hence its common name, “bird poop stag beetle.” But the boy’s acute senses and unparalleled observation skills didn’t seem to amaze Myeong-su one bit. Instead, he carefully took the beetle from the boy and held it between his forefinger and thumb. When he saw its six little legs flail in the air, he could hardly contain his amazement. In a heartbeat, Cheol-yong ran to their side, asking to look at the bug as well. “It’s different from the one earlier!” He pointed out. “Plaster face, you’re really good at this stuff, huh?”

Hyung-geun also approached the rest of the group but stopped about two paces away and reluctantly went on his way again. His eyes were open wide, almost threateningly so, and he continued to climb the mountain while scanning his surroundings. Most likely, he was upset that the boy had managed to find three beetles when Hyung-geun had failed to find even one.

Having diligently walked up the mountain for so long, it was about time for someone to complain, and, surely enough, Myeong-su was the first to speak up. “Hey hyung…can we rest for a bit?” Hyung-geun’s face was also flushed red from the strain, and he couldn’t help but agree. “Just for a little bit, though.” Even as he said that, he was the first to plop on the ground. The rest of the children also sat down around him and gathered their breaths. Even Cheol-yong, who ran farther and faster than anyone else (hence his nickname, “King of the Courtyard”), seemed fatigued. “Hyung, I think we came too far,” he noted, hinting that they should turn back towards the institute. Hyung-geun took a moment to consider this, but it was Myeong-su who answered. “We have to keep going until we find the bunny!”

Honestly speaking, Hyung-geun had already made up his mind to go back, and Myeong-su’s declaration took him by surprise. Again, he lost his chance to speak when Cheol-yong spoke up. “And what if we go to far and get lost? How will we get back? You don’t even know the way.” “Yeah, but Hyung-geun hyung does!” Hyung-geun was truly at a loss now. He couldn’t very well admit that he didn’t know the way at all, but he also knew that they would have to keep going if he said he knew the way. Talk about “being caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“The teacher told us not to go too far. We have to be good and listen to her.”

“Yeah but won’t she be happy if we take a bunny? Think about it! We’d be the first ones to raise a bunny at the institute!”

At this point, it appeared as though Myeong-su’s head was only filled with thoughts of building a house for the bunny and feeding it.

“Rabbits aren’t stupid, silly.” Cheol-yong continued. “I’m sure it ran as soon as it saw that we’re four people.”

“No way! Hyung-geun hyung will find the bunny for us in no time!”

Wanting to earn the respect of his underclassmen but also to enjoy the immediate gratification of his bed, Hyung-geun now had a bad case of “doublethink.” The boy had just been sitting, quietly observing the situation while reviewing new phrases and idioms he had memorized the night before, but decided that it was about time to stop them before things got out of control.

“Judging by the clouds, it’s going to rain pretty soon. We could get lost or even get hurt once it starts to rain, so I think it’d be better to come back another day.” At the boy’s words, the other children all looked up at the sky, and surely enough, there were rainclouds already obscuring the sun. Unwilling to stand out in the rain, Myeong-su agreed to go back, and Hyung-geun got over his dilemma and stood up to once more lead the boys towards the institute.

However, they had taken too long to choose, or perhaps the sky was not on their side, because a few raindrops started to fall before the children were even halfway down, and it wasn’t long before it began to pour heavily. Unsure of what to do, the boys simply looked at each other, and Hyung-geun suggested that they run down. He soon stopped at the boy’s warning. “It’s too dangerous. The ground is wet from the rain, so if we slip and fall now, it could be really bad.” The boy turned towards the frightened children to offer another solution. “Over there, a bit to the side. I know a spot where we can hide form the rain. I’m sure it’s just a passing rain.”

With that, the boy took the lead and walked to the path on the side. He remembered a large rock that protruded from the ground at an angle, almost as if it was growing out of the soil itself, and though it wouldn’t serve as a true shelter, they could at least hide under it for a bit. At least, that’s what he had thought.

It was in that moment that a single thought crossed his mind: this was what it really meant to “be caught between a rock and a hard place.”

<The Early Dawn (3)> End.

*bird poop stag beetle – not actually its common name in English, as it doesn’t have a common name in English. This is a literal translation from its common name in Korean.