IRPT 5

Chapter: 5

“Everyone, do you see the barbed wire over there? That marks the edge of the forest, so don’t cross it. Let’s just draw in this grassy area, okay?”

“Yeees~!”

The children shouted back cheerfully. But young Hadam’s attention was completely absorbed by a long line of ants crawling beside him, so his response was half-hearted.

“What are you going to draw?”

Yuna, holding her sketchbook, tapped Hadam lightly.

Without looking at her, Hadam answered,
“Ants!”

“Ugh. Then I’ll go draw that tree over there.”

“Okay.”

Whether his only friend followed or not, Hadam slowly moved to follow the ants.

He was fascinated by how they managed to find their way home in such a vast grassy field.

Trying not to lose sight of the line of ants, Hadam clutched his art supplies tightly. He wanted to draw the ants going into their home.

After keeping his gaze fixed on the ants for a while, he finally spotted a seemingly proper ant nest entrance.

Hadam settled a little away from the line to avoid disturbing it. Then, following what he had learned from his teacher, he formed a rectangle with his thumbs and forefingers.

The wide barbed wire cut across his rectangle.

What had the teacher said again?

Tilting his head to look closer, he suddenly realized:

Ah, the forest is behind the barbed wire!

Looking carefully, he saw lush trees behind the diamond-shaped mesh. The leaves and branches looked far larger than the trees in the schoolyard.

And a squirrel nimbly climbing one of the trees looked incredibly lifelike…

“Huh? A real squirrel!”

It felt like their eyes had just met!

Excited, Hadam jumped to his feet. It was his first time seeing a squirrel in real life. It was far cuter than in any picture or drawing.

As if pulled by a magnet, Hadam moved closer to the barbed wire.

The squirrel only stared back and didn’t move.

He grasped the barbed wire with his small hands and shook it, but the massive obstacle didn’t budge.

Just as he lowered his gaze in disappointment, wondering if he should give up, he noticed that the bottom of the wire was slightly lifted.

Without a second thought, Hadam squeezed through the gap. He had no time to hesitate.

I need to catch it before it runs away.

The hole was bigger than it looked, and Hadam’s small body slipped through easily.

Dusting the dirt off his hands, he stood up. The squirrel, as if it had been waiting for him, resumed climbing the trees.

From one tree to another, from top to bottom, left to right, Hadam followed the tiny creature diligently.

But catching up was impossible.

Suddenly, the surroundings felt darker.

Looking around, he tried to find his way back, but the field was filled only with tall, unknown grass reaching up to his knees.

“Te-teacher… Yuna…”

He summoned his courage and called out. But only the rustling of leaves in the wind responded.

Just as he thought to call louder,

Rrrrumble.

A thunderous sound suddenly echoed. Hadam lifted his head and looked at the sky. The portion visible through the trees was pure white.

Did I hear that wrong?

Tears threatened to spill.

He held back and called for the teacher again.

But instead of a response, the thunderous sound returned.

Rrrrumble. Rrrrumble.

Dangerous, frightening sounds. Even though it was the first time he heard it, he knew.

I need to get back quickly.

Hadam began running blindly. Standing still because he didn’t know the way could be disastrous.

Huff… huff…

His breath grew short, and by the time he thought he couldn’t run any faster—

“Hadam! Sun Hadam!”

“Eek!”

Startled by Yuna’s voice, he realized he was back in the classroom.

It was a dream.

Hadam exhaled in relief.

It was a memory he had forgotten for a while, but why now…?

“Tsk tsk. Is the classroom your room or something?”

Ungyak-san clicked his tongue.

Blushing with embarrassment, Hadam had no time to dwell on it.

Next to the podium stood a boy he hadn’t seen before.

Was this the one from the annex?

The boy was observing Hadam with an interested expression.

Feeling awkward, Hadam looked away.

Outside the classroom, other students pressed against the windows like barnacles.

Of course, rumors would have spread across the school by now.

“Alright, this is your classmate’s name: Do I-gyeol. Don’t fight, and get along.”

Upon hearing his name, some of the children exchanged looks.

Among the anthropomorphic students, surnames were a part of their identity. Each surname came from a Chinese character representing their animal, so one could tell what kind of animal someone was just by their name.

For example, O Yuna’s “O” (烏) stood for crow, and Mazio’s “Ma” (馬) for horse.

What fierce animal would have the surname “Do”?

Everyone busied themselves trying to guess the new student’s identity.

Hadam exchanged a glance with Yuna.

Do… Do… not a common character… but since he came from the annex… could it be… Tiger Do (菟)?

But isn’t “Ho” the usual character for tiger?

Moreover, in modern times, “Tiger Do” is mostly read as “Rabbit To.”

Yuna seemed to think the same, raising her eyebrows.

Hadam doubted the conclusion, but no other animal came to mind.

And by the same logic, Sun Hadam’s surname (猭) was also not very fitting for a rabbit, compared to “To (兎)” or “Myo (卯).”

“Sun” meant a fleeing rabbit.

“I-gyeol, anything to say?”

“Nothing.”

Hadam found himself staring at I-gyeol without realizing it. His voice struck deep in his ears.

The lowest tone he had ever heard in his life.

Perhaps because he was a tiger.

Looking again, he noticed he was very tall.

Even the tallest in the class, Yoonseong or Daebo, might be similar or smaller.

His face…

“He’s handsome.”

Yuna spoke casually, voicing Hadam’s inner thought.

Relieved that he wasn’t the only one thinking it, Hadam studied I-gyeol carefully.

His freely flowing black hair nearly covered his eyebrows, and his eyes, darker than his hair, were hard to read.

Below that, a straight nose and a slightly upturned, crisp mouth created a very harmonious look.

“Is he really the same age as us? His build is insane,” Yuna remarked again.

“Yeah. Is he aiming to be an athlete?”

Hadam nodded unconsciously.

I-gyeol wasn’t wearing his jacket properly, holding it in his hand, and his uniform shirt was just draped over his body.

The white tee underneath was fully visible.

With that strong physique, it was hard to believe he wasn’t aspiring to be an athlete.

“I-gyeol, sit next to Sun Hadam, who was dozing off earlier. Sun Hadam, make sure he adjusts well to school life.”

“Me? Me?”

“Yes, you. You were late on the first day, sleeping through the start of school. People like you need a little punishment.”

Yuna raised her hand to intervene.

“Teacher, can’t you see me? I’m Hadam’s partner.”

“You can sit in this empty seat.”

The empty seat was next to Mazio.

Mazio hadn’t yet filled the seat next to him since the class had changed for the second year.

“Hurry up and move.”

Yuna moved lazily, as if it were a chore.

“Don’t cry if I’m gone. Pay attention in class.”

Despite the teasing, Hadam couldn’t respond. His brain felt broken.

Meanwhile, I-gyeol strode over and smiled at Hadam.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Uh? Uh…”

Seeing his lightly curved eyes smile, Hadam felt even more flustered.

I-gyeol placed his bag in the empty seat to Hadam’s left.

Sitting next to a large, unfamiliar boy was intimidating.

Fortunately, he didn’t have the intimidating aura of Ungyak-san.

It was best to be kind, since I-gyeol was probably the one feeling unfamiliar.

Should I introduce my name again, or tell him what the next class is?

These were trivial worries, but Hadam took them seriously.

“Are they grouping the odd ones together?”

Someone raised their voice so others could hear.

Laughter followed in agreement.

Odd ones.

The word felt so familiar it no longer seemed negative.

 But today, Hadam felt his ears heat up.