Since that day, my entire life turned upside down. I became a sacrifice alongside the original offering—a child with six toes and six fingers.
"I beg you! I beg you! We offer a child with a demonic brain. Take away our misfortune!" The shaman chanted loudly.
Looking at the insane people surrounding me, I felt sick. I had the urge to throw up, but I knew the consequences would be unbearable. Then I saw the child.
Instead of my mother's smiling face, I was met with the shaman's back as he performed some strange sword dance.
We were given food after each exorcism. I watched the original sacrifice devour his meal like a starving animal. Suddenly, he choked. He tried to grab some water but accidentally knocked it over. Without thinking, I got up and handed him a glass of water.
After a moment, he finally swallowed the food.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome, but you should eat more slowly next time."
The boy nodded slowly at my words and started eating again. I grabbed my plate and sat beside him.
"Hey, I'm Baki Hanma. What's your name?"
"Shongji Yughk!" the boy mumbled as he shoved more food into his mouth.
"So you're Shongji Yughk?" Hearing my question, the boy swallowed his food and looked at me.
"My name is Seongji Yuk, not Shongji Yughk."
Looking at his face, I could see immense sorrow. Because we were both in the same situation, a flicker of camaraderie awakened inside me.
"We're both in the same situation, aren't we? So let's be friends." I showed a toothy smile and extended my hand.
Seongji looked at my hand for a moment before grabbing it for a handshake. His hand was rough and, more than anything, incredibly strong.
"Okay, let's be friends!" he said. The hair on his face was blown by the wind. For the first time, I saw his face clearly. It was feminine—no, his face was even more feminine than some girls'. I tried to hold back my laughter, but I couldn't.
Seeing me trying to stifle my laughter, Seongji Yuk understood why. He quickly covered his face with his hair again, though there was also a small smile on his face.
---
It had been a few months since I'd been trapped in Cheonliang. The only reason I'd been able to keep myself sane was my only friend, Seongji Yuk.
As I was packing bags, Seong called out from behind me.
"Baki, are we really doing this? What if we get captured again?"
I smiled a little as I scratched my dark red hair.
"If we don't try, there's no possibility of escaping. But if we do try, there's at least some possibility, right?"
Seemingly understanding my words, Seong started packing his things too. Tonight, we were going to attempt our escape. I had memorized the terrain of the entire village. If we wanted to escape, we had only one option. Cheonliang was surrounded by mountains—it was the only place we could go.
After a while, we finished packing our things. There wasn't much—just some clothing and essentials.
Normally, the villagers always kept watch over us. Since it was the middle of the night, the chances of ordinary villagers watching us should be lower.
I grabbed Seong's arm and slowly left the house. We both covered ourselves with black clothing. The village was surrounded by mountains except for the entrance, so we started walking toward them.
---
We had almost reached the edge of the village where the mountains were located. Seong's breathing was heavy behind me.
"Stay close," I whispered, pressing myself against a wooden fence as we moved.
We had made it past three houses when I heard it—footsteps. My heart hammered in my chest as I pulled Seong into the shadow of a storage shed. Two villagers walked past, carrying torches.
"...can't believe those two fuckers already escaped..."
"...tch! They'll be caught anyway..."
Shit! They'd already discovered we were missing. I held my breath, feeling Seong's body tense beside me. The torchlight swept dangerously close to our hiding spot, illuminating the ground just inches from our feet. I pressed harder against the wall.
The footsteps continued past us. I waited until they faded completely before exhaling.
"That was too close," Seong whispered.
"We're not caught yet. Come on."
We continued moving, more carefully now. The houses became sparser as we approached the village's edge.
Suddenly, a dog barked.
The sound shattered the night's silence like breaking glass. Another dog joined in, then another. Lights began flickering on in the nearby houses.
"Run!" I hissed, grabbing Seong's hand.
We sprinted toward the mountains, abandoning all pretense of stealth. Behind us, I could hear shouting—the villagers were waking up. My lungs burned as we ran up the first slope, my legs pumping as hard as they could. Seong kept pace beside me, his longer legs helping him navigate the rough terrain.
"There! I see them!" a voice shouted from behind us.
We didn't look back. The slope grew steeper, and I used my hands to pull myself up. Roots and rocks became handholds as we climbed higher and higher. The shouting grew more distant, but I knew we weren't safe yet.
Finally, we reached a flat area near the base of the mountain proper. I stopped to catch my breath, my sides aching. Seong collapsed beside me, panting heavily.
"Do you think... we lost them?" he gasped.
Before I could answer, a figure stepped out from behind a large boulder ahead of us. From his clothes, I could tell he was a mountain guard. He carried a long staff and had a stern expression on his weathered face.
"And where do you two think you're going?" His voice echoed.
I stepped in front of Seong protectively. "We're leaving. We're not going back to that village."
The guard's eyes narrowed as he took in our appearances—the extra fingers, the fear in our eyes. Recognition dawned on his face.
"You're the sacrifices. The cursed ones." He gripped his staff tighter. "You can't leave. The balance of the village depends on you."
"Balance?" I spat the word like poison. "What balance? You treat us like animals! What kind of balance is that?"
"It's a necessary evil," the guard replied, moving toward us. "I'm sorry, boys, but you need to go back. I'll make this easy if you come willingly."
"No." The word came out firm, final. "We're not going back. Not ever."
The guard sighed, then shifted his stance, raising his staff. "Then I'll have to take you back by force."
Seong grabbed my arm. "Let's do this, Baki."
The guard took another step forward. "Dumb friend you have there. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
I looked at the guard, then at the mountain path behind him, then back at Seong. My mind raced. We had come too far to give up now. We had been through too much.
"I'd rather die trying to escape than live one more day in that hell," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart.
The guard's expression hardened. "So be it."
He lunged forward, staff swinging toward us.