Cry

"…Wake up… up… up. Wake up..."

Cheon Sa had been hearing someone call for a while now, but he didn't feel threatened. He knew he was safe. He could clearly remember that he was traveling with his two friends, Dong Ha and Min Ho, so it was probably one of them waking the other. He sniffed the air instinctively, checking for any signs of danger. It wasn't like he had superpowers or he had ever seen anyone with superpowers, but his heightened senses allowed him to detect trouble and he do detect it better with his eyes open.

A firm hand shook him, more insistent this time and his eyes snapped open as he realized it was morning. They needed to move. That must have been why they were waking him. Turning, he found Min Ho leaning over him, his face pale and tense, sweat gliding down the side of his face. Cheon Sa frowned. He hadn't been asleep for long. The sky was just beginning to lighten, the first rays of dawn breaking through the canopy above.

He had stayed up late watching over Min Ho and Dong Ha, as he had done for days. Fatigue had finally caught up with him, and after much insistence, Min Ho convinced him to rest while they took turns keeping watch. Reassured by their insistence that the woods weren't as dangerous as he feared, he had finally given in.

But now, seeing Min Ho's wide, frantic eyes and the way his chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, Cheon Sa knew something was wrong. The last traces of sleep instantly fled from his body.

"What is it?" he asked, sitting up despite the heaviness weighing on his limbs.

Min Ho grabbed Cheon Sa's shoulder, his grip desperate. "I can't find Dong Ha anywhere," he said, his fingers tightening. His hands were trembling. "I've searched everywhere… but he's gone. I can't find him." His voice came out rapid and shaky, his lips trembling as though he might burst into tears at any moment.

Cheon Sa could hear the panic rising in Min Ho's voice. He had to calm him down before it spiraled out of control. But as Min Ho clutched at his hair in frustration, desperation flickering in his eyes, Cheon Sa realized he needed to act fast.

"Maybe he just stepped away for a moment," Cheon Sa said, trying to sound hopeful, though even as the words left his mouth, he knew they weren't true.

Min Ho shook his head furiously. "No, you know that's not possible. Dong Ha would never wander off alone. He's always been too cautious… he wouldn't go anywhere without telling us first."

Min Ho was right. Since they'd embarked on their journey, none of them had ever strayed from each other. Even for something as small as gathering wood, they always went together. If one of them needed to hunt, the others followed. It had been Min Ho himself who insisted on that rule, never to separate, never leave anyone behind. It was their first time leaving home, and they didn't know what dangers the outside world held. All they had was each other.

"Maybe he went to relieve himself," Cheon Sa suggested, though he wasn't convinced. When any of them had to go, they still made sure to stay within a short distance of each other, only turning their backs for privacy. "He might not have wanted to wake us and went on his own."

"That's not possible!" Min Ho snapped. "He'd rather we lose sleep than go out alone, don't you get it? It's wait!" His eyes suddenly widened, and he snapped his fingers as if he had just solved a puzzle. "Maybe he went back to retrieve your box! You know how obsessed he was with it… he's always wanted to know what was inside!"

Cheon Sa's expression remained unreadable, but inside, he was stunned. He knew how fixated Dong Ha had been on that box, how many times he had tried to open it, only for Cheon Sa to shut him down each time. But why now?

Just yesterday, Cheon Sa had buried the box along with the weapon he had carried for years. It had been a spontaneous decision, a way to finally let go of the past now that they were heading to the capital. He had been so exhausted while digging that, for a brief moment, he thought someone was watching him. He had dismissed it at the time.

Whoever unearthed the box would never be able to open it. And as for the weapon… it would likely be passed around, traded for food or clothing. In the right hands, it might even become nothing more than a forgotten decoration in someone's study.

"Why would he go back for it?" Cheon Sa muttered, more to himself than to Min Ho. It was his box, his choice to discard it. Why would someone he had known for five years suddenly feel the need to retrieve it? If Dong Ha returned with the box in hand, Cheon Sa wasn't sure if he would be angry, concerned, or relieved. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with discarding it.

"Eish!" Min Ho raked a frustrated hand through his hair. "Because you never told us what was inside! You act like it's some sacred treasure, but you won't even explain why! And that weapon... you wrapped it so tightly we couldn't even tell if it was a sword or a spear. What if we actually needed it on this journey? But instead, you threw it away like it meant nothing! After guarding it all these years, refusing to even let us touch it!" His voice grew sharper, louder. "You didn't even think to show us before making that decision!"

Cheon Sa exhaled slowly, watching Min Ho carefully. He still didn't understand their obsession with his belongings. If their roles were reversed, he wouldn't have given it a second thought. But now wasn't the time to argue. Min Ho and Dong Ha had been childhood friends, emotions were running high, and Cheon Sa knew better than to escalate things further.

"Let's find him first," Cheon Sa said, rising to his full height. The morning sun hit his face, making his light eyes gleam like polished stone, his long hair flowing past his shoulders. "We'll have to split up..."

"No!" Min Ho interrupted, his voice firm. "No, we can't split up. I don't want you wandering off."

Cheon Sa frowned slightly. Min Ho was usually the jokester, never taking things too seriously. But now, he was tense, almost paranoid, like separating would mean disaster. This was the first time Cheon Sa had seen him lose his composure.

"That's the only way for us to cover more ground," Cheon Sa reasoned.

"No, we just have to go back to where you buried the box," Min Ho insisted.

Cheon Sa didn't understand why Min Ho was so fixated on the box's location. It almost felt like a plan between him and Dong Ha. If he weren't certain there were no other living beings nearby, he might have started to suspect them of something. But the unsettling truth was clear, Dong Ha was gone.

"I can't remember," Cheon Sa said. He didn't know why he lied, but deep down, he was afraid to go back and see the dirt disturbed, the box and weapon gone. Knowing that Dong Ha had taken it would feel like a betrayal. He didn't want to know.

Min Ho was terrible with directions, and none of them had been marking their movements. There was no way he could find his way back without Cheon Sa's help.

Cheon Sa could easily return to the site, but he wasn't about to tell Min Ho that. Instead, he feigned confusion, trying to ignore the guilty weight pressing down on him. He wasn't the type to feel guilt, but after five years with these two, learning laughter, joy, and camaraderie, maybe something in him had changed.

"You can't remember?" Min Ho fell to his knees, tears spilling from his eyes, fast and relentless.

"Wait, wait… I'll try to remember. Let's just go… we'll find him." Cheon Sa reached down, grabbing Min Ho by the waist and pulling him to his feet.

Dong Ha was missing, and Cheon Sa knew he couldn't make this about himself. Where he had buried the box didn't matter anymore. A life was at stake. If giving up the box meant finding Dong Ha, then so be it. The moment he discarded it, it had lost its worth. It had never been worth a life.

"I know he isn't good to you…" Min Ho's voice shook as he tried to steady himself. "I know you have your differences, but we all decided to go together, so we stay together. Don't mind him too much, okay? He's our friend, so please let's fine him.."

"I know. I know."

Cheon Sa knew he had been the one who wanted to leave, and they had chosen to follow him. It was his fault they were out here, in the middle of nowhere. They had stood by him, valuing him enough to leave everything behind. He couldn't abandon Dong Ha.

"Let's look for him," Cheon Sa said.