Turning the corner, Noah came upon a spring of crystal-clear water so pure it seemed to sparkle. He ran excitedly toward it, but stopped to remove his clothes before wading in.
His leap sent water splashing everywhere.
"Ahhh..."
First, he washed away the excess blood and slime that clung to him. Then, with the pill by his side—its scent intended to dull his pain—he rested, closing his eyes.
It was only a very short time—just a few hours—but it was enough for him to witness and experience a multitude of incredible things.
"Freedom, huh..."
While enjoying those oddly comforting waters, he thought:
"Is this what it feels like to be truly free...? This is amazing..."
The warmth of the spring enveloped him, letting his mind wander amid the water. Noah found himself immersed in a soothing sensation, though for some reason his most unwelcome memories began to resurface:
"Didn't I tell you to study, boy?!"
Xiao Yang's father bellowed as he yanked on his left ear.
Xiao Yang, who had been napping on the table, awoke with a scream:
— I was studying, damn it!
He pleaded for that man to stop tugging at his ear.
"Studying, boy? You slept, and now you dare claim you were studying? And 'damn it'? You dare say that to me?! You little brat, you…!"
Xiao Yang's father roared, pulling his ear again before hurling him onto the bed.
With his veins bulging in a sickening rage, he began unbuckling his belt, preparing to strike the boy with its metal end while growling,
— You'll see if I don't...
"Stop it!" cried Xiao Yang's mother as she burst through the door.
Hearing his mother defend him, Xiao Yang found the scene odd and wondered what that woman was thinking—but his doubts were soon cleared when she explained:
— If you hit him with that, he'll end up with even more marks on his body—and that could land us in deep trouble later, especially in the hospital. I highly doubt they'd let us repeat that same story.
"So, how are we going to punish him for disobeying? Are we just going to give him sweets, is that it?!"
"Ah, please... For now, we'll have to stick to lighter punishments—like not letting him go to dinner or lunch whenever he disobeys! Let's leave before I end up hitting that thing myself!"*
Ji Hoon's mother retorted as she pulled the father out of the room and locked the door.
Xiao Yang wasn't happy, but he resigned himself, thinking that going hungry might be better than getting beaten—especially since he studied in the afternoon and only ate at school before going to bed early; that way, everything was relatively manageable. Still, he thought to himself:
'Thing...'
and he silently smiled in his room.
Thus, two more months passed under the new rule that no one was allowed to beat Xiao Yang, and during those two months he missed out on lunch or dinner at home on a total of 38 occasions. Even without having those home-cooked meals, Xiao Yang managed quite well—so much so that during those days he ended up eating even more at school.
One Saturday, suddenly, at Xiao Yang's house, someone was heard knocking at the door:
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"May I help you?" Xiao Yang's father asked politely as he opened the door.
Upon opening it and looking outside, he realized that the visitor was a representative from the Guardians' Council. Surprised yet keeping his composure, he smiled and asked:
— What do you desire, sir?
"I would like to see the young Xiao Yang," the man replied in a calm, expressionless tone while looking at a piece of paper in his hand.
"May I ask why you wish to see my son?"
"We received an anonymous tip and came to investigate," the man answered coldly.
"...Please wait a minute," said Xiao Yang's father as he leaned against the door.
A Few Minutes Earlier…
Xiao Yang was in his room, sitting on the bed, when he looked out the window and saw an all-white car with a strange symbol painted on its door, parked right in front of the house.
Watching the peculiar car intently, Xiao Yang fixed his gaze on the scene. After a few minutes with the car parked, a man wearing a white shirt—with that same strange symbol on the upper right—and dark pants walked slowly along the sidewalk toward the residence.
Xiao Yang noticed the man knocking at the door, but he wanted to know who was answering it. The man seemed to be conversing with someone, but for some reason, he stopped speaking and just waited for several minutes.
As the man lingered in front of the door, Xiao Yang wondered exactly what he wanted. After a few more moments, he saw his father come out of the house and close the door.
It appeared that his father was gradually pulling more and more money out of his pocket and handing it over to the man. Seeing this, Xiao Yang thought to himself:
'What the hell is that fat bastard doing now..?'
At first, when his father started placing money in the man's hands, it seemed he was reluctant to accept it. But as the amount increased, it became impossible to refuse.
After exchanging a few words with Xiao Yang's father, the man headed back to the car while tucking all the money away among the papers he carried, and Xiao Yang's father quickly went back inside. As soon as the man got into the car, he promptly returned with empty hands.
While watching the man head back toward his "home," Xiao Yang heard his bedroom door open and his father shout:
— Get down, now!
Pointing out of the room.
Xiao Yang left near the window, grabbed the slippers that were under his bed, and ran down right behind his father. Upon reaching the spot, his father said to the man at the door:
— Look, he's doing very well!
While smiling and hugging Xiao Yang.
Not fully understanding what was happening, Xiao Yang simply followed the scene and returned his father's embrace with a forced smile.
The man looked at Xiao Yang and said:
— Okay, sorry for the inconvenience and good afternoon, sir. Have a good day.
Before turning and hurrying back to his car.
After the man got into the car and left, Xiao Yang's father shouted:
— Get up now!
While closing the house doors.
Xiao Yang went back to his room, not quite understanding what had just occurred, but after two days he realized that his days of "peace" were over ever since that man had appeared and then quickly vanished.
---
'What's in your head...? They won't bother you anymore, so just let it go and move forward… Go on, keep going...' thought Noah as he opened his eyes, then slowly closed them again, taking a deep breath through his nose.
He looked at his reflection in the water and said:
— …Hey Xiao Yang, you really have changed a lot, haven't you...? And that in only a few hours of freedom.
Smiling.
Noah emerged from the water and retrieved his clothes, trying to clean them as best as he could before putting them on again.
'I wonder just how much more I'll change staying in this place where force is everything and, to be truly free, I need to reach the top... This is going to be fun!'
He smiled.