He saved my life

Part 4

Near the end of summer, a new family moved into the neighborhood close to Hwang Palace. 

The moving boxes still sat half-unpacked when Felix's laughter began bouncing off the empty walls. The ten-year-old spun in circles across the bare living room, his socks sliding on the polished wood floor.

"Oh! Our home is very attractive!" Felix declared, arms spread wide as if greeting the house itself. 

His mother knelt, her floral dress pooling around her. "Are you happy to be here, my son?"

Sunlight streamed through the unfurled curtains as Felix beamed. "Wherever my parents live is heaven! If you're happy, I'm happy!"

His father's breath caught. "My soul is a victim of your beautiful words,"he murmured, sweeping Felix into a hug that smelled of cardboard and salt - from the sweat of their move or unshed tears, no one could tell. 

By evening, the last box was flattened. The Australian-Korean family stood in their completed kitchen, drinking banana milk from the corner store. Felix's socked feet kicked the cabinet gently, his earlier joy now softened into contentment. 

Somewhere beyond the window, the spires of Hwang Palace caught the sunset. 

Ni-Ki's room was lit only by the flickering light of his video game. Hyunjin stood in the doorway, fingers tapping against the frame.

"Ni-Ki, please come with me."

"Never." Ni-Ki's eyes stayed glued to the screen.

"Why?"

"You know our father gets angry later." His grip tightened on the controller.

"Please, just once."

"Nooo!" Ni-Ki drew out the word, kicking his feet like a much younger child.

Hyunjin's face darkened. "You cowardly little boy. Don't come then." He slammed the door so hard the posters on Ni-Ki's wall fluttered.

The sudden silence was broken only by the distant "Game Over" music from the forgotten console. Ni-Ki sat very still, staring at where his brother had stood.

Hyunjin paced the gilded hallway, his boots clicking against the marble floors. The palace walls felt like they were closing in on him. He spotted Yuna reading in the sunroom and rushed over.

"Yuna! Let's go out for a while," he begged, bouncing on his heels.

Yuna didn't even look up from her book. "Wait, don't even say that. What about Father?"

"Please Yuna," Hyunjin whined, tugging at her sleeve. "I'm dying of boredom here!"

"Go ask Ni-ki then." She finally glanced up with an annoyed look.

Hyunjin slumped. "He already said no."

"Then I say no too." Yuna returned to her book, effectively ending the conversation.

Hyunjin huffed., he was the oldest he's 10 years old - Yuna is 9 and Ni-ki 8- but right now he felt like the least powerful.

Without another word, he spun on his heel and marched toward the gardens. When no one was looking, he ducked behind a statue and scaled the outer wall.

As his feet hit the ground outside the palace gates, he couldn't contain his grin. "Oh, I'm free now. Yes, I'm free!" he whispered excitedly before taking off at a run down the cobblestone path.

---

Felix carefully set down his spoon, making sure not to spill any of the soup left in his bowl. Wiping his hands on his pants, he toddled over to where his mother was unpacking kitchen supplies.

"Mom?" He tugged gently on her sleeve. "Can I go explore outside?"

His mother paused,. She knelt to his level. "Just around the yard, okay? Stay where I can see you."

Felix nodded eagerly, his smile bright. "Thank you!"

He skipped out the front door, the wooden steps creaking under his small feet. At first he stayed close, examining the wildflowers by the fence. But as his curiosity grew, so did his courage - soon he was peering around the corner of the house at the unfamiliar neighborhood beyond.

he ran blindly, tears blurring his vision. The screech of tires cut through the air—

A strong shove sent him sprawling onto the sidewalk. Pain shot through his palms as they scraped against concrete.

"Ahhh! My hand—"

A boy with sunset-colored hair hovered over him, breathing heavily. "A-are you okay?"

The car door slammed. "You idiot!" The driver's face was purple with rage. "This foreign kid just saved your life!"

Hyunjin glared up. "Maybe drive slower next time!"

"What did you say, you little—"

Felix stepped between them, bowing deeply. "Please forgive us, sir!" His Korean was awkward but earnest.

As the car sped off, Felix gasped. "Your hands..." Blood dripped onto the sidewalk.

Hyunjin tried to pull away. "It's nothing."

"But your parents—"

Hyunjin's laugh was bitter. "They won't care." The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Felix blinked, then stubbornly grabbed his wrist. "Come. My mom will help."

As they walked, Felix's broken Korean made Hyunjin smile despite the pain. "I'm Lee Felix. From Australia."

"Hwang Hyunjin." He studied his savior - this strange, sunshine boy who smelled like cinnamon and spoke like a children's TV show.

By the time Felix's mother bandaged his hands, Hyunjin had forgotten why he'd been running in the first place.

Hyunjin sat slumped against the wall, knees pulled tight to his chest. The room was dark—no, not just dark. Empty. The kind of empty that pressed against his ribs until breathing felt like swallowing knives. Felix's picture was cold in his hands, the glass smudged with fingerprints and tears. Again. Always again. 

"I wish you had never saved me that day, Felix." His voice cracked, raw and broken. "I wish I was dead now." 

A bitter laugh tore from his throat. Pathetic. The boy who once squeezed his eyes shut and prayed—begged—for someone to reach out and pull him from the edge... now clung to that same edge like it was the only thing left. 

How funny. How fucking hilarious that the one thing he thought he wanted—to be saved—now felt like the worst kind of punishment. 

But the worst part? He could still hear Felix's voice in his head. "Hyunjin-ah, hold on." And like a fool, he had.

In the classroom, sunlight streamed lazily through the windows, painting the desks in warm stripes. The teacher's voice droned on about equations, but Yeji wasn't listening. Her fingers tapped restlessly against her notebook as she glanced back again—just once more—to where Leeknow sat slumped at his desk, his usual sharp eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.

"Are you feeling well?" she whispered, twisting in her seat. 

Lee Know blinked slowly, as if processing her words took effort. "Worked a lot yesterday," he murmured, voice rough like gravel. "Just... tired."

Yeji's brow furrowed. "But—"

"Yeji." The teacher's voice cut through, sharp as a ruler against a desk. "Please listen to the lesson."

"I'm sorry, teacher." She turned forward mechanically, spine straight, but her thoughts stayed tangled behind her—in the dark circles under Lee Know's eyes, in the way his shoulders curled inward like he was carrying something too heavy. 

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***