“Minsoo!”

Julian’s scream was echoed by Hyunggeun, who turned around in shock, only to slip and fall himself. But there was no time to feel the pain; Minsoo was tumbling down the slope on the slippery leaves. Cheolyong, too, stood frozen in horror.

As he realized Minsoo was falling, Julian reached out to grab him but missed by inches. Driven by desperation to save Minsoo, Julian ran after him, leaping over him to get in front. Planting his feet firmly to avoid slipping, Julian turned and managed to catch Minsoo.

However, the momentum of the fall entangled them both, and they went down together. Even as they fell, Julian didn’t give up. Twisting his body, he aimed for a small tree, managing to stop their descent by crashing into a pine tree’s lower branches, grunting as they hit.

“Minsoo! Julian!”

Hyunggeun and Cheolyong cautiously approached the fallen pair. Minsoo was sobbing quietly, overwhelmed by shock rather than pain. Julian, however, was motionless on the ground.

“Minsoo, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Minsoo, his face streaked with tears, shook his head no. Hyunggeun then turned to Julian.

“Hey, wake up! Hey!”

Despite Hyunggeun’s shaking, Julian remained unresponsive. Hyunggeun and Cheolyong’s faces went pale. Minsoo, still sobbing, asked fearfully.

“Is he dead?”

Cheolyong stepped back in shock and collapsed to the ground. Hyunggeun’s eyes were wide with fear, but hoping against hope, he carefully turned Julian over. There were no visible injuries, and despite the continuing drizzle, there was no blood. “No blood, so he can’t be too bad,” Hyunggeun reasoned, trying to muster more courage. He hesitantly placed a hand on Julian’s chest to feel for a heartbeat. The other two boys watched silently, hanging on the tense moment. Minsoo finally broke the silence.

“Is he dead?”

Trying to hold back his own tears, Hyunggeun shook his head.

“I don’t know.”

He removed his hand and instead, placed his ear against Julian’s chest. After a tense moment, he straightened up and addressed the anxious looks from the other two.

“I think he’s alive. His heart’s beating.”

“Wow!”

“Cheolyong, I’ll carry Julian down. You help Minsoo. Can you walk, Minsoo?”

With newfound leadership in a crisis, Hyunggeun’s quick thinking had them moving as the rain finally began to ease. The ground remained slippery, but they made their way cautiously back towards the orphanage. Fortunately, they were not far from the orphanage when the accident occurred, so they were able to reach the back of the orphanage safely.

The sight of the children, disheveled and muddy, was quickly noticed by others.

Kids shouting for a teacher and a visibly shaken childcare worker appeared as if struck by lightning, quivering uncontrollably.

The scene at Anes Orphanage that Saturday afternoon was chaotic.

“How is the child?”

The director, his mouth full of cigarette smoke, asked gravely. Unable to even pretend to block the smell, the childcare worker could only respond apologetically.

“He’s been laid down in his bed…”

“I mean!”

The sudden loud voice startled the already shrinking childcare worker. The director took another deep drag of his cigarette and slowly started again.

“I didn’t ask where he is. I asked how he is! How is he?”

“Um, the child is still…”

“Still?”

“Yes, he’s still unconscious.”

“What do you mean? If a kid is unconscious, you don’t just wait around! Are you new or something? Huh? Are you new?!”

The childcare worker could only repeat, “I’m sorry,” as the director’s tirade continued.

“What were you doing while the kids were getting hurt coming down from the mountain? And who lets children go to the mountain alone, huh? And with the rain pouring like that, you should have reported it, reported it! Did you think writing a report was all you had to do, huh? Do you know what liability is? You’re setting me up, trying to make me take the fall! If something bad happens to those kids, your life is over! Do you understand?”

The childcare worker, face pale and lips trembling, listened helplessly as the director vented his fury. The office manager stood by silently, his face a mask of displeasure at the outburst.

“Director, perhaps we should calm down a bit. You have high blood pressure…”

The childcare worker, browbeaten and guilty, remained silent as the director ground out his cigarette and lit another. The director’s gaze was fierce as he stared down the childcare worker, the intensity of his stare reminiscent of a bear hunting its prey. The office manager quietly suggested a pause, but the director merely grunted and gave a curt dismissal.

“Leave, now.”

As the childcare worker stumbled out, the director’s office filled with the haze of cigarette smoke.

Julian was asleep. Yet, he became aware that he was dreaming, which made him try to wake up, but he couldn’t.

He could look around in the darkness, hearing a song or a recitation:

Those who believe in superstitions lose confidence,
Those lost in a vain dream waste their years in self-pride’s forest,
Lost in a labyrinth, seeking to escape, leaving behind marks of self-harm.

Oh God of confusion, return and vanquish the indulgent,
Standing at the end of oblivion’s path, open the light, overcome the darkness,
And thus, establish the will of the blue sky in the twilight hours.

As the recitation ended, Julian opened his eyes.