Julian woke up, but the darkness still enveloped him, making it impossible to discern his surroundings. Recalling a similar experience from a year ago, he realized he was lying on the ground. Struggling to rise, he gritted his teeth and forced strength into his arms, letting out a groan as he moved.

‘Where am I?’

He remembered being in the mountains with Minsoo, caught in the rain just moments ago.

‘Minsoo fell…’

He recalled a sharp impact to his back, which now throbbed painfully. Despite the discomfort, his first priority was to grasp his surroundings. He tried to stand from the chair he found himself in, reaching out in the darkness, but only found more of the same obscurity.

Taking cautious steps, he felt around and finally touched what seemed to be a wall. The rough, cold texture of wood under his fingers was familiar.

“Hmm?”

Using the wall for support, he groped around with his other hand, hoping to find something that might help him identify where he was. He followed the wall until it turned a corner; then, another texture change indicated a door. Pushing it, he opened the door to a slit of dim light.

“Ah…”

Though still dark, the sky was gradually lightening, mixing purples and deep blues in a vast, mysterious expanse he hadn’t seen in the other world—a world without high buildings or tangled wires, offering an unobstructed view of the vast sky.

The scene in front of him was too familiar and sorely missed. The rustic homes with roofs thatched with old pine bark and log walls, the quaint paths, sporadic weeds, the unmanaged dirt roads with large rocks once used as playthings, and the dawn-dewed flowers drooping under the weight of the early mist.

This was the slums.

Biting his lip, Julian turned back to see the house from which he had emerged. It faintly glowed in the dim light, revealing a room with a table, chairs, and wall hangings.

“Mom…”

A sigh escaped him as he realized, prompting him to dash back inside.

“Mom? Mom!”

He searched the dark house, but couldn’t find his mother anywhere. A chill colder than the outside air filled the place.

As daylight broke, the village remained silent, a stark contrast to the bustle that should have been there. Julian sat slumped against the house’s exterior wall, his face a mess of tears and snot. It was unclear how he had returned to this place or how much time had passed. All that was certain was the persistent uncertainty and opacity of his situation.

He wiped his eyes and stood up, deciding to enter the house to ‘investigate’ in the light. Though he had been abroad for only a year, he felt enlightened enough to apply what he had learned. Unlike his panicked search when his mother had disappeared, now he was ready to use his educated mind.

Julian started his investigation, gathering a few clues. First, there wasn’t much dust in the house. If it had been abandoned for a year while he was away, the living room table wouldn’t have been this clean. However, there was no sign of someone else cleaning. If someone had intervened, they would have picked up the bundle of dried herbs that had fallen beneath the wall.

Secondly,

“Everything is the same.”

Assuming the house was as it had been the last time he was there, everything was in its usual place. His mother’s and sister’s few clothes still hung there, the kitchen dishes were neatly arranged as if they had just finished dinner the night before and then gone to sleep.

Thirdly, after checking other houses, he noted,

“No one is here.”

Other homes were also well-preserved, with clothes and necessities left untouched.

Conclusion.

“People just disappeared.”

Then the question arose: Why? Were they taken away by city guards? He remembered neighbors speculating.

“Nothing here worth taking, so maybe they just haul people off to be slaves.”

“But that’s a scary thought. Words can become reality.”

“What can you do? If they come, we just have to run.”

However, Julian shook his head, thinking,

“If it were a flight, there would be signs of hurried departure, but there were none. Nor would people likely leave all their possessions behind.”

Wouldn’t they at least take a blanket to keep warm? Having recently experienced such a situation, Julian tried to reason logically, but ended up with ‘unknowns’ about why they disappeared and where they went.

Despite this, hoping the momentarily absent residents might return, he decided to wait, returning to his bed. How long he should wait was uncertain, but for now, waiting seemed the only option. Lying in bed, his thoughts wandered back to before he had left for the woods, to the last image of his mother and sister, and to Minsoo, who had looked terribly cold before tumbling down the slope.

“Is he alright?”

Worried, Julian couldn’t shake the concern for Minsoo. They had started off in the orphanage sharing a room, and despite the initial awkwardness, Minsoo’s vibrant personality had quickly led to friendship.

“That necklace, what is it?”

Minsoo had been fascinated by his pendant. That friend, how was he now?

As dusk turned to evening, Julian remained restless, haunted by memories and worries, too absorbed in his thoughts to find sleep.