BWLHF 08

Chapter 8

Was this man the one who drove the bear away?

How could he make such an enormous beast keep its distance in an instant?

And not only that—how could he appear without making a sound and remain so utterly composed?

Ah, this isn’t the time to think about that. I should thank him…

But just as Young-in was about to speak to the man, he suddenly remembered the baby rabbit that had escaped from his arms.

His face went pale.

“Uh… W-Where did it go?”

Even though the injured hind leg from the trap seemed to have healed completely, the rabbit could easily hurt itself again while wandering through the forest, or be attacked by another animal.

I should have tied a string around its body, even if it hated it.

Young-in bit his lip and hurriedly looked around.

His ankle, injured when he had rolled across the ground to escape the bear, throbbed painfully, and his mask had torn somewhere along the way, dangling from one ear.

But none of that mattered.

His mind was filled entirely with thoughts of the baby rabbit that had escaped from his arms.

“Rab… No, I…”

Young-in limped around, searching every bush and vine.

But he couldn’t see the red ribbon anywhere.

Did it run far away? Or did it get hurt somewhere else and start whimpering again?

Young-in had already forgotten the bear that had attacked him moments ago.

He was about to leave the man behind and venture deeper into the forest when—

“Are you looking for this?”

The man suddenly pursed his lips and gave a sharp, high whistle.

Fweeeet—

The clear sound echoed through the forest like a ringing bell.

Young-in was so impressed by how pure the sound was that his lips parted foolishly.

Then—

Rustle, rustle.

A large raspberry bush shook violently.

A rabbit wearing a red ribbon came sprinting out of it and threw itself straight at the man.

“That’s right.”

As though he were accustomed to it, the man opened his palm and caught the rabbit neatly as it leaped into his arms.

Chu, chu, chu.

He made a soft clicking sound with his tongue, and the baby rabbit tilted its head back and happily licked his lips.

The sight looked so familiar, so intimate, that they seemed like two beings who had always been close.

“……”

Young-in stood there in a daze, unable to believe what he was seeing.

He blinked, wondering if it might be a different rabbit.

But when the rabbit turned around in the man’s arms, the marks from the bandage Young-in had wrapped around its left leg were unmistakably still there.

The man gently stroked the belly of the rabbit in his arms, then looked at Young-in’s stunned face and curled his lips upward.

“I told you.”

“……”

“‘My rabbit.’”

The low voice, tinged with amusement, tickled Young-in’s ears.

The little creature that had shared its warmth with him in his arms until just recently finally seemed to have found its nest again, rubbing its cheek comfortably against the man.

A lukewarm heat suddenly gathered around Young-in’s brow.

Apparently, I had made a rather enormous misunderstanding.

Late that night, Young-in was lying in bed when he carefully pushed back the blanket and got up to pour himself a cup of hot tea.

It was dandelion tea, which Mr. Lee had recommended when Young-in first arrived, saying that it helped calm anxiety.

Young-in stared down at the steam rising from the cup before moving his dry lips and murmuring toward the empty cage.

“…Rabbit.”

There was no answer.

Of course, the rabbit had never actually answered him before.

But whenever he called, it would rustle around as it played by itself, then come scampering over to him.

Now, no matter how many times he called, there wasn’t even a sign that it would respond.

Other than the occasional sound of wind rattling the window, the cabin was completely silent.

Only a few hours ago, the baby rabbit had been sleeping inside its cage, making all sorts of little noises.

Now it had left to find its owner.

And once again, Young-in was alone in the cabin.

It’s gone.

He had thought he wouldn’t mind because he had been alone when he first came here.

But the emotion left behind was a deeper, heavier sadness than he had expected.

So the rabbit really belonged to that man.

He wasn’t a hunter. He was its owner.

For fifteen days, that living creature had shared his warmth, becoming his only friend and companion.

Yet the moment it found its owner, it had left him and disappeared like a mirage.

Young-in pressed his lips tightly together as he recalled the conversation he had had with the man in the forest.

“Wh-Where are you taking it?”

“This little guy needs to go back to his family now.”

“…He has a family?”

“Of course. This one is the precious youngest of twenty-nine rabbit siblings. They’re all waiting for him.”

The man had then gently stroked his rabbit’s chin and met its eyes.

“You can finally go home now. Isn’t that great?”

At the words go home, the baby rabbit perked up its large ears and became visibly more excited.

It reacted exactly the same way it had when Young-in had fed it three whole pieces of steamed sweet potato.

It was obviously happy.

“Then… goodbye.”

The man had looked down at Young-in’s dazed face, then simply turned around and disappeared into the bushes.

What happened after that?

Young-in couldn’t remember.

Afraid he might encounter another animal, he had hurried back to the cabin.

The bucket that had been filled with raspberries was now completely empty, all the berries having spilled onto the ground.

For some reason, Young-in thought the bucket looked exactly like the state of his heart.

In other words—

He was disappointed.

After everything I did for you, how could you leave without a second thought?

From the second day he arrived at the cabin, they had slept together every night, the little rabbit tucked against him.

Starting tonight, he would have to eat alone, read alone, and fall asleep alone.

“Ah, seriously. Get a grip, Moon Young-in.”

This was all because he had foolishly grown attached.

He had never been able to raise the rabbit until the end anyway.

He hadn’t even given it a name despite having it with him for fifteen days.

Feeling this way was nothing but selfishness and extravagance.

The rabbit had found its family.

It had found its owner.

That was a good thing for the baby rabbit.

And Young-in wouldn’t have to keep struggling to change his mask all the time, either.

He needed to think positively.

“Besides, it’s better for me to die alone than let that little guy see me in such a horrible state. Right?”

Young-in slapped his cheeks lightly and finished the remaining tea.

If I drink enough hot water and fill my stomach, maybe I’ll be able to sleep.

Jealousy, disappointment, betrayal, and longing all tangled together in a messy knot.

That was certainly not a good sign.

Perhaps the depression that should have started much earlier had merely been postponed for fifteen days because of taking care of the baby rabbit.

Young-in suddenly set down his cup.

As he looked into the liquid pooled inside, his brow furrowed.

He was certain he had poured hot dandelion tea into it.

Yet the liquid inside the cup was an eerie, vivid red.

Did I make hibiscus tea instead?

Before the foolish thought could even fully cross his mind, a red ripple appeared on the surface of the tea.

Drip.

Then—

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Fresh blood began pouring down at a frightening speed, splattering the teacup and the back of his hand like a sudden shower.

Ah. It’s starting again.

“Ugh.”

Young-in hurriedly covered his nose with his sleeve and tilted his head back.

The congestion that had been quiet for a while as he cared for the rabbit after coming to the forest was clearly stirring through his body again.

Did losing one little rabbit I’d only had for fifteen days really stress me out that much?

“Cough.”

The blood that had begun pouring from his nose now ran down the back of his throat and started forcing its way past his lips.

He remembered the first time blood had suddenly begun gushing from him in his tiny one-room apartment.

He had been so shocked that he could barely breathe, and eventually passed out from the blinding headache and high fever that followed.

Afterward, seeing traces of blood gathered around his ears and eyes had terrified him.

Since then, whenever these sudden bouts of bleeding came without warning, Young-in would desperately try to remain calm.

But it was never easy.

“Hhng… hh… I’m… dizzy…”

Clatter.

Young-in staggered toward the drawer, but he suddenly lost his balance and collapsed to the floor.