Chapter Text
“Kwan-ah, go and help the others… I will chop up these vegetables for us…”
Seungkwan smiled, nodding profusely as he jumped to his feet, gently guiding his vulnerable grandmother closer to the wooden table. He rubbed his hands over his beige shirt, leaving visible stains. He slowly walked out of the small house, feeling guilty of having his grandmother do any work.
“Seungkwan, here!”, a desperate voice called.
“Ah, Mingyu-hyung, I told you to leave the harvest to me, didn’t I? Look at you! Just look at yourself!”, he approached the other and hastily carried the basket of carrots and corns.
“Hey, your wobbly arms won’t pull out these roots anyway!”
Seungkwan and Mingyu had been friends since they were children, sticking to each other throughout the years – but their friendship mainly composed of constant bickering and complaints.
“So, how is your leg?”, Mingyu asked as he leaned against a large tree, the trunk itching his back but that was the least of his concerns, the least of anyone’s concerns.
Seungkwan exhaled heavily at that question, slightly pulling his trousers up to inspect the bruise, red and in the midst of healing. “I mean, it’s better now but it still hurts.” He let go and let the tattered fabric cover the wound, continuing to chew on the piece of cucumber he just harvested a while ago, the freshness being the only source of serenity under the scorching sun.
“Serves you right for ambling around the well at midnight…”
“Oh my God, I’ve told you a thousand times already, I was looking for the locket!” Seungkwan resisted the urge to throw the half-eaten cucumber at the other, before letting out a loud laugh as Mingyu put on a funny expression.
They spent the rest of the night under the imminent moonlight, carving shapes on the ground using sharp stones and blunt pebbles, aiming some far away to compete their arm strength or so. However, the tranquility didn’t last long.
“Kwan, get inside!”
Seungkwan nodded at Mingyu and rushed inside, immediately kneeling down by his grandmother. “Halmeoni, are you okay?” He let out a sigh of relief as the woman’s lips curved upwards, before averting his gaze towards the cavity in the wall – the only window in the house. He squinted his eyes as he continued staring at the field outside.
“Kwan-ah, why do you look so concerned?”, his grandmother’s voice quivered as she spoke. “Ah, Mingyu, my dear, come and sit beside me… I haven’t talked to you in so long…”
“Ah… Halmeoni, we had lunch together yesterday…”, Mingyu whispered as he scratched the back of his neck, a little embarrassed but more so pitiful. He glanced at Seungkwan, who still seemed anxious at the endeavours outside.
“Hyung, something’s happening… We should go, we should help, we should see what’s up.”, Seungkwan pleaded as he furiously stepped towards the creaking door by the corner.
“Kwan-ah, where are you going?”
His grandmother was slow to pick up on the situation, and Seungkwan almost teared up at their situation, for he knew – he knew what was possibly happening outside, the fear bottling up within him and making him feel at unease; he knew the day would come, but not so soon, not at all.
“Halmeoni, I will be back in a bit, I promise. Mingyu-hyung and I will just observe the commotion and come back, alright?” Seungkwan wasted no time in receiving a response as he pulled Mingyu by his arm and escaped the house frantically.
Pausing just a few metres away from the crowd of people, he let go of Mingyu and looked at him with desperate eyes. “What’s happening, hyung?”
Hearing no response from the other, he walked forward with a loud heart, his fingers shaking with fear as the atmosphere around them seemed so grave and disastrous. Squeezing his way through the group of people – his neighbours – and tiptoeing for a better view, he widened his eyes at the sight.
“No…”, he whispered to no one in particular. Furrowing his brows, he tried to comprehend the situation; there was a group of formally dressed gentlemen and a boy of his age at one corner, briefcases in hand and a stern look on their faces. He recognised them to be one of the rich families in town, and he feared the ongoing discussion between one tall man and one of the farmers of the village.
“Please, please, do calm down. Allow us to elaborate.”, the tall man spoke in a firm tone. “The town is bustling with people, seeking for a happy lifestyle, and it is our duty to provide such comfort and facilities to the people of our wonderful town. Hence, we will need to refurbish this precious land and accommodate space for hotels and houses that will support growing families.”
“What?!? This is our home, our land, we will not give our land up to you people!”, one of the farmers exclaimed with hopeful eyes. “Take your brown boxes and big hats and leave!” The man tightened his grip around the shovel.
Seungkwan watched closely, taking note of the way the rich man’s face contorted into a forced smile; the tension, the fear, the horror, it was all growing rapidly.
“Ah, is it not a good time today? Very well, then. We shall return another day. I expect some mutual agreement on this decision, as we are sure to provide housing for you all too. It will be a renovation, a success. Fellow farmers and workers, it is a pleasure to know of your provisions to our town, and we shall repay you with better housing!”
A chorus of roars and yells burst out at the man’s words, feeling belittled at the words being used yet a little hopeful at the suggestion of new houses – stable, sturdy houses that could hold up the walls and genuinely provide shelter to the people of the village that worked strenuous hours under the persistent sunlight and the chilling moonlight.
Seungkwan watched closely yet again, straining his ears to try and overhear the conversation among the rich businessmen as they gradually walked away from the crowd and entered their shiny convertibles. It was hard to do so, and he failed to decipher any of the masked discussion that went on between the wealthy people.
“Kwan, a-are you okay?”
Seungkwan turned to his side and smiled weakly at Mingyu, feeling the wind against his skin and drenched hair as the people around him fled back to the fields and houses. “Hyung… We’re losing our lives, aren’t we?”
“No, no, Kwan, listen.” Mingyu gestured the other to come closer. “My father’s going to arrange a protest. We’re going to be fine. This is our land, where we grew up, where we made special memories. This land is where all our ancestors lived, prayed, slept, died. This is where we were given our lives. Do you really think we are going to let those wealthy bastards take away our hope, our world?”
“And if we fail?” Seungkwan was always the one to approach things pessimistically, and his perspective was often balanced out by Mingyu’s optimistic view.
“God, oh, you need to stop assuming things! Come, let’s go back home.” Mingyu flashed a smile, towering over Seungkwan and protecting the younger from the heat of the day; they knew right then and there, even if they were to lose their home, they would never lose each other as brothers, as friends.
“Halmeoni!” Seungkwan quickly kneeled by his grandmother and took her hands into his hold. “Halmeoni, are you okay? Everything is fine, Gyu-hyung and I are safe and sound.”
“Ah, Kwan-ah… Your mother was here, you should’ve come sooner…” His grandmother’s voice was faint and weak, her eyes slightly open, her lips curved upwards in a smile so fragile, her breathing slow and almost unnatural.
“H-Halmeoni… Mother’s not… Umm, you are right, I should’ve come sooner.” Seungkwan felt his heart sink at his grandmother’s words; hearing her speak of his dead parents made him realise just how greatly her age affected her mind and health.
He let his body fall onto the worn-out, ragged mattress of the bed, his fingers reaching out to play around with the tainted locket in his pocket. “Would mother and father have protested, hyung?”
“They would’ve, surely, Kwan. In fact, I believe they would lead the protest. We deserve a place to live, and those rich good-for-nothings have no rights to take away our homes for their own fancy hotels and houses. And what assurance is there that we will get a space to stay too? It’s all a gimmick, all a gimmick…”
Mingyu was right, and Seungkwan knew he was right – there was no way that these villagers would have a place to live if the land was to be used for the wealthier people of the town; the protest must be carried out, and the entirety of the village was ready to fight for their land.