I slowly tiptoed into the house, hearing the faucet running in the bathroom and Baek brushing his teeth. I made it halfway through the living room when the faucet turned off, and Baek stepped out wearing fresh pajamas, wet hair, and a towel around his shoulders.

"I finally got that stupid boar that's been destroying our gardens," Baek said, flopping on the couch and grabbing a Rubik's cube. He began solving it quickly.

"Oh yeah, I saw," I replied.

"Did you make it to the Gate okay? You didn't get scared?" Baek asked.

"No!" I said defensively.

Baek smiled, teasing me. I relaxed and sat beside him, hugging my jacket.

"It's been getting colder," Baek observed.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"Here." Baek put the solved Rubik's cube down and threw some wood in the fireplace. He turned a knob, and a warm fire grew from underneath the logs.

I relaxed on the couch as Baek sat beside me. We sighed in unison, enjoying the peaceful moment together.

Picking up the cube and messing it up, I stared at the crackling fire. Baek watched me as tossed the cube in the air a bit then began solving it without looking. 

He scoffed, “Your memory is insane.”

“I guess…” I replied, not sure how to respond. 

“The rabbits tore down your fence by the way.” 

I turned to him. "What? Already?”

"Not surprised?"

"I knew it wouldn’t last, but I didn’t think they’d be so determined so quickly.” I set the solved Rubik’s cube down and stretch. 

“Ugh… I just wanted to do something meaningful for you.” 

"It's okay. You don’t need to do anything for me," Baek reassured.

His eyes stared into mine. The way they twitched and dilated was strange I thought. Maybe it was the flickering light of the fire. I leaned a bit closer, pushing some hair out of my face. He blushed and moved away. 

"You should shower. It's late," he suggested.

"Yeah. Okay," I agreed, getting up.

"Dahyun," Baek called.

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry I made you give the tablet back. But I think it's for the best," he said.

I smiled at him. "It's okay."

“If you want, I can teach you some of what I know," Baek offered.

"Really?" Excitement brewed back into me. 

Baek blushed and nodded. "Yeah. Your fence. It didn’t last long, but it was a great idea."

I beamed with pride. "Thanks."

I watched from the bathroom doorway as Baek picked up the Rubik's cube and mixed the colors. He paused and turned to me. “What? Hurry and shower, you smell so bad.”

That night, Baek slept soundly on his side of the king bed, while I slept on my side by the window. The air was still, and the only sounds were the soft ticking of an analog clock and the crickets outside.

After a while, my eyes popped open. I slowly turned to Baek. I saw his chest rise and fall gently to the rhythm of sleep. I cautiously crawled out of bed and pulled out my tablet, wrapped in an old shirt, from the crack between the bed and the wall. 

I climbed out the open window and made my way to the lone plum tree beside our cottage. Standing beside it, it looked so tall, like the trees in the survival videos I watched. Where did that guy live again? Canada? This plum tree resembled the Douglas Fir trees that guy was surrounded by. But Baek said it was a plum tree. And it grew plums. We had picked them every spring. I should probably search if plum trees grow like this when I get the chance. 

Shaking these random thoughts away, I climbed up the tree, being careful not to dirty my pajamas. At the top of the plum tree's trunk, I found a shallow hole. Clearing out some of the debris, I laid the tablet inside, still wrapped in my old shirt, and camouflaged it with leaves and blossoms. Satisfied with my work, I hopped down and crept back into the house.

The next day, Baek was in the kitchen, sharpening a knife in front of a large boar leg and some vegetables. He skillfully sliced the meat from the bone and cut it into smaller chunks before tossing it into a boiling pot on the stove. Cutting up the vegetables, he added them to the pot as well, stirring in salt, pepper, and herbs.

"Dahyun! Lunch’s almost ready!" Baek called out, tasting the broth and pulling two bowls from the cupboard. There was no response. 

He called again, "Dahyun?" 

Turning towards the table, he noticed that the knife was gone. His jaw dropped and eyes widened as he set the bowls down and turned down the fire on the stove. Worried, he began searching the house.

By the stream, I squatted over a pile of kindling - dry leaves, twigs, and the like. Holding the kitchen knife and a piece of flint in my hands, I struck them together. Sparks flew out, catching me off guard and I flinched. 

“Whoa…” I whisper.

I tried again. Some sparks caught onto the kindling, and I blew on it. A small flame grew as the kindling caught fire. 

“Yes!” I cheer. 

Suddenly, a black shoe crashed down on the fire, stomping it out of existence. Shocked and angry, I stood up, glaring at Baek’s angry face.

"What's wrong with you?!" I demanded.

"What are you doing?!" Baek yelled, his foot still in the ashes.

"You ruined my hard work!" I complained.

"Give me back the knife!" he ordered.

"No! Why did you step on my fire?!"

"Why do you think?"

"I'm by water! It's okay!" I insisted.

"No, it's not.” Baek countered, “If you thought it was okay, you wouldn't have stolen the knife!" 

"I knew you weren't going to give it to me."

"Yeah, 'cause I knew you were gonna do something stupid. Like start a fire!" Baek retorted.

Baek took the knife from me, and I couldn't help but blurt out, "But why?! Why won't you let me do what you do? I can't hunt, can't fish, can't even cut things-"

"-you would get hurt! I don't want you getting hurt!" Baek interrupted.

"Well, I want to do what you do! I want to be useful," I said, flopping down in the grass. I stare at the blue sky, tears welling up in my eyes. Large nimbus clouds slowly float by.

Baek watched me, calming down. He sighs and sits beside me.

"I know we are running low on food... and that it's almost winter." I said.

"You don't have to worry-" Baek began.

"-You said you were going to teach me. So please... teach me," I pleaded.

Baek looked at the flint I was holding in my hand. He reached out his hand, and I gave it to him.

"Where did you find this?" he asked, turning the shiny rock with his fingers.

"In the woods," I lied.

Baek turned the flint in his fingers, deep in thought. "After lunch, I'll teach you how to help me," he finally said.

My head perked up. “Really?”

I got close to Baek, wide-eyed, our noses just inches away. Baek pulled back, a little flushed.

"Really, really?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.

Baek sighed, "Yes."

I stood up, giddy with anticipation. Baek followed, walking with me back towards the cottage.

"Ooooh, what are you going to show me? How to use a knife? How to hunt down a stag? How to survive a boar attack?" I asked as I shadowboxed an imaginary beast.

Baek brought my fists down with his hand, "Let's start with something simpler."

We found ourselves standing by the water spinach garden near the stream, the afternoon sun beaming down on his excited face and my disappointed one.

"Gardening?!" I whined, my shoulders deflating.

Baek muttered under his breath, "I think it's kinda fun."

We squatted by the small garden, and I couldn't help but glance at Baek's fancy machete strapped to his thigh.

"I picked these downstream," Baek said as he pulled out a wad of dried reeds. "They should be dry enough by now."

He then took out a spool of chicken wire, metal with hexagonal patterns.

“Your idea for the fence was good. Papa would’ve been proud. However, the materials you used weren’t good enough.” He said. “So we’re going to use this instead.” 

Baek takes out some chicken wire from a gardening bag and a pair of gloves. He tosses the gloves to me and puts on a pair of his own. 

"You weave the reed through it, then stab it into the ground," he instructed. As Baek demonstrated how to weave the chicken wire through the reeds secured in the ground, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"I need you to line the garden with this so rabbits don't get in," Baek said.

"Fine. Fine." I sighed, resigning myself to this menial task, and put the gloves on.

Baek's face softened. "Just prove to me that you can do this, okay?" He paused, then added, "Prove to Papa that you can do this."

I nodded and stabbed the reed into the dirt.

The shadow the reeds left on the ground crept along like a sundial as time passed. I was halfway done with the garden fence, the chicken wire was harder to manipulate than the string I had used before. 

Across the field, I saw Baek chase after a small, injured deer, calmly sprinting behind it, wearing it out. I sighed and stabbed another reed into the dirt.

On the other side of the stream, partly hidden in the woods, a stag watched me. We made eye contact. The stag flicked its ears, and its great, powerful antlers protruded prominently from its head.

My eyes widened. I put down the reed and crept across the stream. That’s the stag that kept eluding Baek! My foot splashed in the shallow water. I wince. The stag freezes, alerted by my encroaching presence. Damn it, I wish I had my makeshift knife or something. I looked around and picked up a dense, but ergonomic rock that fit well in my palm. 

The stag caught on and took off.

I raced after the stag, sprinting through the stream and into the thickets after the beast. The image of Baek chasing the deer plastered in my mind’s eye, serving as a mantra to keep my focus. I steady my breathing and keep a steady pace after the stag. 

Meanwhile, Baek chased the injured deer through the woods. It tripped over an exposed tree root and stumbled. Baek caught up, but the deer kicked him in the chest and sprinted off. He didn’t fall, just slid back a few meters from the force, breathing heavily trying to catch his breath. The beast steadied himself and resumed chase.

I, on the other hand, slowly fell behind my stag. My stamina failed me and the lactic acid in my legs made them itch and burn. How does Baek do this? It was all I could do to keep track of the animal while keeping myself from stumbling on the tangled branches and roots.

Meanwhile, Baek finally caught up to his deer and tackled it to the ground. He pinned the deer's legs down and tried to pull out his machete. The squirming deer knocked the machete out of his hand. 

“Goddammit.” Baek grasped, wrestling the bloody animal on the ground. 

He held the deer down with his body and one hand while the other pulled his belt out of his pant loops. He tied the belt around the deer's legs and tried to reach for his blade.

A rustle in the distance caught his attention. The large stag burst through some bushes, running right towards Baek and the deer. Baek braced for impact, loosening his grip on the deer.

The stag, startled by both of them, swung his antlers toward Baek. Baek jumps off the deer, narrowly avoiding them. The deer scrambles up and dashes away with the stag.

I pushed through the bushes shortly behind the stag and saw Baek lying on the floor, panting. He turns to me, narrowing his eyes.

My mouth opens. Then closes again. I steadily step back through the bushes which I came. 

Baek stands. 

I turn tail and run. 

“Dahyun!!!”