Later that night in the kitchen, the two of us sat quietly eating rice and some dried jerky. I picked at my food, sadly stuffing rice into my mouth. Baek watched me, chewing on a piece of jerky. I follow his eyes as he glances out the window, seeing my half-built fence and dead crops. The rabbits had eaten everything this time, a result of my neglect. 

"What are we gonna do?" Baek asked.

"I don't know," I replied, my mouth full.

"It’ll start snowing soon. Our garden is ruined. We didn't get the deer," he continued. Baek pointed his jerky at me. "You know that deer was supposed to feed us through winter."

"I'm sorry, okay... I should've just kept watch over the garden," I said as I stood up abruptly, my heart heavy with guilt. The weight of our situation bore down on me, and I felt the pressure to make things right.

I suddenly had an idea. "Wait! The rabbits? Why don't we catch--"

"--We need them to breed," Baek interrupted.

I slumped back down, disappointed. I plopped a chunk of rice into my mouth and mumbled to myself, "I hate rice."

Baek asked, "What about the tablet?"

My eyes widened nervously. "Huh?"

"What did you learn from it before you gave it away?" he questioned.

"Oh... uh... I know how to start a fire–"

"--no fires," Baek cut me off.

"Eh... I know how to fish," I offered.

"Could be helpful, but I don't want to overfish unless we have to..." he replied, rubbing his temple.

"I know how to find and preserve fruits and stuff," I said as another spoonful of rice was stuffed in my mouth..

There was a brief pause, and I could see the gears turning in Baek's head. "Winterberries haven't gone out of season yet. There are some in the woods, I'm pretty sure."

My eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh! I know how to preserve them in jars! The video said that they'll last a long time!"

"Okay. I'll clean and prepare our mason jars..." Baek agreed.

"Oh! I also know roots!" I exclaimed. A few grains of rice fly from my open mouth.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Like plant roots! I know which ones are edible!" I clarified.

"Huh," Baek said, clearly impressed.

"Yea! I know how to identify them based on the leaves!" I beamed.

"Looks like the tablet proved useful," he admitted.

I giggled and nodded while a small smile broke out of Baek’s face, seeing how happy I was.

"Okay. Tomorrow we'll prepare for the winter," he decided.

"Does that mean you'll forage with me?" I asked excitedly.

"Yup," he confirmed.

"You're not gonna run off with your knives?" I teased.

"Nope. I’ll even show you how to use a knife," Baek said.

My eyes widen as my spoon clatters on the table. "Really?” I study Baek’s face, but he’s not joking. “Yay! I get to spend the day with Baek!" I exclaimed, laughing.

"Don't be so dramatic," he said, his face flushed.

That night, I crawled up the trunk of a plum tree and sat at the top. I dug out my tablet and watched videos on preserving fruit, gathering food, and preparing for winter.

The next day, Baek and I stood at the edge of the woods, both carrying big backpacks. I yawned, dead tired from staying up all night on my tablet. Dark bags hung under my eyes.

Baek knocked on my head. "Ow..." I complained.

"Dummy," he said.

We entered the woods, our boots crunching through the dead leaves. My sleepy eyes widened and the bags under them cleared away as I spotted a winterberry bush.

"Look!" I exclaimed.

We jogged over to the bush, covered in bright red berries.

"Good eyes!" Baek complimented me.

I giggled as we opened mason jars and collected the berries. Looking around, I spotted another bush in the distance.

"There's another one!" I said, cheekily adding, "They tend to grow close together."

"You're amazing," Baek told me. My grin spreads from ear to ear. 

As I headed towards the other bush, I exclaimed, "This is fun. I'll go collect from that one!" 

"Don't wander too far!" Baek warned.

Later, after stuffing our mason jars full of winterberries, we continued searching through the woods. I paused and studied each plant we came across, analyzing its leaves. Baek's eyes scanned the forest, his head moving on a steady swivel.

"Baek!" I called out.

He turned towards me.

"It's a kudzu," I said, standing over a mess of purple flowers.

Baek studied the plant carefully.

I looked at the kudzu, thinking about the taste of its roots. "The roots are edible. I think they taste like grapes?"

Baek handed me a shovel, and I began digging the plant out. He put the roots into a bag while I continued digging. With some dirt and sweat on my face, I looked up at Baek and smiled. "This is so fun!"

Baek laughed as he crouched beside me and helped me dig. 

The day went by quickly, and as the sun began to dip beneath the trees, we hunched over the stream, washing the roots and berries. We tossed the clean ones into a woven, straw basket beside us. Baek handed me a small knife. It wasn’t fancy like his machete, nor was it crude like the one I made. It was simple, but sturdy. A short, metal blade with a polished wooden handle and a beautiful sheathe that looked to be real leather. 

"Here," he said.

I stared at it, surprised. "Really? Why?"

"You've earned it," he replied.

I took the knife gingerly. "Just... be careful. Here. Let me show you," Baek said, inching closer to me. I felt his warmth which made me realize how cold the air was. 

He held out a kudzu root and the knife over the stream, slowly cutting the flower off the top. Then, he shaved off the excess hairs around the plant body and tossed it into the basket with a final dunk in the stream. 

I watched intently. This was much better than watching those tablet videos. My eyes met his as I felt my cheeks flush. He stared at me, serious, and handed me the blade. 

“Now you try.”

I took the knife and felt the wooden handle in my palm. It was a perfect fit. I grabbed a dirty root from the pile and followed the steps he showed me. It was clumsy at first, but I gradually got better.

He leaned closer to me, watching me intently. He probably was worried I would cut my self. Idiot. I’m trying to focus here. Why are you so close? I could feel my heart racing.

"You're getting better at this," Baek commented, and I laughed nervously.

I looked up at him. Our eyes met and he smiled. 

"Hey!" I shouted angrily.

Baek looked behind him and saw a rabbit creeping towards our pile of roots. I grabbed a rock from the stream and chucked it at the sneaky thief. "Shoo!" I yelled.

The rabbit darted off, and I glared at it. "Ugh. You're so lucky I can't eat you!"

Baek laughed, and I couldn't help but break into laughter myself.

Sunset. The roots were drying in the basket as I lay in the shade of the plum tree, watching the clouds pass by overhead. Baek lumbered over and crashed down beside me, letting out a loud sigh.

I could tell he was exhausted but satisfied. I knew the feeling. The feeling of accomplishment and the bond we had formed over the day's efforts filled me with warmth and a sense of belonging I hadn't felt in a long time.

I looked at him. "You're so strong." 

He stretched in the soft grass, and we both stared up at the clouds.

"Remember when we were little... we used to lay under this tree all day. We wasted whole afternoons watching the clouds float by," I reminisced.

Baek reached for a big, fluffy cloud in the sky, and I giggled. "You used to do that all the time," I said.

Baek put his hand down. "We didn't have to worry about food back then. Papa took care of us," he muttered, pausing for a moment before adding, "He still does."

I faced Baek and asked, "What does Papa look like?"

He studied my face. "He's tall. Skinny. You have his nose and mouth, but your eyes... you have your mama's eyes."

I looked back up at the clouds and whispered to myself, "Mama..."

"I like your eyes the best."

I turned back towards him. Our eyes met as the soft breeze rustled the leaves above us, and the warmth of the setting sun cast a golden glow on our faces. For a moment, it felt like time stood still. And for that moment, I wondered, who were Baek’s parents?

I opened my mouth to ask, but Baek turned back up to the orange sky. "Why do you want to learn these survival skills?"

I thought for a moment before responding. "Hmm... I was bored. I'm tired of drawing. Tired of watching you do everything." I paused before adding, "I want you to rely on me as much as I rely on you."

Baek stared at the perfect, pink clouds drifting by, considering my words.

"I want to spend more time with you," I said, smiling softly.

He was silent, so I looked away. I wasn’t staring at the clouds anymore, but at the plum tree instead. My eyes looked through the branches and imagined the tablet snuggled in the hole right above me. I cannot have Baek protecting me all the time. 

Suddenly, Baek sat up. "Let's get the buck," he suggested.

"What?" I asked, puzzled.

"The big deer. Let's get him. Together," Baek said confidently.

"But you tried. He's too fast," I argued.

"We can trap him if we work together," Baek insisted.

"You and me?" I questioned, unsure but intrigued.

"Who else? I don’t know about you, but I want to have meat for the winter. Will you help me?" Baek asked, his eyes filled with determination.

I hesitated for a moment, weighing the possibilities in my mind. Then, with a deep breath, I made my decision.

“Yes.”