Jung walked the streets of the Guanzu town with confidence and without fear. He is one of the locals, and he is recognized as such. The old folks knew him as a hard-working kid and they give him their reluctant respect. The kids knew him as the son of the head of the farmer’s cooperative, which a large part of the town works for, so Jung is tolerated even by the older kids. The parents, though, simply loved him because he is cute as a button and every simple thing he does is just adorable to them.

Jung burst into the general store in the middle of town and waved at the owner. "Hello, aunty Seo-ah! How are you today?” Jung asked politely.

The older woman manning the store had the edge of her lips raised up in amusement. “Hello Jung-kun. Do you need anything?” Seo-ah is a friend of his mother and first met the handsome kid when he is months old. His mom brought him here, and the kid has become a loyal customer ever since.

Jung brightly gave her a list, and while the owner looked for the items, Jung complained about the hot weather. He thought it made him look mature if he talks about things adults are interested in, but to the owner, he sounds just like a puppy barking away and just as endearing.

When the owner gave the asking price, Jung gave a token complaint about the increase in prices again. Actually, as far as he knew, the price was the same, but her mother taught him to try and bargain down the prices as much as he could.

Also, he has a general skill called “Barter,” and he just doesn’t know how to use it. For some reason, it didn’t work whatever he did, and besides the first skill point he invested in it to unlock the skill, it hasn’t improved for several years now.

Again, the skill didn’t respond. The owner didn’t budge on her prices either. Jung sighed and was forced to pay the full price. "oh well," he thought nonchalantly. He gathered his purchases and waved good-bye.

Outside, he took a deep breath and smelled the countryside. He clutched his purchase in his chest and closed his eyes just for a moment as he reveled in his surroundings. The town was quaint and boring for most kids, but Jung loved it. It has its own set of problems. Jung knew from the anxiety he could feel from his parents that they didn’t like him alone in town, but for him, the place is peaceful and tranquil. He also wanted to see more of the rest of the world, but if asked, Jung didn’t mind living his whole life in this town.

Jung had taken it upon himself to do the weekly grocery and market buying his mother normally does since that day when he found her sweating and frail as she arrived home. That night, she had a fever and for days her breathing wasn’t that good. To Jung’s utmost gratefulness, her mother recovered. She tried to dismiss it as a one off thing, but Jung and his father saw the frailness that stayed with her even after the fever. So he talked to his father and he’d taken the responsibility of grocery and market shopping every Saturday that his mom normally does. And after a few months, a new normal descended in their family.

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Jung started to walk home and cross several streets.

He noticed a few older kids walking in the other direction towards the road that exited the town and frowned. A few miles from there is an abandoned factory that became a delinquent haven. His parents and the other locals warned him never to go there if he didn’t want any trouble. So Jung obeyed and never explored that part of town. But he is always curious on whats going on in that part of town.

An old Soviet era Lada car passed him by and he noticed the principal of Guanzu School inside being driven by a lady. Jung waved at them but he wasn’t sure if they saw him. Jung liked the principal. He is strict but fair, and he is the only real instructor in school that can stimulate Jung’s mind nowadays. He even has the same sense of humor as his father.

A few more streets over, and he crosses the Guanzu playground. When he was younger, Jung found the place to be the best part of the town. On the rare occasions he gets to visit the town, Jung plays in the playground and meets plenty of friends there, including the ones he is now in school with. One of the earliest friends he met was a small, wheelchair-bound boy. At first, Jung was simply fascinated with the contraption, but soon the boy’s wit and happy-go-lucky approach to life made Jung laugh, and they became fast friends.

He figured out early on that kids can be silly and do stupid things. But one day, some of the kids went too far and started harassing his wheelchaired friend. They went as far as to drag him out of the chair and push him to the ground as they jeered at him. Jung remembered never getting angry like that in his whole life. He just stared them down, including the older boys, and the atmosphere became really oppressive. It was like he rooted them in place just by the strength of his displeasure alone. He calmly help his friend back to his chair, and after eyeing each one of his friend’s tormentors, he told them that the kid in the wheelchair was off limits. Many just stared at him for a minute longer, and then they simply left the playground.

Jung was mortified with his actions, even after several years already passed, and he didn’t go to the playground as much as he did before. Even so, no one harassed his friend ever again, at least not in his presence, and the kid grew up relatively happy. In fact, he is still one of Jung’s closest friends.

A heavy weight descended on his shoulders, and he almost buckled to his knees right there in the concrete floor. “Damn it, Bongcha!” Jung complained. “What have you been eating, you fat bird? You almost crush my knees.”

Bongcha hooted on top of him, then smacked him with one of his wings. “Ack!” Jung said in surprise. The fat owl then checked the paper basket he’d been holding.

“I don’t have any food for you!” Jung protested. “Shoo! Shoo!”

Then, in his peripheral vision, he saw a little girl several streets away looking at a window glass. She was rather far away, but Jung automatically recognized her just by looking at her back. “Eun Mei!” Jung said excitedly. It was the weekend, and both of them didn’t have any class today. And Jung couldn’t help but admire her Sunday dress. It wasn’t anything special, but anything Eun mei wore, to Jung’s mind, was always perfect for her. Jung waddled towards her as he crossed the street, still balancing the basket in his arms and the heavy owl on his shoulders.

The girl didn’t hear him, and a moment later, an older woman exited a nearby store and grabbed Eun Mei’s hand and led her away. Jung stopped in the middle of the street and pouted since the girl didn’t notice him. He didn’t know why, but his feet brought him to the window Eun Mei was looking at. She is looking at a small trinket store that has been open in town for, like, forever. There was a sense of longing in her eyes that Jung had never seen before, and when he looked at the window display, he just knew where Eun Mei was looking. By the angle of her face, she was looking at the lower left side of the window, and although there are a lot of jewelry displayed in the display racks, there is only one on the lower left side. The moment Jung saw the bracelet, he knew it was what Eun Mei wanted.

Jung smiled sadly. You have good taste, Eun mei, Jung thought wanly. But daamn, that is one really expensive bracelet.

The owl hooted her agreement over his shoulder.