The smile he received from Jin was alien—not at all like the truly happy ones Ahn-Bo had hoarded like a dragon hoarding its treasure. He nodded to confirm his agreement. “Jinjja.” Whatever nightmares were in store for them (because Ahn-Bo knew that would be what they were walking into), at least they would be together. And maybe, eventually, he might be able to convince his friend to leave the awful place.

Originally, he’d had no intention of bringing Jin to his cave. It was messy with his wrinkled bedroll shoved in the corner, unopened letters scattered about, and whatever items Ha-Eun had thought important. If Jin thought he had been disgusting earlier, he was entirely unprepared for what awaited them in the cave. Ahn-Bo didn’t have the energy to convince his friend that they should go somewhere else, nor to even wish that he’d cleaned up after himself better. The situation was what it was, and he’d just have to accept that the vampire would see how poorly he’d truly been faring.

As Jin scooped up his wand (of course he’d dropped it), Ahn-Bo swiped at his face with the sleeve of his hanbok. As he stood, he took a steadying breath. His friend was looking at him expectantly—there was no putting this off any longer. “Gaja,” he said quietly as he took Jin’s right hand in his left and led him through the forest. Fifteen minutes later, they had arrived.

Unable to claim the space for what it was, Ahn-Bo’s steps faltered at the cave’s mouth. He didn’t want to see the pity or concern that would undoubtedly come from Jin once he took everything in. They would warm up, eat, and then… he didn’t want to think about what came next.

gaja: let's go