Chapter Text
“Ready or not, here I come!”
Despite Gyuvin’s warning, Gunwook is not ready. He presses his body against the house, standing in plain sight. Gyuvin will find him here, unfortunately.
Panicking, he looks around for a hiding spot. He always promised his mother that he’d never dart into the wall of desert bushes that guard their property, but he can only promise so much.
Gyuvin is rounding the corner. Gunwook can feel his movements in the sturdy terrain below them. If he goes into the desert, Gyuvin can’t really find him.
He jumps into the bushes.
It’s tough to fight out to the end, and Gunwook is surrounded by bushes. There’s a large, soft leaf that he slides around, but it nips him instead.
A bite.
Gunwook screams at the top of his lungs, no longer caring for the game of hide-and-seek. He springs up out of the desert bushes, thankful for the few thorns that he hits. “Gyuvin!”
“Found…” Gyuvin’s grin falls when he notices that Gunwook’s arm is still hanging in the bushes. “Why’s your hand stuck?”
“Something bit me!”
“Oh!” Gyuvin tilts his head. “…Does it hurt?”
“Yes! Gyuvin, do something!”
“But you can earthbend.”
“Oh.” Gunwook isn’t in the sand yet. He concentrates on the ground beneath his feet and pushes it up, just above the shrubs.
He gasps when he looks down at his hand. “A jackalope!”
“It’s so cute!” Gyuvin gushes, running over.
At that moment, Gunwook’s mom rounds the corner. “Park Gunwook! I told you to not go past the bushes!”
“Technically, he didn’t,” Gyuvin points out. “He’s in the bushes.”
Gunwook points at the jackalope with his free hand. “Can we keep it?”
His mother sighs, rubbing her temple. “Firstly, Park Gunwook, you better get that jackalope off your hand before you get sick. Secondly, even if you were to keep it, you are eight years old. What would you feed it?”
“Um…” Gunwook looks down at his hand. He taps the jackalope, but it doesn’t let go. “It doesn’t want to go. I’m gonna name her Stella!”
“Park Gunwook!”
“Jiyun.” Gyuvin’s mother appears, placing a hand on Gunwook’s mother’s shoulder. “My husband can check if that jackalope has any diseases and treat the wound.” She stomps, generating a set of stairs jutting out from the pillar that Gunwook is standing on. “Gunwook, could you come down from there please?”
Gunwook nods. He descends the steps carefully, leaving the jackalope dragging on the ground next to him until he remembers she’s there. He hoists her up. “Come on Stella, we’re going to Mrs. Kim’s house!”
Mr. Kim concludes that Stella is not diseased, and if anything, she’s a bit malnourished. He reaches out to help Gunwook with his bite wounds. Gunwook glances at Stella one more time. “Can you heal it, but not all the way?”
Mr. Kim’s brows furrow. “You want to have little dents there?”
“Just two.” Gunwook held out his hand. “As a memory.”
Gunwook’s mother tsks. “You can’t—”
“Let it happen,” Mr. Kim interrupts, covering Gunwook’s hand with his own. “If he ever wants to get rid of them, I always can.” He shakes Gunwook’s hand, the little magic trick he always does before uncovering it. “Ta-da!”
Gunwook smiles at the two small dents in his skin, just about a centimetre below his pinky. “I love it.”
Gyuvin pouts. “No fair, I want one!”
“Get your own jackalope.” Gunwook sticks his tongue out at him as a cherry on top. He turns back to his mom, tugging lightly on her skirt. “Can I please keep her?”
“I’m not sure,” she answers. “What if… Stella has a family too?”
“But she was alone in the bushes,” Gunwook points out. “She must’ve bit me because she’s scared. And Mr. Kim said that she was hungry.”
Gunwook’s mother sighs.
“Pretty please?” Gunwook clasps his hands together, dropping to his knees. “Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty—”
“Alright,” she finally answers. “But you have to take care of her, Gunwook. I’m not going to help you.”
“I will!” Gyuvin shouts, raising his hand like he’s in class. “Can I!”
“Of course!” Gunwook replies, high-fiving Gyuvin’s open hand.
“There’s just one problem,” Gunwook’s mom begins. “I don’t think we have enough space at home to keep her.”
Gunwook loads up his begging eyes, ready to turn around and face his mother. “But—”
“I’ll keep her here!” Gyuvin offers once again. “Mom, dad, we can do that, right?”
Mr. and Mrs. Kim look like they have no protests. Gunwook jumps up in joy, rushing over to give Stella a hug too. “You’re mine, Stella! You’re gonna be my second best friend.”
“Second?” Mrs. Kim asks.
Gunwook points at Gyuvin. “First.” He squeezes Stella again, and she doesn’t bite. “Second!”
Gunwook finally draws back to look at Stella, and he swears she gives him some kind of smile.
“Gunwook! Guuuuuunnnwoooook! Gun-WOOOOOOK!”
“Kim Gyuvin, please!” Gunwook forces off his bedsheets to find Gyuvin standing in the corner of his room. “Why are you in here?”
“Why did your mom let me in?” Gyuvin asks. “That’s no way to treat your guest. Besides, I brought something.”
“You’re the one who was yelling my name at the top of your lungs first when you’re literally in the room.” He sits up, holding out a hand. “Give me my gift.”
Gyuvin just gestures to the end of the bed, where Gunwook notices there’s a scratching noise. He only knows one scratcher, and he sees a familiar set of antlers. “Stella!”
Stella jumps up onto the bed when Gunwook calls her name, hopping right into his lap. She had gotten close to Gunwook faster than his mother thought she would, but Gunwook wasn’t complaining. He’d kept his word, and he and Gyuvin had been taking care of Stella for five years.
Scratching behind Stella’s ears, Gunwook furrows his eyebrows at Gyuvin. “You always bring her anyway. Now why are you here?”
“Earthbending practice, obviously.” Gyuvin hums. “I guess it’s more like you’re teaching me, though.”
“Yeah, I am pretty good.” Gunwook gets out of bed. “But sure, I’ll spare some of my precious time to help… what was your name again?”
“Ha-ha.” Gyuvin rolls his eyes. “Let’s get to work, then.”
“Gunwook?” Two knocks on his door, then his mom is peeking her head in anyways. “You’ve got to get ready.”
“Yeah, I’ve been working on it.” Gyuvin makes an ushering moment with his arm. “Come on Gunwook, let’s get going. I still can’t move that boulder beside—”
“Oh, no.” Gunwook’s mom steps the whole way into the room. “Gunwook’s not going with you right now, Gyuvin. Maybe later.”
“What?” Gyuvin asks.
“What?” Gunwook mimics, because that has basically been his life as long as he’s known Gyuvin.
His mother nods. “You’re going to the earthbending school in Yu Dao.”
Gunwook’s jaw drops. “But Yu Dao is so far away!”
“It’s half an hour, Gunwook. And maybe you’ll learn a way to move faster over there.”
“But—”
“Look.” Gunwook’s mom places a hand on the doorknob. “Gunwook, I know that you and Gyuvin want to work on your earthbending together. But I’ve been talking with some of the teachers at the academy, and they agree that you should go there to further your skills instead of goofing off all the time. You’re thirteen. I can’t teach you to earthbend, and you and Gyuvin only know as much as you can figure out. You need a mentor, and we live in the middle of nowhere. Yu Dao is right there.”
Gunwook thinks for a moment. “Was that the guest that you invited over last week? I thought he was watching me from the house.”
“Yes, it was,” she sighs. “You and Gyuvin can have your usual fun when you get back, okay?”
Gunwook tosses off his covers. “Fine.”
He gets ready reluctantly, finally walking out of the house and finding Gyuvin outside looking like a kicked dog. “Gyuvin, I’ll only be gone for a few hours.”
“I don’t think Stella knows that.” Gyuvin points at the jackalope hopping around Gunwook's feet in circles, a habit of hers. “Are you taking her?”
“Hopefully.”
Gyuvin nods. He holds out a pinky. “Promise me you’ll teach me any fancy new moves they teach you?”
Gunwook links his own pinky with his friend’s. “If you work on your quicksand.” He uses his free hand for a moment, squeezing his open hand the slightest bit and sinking Gyuvin into the ground a little bit.
“Hey!” Gyuvin pulls himself out. “Not fair!”
“Practice!” At that, Gunwook sets off.
Yu Dao is a bit of a walk, no doubt. Stella gets tired halfway through and Gunwook has to carry her the rest of the way. He feeds her a handful of berries as a snack, hoping that there’s some cactus somewhere nearby for her to munch on.
Gunwook arrives at the earthbending academy before the sun gets too high, peeking into the open space. There’s a handful of other students, but it doesn’t appear as though they’ve started yet.
“Park Gunwook, I presume?”
Gunwook turns his head to the other direction, watching a man—likely one of the teachers—walk up to him. He nods. “That’s me.”
“Wonderful. We’ve been awaiting your arrival. Please, do come in.”
Gunwook does step inside, looking around. The academy walls cage in a vast, open space, with two buildings tucked into opposite corners. The other students are practicing their earthbending, and Gunwook gawks as he watches a boy lift an impressively sized boulder from the ground, thrusting it at one of the dummies across the courtyard. It rips immediately.
“Keonhee, that’s the third one this week!” The instructor yells.
The boy, Keonhee, scratches the back of his neck. “My bad!”
The teacher scoffs, looking over his shoulder at Gunwook. “Excuse me, I never introduced myself. I’m Master Lee, and I understand that you have amazing earthbending abilities that you’re here to turn into something more.”
Gunwook nods. That sounds like what his mother told him.
“Great.” Master Lee clasps his hands together. “Over there are the facilities. Bathrooms, meeting rooms, bedrooms for those that live here, et cetera. The other building is the shed. It has all of the equipment that we use. Are you ready to get started?”
“I think so,” Gunwook gulps. The place is huge.
“Astounding. I have to grab a few things, then we’ll begin class.”
Master Lee walks away, leaving Gunwook stunned in the middle of the courtyard. He spins around slowly again, taking another look around.
“Duck!”
It might not be for him, but Gunwook drops to the ground anyway, flat on his stomach somehow. He hears a few rocks hit the wall behind him, and a boy that looks to be a few years older than him runs up. “Are you okay? I swear I didn’t see you there.”
“Yeah, I’m alright,” Gunwook sighs. He takes a glance at the other students. “Man, you guys are so good.”
“You think? You’ll be just like that soon.” The boy sticks out a hand. “Kim Taerae.”
Gunwook takes it, pulling himself up. “Park Gunwook.”
Taerae’s eyes widen. “You’re the kid that Master Lim handpicked. How old are you?”
“Thirteen.”
“Oh my goodness, you’re so young,” Taerae chuckles. “I’m sixteen. Based on the way Master Lim was gushing about you, you’re the one three years ahead.” He notes Gunwook’s confusion. “Master Lim runs this place.”
“Really?” Gunwook didn’t know he was already a household name.
“You’re a little celebrity.” Taerae looked over to the facilities. “There’s Master Lee. Come on, let’s go get started.”
Gunwook follows Taerae over to the rest of his new classmates, smiling wide as he looks around at them.
“Everyone!” Master Lee looks around, gesturing to his new student. “This is Park Gunwook. Gunwook, these guys are Kim Taerae, Hong Keonhee, Choi Woojin, Kum Junhyeon, Kim Minseoung, Oh Seongmin, and Shin Ye— Shin Yechan, you are not in the advanced class.”
Yechan, who can’t be any more than 11, huffs. “I’m close though, right?”
“If you wish to believe that,” Master Lee sighs.
Gunwook leans towards Taerae. “This is the advanced class?”
“Yup.” Taerae pats his shoulder. “Don’t worry, this is where you belong.”
Gunwook hates to admit it, but his mother was right. Master Lee demonstrates impressive earth compression skills, making a large boulder out of nothing. Gunwook manages, but his rock only sits nicely in his hand. The end of class features fights, where Gunwook is paired against Kum Junhyeon to end the day.
“Park Gunwook?” Junhyeon asked, amusement in his voice. “I’m lucky to be against you.”
“Lucky how?”
“Well, for one, you’re like a mini celebrity.” Junhyeon cracked his knuckles. “That, and you’re new, so this should be easy.”
Easy? Gunwook didn’t like that. He pulled a rock from the ground, holding it menacingly in the air. “Say that again?”
He launches the rock at Junhyeon, who punches through it. “I said,” Junhyeon repeated, lifting a rock twice the size of Gunwook’s out of the ground, “this should be easy.”
He launches it back, and Gunwook barely darts out of the way. Crap. By the time he’s recovered, Junhyeon has an army of dagger-shaped rocks hanging in the air, ready to strike.
He pushes them forwards.
Gunwook looks down at the ground, lifting the rocks up and creating a wall that takes the impact. Once the last dagger lands, he pushes the wall forwards, and Junhyeon splits it down the middle.
“I have to admit, you know what you’re doing.” Junhyeon talks like he isn’t a mere year older than Gunwook, but his skills are years ahead. He stomps, sending some sort of wave through the ground that Gunwook feels a second too late.
Gunwook gets launched into the air, scrambling to create some kind of softer landing pad for him to fall only. He manages, but Junhyeon has pushed them closer than they were before.
Wait a minute. This is an advantage. Gunwook presses a hand against the ground, twisting it.
“What are you—” Junhyeon yelps as his foot gets caught in the quicksand that Gunwook’s created. “Wait—!”
Gunwook twists his hand faster, catching Junhyeon down to his waist. He walks over to Junhyeon, grabbing his wrist and pushing it down against the ground. Gunwook uses his other hand to trap Junhyeon’s hand in a shackle of earth, connecting it to the ground. Once Gunwook moves onto the other side, Junhyeon waves his free hand.
“I surrender,” he admits. “Just let me out of the ground, please?”
Gunwook pushes the earth underneath Junhyeon up to bring him back to ground level. Junhyeon huffs. “I have to admit, kid, you’ve got some skill.”
“Some?” Gunwook turns around, and Taerae is rolling his eyes at Junhyeon. “Dude, he absolutely smoked you on that one. The kid is going places.”
“I’m not a kid,” Gunwook grumbles.
“Well, you’re certainly not an adult.” Taerae ruffles Gunwook’s hair. “Besides, you’re thirteen. You’re so young.”
“I’m not young either.”
“Okay, pal.” Taerae grabs him by the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get going.”
Gunwook descends the steps of the earthbending academy with Taerae. There’s a boy standing at the steps whose face lights up when he sees them.
“Taerae!” He bounds over to the two, pausing when he sees Gunwook. “And you are?”
“Park Gunwook.” Gunwook sticks out a hand, but the kid surprisingly pulls him into a hug.
“Seok Matthew! I’m Taerae’s best friend,” The kid answers. “Wait, how old are you?”
Taerae sighs. “Matthew, don’t do this to him—”
“Thirteen, why?”
There’s the sound of Taerae’s palm meeting his forehead on Gunwook’s left, but he ignores it in favour of listening to Matthew.
Matthew brightens. “So you’re three years younger than us.” He flexes, though Gunwook doesn't exactly know what he’s supposed to be looking at flexing. “You can call me Woohyun-oppa.”
“He’s not calling you that.” Taerae grabs Matthew’s ear, and the latter yelps. “Don’t terrorize more people than you usually do. Let’s go.”
Surprisingly, Taerae and Matthew don’t head off in the direction of the houses. Gunwook stumbles to catch up. “Where are you going?”
Matthew takes a few steps back to drag Gunwook along. “I walk Taerae over to the Beifong Metalbending Academy everyday. He didn’t tell you about me?”
It’s evident Taerae rolls his eyes by the tone of his voice. “Why would I tell him about you?”
“You didn’t tell me you’re a metalbender!” Gunwook rushes to catch up to Taerae. “You have to show me soon.”
“I’m only alright.” Taerae holds up his wrist, which has a metalbending bracelet clamped to it. With a flick of his wrist, he elongates the ring of metal, lifting it off his wrist and spinning it like a pizza on his finger until it turns into a disk. He grabs the disc, pulling one side until it adds a handle.
“There.” He grabs the handle and swings his creation to the side, nearly taking Matthew’s face off. “Now I have something to hit Matthew over the head with.”
“Hey!” Matthew clutches his heart. “Gunwook, please tell me you’re not a metalbender.”
“No, I’m sticking with earth.” Gunwook answers. “Are you an earthbender too?”
“Nah. I’m a nonbender.”
They come up to the academy, where there’s another master waiting for them at the entrance. Taerae grins when he sees him. “Master Park!”
“Taerae!” The teacher furrows his brows at Taerae’s weapon of choice. “What is that?”
“You don’t wanna know.” Taerae uses the handle to bend the metal back into its bracelet shape, securing it around his wrist.
Gunwook stands in awe. “Didn’t you say you were only alright?”
“Taerae’s more than alright,” Master Park interjects. “Are you ready?”
“I guess.” Taerae turns to Matthew and Gunwook. “So, Gunwook, I’ll see you around?”
“Tomorrow,” Gunwook answers.
“What about me?” Matthew asks. “Don’t you wanna know when you’ll see me next?”
“I’d prefer to not see you around, Matthew.” Taerae gives him a nice pat on the shoulder. “Don’t stay up late worrying about me.”
“Right.” Matthew huffs as Taerae walks away. “Can’t believe he’s left his best friend of years.”
Gunwook laughs. “I think I know someone you’d get along with.”
Gunwook is right. The next day, he brings Gyuvin with him, and he and Matthew instantly hit it off. Gunwook begins to settle into his new routine, and life moves steadily for years.
Nothing goes differently on Gunwook’s 16th birthday. Other than Gyuvin gifting him a little satchel for him to finally keep Stella’s snacks in and his mother promising cake when he gets home, going to the academy and learning through the day is the same. He smokes Taerae in their duel at the end of the class, and Taerae huffs and complains that Gyuvin is way more powerful now.
When Gunwook steps out of the earthbending academy with Taerae, he doesn’t just find Matthew and Gyuvin waiting together.
“Master Lee,” Gunwook murmurs. “I just saw you inside.”
“Yes.” Master Lee produces a scroll from his satchel, turning around to face the crowd that Gunwook has just noticed around the academy. “Citizens of Yu Dao, I believe that you all understand that we are here to make an observation that we, not just as a city nor as the Earth Kingdom, but the entire world have been waiting for.”
He urges Gunwook forwards, and Gunwook takes the step. “After 16 years of awaiting your return, the time has come.”
What’s happening? Gunwook mouths to Taerae, who just quickly descends the steps and joins the crowd. 16 years? Yeah, he’s sixteen, but what could possibly be this important about… him?
Master Lee stands in front of him once again, lowering his head. “I speak for everyone in the world when I say that we are honoured to serve you, Avatar Gunwook.”
Avatar?
It feels like the world stops at the moment Master Lee says it, and Gunwook looks down at all of the people murmuring. He can’t be the Avatar. That just doesn’t make sense.
“Master Lee—” he starts, but it gets too loud for anyone to hear him. No. He is not the Avatar.
“Master—” Gunwook attempts to reach for the scroll, looking for some smudged ink or something, but it never comes. Instead, the scroll slips out of Master Lee’s hands, falling into Gunwook’s.
No, not falling. Gunwook is standing above his teacher. The paper can’t fall, but it still lands in Gunwook’s hands without him touching it. The paper was in his control for a moment, even if not in his hands.
“Oh my god,” Gunwook mutters. “I just airbended.” He looks at Master Lee. “Did you see that?”
Master Lee nods. “You’re the Avatar, Gunwook.”
Gunwook doesn’t believe it. He does now, of course, but how? His mother is a nonbender, and it was news enough that he was an earthbender. But the Avatar? That was a whole different ball game.
He trots down the stairs, swarmed by his friends. “You’re the Avatar?!” Gyuvin asks, impressed. Matthew nods in agreement.
Gunwook sighs. “I guess so.”
The only thing he can really do is continue on with his routine. Gyuvin has brought Stella with him, so Gunwook cradles her in his arms and begins walking with his friends to the Beifong Metalbending Academy.
“Hold on,” Gunwook whispered. “Is Stella my animal guide?”
He looks down at Stella, scratching behind her antlers. She lets out a small coo. He looks at his hand on her fur, the two small dents under his pinky.
Stella is definitely something.
Once the group arrives at the metalbending academy, Gunwook can take a breath of fresh air. It’s the only place he’s been to since the announcement that doesn’t know he’s the Avatar yet.
Taerae turns to him. “You were really quiet on the way here. Are you okay?”
“Just… thinking.” Gunwook answers. “I’m gonna head back with Gyuvin now.”
“Right.”
Gunwook waves Matthew and Taerae goodbye, grabs Gyuvin, and begins the trek home. All the while, he can’t help but think. What’s he going to do? He knows what the next steps are—travel the world, go learn the elements, save the world. But Gunwook doesn’t know if he’s ready for that yet.
He thinks for a moment. Avatar Korra knew she was the Avatar from a young age—she practiced three out of four bending styles from the age of four. Avatar Aang began training at 12. Gunwook might not see a reason now, but something could happen at any moment, and he needs to be ready to save the world. That’s his duty as the Avatar.
He knows what to do. He knows what he has to do.
Gunwook walks into his house, where his mother is seated in their kitchen with Gyuvin’s parents. Perfect.
“Hi mom,” Gunwook announces as usual, letting in Gyuvin after him. Gyuvin taps his shoulder. “What are you going to do?” he asks quietly.
Gunwook hums. “Just let it happen.”
“Gunwook!” His mother greets back as they walk into the kitchen. “How was your day? Your cake’s just in the oven.”
“I found out I’m the Avatar.”
His mother gasps. Gyuvin’s parents trade a look.
“Well, that’s a shock.” Gunwook’s mother smooths over her skirt. “Well, how do you want to go about the elements?”
“I want to start now. With Gyuvin.”
“With Gyuvin?” Gyuvin’s parents ask in unison.
“With Gyuvin?” Gyuvin echoes, shocked.
Gunwook turns to him, taking both of Gyuvin’s hands. “Gyuvin, you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. If I was going to choose any other person to go and venture with, it would have to be you.” He turns back to their parents. “That is, of course, if you say yes.”
Neither Gyuvin nor his parents have objections. Gunwook’s mother takes a moment to think of her answer, walking over to the two boys.
“Gunwook,” she starts. “You have always been my everything. My hope. You’ve always been here for me. You don’t understand how badly as a mother I just want to wrap you up and keep you to myself but… of course, opportunity can never escape you.” She chuckles dryly. “And who am I to stop that? You were my hope first, but now you have to bring hope to the rest of the world. The world needs the Avatar.”
The words sink in. “Thank you, mom!” Gunwook cheers. “I’ll visit, I swear.”
“I’m sure I’ll hear all about your endeavours in the news. Just don’t forget to give me a hug before you leave.”
“Of course.” Gunwook squeezes her tightly. “Gyuvin, can we leave in a few days?”
“Sure.” Gyuvin gasps. “I need to start packing!”
Gyuvin’s mother just laughs. “There goes the Avatar. He can’t be stopped.”
Gunwook’s mother smiles. “Of course he can’t. He’s the Avatar. Nothing will stand in his way.”
Gunwook hates having to say goodbye, but he still says goodbye to all of his earthbending academy classmates. They all completely understand, but he has more to say to Taerae separately with all of his friends.
“I leave tomorrow.”
“Already?” Matthew and Taerae pout in sync.
Gyuvin nods. “He’s dragging me to Republic City so we can get to the Fire Nation Capital.”
“You’re starting right away,” Matthew comments.
Gunwook nods. “I don’t want to spend too much time doing nothing. Just look at Avatar Aang. I think It’s better if I start now so I can master the elements quickly.”
“Huh,” Taerae remarks. “I hope everything goes well.”
“I’ll come back sometimes,” Gunwook promises. “I doubt that I’ll go on practicing with an element master for too long without a break.”
“And if you don’t get one?” Matthew asks.
“I’ll just sneak out,” Gunwook whispers. “Wait, I have something for you guys.”
He reaches into his bag and pulls out two containers, alongside a napkin with two forks rolled inside of it. “It’s my birthday cake from yesterday. I thought you guys would want some.”
Matthew and Taerae thank Gunwook, taking the cake. It’s only a few bites in when Gunwook realizes they’re crying. “Woah, hey, wait, why are you crying?”
Taerae sniffs, wiping at his tears. “I just can’t believe you’re leaving.” He wraps his arms around Gunwook. “I’m gonna miss you, kid.”
“I’m still a kid?”
“Of course.” Matthew pokes Gunwook’s cheek. “We’ve known you for years now. Of course it’s going to be weird without you. Like, so weird.”
“I’m gonna miss coming here all the time,” Gunwook responds.
“I’m just gonna miss you.” Taerae gives him one last squeeze before pulling back. He turns to Gyuvin. “You too, Gyuvin. Matthew’s gonna be back to bothering me on the walk here.”
“Hey!” Matthew gets his hug in on Gyuvin first. “Seriously, though, I’m going to miss you both. A lot. Like, a whole bunch.”
Gyuvin smiles. “I’m gonna miss you guys too.”
Taerae packs himself onto the hug, making Gyuvin yelp. Gunwook takes a second before adding himself to the mix. They stand there, all hugging, for many minutes on end. Gunwook doesn’t want it to be over.
Gunwook wakes up the next day, grabs the bag in the corner of his room, and walks out the door.
Hao reads over the newspaper with a hum. “Huh. Interesting.”
“What is it already?” Ricky groans, trying once again to peek over Hao’s shoulder. Hao angles the pages away from him. “You keep oohing and ahhing but you refuse to give me that.”
“Finders keepers,” Hao argues.
Ricky huffs, still squirming in his seat. “For someone who’s an adult, you act like a child.”
“Say that again, I dare you.” Hao pulls out a threatening flame, holding it in his palm as he continues to read.
“Do not threaten me like that.” Ricky flicks up a flame on his finger like a lighter, holding it closer and closer to the edge of the paper until Hao finally drops it onto the table.
Ricky snatches the paper, and the headline is worth more than a few grunts.
THE NEXT AVATAR DISCOVERED IN YU DAO.