Jin-woo’s hand clenched around the thrashing fish. It writhed in his grip, snapping its jaws at him. He heard the sharp click of its teeth. With every snap, he tightened his hold, terrified that a moment's weakness would cost him a finger. He held the fish fast and ran toward the fire pit beneath the hole in the ceiling. As he moved, the fish’s fierce struggles began to slow. Its breathing grew ragged, and its body went slack. Reaching the fire, Jin-woo laid a single green onion leaf on the ground. He carefully set the fish down on it, then covered it with another leaf. He tore two more leaves into finger-thick strips to use as twine, then wrapped the leafy bundle in a cross and tied it securely. “I hope this tastes amazing.” Jin-woo gently placed the green onion-wrapped fish in the center of the smoldering embers. He watched it cook for a long time. “Ah, that smells incredible.” A rich, oily scent mingled with the rising steam, slowly filling the cave. It reminded him of his childhood. When his mother cooked, the delicious aroma would drift from the kitchen and perfume the entire house. If he came home from school to the smell of one of his favorite dishes, his mood would instantly lift. Back then, even the time spent waiting for dinner was a happy one. A low grumble interrupted Jin-woo’s thoughts. He was starving, but he held back. He was determined to fill his empty stomach with something truly delicious. “Just a little longer,” he murmured, patting his stomach. “I’ll get you something good.” Jin-woo consoled himself and waited patiently, letting the fish cook through completely. And when the scent had deepened into a thick, irresistible aroma… “I can’t take it anymore! I have to eat!” Using a pair of dried, hardened green onion stalks as tongs, Jin-woo pulled the leaf-wrapped fish from the fire. He carefully worked at the knot he had tied. As the twine came loose and he peeled back the charred outer leaves, a dense cloud of steam billowed out, carrying the savory scent of fish and roasted onion. Jin-woo marveled at the glistening, perfectly moist fish revealed within. He folded the fillet in half, tore off a piece of the tender meat, and popped it into his mouth. It was cooked to perfection. There was no hint of fishiness, only a firm, chewy texture that gave way to a wave of savory flavor that intensified with every chew. Jin-woo devoured the fish in a frenzy. “Huh, it’s gone already?!” He stared at the clean-picked bones with a crestfallen expression. A disappointed sigh echoed from beside him. Jin-woo wasn’t the only one let down. He looked over and saw the rabbit couple staring at the fish skeleton, their expressions utterly forlorn. No, it couldn’t be… rabbits eating fish? Then again, he remembered how they preferred their leaves roasted, just like him. “Do you guys eat meat, too?” As if the thought had only just occurred to them as well, the two rabbits turned their heads away in unison. They seemed annoyed that Jin-woo had eaten the entire thing himself. “Sorry,” Jin-woo said, scratching his head. “I didn't know…” He got to his feet and headed for the pond, intending to catch another. He noticed the number of fish in the water had increased since he’d last checked. “But where are they all coming from?” As Jin-woo swept his torchlight over the pond, he spotted a small, hand-sized hole in one of the far corners. Just then, a fish swam in through the opening. “Ah, so that’s how they’re getting in.” The light of his torch seemed to be attracting them. He had finally solved the mystery of the fish. Absently, Jin-woo brought the torch a little closer to the water’s surface to get a better look. A fish launched itself out of the water toward the flame, its mouth wide open. Jin-woo yanked the torch back just in time. The fish snapped at empty air. Its hunt having failed, it splashed back into the water. Jin-woo cautiously lowered the torch again. Another fish leaped, aiming for the light. Jin-woo pulled the torch away. The fish fell back into the water, unsuccessful. He understood now. The fish were reacting to the light moving near the surface, mistaking it for prey. Now that he knew how to make them jump, catching them would be easy. Jin-woo shook the torch over the pond. A fish shot upward, its jaws agape. Jin-woo focused on its trajectory. As it reached the peak of its arc and began to fall… He swung the torch, swatting the fish out of the air and onto the cavern floor. It flopped on the stone, gasping. Jin-woo sent two more fish sailing onto the ground. Holding the three still fish, he walked back to the fire pit. The rabbit couple, their earlier annoyance completely forgotten, cheered for his success with gazes full of admiration. Jin-woo’s shoulders straightened. In that moment, he felt like a hero. The male rabbit scurried off to fetch more green onion leaves, eager to help with the cooking. Beside him, the female rabbit began tearing the leaves into thin strips for twine. Jin-woo placed all three fish on the embers. With the wrapping and tying already taken care of, the cooking could begin right away. And once again, they settled in for a happy wait. On the 41st day of being trapped in the tower, Jin-woo and the rabbit couple slept with full bellies. Beep-beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep. It was the morning of the 41st day of being trapped in the tower. Jin-woo woke and went to the pond. He saw that a new, smaller pool had formed next to the old one. A small trickle of water now flowed from the rock wall, creating a clean basin separate from the pond and its aggressive fish. Jin-woo washed his face and gathered water there. After washing up, Jin-woo went to check his crops. His small farm was thriving. In front of his designated rock seat were the green onions; to the left, cherry tomato plants had grown to his knees; and to the right, the first sprouts of sweet potatoes were pushing through the soil. The long-awaited sweet potato sprouts had finally appeared. All the crops he had planted on that first day had safely taken root. A lot had happened. On the 32nd day, a Cheong-wol had appeared again, leading Jin-woo to realize that the cycle on this floor was thirty days long. And a few days ago, in their burrow, the female rabbit had given birth to six kits, and their family had grown. The faint, energetic squeaks of baby rabbits drifted from the burrow as the father rabbit busily began watering the green onion patch. “Time to make breakfast.” Seeing the busy couple, Jin-woo wanted to lend a hand. He harvested ten green onion leaves to roast on the fire and laid the rest out to dry. Then he approached the pond and waved his torch back and forth over the water. A fish leaped for the dancing light. Jin-woo swung the torch. Today, with a bit of luck, a single, clean strike was all it took. He wrapped two fish in green onion leaves, tied them with the fibrous stems, and set them on the fire. While they cooked, he pulled the roasted green onions from the heat and began to eat. “It’s nice to have something warm in my stomach.” After finishing his simple breakfast, Jin-woo watered the crops, then spent some time just staring into space. Soon, a delicious smell began to spread. Jin-woo was just starting to cut the twine on the cooked fish when the father rabbit emerged from the burrow, looking exhausted. Jin-woo called out to him. Worn out from parenting, the father rabbit responded with a weak twitch of his ears. Jin-woo handed him one of the freshly cooked fish. The rabbit’s weary eyes widened. Deeply moved, he took the fish and hurried back into the burrow. With the kits now awake, it would be a while before the new parents got a chance to eat. Beep-beep. Beep-beep. On the 50th day, the smartphone alarm rang for the last time before the battery died. Fortunately, the rabbits were reliable. They woke precisely at 5 AM and went to bed at 7 PM. By following their rhythm, Jin-woo figured he could maintain a normal sense of time despite the tower’s constant daylight. Jin-woo placed the dead smartphone in his bag next to his useless laptop. The rabbit couple, now looking more comfortable with parenting, came out of the burrow to greet him. While the father rabbit watered the crops and the mother rabbit cut green onion leaves, Jin-woo caught fish from the pond. He took his catch to the fire, wrapped the fish in leaves, and set them to cook. The mother rabbit brought him a meal of roasted green onions, beautifully arranged on a large leaf, before she and her mate returned to the burrow. They went inside to prepare breakfast for their babies. As Jin-woo satisfied his own hunger with the roasted onions, he noticed a small, yellow flower blooming at the end of a cherry tomato branch. He remembered reading something online. With no Kkul-beol or wind, pollination wouldn’t happen on its own. There was a faint breeze in the cave, but Jin-woo wanted to be certain. He carefully rubbed the inside of the flower with the sharp tip of a fishbone. ‘Please work. Please work.’ Jin-woo pollinated the flower, his heart full of earnest hope. Getting to his feet, Jin-woo approached the rock wall of the cave. He used a fishbone to etch another line into the stone. Next to it were six long vertical lines and a single short one above them. It had been 61 days since he’d been trapped in the tower. He had started marking the date after his phone died. ‘It’s already been sixty-one days…’ Just as his mood began to sink, the cave filled with noise. Morning had arrived, and the baby rabbits were tumbling out of the burrow one after another, following their parents. The rabbit couple greeted Jin-woo and silently asked for his help. Lately, Jin-woo had occasionally taken on the role of babysitter. It wasn’t much, just keeping an eye on the kits to make sure they didn’t wander into danger. While Jin-woo watched the babies, the father rabbit watered the field and the mother rabbit prepared breakfast. The baby rabbits stayed quiet as long as they had food, so the meal was peaceful. Afterward, the rabbit couple herded their children back into the burrow. Jin-woo washed his face and went to the cherry tomato patch. With more and more flowers blooming, it was turning into a small garden. Jin-woo gently took hold of the branches and gave them a light shake. “Please work. Please work.” There were too many flowers to pollinate one by one now, so he shook the branches and recited his little pollination spell. And there, nestled between the fallen petals of a withered flower, was a tiny green cherry tomato, no bigger than a bean. On the 61st day of being trapped in the tower, the first fruit had finally appeared. It was the day before the Cheong-wol.

Chapter 5: Hope wrapped in leaves