“Here’s your lunch box.”

“Thanks.”

“But man, is it really okay for the weather to be this hot in the Fall? The smell of sweat won’t leave me.”

“Try staying like that for a little longer. You’ll be shivering soon enough. At that time, you’ll thank yourself for wearing such thick clothes. It’s much better than standing in front of the castle gates wearing only a piece of cloth in the middle of the night.”

“That’s true.”

Maru picked up his chopsticks and opened the lunch box. The jeyuk-bokkeum was seasoned too hard and the rice was dry, but since hunger was the best spice, he had no problem eating. He drank the miso soup without a single chunk of anything in it. Warmth returned to his body which had been cooling down from the night wind.

“I saw that the director was asking you to eat together.”

“This place is much more relaxing for me.”

He handed over a bottle of water to Mr. Choi, who asked for some water. The way they sat in a circle as they ate made them look like total beggars. Their faces were greasy from all the running, and their clothes were full of dirt because they had to fall over several times. A young guy looked next to him and giggled....