Chapter 134
"Elephant... are you okay?"
so-hyun reached out across the wide space between them, but the elephant backed away, trying to avoid it.
Even if he stretched out his hand as far as he could, the elephant would simply back away.
"Don't worry, I'm not a bad person. Come here."
I wanted to touch it. He felt very sorry for the elephant that must have lived with such terrible wounds.
Then so-hyun shuddered with his outstretched hand.
'Will it hurt if I touch it?'
When she thought about it, she felt that she should not touch it. so-hyun, who pushed his hand away, looked at the elephant with pitiful eyes.
At that moment Ignatius's voice was heard from behind.
"What a good boy."
so-hyun glanced quickly back. He asked with trembling eyes, knowing that Ignacio was there.
"Lord... why is this child so hurt?"
Ignacio took a step forward. But for some reason, the elephant still looked anxious even as its owner approached. Ignacio sighed.
"An animal protection group rescued a seriously injured elephant. They returned him to our country. He would die if he had stayed there."
'That country?'
'Isn't it an African elephant? It looks like a child.'
Ignacio said with a bitter smile.
"African elephants are huge calves, weighing up to ten tons. This elephant is not a calf, it is an adult."
'An adult? Why is an adult elephant so small?' The elephant's back was close to so-hyun's shoulders.
"What country is this elephant from?"
"Thailand."
'Thai elephants rescued and sent to Africa. Why was this elephant so badly injured in Thailand?'
Ignacio crossed his arms and looked at the elephant.
"Thailand is a country that markets elephant rides as a tourist attraction. They also organize shows."
'Elephant rides, elephant show. I saw it once on TV. I really wanted to try it. But what does that have to do with injuries?'
"But?"
"Elephants forge deep bonds with their herds and travel long distances. They possess high intelligence, which includes self-awareness and empathy. However, they are not close to humans."
'How can wild animals be friendly to humans? What's the problem?'
Ignacio said with serious eyes.
"The method of making a non-hearing elephant obey humans is called phajaan."
'I guess that's how you can tame them.'
"What is phajaan?"
Ignacio shook his head as if his heart ached just thinking about it.
"This is a ritual performed when a baby elephant is two or three years old to destroy its wild instincts and force it to obey. The calf is forcibly separated from its mother, its limbs are tied and it is placed in a space where it cannot move. Then, for three to seven days, punches, spears, and knives are stuck in sensitive parts. During this process, fifty percent of elephants die and the other fifty percent go mad."
Soo-hyun's body, who had been demanding an explanation, froze.
'Locking up a baby elephant and stabbing it with a spear? Is that something a person would do?'
Ignacio looked for something on his phone and showed it to him. It looked like a black club with a sharp point like a hook.
"This...?"
"It's called bullhook. It is a tool used to hit the head of a disobedient elephant and wound it."
"…"
Ignacio sighed.
"Humans are cruel. They abuse many animals to earn income from tourism."
'I want to curse and spit. But my mouth doesn't move because I'm so surprised.'
"Even elephants that survived the phajaan ritual don't recognize their mothers and don't even realize they're elephants," Ignacio said, looking at the elephant.
so-hyun looked at the elephant again. He felt like his heart was going to burst.
"Can you live happily here?"
"Well, this place isn't completely safe either. Poaching and habitat destruction are constant. This is a child who was supposed to be taken to the national park, but his injuries are too serious, so I am taking care of him temporarily. As soon as he gets better, I'll send him to the park... But given his condition, I can't guarantee that he will be able to live in a group."
so-hyun was trembling with anger.
'I feel very ashamed and sorry for myself for having thought that one day I would do an elephant tour without knowing this.'
"You tried to touch the child a little while ago," Ignacio said. "Then you withdrew your hand. Why?"
"… I thought it would hurt if I touched it."
"Yes, that's why you're a good boy."
Ignacio moved some piles of hay. so-hyun, who had been looking at the elephant with sad eyes, asked:
"Can I help you?"
"Would you do that?"
"Yes, sir."
With so-hyun's help, the job was quickly finished.
"But what is this haystack?"
"It's food. Elephants eat a lot of grass a day. What you just moved is equivalent to a day's worth of food."
"Is he going to eat all this?"
"Haha, African elephants eat a lot. This child is small, so he eats less. Right, Toto?"
Ignatius spoke while looking at the elephant.
"Is that child's name Toto?" asked so-hyun.
Ignacio looked at him and smiled.
"Abna said that your friends are young. How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"Toto is eighteen. He's older than you. He's not a child."
"Ah..."
Ignacio threw a bale of hay at them.
"Toto. Eat a little more. You'll recover faster if you eat. I agree! And he's so-hyun. Don't worry, it won't hurt you."
Although the food was already served, Toto was still watching him from the corner.
"He won't eat if they look at him," Ignacio said, patting so on the shoulder. "They have hurt him many times. Let's go so that he eats quietly."
"Yes..."
so-hyun looked at Toto and waved his hand.
"Goodbye... and I'm sorry..."
Ignacio smiled brightly.
'A child who apologizes on behalf of humans even though it wasn't his fault. It's rare to find such an innocent child in his teens.'
And from that moment on, the anticipation on so-hyun's face disappeared, and only a hardened expression remained. Even when they sat down with the family and ate fufu, and even when everyone went to their rooms, his frozen face did not soften.
Junwoo, who was witty, punched so-hyun in front of the room.
"What's wrong with you?"
"…"
"Hey, Aunt Bhavna took the time to prepare your food, but do you still have that face? Even the brothers of Abna keep looking at you."
"Was it like that?"
"Yes, I told you that little Afia pointed at you earlier and asked why you looked so scary."
'Oppa? Does an African child call you oppa?'
"Ha, this body has taught me."
Jaehee walked into the room and kicked Junwoo's butt.
"Anyway, if you're a woman, you should be able to answer a boy badly. Don't get involved with so-hyun and walk away."
"Oh! Idiot!"
As so-hyun nodded and entered the room, Junwoo followed.
"Hey, why are you like this? You have to answer before you go."
When so-hyun told him what had happened, Junwoo clenched his fists with an angry face.
"What! These bastards! Taming elephants that way? And seventy-five percent die! These guys are not human!"
'Are tourists aware of this? Are humans just animals who pretend to ignore these cruel acts and only seek their own pleasure?'
Junwoo jumped up and ran to the window.
"Hey, is that the barn?"
Behind the house, a little farther away, was a barn. You could see that the lights were on purpose.
"Yes, it's over there. His name is Toto."
"Toto? Isn't that a lottery?"
so-hyun shrugged. Junwoo looked very angry and looked at the barn.
"Hell! My mom said she's going to Thailand next month, and I have to tell her not to go on an elephant tour. You bastards!"
Junwoo, unable to hold back his sleep, returned to his room. After taking a shower, so-hyun tossed and turned in bed until dawn, unable to sleep. Finally he got up. Outside the window you could see the barn where Toto was alone.
"...Will you feel lonely?"
'I'm worried about Toto, but I also doubt. He doesn't eat when people are around, so what if I go and he can't sleep?'
After thinking for a moment, so-hyun quietly got up and headed to the barn.
Squeak.
The wooden door opened, and a low sound was heard. But fortunately Toto did not cry or run away.
'Is it because he saw me once?'
Toto looked at so hyun silently. He appeared in his pajamas, holding a pillow.
"Can I sleep here?" he said, scratching his head. He spoke to the elephant even though there was no way he would answer. He pointed to the pile of straw to the side. "I can't sleep, that's why. I will sleep in this corner. What do you think?"
Toto just watched him in silence. so-hyun moved slowly and lay half-down on the straw.
"I won't do anything. I'll stay here."
Toto, who was standing in the dim light, blinked and watched so-hyun for a long time. Toto's eyes, which had been watching him, slowly closed. He lay on his side more than an hour after so-hyun arrived. so-hyun, who had been waiting by pretending to sleep, smiled brightly.
"Good night, Toto."
Chirp, chirp... He could hear the sound of birds.
'Ah, how much sleep did I get? I'm exhausted.'
As the hot sunlight shone through the open window, he felt the warm face. so-hyun, who could no longer sleep, woke up with a start. Toto's long trunk was right in front of him. There was a sniff, as if he were exploring it.
'It was amazing to see an elephant up close!'
In desperation, so-hyun didn't move his body for fear of scaring him. Toto wiped his trunk and looked at him with his very small eyes. Long eyelashes and beautiful eyes. Toto also had to know that so-hyun was awake.
so-hyun, who was lying still, smiled cheerfully and spoke in a low voice.
"Good day."
Hearing her voice, Toto shuddered slightly, but slowly backed away. so-hyun, who had gotten up after Toto had walked away, smiled at seeing him not huddled in the corner like yesterday.
"Thank you for coming first."
A morning for an innocent child and a wounded elephant. It was a very pleasant African morning, with a warm heart, unlike the scorching sun.