The Witches (Book #1)

𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 ℜ𝔢𝔟𝔢𝔩

"One person, yes."

"Who?"

"My fiancée."

My eyes widen. "You were engaged?"

He looks away for a moment and the happiness in his expression disappears.

"What?" I ask gently, hoping he'll let me in a little.

"I told you my sister was in love with Hyunwook. She was happy, Sooji. I have never seen anyone so happy. I also told you that Hyunwook's family wanted him to marry the governor's daughter. They were stupid, snobbish people. Hyunwook assured Bona, however, that she had nothing to worry about."

Reliving this memory makes his eyes heavy and his voice strained.

"This was concurrent with the time when people became hysterical about witcheraft. As you know, it escalated and they arrested many townspeople. By July, Manyeo was dangerous and untrusting. People looked suspiciously at their neighbors and closest friends. I was most fearful for Bona's safety, so I arranged passage for us on a ship to America. But
she refused to leave Hyunwook."

My stomach tightens. "Please tell me they didn't accuse her."

"There were rumors about Bona over the next couple of months, about her singing to the devil. Hyunwook came to me, nervous about the gossip. I begged him to elope with her and get her out before any official accusations were made. But his mother had fallen ill, and he did not want to leave his family. As time went on, the rumors got worse. Officials showed up at our door and questioned her."

"You must've panicked."

"I was sick with it. But my sweet sister was calm. She was confident that good would prevail. Then, somehow word of their relationship got out and Hyunwook stopped talking to her. He denied all of it."

"He abandoned her?" My voice rises.

"I went to talk some sense into him. He said the stress was bad for his mother, and he could not tie his family to an orphan suspected of witchcraft. That he had to protect his good name. I wanted to kill him. But I knew that if I took action it would be worse for Bona. It was all too much for her, first
the town turning against her, and then Hyunwook. She would not talk or eat. She just lay in her room, drawing Siberian Chrysanthemum. Doctors came, but they had no solutions. So I sat by her bed, watching her day after day.

"Then the officials came back." He pauses. "They would have arrested her, Sooji. They had every plan to, but I dissuaded them on account of her being so ill. I told them that if they took her and she died from their lack of care, they would sure to rot in hell. For everyone knew my sister would not hurt a soul. I never told her that."

The extraordinary weight he had carried. "Did Hyunwook at least check up on her?"

"No." For a second his fist clenches. "She did not give up hope, though, not until we got the news. He was engaged."

"To the governor's daughter?"

"Yes. When my sister heard, she let out a single scream. Two weeks later she died of a broken heart."

"I would've killed him," I say.

'"At first I was angry. But more than retribution, I wanted answers. It did not take me long to track the rumors back to my fiancée. The worst betrayal of my life. I had told her things that led to my own sister's death. I confronted her. She admitted it. Said she was jealous of my relationship with Bona, and she did not mean for everything to escalate. After
that, I was furious with everyone. Most of all with myself."

My heart hurts for him. I'm not sure if I could stand
something like that. "How did you ever get through it?"

His eyes look haunted. "I hanged myself from the balcony of the general store in town in the middle of the night. The townspeople found my body with a note that read 'It is the greatest evil of all, to separate people who love each other. I blame all of you.' "

I cover my mouth with my hand. "I never heard that
story."

"That is because no one wanted to remember it."

No wonder he's heartbroken and furious. I would be, t00. "What can I do?"

"You can save your father. I failed to protect Bona, and I have never forgiven myself."

I wish I could make his sadness disappear. It seems so unfair that he had to go through all of that. I gently slip my fingers into his. He looks from my hand to my face, "Sooji." We lock eyes. For a second, his expression softens, and I want to pull him close. But he lets go of my hand and walks to the window.

The hold he had on my body dissipates, and I examine my hands. Why am I feeling this strong connection? And why am I embarrassed? "Why did you bring me that dress tonight?"

"I could see you were badly in need of assistance."

"You were watching me?"

He doesn't respond. He just stares out the window.

"Thank you. That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."

He almost smiles. "Yes. It looked well on you."

My body warms with the compliment. My phone buzzes. It's a text from Sehun. "Rash is better. Sleep tight and don't let the zombies bite." Joohyuk disappears.