His voice. That deep, raspy voice.
The sound of his voice echoed in her head like a drum beating over and over again. The feeling of his hands running down her body made her quiver at the memory as the sharp pain in her back amplified, making her eyes fly open as she fell to the floor, coughing violently as cold sweat ran down her forehead.
"Arae!" A voice called out to her as he stumbled down to face her.
She looked up at him, her breathing rough and staggered as she took in the face of her twin.
"J-Jongho..." She mumbled as she felt her head spin. Her brother wrapped an arm around her waist and slowly helped her up to the couch, his brow furrowed with concern as he noticed how pale she looked.
Footsteps approached the two and Arae looked up to see Yunho and Mingi in front of her. They walked slowly up to her, the Lieutenant looking down at her with worry as Yunho had his fists clenched by his side.
"What happened to you Arae?" Mingi asked, the silence being broken as all of their eyes trailed to Arae.
She let the question settle in her mind as the images replayed one after the other, Ravn's house, Advisor Kang. Advisor Kang. Her eyes widened as the memory of the man burned itself into her thoughts, the way he smiled crookedly as he pulled her close to him, the grip he held on her body as he whispered into her ear and...the feeling of his lips against hers as she couldn't do anything but let her tears fall down her cheeks while he held complete control over her.
She put a hand up to her lips and began trembling as her skin started burning, the pain making her let out a wretched cry as the three men crowded around her, helplessness flooded in their eyes as they watched Arae in silence.
"S-Seonghwa. Is he okay?" She choked out, straining her eyes to look at the men before her.
They all looked at each other, something heavy present in their eyes as Arae continued to take in deep breaths.
"Prince Seonghwa...He," Mingi began, biting down on his lip as his brows furrowed, "He made an announcement just now."
She listened to him with a hand on her chest, keeping herself from coughing again as her eyes were blurry from fatigue and tears threatening to spill.
"He's cancelled his Birthday Ball." The Lieutenant made out, "And he's going to marry Princess Eunbyul."
She felt her heart drop as the words registered in her brain, her mind clearing up as she felt tears falling involuntarily. The drops leaving ugly stains trailing after them on her cheeks.
"What..?" She asked softly as her eyes darted to each of their faces for some sort of explanation.
But Mingi stayed silent. All three of them did.
"What are you talking about Mingi?" She articulated, her tone surprising them as she sounded like she normally did, "Why is—"
She shook her head as she wiped her tears from her eyes, "What happened while I was unconscious?"
"We don't really know either Arae." Jongho commented, making her turn to face him, "We all split up. Lieutenant Song, Yunho and I went to look for you while San-hyung and General Kim looked for the Prince. Once we got you back here, the Imperial Media was on and Prince Seonghwa was making the announcement." He explained, a lingering expression on his face.
Arae nodded slowly as she took in the information, "Who else was with him when he made the announcement?" She asked, looking down at the ground as she could feel her body return to its normal temperature and the colour return to her cheeks.
"Advisor Kang, the King and a girl who I'm guessing is Princess Eunbyul." Yunho replied.
"Advisor Kang." She repeated his name as her eyes narrowed, "That bastard."
The three men looked at each other before looking back to Arae, surprise filling their eyes as they had never seen this side of the girl before, not to mention anyone regaining their composure from a traumatic event in such a short span of time.
It was strange but she felt as if she already knew what had happened to the Prince and seeing his face again would only confirm her suspicions. She walked to the small screen in Yunho's house and tapped on it. It flickered once before turning on and revealed what seemed to be the Prince's speech looped on repeat on the Imperial Media's channel.
There he was. She thought as she ran her fingers over his face, a wrenching feeling twisting in her heart as she looked at his chest. She took a deep breath as the symbol met her eyes.
"What is it Arae?" Jongho asked as he walked up to his sister.
She kept her gaze fixed on the screen, "He's been cursed." She stated simply as she pointed to his chest. She knew that her brother wouldn't be able to see anything but she squinted her eyes anyway, "There are thorns wrapped around his heart. They're...piercing it." She felt her voice quiver as she described what she saw and her head twitched as the sharp pain raked through her skin once again.
"Just like my curse."
Her brother's eyes widened as he instinctively looked at her back, now knowing exactly what she meant.
She tore her eyes from the screen as she walked back to face the other two tall males.
"What about San and General Kim? Where are they?" She questioned as an uneasy feeling began to brew in her stomach.
Mingi sighed before taking his phone out and showing her a text message.
Get Arae out of the city. Get her somewhere safe.
He's coming after her.
Her brows furrowed as she read the message from her brother. She looked back up at Mingi who looked down at her with a hopelessness in his eyes, "I know what you're thinking, but you can't go back there Arae."
He sighed again as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, "This is too much even for us." He breathed out, "We can't break a curse. And we sure as hell can't kill Thanatos."
She didn't say anything but simply let her head hang low. Mingi was right. Despite her wanting to believe that this wasn't over, she knew that right now this was a battle they couldn't win. She hated it, but she needed to do what she swore she wouldn't do. She needed to run.
"You're right Mingi." She said finally, making the three males snap their gazes to her with wide eyes.
Her shoulders slumped, "There's nothing we can do now. There's no point in making it worse when there's no way we can get an advantage over him."
Mingi's eyes softened as he could hear the slight tremble in her voice. She was flaming with anger, but instead of acting out on it she was using it to clear her mind and rationalise the situation before them. Even in an impossibly infuriating scenario like this, Arae's mind was still stronger than her heart. And he couldn't help but admire her for it.
"Then what should we do?" Jongho asked.
"We should listen to San-hyung's message." Yunho replied, "We need to get Arae out of here."
She looked at her friend before nodding slowly.
"I know where you'll be safe." Mingi said, making Arae give him a knowing look as she shook her head.
"I can't go there Mingi. I don't want to put your family in danger."
He scoffed lightly, "The Imperial Family holds no power over anywhere across the border. They can't and won't do anything to my village. It's the best place for you Arae."
"He's right." Yunho chimed in, "If Thanatos can't get to you, then that's where you're the safest."
She felt her twin place a hand on her shoulder and as she looked up at him, he gave her a small nod.
Arae breathed out a deep sigh, "Okay. I'll go to Mingi's."
//...//
"It's no use Secretary Choi." General Kim commented bluntly as he watched his companion try to pry the locked door open for the eighth time.
"It'll work." San said as he pulled harder, "It has to work. It has to work it has to—"
"Choi San!" He exclaimed, making the Secretary turn his head back to the General.
Hongjoong sighed as he gently pulled San from the door, a soft expression in his eyes despite the tone of his voice.
"Save your energy, San. There's nothing we can do right now."
San put his head in his hands, "I hate this so much..."
The General nodded before sitting on the ground, "Yeah, this sucks."
San couldn't help but look at the General with an ounce of surprise as he had never heard him speak with such a mixture of calm and casualness before. Hongjoong sensed the Secretary's gaze on him and looked up with his brows raised, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
San shook his head, "Nothing. Just, how can you be so calm right now?"
Hongjoong shrugged, "I'm not that calm. I'm just saving all of my anger for that Advisor."
San couldn't help but scoff at the General's reply before joining him on the floor.
He leaned his head against the wall of the small room they were in and felt a rush of emotions hit him as he recalled what they had seen in the Prince's study. Kang Yeosang was Thanatos. He unconsciously brought his hand up to his neck where the god had previously choked and felt himself wince at the memory.
His phone laid on the ground, screen completely destroyed and dead as he had taken the liberty to make sure Kang Yeosang couldn't get his hands on it after he had frantically texted Mingi to get Arae out of the city, the thought of what that monster could do to his sister making him feel utter fear.
"Do you think Yeosang plans on keeping us in here until we starve and die?" Hongjoong asked, his eyes looking up to the ceiling.
"Either that or he's going to wait for us to resort to cannibalism." San commented, making the General let out a laugh.
"Seems like you've calmed down yourself, Secretary Choi."
San didn't have time to reply to Hongjoong's comment as their attentions shifted to the sound of the door being unlocked. They both immediately stood up, getting into positions that showed that they were ready to fight against whoever or whatever came through it.
"Oh please, do you really think your petty stances will get you anywhere?" The blonde-haired Advisor questioned cynically as he walked in with his arms crossed. He snapped his fingers and the two men were immediately pinned against the wall they were previously sitting against.
"Now, I'm sure that you are very curious as to what I plan on doing with you two." Yeosang began as he stepped closer to them.
He smirked, "Well to answer your question, I'm not going to do anything to you."
Both San and Hongjoong widened their eyes at Yeosang's words, however they were not able to verbalise their surprise as the god had temporarily sealed their lips shut.
Yeosang laughed as he noticed the identical expressions on the two men's faces, "Despite me personally wanting you dead, I can't kill you. Well not unless you want me to anyways," He explained, keeping his distance from the two, "Little Princey chose you both to serve him, so I can't very well get rid of his Secretary and General without having to deal with an unwanted mess."
This whole thing is an unwanted mess. San thought to himself.
"So, you two are free to carry on with your duties," He began, "But, if you even start to say anything about this to anyone, you'll get a little present from me." He smirked as he rolled up his sleeve and gestured to what looked to be a branding mark seared onto his skin.
Both of the men felt themselves shudder at the mark, shutting their eyes instinctively as if they were already being imprinted with it the longer the god stared at them.
"You'd better get yourselves together." He said as he snapped his fingers, releasing the two from their constrained position as they let out deep breaths, "We've got a wedding to plan."
And with that, the god disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the Secretary and General free to exit the room.
A wedding?
//...//
"Have you got everything?" Yunho asked as he leaned against Arae's doorpost.
"I think so," She replied, looking back at him, "I don't have much stuff anyway."
He gave her a sad smile, knowing that running away was the last thing she wanted to do. But that was her reality. She couldn't just live in the fantasy that she was strong enough to fight this.
He cleared his throat, "I know there's something that you missed though." He said as she cocked her brow, "I did?"
He chuckled before holding up a large wooden case in front of her, "Your god-killing sabre, my lady."
She couldn't help but let out a laugh as she walked over to Yunho and took the case from him. As she stared at it, her eyes began to cloud, the gutted feeling welling up in her stomach once again as she breathed out a deep sigh, "What are we going to do Yunho?"
He felt his heart drop as her words came out with a strained strength. Though his friend had always been tougher than him, he knew that she was having a hard time holding everything in as best she could for everyone else's sake.
"Nothing. We're not going to do anything." He said simply as he walked over to her. His eyes softened as he saw the case trembling in her hands.
"Hey, hey.." He whispered, taking the case from her and gesturing for her to sit down on her bed. He watched her hang her head low, and let out a sigh, "You know, you've always been the strong one among all of us. And I don't just mean physically." He said with a small smile, "You're mentally made of steel. You always have been," Yunho put a hand on her shoulder, "But that doesn't mean that you have to be now."
She closed her eyes as she ran her hands through her hair. A shaky sigh escaped her lips.
"I just feel so stupid," She breathed out, "For everything."
She clenched her fists, "I— I should've never g-gone to that warehouse alone. I should've called Mingi first to check the address. I—"
She stopped as she felt warm arms wrap around her body. Her eyes looked up and she saw Yunho pulling her gently towards him as the tears that had been threatening to spill from her eyes finally fell.
His grip on her tightened as he slowly felt his shirt dampen. He bit down on his lip as he held back the knotted feeling in his stomach, "It's not your fault Arae." He said softly as he ran his hand up and down her back, "It's not your fault."
Outside her door stood her brother and the Lieutenant, both looking on at the situation with heavy hearts. Arae still hadn't told them what happened to her, and none of them wanted to ask.
Mingi looked away from the two, a visible frown on his face as the younger male followed him to sit on the sofa.
"Can you do something for me Mingi-hyung?" Jongho asked, making the Lieutenant look back at him with a hum.
"Can you make sure that Arae gets some time to relax?"
Jongho looked him in the eyes, "I know she probably wants to crack her head open trying to figure out how to stop Thanatos. But we both know that she needs to lay off for a while."
Mingi nodded, "Don't worry, Jongho. I promise that I'll take care of her."
After a few more hours, Arae was standing at her front door with her parents and brother by her side. Her mother was trying her best to control her emotions as she hugged her daughter, "I'm so sorry about all of this Arae." She said softly as she let her go.
Arae shook her head and gave her mum a small smile, "Don't be sorry mum. It's what's for the best."
She looked to her father who simply smiled at her as he put a hand on her shoulder, "Going to miss you little one."
She wrapped her father in a tight hug, "I'll miss you too dad.."
Her brother stood in silence as he watched her say goodbye to their parents, the feeling that his turn would be next making him feel slightly queasy. When his sister turned to him, he looked away from her, refusing to meet her eyes. Her gaze softened as she put a hand on his arm, "You know I'm only a letter away."
He didn't say anything but pulled her into his arms, letting himself bury his face in her hair as he whispered, "Please take care of yourself Arae..."
Her eyes widened at his words but as she felt the pace of his heartbeat, she knew that behind his simple wish was something much deeper. She looked up into his eyes and smiled at him, "I will."
As she walked out of her house she was met with the Lieutenant conversing with Yunho, something serious looming through their eyes until they met Arae's gaze.
"Ah! Arae! You ready?" Mingi asked as he walked towards her.
She nodded, "Yeah I'm ready."
He smiled down at her before taking the suitcase from her and putting it in the grey ute that was parked in front of the house.
Arae gestured to the car before looking at Yunho, "Another one of your special projects?"
He chuckled, nodding at her, "Yep! Fixed her up just in time for today."
She smiled up at her friend, her eyes still slightly puffy from what happened a few hours ago, "Thanks for all of this Yunho. I mean it."
"You don't have to thank me for anything Arae. You know I'd do anything for you." He said as he ruffled her hair. She watched as his chest glow a bright crimson and felt her heart drop as she just gave him a small hug.
"I guess I'll see you when I see you, Jeong Yunho." She said as she saluted to him.
He laughed and followed her gesture, "Yes ma'am!"
Mingi smiled to himself as he watched the two friends but he couldn't find it in his heart to feel happy despite the expression on his face. They were in the midst of a battle against gods, and they were on the losing side.
When Arae walked up to the ute, Mingi nodded to Yunho before getting into the driver's seat.
As he started the car, Arae looked back at her family who were standing in the doorway and gave a small wave to them. They all waved back to her, a mixture of emotions written all over their faces as the car made its way down the street before disappearing past the other streets.
"Are you sure that it's okay that I'm going to your house Mingi?" She asked as she looked over at the Lieutenant.
"Of course," He replied, "You have no idea how excited my mum is to have you over."
She let out a small chuckle, letting some relief wash over her, "Thanks again for all of this. I know that I unintentionally got you involved in everything and I am sorry for everything you've had to go through this because of this Thanatos business. I'm even inconveniencing you right now...You didn't have to help me—"
"Arae," He interrupted as he glanced over at her, "You're my friend. I would do anything to keep you and everyone else safe." He smiled as he breathed out a sigh, "I made a promise to your brothers that I would take care of you, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."
The pink glow coming from his heart told her that he was being honest, and that he was telling her what everyone else was trying to.
Slow down. Take a break from the god-hunting and more importantly, take care of yourself.
As the realisation hit her, she simply nodded, shifting her gaze to the changing scenery outside the window as Mingi continued driving in silence.
Arae let her eyes close and slowly drifted to sleep, letting the quiet hum of the ute's engine lull her to the land of dreams.
But if only it were dreams that met her in the darkness.
She saw herself in a cell, arms and legs bound by tight chains mounted to the walls spreading her limbs farther away from each other in slow succession. Her mouth was gagged, inhibiting her from screaming as she tugged at the chains, silent, muffled yells being the only form of pleading she was able to sound out.
"Looks like you've settled in nicely to your quarters Cho Aera," A familiar husky voice resounded through the bars of her cell as she looked up at him. Her eyes widened as her gaze landed on Kang Yeosang, standing still in front of her with a poignant red gleam in his eyes and a dark smirk on his lips.
He clapped his hands together, "I didn't think that it'd actually work but alas, here we are. Eros' beloved Aris finally in the palm of my hand." He began to laugh, letting the soft growl in his voice slowly grow into something more maniacal, something more evil.
"After searching for you for so long, I began to doubt that the prophecy was even real. But all it took was for you to point out that Prince's soulmate and a little bit of my own poison to seal your fate." He took out the key for the cell and opened the door before walking towards her.
He ran his hand over her cheek and felt excitement boil in his soul as he looked over how pathetic and helpless she seemed. He gripped her neck, letting his nails dig into her skin as blood began to draw, her whimpers being the only thing he could hear as he drove his fingers further into her flesh. He licked his lips as a grin formed on his teeth before he released his grip, making Arae aggressively cough in an attempt to gasp for air.
Yeosang flicked the blood off from his fingertips before moving behind the girl's elevated figure. He ran his fingers down her back, stopping as he hit the bottom of her spine. His eyes trailed over the simple cloth that covered her body, wondering what it would be like to decorate it with the girl's crimson blood.
He took a tool from the wall and held it in his hand, an air of expectation fuming from him as he cracked his knuckles and looked back at her.
"You look so much like her that I don't know if I want to see you hang or make you mine." He growled, his words making her flinch in her restraints as she could hear him getting closer.
"Won't this be a fun thing to tell the other gods?" He spat as he held the weapon high above his head, "They all called me crazy! THEY ALL CALLED ME INSANE!" He yelled as he brought the whip down so violently onto her back that the tips of the leather had ripped a part of the cloth off, exposing her slashed skin in the dim light.
He scoffed at the sight before him, before bringing down the whip again with every more force, "They'll rue the day they stopped me from getting my revenge on Eros. Starting with you Cho Aera."
She could feel her soul burning as he slashed her body over and over again, the sensation of her skin being torn open and her blood staining the walls of the cell making her scream with all her might, though no one could hear her.
Finally after countless thrashings, Yeosang dropped the whip and came around to face her front again, a tired but satisfied look on his face as he licked some of her dried blood on his hands.
His eyes burned with something so evil that Arae couldn't do anything but remain silent, the fear of what he would do next to her keeping her in an aware state-of-mind as she raggedly breathed in and out.
He smirked once again before moving towards her, leaving an inch between their faces as he deeply chuckled at the pure fear in her eyes.
"No matter how many times you come back, I'll always find you, Haemir."
Arae woke up with a jolt, her breathing staggered as she looked around her, the previous darkness that surrounded her nowhere to be seen as her began to calm down.
She was sitting in the ute, currently parked in front of a rather large tinned house in the middle of a small plot of farmland. She unbuckled her seatbelt before getting out of the truck and stepped onto the soft dirt beneath her feet. The wind hit her skin immediately, whipping her hair behind her and drying off the sweat that had drowned her from her dream.
Her gaze extended to the landscape around her, the vastness of the flat land catching her by surprise as she spotted a small village in the distance and the silhouette of the city she knew simply gleaming in the background, now seeming to be a world away from where she was now.
"You're up!" A voice called from behind her. Arae turned around and saw the Lieutenant walking over to her, a small skip in his step as he approached her in very different apparel from the uniform he always wore.
"Welcome to the Outlands!" He cheered as he gestured to the empty fields surrounding them. She laughed at him before looking at the oversized shirt and cotton pants he was wearing. He caught onto her gaze before running a hand through his hair, "Yeah I know it's different, but we can't all grow up with silver spoons in our mouths." He teased as he struck a silly pose, earning a chuckle from Arae.
"I think I'm going to like my time here Mingi." She said with a smile. His eyes lit up at her words, making him link their arms as he led her into his house.
As soon as Mingi opened the door for her, Arae was met with a sharp shrill, making her flinch and instinctively get into a defensive position to which Mingi just laughed at, "No need to get so tense, soldier. That's just my mum."
She mouthed an 'Oh,' before relaxing her stance, and just as she did that, a smiley middle-aged woman appeared from behind one of the walls and ran up to Arae before enveloping her in a big hug.
"Ah!! You must be Arae! I've been so eager to meet you!" She released her grip on Arae before linking arms with her and dragging her further into the house, "I told Mingi to carry you in to sleep on something more comfortable but he refused to. I hope your neck isn't too painful from sleeping in that truck!"
Arae widened her eyes at Mrs Song's explanation, "Oh no, no I'm quite alright Mrs Song!" She said with a small chuckle, "The truck was actually a lot more comfortable than I thought it'd be. Or maybe I was just too tired to even notice."
The woman let her smile grow even bigger at Arae's response, her mind internally approving of the girl her son brought home.
She turned back to Mingi and gave him a thumbs up, "I like her Mingi!"
The Lieutenant put a hand to his forehead as he sat down across from Arae at their dining table. His mother had already placed a hot bowl of porridge and chicken in front of her and was about to take the spoon and feed some to her when Mingi interrupted her actions, "Mum, Arae can feed herself."
Mrs Song looked slightly annoyed but passed the spoon to Arae who sincerely thanked her for the food before eating a bit. Her eyes lit up as she looked back at Mrs Song, "This is one of the best porridge's I've ever had Mrs Song!"
The woman's bright smile returned to her face as she clapped her hands, "Really? Do you think so? I wasn't sure what you liked so I just made it simply!"
Mingi crossed his arms, "She's just being polite mum."
Arae shook her head, "I'm really not." She smiled at Mingi's mother, "My mum makes a killer porridge and I'd say confidently that yours tops hers, Mrs Song!"
Mrs Song looked so happy that she could jump out of her chair and kiss the girl, but she had to restrain herself because her son was watching.
Arae noticed the empty bowl in front of Mingi and took it from him before scooping some of her porridge into it, "You really should try it Mingi. It's delicious."
Mingi's eyes softened as he scoffed at Arae's generosity. He took the bowl from her with thanks before slurping some down, his eyes widening as the taste touched his tongue, "Man, this is good!"
Arae chuckled, "I told you."
Mrs Song watched the two with a happy heart as she put her hands together, "Well I'm happy to make you dishes even better than the porridge my dear." She said with a grin.
Arae couldn't help but smile too, returning the woman's words with a bow of her head before continuing to eat the porridge.
"You know, Mingi's never brought a girl home before." She commented simply, making the Lieutenant nearly choke on his food as Arae passed him a tissue.
"He's always been the most eligible boy in the village but he never took an interest in any of the girls around. You don't know how many parents have tried to win me over just to get Mingi to notice their daughters—"
"Mum!" Mingi exclaimed as he had finally stopped coughing. However, Mrs Song simply waved her son off as she turned back to Arae.
"So, when he got a job in the city I thought that there'd definitely be someone who he'd meet. After all, with a face and body like that, the prestige of being the Imperial Guard's Lieutenant no less—"
"Not to mention his incredibly friendly personality," Arae added on, earning a look of annoyance from Mingi as she simply smiled at him before taking another spoonful of porridge.
"Exactly!" Mrs Song agreed, "With all that, every time he came home for vacation I expected him to bring someone with him, but to my dismay, that has never happened. Well, until you that is Arae." Her mood seemed to fluctuate throughout that whole sentence, stopping on the happiness that a girl that Mingi brought home was actually sitting next to her and eating her food.
"Mum, you know that's not why Arae's here." Mingi explained softly, "Our relationship's not like that anyways."
Mrs Song shrugged off her son's words, "Feelings can always grow."
Arae couldn't help but laugh at the exchange between the Lieutenant and his mother, her heart already growing warm from being there, and it wasn't just the porridge that was doing that.
With a visible blush painted on Mingi's cheeks, he cleared his throat, eager to change the subject from his apparent non-existent love-life.
"So where's Minjun?" He asked, making Arae look up at him.
"He's still in town. I told him to pick up some more fertiliser before he came home from school." Mrs Song explained.
"Minjun?" Arae repeated, the name ringing in her mind as she tilted her head.
"Oh yeah, Minjun's my younger brother! The one who's the same age as you." Mingi said with a small smile.
Her eyes grew wider as she nodded at his explanation. She let a smile curve up on her lips. Minjun's here too.
After another half-hour of small conversations between the three of them, Mrs Song chased the two of them out of the house, urging Mingi to show Arae around the village.
"I'm sorry about my mum," Mingi commented as they began walking down the road from their house, "She's not always that intense."
Arae laughed as she shook her head, "You don't have to apologise," She smiled up at him, "She's funny, and I can tell that she loves you a lot. I think I know for certain that you got your personality from her."
He scoffed as he let a smile curve up on his lips, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
She nudged him, "So you've never had a girlfriend before?"
He rolled his eyes, "No, I have not."
From his reply, Arae could tell that he already had enough embarrassment on that topic from his mother and simply laughed it off before looking at the village growing larger in her eyes.
"Oh yeah," Mingi began, making Arae shift her gaze back to him, "Are you okay? You were sweating a lot while you were sleeping so I turned the aircon up, but after a while you started muttering things too. I tried to wake you up but I assumed that you were just really tired because you didn't budge."
Her expression dropped as the memory of that nightmare replayed in her mind, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream." She replied quite curtly, making him look at her with a wash of concern.
"Arae..?" He called out to her as she looked down at the ground, "You know you can talk to me right?"
She nodded, "I know Mingi..." She looked up at him, "But it really was just a bad dream. If anything happens, you'll be the first to know, trust me."
He had a hard time believing her words completely but figured that the best way to help her was to trust her, despite all of the doubts in his mind.
When they passed the gateway marking the entrance to the village, he put a smile back on his face, "Welcome to our village! It's nothing fancy, just small and quiet with lots of nosy people."
A small smile made its way to her lips at Mingi's description and as they walked through the community, people began looking on at the Lieutenant and the unknown girl beside him with curiosity. Arae noticed the stares of the people and looked up at Mingi, "I think my arrival has already made people begin to talk."
He scoffed lightly, "I don't doubt that. There's hardly ever any news around here. Not to mention, the fact that I brought you here will be even more reason to cause a frenzy amongst everyone."
She laughed at the mixture of embarrassment and annoyance in his voice before playfully nudging him, "Well as long as none of your heartbroken admirers want me dead, I think I can live with the frenzy."
He let out a genuine laugh at this and shook his head before something ahead of them caught his eye, making his brows furrow.
Arae shifted her gaze in that direction too, noticing a crowd of teenagers around her age laughing hysterically at something.
Almost forgetting that Arae was with him, Mingi walked straight ahead to them, leaving Arae in confusion as she trailed behind him.
"What do you all think you're doing?" Mingi questioned as all of their heads turned, the expressions of the teenagers dropping as they recognised the tall male.
"M-Mingi-hyung..." One of them muttered as they made way for him, stepping away from the spectacle of their amusement.
Arae's eyes widened as she caught sight of Song Minjun lying on the ground with fertiliser poured all over his head and body. A small bag had been thrown aside, its contents emptied around him like a cruel display to the people surrounding his figure.
Mingi's fists clenched as he walked up to a few boys standing the nearest to his brother, "What the hell is wrong with you?" He cussed as he gripped one of the boys by his collar.
Contrary to the other teenagers who looked intimidated by Mingi's sudden appearance, this one was strangely calm, as if he'd been expecting the village's pride as he smirked at him.
"Relax Hyung," He said as he held his hands in the air, "Minjun just tripped while carrying the fertiliser. It was simply an accident." He shrugged.
Arae could tell that Mingi was not buying the boy's excuse because his fists were getting whiter the longer he held onto his shirt. And not to mention that the flaming colour of his heart was a pretty good indication for his feelings towards the boy too.
"Accident? You really expect me to believe that after all you've done to my brother?" Mingi sneered into the boy's face.
It seemed as though the boy was getting more excited the longer Mingi threatened him because he just let out a hearty laugh, "Put me down Hyung. We both know you can't do anything to me." He mocked, making Mingi's eyes narrow even further.
Arae cleared her throat, shifting everyone's attention to her, "He may not be able to, but I can." She announced as she picked up a branch nearby.
Mingi widened his eyes as he cocked his brow at her, slightly loosening his grip on the boy's collar. The boy looked at Arae with a smirk, "Oh? What's this? Song Mingi brought a girl home?" He chuckled, "What're you going to do Princess?"
Arae scoffed at the nickname before signalling to Mingi to let go of him. The Lieutenant reluctantly complied, surprising everyone who was watching, including the boy. Arae walked towards him, pointing to his hands with the branch, "Well for starters, the abrasions on your knuckles indicate to me that there was a fight and I bet that you're the only one with the cuts to match the bruises on Minjun's jaw." She began, making the boy's smirk slowly die down.
"Then, there's the dirt under your fingers," She pointed to his nails, "I'm guessing that that is the fertiliser that was dumped all over Minjun." Her emphasis on the action word unconsciously made the boy and the other boys around him flinch.
"Look, I don't know you, and I know that I have no place in any of this business." She spoke as she moved closer to him, "But Mingi is my friend, which means that his family is my family. And anyone who messes with my family doesn't get away so easily. No matter what their reputation is."
Arae looked him over before scoffing at his soiled pants, "You're also not a very good liar, but I doubt you were intending to sound truthful anyways." She said before pushing him back and swiping the branch behind his knees, making him trip and fall over onto his backside, right into a pile of spilled fertiliser.
Everyone gasped at the site before them, taking a few seconds to register what had just happened before some kids began to laugh. Mingi looked flustered at Arae, not expecting any of that to come out of her mouth despite him feeling thankful for her intervention. She looked over at him and tilted her head, not used to the Lieutenant's speechless face as she walked past him to Minjun who was looking on at her with even more surprise.
She squatted down to meet his eyes before offering him a hand, "Hey, I'm Arae, I'm a friend of your brother's. Sorry if you didn't want me sticking my nose into all of this." She said with a smile as he stared at her before taking her hand.
"Believe me, I'm happier it was you over my brother." He replied as he began to dust himself off.
The crowd of teens began to disperse after Mingi signalled for them to leave, leaving the Lieutenant standing with his brother and Arae. Without another word, Mingi picked up his brother's bag and quickly filled it up with the things scattered on the ground, pausing as his hand came to a broken mirror shard before shoving it into the bag. He handed it to Minjun before picking up another two bags of fertiliser.
"Let's go." He instructed, turning around and walking out of the village. Arae and Minjun locked eyes before the latter sighed, gesturing for Arae to follow him.
"So what was it for this time?" Mingi questioned as he lugged the fertiliser down the road.
"It was nothing Hyung. Just Hyunoh being a jerk as usual." Minjun replied bitterly as he looked down.
"Why didn't you do anything? You could've gotten out of there."
"You know that I don't stand a chance against him and the others. Hyunoh punches and the rest hold me down." He said as he looked at the ground, his feet trudging in the dirt as the fertiliser smell began to cement itself in his skin.
Mingi bit down on his lip, well aware of how his brother gets bullied by the Mayor's son.
"You were talking to Seongyoon again, weren't you?" Mingi asked with a dark expression on his face.
The silence he was met with confirmed his suspicions as he stopped and turned around to look down at his brother.
"You know you shouldn't do that in public Minjun! At this point, are you just asking to be beat up?" He exclaimed as he waved the bags of manure around.
"Look I'm sorry okay! I can't help when he wants to talk to me!" Minjun yelled back.
"You can ignore him, can't you?!" Mingi asked in a louder tone.
"You want me to ignore the only friend I've got?" He retorted back, making Mingi scoff before shaking his head. He didn't say anything after that but rather quickened his pace back to the house where he chucked the fertiliser in a wagon before walking off to the barn. Arae simply watched in shock as she had never seen the Lieutenant in such a state, silently walking with Minjun as they entered the house.
Mrs Song's face immediately dropped when she saw her youngest son covered in manure, pulling him into the bathroom straight away before drawing him a bath. She didn't comment on the boy's appearance nor did she ask what had happened, for she didn't need to. Everyone in the village was aware of Song Minjun's relationship with Kim Hyunoh and his friends, and no one dared to interfere.
Arae sat in the living room, her mind split with concern for both Mingi and Minjun as she listened to the water pressure in the bathroom, the sound beating hard in the small room against the rest of the silent house.
Mrs Song put a cup of hot tea on the table in front of Arae, offering her a smile before she went outside to get Mingi. Arae took the cup in her hands and gently blew on the liquid before sipping the tea, letting the small drops fall down her throat into her stomach.
Her attention shifted as the water pressure stopped and the bathroom door opened, revealing a much cleaner Minjun wearing an outfit similar to his brother's. He locked eyes with Arae before walking over to the living room and sitting himself down on a chair opposite her.
"Are you feeling better?" She asked, not really knowing how else to approach the situation.
He nodded, "I'm sorry you had to see that. I wanted to get back as soon as school was over, but I guess it was a stupid wish for someone like me." He chuckled sourly as he looked down at his hands.
"It's that Hyunoh guy who should be sorry, not you." Arae began, "Dumping fertiliser on you, gosh how old is he?"
Minjun lifted his head at her ridicule, surprise filling his eyes as she crossed her arms and shook her head, "People who travel in packs to bully others are just cowards because they don't think they can win by themselves."
"He's not a coward." Minjun refuted softly, "He's more than capable enough to beat me up alone. He just likes to humiliate me."
"Oh.." She let out quietly suddenly feeling really awkward in their conversation.
"Thank you for what you did today." He said as he looked her in the eyes, "That was pretty cool."
She smiled at him, "Well I meant what I said. I don't like it when people mess with my family."
He scoffed, "You don't even know me."
"Still," She said, "You're Mingi's brother and my age, so...we're practically siblings." She chuckled, making him crack a small smile too.
"I'm starting to wonder why you even need protection." He commented, "You seem more like the one who provides it."
She froze at his words, the reminder of why she was there in the first place sinking in to her brain. Suddenly the weight of her words dawned on her.
'Anyone who messes with my family doesn't get away so easily.'
And yet, you're running away from the person who is messing with your family. Way to be a hypocrite Arae.
Minjun noticed her expression drop and immediately felt bad for running his mouth like that, "Sorry Arae, I didn't mean to..."
She slowly shook her head, "It's okay." Her hands started trembling despite her words, making her quickly clasp her palms together as she bit down on her lip.
Their attention shifted to the door as Mrs Song returned. She gestured to Minjun who let out a sigh before he got up from the chair and walked out of the house.
"Is everything okay?" Arae asked as Mrs Song sat down in the chair, an apologetic look in her eyes, "The two of them just need to talk it out. I'm sure they'll be fine in the morning.." She said with a sad smile.
Arae nodded at the woman's explanation. Something tugged at her heart from how Mingi acted. She was genuinely shocked to see him almost angry, a complete 180-degree difference from how he was with her.
"Mrs Song," She began as she locked eyes with the woman, "Who is Seongyoon?"
Her expression dropped at the name as she let out a sigh.
"Park Seongyoon..." Mrs Song pronounced, "He's Minjun's imaginary friend."
Arae's eyes widened as the words registered, "Imaginary friend?" She repeated with a hint of confusion laced in her tone.
Mrs Song simply nodded, "When Minjun was five, he fell off of one of our horses and landed on his head. Thankfully he was physically okay, but mentally..." She paused as she let out another sigh, "He started telling us that he had made a friend, someone named Park Seongyoon."
Arae couldn't help but be intrigued by this, for if Minjun had been reincarnated like the rest of them, surely Seongyoon would have been too?
"For a while we just thought that it was normal, that he was just lonely and created this figment from his imagination. But as he grew up, he didn't stop, he still talks to him." She explained, "After the attack on the village, he became more attached to spending time with Seongyoon, locking himself in his room for hours everyday. Mingi found him one day talking to a mirror shard, and when he asked him what he was doing, Minjun told him that the shard was how he saw Seongyoon."
"A mirror shard?" Arae repeated, the detail seeming the most strange piece of information to her.
Mrs Song nodded, "I don't know why we had it but he told us he found it in one of the boxes in the shed."
Strange. Arae thought to herself.
She wasn't sure why that made her curious but something was telling her that this was important. As if the answer to the jumbled puzzle in her head was lying right in front of her despite her still not being able to see anything.
And just like that, Choi Arae began a new chapter in her life with the Song family.
Happy Sunday everyone!
I'm back again with this filler chapter!
I hope you enjoyed reading this and I am so excited to continue the next part of the story! What did you think of the chapter??
As always, don't forget to vote and comment! I love you all so much! Stay safe!
Until Next Time,
Your Treasure Hunter
Xx