Yubin threw herself onto her bed. “This is bull!” she yelled, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes. “How can he get so pissy just because I can’t do this perfectly straight away? Who does he even think he is?” she grumbled. She glared at her doorway, half expecting him to turn up and start yelling at her. She rubbed her red knuckles with a frown. “What kind of stupid training is this anyway?”

She heard a tentative knock at her door and looked up to the friendly faces of Hobi and Jimin. “Can we come in?” Jimin asked hesitantly. She sat up and nodded, her anger ebbing at seeing their faces. They both entered her room and knelt down in front of her. “Give me your hand.” Hobi said gently. She gave him her red hand and Jimin held out a small jar for him. He scooped out some of the paste from inside and gently rubbed it onto her stinging knuckles. “What is that?” she asked, a pleasant smell reaching her from the small jar. “It’s an herbal medicine. It will help soothe the pain in your hands.” Hobi said as he gently massaged the paste into her hands.

“It smells amazing.” She said, taking a deep breath, letting the scent wash over her. “It’s chamomile.” Jimin said, a small smile on his face as he noticed her anger fading. “Master Yoongi has a gift for making medicines.” He said. She frowned a little at hearing Yoongi’s name but she couldn’t deny the fact that the stinging sensation in her knuckles had already begun to fade slightly. “Is he always like that?” she asked as Hobi wiped his hands on a small towel that Jimin handed to him.

“Master Yoongi can be a little difficult to get close to.” Jimin said carefully. “But once you get to know him, he’s not that bad.” Hobi added, flashing her a kind smile. “How did he end up here at the shrine?” she asked as she slipped off of her bed to sit on the floor with the two spirits. They shared a look as if wondering whether or not to tell her. “Can you two communicate telepathically or something?” she asked and they smiled guiltily at her. “It’s one of our gifts.” Hobi said with a grin. “I knew it.” She said with a chuckle. “I know you two have been here since the shrine was created, right?”

They nodded in unison. “When your ancestors built this shrine many years ago, we were created to protect the shrine.” Jimin said. “So, how long have you been protecting this shrine?” she asked. “Almost five hundred years.” Hobi answered after thinking for a few seconds. “Oh my god! You two are five hundred years old? But you barely look twenty!” she exclaimed. They shared a mischievous smile. “We can take on any form we like, or any form our mistress likes. If you don’t approve of these forms, we could change?” Jimin offered.

She shook her head, they were definitely easy on the eyes, so she was not going to complain. “No, no, it’s ok. Take on whatever form you feel comfortable in. What kind of forms have you guys taken on before?” she asked curiously. “One of your ancestors lost all her children except for one when they were quite young, so she had us take on the form of children while we served her.” Hobi said. “She was very kind to us.”

“Have some of my ancestors not been kind?” she asked worriedly. “One of your earliest ancestors did not approve of us. She did not see the need for shrine spirits. She was often quite cruel to us.” Jimin said quietly. Yubin felt guilt well up in her at the sudden sad atmosphere that had settled over the three of them. “I’m so sorry.” She said. Their grins instantly reappeared. “Please don’t say sorry. Apart from her, most of the mistresses of the shrine have been quite kind to us.” Hobi said cheerfully.

“I promise I will be too.” She said as she held out her pinkie to them. They exchanged confused glances. “It’s a pinkie promise.” She said looking between the two bewildered boys. “Don’t you know what a pinkie promise is?” she asked. The two spirits shook their heads. “It’s a promise that can never be broken.” She said seriously. “So if you make a pinkie promise with someone, you have to be sure that you’ll never break it.” The boys looked excited as she linked their pinkies with hers, promising them that she would never mistreat them.

“So what exactly do shrine spirits do?” she asked once their promises had been made. “We are responsible for keeping the shrine clean and tidy. Although it may not look like it, this shrine still does receive some worshippers. We ensure that the shrine is ready for them to make their prayers at any time of the day or night.” Hobi said. “We are also responsible for making sure that the priestess’ needs are taken care of.” Jimin added. “So, Yoongi said he was a fox demon, does that mean that he is a special kind of shrine spirit?”

“No, Master Yoongi is not a shrine spirit.” Jimin said. “Master Yoongi was once a very powerful demon. Thankfully he did not share the thirst for blood like many of his kin.” Yubin’s jaw dropped. “You mean that some demons actually kill people? Like in those animes?” she asked. Hobi and Jimin nodded. “Yes. There are many evil demons in the spirit world. They often come to the human world to wreak havoc. But master Yoongi was one of the few good demons. He was also very powerful.” Hobi said, a note of awe and respect in his voice.

“Then how did such a powerful demon end up at a shrine?” she asked, despite her anger at Yoongi and his methods for training, she couldn’t help but feel curious about him. “Many years ago, a very powerful demon caused devastation throughout the demon world. He killed for pleasure. No one was safe from his wrath. He eventually made his way to the human world, taking pleasure in destroying human armies. Many demons and priestesses tried to stop him, but none were powerful enough.” Jimin said, his voice serious as he recalled the memories from that time.

“Many good people lost their lives in the battle to defeat him. Master Yoongi eventually stepped in, he did not like to fight, but he was very gifted. He managed to wound the evil demon, but he was not strong enough to kill him. It was at that time your great grandmother suggested the idea of combining their powers. Together she told him that although they would not be able to kill him, they would be able to seal him away, putting an end to his murderous ways.” Yubin felt a chill run through her as she listened to Jimin's words. “The only way for them to combine their powers was for them to forge a contract, binding Master Yoongi to your family. He accepted and they were able to seal the demon away and Master Yoongi has been serving this house ever since.”

“So he gave up his freedom to save countless lives?” Yubin said, her voice coming out as barely a whisper. Jimin and Hobi nodded. “He made a great sacrifice, but Master Yoongi has been happy here. He has been charged with training the priestesses to gain control over their spiritual energies.” Yubin suddenly felt a little guilty for losing her cool with Yoongi in the morning. She had had no idea about the circumstances surrounding Yoongi’s beginnings at the shrine. She let out a long sigh as she leant back against her bed, her mind racing with all the information she had just heard.

Jimin and Hobi stood up. “We should go prepare lunch. We will leave the medicine here. Please apply it if you feel any discomfort in your hand.” Jimin said as he placed the small jar next to her bed. She thanked the two spirits who gave her bright smiles before leaving her alone with her thoughts. Her eyes drifted over to the small jar Jimin had left behind. She could still smell the gentle fragrance of the medicine in the air. She looked down at her hand, the redness almost completely gone. “Maybe I shouldn’t give him such a hard time.” she said quietly to herself.