Sungmin ran to Soonkyu’s drawer and emptied all of the contents into the suit case that Sungmin prepared for her before. Soonkyu tried to help but she could barely feel the life in her hands; it was as if the blood froze in her veins. On the other hand Sungmin was able to hurriedly pack.

“Wear this,” Sungmin said in a quick and short tone. He threw her a white knitted sweater with regular black jeans. Understanding that he meant they would have to move locations again, she quickly put it on while Sungmin left the room for his clothing. The sound outside still shook the Earth around them.

“Hyung!” a scared Jonjin screamed from the hall. “What is going on?”

“Hokuouki will take care of you, Soonkyu and I have to go. It is not safe here for her anymore,” Sungmin said in haste. “Soonkyu! Are you ready?” Sungmin said then opened her door as she fastened the last button of her evergreen jacket. A crying Jonjin ran up to Soonkyu and hugged her; his head pressed against the side of her torso. Hokuouki ran up to Jonjin and ushered him away but his hold was tight, he didn’t let go until Sungmin forcefully pulled him off and put him into Hokuouki’s arms.

“We have to go,” Sungmin said. The rumbling of the ground started to increase causing Soonkyu to almost fall. Sungmin who had fast reflexes from his martial arts skill grabbed her arm and led her outside to the front of the temple. Suddenly the rapid rumbling of the Earth stopped and all was quiet around them. This was not any natural earthquake Soonkyu knew, it seemed much more horrific than that.

Sungmin looked up into the clouds above them and smiled, relaxing him shoulders. He slowly walked towards the forest, a frightened Soonkyu behind him. They instantly stopped when a dark figure came out from the trees to their right. It was Jaejung, Soonkyu’s father. He had an evil smirk that covered his face and more scars covered his arms and neck, some fairly new while others have been there for years. Sungmin pushed Soonkyu behind him and faced the hideous man in front of them.

“Wah, you must be Jaejung… The father of Lee Soonkyu,” Sungmin said in a calm voice.

“Yes, and who might you be?” His voice was low and threatening; however Sungmin did not let his guard down. Soonkyu started to tremble and her hold on Sungmin tightened.

“I am Lee Sungmin,” he replied.

“Ah, I’ve heard of you before; a water demon. Who is your leader?” Apparently Jaejung didn’t know that Sungmin was the leader which made Sungmin laugh.       

“Leader? Well, ha, we will just be on our way. I don’t have time to talk to dirt like you,” Sungmin said angering Soonkyu’s father immensely. It was as if he was playing a game with him, trying to make him mad.

“Dirt? Wah, why don’t you just give me the girl and no harm will become of you,” Jaejung said then suddenly ran towards Soonkyu who screamed in shock and fell to the ground. He was about to grab her arm but Sungmin had faster reflexes; he clenched his hand into a fist then brought it crashing down on Jaejung’s arm.

“Aish!” Jaejung yelled holding onto his wound. Sungmin did not hold back, he launched himself at the man in front of him and did a swift turn of his body, letting the momentum of his right leg hit the center of Jaejung’s chest causing him to sprawl over the cold ground. Somehow, Jaejung was able to stand up quickly and strike Sungmin with his elbow in the face causing red droplets of blood to fall. The hit didn’t affect him however, for he was the water demon leader.

Sungmin struck his neck next and dug his fingers in, grabbing the windpipe. He pushed his hand inward, momentarily closing the windpipe against itself which cut off Jaejung’s air. As he gasped Sungmin pushed him to the ground; however right at that moment a gust of air circled around the three of them, a black wind becoming part of it. In a matter of seconds, Soonkyu couldn’t see outside of the ring.

Soonkyu urged herself to get up and help but she really had no idea what to do. It was a fight against a demon and a horrible monster, Soonkyu was just a human. She wasn’t capable of fighting against Jaejung, however if Sungmin needed help she would not think twice even if it meant she most likely wouldn’t survive it. Instead Soonkyu stayed away and prayed that Sungmin would live.

Sungmin yelled in anger, a rush of water bursting from the cracks of the sphere. It carved around him, not touching his body but enclosing it. He smirked and stared straight into Jaejung’s now pitch black eyes, the sclera no longer visible.

Jaejung shrieked with indignation and started to walk towards Sungmin. Somehow his wounds were all healed and his entire aura became a dark shade. “Die, demon,” he said with his head low but his eyes still watching Sungmin. His voice was also different as if of an insane serial killer getting ready for his next kill. Evilness surrounded him all over, it made Soonkyu gag. Surprisingly as the monster got closer, Sungmin did not back down; instead he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Jaejung’s head twisted upwards in a sick motion, his eyes wide with eagerness as he looked at Sungmin; however his face was not the same as before. It now looked like death scratched at it; his face was pale almost transparent, and his skin around his jaw became thin and pushed back around his mouth. The man now couldn’t be Jaejung, but the devil coming for Soonkyu.

 Noticing that Sungmin’s eyes were closed, he jumped forward; however, he didn’t hit Sungmin, instead a blast of water flew towards the devil causing him to hit a tree multiple yards away. Sungmin’s eyes were still closed but the power he held within his hands continued to surge forward. The water sprinted around Sungmin and flew up into the air, separating into two spouts that chased after the devil. It looked faster than lightning, the constant gushes of water hammering into him. The black air surrounding them seemed to die down and so did Sungmin’s water. There ahead of Soonkyu and Sungmin was the devil. The tree that he bashed into was now bent and falling over, the roots visible. He lay in the crescent of the tree and the roots, his eyes were closed yet he still breathed.

Sungmin opened his eyes and all the water disappeared, evaporating into the thin air. He turned around and pulled Soonkyu towards him. She gasped from the unexpectedness but wrapped her arms around his torso, putting her forehead on his chest and breathing in deeply. No tears came, only relief that Sungmin or her did not die. The hug ended quickly, for the devil did not die but was just unconscious.

“Let’s go. We only have an hour before he wakes up, maybe less,” Sungmin said and grabbed the luggage. Luckily both of them could be assembled as a backpack which was much easier to carry.

Soonkyu fastened her luggage on her back while Sungmin did the same. They ran off into the forest and didn’t look back. Though Soonkyu had no idea where to go, Sungmin seemed to know exactly where they were headed.

*~*~*~*~*

“Sungmin,” Soonkyu panted holding onto the cuff of his shirt. “Tired.” This was the sixth time they stopped for a breath and Soonkyu thought she could go no longer. There was no sign of the devil following them so they stopped for a minute and inhaled the purified air.

“Where did Jonjin and Hokuouki go? Are they safe?” Sookyu asked, worried.

“They are long gone, away from the temple. They left even before I even started the fight with Jaejung… or the devil. So don’t worry they know where to go when this happens,” said Sungmin who started getting up again. They jogged the rest of the way to the edge of the forest for another fifteen minutes. It took a whole hour and a half to get there causing Soonkyu to jump in happiness.

“Yeah! Finally! I never thought we’d get out of that maze like forest!” Soonkyu said jumping and high-fiving Sungmin.

“Ha, we still have to go, so there’s no celebration yet,” Sungmin said and grabbed her hand. They sprinted to a nearby train station and sat on one of the many vacant benches under the covered area next to the small office where the train tickets were bought. Nobody was working at this hour since it was only three thirty in the morning and none of the trains were running as well. The terminal was near downtown Andong where there were many boutiques and places for tourists to sight-see; however no one was around but the homeless who slept near business buildings.

“Wah, Sungmin-ah, where are we going after this?” Soonkyu asked while slowly nodding her head. She was incredibly tired and barely got any sleep the whole night.

He took out a small blanket that was in Soonkyu’s luggage and placed it over her. She smiled up at him but her eyes were drooping. Sungmin laughed quietly at how cute she was then slowly moved her head onto his shoulder as a pillow she could use. “We’re going to Seoul to meet your grandmother,” Sungmin said while watching out if there were any people coming by.

“Mhmm…” she mumbled in return barely understanding what he was saying. He looked at her then wrapped his other arm around her small body, smiling.

“Good night, Sunny,” Sungmin said quietly and stayed in that position not going to sleep but keeping watch of their surroundings.

*~*~*~*~*

                It was nearly five o’clock in the morning, November 2nd; Soonkyu was still sleeping and mumbling things that Sungmin could not understand, and her head was now on Sungmin’s lap as of the rest of her body was sideways and her legs were tucked in. Sungmin was becoming drowsy and his eye lids were slowly dropping, but the run would rise in about an hour so he forced himself to stay awake since they had to be the first to get the tickets to Seoul since I station opens exactly at six am.

                As Sungmin played with Soonkyu’s hair he heard loud banging noises and curses coming from a few yards behind him. Suddenly it all stopped and that is when Sungmin’s ears became the most alert. Whispers traveled up Sungmin’s spine and the sound of heavy and forced breathing came from behind him, as well as the soft squeak of shoes crossing the floor. Sungmin silently moved Soonkyu’s head off of his lap and onto the bench while still staring straight ahead, not yet bothering to turn to see who it was.

                As the sound of someone inhaling was right behind Sungmin’s ear, he cracked his knuckles then swiftly turned around and grabbed the neck of the person who was right behind him causing him to drop a metal object. It crashed onto the floor creating a blaring noise but surprisingly Soonkyu did not wake up.

                There were five men, gangsters are what they seemed like with their baggy and torn clothing, and iron scraps as weapons were held in their hands. Sungmin knew he couldn’t kill them, which is something that he could easily do, but he didn’t want anything to do with the police at this time; so instead he smirked knowing that he would easily be able to take all of them from all his years of going to martial arts school, he knew exactly what to do.

                The one that Sungmin grabbed on the neck was now on the floor coughing but the other four came rushing at him with their weapons in the air. He easily dogged all of them and moved farther away from Soonkyu who was now starting to wake up from all the noise. Again they ran after him but this time Sungmin sped towards them as well; grabbing the longest iron rod from one of the men, Sungmin did a special technique that required good coordination with the hands. It was something that he had pretty much perfected is what his sensei said.

He twisted his wrists and grabbed the rod, increasing the speed of this pattern till he was able to use one hand as the weapon moved around his wrist effortlessly. The men continued to throw hits at him but he easily was able to stop it from making contact with his skin. One by one the five men started to run away knowing there was no way they could win against Sungmin.

“Wah, that guy is crazy,” they shouted then ran away towards the city. Sungmin shook his head and put the iron pole on a bench away from where Soonkyu slept on.

Sungmin walked back to the bench and noticed that Soonkyu was awake and starting to sit up. “Lee Sungmin, why didn’t you tell me you were so good at martial arts?” she asked with a teasing tone but then her expression instantly became concerned. “Did they hurt you? Why were you fighting with them in the first place?” Soonkyu said quickly then stood up and grabbed his jacket checking to see if he had any injuries.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “They were just a bunch of idiots roaming around here,” Sungmin said and sat down on the bunch, Soonkyu following.

“When did you start taking martial arts?” Soonkyu asked.

“Ever since I was four years old… I practiced every day. Two hours on the weekends and one hour on the weekdays. It was a lot but I learned a lot from it. However,” Sungmin said tilting his head in a stretching motion. “I haven’t gone in about a year….”

“Wah, well it seems to me you haven’t forgotten about it at all,” Soonkyu replied smiling ahead.

“I guess… I have a friend named Tao who was with my throughout my years of martial arts. He’s really good, better than me even!” Sungmin said grinning like an idiot. He seemed to look like he was thinking about his past with his old friend. “Oh and Siwon. He’s really good at taekwondo.”

“Ha, you seem to have a lot of friends. Were you popular?” Soonkyu said in confusion. If he were popular how come I have never heard of him? She thought.

“Popular? And those are my friends outside of school,” he said yawning. “My closest friend would be Cho Kyuhyun, the math Olympiad winner. You should know him right…? His name was all over the school after he won.

“Yeah I know him... He’s a flower boy isn’t he?”

“Flower boy? What’s that!” Sungmin said with a muddled look written all over his face.

“You don’t know who a flower boy is? You are one yourself!” Soonkyu said laughing at him. He tilted his head wanting her to continue. “Wah, a flower boy is someone who is good looking and popular.”

Sungmin smiled and ruffled her hair. “Wah Sunny! You think I’m good looking!” he yelled and hugged her, her head tucked into his arm. She screamed from the unexpectedness and hit his chest. He finally let go, her hair all over her face.

“Wah Sungmin, you’re really something,” she said glaring at him but smiled. Sungmin chuckled then yawned again.

“Hmm… then do you know Donghae and Eunhyuk-shii?” Sungmin said.

“Of course! Wow! You’re friends with the top flower boys at our school! Wah… How come I’ve never really heard of you then? I mean I have heard a few things about you… but I wasn’t sure who you were. You are a flower boy though! I know that,” Soonkyu said winking.

He snickered. “I’m ‘anemic’ I guess. Donghae and Eunhyuk gather the most attention… I’m kind of just at the back.”

Soonkyu stretched her legs and rotated her shoulder trying to stay awake. She barely got three hours of sleep because of the fight. “Well that’s okay Sungmin, cause you’re my favorite flower boy,” she said a light pink covering her cheeks.

A bright and orange glowing sphere slowly appeared from under the hill east of Soonkyu and Sungmin. The dull ashen sky started to light up and the valley was soon becoming a gold color as the rays of light swept over the land. Though the sun was billions of miles away, it warmed Soonkyu’s face when the rays made contact with her skin. The clouds started to move and thin out away from the sun as if it was a model, and the camera crew was making a path that the sun could follow.

*~*~*~*~*~*

                It was now exactly six am from what it said on Sungmin’s phone. Customers came rushing in line to buy their tickets at the counter; however Sungmin and Soonkyu were the first in line just like they planned.

                “Two tickets to Seoul please. The six thirty train,” Sungmin said taking out his wallet from his back pocket while Soonkyu stood next to him holding the suit cases.

                “Yes, one moment please,” the cashier said bowing and collecting the money. She printed out the tickets and handed it to Sungmin who thanked her and took one of the two suit cases Soonkyu held.

                “Wah, I’m still really tired,” Soonkyu whined her eyes closed half way.

                Sungmin nudged her and laughed. “Hey! I didn’t get any sleep for over a day now.”

                “Oh yeah, you’re right; I shouldn’t be complaining.” Soonkyu and Sungmin stood side by side behind the yellow line because of safety issues. It would be six thirty in five minutes and many people stood around them.

                “It should be here soon,” Sungmin said while Soonkyu stood on the side of him staring out at the tracks.

                “Hello,” an elderly couple said as they walked up to them. Soonkyu and Sungmin bowed at a ninety degree angle for respect.

“Where are you kids going this early in the morning? I hope you didn’t forget about school,” the man said as his wife buttoned up his coat.

“Oh no sir, we are going to Seoul because of a family issue we must solve,” Sungmin said smiling at him. “And of course not, school is always a high priority for us.”

“Ah, yes. Well I hope you two have fun.”

“You too sir and mam,” Soonkyu said. Again they bowed to them as the elders walked away.

“What a cute and polite couple,” the woman said hooking her arm with her husband.

*~*~*~*~*

                “Wow! Look Sungmin!” said Soonkyu gasping. “We’re going so fast!” They were now on the train and on their way to Seoul. They sat next to each other, Soonkyu by the window and Sungmin at the end.

                “Haven’t you been on a train before?” Sungmin said chuckling at her cuteness.

                She shook her head and stared out the window smiling. The interior of the train was of nothing special; just regular grayish blue seats and a table in front of them.

                “Wah, Sunny-ah, I’m going to go to sleep okay?” Sungmin said as he leaned back and closed his eyes. “You should… get… sleep too,” he yawned.

                “Okay Sungmin oppa,” Soonkyu said and leaned back as well. In a matter of seconds they were both sleeping soundly. Luckily the train doesn’t arrive in Seoul for two and a half hours.

*~*~*~*~*

                “We will be arriving in Seoul in ten minutes, please put all of your belongings together. Thank you for picking Korea Train Express and have a nice trip,” the intercom lady said.

                Soonkyu shifted from the sound and slowly tried to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself sleeping on Sungmin’s shoulder. His head was also rested upon her head; it was as if they fitted perfectly together.

                Sungmin had black hair that swept across his forehead, milky white skin, and thin wolf-like eyes. His face was a roundish heart shape making him look like a baby as he slept. Sungmin had a prominent chin however, making him look serious and cold most of the time. Straight black eyebrows barely showed beneath his hair and his nose was neither incredibly pointy nor round. His lips were of a light pink color, and were tilted in a smile. Though his lips were small and narrow they still showed that he was blissful in his deep sleep.

                Soonkyu beamed with delight by how peaceful he looked yet she was still very tired and craved more sleep. “Sungmin-ah,” she said shaking him lightly. “We have to wake up now. We are almost there.”

                “Wah… I need two more hours and I’ll be awake,” Sungmin mumbled.

                “Ya, are you saying you can be perfectly fine with four hours of sleep only!” Soonkyu said and shook him harder

                “I usually get that much sleep…” His eyes opened and Sungmin noticed how close he was to Soonkyu. Their heads were almost touching.

                “Ya!” Soonkyu screeched and jumped away from him.  A man across from them told them to be quiet causing Soonkyu to blush.

                Sungmin stretched and rubbed his eyes. “I’m still tired,” he whined.

                “Well too bad, cause I am too. Now let’s go!” Soonkyu said as she grabbed her suitcase from under her seat.

                “We have now arrived in Seoul; please do not go to the door until the train has completely stopped. Again thank you for choosing Korean Train Express,” the intercom lady said.

                “Let’s get going Sunny!” Sungmin said and grabbed her hand. They walked outside of the train and were welcomed by a crowd of people shuffling everywhere. Soonkyu grabbed onto Sungmin’s sleeve not wanting to get lost yet many people still pushed her causing her to fall to the ground.

                “Wah,” she said in shock. Sungmin looked behind him and saw Soonkyu sprawled on the dirty floor, trying to get up but there were too many people. He pushed through the people and crouched down grabbing her arms and pulling her up. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Sungmin’s torso not wanting to fall again.

                “We have to get out of here! But there are too many people!” Sungmin shouted against the noise of trains. He seemed to not care that Soonkyu had her arms wrapped around him.

                She nodded and took her hands away. They pushed through the crowd and finally made it out where they could finally breathe fresh air.

                “Wow, it’s crazy in there,” Soonkyu said pointing down the stairs from where they just came from.

                “Yeah I know; now let’s go,” Sungmin replied.

                The pair walked on and started visiting small shops around Seoul. It was around nine in the morning so it was a great time to walk around and take in the scenery. The streets contained thousands of cars and hundreds of sky scrapers.

                “Oh! Pretty!” Soonkyu exclaimed while looking at a small chained necklace with a light pink bunny as the pendant. She glanced at the price and sighed. “Too expensive though.” Sungmin looked at her then at the necklace.

                “It’s not that expensive,” Sungmin said and grabbed it, examining the jewelry. “Only fifty dollars.”

                Soonkyu gaped at him as if he were crazy. “Sungmin, we can’t buy it. It’s way too expensive. Do we even have fifty dollars? We already over thirty dollars for the train ride.”

                “Sunny, don’t worry I have over two thousand dollars in this card right here,” Sungmin said and took out his debit card. “Not only that but I have ten times as more at the bank.” He smirked at her while she just stood there in astonishment.

                “Where did you get all that money?”

                “My uncle owns this entertainment company called Woollim… I work with him mostly in the summer and he pays me, let’s just say, a lot.”

                “Wow. Why does he pay you so much? And why didn’t you just live with him when you were a child since he is your uncle?”

                “He’s a nice man… And, eh, I didn’t meet him till I was thirteen years old… Your grandmother, mother of Ji-eun, wanted to find a family member of mine. She searched for years and didn’t find my uncle for a while. It was pretty funny actually because when he met me he instantly wanted me to live with him in his mansion right outside of Seoul…. I didn’t want to though because I knew I should stay and take care of your grandmother. I do see him over the summer and he pays me.”

                “Again wow. Did you not spend your money at all or did he just give you that much in one time?”

                “Ah, I guess you can say I’m a frugal person… I don’t like to spend my money on useless things so I just save it and use it to pay the bills and such.”

                “I see,” Soonkyu said looking at the necklace again. “Then you shouldn’t buy this then because it’s useless.” She turned around and walked out of the shop; however Sungmin did not follow instead he grabbed the jewelry and bought it while Soonkyu wasn’t looking.

 

*~*~*~*~*

                “Wah, Sunny, I believe it’s time we contact your grandmother Mrs. Lee,” Sungmin said while looking at the time on his phone. It was already four in the afternoon. Soonkyu and Sungmin have been roaming around Seoul, admiring the scenery.

                “Oh yeah! I completely forgot about her!” Soonkyu exclaimed as she reached over for the spicy rice cake. They were in a small restaurant that sold mainly dukboki, and were in absolute delight as they ate the chewy rice.

                “I’ll call her now,” Sungmin mumbled. The phone rang a few times till someone finally answered.

                “Hello?” said the person on the other line.

                “Ah Mrs. Lee,” Sungmin said smiling. “We are here in Seoul.”

                “You are? Very good, very good,” replied Mrs. Lee. “When will we meet then? Is Soonkyu with you?”

                “Yes Soonkyu is with me,” he said and glanced at her while she looked at him wondering what they were talking about.

                “Good. Let’s meet at Arisu at seven o’clock. We have a lot to talk about.”

                “Okay then. We will see you then. Bye for now.”

                “Bye,” Mrs. Lee said and ended the call.

                “So… where do we go now?” Soonkyu asked finishing the rest of her meal.

                “We’re going to Arisu at seven tonight. Now let’s go and find a hotel close by,” said Sungmin. He then grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door, leaving a ten dollar tip on the table.

                It wasn’t until a quarter to five when they finally found a hotel to stay in; however it was nothing that Soonkyu expected.

                “Why is this place so fancy!” she yelled staring at Sungmin. He rolled his eyes and dragged her towards the front desk where you could reserve your room.

                The hotel was called The Ritz-Carlton; a luxurious hotel in the center of Seoul with a beautiful interior that contained marble pillars and floors, great colorful plants on elegant tables, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceilings giving off a sophisticated look to the entire room, and perfect shiny glass spinning doors. It was a place that Soonkyu never dreamed of going to.

                “Hello sir and miss. Welcome to The Ritz-Carlton what package do you want out of here?” a lady said whose name was Taeyeon according to her nametag. She handed out a small pamphlet that showed all the different packages they could have.

                “We’ll take the ‘Discover With You’,” Sungmin said pointing down at the paper. It apparently was the cheapest package yet it still came with a lot of good things such as overnight accommodations, a daily American breakfast for two each morning in the restaurant, and a fifty dollar hotel credit per night.

                Soonkyu looked up at Sungmin worriedly. She hated that they were already spending so much money. “I thought you said you were frugal,” Soonkyu whispered glaring at him. “This is too much.” Sungmin ignored her and told Taeyeon to have two beds in the room.

                “Sungmin,” Soonkyu said shaking him slightly. He ignored her.

                “Sungmin.”

                “Thank you,” he said and grabbed the keys to the room.

                “Sungmin!” Soonkyu shouted but not too loud since she didn’t want to cause a disturbance. However this time he turned around and looked at her.

                “Geesh Soonkyu, calm down. It’s not like we’ll be here for a long time.”

                “But what if we run out of money?” she asked.

                “Ah, I thought I told you this already. I have enough.” He continued to walk forward as Soonkyu followed him. She sighed knowing she couldn’t change his mind.

                When they reached their room they noticed they had a great view of the city around them. It was dark now so the city lights were really vibrant with colors. The room was nothing extraordinary; there were two beige colored double sized beds, a small desk near the window, a TV set as well as a dresser underneath, and a small porcelain bathroom.

                “I’m still tired so I’m going to take an hour nap till we have to,” Sungmin said jumping on the bed nearest to the wall. In exactly three seconds he was absorbed in his sleep.

                Soonkyu yawned completely exhausted by another long day. “I’ll take a nap too I guess,” she whispered and put on the alarm next to the beds to six. She fell asleep right when her eyes closed.

 

*~*~*~*~*

                RING RING RING

                “Ugh,” Sungmin said and jumped up and turning off the aggravating sound. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. “When will I ever get sleep?” he groaned and started walking over to Soonkyu who did not wake up.

                “Sunny-ah, it’s time to wake up. We have to go now,” Sungmin said with his eyes half open. “Ya, Lee Soonkyu come on.” He started to shake her but she still didn’t wake up.

                “Ah… Sungmin,” she mumbled.

                “What? Get up,” he replied.

                Again she muttered something inaudible, her voice sounded almost like a puppy. Sungmin chuckled at her and pulled her up, lightly patting her cheeks. Slowly her eyes opened and she jumped seeing Sungmin in front of her.

                “Hey!” she gasped. “You scared me!”

                He laughed at her and grabbed big plastic bag from his suitcase that contained something gray. It looked like a suit almost.

                “What’s that Sungmin?” Soonkyu asked.

                “It’s something,” he replied while walking to the bathroom. “Look in your suitcase too, there’s a plastic bag in there as well.” He closed the door to the bathroom and Soonkyu, curious, searched through her suitcase. At the bottom was the plastic bag like Sungmin said. She opened it and saw a black knee length dress. It had cheetah print short sleeves and the fabric was polyester. Though Soonkyu wasn’t a huge fan for the animal print it was still a beautiful dress.

                “Wow,” she muttered. Soonkyu quickly put it on before Sungmin came then waited for him outside of the bathroom.

                “Sungmin! For a guy you do take a while to get dressed,” Soonkyu teased. At that moment he walked out with a gray suit and black tie. He wore a white collared shirt inside and started to button up the outside jacket. Soonkyu stood there gaping at him in completely bewilderment. “Wah, wah, wah,” she muttered. “Why are you wearing a suit?”

                “Why aren’t you wearing a dress?” he chortled. He ruffled her hair and pushed her into the bathroom. “Go get ready,” he said and closed the door.

                Soonkyu who has never been to a fancy restaurant before had no idea how she should look. “Make-up?” she asked herself but shook her head. “Ah no…” After a whole ten minutes of thinking about how she should look decided to put her hair up in a ponytail, her bangs swept to the side, and a small amount of eyeliner.

                “You took longer than I did and you barely did anything….” Sungmin said but smiled. “You look pretty though, now let’s go.”

                They arrived at the restaurant Arisu a few minutes before seven. It was not a huge place but it was located at the top of another high class hotel. The walls were of maroon and gray/brown colors and multiple maple wood columns separated booths from each other. The lights were not bright, only enough so that reading the menu wouldn’t be hard. To the far left of the room was a door that led to a private area where most meetings are held.

                “Hello,” a male host said walking up to us. “Are you meeting anyone this night?” he asked smiling at both Sungmin and Soonkyu.

                “Ah, yes. The name is ‘Mrs. Lee’,” Sungmin said not paying much attention to the man. “We should be in the private room.”

                “Oh yes,” the host replied. “You have five guests total with you?”

                Sungmin jerked his eyes to the host. “Five?”

                “Yes five, that’s what it says on here.”Sungmin nodded but Soonkyu looked worried. Who would be the other two people coming?

                “Okay then, follow me.” The man led them to the room. It had a long black horizontal table made out of wood in the middle and, just like the outside, had walls of red and browns. It was simple however all the silver ware was set up already.

                Sungmin sat on chair opposite of the door and Soonkyu sat next to him. The host left in a hurry, and in about five minutes Soonkyu’s grandmother arrived. Both Sungmin and Soonkyu stood up when the door opened and bowed to her in respect. Soonkyu looked at her grandmother curiously; it was the first time meeting her in her entire life.

                “Wah Soonkyu-ah, I am your grandmother,” said Mrs. Lee pointing to herself. Two boys came in right after Mrs. Lee. Sungmin’s eyes went wide and so did Soonkyu’s; they came from Kyunghee High School as well.

                “Hello, I am Cho Kyuhyun,” said the tall boy with milky skin and dark brown hair that covered his entire forehead. He wore a simple black suit; however he didn’t have a tie like Sungmin did.

                “And I am Park Junki,” another boy said while bowing a full ninety degrees. He had dark brown eyes almost like almonds.

                “Kyuhyun!” Sungmin exclaimed jumping up from his chair and hugging his friend. “What are you doing here?”

                “Please sit down everyone,” said Soonkyu’s grandmother. Though she said it quietly the words had a very strong effect causing a chill to run down Soonkyu’s spine.

                When everyone was seated and the waiter took our orders the atmosphere became very serious. “You may be wondering why we are here today,” Mrs. Lee started. Kyuhyun nodded while Junki seemed very calm. Soonkyu on the other hand was jittery and nervous as to what this conversation was going to be about.

                “This is Kyuhyun, Soonkyu,” said Mrs. Lee. She pointed towards Kyuhyun who gave a slight bow while sitting. “He is a Hanyo.” Soonkyu’s eyes went wide while Sungmin who was drinking his water choked.

                “Wait what?” Sungmin said while wiping his face. He was shocked not knowing his own friend was a Hanyo. “How come I couldn’t tell!”

                “You see, the Hanyo’s aura does not show like a demon’s aura; it looks just like a human’s,” replied Soonkyu’s grandmother.

                Kyuhyun looked at Sungmin and smiled slightly. Sungmin’s face however was still in shock. Mrs. Lee then pointed at Junki. “And he, Park Junki, is the lead Hanyo…. The lead Hanyo is someone who has multiple skills. He can still do everything a normal Hanyo can such as the ability to kill demons and the devil with just their minds; however he also has a part of the three main elements. Water, fire, wind and earth.  Junki is able bend water during the winter, fire during the summer, wind during autumn, and earth during spring.”

                “What the…” muttered Sungmin.

                “There are currently only two Hanyo on Earth right now… That would be Junki and Kyuhyun; however there are usually three and we have been wondering and looking for signs as to who the third Hanyo could be… All of the signs pointed at you, Lee Soonkyu, my granddaughter,” Mrs. Lee said while looking at Soonkyu who was currently in a great moment of shock and couldn’t breathe.

                “So I was right?” Sungmin asked his eyes wide.

                “W-w-what?” muttered Soonkyu. At that moment the food came and everyone ate silently. Sungmin and Soonkyu were still in the process of comprehending what Mrs. Lee just said.

                As soon as the table was cleared Kyuhyun spoke up. “Ah Sungmin. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was the Hanyo before… Mrs. Lee said not to tell anyone, not even the closest friends, because if the fact is spread then the devil has any easier way to figure it out…”

                Sungmin sighed and looked straight into Kyuhyun’s eyes. “It’s okay. I understand… But then why tell me now…?”

                “Because I am here,” Junki spoke up. “The devil cannot track you when I am with you…”

                Sungmin nodded finally understanding; however Soonkyu shifted uneasily. “What do you mean I am going to be the third Hanyo?” she asked.

                “We are not a hundred percent sure but there is a huge possibly that you are the last one. The reason we think this is because… there have been a lot of demons in your family and… because the devil is after you,” spoke Junki. “The devil has never searched for a Hanyo because he knows how dangerous they are… However since you haven’t transformed yet he wants to get rid of you. We are still confused as to how he is doing that…” Junki tapped on his chin and stared at the ceiling.

                “My father,” whispered Soonkyu whose eyes were wide as she stared down at the floor.

                Mrs. Lee shuddered but kept quiet.

                “My father, your son, Lee Jaejung is helping the devil… Didn’t you know? And how do you know I can be the next Hanyo? Were you following me or something?” asked Soonkyu who was about to go hysterical.

                And here comes the thousand questions, thought Sungmin who sipped his tea.

                “What?” Junki asked leaning forward and looking at Soonkyu while Kyuhyun closed his eyes.

                “You didn’t know…?” Sungmin asked. “Lee Jaejung is helping the devil,” he whispered.

                Kyuhyun glanced at Mrs. Lee while she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “It’s true,” she said after a minute of complete silence.

                Her eyes went wide as she quickly looked at Sungmin, her hands on the table as she stood up. “Sungmin, watch Soonkyu… Do not let her out of your sight,” she said pointing a finger at him. “The devil is near… How could I not have known till now! It’s so obvious!” She buried her face in her hands. Soonkyu stood up and patted her on the back saying reassuring words. Of course that did not do much good since everyone was the most worried about Soonkyu, herself.

                “Mrs. Lee. Calm,” said Kyuhyun quietly while looking at her. She breathed in and out trying to compose herself from the frustration of not knowing.

                “What do we do, Mrs. Lee?” asked Sungmin.

                “… We protect Soonkyu, and when she turns into the Hanyo, Junki, Kyuhyun, and herself are going to destroy the devil…”

                “I-I-I’m what…?” Soonkyu whispered.

                “To completely end the life of the devil, all Hanyo are needed,” Mrs. Lee replied.

                “Really?” Sungmin said shocked that he did not know this. “Wow, I need to study the Hanyo more.”

                “I can tell,” Kyuhyun chuckled.

                “Why are all the Hanyo here, in South Korea?” Soonkyu asked with the tilt of her head.

                “Because they are. You see the Hanyo are from Japan originally and now they have shifted over here a few centuries ago… There has never been a Hanyo out of the Asian regions.”

*~*~*~*~*

                “I see…” Soonkyu whispered.  At that time Mrs. Lee, Junki, and Kyuhyun then stood up. Soonkyu and Sungmin bowed to them as they left.

                Sungmin and Soonkyu walked through the streets of Seoul. It wasn’t quiet, but a lively night with many stores still open and cars speeding down the packed roads. When they finally reached the front of the hotel Sungmin stopped and stared at the marble fountain. Soonkyu looked back at him when she realized he wasn’t following her anymore. She saw him toss a few coins into the water with the flick of his thumb. His eyes swept with blue in a flash but at that moment a small bubble with a coin in it flew up to Sungmin’s hand.

                “Ya! Sungmin-shii!!” Soonkyu said which then cut off his concentration and the bubble splashed back into the water.

                “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while…” Sungmin muttered. He shook his head then grabbed Soonkyu towards him. She blinked rapidly when Sungmin brought out a small box. He opened it and there lay the pink bunny necklace that Soonkyu was looking at before. Her eyes became wide as she reached for it, however Sungmin took it out.

                “I’ll tie it…” Sungmin said who then turned her around so her back was facing him and put the necklace together.

                Soonkyu blushed and thanked Sungmin but he didn’t reply instead he kissed her cheek.

 

Hi~ my wonderful readers! I'm really sorry for the late update... it's been a month now... >-< Sorry! If you want me to update faster, PLEASE comment!!! COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT!