Chapter One: The Guardian Angel

                Dark was almost behind him. Myung-soo was running away from it, but with every step he took he could feel his feet become heavier. Even his breathing started to pick up its pace. Random pictures of doctors, nurses and his mom, were flashing on his sight. Then he would look back every now and then, and he would see a figure of a man chasing him, dressed in all black and holding a silver sword on his hand.

                Myung-soo continued running, until a small slant of light caught his eye. He changed his direction to the light and continued running until he heard a familiar voice crying out his name. “Myung-soo!” The light suddenly covered everything, even the man – the being – that was chasing him slowly vanished, until he opened his eyes and found himself in a different room.

                “Myung-soo! My baby,” Mrs. Kim quickly stood up from the couch and ran beside her son as soon as he woke up in a startle on his hospital bed.

“Mom, what happened? Why am I here?” Myung-soo said, small grains of sweat were forming on his forehead.

“Your fever reached 40 degrees last night,” Mrs. Kim said, “I was panicking, so I called an ambulance right away.” Mrs. Kim’s voice started shaking, “I almost lost you.”

“Mom,” Myung-soo held his mom tightly, “I will never leave you,” Mrs. Kim held out her hand and wiped the sweat from Myung-soo’s forehead. “Mom, when are we going home? I don’t like how everything smells in here,” Myung-soo said, which made Mrs. Kim smile.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here in no time,” Mrs. Kim said.

Two days passed and everything seemed to be going smoothly, until that weird morning. Myung-soo woke up at five in the morning from another dream that he couldn’t remember. All that he knew was that the feeling wasn’t pleasant at all.

“Myung-soo, don’t forget your lunch!” his mother told him as she catch up with him. Since it was still early, Myung-soo, unlike usual days, decided to take the alley which was a short cut to the bus stop. He seldom goes to that alley, mainly because he had a bad feeling about alleys and street gangs. But that day, he didn’t seem to mind. He just wanted to try something new.

There were rows of apartments, with lots of things hanging on their balconies. Myung-soo kept staring in front so that he wouldn’t see the clothes hanging like flags from one building to other. He also didn’t want to hear the early bickering of neighbors. Instead, he focused on the music that was coming from his mp3 player.

As he passed another apartment, Myung-soo clearly heard a voice that called him.  “Myung-soo, stop!” it said. Because of that, he stopped and looked back but he saw no one. A loud breaking sound made him look in front though. A few feet away from him was a huge mess of soil and broken shards of clay pot.

“Oh my God! Are you alright?” A woman said. Myung-soo looked up to find a middle aged woman peeping from the balcony directly above him. “I’m so sorry! I was tending my plants when that flower pot suddenly fell off.” Myung-soo looked down again in the mess in front of him. Judging on the size of the mess, the pot must have been huge. If he hadn’t stopped and looked back, the pot could have fallen on him.

“I’m alright,” he responded before saying goodbye and continuing his way to the bus stop. He reached the bus stop and waited for the bus that will drop him to another bus stop a mile away from school.

There were few people waiting in the bus stop. A group of female students were happily chatting a few feet away from him, while a man dressed in a long black hooded shirt stood a few meters away from them. In spite of the long black hoodie, it can still be seen that he was wearing orange overalls underneath. Myung-soo just felt uneasy after that.

Myung-soo observed the man for a while, but as if he felt Myung-soo staring at him, he returned Myung-soo’s gaze with a glare.

After a few moments, the bus came and everyone who was waiting boarded the bus. The group of female students boarded the back of the bus, may be so that they could continue their chat. Myung-soo sat two seats from the front seat while the man in overalls sat behind him. Myung-soo started to think it would be a typical trip. He judged it wrong.

Halfway the trip, the man in overalls stood up and declared a hold up. Myung-soo stood as an automatic response but then he felt a strong arm encircle his neck. “Do something wrong and this kid is dead!” The man said while holding a gun against Myung-soo’s head.

What am I going to do? Someone help me, please! Myung-soo kept on praying as the man pulled him to the back of the bus to get the girls’ belongings. The girls looked even more terrified as they took their phones and money out and gave it to the man. On the other hand, Myung-soo almost cursed himself of being on the skinny side and weak.

The man then pulled him to the front of the bus to the side of the driver. “Stop the bus, now!” the man shouted.

“I can’t, we should be in a bus stop!” the driver told him. The man repeated his command, and this time, a little louder than before.

“But sir,” the driver said, but the man fired the gun directly on the floor of the bus before pressing it hard against Myung-soo’s head. Myung-soo swore he felt his heart beat faster and felt colder after that. He couldn’t do anything but to close his eyes tightly.

“Stop the bus or I swear I’m going to kill this ki–” the man didn’t finish his statement. The next thing Myung-soo knew he was falling into the floor of the bus with the man lying on top of him. He struggled to get loose and move away from the man. The bus’ door opened and he quickly jumped off. He was already in the bus stop. Although still in shock, Myung-soo was able to see the police moving inside the bus and arresting the man in overalls.

“A report told us that there was a holdup happening in this bus,” he heard the police say. “There was also a boy being held hostage. Where is he?” The people in the bus pointed to Myung-soo but he backed-away. He didn’t like the police. He never did. Instead, he quickly ran away to get to a place where he thought he would feel safer.

“This couldn’t get any worse,” Myung-soo kept on thinking as he ran to the school. He was certain that if any of those got worse, he would be insane.

Myung-soo reached the final curve leading to the school. He wasn’t really paying attention to the people around him, but when he did, he noticed everyone running away from the gates. Even the guards ran away. He instantly stopped to look back, and he just froze on his foot.

It happened so fast. In an instant, a huge truck slammed to the gate, and  the sound of both the solid metal clashing together was heard. Myung-soo thought he was done for. He couldn’t even stop himself from shaking but then he found himself still alive in the arms of a guy he didn’t even know.

The guy encircled one of his arms on Myung-soo’s head to cover both of his ears, while the other one was on his back, keeping him close. Myung-soo pushed the guy after he gained back some sense.

“Kwaenjanha,” The guy who has puffy cheeks and really small eyes told him, “I’m already here. You safe.” That moment Myung-soo just felt tears flowing freely out of his eyes.

                Myung-soo wanted to calm down, but after everything that the new guy told him, he knew it would be difficult for him.

                “I know, this day must have been traumatic to you,” the guy said. They were in the school cafeteria, where the guy brought him right away after the incident. “Drink that milk. It will help you calm down.”

                Although Myung-soo didn’t believe it would help but after he gulped the milk, it did calm him a lot.

“You know what you are trying to say is really unbelievable,” Myung-soo said, which gained a nod from the guy. “You’re telling me that someone wants to kill me and that everything that happened today was done for me to die.” The guy nodded again.

“What is your name?” Myung-soo said.

“Call me noye cheonsa,” the guy said with a huge smile on his lips.

“I meant your real name.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you my name.”

“Then how do you expect me to trust you?” Myung-soo stood up and quickly walked away, but he could hear what the other was saying to stop him. “Myung-soo ah! We’re supposed to stay together!”

Myung-soo was about to go out of the cafeteria when suddenly a group of elementary schoolers rushed in, causing him to be pushed back inside. The pupils continued pushing him towards one stall and only stopped when the guy earlier showed.

“Children, fall in line. Your teacher might get angry if you don’t,” he said and the children lined up one by one.

“Thanks for saving me from these children,” Myung-soo said, but the guy pointed behind him. Myung-soo looked for what he was pointing to, and he felt even more thankful. A butcher was mindlessly holding a knife on his hand while talking to a stall owner, and if Myung-soo was pushed even further…

“So what name should I use to call and thank the person –”

“I’m not a person.”

“But for me you’re a  person!” Myung-soo yelled, which startled the guy and the others in the cafeteria. Myung-soo went behind the guy and started pushing him out the cafeteria. “Just tell me your name.”

“But I told you, I can’t tell you my name.”

“Why can’t you?” Myung-soo squinted his eyes, which made it similar to the guys’.

“Because I don’t have one.” Myung-soo stopped pushing. They were already outside the cafeteria and no one else was around. He looked at the mysterious guy and tried to figure him out.

“I told you, I’m an angel. An angel is supposed to be a figureless entity. No gender. Nothing, but I assumed this form for you… for you to see me and for me to protect you. We don’t have names. Only archangels do.”

“So how can I call you?”

“You can call me your hyung.”

“Yes, but you’ll still need a name,” Myung-soo said. “Fine, I’ll call you Angel. Okay?”

“Okay!”  

---o0o---

“Ah, hyung… are you seriously going to follow me everywhere?” Myung-soo asked.

“Yes, I have to. We’ll never know when the next incident would happen,” Angel said. So there will be next?

“When will these things stop?” Myung-soo asked, although hesitantly. Angel looked at him with worry in his eyes. “Don’t worry, it won’t be that long.”

---o0o---

Myung-soo went to his class while Angel waited for him outside. Although he was looking at his teacher, his mind still wandered to the boy outside. Why do I feel like I know him?

“Psst… Yah, Myung-soo!” his seatmate called him.

“What is it, Sung-jong?” he said.

“I saw you earlier with someone. Is he a new student here? I think I’ve seen him before, I just don’t remember where and when,” Sung-jong said.

“Funny, that’s exactly what I felt too,” Myung-soo said.

“Cool! Ask him to come to our movie night this coming weekend,” Sung-jong said.

“Ah, well… I can try asking him,” Myung-soo said.

---o0o---

 “A movie?” Angel asked Myung-soo as they walk home. Myung-soo just managed to ask when they were a couple of blocks away from his house. “Sure, it will be fun since it will be my first time.”

“Fun? It will be exciting! You’ll also meet my best friend Sung-jong,” Myung-soo said while they were on the steps of their front door. “So, do you have a place to stay?”

---o0o---

“Are you sure I can stay here?” Angel said while Myung-soo fixed some beddings on the floor.

“Of course, this room is mine,” Myung-soo said. “ This is my art room. Photos over here, paintings over there, music sheets on the opposite side. This room is safe. Mom seldom go to this room, so you don’t have to worry, she won’t be bothering you.”

Angel chuckled which made Myung-soo blush a little. He looked like a little child with his smile. “Thank you, Kim Myung-soo,” Angel said.

“You’re welcome… hyung.”