Chapter Seventeen: Seeing the Reality

                Myung-soo woke up inside the same room, but he was standing on a spot near the seat where he drifted to sleep.

                “Ah, it’s about time!” Myung-soo heard someone say. He turned his head to look for the owner of the voice, and he didn’t fail as he saw Dong-woo sitting on a couch with a familiar figure standing in front of him.

                “Ho-won, Dong-woo” Myung-soo said as he approached the two. He partly looked around to see if the others already slept, but there was only the three of them. “What are these?” Myung-soo said while pointing to the stream of long white ribbon with golden chains tied on his body to his sleeping form.

                “Those are what makes your souls secure to your body. Your soul will know where to go back when you had to go back.” Ho-won said, “I added the chains to make sure no dark angel will try to cut the connection and take over your bodies.”

                Myung-soo nodded before looking over Dong-woo and finding another white ribbon that connected him to his sleeping form. “You can see him clearly?” he asked Dong-woo.

                “Yup, and we’ve been talking for some time,” Dong-woo said. “He’s talking about something interesting though… about me being your guardian angel. You already knew but you never told me about it.”

                “There’s no need to tell,” Myung-soo said, “guardian angels tend to be guardian angels even if they don’t know it.” Dong-woo looked at Ho-won and asked him if it was true. The angel gave him a small smile and a little nod.

                “Whoa, this is awesome!” the three spun their heads to find Sung-yeol hovering above his sleeping figure before joining the group. “I’m sure this happened before, but you know what, I don’t understand why I’m feeling better… everything is just as easy as being awake. Oh my G–” Sung-yeol suddenly stopped when he got a clearer view of the angel. “Ho-won, it has been a long time,” he said.

                “Yes, it has been a long time Sung-yeol,” Ho-won said. “Everything is easy because you knew and anticipated what will happen.  The previous dreams felt more like a nightmare because you thought it was a nightmare, when all I wanted to do is to warn you.”

                “It’s your fault because you wore that creepy costume of yours.”

                “Sung-jongie,” Ho-won welcomed his brother with a hug, “I missed you.”

                “I missed you too hyung,” Sung-jong said.

                “You’ve grown so well,” Ho-won muttered in his ears.

                “I know, I follow after you, remember?” Sung-jong said, “So, shall we get going?” Ho-won smiled and motioned for Dong-woo and Sung-yeol to stand up and come closer.

                “This is a lot more painful if you’re awake,” Ho-won said before giving both a blow on the chest. The two cried with the sudden pain, but it was later replaced by awe as they admired each other’s new ownership. “These. Are. So…. Cool!” Dong-woo said as he gently flapped the golden wings on his back.

                “Hey! How do you control these things?” Sung-yeol struggled to get both of his wings move at the same time. “I don’t know, I just thought of flapping them and they flapped!” Dong-woo said. “Try thinking the way you want them to behave.”

                “I already found Sung-gyu’s location,” Ho-won said, “you should try flying with those.” Ho-won held Sung-jong’s hand and together, they ran through the wall of the room.

                “I wouldn’t die, would I?” Sung-yeol said as he looked outside the window through which the siblings already floating in air could be seen.

                “Oh, come on! Trust yourself!” Dong-woo said as he held Myung-soo’s arm and ran through the wall while flapping his wings. “God, help me please!” Sung-yeol said before running through the wall himself.

                “See? I told you,” Dong-woo said. Sung-yeol was already floating, although his eyes were closed. Ho-won called their attention and soon after they were flying above the buildings of Seoul, to tall mountains and vast fields of a far province. “I’m not familiar of this place anymore,” Dong-woo said.

                “Yup, me too, but what I do know is that its six train-station, five-bus and a 30-kilometer bike ride already,” Sung-yeol said. “Seriously?” Dong-woo said. “Nope,” Sung-yeol said.

                “We’re almost there,” Ho-won said. Soon the five landed over a vast barren land. “He’s here,” Ho-won ducked and touched the ground underneath his feet. “Sung-yeol, Dong-woo, can you feel him?”

                “All I can feel is a weird force underneath,” Dong-woo said. “It feels similar to Sung-yeol’s, but it’s not pleasant at all.”

                “True, because the one you’ve been calling Angel is literally an angel,” Ho-won said. “He used to be an angel of Light, but he turned to a Dark angel, that is why his force brings uneasiness to us, angels of Light.” Sung-jong looked at Myung-soo before saying, “really? But how come can he not free himself?”

                “Because… I made him human,” Myung-soo muttered, and of course, his best friend didn’t fail to hear it. “So that’s why. Now I understand why you wanted to save him,” Sung-jong quietly told him.

                “He’s inside an underground facility, right?” Sung-yeol said, “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s dive down, now!”

                “Hyung, we have to find a way to get there when we are in our human bodies,” Sung-jong said. “We can’t save Angel as spirits.”

                “He’s right,” Ho-won said, “but then, where could be its’ entrance?” Just when the angel said that, Myung-soo caught sight of two people carrying huge backpacks. “Look over there, don’t they look weird?” Myung-soo said. Everyone looked to where he was pointing.

                “Wow, those mountaineers have serious direction problem. What do mountaineers do in flat, barren lands?” Dong-woo said.

                “Lost? Impossible,” Ho-won said, “let’s follow them.” And their hunches didn’t fail them. The supposed mountaineers made their way to a dark cave not far from where the group landed. They followed them until they reached a dead end where the mountaineers pushed one boulder and the wall in front of them opened up.

                “So this is the area 51 of South Korea,” Dong-woo said. The place was a high tech facility with medium to high security, if put in short terms. Cameras were present in every corridor, and people wearing lab gowns walked to and fro every now and then.

                “Where could he be?” Myung-soo said. They’ve been walking, following the presence that Ho-won, Sung-yeol and Dong-woo felt, but  just when they were about to get close, they would always reach another corridor that would lead away from the presence.

                “Why don’t we follow the people in lab coats? I’m sure soon they will go to where Angel is,” Sung-jong said. It didn’t take them long to find the right person. A scientist, easy to be seen in his age, outfit and how the others address him, passed through their group.

                “Are its wings fully healed?” Myung-soo heard the scientist say.

             “Yes sir, the specimen is already at 90% recovery,” the lady in a lab gown walking beside the scientist said. Specimen? Could it be…?    “Let’s follow him,” Ho-won said, and they followed the group.

                “Wow, the presence… its getting stronger,” Sung-yeol said as he clutched his chest.

                “We’re getting closer,” Ho-won said. After a few moments, they reached the place. It was a glass walled room, and inside it was different computers and machines but moreover, Sung-gyu who was unconscious, with his huge black wings spread out over a bed specially designed for them.

                Myung-soo quickly ran to his hyung in spite of the crowd of people and machines around him. He was a spirit that time and no one could stop him, but just when he was about to grab his hand, Sung-jong cried, “Hyung!”

                “Sung-jong ah,” Ho-won quickly went over his brother, “Why?”

                “I felt my ribbon being tugged!” Sung-jong said, and soon another tugging almost made Sung-jong fall on his back. “What is happening?” Sung-jong said with a hint of panic in his voice.

                “This is impossible, but you’re about to wake up!” Ho-won said but Sung-jong didn’t hear the rest as he was completely pulled away. “Sung-yeol, follow him!” and Sung-yeol flew after Sung-jong.

                “Something is happening in the station, hurry!” Ho-won said. “Look around and try to remember as many as possible!” Myung-soo looked back to his unconscious hyung. The scientist from earlier was already standing on his bed side, with a muscled uniformed man standing behind him. Myung-soo moved closer, and partly touched his hyung’s cheek but a sudden movement made him withdraw his hand.

                “Myung-soo,” Sung-gyu said after he slightly moved his head to meet Myung-soo’s earlier touch.

                “Oh, it’s having a dream!” the scientist said before jotting notes on his record.

                “For a non-human being? Interesting,” the uniformed man said in a cold, terrifying voice which made Myung-soo look at him in terror. He’s far more terrifying than the Sung-gyu at the hospital. Suddenly Myung-soo was pulled away and the last thing he remembered was Dong-woo flying after him.

                Myung-soo woke up with a heavy feeling on his chest. He tried catching air, but the sight when he opened his eyes taken him by surprise. Uniformed men carrying guns were holding his friends. Sung-jong and Sung-yeol, as well as Jung-won who was having what seemed to be a heated exchange with the armed men, were already in handcuffs.

                Myung-soo looked at Dong-woo. He was still sleeping, but after a few moments his back suddenly jerked and just like Myung-soo, he took a sharp breath before opening his eyes.

                “Myung-soo!” Dong-woo said as soon as he laid eyes on him. Uniformed people also came and cuffed them. Dong-woo tried to struggle at first, but Jung-won stopped him, “Just do as they say!” she said, “Calm down, and everything will be alright.”