Chapter 4; The Force of Earth

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I didn’t follow anyone.” Su Min coughs. The boy raises an eyebrow and shakes his head in disbelief. His dark hair falls just before his eyebrows, and his wide eyes give him the appearance of an owl. Su Min frowns and stares at him broodingly, annoyed at this boy who is so generously disrupting her business.

“You know, I’m not an idiot.”

She scoffs, “Wow, that’s a shocker.” Stepping sideways, she attempts to get away from him. Sadly, he’s quick on his feet and blocks her path. “Get out of the way.” she growls, her eyes flashing with annoyance. He doesn’t budge. Su Min bites the inside of her cheek as she realizes that this boy is relentless. Stepping backwards, she gives him a warning look, but before anything can happen, he speaks up.

“Give me one reason as to why I shouldn’t rat you out.” he commands, his eyes surprisingly hard. Su Min sighs and looks around before running her hand over her hair. The boy remains rigid, waiting for an answer.

“Simple, because I can kill you in 27 different ways.”

He frowns. “Touché,” he admits. He steps aside and Su Min quickly pushes past, knocking into him roughly as she goes. Mannerisms aren’t given to those who don’t deserve them. With that, Su Min begins to stride down another alleyway. Sadly, she is followed by him. He picks up his pace so he’s walking beside her, and obviously, he isn’t used to walking this fast. “My name’s Do Kyungsoo, by the way.”

“Did I ask?”

He shakes his head but continues to smile. “Hey,” he calls. Su Min ignores him and keeps walking. “Hey!” he yells once again. Suddenly, he stops and stares at her. “Do you even know where you’re going?” he asks, loud enough for her to hear. Damn. She stops in her tracks and whips around to stare at him. A smirk is placed on his face.

“Why do you care? Can’t you just leave me be?” she groans. He chuckles slightly and shakes his head which is now facing the ground.

“Nope. Because now I’m intrigued.”

Su Min frowns and stares at the side of a house, not wanting to look him in the eye. “Fine, then, can you help me?” she whispers inaudibly. He looks up at her, a cocky grin on his face. His eyebrow raises, begging her to say more. “Can you help me!?” she screams, her face red from anger and embarrassment.

“Eh, why not? What are you looking for?”

She glances around and steps towards him, still wary. “Your most skilled craftsman.”

- - -

“Grandmother!” Kyungsoo calls into the seemingly empty house. They round the corner and find themselves in a den, of sorts. “I’ve brought someone here to see you.” he says, a bit quieter this time. Sitting near the corner behind a pottery wheel is an old women, who seems to be at least 75 years old. She looks up at the two of them while still working the slab of clay.

Her hands are grimy and covered in wet clay. Deep wrinkles cover her face, and laugh lines surround her eyes and mouth. Skin dark and leathery from days out in the sun, she looks fragile and yet strong. A woman who is wise, someone who has seen a lot. That makes sense, the Divine Force would be old, right? I didn’t think it would be a woman, though. Su Min smiles and bows politely to the woman.

“Who are you?” the woman asks, her voice thick and rich. She begins to move her hands around the base of the clay, shaping it into a cylindrical structure. “Well?”

Su Min bows her head. “My name is Bang Su Min, Grandmother. I am seeking something very important.” she announces. Sensing the urgency in her voice, the woman stops the wheel and beckons for Su Min to take a seat. Her gaze drifts to Kyungsoo and she smiles at him, her beloved grandson. He’s not quite as manly as the other boys his age, but he has a kind heart. “Can you give us some privacy?” she requests. Luckily, he listens and leaves.

“Tell me, child, are you seeking to marry my Kyungsoo?”

Su Min snorts rather loudly but quickly regains her senses. “No, no, no. My mission is beyond that,” she explains. The Grandmother nods, and lets her continue. “I am looking for the Twelve Divine Forces, Grandmother. Are you possibly--” before she can finish, a loud bang causes the two to look up. Kyungsoo rushes into the house, his eyes wide and his expression grave.

“We’re being attacked!”

- - -

Standing up from her seat, Su Min crouches slightly, withdrawing her sword from its sheath. Kyungsoo looks at her with wide eyes, as if she had done something completely unbelievable. The Grandmother rushes to the side of the room and sits down on the floor. Fearing that she may be attacked, Su Min follows her and stands guard. “Protect my back.” she yells to Kyungsoo, who complies.

On the floor, a small mat of sorts lies. Pulling the matt off, a small hatch is revealed, and when it’s opened, a plume of dust rises up. From the compartment, she withdraws an object clothed in silk. She ushers Kyungsoo to sit and when he does, she places the silk pouch on his lap. He reaches inside the pouch and Su Min watches as he withdraws a medal. “What is it?” he asks.

“Your grandfather was a divine being, Kyungsoo. One of the divine forces. All those years ago, when monsters attacked us, it was him who saved us! Now, it is your turn.” she says, her voice cracking slightly. There’s a pounding at the door and Su Min’s muscles tense as she prepares for battle. “You have the power Kyungsoo, you do!”

Su Min groans slightly, “We don’t really have time for sweet family moments. So you better activate whatever mojo you have!” she yells. Kyungsoo casts her a look full of disdain before hugging his grandmother and standing up. “Grandmother, you must hide.” she urges before grabbing Kyungsoo and stepping towards the door.

“Listen, I don’t really know how this magic stuff works, so, you have to give me a break.”

A painful laugh escapes her lips, “Sadly, we don’t really have time for breaks!” Su Min growls. “Now, you open the door.” she commands. He looks at her incredulously and shakes his head. “Do it!”

Sighing, he grips the handle and rips the door open, revealing pure chaos. A group of three of those beasts is running amuck in the city, terrorizing and trampling the residents. Children and their mothers rush inside while men arm themselves. The attack was sudden, unexpected, which makes the odds not very good for their side. “Jimseung,” Kyungsoo breathes as he stares at the monsters.

Two of the jimseung are engaged in battle with groups of men, leaving one to be dealt with. Su Min motions for Kyungsoo to follow her. “Wait, what? You expect us to beat that huge thing. Just the two of us?” he asks incredulously. Su Min, annoyed, claps her right hand against the side of his head.

“Do we have much of a choice?” she fires back.

His grip on the medal tightens as he shrugs his shoulders. “Fair enough.” And with that, they approach the monster. Su Min tosses him a small pocket knife, which he takes gratefully. Su Min sidles around it until she’s in its line of sight.

“Hey, over here!” she screams. Kyungsoo watches as the thing focuses its blood red eyes on her. But it’s as if she’s invisible, because it completely ignores her and turns towards Kyungsoo. He lets out a shrill screech as the thing barrels towards him. “Kyungsoo!” Su Min screams. He covers his face, getting ready for death to come. A loud crash sounds and a puff of dust from the street clouds all vision. “.” she whispers as she runs forward. Su Min pauses as the dust dissipates and stares in disbelief at the sight in front of her.

He’s alive?