Eunjung stood a couple of meters away from the opening to the hidden cave in the mountain. She was hesitant about entering the hidden cave and having to face God. There was an uncertainty about what exactly was going to happen once she spoke to him. Eunjung knew that the issue of her feelings for Jiyeon would be brought up along with her recent relationship with the Shadows.

Something about the way God had spoken earlier sounded different. Recently he would sound aggravated with Eunjung but this time his tone was different. It was as if he resented her. Eunjung clenched her fists and began walking up to the opening. The heavy boulder swiftly moved when she got near it and Eunjung entered the cave.

Eunjung walked the short pathway into the room with the altar and removed her buster sword from her back. She slammed the heavy sword into the hard floor and kneeled on one knee before the altar. The light well behind the podium started glowing with an intense magnitude and suddenly a glow of holy magic engulfed Eunjung.

The Guardian gasped at the blessing she had received. Her eyes scanned the ground in front of her but Eunjung refused to look up to the light well. It was rare for her to receive a blessing and she had the feeling that perhaps this was one of those situations where there was good and bad news. The blessing was the good news, but the bad would certainly follow after it.

“Eunjung…first I bless you for following one of the orders I’ve given you. You will continue to receive my blessing if that human male loses his interest in Jiyeon.”

Eunjung lowered her head even more and gritted her teeth. Of course the blessing would be about what she did to Seungri. Scaring him was a thrill and she knew God favored her actions but now the scolding would commence. The Guardian braced herself.

“Just as you have received my blessing, I shall take something else from you.”

I knew it. Nothing is ever this simple with you.

There was a rumble in the room and Eunjung felt her body become grounded in her spot. She couldn’t move any of her limbs. The sword sitting next to her was suddenly lifted off the ground and moved to stand directly in front of her.

“Your feelings for Jiyeon have returned. It seems like sinning goes hand in hand with you. Now, tell me Eunjung…how big is your desire to return this sword to its original spot? To place it back in the podium where you first grabbed it from?”

Eunjung felt her body suddenly become light as a feather and then she flew into the wall behind her. Her back and head crashed harshly against the jagged rock wall and pain cursed through her body. The restraints once again began to move around her body trying to make her even more uncomfortable.

“I wish no such thing my Lord! I might have feelings for her, but my duty is my priority. You should know this better than anyone!” Eunjung yelled at him and then her body fell to the ground. Her face hit the hard floor and split one of her eyebrows open.

Slowly, Eunjung moved her arms to push herself up to face the light well once again. The crimson liquid ran down the right side of her face as the buster sword fell on the ground. Eunjung finally looked up at the light well. Her ears picked up the faint sound of laughter and she knew God was probably mocking her.

“Of course I know you fool! But the problem now is not your feelings but your building friendship with the Princess of the Shadows. As a Guardian you’ve broken your pledge to always stand against them. Good or bad, Shadows are the enemy of the human race and mine!”

“Jaehee has no intention-” Eunjung began explaining but God cut her off.

“I don’t care what her intentions are! I order you to cut off any ties with them immediately. Remove the one training your rogues and end your ‘friendship’ with their leader. If you do not do this Eunjung, I will have to make you do it myself.”

Eunjung kneeled on one knee once more and lowered her head. For once God was letting her correct her sins on her own and he wasn’t even taking her feelings from Jiyeon away. It was something that she did not comprehend but knew that she had to do it. Was he testing her loyalty? It had to be that.

“I understand my Lord. I will do as you ask of me.” Eunjung replied.

“Good…remember Eunjung, I’m always watching over you. I know everything you do, how you feel and what your intentions are. You are my vessel.”

Eunjung moved to kneel on both knees and bowed completely before God. Rebelling was not going to be as easy as she wanted it to be, but it was a challenge she was willing to face. The Guardian stood up from her position and grabbed her sword to place it on her back. She bowed once more before the light well and turned around to leave.






“So did you enjoy today more than yesterday? You seemed really happy to help out that kitten with the broken leg.” Nicole asked Gyuri as both of them walked out of the veterinary clinic they were interning at.

Nicole was the first intern Gyuri met the day before and she was also the one who had been the friendliest. Nicole had been interning at the clinic for three months and one of the doctors had asked her to show Gyuri the ropes. 

Gyuri smiled and turned to Nicole. “Yes I did. I’m actually glad to have had that opportunity because it made my day much better.”

Nicole smiled back at Gyuri and nodded her head. She then turned to face the street and started looking around for a specific car. Nicole didn’t spot it and none of the cars driving by looked like the one she was looking for.

“Aish, where are they?” She mumbled and Gyuri caught what she said.

“Who are you looking for?” Gyuri asked her new friend and Nicole turned to face her.

“My girlfriend was supposed to pick up my sister then come pick me up so we could all go to dinner. They’re not here yet though.” Nicole pouted.

“Girlfriend? So you’re…” Gyuri was surprised. Most people did not reveal their uality that fast.

Nicole grinned and scratched the back of her head. She hoped that Gyuri wasn’t homophobic or something. Someone as beautiful as Gyuri probably had a lot of guys chasing after her or had a boyfriend already.

“Gay? Yeah…” Nicole replied and at that moment a blue Honda Civic pulled up in front of them. The back window on the passenger side of the car rolled down and a teenage girl stuck her out of it.

“Unni! Sorry for being late but Hara wanted to tag along.” The teenage girl pointed at her friend with her thumb and Hara waved at Nicole. Gyuri stared at the teenage girl and noticed how she kind of looked like Nicole and guessed that was her sister.

The rumbling sound of another car pulled up behind the blue car and Hara moved to stick her head out of the window alongside Jiyoung. The girl driving the blue car stepped out of it and walked over to Nicole and kissed her on the lips before turning to the red car that had pulled up behind hers. Gyuri turned to the red Mustang and gritted her teeth. So she finally decides to show up!

Jaehee stepped out of her car and ran towards Gyuri with a little brown teddy bear in one of her hands. The taller woman stopped in front of her girlfriend and handed her the teddy bear and then bowed as a form of apology. Gyuri took the teddy bear from Jaehee and narrowed her eyes at her.

“Gyuri, I know you’re mad at me but please hear me out. I can explain-” Jaehee stopped talking when she felt the teddy bear hit her face and bounce off.

“I don’t want to hear any of what you have to say!” Gyuri yelled at her and turned around to walk away from her girlfriend.

Jiyoung and Hara looked at each other with wide eyes and then turned back to the two older girls. This was like the scene out of a drama to the both of them. Meanwhile, Seungyeon frowned at the entire scene and Nicole looked on worriedly. She disliked seeing couples fight and something must have happened between Gyuri and the taller woman.

Jaehee picked up the teddy bear and ran after Gyuri. She grabbed the shorter woman’s arm and spun her around to face her. “Why not?! I don’t even know what exactly I did to make you mad. I’ve told you before that there is no reason for you to be jealous of-”

Gyuri’s slap cut Jaehee off. “You don’t realize it do you? You’re too preoccupied with whatever is going on in your head to see it! I thought I had found someone worth dating with you, but in reality I just found a player.”

‘What…?” Jaehee asked as she rubbed her cheek. Gyuri scoffed at her and turned around once more to walk away.

Nicole was worried about her friend, so she ran after Gyuri. “Gyuri!” She called after the girl, “Why don’t you let us give you a ride? Perhaps join us for dinner? You can let out your frustrations on us.”

Nicole let out a nervous chuckle and Gyuri gave her a sad smile. “I would appreciate that Nicole.”

Nicole led Gyuri back towards Seungyeon’s car and the three girls got into the car and pulled off. Jaehee watched them leave but didn’t try to stop Gyuri. She knew Gyuri was jealous of Hyori, but she didn’t understand why her girlfriend was calling her a player. Anything Jaehee had going on with Hyori had ended for a while now but did Gyuri think there was someone else?

Who else does she think I’m in involved with…aish…I don’t understand. Jaehee face palmed and then jumped when she heard her phone go off. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and read the text message she had received.

“You need to come to our headquarters. I’ve already informed Tablo that he must pack up his things and leave. You can take him with you after I’ve talked to you. -Eunjung.”

Jaehee mouthed the word ‘what’ as she read the text. She placed the phone back in her pocket and walked over to car. What had Tablo done that caused Eunjung to kick him out? Last time she had checked up on the older man, he seemed to be getting along great with his students and they had really progressed with their skills.

It just seemed like this day was not going right at all for the current leader of the Shadows.






Tablo had finished packing up all of his things and was waiting for Jaehee in the parking lot in front of the main warehouse. His students were keeping him company and saying their goodbyes to him. They had become close to Tablo despite him being a Shadow and considered him to be part of the Guardian Family. The news of him leaving made them sad but there was nothing they could do to prevent the man from leaving.

It was an order given by their own leader and they had to obey it. Two of Tablo’s top students were currently sitting on each side of him; the huskier of the two handed Tablo a folder containing some of the poems everyone had written for the last assignment he gave them. Apart from teaching them how to become better skilled rogues, Tablo shared his love of poetry with the students and encouraged them to write their own.

“Thank you Mithra. I know this will make me miss you guys a little less.” Tablo thanked him.

“We’re really gonna miss you. It would have been nice if Eunjung would have let you stay a bit longer.” Tukutz told him. Tukutz real name was Jungsik, but Tablo gave him the nickname Tukutz because of how well he used the dice and slice ability that all rogues learned.

All of the Guardians nodded and everyone proceeded to group hug Tablo. At this time, Jaehee pulled up next to the group and exited her car. She smiled at the site of Tablo being hugged by his students and that let her know that perhaps Tablo had done nothing wrong. Eunjung needed to have a good reason for telling him that he needed to leave.

Eunjung walked out from the warehouse and headed towards Jaehee. All of the Guardians turned to face their leader and bowed at her. Eunjung shifted her eyes to look at them from the corner of her eyes and then turned her full attention to Jaehee.

“I’m glad to see you made it here quickly. Thank you for bringing Tablo to train our rogues but he is no longer needed.” Eunjung started off and Jaehee turned to look at Tablo for a second before focusing back on Eunjung.

“He’s only been here for a few months. There is no way he has finished training your rogues. I want to know what he did. Why are you asking him to leave?” Jaehee asked her.

“The Guardians are to longer associate themselves with the Shadows. This also means that the friendship you and I have ends tonight.” Eunjung responded and Jaehee looked at her surprised.

“Wh-what?” Jaehee stuttered in surprise. “Eunjung…you’re joking right…?”

“I’m not the one to joke Jaehee. Please forget that we were ever friends and maintain your distance from both Jiyeon and myself. If you do not comply with that, then we will have a problem.” Eunjung told her and turned around to walk back into the warehouse. 

“Did your God ask you to do this?!” Jaehee shouted out and Eunjung stopped walking. She turned her head slightly to look over her shoulder. The glance was a quick one. Eunjung turned to face forward once more and continued walking.

Aside from Hwayoung and Eunjung, Soyeon was the only one of the Elite Six that was currently in the warehouses. She had walked out behind Eunjung and heard everything their leader had told Jaehee. It helped to answer all the questions she had after Eunjung’s return. The High Priestess had healed the cut on Eunjung’s right eyebrow before the taller girl headed off towards the rogues’ training grounds to tell Tablo he needed to pack up and leave.

There was sadness in Soyeon’s face now. Aside from Eunjung, she was the only other Guardian of the Elite Six that felt their friendship with Jaehee was a valuable one and now Eunjung was breaking it. Soyeon waited for Eunjung to go inside the main warehouse before walking up to Tablo and Jaehee. Tablo was saying his last goodbyes to his students when she neared them and waited for the rogues to walk away.

“Thank you for everything Tablo. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out better.” Soyeon said after all the other rogues had walked away.

“No need to apologize High Priestess. I will miss them, but one should not stay where they are not wanted.” Tablo replied.

Soyeon gave him a faint smile and nodded before turning to Jaehee who seemed to be lost in thought. “Jaehee…?”

The taller woman turned to look at Soyeon. “It’s not your fault Soyeon. Don’t worry too much; I will do as Eunjung has asked. You should too. If the time comes that we must work together, know that I will not hesitate to help you.”

Soyeon’s smile got bigger with Jaehee’s words. She bowed at the two Shadows. “Thank you. Please take care. Goodbye.”

Soyeon turned to walk away from them towards the warehouse. Jaehee and Tablo bowed at the High Priestess and turned around to go put Tablo’s luggage in Jaehee’s car and then leave. Tablo was about to enter Jaehee’s car when he remembered something. He took off running towards Soyeon and handed her an envelope and asked her to please give it to Eunjung.

He then turned around and ran towards Jaehee’s car where the younger woman was waiting for him. Tablo pulled the car door to close it and then buckled himself up. Jaehee turned to him, “What did you give her?”

“A poem I wrote for Eunjung. If she decides to read it, perhaps it will help her with Jiyeon.” Tablo answered. Jaehee raised an eyebrow but did not question Tablo anymore. She started off her car, turned it around, and headed out of the Guardians headquarters.





The next morning Jiyeon woke up with an uncertainty because she had decided to go out on a date with Seungri and disobeyed Eunjung. Jiyeon was not sure how Eunjung was going to act towards her today and she also wasn’t sure if the older girl would even pick her up to take her to school. The animosity between the two of them had been great yesterday.

When she walked into the kitchen to eat her breakfast, Jiyeon’s mother greeted her with a big smile on her face. It didn’t take long for Mrs. Park to start badgering Jiyeon with questions about her date with Seungri. The only reason Jiyeon managed to avoid those questions the night before was because her parents had gone to bed by the time she got home. It wasn’t late, but her parents did always go to sleep really early.

Questions about the date was something Jiyeon had been dreading though, but she answered her mother honestly and told her that she wasn’t sure if she would go out with Seungri again. The older woman seemed disappointed with her daughter’s response because she had a good feeling about the young man. Plus, if Jiyeon dated him and fell in love, one day she could marry Seungri and Mrs. Park would have the grandchildren she always wanted. Eunjung was a nice girl, but that would mean she would never have grandchildren.

After finishing her breakfast and leaving her home to head for school, Jiyeon felt relieved to be away from her mother. She really did not want to talk about Seungri or the date anymore. Her nervousness grew when she exited the elevator on the first floor and walked out of the building. In the back of her mind she hoped Eunjung was waiting outside but Jiyeon also had the feeling that perhaps she was going to be walking to school today.

Her eyes scanned the street in front of her apartment building and Eunjung was nowhere to be seen. Jiyeon sighed and knew she had to walk to school today. She was used to riding the older girl’s motorcycle and now that it was colder outside Jiyeon was wearing the appropriate attire. How irresponsible of Eunjung to leave me to walk by myself! What happened to the whole ‘I must be by your side constantly’ thing?

Jiyeon scanned the area once more and this time she spotted a blue car parked outside the building. The black windows didn’t allow her to see inside but the car looked familiar. That looks like Hyomin unni’s car…

“Jiyeon!” Hearing her name broke Jiyeon out of her thoughts. She looked at the passenger window and noticed Hwayoung grinning and waving at her. The older girl stepped out of the car and ran towards Jiyeon. Behind Hwayoung, Jiyeon could see Hyomin standing next to her car now.

Jiyeon’s eyes went wide when she saw Hwayoung. A huge smile formed in Jiyeon’s face. She was so glad to see that the older girl was alive and well after almost dying. Jiyeon extended her arms out and ran towards Hwayoung in order to hug her. Hwayoung and Jiyeon embraced tightly when they reached each other.

“Oh my God! Hwayoung! I’m so happy to see you that you’re doing well!” Jiyeon happily told the older girl as they hugged.

“Thanks to Soyeon’s healing abilities and some blood, I’m alive and kicking!” Hwayoung replied and started giggling along with Jiyeon.

Hyomin approached the two of them as they separated from their embrace. “We’re here to give you a ride to school. Eunjung asked us to pick you up.”

Jiyeon turned towards Hyomin and nodded. I guess Eunjung is still mad at me. The three girls turned around to head for Hyomin’s car and head to the university.





Eunjung was sitting on her motorcycle in the university’s parking lot. After what had happened the day before, she did not want to face Jiyeon just yet. That is why she had sent Hyomin along with Hwayoung to pick up Jiyeon. Since Hwayoung had completely recuperated from her injuries, Eunjung was sure that Jiyeon would be happy to see her.

Even though Jiyeon had said some hurtful words and angered Eunjung, the older girl knew that she could not remain angry nor avoid Jiyeon for long. A cold wind blew past Eunjung and that made her stuff her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. Unlike the rest of the clothing she was wearing underneath it, this leather jacket was real. She had purchased it not long ago.

In the right pocket she felt the envelope Soyeon had given her the night before. Eunjung grabbed it and pulled it out of her pocket and stared at it. Soyeon had told her that Tablo had asked her to hand it to her. Eunjung’s thoughts went to the small note Tablo had left for her in a separate paper inside the envelope.

Eunjung,

I know it’s not my place, but throughout the months that I have been here training your Guardians, I’ve noticed how you interact with Jiyeon. The look in your eyes expresses much more than your face ever could and I can see how in love you are with her. I couldn’t help but write what I saw in your eyes. I hope this poem will help you confess to her.

Good luck,
Your friend Tablo

Eunjung closed her eyes and clenched her jaw as she remembered reading the poem. She opened her eyes and let out a sigh before folding the envelope in half and stuffing it back in her pocket. The glimpse of a bright blue car parking next to her alerted Eunjung that Hyomin had just pulled up next to her.

The Guardian turned to face her friend’s car and saw Hwayoung step out first followed by Jiyeon. Hyomin looked up at Eunjung and gave her a small smile before stepping out of the car as well. Jiyeon noticed Eunjung and briefly glanced at her before turning to Hwayoung who was looking around the parking lot and then towards the campus.

“Whoa, Jiyeon…this place is huge! I’d be lost here.” Hwayoung mentioned and Jiyeon giggled.

“Trust me unni, you wouldn’t be the first student to get lost. I was lost too on my first day. I had even received a tour of the school but it didn’t help.” Jiyeon replied. The two girls started walking in the direction of the school.

“Are you going to be alright watching over her today? I know that after yesterday the two of you aren’t in the friendliest of terms.” Hyomin asked Eunjung.

Eunjung grabbed her backpack and got off her motorcycle. “I will be fine. Despite everything, my main priority is keeping her safe.”

Hyomin studied Eunjung’s face as she replied and Hyomin nodded. She was curious as to what was running through Eunjung’s mind currently. When she had arrived at the warehouses the previous night, Soyeon had explained to Hyomin and the rest of the Elite Six that Eunjung had dismissed Tablo. Soyeon had also informed them that Eunjung had ended their alliance with Jaehee, including the friendship the two had started.

A part of Hyomin was sad to hear that Tablo was no longer going to be training the rogues. Despite not agreeing with bringing Tablo in at first and feeling insulted, Hyomin had learned to accept the man and had personally thanked him for training the rogues better than she ever could have. The other part of Hyomin was glad to hear that their ties with the Shadows had been cut. She was a firm believer in their system as Guardians and felt like they didn’t need the help of the enemy even if they were on the same side.

Eunjung’s face expressed nothing and her eyes were currently blank as well, but traces of dark circles seemed to be forming around her eyes. Eunjung was most likely not sleeping much again. It wouldn’t affect her physically because the Light sustained her, but Hyomin knew that their leader was probably dealing with a lot of stress at the moment.

The two of them walked further into the campus and when they reached the hangout spot, they saw Hwayoung happily talking with Jiyeon and Jieun. Hyomin smiled at the sight of her girlfriend throwing her head back in laughter and was truly overjoyed to see her in such a lively mood. Just a few days ago, Hwayoung had almost died right before her eyes. She didn’t know if she could ever bear to see that again or ever.

Jiyeon glanced from the corner of her eye at Hyomin and Eunjung. She was nervous about how Eunjung was going to act around her today. Already the older girl had not picked her up for school, and Eunjung had also not said a word to Jiyeon. Stepping away from Hwayoung and Jieun for a moment, Jiyeon turned towards Hyomin and Eunjung.

“Good morning Eunjung.” Jiyeon greeted the older girl in very shy manner. Eunjung stared back at Jiyeon. Her expression was blank which left Jiyeon wondering what Eunjung might have been thinking of.

“Good morning Jiyeon.” Eunjung responded in a monotone voice. A cold gust of wind blew past them and Jiyeon shivered at the cold air filtering through her sweater.

Eunjung removed her jacket and handed it to Jiyeon. “Put it on. It will keep you warm. It’s a real jacket and not an illusion created by Qri’s necklace.”

Jiyeon looked at the jacket before turning her gaze to Eunjung. Nervously, Jiyeon reached for the jacket and grabbed it from Eunjung. As soon as she slipped the leather jacket around her body, Jiyeon felt a rush of warmth encase her.

“Thank you.”

Hyomin observed the interaction between the two of them and found it awkward. She turned to face Hwayoung who was looking back at her and Hwayoung offered her a smile. Hyomin felt her blood rush to her cheeks and blushed at the smile Hwayoung was giving her. Why are you so cute Youngie?

Hwayoung turned back to Jieun and said her farewells before walking over to Hyomin. The two of them said their goodbyes to the other three girls and headed back to Hyomin’s car. Jiyeon started walking towards the school with Eunjung following behind her and Jieun who was caught up with watching the other two girls walk away, ran up to them to catch up.

“Jiyeon,” Jieun started when she caught up to her friend, “how was your date with Seungri oppa?”

Jiyeon stopped walking and turned to face Jieun. “It was okay.”

“Okay?!”

“Yes, just okay.”

Jieun crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Jiyeon. “I know he went all out to impress you so I find it hard to believe that you thought it was just okay. You’re at least attracted to him right? You have to go on a second date with him! I’m really looking forward to double dating with you two.”

Jiyeon gave Jieun a small smile and shook her head. “Jieun…Seungri is handsome, I will admit that, but I don’t think I can like him as a man. If I were to go out with him again, I would just be lying to myself.”

Jieun had a disappointed look on her face but Eunjung had piped up at Jiyeon’s words. It was such a relief to know that Jiyeon was not interested in Seungri at all. Jiyeon moved her hands to rub Jieun’s shoulders and comfort her.

“I’m sorry Jieun.” She sincerely apologized and Jieun shook her head.

“It’s fine Jiyeon-ah. I thought the two of you would really hit it off but I guess not. Maybe when you finally meet someone else we can double date.” Jieun responded.

“I would like that. Thanks for understanding.” Jiyeon smiled and turned to continue walking towards the school. Jieun glanced over at Eunjung for a second and noticed that Eunjung seemed happy to hear that Jiyeon was not interested in Seungri. I don’t understand why you keep hurting Jiyeon and not going out with her. It’s obvious the two of you are hung up on each other but just won’t make it official. Date already!





Jaehee let out a sigh as she exited her apartment and turned to lock it. It was the first time she had spent a night alone in the apartment in a long time. Usually at least her mother or sister had been there in the morning to greet her but today she found herself completely alone. It was a strange feeling.

“Jaehee!” Jiyong called out to his best friend and quickly walked over to her.

Jaehee smiled at the sight of Jiyong and Seunghyun. She was glad to see that Jiyong had recuperated and was back to his bubbly self. “Jiyong! I’m so glad to see that you’re back to one hundred percent.”

The two of them embraced each other for a few seconds and then Jaehee turned to Seunghyun and quickly hugged him as well. Even though her mother and sister were gone, Jaehee had her two best friends to keep her company. She hoped Gyuri would still be the other person to be with her in these times, but her girlfriend seemed to want nothing to do with Jaehee at the moment. That on top of her family being in danger saddened the leader of the Shadows.

“Yes, yes! I’m feeling great thanks to your mom and the priests at the temple. By the way, Seunghyun and I heard that the High Priestess crossed over into the North?” Jiyong asked unsure if what he had heard was correct.

“I saw Sangchu yesterday and he seemed upset. We were wondering if the rumors are true.” Seunghyun mentioned.

Jaehee nodded, “Yes, the rumors are true. My mom tricked Sangchu, Junseop, and the rest of the people she took with her into helping her cross into the North. She sent them back using a Hearthstone.”

The two men look at each other in shock and then turned to face Jaehee. “Why didn’t you send them back to help her at least? In fact, I’m willing to go back for both her and Kyurhee.” Seunghyun mentioned.

“No. I’ve already sent out the order telling everyone not to cross over into the North.” Jaehee replied.

“So you’re just going to let both of them stay out there like that?! Jaehee, what are you thinking?!” Jiyong asked surprised and slightly angered by his friend’s actions.

“I don’t want to! But with mom…she would just trick anyone I send over to find her again. It’s obvious her intentions from the beginning were to be in the North by herself. And Kyurhee, she has the rest of the guys that were in your group with her. Plus, Kyurhee is one of the most clever and deceitful people I know. She won’t be captured easily or ever captured. I trust in both of their abilities so I’m asking the two of you to remain by my side.” Jaehee explained.

Seunghyun and Jiyong wanted to protest but Jaehee stopped them again. “Just because everything has been happening in the North as of late for us, I know that eventually we will have trouble here in the South. I need my people to remain here for now.”

“We will do as you say then.” Seunghyun replied and Jiyong nodded. They still felt the need to go back to North Korea and help their comrades, but what Jaehee was saying made sense as well.

“Thanks guys. Now if you excuse me, I need to get to school.” Jaehee bowed at both of them and then walked away from them to head to the elevator.

As she made her way to school, she thought about everything happening right now. Her main priority was to figure out a way to help her mother and sister but also keep her people in the South safe. If the enemy Shadows ever planned to attack here, many of the civilians would be in danger; Shadow and human alike.

The whole ordeal with Gyuri was bothering her the most now though. Jaehee did not want Gyuri to remain mad at her or misunderstand any of the things going on right now. It was time that she explained everything to her girlfriend about who she was and the situation going on in the world that affected everyone. Hopefully, Gyuri would still accept her.






While sitting in class listening to the lecture, Jiyeon had kept Eunjung’s jacket on. The leather jacket was warm and cozy and it had Eunjung’s scent all over it which Jiyeon liked. To keep her hands warm, she had placed them inside the pockets of the jacket and her right hand had bumped into a folded piece of paper the first time she placed it in there. The curiosity was getting the best of Jiyeon, so when Eunjung wasn’t looking, she pulled out a small part of the paper to see what it was and noticed it was an envelope.

Jiyeon’s curiosity grew even more after seeing the envelope. She wanted to see what was inside but with Eunjung sitting next to her, it was impossible. The chance Jiyeon was looking for would come after their second class was over and they were headed to eat lunch. Eunjung needed to use the restroom, so while Jiyeon waited outside for her, she took the opportunity to see what was in the envelope.

There was just one folded paper inside and Jiyeon quickly proceeded to pull it out and unfolded. Her eyes scanned the words on the paper quickly without really reading them. She was nervous because she did not want Eunjung to come out of the restroom and find her reading the contents. Jiyeon folded the paper back up and instead of putting it back inside the envelope; she placed it in the pocket of her jeans.

Jiyeon folded the envelope and placed it back inside the pocket of the jacket just in time. Eunjung came out of the restroom as soon as she had done that. Jiyeon gave Eunjung a smile and the two of them headed for their usual lunch spot to meet up with Jieun, Gyuri and Jaehee. When they arrived, Jieun was already there but Gyuri and Jaehee were nowhere to be found. As the three girls ate their lunch, Jiyeon kept her mind on the paper she had placed in the pocket of her jeans.

From what she had seen, it looked like a poem and she desperately wanted to get home and read it. If Eunjung had written it, perhaps it would give Jiyeon an insight as to what ran through Eunjung’s mind.





After her first period class, Jaehee had headed directly to Gyuri’s second class. She was determined to get her girlfriend to finally listen to her. Not surprisingly, Gyuri was still mad at Jaehee and tried to avoid the taller woman when she approached her. Gyuri knew that she could not avoid her girlfriend forever, so she finally gave into Jaehee’s plea.

Both of them had missed their second class because Jaehee had driven them back to her apartment. Jaehee felt that was the most private place for the two of them to talk. Gyuri thought that Jaehee would begin explaining everything quickly after they had arrived, but Jaehee found it hard to explain anything.

Jaehee did not know where to begin and this was frustrating her girlfriend. Letting out a sigh, Gyuri finally broke the silence. “You said you wanted to talk to me and explain everything, but yet you sit here not saying a thing. You’re wasting my time.”

“I’m sorry…it’s just…I’m not sure where to start.” Jaehee nervously smiled. There was just so much to tell Gyuri.

Gyuri sighed again. “Well why don’t you start off by telling me why Hyori called you? What was so important that you needed to go to that eerie temple?”

“My friends, Seunghyun and Jiyong had just returned from North Korea. Injured, but alive thankfully. They had important news to tell me about what they had discovered and a theory my sister has on who is behind all of the attacks as of late.” Jaehee replied and knew the last part had probably confused her girlfriend.

“All the attacks? What attacks?” Gyuri asked narrowing her eyes.

Jaehee gulped and moved her hand to gently grasp Gyuri’s. They were sitting next to each other on the couch. “Gyuri…in this world…the human race, or what you think is the human race, is not completely made out of humans.”

“What?”

“Some of us are…what is only known to a few…we are Shadows or in other words…demons…” Jaehee explained and suddenly her eyes started glowing brightly, her ears became pointed, and her imposing horns appeared on the sides of her head.

Gyuri’s eyes became wide and she gasped in shock at the sight of Jaehee. The Shadow looked at Gyuri with sad eyes and lowered her head. Gyuri’s current expression was to be expected, but what came after it made Jaehee nervous. Would Gyuri be willing to continue listening to everything and accept Jaehee, or would she freak out and run away from Jaehee forever? That uncertainty worried Jaehee more than anything.