A low rumble from outside the warehouse awoke Hyomin from her slumber. The little bit of light that was peering through the window on the wall made her groan and move her hands to rub her eyes. Forgetting that Hwayoung had her arm around Hyomin’s waist, the older girl tried to get up but was held back by the strong arm that seemed to squeeze even tighter around her. She enjoyed being spooned by the younger girl, she truly did, but this was not the time.

She grabbed Hwayoung’s wrist and slowly lifted the arm off her waist and managed to slip off the bed without waking the younger girl. She crept her way towards the door of their shared room and shut it close as slowly as she could to avoid making too much noise.

On the bottom floor of the warehouse, a weary Eunjung was making her way towards the stairs. Hyomin quickly made it down the steps; she had noticed on her way down. With the bit of light that shone through the windows from the ceiling, a slight reddening on Eunjung’s neck just above the top strap. As they neared each other, Eunjung stumbled, causing Hyomin to move quicker towards their leader. A pair of lithe arms suddenly appeared to hold Eunjung up.

“Hold her up while I grab a chair.” Qri’s unmistakable voice rung through Hyomin’s ears. She put one of Eunjung’s arms around her shoulders to help keep Eunjung on her feet. Qri blinked away from them, materialized across the room to grab a chair and then blinked her way back to the two of them with the chair.

“The Shadows…they-they can hide from us.” Eunjung’s breathing was a bit ragged and she limply sat on the chair. 

“Eunjung, try to relax. Breath.” Hyomin cut her off. She didn’t care about the Shadows at the moment; her priority was making sure Eunjung was alright.

Qri started conjuring a cup of warm tea with honey to give to Eunjung. Once the conjuring was complete, she placed the cup on Eunjung’s hand and aided her in drinking from it. She really wished at this moment that her powers could heal Eunjung but sadly, mages had no healing capabilities. Qri’s worried expression was something Hyomin would rarely see on the girls face. 

Taking her final sip from the cup, Eunjung looked up at Hyomin. “The Shadows, they were following me when I was scouting for Jiyeon. I couldn’t sense them.”

“What?” Hyomin and Qri asked at the same time. Slight shock on their faces.

“How is that possible?” Soyeon asked as she approached the three girls. She stepped up to Eunjung and leaned down to cast a healing spell on her.

Feeling the rejuvenation spell moving through her body, Eunjung managed to sit up straight. “I don’t know. I should have been able to, but I couldn’t. The only time I knew they where there is when they attacked Jiyeon.”

“But you said Jiyeon was safely at home when you called me.” Hyomin interjected.

“Yes, she is. I stepped in before anything happened. These Shadows were stronger though. I’m sure by now they know Jiyeon is the one. We can’t let her out of our sight at any moment. Everyone” Eunjung was once again cut off by Hyomin.

“Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll plan out something in the morning.”

“Hyomin is right. Despite my healing spell, you need to get some rest. Go sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning.” Soyeon placed her hand on top of Eunjung’s head and cast a soothing spell to ease their leader’s mind.
The spell completely relaxed her causing her to become drowsy. With the aid of Qri and Hyomin, Eunjung made it to her room. The girls laid her on the bed and tucked her in. In a matter of seconds she was completely asleep.

“Strong spell you used on her Soyeon.” Hyomin smiled at the priest who was standing behind her in Eunjung’s room. 

“She needed sleep. She hasn’t slept in days.” Soyeon replied. “We should get some rest too.”

She turned to head out of Eunjung’s room with Hyomin trailing behind her. When she was about to close the door, Hyomin noticed Qri sitting at the edge of Eunjung’s bed. She called for Qri to leave as well but the mage told her to go ahead and that she wished to remain by Eunjung’s side. Deciding not to argue with the mage, Hyomin simply nodded her head and walked out of the room.

Finding herself finally alone with Eunjung, made Qri happy. These moments were rare, so she took the opportunity to lie in the bed with her for a while. Just being close to Eunjung eased her mind and relaxed her. She eventually started fighting to stay awake, but the warmth of the girl next to her made it difficult.

Before getting off Eunjung’s bed to head to her room, Qri moved to lie on her side facing Eunjung. She placed her left hand on the side of Eunjung’s face and started to slightly caress her. Her thumb moved to outline her lips; not resisting temptation at all, Qri leaned down towards Eunjung and placed her lips on Eunjung’s. She kissed her gently and quickly pulled away. Smiling, Qri got off Eunjung’s bed and headed out towards her own room.





Jaehee found herself in front of the mirror in her bathroom brushing her teeth the next morning. Her fauxhawk was leaning slightly to the left and the back was sticking out every which way. She groaned when she heard the alarm ring followed by an aggressive knock on the door. She headed out of the bathroom, with the toothbrush still in , to open the door. When she opened it, she was met with the sight of an anxious Jiyong and an apologetic Seunghyun.

“Jaehee what the hell?! You haven’t showered yet? Where’s Kyurhee? Did you tell your mom yet?” Jiyong kept talking as he made his way around the apartment looking for everyone and yet finding no one at all. Seunghyun on the other hand, mouthed an apology to Jaehee who mouthed back with an ‘it’s okay, I know how he is.’

Jiyong was heading back towards the two of them when the front door suddenly swung open. It would have hit the warlock and probably knocked him out if he had walked just a step faster.

“Good morning kids! Is everyone hungry? I’m making grilled kimbap for breakfast. Jaehee take these bags while I go get into something more appropriate for cooking.” Jaehee’s mother handed her all the bags, and quickly headed off towards her room.

“Grilled kimbap?” Jiyong asked with a raised eyebrow. Jaehee motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen while Seunghyun relieved her of some bags. After placing them on the counter, Jaehee spitted out the foam from and rinsed both it and the toothbrush.

“She’s been grilling it ever since she dropped one into the grill at the table in a restaurant. Apparently, it gives it ‘more flavor’ or so she thinks. It’s actually just kinda crispy.” Jaehee explained as she took out all the groceries from the bags. Seunghyun and Jiyong took a seat at the table.

TaeIn walked into the kitchen, out of the dress she was wearing and into a stripped shirt and jeans, her pink hair tied into a ponytail. She gave a kiss to Jaehee on her cheek and grabbed her apron to put it on. For a woman her age, TaeIn sure didn’t look it. She was in great physical condition, her body was lean with a nice figure and she honestly looked like she could be Jaehee’s sister and not her mother.

“Where’s Kyurhee?” She asked her youngest daughter. 

“She told me last night that she had gotten a job and was gonna fly to Turkey this morning. She was gone when I woke up.” Jaehee explained as she wiped her cheek to get rid of any possible lipstick residue.

“Sounds like fun. Jiyong and Seunghyun, it’s so nice to see you boys. How’s life treating you?” TaeIn grinned at the two young men. Jiyong grinned back at her and Seunghyun smiled.

“It’s great Mrs. Kang! Seunghyun and I are going to be celebrating our fifth anniversary this weekend. You’re welcome to come to the party.” Jiyong seemed to almost jump out of his chair just thinking about it.

“I’ll make sure to make it and please don’t call me Mrs. Kang; you know it makes me feel old.” She and Jiyong started giggling which made Jaehee roll her eyes.

“Mom, I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Can it wait til after breakfast? And go take a shower, you’re a mess.” TaeIn scolded her daughter and then turned to get all the ingredients she needed to make breakfast. Jaehee sighed and headed back towards her bathroom. She knew she couldn’t argue with her mother when the woman was determined to do something. She just hoped that her mother didn’t disappear again, even if it only took her half an hour to shower and get dressed.






Eunjung woke up to bright sunlight shinning into her room from the window and the clock next to her bed marking 7:00 AM. She rubbed her eyes and got up to head downstairs. Several Guardians were moving about, mainly getting their breakfast and finding a place to sit and eat. She headed towards the small cafeteria in the back of the warehouse where she saw Boram and Hwayoung in line getting their breakfast.

The two girls greeted as she approached them. “Good morning.”

“Hyomin mentioned something about discussing a plan this morning.” Hwayoung added. Eunjung nodded and quickly moved through the line with the two of them and then headed towards the table where the six of them usually sat.

Hyomin, Soyeon and Qri were already seated, each taking a bite of their food. When the other three joined them, Qri felt a slight blush creep up to her cheeks as she looked at Eunjung. The memory of the kiss she had given her earlier that night was still fresh on her mind.

“You look much better this morning. Did you rest well?” Hyomin asked. Eunjung nodded as she took a bite of the pancakes in front of her.

“I did, but we need to discuss our plan now. We have no time to waste.” Eunjung replied while chewing her food.
“I think one of us should be with Jiyeon most of the time. I would like to volunteer for that. You mentioned last night that they could hide from us. That you could not sense that they were around until they started moving, blending into the shadows like they do. Seeing as how my powers are of the light, I might still be able to sense them despite whatever spell they might use to block themselves.” Soyeon was confident about what she had thought of last night. Being a priest, she could easily help Jiyeon discover her powers as well; since they were both powered by the light and God himself.

“Soyeon has a point. No one is more devout than her in the light.” Boram added. She had full confidence in the priest’s abilities despite what everyone taught about priests being a weaker class.

The rest of the girls nodded in agreement but Eunjung shook her head. “While you might be correct, and you might still be able to sense them, you’re not immune to their magic. They could easily subdue you and get to Jiyeon. I trust your abilities, I really do, but I think it’s best that I be the one near her. Also, she seemed to trust me a little last night when I walked her home.”

“That still puts you in danger though. You can’t sense them, so you wouldn’t know they’re there. Maybe we should all be around her?” Hwayoung did not trust The Shadows at all especially from what they appeared to able to do now. Having all of them near Jiyeon would be much safer.

“Having the six of us around would only put her in more danger.” Eunjung replied.

“And having you around her makes it obvious. You’re our leader; that makes you special in their eyes, which makes Jiyeon an even more precious target. I think you would put her in more danger. Let me do it.” Hyomin had an idea of why Eunjung was weary the night before. The last time she had seen reddening on Eunjung’s neck like that was when they had failed to get to the previous chosen one. She suspected it was God’s way of scolding her for their failure. But didn’t she say she protected Jiyeon yesterday? Doesn’t make sense why He would do that.

Hyomin felt a slight pain move around her body after that thought. It was as if a slight bolt of electricity shocked her body. It only made her wince but not enough for the others to really notice. She had found out long ago, that any thoughts question God’s resolve could affect them as Guardians even if they didn’t speak to him like Eunjung could. It had been a while since she had felt this pain; the last time it happened was when Hwayoung had kissed her. She was not sure if the maknae had felt that pain though.

“No!” Eunjung shouted slamming her hands on the table. She did not have an expression of anger, but it could be heard in her voice. “They already know she’s the one! It doesn’t matter which one of us is near her. I will be the one doing this and all of you will remain in watch just like the other Guardians.”

Some of the Guardians on the tables nearby turned to look towards the table the girls where seated at. They all earned slight glares from the girls, except Eunjung who didn’t look at them, causing them to turn back and keep going about their business. 

The girls looked at each other and nodded. They would not argue with Eunjung anymore. They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence.

“Jiyeon will probably be headed to school soon. I need to head over to her apartment building now. You guys can figure out how do the rounds of watching her but I also want Guardians set up around the entire city. We need to stay in communication about any movements we see.” Eunjung grabbed her tray and got up to return it to the cafeteria.

“Wait, you said she goes to school right?” Boram asked Eunjung. She placed her hand on Eunjung’s arm, stopping her from moving towards the cafeteria. Eunjung nodded while looking down at the shorter girl.

“Why not go to school with her?” She suggested causing the other girls to look towards Eunjung. It sounded like a good plan. She could be even closer to Jiyeon that way.

“That’s a good idea! Who knows if there are already Shadows within the school? You could keep them away just by being there.” Hwayoung grinned and gave Eunjung two thumbs up. 

Eunjung turned back around and set her tray on the table. “How would I do that? I’m not enrolled at the school she goes to. Plus isn’t there like certain things you need to do to get in?”

“There is yes. Tests, tuitions, high school diploma. None of which you have or have taken.” Soyeon commented.

“But we can hack the school’s system. Make it seem like Eunjung not only has taken the tests, passed them, paid for her tuition and has a high school diploma. It shouldn’t take me long to do.” Hyomin grinned at the girls. They grinned back at her and then clapped for Eunjung.

“I would appreciate that Hyomin.” Eunjung thanked her.

“Well if we’re seriously doing this, we can’t have Eunjung going to school wearing that.” Qri pointed towards Eunjung. The leather straps covering her entire body we’re not exactly school appropriate. They weren’t even clothes, but not having to be out in public like the rest of society made it not matter.

Qri stood up from her chair and started channeling her arcane magic towards her hands. She concentrated her conjuring abilities to create a small silver necklace in the shape of a cross. Once it was complete, she walked over to Eunjung and placed it around her neck.

“With this cross, you’ll be able to choose what you want to wear and it will give everyone else the illusion that you’re wearing those clothes. I’ll pick the first outfit for you to wear.” Qri smiled at Eunjung who was looking down at the cross around her neck.

“That won’t work. Eunjung is immune to magic Qri.” Hyomin told her causing the shorter girl to turn and glare at her.

“Its magical attacks that she’s immune to. This magic is aiding her; she won’t be immune to it.” Determined to prove her point, Qri grabbed the cross and closed her eyes to imagine the perfect outfit for Eunjung to wear.

Suddenly the black leather straps disappeared and normal clothing appeared on her body. Qri had chosen clothing that suited Eunjung’s look and body. While on her feet she still had the black strapped leather boots, her legs were covered by black skinny jeans. She had a studded belt around her waist, a black tank top covered her torso, on top of the tank top she had a black leather jacket, and studded bracelets adorned each of her wrists.

The illusion was a powerful one; it made it possible for one to able to touch the clothing and it felt real in one’s hands.

The girls were shocked that Qri’s magic could actually aid Eunjung and proved the mages theory to be true. Eunjung had immunity to magical attacks but she wasn’t immune to it if said magic was aiding her in someway. Despite never really having an expression on her face, Eunjung’s eyes seemed to widen at the fact that the clothes on her body seemed real and that she couldn’t feel the leather straps on her body. She felt free, and it felt really nice.

“Thank you Qri.” Eunjung grabbed the girl’s hand and slightly squeezed it. Qri blushed and hugged Eunjung instead. A huge smiled appeared on her face.

“That’s awesome. I want one” Hwayoung’s mouth still hung open even after comment. Hyomin, Soyeon and Boram cracked up at the maknae’s comment.

“Just go ahead and head over to Jiyeon’s. Call me when you get her to school to let me know which school she attends. I’ll have your info set up in their system before you even enter a class.” Hyomin motioned with a flick of her head towards the main doors of the warehouse. Wasting no time, Eunjung started walking in that direction. 

Outside of the building, she mounted her motorcycle and headed off towards the city. She avoided the congested highways by taking side streets, and despite it seeming like it would take longer, Eunjung made it to Jiyeon’s apartment building in less than an hour. She parked the motorcycle in the same spot she had parked it the evening before. She looked around, spotting the Guardians that were around the area.

Giving them the thumbs up with her left hand, the Guardians nodded at her and took off from their spots knowing she had dismissed them from this assignment. She then turned to look towards the doors of the building; a few people made their way out of the building probably on their way to work. She grabbed her cell phone and checked the time. It was 8:45 AM.

About two minutes later she finally saw Jiyeon exit one of the elevators. The girl was wearing a white sundress similar to the one she had on the day before and around her shoulders were the black straps from her backpack. Jiyeon made a quick job from the elevator the main doors and took off running when she exited the building; the green stuffed T-Rex, which was attached to one of the zipper handles, swinging back and forth on her backpack.

Jiyeon had not slept much the night before. She had too many questions about Eunjung and the people who had attacked her running through her head. She did not understand why everything had happened or why she felt so safe and secure with Eunjung next to her. The woman was basically a murderer. She had killed two out of the five people who had attacked her but had walked out of the event without even a charge or care.

Also those who had attacked her, all of them had their heads covered by those hoods but the evil grins on their lips was the one thing she couldn’t forget. Their teeth were different from humans as well; they were sharper, almost animalistic or something. Where they even human at all? It was one of the questions that had run through her mind.

When she did finally fall asleep, it was already really late. She managed to get maybe four hours of sleep and this morning she found herself rushing to get to school again. This was the second day in a row that she had woken up late and had to rush to school. This would not look good on her perfect attendance record.

“Jiyeon!” The voice that called out her name sounded familiar. Jiyeon abruptly stopped in front of a car parked on the street and turned to look in the direction she heard her name from.

It wasn’t hard to spot Eunjung. No one wore that much black, at least no one she knew. Except this time Eunjung had normal clothes on. She sure has a weird sense of fashion.

Eunjung got off the motorcycle and started walking towards Jiyeon who just stood there with her hands to her side. She really needed to get going but she couldn’t just blow off Eunjung like that.

“Hi…um…Eunjung. Hello, how are you this morning?” Jiyeon politely asked her as she neared.

“Happy to see you.” Eunjung’s blank face sure didn’t express happiness. Neither did the tone of her voice.

Jiyeon blushed slightly and nervously smiled at the woman in front of her. “That’s nice…I guess…I mean, I”
 

“I can give you a ride to school if you want. I’m sure it’s faster than trying to run to it.” Eunjung pointed towards the motorcycle behind her. Jiyeon moved her head to side to look at it and then looked down at her dress and chuckled.

“I don’t think I’m wearing the appropriate attire to ride that thing.”

“You’ll be fine, come on, let’s go.” Eunjung grabbed Jiyeon’s right hand with her left and turned around to lead the younger girl towards her motorcycle. The touch seemed to set both of their skins on fire. It wasn’t a painful burning sensation, but more of an elated feeling. The slight burning made both of them excited in a way neither could explain, especially for Eunjung. Jiyeon blushed profusely during the short walk to Eunjung’s vehicle.

“Wear this helmet while we ride.” Eunjung handed the black open face helmet to Jiyeon that she had pulled out from underneath the seat. Jiyeon looked down at the helmet and then at the motorcycle. Eunjung’s motorcycle was a sport cycle, and sport cycles were scarier to Jiyeon than a regular motorcycle.

Eunjung quickly took her seat and offered her hand to Jiyeon so the girl could sit behind her. Jiyeon gulped. She was scared, but it didn’t stop her from putting on the helmet and taking Eunjung’s hand. She stepped on the exhaust pipe with her right foot and moved her left leg over the seat of the motorcycle. Once she seemed to be seated, her right foot slipped causing her to lean forward into Eunjung. She grabbed onto the short haired woman tightly and started screaming in sheer terror thinking she would fall.

“You’re fine. Calm down. Just wrap your arms around my waist and you’ll be fine. I won’t make any crazy turns, I promise.” Hearing Eunjung’s voice calmed her down a bit and made her stop screaming. She placed her feet on the exhaust pipes on each side and moved her hands to wrap them around Eunjung’s waist. She squeezed the older woman’s midsection tightly as Eunjung pulled off. 

“Just tell me what school you go to and I’ll get us there.” Eunjung told her as they stopped at the red light just a hundred feet away from where they were parked. Jiyeon told her which school she attended, and with her knowledge of the city, Eunjung made a left turn down on that light to head towards the university.

Jiyeon leaned into Eunjung, turning her head to the side and resting her head on Eunjung’s upper back. She slightly eased her hold on Eunjung’s waist, her fingers feeling the toned stomach underneath the thin tank top. Being this close to the older woman felt nice.

Unbeknown to Jiyeon or anyone else, a slight smile crept up Eunjung’s lips as she felt Jiyeon lean closer to her.