The Untouchables

 

Minister Park stood beside the window in his office, looking at the overcast sky and empty streets of the magical side of Seoul. His thoughts were just as gloomy as the weather in this time of the year. The daily newspapers from this day as well as the ones from days before were laying open on the desk. All of them were telling about several attacks on muggleborns in the past week. A group of masked wizards assaulted residents of the subdivision in the north of Jungnang. Similar attacks had been happening for three months already, but this one was especially shocking. There were deadly victims. Those people who were only connected by one thing – they were muggleborn. The issue had taken a  scary turn and the Minister couldn’t brush it aside any longer. This wasn’t a prank, like he had thought at the beginning.

Those people really want to kill off muggleborn wizards and witches. What a brainsick idea! Didn’t matter how insane that sounded to him, right now it was obvious that the magical world was in great danger. What am I supposed to do?

 

A door-knocking pulled him out of his thoughts. The Minister asked the guest in.

The chief of the wizard police, Yoo Jae Suk, calmly entered the office.

“ You were calling me, minister?”

“Yes, yes. Please, sit down, Jae Suk-ssi.” The man pointed at the dark-leather chair in front of the desk but he himself stood still in the same place.

“You know about those attacks on muggleborns, don’t you?”

“Well, yes. Its quite disturbing.”

“Yes, yes, quite…” Concern showed on the Minister’s face. The man walked around the desk behind Jae Suk’s back and sat down, folding fingers.

“I’m afraid this is a serious case. People have died. The Ministry cannot ignore this any longer. In the light of upcoming elections, what kind of light will that cast on me? There are bunch of parties that are only waiting for my downfall. I have recently heard about a suspicious organization from Great Britain. They call themselves the Death Eaters. Did you hear about them?”

Jae Suk shook his head.

“ They are supposed to exterminate all the muggleborn wizards and witches on the Islands. They believe wizards from non-magical families have no right to practice magic or even exist.”

“ Are you implaying they are pointing also at our country?”

“The leader of the BT Party, Kim Wan Sun, had stated many times that only pure-blood witches and wizards should be in charge of magical Korea. Her party’s programme is not hinting at anything but if she thinks I can’t read between the lines she’s deadly wrong. I have a bad feeling about them. I think they may have something to do with those attacks. Imagine what could happen if that party actually won the elections!”

“So… those Death Eaters… they’re like a cult? Or political movement?”

“Ideological, I would say.” The Minister changed his position,” But I feel them and the BT Party have something to do with each other. I’ve made the decision to form an emergency group which should find out if my assumptions are correct. This is why you’re here. I want you to lead this group.”

Jae Suk nodded, but uneasiness could’ve been seen on his face.

“From all the people in the Ministry I trust you the most. I believe…I KNOW you are the most suitable one for this position.”

Jae Suk sighed. The Minister was looking at him with anticipation.

“So. Yoo Jae Suk-ssi, will you lend me a hand?”

For a brief second, hesitation was painted on his face, but despite that, he firmly said:

“Of course, sir.”

The other man smiled. He knew the chief of wizard police wouldn’t disappoint him. Both men stood up and bowed courtesingly.

“Very well. I’m leaving the choice of members to you. I’m sure you will do a good job.”

Jae Suk made his way out of the office. He adjusted the blazer and headed to his own office on the second floor. He got into the elevator with five other ministry workers and watched blankly how the polished door close.

 

 

The Departament of The Wizard Police on the second floor could’ve been easily mistaken for a branch of a simple muggle company. At this hour all the workers were working less intensely, the heaviness of the day was looming over the employees’ heads. The paper planes with messages were floating lazily in the air. When Jae Suk was making his way to the office, people were gently bowing their heads to him, some were even standing up but he was gesturing them to sit back down. He was truly respected - not only by people working in the department, but in the whole Ministry of Magic. Sometimes he felt a bit overwhelmed by people’s recognition.

 

Jae Suk entered his office and closed the door. He took a piece of paper and scribbled a short message for commisar Kim Jong Kook. He folded it into a crooked paper plane and sent it with one swift movement of his wand. After the plane had clumsily left the room, the man took another piece of paper and repeated the process. This time the message was addressed to Ji Suk Jin, a supervisor in the Departament for Muggle Cases. Just like the previous plane, this one was barely flying. Jae Suk’s manual abilities weren’t the best ones.

All he had to do now was to wait for the reply.

 

 

Aspirant Kang Gary came to the Main Wizard Police Station to report his week of work as an undercover wizard policeman.He was fulfilling his duties as a simple muggle policeman, but at the same time, keeping an eye on the non-magical world in case of attacks on muggles.

He greeted the lady behind the counter and handed over the written down. He looked around with a bored look on his face, brushed his spiky hair and started to play with his cap.

“Psst! PSST!” somebody suddenly whispered behind Gary’s back.“Ya! Kang Gary!“

The surprised man turned around. From the first desk from the window his old pal, Dong Hoon, was waving at him was gesturing him to come closer, nervously glimpsing at the door to the commisar’s office.

“Why all this conspiration…” Gary muttered rolling his eyes. He approached his friend and bent over. Haha only mouthed “Look!” and quietly opened the drawer. Inside there was a large bottle of Firewhisky, horrendously expensive and difficult to buy in Korea.

“ Whaa-?! Are you out of you mind!? Bringin’ this here! And how did you even menage to get that?! I thought you’re over with the smuggling business?! ”

Now Gary also was nervously looking around. Haha smiled brightly.

“A friend of mine confiscated it from some unfortunate salesman who was selling it without a license. He was supposed to take and dispose of it. But that would have been such a shame…” he finished with a Machiavellian smile. “Wanna try some?”

“Now?! Here?!”

“Not now, stupid! After work. We can throw a FIERY party, guys’ night out.”

“I hope you’ll invite me along.”

Their faces immediately tensed. They swallowed heavily and turned their heads in the same direction, facing no one else but commisar Kim Jong Kook. He stood with his arms crossed in front of his  chest; his face looking rather gloomy, he probably wasn’t in the best mood. 

“Commisar, I swear, I was not going to touch it, word of honour-“ Haha’s face turned pale as he was trying to explain himself in front of his boss.

“I’m afraid you will have to wait with your party. I’ve been given a task. I will meet you in front of the station at 5 o’clock. BOTH of you.” Jong Kook said emphatically seeing Gary’s silent protest. “The more people the better.” He mumbled as he went back to his office and closed the door behind.

Gary looked at Haha furiously.

 

 

The tail of her purple coat was flying behind as she was walking fast down the cobbled street. She was already late for the meeting Suk Jin had asked her to attend. The rain was pouring non-stop from the morning. Holding an umbrella, Ji Hyo had been gracefully avoiding the puddles.

The woman stopped at the door to the teahouse. It was so small that she had almost missed it. The sign on the door was saying that it was closed, but it was no mistake – the address was correct.  Ji Hyo flicked the rain off of her umbrella and entered the teahouse with accompaniment of the silver bell hanging above the door.

The housekeeper arose from behind the counter.

 “Hello! How can I help you?” He said as disposing the boxes with tea standing behind him.

“I’m here for the meeting.” she explained.

“Who were you invited by?”

“Ji Suk Jin-ssi.” The man showed her the way further into the house and said to enter the room on the left.

After shyly opening the door, five pairs of eyes were directed straight at her.

“Ah! Ji Hyo-ya!” Suk Jin stood up from his place and greeted her with a warm smile. He was wearing a muggle sweater and trousers.

“I’m sorry for being late.”

“Ahh, that’s okay. You’re not the only one.” Said Jae Suk as Jong Kook shot an irritated glance at Suk Jin. “Let me introduce, Miss Song Ji Hyo, Department of  Magical Administration.” continued the Auror’s chief.

All of the assemblers greeted Ji Hyo politely. Gary spaced out a little bit. When Ji Hyo entered the room and sat at the chair offered to her he was staring at her with a dense expression and slightly open mouth. Coming to his senses when Haha nudged him with his elbow.

Ji Hyo was the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

 

    

“ Since all of us are here let’s start our meeting. As you may know, within the last week there were many savage attacks on muggleborn wizards and witches. The Ministry assigned me to form a group which would counteract those incidents and trail the coulprit. I convened you here because I decided that you’re the most qualified. And because you have my great trust.”

“What exactly do you want us to do?” asked Jong Kook.

“You need to find out which wizards are in that organisation. I have some conjecture of who it might be, but I need proof.”

“So we need to spy on them.” Jae Suk nodded. “ Do you want me to bring over more of my people?”

“Not yet. But hold this option ready.”

For about half an hour, Jae Suk was explaining every member’s tasks. Suk Jin, since he was a specialist in muggle field, was supposed to look on the muggle side to find out some informations from there; Haha, Gary and Jong Kook were supposed to spy on the pure-blood houses and Ji Hyo had been assigned to provide data about them.

“And what will you be doin’?”  Jong Kook asked Jae Suk with a glint in his eye. Suk Jin, noticing that, only sighed “Oh no, not again.”

“I will also spy, but from the inside. Thanks to this, our actions will be under absolute protection of the Ministry.”

“Of course. I just hope you’re not throwing promises in the wind.” the commisar snapped.

The little war between these two was well known in the ministry. Yoo Jae Suk had taken a part in The Great Wizard War twenty years ago, alongside Jong Kook’s older brother, Jong Dae. They had been quite close friends. One time, during a battle, Jae Suk had gotten badly hurt. The volunteers had taken him into the hospital, where Jong Dae was lying from a wound gotten few days before. His state had also been very bad. They both had almost been in the arms of death. But one night, Jong Dae had died and Jae Suk hadn’t. Since Jong Kook had been very young back then, he felt betrayed by Jae Suk, who had declared to bring his brother home safely. From that day on, Jong Kook didn’t trust Jae Suk and was truly convinced his brother hadn’t died by accident. To make matters worse, he was horribly stubborn. In fact, they both were. But Jae Suk couldn’t do anything to change Jong Kooks’s mind.

Gary and Haha exchanged a quick glance and Ji Hyo’s face went blank, not for the first time within this evening.

“You just can’t leave the private matters for a more suitable time and place, can you?” This whole conflict was getting on the Auror’s chief’s nerves. His face, normally calm, began to turn red.

Then, suddenly, the door to the room opened and a man clumsily fell inside with a gasp. He curled up on the floor, massaging his leg. Jong Kook and his subordinates stood up, ready to protect the others.

“ Ouch, my leg got numb.” The man groaned. He looked kinda miserable, leaving the aurors puzzled.

“Kwangsoo-ya!” Jae Suk seemed to know this man “What are you doing?”

“I was… just… unpacking the tea supplies when I suddenly heard your voice, hyung. I got curious…” Kwangsoo scratched his nape.

“…And you were eavesdropping by the door?” Suk Jin snapped. The younger man pursed his lips in embarassement and glanced at the people standing over him.

“ You really are something! How much did you hear?”

“Well…” he began but couldn’t hide away that he had heard pretty much everything. Jae Suk inhaled deeply and Jong Kook gritted his teeth, Suk Jin shook his head in disapproval and Ji Hyo just stared blankly. Only when Kwangsoo finally stood up, she raised her eyebrows in surprise at how tall he was. He looked around with the face of a child who had just accidentally broken a vase.

“I guess we will have one more member.” Jae Suk sighed. Haha was still observing the newcomer with suspicion. Gary loosened the grip on his wand.

 

After the meeting had ended, each of the secret organisation memberswent their own way.

Haha and Gary walked for a while along the streets. The rain had stopped falling and the night sky was beautifully clear. Some people had also left their houses to go for a walk. In the distance, the skycrapers in the muggle part of  Seoul were visible.

“ I guess we’ve got an earful.” Haha clicked with his tounge.

“ Yeah, well. At least it’s something interesting. Exciting. Always could’ve been worse.” They both agreed in this point. But in reality, Gary was happy. Thanks to Jong Kook’s “punishment”, he had met Ji Hyo.

He smiled at the thought of her. It didn’t escape Dong Hoon’s attention.

“Ay, really, this guy! Thinkin’ about that girl again! You better not show too much of your affection in front of the Commander or he’ll kill you!”

Right. Jong Kook hated unfocused subordinates. They got him irritated quickly. 

“I don’t trust this Kwangsoo guy. Let’s keep an eye on him.” That was the last thing Haha said to Gary before he deportated, leaving his friend pondering.

The man looked in the direction they came from. From now on, we need to be watchful of everyone, he thought as he disappeared with a thwack.

 

 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea for us to stay at your grandparent’s house?” Ji Hyo asked Suk Jin when they were heading to the deportation place.

“ Yes. It’s at the muggle side. If the enemy would want to find us, it will be difficult to locate. Besides, it’s ready for a wizard’s reception.”

“A place full of memories?” Suk Jin smiled.

“When I was a kid I would spent every summer vacation at their place. They were both muggles. For me everything muggle was so interesting; different from our magical reality. Sometimes I even wished I was a muggle myself. But they would always say that my abilities were a gift. They weren’t jealous, just proud to have another wizard in the family. They were really lovely people.”

Ji Hyo smiled while listening to the older man taking a trip down memory lane but her smile faded when she recalled her worry.

“But tell me…” she sighed “ Why did you invite me for this meeting? You know I’m pretty useless if it comes to my special powers.”       

“We both know it’s not true. You just need to believe in yourself a bit.” Suk Jin said, trying to convince her. “Besides, you’re a decent witch even without your powers.”

Jihyo linked her arm with the older man’s.

 

 

“ I’m glad you accepted my request. Tomorrow we’ll start our activities. Be careful, Kook Jong-ah.” Jae Suk said when leaving. The commisar didn’t answer, although there were many things he wanted to say.

The trouble was that he needed a long talk and Jae Suk wanted to brush it all off. The difference of characters, as simple as it was.

He noticed how Kwangsoo tripped over the awry pavement before turning and with an energetic Auror walk leaving the teahouse behind.

 

 

The next day, the secret organisation gathered in a muggle subdivision in the suburbs of Seoul. The aportation place for some reason was at a very tiny wooden cell in the backyard of Suk Jin’s grandparents’ house. It was locked from the outside and it wasn’t easy to open, especially when seven people were pushing and scuffling around. After a while the door unlocked. The members clumsily stepped outside and took a look at the surroundings. The garden was overgrown; Suk Jin did probably not come here often.

The house was spacious and comfortable, one-leveled, smelling like dust and old times. The elder couple owned many bibelots and books that were standing on several shelves in the living room. Gary took a porcelain cat and peered at it, wondering what it could’ve been used for. Suk Jin’s face tensed and then he quickly took it from the younger man.

“No touching!” he said, simultaneously taking away some similar figurine from Haha.

The center of the living room provided an old TV with wooden casing and two white buttons at the front. The kitchen and the rest of the house was furnitured in a ‘50s style. There were three rooms, enough for seven people.

Suk Jin’s mother’s room had been assigend for Ji Hyo. It was pretty minimalistic; it had large black-wooden closet, a bed and a desk. The window took the most space at the main wall but thanks to this, the room was very well-lit.

 

 

They gathered in the living room and lounged themselves on the red sofa and armchairs. Jae Suk forestalled Suk Jin in sitting in a rocking chair, showing a bratty side of his personality. Kwangsoo, with a kinda lost look on his face, was feeling ill at ease. He sat quietly in a corner, on a puffy stool, way to small for his body.

“Alright. Ji Hyo, did you bring what I asked you to?”

The girl nodded and with the help of her wand she transported a pile of papers from her bag onto the coffee table.

“Yes, oppa. These are the documents with the names and subscriptions of the most influential, rich and high-born wizards and witches in Korea.”

They looked at the files in silence. From time to time Jae Suk pointed out someone who raised his suspicion. Jong Kook took the files from him and started paging through them himself. He knew some of the names. Many of the people were Ministry workers; he had always thought about them as loyal and hard-working. It was hard to believe that under the mask of innocence they hid a filthy reality about their lives.

“Aish… It’s really difficult to trust someone in this times.” sighed Suk Jin. Gary pondered for  a minute.

“But, hyung, aren’t we reducing the search area too much? Peoples beliefs are not dictated by their status. We shouldn’t only look at the elite.”

“Of course. But follow the river to get to the sea. We need to start somewhere.” Jae Suk stated as the younger man nodded in agreement. When listening to them, Ji Hyo began to wonder how much work it would be to find the attackers. From that point of view it could’ve been anyone! She whined mentally thinking about all the files to flip over.

Jong Kook’s sense of duty fired up. Bring on the challenge, he thought.

“Alright.” Jae Suk finally said “ We’ll begin with these two, Song and Ok.” He pointed at pictures of two young BT Party activists and explained the action plan. Outside the window, the rain had started to fall again. The clock chimed 9 in the evening. 

 

 

The copper kettle started to whistle, announcing the water’s boiling. Kwangsoo carefully picked it up and poured it into the cup. He covered the cup with a lid and put it in front of Suk Jin.

“It’s been a while since we sat like this together. How have you been doing? Do you still work as a medic?”

The younger man sat down and embraced the cup with both hands.

“Nah.., they expelled me. You can’t be surprised, actually. After all these troubles.”

“Hm. But still, you’ve made a great job back then. “

Kwangsoo smiled modestly.

“I have a small shop with tea and herbs. The income isn’t magnificent but it’s enough for just one person.”

A lovely herbal smell arose together with the steam when Kwangsoo picked up the lids. Suk Jin took a sip and closed his eyes, feeling his body relax.

“Tea has healing qualities. Funny that not only wizards know about it but also muggles. Herbs are the thing that connects both our worlds.”

Suk Jin hummed in content. The older man looked at Kwangsoo dissolving a cube of sugar in his cup. He had a long carried question but didn’t know how Kwangsoo would react to it. With hesitation he said:

“But may I ask you what you did?”

“What do you mean, hyung?”

“You know… “ Suk Jin lowered his voice “ Jae Suk was in bad condition. We were practically sure he was going to die…I saw his last breath.” A glint in Suk Jin’s eye made Kwangsoo wonder if he knew something.

“I did what had to be done. And luckily I did it right. Thanks to this, Jae Suk was able to cure. Simple as that.”

“So… It was just you and your medical skills.” Kwangsoo nodded “ Good.”

A slight uncertainty on his face told the older man that there was something Kwangsoo didn’t want to talk about, but it also assured him in his assumption.

“It was a painful time. Let’s leave it behind.” Suk Jin changed the subject.

A moth started to fly near the lightbulb, touching it every now and again. The conversation flowed on, meanwhile the house submerged into nightime calmness. 

However, at the bottom of his stomach, the members felt it was the quiet before the storm.

 

 

She was running across the marble hall. Something was chasing her. It was so dark around. She wanted to get out of this place but her body seemed to stay still in the same place. The vision changed. Ji Hyo heard many voices whispering at once. What are they saying? I can’t understand. The feel of fear was raising inside her chest. When the vision changed again she saw a pair of glasses lying on the floor. It was broken. A green light suddenly blinded her and Ji Hyo woke up with a scream.

She was sitting on a bed, breathing heavily, sweat covering her forehead. The bedding was messed and tangled.

“It was just a dream…” she sighed. Another nightmare. I’ve seen the future again. But what the hell was it? Whose future!?

A silent knocking could’ve been heard and the door opened. She rubbed her eyes and then her whole face. Jong Kook peeked inside the room.

“You were screaming? You okay?”

“Yeah… I had a bad dream. Sorry.”

He entered the room. Ji Hyo wasn’t in the mood for deep conversations but didn’t want to be all by herself either. She cackled at the sight of Jong Kook’s T-shirt saying “Baby Heroes”. The man smiled.

“What? You don’t like my t-shirt?” he said as he sat on the bed.

It was the middle of the night, the whole house was in a deep sleep. The silence was intruded by Ji Hyo’s runny nose. They were sitting like this for a while, without saying anything.

“You know…” the woman started silently “ I have this ability… did Suk Jin tell you?”

Jong Kook shook his head.

“I can foresee the future. I mean… I have this power to do so, but… Is it possible to not being good at what you’re supposed to be?” she suddenly asked.

The man cogitated.

“ I think… Yeah, it is possible. The most important thing is to work on yourself and find what you’re the most confident in. Of course, if you’re given a talent it’s much easier. But if the talent you were given is not what you want, then it’s okay, too.”

“ How did you become an auror? What is your talent?”

“ Nagging.” He said and they laughed. “ But truth to be told, I always liked to sing. Really, don’t laugh! But then, come the time when I had to choose. And becoming an auror was the best option. ”

“ And you never regret that?”

“Yeah, sometimes I do. But my life now is not bad either.”

Ji Hyo sighed. It sounded like a huge burden was taken from her chest.

“ I had a dream, but I can’t figure out what it meant.”

“ I’m sure you will, soon. And if not, the world is not going to collapse. We live everyday without knowing our future anyway, aren’t we?”

The door opened rapidly and a half-asleep Gary showed up.

“You okay?” he gasped.

 

 

Jae Suk was sitting in his office when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Kwon Il Sung, the vice-minister, entered the room, smiling brightly.

“How are things going lately?” he lounged comfortably in the front chair. Why did he suddenly become so friendly? Jae Suk rised his eyebrows and looked up to the visitor from the documents he was filling.

“Quite well, why?”

“You know, the elections are coming. Aren’t you going to run for the leader’s position? Everyone in the ministry say that you were one of the strongest candidates. And Minister Park treats you like his best wing-man. I would say, even better than me!”

Il Sung chuckled. The Auror’s minister also smiled, but only because he didn’t knew what to say. He was just doing his job, never asked for such adoration. “Didn’t he even assign some important project to you?”

The atmosphere stiffened. Jae Suk looked at the vice-minister in surprise. Il Sung’s face changed. Apparently he had decided to stop pretending. The man got closer to Jae Suk and spoke more quietly then before.

“ I’ve heard gossips… About a group that is trailing people responsible for muggle-born attacks. The minister said everything is under control. I assume you know something in this case.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jae Suk stated, but that only made Il Sung smirk.

“ I’m sorry, I’m being too forthright. All I’m trying to say is you should stay careful, hyung. As a close friend of the Prime Minister you should watch your back. A lot of people in here are taking the side of BT Party. Maybe it’s also a time for you to become an independent politician. And maybe then you could decide yourself whether it’s right to follow the same old leader or choose another path. Sometimes change is better.”

“And sometimes unnecessary. I know on what side I should stand. And my decision will stay unchanged.”

These words shut Il Sung’s mouth. He glared at Jae Suk and stood up, ready to leave.

“Don’t think you’re untouchable, Yoo Jae Suk-ssi.” He said harshly. As Jae Suk stayed alone, he could feel a colduneasiness in his spine. His ears felt like they were burning, though.

 

The days were getting darker and darker. When the information about the fall of the British Ministry of Magic made it to Korea, the magical world went insane. The attacks on muggle-borns got even more frequent; the attackers became more audacious. The Death Eaters were terrorizing not only streets of the magical part of Seoul but the whole country. But the biggest was the death of the Prime Minister. So sudden, it deeply touched the ministry workers and people of magical Seoul. No one would say it out loud, but it’s been suspected his death had something to do with these anti-muggle attacks. The minister had suspected that Death Eaters can have associates inside the Ministry but he hadn’t been sure who it could’ve been.

Yoo Jae Suk’s special organisation was following them to the heel but everytime Death Eaters would slip out of their hands.

 

“ Yoo Jae Suk-ssi, we cannot let the BT Party win the elections.” The words of the Prime Minister resounded in his mind. How long will it take to get them? What are they planning to do next? Are we strong enough to take down what was building up in these people’s minds for many years? You’re risking the lives of people who have become like a family.

Yoo Jae Suk submerged in his thoughts when he was helping Ji Hyo arrange the files they collected so far. The Aurors went for a spying mission. They took Kwangsoo with them - to Dong Hoon’s discontent.

 

Suk Jin was swinging gently in a rocking chair, reading a book. A big clock hanging on the wall was ticking heavily. The atmosphere was calm, but bits of nervousness showed in the actions of the people in the room.

Suddenly the place filled up with ruckus. Two men apparated in the middle of the room, holding onto each other and accidentally crashing into a table. Haha was tugging Kwangsoo’s hair, yelling at him and fumbling. Kwangsoo tried to protect himself, covering the head with his long arms.

“You idiot! You almost got us killed!” Haha’s face was red from rage.

Gary, apparating a second later, grabbed Haha by an arm and tried to pull him away. Jae Suk jumped to help the younger man and did the same thing. It wasn’t that easy to calm down furious Dong Hoon but after a while he eventually stopped tussling with his hyungs. They held him from both sides as he glared at Kwangsoo with a deadly gaze, panting.

Kwangsoo, cowered against the wall, looked up at them.

“What happened?” Jae Suk asked, loosening the grip on Dong Hoon’s arm.

“ We were going after Ok and Song, quietly so they won’t notice, but that moron can’t even stand straight! What kind of wizard can’t cast an invisibility spell properly?!”

“ I said I’m sorry! It wasn’t my fault!”

“ Not your fault?! Just like last time, when you almost sold us out?! Now they know for sure they were spied on! They can kill us all!”

Suk Jin gestured for everyone to calm down. Ji Hyo’s face went pale. Gary took off his cap and jacket and sat on a chair, tired of all this happening.

“ We’ve found their hideout. At least twenty of them in all. They were gathering in front of  mansion and suddenly disappeared, one by one! There must be some kind of secret passage or something. So we wanted to check on it, walked up to the wall and tried to find any trace. And then, Ok and Song are showing up next to us, like they’ve grown from the ground! I thought: It’s okay. They’re not going to see us. But then I realised they were looking straight at us!

“NO!” meddled Haha “They we’re looking straight at HIM! Because he wasn’t using an invisiblity spell like I told him!”

They looked at Kwangsoo and then at Haha and Gary. Jae Suk came up to the giant-like man and asked him if Haha’s words were true. Kwangsoo sniffed and stood up with a sorry look on his face.

“ Look… I know how this may look but it’s really not my fault…” he began but Haha snapped.

“ Oh yeah? I wonder what you will do next time? Are you going to finally betray us or not?”

“ I wasn’t… I’m not…”

“ Damn you! You’re a spy, aren’t you?! Just admit that you’re a SPY!”

“ I am not!”

The exchange of words was getting more and more intense despite Jae Suk’s and Suk Jin’s attempts of extinguishing it. Eventually, Kwangsoo cracked and also accused Dong Hoon of the same thing.

“ Well, you surely are a saint one with your smuggled bottles of whiskey! Yeah, you thought I wouldn’t know? How come an auror does that kind of thing? Or maybe YOU are the spy?!”

“ You stinky rascal! How dare you-!” Haha hauled off towards Kwangsoo and the two of them started to fight again.

“Guys! Stop!” even Ji Hyo tried to calm them down.

In the midst of the fight no one realised how Jong Kook entered the room. He took a swift swing with his wand and locked the both men to the walls, solving the problem.

“ I can’t even leave you  for a second!” he growled. “They’re organising a ball on ocassion of the won elections. In Kim Wan Sun’s mansion. I think this can be an opportunity for us to catch them.” He said as coming up to Jae Suk.

“So it’s Kim Wan Sun’s doing after all. Are they up to something?”

“ I don’t know exactly. But I have a bad feeling.We need to prepare to strike.”

“ Hyung…” Haha’s muffled voice came to their ears “ Can you release us?”

Ji Hyo took the spell back. Both men fell on the floor with a growl. Kwangsoo stood up and glared at Haha with hatred. After that he left the room and the thud of the closing front door could’ve been heard. Jae Suk moved like he wanted to follow him but Jong Kook told him to let the younger man calm down by himself.

“ What are we going to do?” Ji Hyo asked, looking at Jae Suk and Jong Kook. Jae Suk suddenly felt a huge pressure over his neck. Their work from past months now seemed to be a child’s game. From now on it was all serious. Was it fear or excitement Yoo Jae Suk had felt?

Both leaders exchenged a glance.

“Ha Dong Hoon.” Jong Kook turned to Haha standing up from the floor. “We’re going to need to use your smuggler’s connections.”

 

He had propably never walked so fast in his entire life. He was so furious! How could they treat him like this!? Wasn’t he also a member? Kwangsoo exhaled loudly, clenching his fists. He swore to himself that he’d show them that he wasn’t useless useless; especially Dong Hoon, who for some reason hated him since the moment they had met. He took a swing with his leg with the intention of kicking a can lying on a street, but missed it and fell down instead. Mad, he growled and hit the ground with his fist. Why did he have to be so unlucky?

Then he suddenly realized that he wasn’t alone. Altough the hour was late and the muggle street was falling asleep, someone was standing a meter  from him. Kwangsoo turned his head right and saw a man’s shiny leather shoes and black trousers. As he lifted his sight higher, the man suddenly took out his wand and struck Kwangsoo with a stupefying spell. He felt being pulled up. After that, everything went black.  

 

On the next day, the group gathered in the daily room.

“Kwangsoo’s still gone!” Ji Hyo said with a worried tone of voice after checking the younger man’s bedroom.

“You pushed him too much yesterday.” Gary muttered to Haha.

Maybe he went back home?I hope so. Jae Suk only sighed.

“Everyone ready?” added Jong Kook. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Haha then explained one more time what every one of them was supposed to do. The group dismissed, wishing each other good-luck. Off straight into the lion’s jaws. 

 

A ball organised by BT Party members was held in their leaders’ mansion, Kim Wan Sun, who came from a very rich and noble family of wizards. From the money her parents had left in a heritage, she had founded the party. The mansion was splendorous; white, built in a baroque style. A spacious frontyard was crowded with expensive cars and waiters bustling among all very important guests. The lights at the house and in the fountain placed in front made the atmosphere feel elegant and magical. Haha, Gary and Ji Hyo went around the frontyard carrying the boxes with Firewhiskey. They knocked on the mansion’s back door and introduced themselves as service staff.

“Boss Jong Pill sends his greetings.” Said Haha and smiled forcefully. His sleazy past didn’t changed the fact he was a coward; a trail of sweat could’ve been noticed on his forehead. A grim muscleman eyed them from head to toe. Gary swallowed heavily, trying to hide his nervousness. Ji Hyo, without hesitation, shoved the whiskey box in the man’s arms and entered the kitchen, saving the situation.

 

The staff rooms seemed like a hive with all the people inside, running and cooking and controlling the ball organisation so it could go smoothly and without trouble.

Ji Hyo got herself a place at the punch serving table. It was a good position; she could observe the biggest part of a ballroom and hear what was happening on the stage in the small recess next to it. And she could use a simple nod to communicate with Haha who was standing as a waiter just a few steps away.

Gary’s positon wasn’t that lucky. As soon as he had walked into the kitchen, he had been pushed to the sink with constantly accumulating dishes. One plate after another, he wasn’t able to even look at the people around him. That was why Gary tried his best to listen to what they were talking about. Maybe someone would drop some hints about the hidden doings of BT Party.

When he was gathering dirty pots, he caught a glimpse of a familiar face coming around the corner. Kwangsoo?! The man almost dropped the pots on the floor.

“Hyung!” Kwangsoo lowly said as Gary approached him, looking around in fear that someone would catch them.

“What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“With an invisibility spell. I’m not as stupid as you think!”

Before Gary got to open his mouth, Kwangsoo forestalled him.

“Are you on a mission now?” he whispered, and Gary nodded in assent. “Where is Jae Suk hyung? I have something important to tell him.”

“He’s in the ballroom, with Jong Kook hyung and the others.”

Kwangsoo said he understood and put an invisibility spell on himself.

“Be careful.” Gary said quietly as the pellucid shape moved into the direction of the main hall. Then a sudden pat on a shoulder made him jumped in fright. One of the service staff yelled at him and ordered to get back to work. Gary rushed to the sink with the dirty dishes.

    

 

The guests were the high society, many very important wizards and witches. Wearing elegant suits and beautiful dresses, they were strolling through the ballroom, chatting and sipping drinks. The classical quintet was adding a charm to the atmosphere. It was making Jong Kook feel sick, though.

For the first time in his life he used ancestry as a excuse to take a part in something. He truly hated all these “family” connections between rich pure-bloods. And yet, here he was, wearing a black tuxedo, greeting passer bys politely. Among the guests, Jong Kook noticed Jae Suk smiling at him. 

“ Well, well. Lookin’ good, Kook Jong-ah.” The man chuckled as approaching the commissar, handing him a glass of punch. Jong Kook growled.

“ Don’t even start.”

Jae Suk lowered his voice “Anything interesting?”

“ Nothing, for now. But I don’t like Wan Sun’s troops; uncongenial guys.” Jong Kook looked around, making sure they weren’t looking  suspicious.

“ Mrs. Kim is getting ready for a speech in the backroom. It can be essential for us. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

Patting his shoulder, Jae Suk left the Commander and walked up to an old lady in a purple shiny dress. The gentleman whom she was talking to seemed somehow familiar to him. The man noticed Jong Kook’s gaze and nodded his head greetingly.

“…and they still have the guts to come here…” Those words came to his ears, but he couldn’t make out who spoke them.

“… well, I’m sure they’ll be more than surprised…” Jong Kook felt something strange.

Do they… know why we’re here…?

Trying not to look panicked, he looked around. However, it was cleary noticable he wasn’t feeling confident anymore. The people surrounding him now appeared as if they were waiting for his break down. The faces, smiling ironically, were turned to him, suggesting some big scheme going on here.

Jong Kook was startled out of his thoughts when people started to cheer as leader Kim Wan Sun, wearing a red two-piece, entered the podium to give a speech.

“My dear friends! Today, we’re meeting here to celebrate, not the success of the BT Party, not the failure of our opponents, but the coming of a new age in which the magical world will regain it’s briliance. I, Kim Wan Sun, promise you, right here and right now that the magical world will be magical again! Let’s make it perfect so our ancestors can be proud! Let’s build a better tomorrow – together!”

Cheerful ovations roared through the crowd.

 “Although… there may be people who will try to stop us…” The leader looked straight at Jae Suk. He tried to keep a calm face but couldn’t hide his syrprise. “…we’re not going to back down. We’ve waited too long for this opportunity. Seoul is ours!”

This is a trap!

The men in black suits turned their faces to Jong Kook, the man from before among them. Only now the Commander realised where he knew this man from. He was one of the wizards responsible for attacks on muggle-borns, wanted for a murder.

Wan Sun’s face streched with an evil smile. A prey coming to the hunter all by itself. She yelled the order of capturing the members, her voice echoed through the marble ballroom.

 

The situation became dangerous. Party activists positioned themselves to catch the members. One man, appearing out of nowhere, got closer than the rest. Jae Suk looked at him in surprise. From all the people here he didn’t expect to see this person. Kwangsoo was pointing at him with his wand. He stared at his hyung with dark and hating eyes.

“Greetings from the BT Party!” he drawled and casted a stupefying spell. Jae Suk showed a great reflex and managed to avoid it by darting onto the floor. The people around started shouting and lunging for a escape. The crowd was panicking. But Kwangsoo didn’t stop at  one spell. He was constantly trying to strike Jae Suk but kept missing by a hair.

Now, also with a wand in his hand, Jae Suk fought him off.

Jong Kook, seeing what was going on, rushed to help but the way was blocked by the party’s activists. Eight man surrounded the commissar and slowly began to get close to him, just like a hunter gets closer to his prey. Without hesitation Jong Kook casted one disarming spell after another, but he had to admit the opponents were really strong. From the corner of eye he noticed how Jae Suk petrified one of the attackers. It crossed his mind that the experiences of the war must’ve awaken in Jae Suk.

 

While the situation started to look bad, Haha decided it was time to call for a backup. He needed to leave the house in a place to apparate; so, sneakily, he dodged from the ballroom. Unfortunately, in the moment he stepped into the corridor, some men from the staff noticed him.

“Hey! You! Where do you think you’re going?!” shouted one and the all four of them started to chase Haha. The man ran, jostling a group of people passing by out of way. The chasers were in a better position than him since they knew the house. Dong Hoon tried to lose them. He hid around the corner and pressed against the wall while the group of men passed him by. Suddenly the wall turned and Dong Hoon found himself in a secret passage. The wooden stairs lead down into a dark space, probably a cellar. Swallowing his saliva, Haha stepped on the stairs. It was a better idea then coming out into the corridor.

“Lumos” he lit his wand and slowly walked down. T

What he discovered raised the hair on his neck. This place had to be two floors under the ground. When he finally reached the bottom, an odd sound came to his ears. Dong Hoon strenghtened the lumos spell and the white light showed the surroundings. Dozens of cells. Behind the iron bars Haha saw many prisoned people, dirty and cadaverous. One of them, with a messy beard, leaned over the bars and desperately tried to get Haha’s attention.

“H-h-help…” the man groaned “We…we’re… we’re the kidnapped muggle-borns. The BT Party activiststhrew and locked us in here. Even killed some! Please, sir, you must help us…” Dong Hoon was stunned by the man’s words. What are they planning to do with these people?

He heard a silent whisper. Someone clearly called him “hyung”. Startled, Haha turned around and saw a human figure lying on the cell ground. He felt like someone had poured cold water on his head.

“Hyung…” Kwangsoo whispered once more. The older man casted a softening spell on the bars and entered the cell. He took Kwangsoo in his arms and tried to lift him. He carried bloody marks of tortures.

“What have they done to you…”And what the hell is going on? If you’re here, then who’s upstairs?!   

As they stood up, Kwangsoo wanted to say something more but Haha quieten him.

“Don’t worry, buddy. We’ll get you out of here…”   

 

 

“I told you to watch out for who you’re sticking up with.” drawled Il Sung, now in his real body. He was chasing Jae Suk around the whole house, destroying everything along the way. At the other end of a ballroom Ji Hyo and Suk Jin fought arm in arm. While the elder man started to be short on his breath, Miss Mong fought like a tigeress, striking opponents like flies. Suk Jin looked at her with adoration. The curses and spells were flitting in the air. Suddenly, he felt being grabbed by someone. With horror he looked straight into the cold eyes of a Death Eater who then, with an unbelievable strenght, threw Suk Jin onto the wall.

“OPPA!” Ji Hyo screamed and darted towards the men. The attacker walked up to Suk Jin lying on the floor. He tried to pull himself up but his body disobeyed him. He already said goodbye to his life, when the tiny woman jumped onto the attacker’s back. The man pushed her off and hit her hard in the face.

The wave of anger rocked through Gary’s body. His lovely Ji Hyo had been hurt and he wouldn’t stay calm about this. With one strong spell he took the man down. Then he turned to Ji Hyo who was checking on Suk Jin.

“He has to get out of here. He won’t be able to fight now.” The young auror said a pulling the older man up. Suk Jin groaned and tried to convince them that he was alright.

“Look at him. Still has a strenght to pretend he’s brave.” Gary laughed and with Ji Hyo’s support he walked Suk Jin to a apparition place.

“ I’ll be back in a while. Be careful!” said Ji Hyo and disappeared.

 

Suddenly, the ballroom was filled with aurors. They were apparating, one after another, flashes of white light accompanying them. Among them was Haha, now fully confident.

“Get them!” he ordered and the battle, which had looked almost lost a second before, arose again. Il Sung growled with rage. In that moment Jae Suk attempted to disarm him but the wizard blocked it right away. When he looked at Jae Suk, his eyes were filled with madness.

“You fool…”

He casted spells even more violently. Although Jae Suk fought excellently, suddenly his wand flew from his hand. He stepped back slightly, preparing for pain. Il Sung raised his wand ready to strike but then, he was blown down. As Il Sung fell, Jae Suk saw Kim Jong Kook standing behind him with his wand in his hand.

About time.

“You think it’s over? Have you forgotten about me?” he heard a screechy woman’s voice from the side. Kim Wan Sun was pointing her wand at him. Her hair was in a mess and her elegant two-piece was ruined. She must’ve fought hard along her troops. How much people can do to proof their belief, Jae Suk thought. He felt Jong Kook standing next to him, determination painted on his face. The men raised their wands in unison, ready to face their biggest opponent.

The lady didn’t seem to be intimidated about fighting two people at once. She also wasn’t weak, despite her posture. In turns they were throwing spells and curses at each other. Jong Kook never had done anything like this before. 

“Go! Go help her!” yelled Jae Suk as they noticed Ji Hyo struggling with an attacker in the adjoining hall. The Commander hesitated.

“GO! I can handle this!”  assured the older man and Jong Kook darted to help his friend. A second later and Ji Hyo could have been in big trouble.

Jae Suk finally snapped the wand from Wan Sun’s hand. The woman seemed to be rather amused than surprised.

“ So, we have come this far. I’ll show you what real magic is like.” She said calmly. She made an odd gesture and focused. The mansion began to tremble. The wind started to blow out of nowhere.

A wandless magic!

He dropped the wand from his hand. It was useless now. Twenty years ago, he had sworn to never use this kind of magic ever again. So strong he could physically feel it the life out of his body. The oldest, purest form of magic that had helped him destroy many wizard soldiers. But now, what other choice did he have? He had to protect his family.

With all his might he focused on making the magic flow through his body. Wan Sun saw that and snickered.She had found a worthy opponent.   

 

They were standing in awe. Jong Kook had never seen such a kind of magic, only read about it in books.

“ Where did he learn that?” asked Ji Hyo. “In the war?”

Yes, that sounded reasonable. The objects around Jae Suk and Wan Sun flew upward. It looked like a tornado from where Jong Kook was standing.       

Under the pressure of the power, the mansion started to collapse. Ji Hyo could hear how some parts of it were falling down. The ceiling also began to look like it was about to fall. When she looked at the fighting couple again, she realised that Jae Suk was getting weaker. It got difficult for him to fight back. Wan Sun’s power was inexorable. The woman struck him with a strong spell andthrew Jae Suk a few meters away. His glasses flew in the air and fell down, crushing.

Ji Hyo’s eyes widened in horror.

 “We must help him!” she shouted but Jong Kook held her back.

“No, we can’t interfere. It’s too dangerous.”

 

He was tacked to the floor, couldn’t move an inch. It felt like his whole body was covered in bruises. His hair felt sticky on one side of his head. Was he bleeding? The blurry silhouette of Kim Wan Sun appeared in front of him. Jae Suk heard her giggle.

“As I thought, you fight well but you can’t win over me. You are a great wizard. It’s a shame you need to die…” she said but Jae Suk wasn’t listening to her. He turned his head to face Jong Kook. The man was tightly holding Ji Hyo who desperately wanted to run to save him. Jae Suk made eye contact with him. Altough he didn’t want to, the Commander understood what his hyung wanted to communicate. He felt like his heart was being pierced. He forcefully pulled Ji Hyo with him and ran to the main exit. Everything seemed so weird, the voices sounded like they were deep in the water. Like through a thick glass he heard Ji Hyo’s scream. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a green light spreading from where Jae Suk was. A girl’s yelling turned into loud cry. Jong Kook then understood what had happened but he couldn’t just give up and break down.

They ran out of the collapsing mansion just a second before it crashed down to the ground. Then Jong Kook flicked with his wand and found himself in the garden, at Suk Jin’s grandparent’s place. Ji Hyo was sobbing next to him, covering her head with her hands.

Suk Jin, hearing the noise, hobbled out of the house. Following him, Gary quickly jumped to Ji Hyo and made sure she was not hurt.

Something felt wrong. Jong Kook’s face looked heavy.

“Where’s Jae Suk hyung?” asked Gary. But Suk Jin already guessed the answer. He felt weak on his legs and almost collapsed. Gary repeated the question, puzzlement on his face.

“He’s dead…” whispered Suk Jin.

 

The atmosphere in the day room was gloomy. Ji Hyo was sitting numbly on the sofa.

The dream…, she thought, I saw that happen and still couldn’t prevent it…This gift of mine is useless! What are we going to do now?! Next to her, Gary tried to comfort her anyhow. Suk Jin sat on his bed, not knowing what to do with his hands. The Commander was sitting in the kitchen, staring into the distance. Regret filled up his heart. There were so many things he should’ve told Jae Suk before it had been too late. He heard Haha tripping on the stairs as he wandered around the house, drunk on the Firewhiskey.

“If only I didn’t blurt it all out…” whispered Kwangsoo, lying in the bed behind Suk Jin. The older one sat by his side.

“It’s not your fault. You did all you could.”

Kwangsoo sobbed as Suk Jin his hair.

“If only I had kept my mouth shut, they wouldn’t have…!”

As they’d kidnapped Kwangsoo, the Death Eaters had found out about the plan and prepared a trap for Jae Suk’s group. They only had know who was leading, but at no time they had guessed who the other members were. And so they gathered all the activists and waited for a signal, which was Wan Sun’s speech.

 

After a moment, when Kwangsoo stopped crying, Suk Jin said:

“But you know… You remember our conversation?”         

Kwangsoo looked at him inquiringly.

“ The thing you did in the war… Can’t you do it again?”

The younger man swallowed loudly, not taking his eyes off Suk Jin. Looks like Jae Suk wasn’t the only one to know about his little secret.

“ I mean, how can one die if he’s dead already?” 

 

He was unable to move his body. Surrounded by darkness, he felt as drifting in a void. It wasn’t acctually that bad. He didn’t waste his life. Didn’t had have any regrets. Guess that it had been his time to go, simply. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been here before anyway. Maybe if he finally died, he’d be able to meet with Jong Dae. He still hadn’t apologized for not bringing him home safely.

Suddenly it all turned about 180 degrees. He found himself lying on a table, a strong yellow light blinding his eyes. A hustling sound came to his ears.

I have a déjà vu, he thought. It reminded him of the situation twenty years ago.

“Hyung!” Kwangsoo said, hovering over his body.” Hyung, do you hear me?”

A deadly spell can’t really work on someone who’s been theoretically dead. It had only befuddled him for a longer while, but now, he was ready to wake up. Again.

Jae Suk took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He noticed the blurry silhouettes of Kwangsoo and Suk Jin in the corner of the room.

“ Whose heart did you use this time?”

“ It wasn’t necessary. Since you’ve resurrected already it was enough to treat you with some high voltage. And here you are. Good job, Kwangsoo.” Said Suk Jin, helping Jae Suk to sit up.

“ I hope you won’t have any troubles. Necromancy is frowned upon in our society.” Kwangsoo shrugged.

“Right, let’s just say I wasn’t dead to begin with.” Jae Suk coiled himself with a blanket and gently took a few steps. His legs got numb from lying all curled up. He approached the window and raised the blinds, enjoying the beautiful sunny weather.

“So, where are my glasses?”    

 

 

Kim Wan Sun died buried under the collapsed mansion. The BT Party had been disbanded. Its activists had been sentenced for murder and corruption. At least most of them. The ones who hid or had escaped were probably still trying to build a magical pure-blood ideology. Bad things can’t be eliminated completely, afterall.

Yoo Jae Suk’s special organisation had stopped its activities and the members had went back to their daily lives. Jae Suk himself become the Prime Minister and Jong Kook the new Auror’s Chief. Did they finally get to terms? No. But the magical part of Seoul was never that peaceful and harmonious.