Gyeongbuk, South Korea

Footsteps could be heard along the track led into the forest, even more clearly in the middle of the night when everyone was asleep – well, almost everyone. He just came back from running some errands in downtown, Daegu. It was another long and tiring day, but also another worthy and satisfying one. He smiled contentedly, it lasted until droplets began pouring from above. It always rained in South Korea – the fact he knew too well, therefore, he brought a timeworn umbrella with him everywhere. Just before he could reach out for the umbrella when some shriek occurred.

“Let me go!” A wail followed.

Even from afar, he could easily figure out that it belonged to a boy because he had spent half of his life with children.

“Shut up or I will cut your tongue off your mouth!” A man yelled back.

Not wasting any more second, he grabbed the umbrella tightly in his hands and walked fast and quietly to a nearby tree, waiting for the right moment. Fortunately, a clap of thunder prevented them from being aware of his presence.

“Calm down, you should not scare kids away like that. If the boss knows, we will be in a big trouble.” Another man said cautiously. “It’s not like we can find him a perfect ‘goods’ every-”

He hit the man’s head hard, making him knocked out. The other man swiftly turned around, pushing the boy back automatically.

“Who are you?!” The man roared.

“Let that boy go,” he asked calmly.

“Mind your own business or you shall regret,” the man pulled out his dagger.

“You shall regret,” a grin curved on his lips.

-

“He is back!” A voiced shouted from downstairs.

“Finally,” a sigh escaped. She rushed down to the nave, hearing a door slammed.

“What kept you so lo-” The appearing sight stopped her in the last step of the stairs.

Standing before her was the priest, gasping and damp, whom she had known for so long, on his back was a presumably-four-year-old boy. Blood stains could be seen everywhere on the two’s clothes.

“God bless you,” she clasped her hands together, approaching them, before continuing, “what happened?”

“They are back,” he paused to catch his breathe. “I knocked down one. But the other threatened to harm the child, so we fought a little.”

“A little?” She was not convinced, after seeing all of that.

“Alright, alright,” he frowned. “Maybe I overdid. But look! He had the knife, and I just made a slight cut on his thigh,” his voice dropped a little on the last part. She parted to response but he didn’t let her. “If I hadn’t done that, maybe the kid wouldn’t have survived, Sister Ryu. Now stop arguing and help me with the kid.”

She picked up the boy from his back. “You know you will have tons of praying to do later, right?” She said anxiously.

“Yeah. Like always.” He just shrugged sheepishly, making her shook her head in disapproval before walking away.

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Choi Seungcheol was his name, he was eight years old, had been living here at the church for three full years and a half – as Mother Ryu had told him. He had other siblings, plenty of them, and most had different surnames. His closest brother was Seo Myungho or Xu Minghao – as Father claimed that he was kidnapped from China – a one-year-younger, quiet, obedient brother.

None of us got to go the kindergarten, therefore, most of our childhoods were in the lawn connected to the forest behind the church. There, we played everything, among tweeting birds and quivering leaves, under the scorching sun and trees’ shadow. Sometimes, Myungho and he would initiate into wrestling and arm wrestling fights for fun, and every time would get scolded by Sister Ryu or Sister Kwon for playing in such violent way. However, we truly loved each other – every each of us – and it was the fact that would never change.

This was the first year that Seungcheol got to go to the primary school, hence he got less time to spend at the lawn – the place he could run all day long. Mother Ryu once stated that everyone would get to attend in both primary and secondary school as Father Jang could afford to. Since Father Jang Seungmin, a middle-aged priest, was a former veterinary surgeon, he sometimes helped with the downtown animal hospitals in return of the kids’ scholarship. Mother Ryu Mikyung was a former nurse who always healed our wounds and punished everyone that caused troubles, woke up and went to bed late, or skipped their duties. She was like their fussy and paranoid, yet caring and attentive grandmother. Sister Kwon Eunhyun was very considerate and always soothed us with her smile. But she could be strict at times – when we treated each other impolitely. There were other younger Sisters he wasn’t quite accustomed with but remembered their names: Sister Park Chaeryung, Sister Goo Haran and Sister Ra Jihye.

Whenever he was with Father, he always learnt something new like how to fix this or how to solve that. He even developed the passion in voluntary work although he was the one receiving it now. ‘One day that he is strong enough, he will – in double – return everything he was given,’ the goal