Chapter 8

bickering little children

«Have you seen Miss Yongsun?»

«Oh? It’s Miss Yongsun now is it?»

«I don’t see why not? She’s not my Angel, I don’t have to address her as one.»

«Well, she, Miss Yongsun, is in the alcove.»

Yongsun’s heart nearly flew out of her chest at the mention of her name. She groaned, telling herself to get a grip, it was almost pitiful how the sound of Moonbyul’s voice so easily toyed with Yongsun’s heart, knocking it out of place.

«Did you two fight?»

«Why would we do that?»

«I know you don’t get along.»

«She’s tiresome,» sighed the magician, putting down the book she was reading. «Besides, I told you I didn’t want her here. Break off the bargain, send the Angel back to Heaven.»

Yongsun bit her tongue when Moonbyul mentioned Heaven. She did not want to go back, not yet, there was too much for her to do and see in the Land of Couronne and beyond. Yongsun was not inclined to stay cooped up in Heaven like a caged bird.

«That’s out of the question, Moonbyul. You need help.»

«By the stars! What would you have me do? She’s a nuisance, Heeyeon! She gives me a headache!»

«Watch your tongue!» Heeyeon hissed.

Their conversation ended with Moonbyul stomping up the stairs, the ceiling of the alcove trembling with each step. The smell of brimstone slipped underneath the curtains, Yongsun scrunched her nose, clutching a pillow and drawing it closer to her chest. There was no stopping the tears; they streamed down her cheeks, sliding onto the white pillow. She bit her lip and wept as quietly as she possibly could so they would not hear her.

She convinced herself she was not sad, that she was only tired; her energy was wearing out. She silently begged the stars to be merciful, not because she believed they actually would be, but because it was expected of her to beg. It was what the Head Angels had taught her to do, all that praying, all that teaching had made Yongsun the model Angel — so much so that Yongsun believed it herself. 

If there was a spell that could cure the sadness in her heart, the memories from her past, or even the weight of the stars on her shoulders, Yongsun would have been sure to use that spell as quickly as possible.

Sometime later, Heeyeon pulled the curtain aside and found Yongsun asleep in the alcove, still gripping the pillow. Heeyeon gently woke her up, shaking her shoulder. Yongsun blinked away the sleep in her eyes while a loud yawn escaped her. She slapped her hand over and stared up at Heeyeon with wide frightened eyes. Yongsun had forgotten her manners, what would the witch say to that?

Laugh, perhaps? No, Heeyeon did no such thing, it was not in her nature to laugh at others’ habits, instead, she smiled down at Yongsun, ruffled her head, and told her supper was ready.

They all sat around the wooden table, which had been cleared of blueprints, paper tubes and documents. Moonbyul and Heeyeon had prepared a vegetable soup that tasted like warm water with bits of mushy carrots, peas, onions and potatoes thrown into it.

Yongsun thought a spoonful of that brownish orange powder Hyojin had bought in Sul-fur-zaar would certainly improve the flavour. She smiled and sighed, staring off into the distance, while she thought about the things that existed beyond Couronne’s borders. How wonderful it would be to see it all one day, thought Yongsun. Sand dunes, star temples, fjords and snowy mountain tops, even the ocean was something Yongsun wanted to see. She wondered what the ocean looked like; did it gleam, did it reflect, was the water darker than lake water? 

They were all hopeful thoughts, and dangerous ones at that. They all led to disappointment. And disappointment, failure and downfall were paths no-one wanted to take. So Yongsun erased all her thoughts, but hope remained.

Heeyeon was the only one talking, trying to rid the awfully awkward tension in the air. She chatted about the businessman in Sector 1, saying he bought her blueprints for an aircraft meant to carry passengers instead of bombs and soldiers. She was very pleased and relieved that she was not the only one who saw the potential aircrafts had for transportation instead of war.

The magician congratulated Heeyeon and said: stars shine bright, which only made Yongsun’s stomach twist and churn. It almost made her sick.

That phrase! Damn the stars! thought Yongsun and slammed her spoon on the table.

Heeyeon jumped in her seat while Moonbyul gave Yongsun a funny look of surprise and shock. Moonbyul must have thought it was the soup that made Yongsun angry. But it was not that: it was the stars. They controlled everything, the world revolved around them. Yongsun was sick and tired of people throwing away their choices — their own lives — to worship tiny specks in the sky.

Was it not willpower that made humans unique? Was it not the fact that humans could think for themselves that made them stand out?

Yongsun stood up and excused herself. She dabbed the corners of with a handkerchief, then she thanked the witch and the magician for the meal. She looked up at the ceiling and, with exaggerated grace, thanked the stars as well. Yongsun even curtsied.

She could feel the magician and the witch’s eyes on her back as she walked towards the alcove. Anger boiled in her, coiled in her stomach — Yongsun felt like she could burn down the entire apartment, the building even! She yanked the curtain aside and flopped down on the bed. She grabbed a pillow and held it to her face. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry.

What Yongsun had not realised was that she had left behind a trail of ash and soot. The wooden floorboards were burnt, glowing a faint red. Moonbyul frowned, then drank the rest of the wine in her glass. She tried to stand but Heeyeon yanked her back down. Heeyeon looked satisfied with herself, placing her hands behind her head.

«I told you.» Heeyeon said with a smile so bright it challenged the stars.

«No.» dismissed Moonbyul with a shake of her head.

«Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed what’s inside her pocket.»

«Of course I’ve noticed. I’m not blind.» Moonbyul said and stood. Heeyeon did not stop her this time. «I just don’t think she’s the one.»

Moonbyul walked towards the alcove, following Yongsun’s path of ash and soot. Then she paused, looked at the floor and knelt, passing her hand over the scorched floorboards. Moonbyul grunted while the tiny flames that Yongsun had left behind at her palm and fingertips. With a single swipe, it all disappeared; the flames were extinguished, the scorch marks removed from the floorboards. A wet spot was the only thing left on the wood.

«You’re absolutely sure about that?» Heeyeon called out before Moonbyul slipped away to her room on the second floor.

Throughout the night, Yongsun thrashed in bed, the sheets tangled around her body, almost chocking her. She sprang upright, her head colliding with the low ceiling. Yongsun groaned and rubbed her forehead. There would be a bump and a bruise come morning. She lay back down with a sigh and stared up at the dusty ceiling. The spiders and the cobwebs were gone, Yongsun had made sure of that — she checked every morning and every night for them with a broom and dustpan in hand.

Yongsun rolled onto her stomach, trying to get some sleep. She shut her eyes and saw red; an intense, flickering red that danced before her. She gasped in her sleep, her heart beat wildly, threatening to bounce out of her chest. When she awoke, Yongsun’s nightgown was gone, her bedsheets were covered in ash.

The red pendant (that Yongsun had decided to not wear around her neck anymore, resulting in her stuffing it into her pant pocket everyday) was glowing on the nightstand beside her. She grabbed it, clumsily dropping it in her haste.

The wood crackled as the stone burnt into the floor. With shaking hands, Yongsun picked up the stone, not afraid it would burn her, because nothing had burnt her in a while. Yongsun thought it strange at first, but then she reckoned that with all the magic swirling around Heeyeon and Moonbyul’s apartment a spell or charm must have accidentally affected her.

The pendant glowed a brilliant red in Yongsun’s palms, the alcove almost looked like it was on fire. Yongsun tra