Continuation of Fate I:

For years, the sisters were living a quiet life. The forest had become their home and guardian. But one thing Yong-sun couldn’t understand was why the mystical forest took them in when it spared no one who place a foot in its domain for centuries. The uncanny creatures that lurked in the forest overlooked their existence and the guardian of the forest appeared before them, which itself was a puzzle.

 That fateful day, Hye-jin, as usual, was roaming around the border to take a glimpse of the town. She had never seen any townsman come near the forest due to the tales that linger around it for centuries.

When she was young, she used to be scared of the forest. But now that she actually lived there, it was just like any other forest except for the richness of species and the creepy creatures that protect the forest.

However, that day she did not expect to cross paths with a hunter who was searching for medicinal herbs. Hye-jin was going to run away but seeing the hunter desperately uprooting the herbs and destroying nature, Hye-jin could not leave her alone and decided to interfere.

Hye-jin approached the woman as an herb gatherer, which was the perfect answer to deceive the woman into thinking she was an ordinary woman. The woman was shocked to see another person in a dangerous place like this.

“Are you collecting herbs too?”, Hye-jin smiled at the woman.

The woman pointed her small knife as she scanned Hye-jin from head to toe and replied, “Who are you?” No one could predict what the forest beholds and it could be a disguise or a hallucination caused by the unearthly forest.

“Keep the tool away. I only collect herbs. I saw you destroying the nature for no apparent reason. Do you need help?”

The woman found Hye-jin skeptical. She had no basket nor a sickle to gather the herbs. No herb gatherer wears a long white dress and their hair let loose. Moreover, she was very friendly which made the woman suspect her.

But the woman was in a tight place. Even if she got possessed or haunted or attacked, she must get the medicine to cure her friend. And that was the very reason for her to set foot in this dangerous forest risking her life. The woman requested Hye-jin to help her. “My friend has rashes all over her body and might catch a high fever too. The local doctor has tried his best and nothing seems to work. He said that the medicinal herbs here could cure her but I don’t have any idea what it looks like.”

“Hmm…How long has it been?”, Hye-jin sat down next to the woman. The woman slowly backed away and place the knife on her lab, making Hye-jin clearly see she was armed.

“For one year now.”

Hye-jin glanced at the bow next to the woman and the arrow pouch strapped onto her back. She thought for a while whether she should help this town dweller or not. But this was what made her different from Yong-sun. She would not run away from danger and rather try to take every ounce of advantage she could get. She was never facile like her sister.

Hye-jin might not be the best potion maker but Yong-sun was. If she could learn a secret or two and help this woman, she could take advantage to learn more about the town. She smiled at the woman and told her not to worry. “Meet me here three days from today at the same time. And as compensation, you must bring me something from the town.”

The woman was confused, “Are you not from the town?”

“I live in the outskirt. It’s hard for me to visit there frequently.”

“But it is not far from here.”

“Tsk. You don’t want me to help you?”

The woman did not ask Hye-jin any more questions and promised to bring something worth enough for the cure. Even though she did not trust someone whom she met for the first time, she believed Hye-jin will help her because those eyes sparkled with elation, and by her demand, the woman knew Hye-jin approached her to gain something; not from her but from the general. If she was to lose something, then she shall gain something too.

Hye-jin spent the two days making the potion to cure skin diseases and on the third day, in exchange for the potion, the woman gave Hye-jin an elegant hairpin. The woman could not even afford new clothes for herself but spent the money she had saved to cure her only friend. “I had picked a hairpin that would suit your silky hair.” The woman smiled as she presented the gift to Hye-jin.

Hye-jin took it and admire the blue-green coated long wooden hairpin decorated with small flowers. Hye-jin could not remember the last time she bought a new hairpin for herself. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you.”

 The woman also thanked her for the medicine and wish to depart. The longer she stayed in the forest, a chill crawl up her skin as if frightening eyes were staring at her. The creatures of the forest accepted the two sisters only and not their accomplices. As long as the woman was with the witches, she was safe from the creatures but one in a million chances could make her lose her life in the shadow of the creatures.

The woman bowed to Hye-jin and turned to leave but Hye-jin caught her by her arm. The woman stared back at Hye-jin’s gaze. Those greedy eyes. There were more of what Hye-jin wanted. She could sense it. The woman immediately deduced that Hye-jin was not normal and she needed to get rid of Hye-jin. But what Hye-jin had to say next left her defenseless.

“I still have things to say. That potion. Your friend needs to take one bottle each week till she gets better.”

The woman looked down at the bottle clutched in her palm. “But you gave me only one bottle.”

Hye-jin smirked, “You thought I will give everything for a wooden hairpin? Ha!” Hye-jin laughed and shook her head. “Life is not as easy as it seems. You need to earn your reward…or steal it.” The arrogant attitude stung the woman’s heart. She flicked her arm off from Hye-jin’s grip and asked with a stern look. “What do you want from me? I can’t give you anything nor do I have the power to do anything for you. You chose the wrong person.”

“No. I beg to differ.” The smile curved on Hye-jin’s face alerted the woman. Everything felt wrong. The woman instantly regretted trusting a stranger. She even started to doubt if the potion was safe. “I will give you the remaining bottles every week until your friend gets better. In return, you must work for me.”

To corner the woman, Hye-jin threatened. “You must never tell others about me. I only want to help you because I pitied you. But I don’t do charity. You will tell me what I want to know.” Hye-jin touched the woman’s lips and recited a spell. “If you say a word about me, the curse will break and it will poison you to death. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The woman gulped in a lump in . Pity? Curse? Death? Her head was spinning trying to digest what she just heard. Forget the terrifying creatures, the stranger in front of her was a giant red flag. “Curse? There is no such thing.” The woman chuckled.

“Then say something about me.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Hye-jin.”

“Hye-jin?”, the woman repeated and all of a sudden, itched and burned at the same time. Her face turned red and she started to cough. Her legs trembled and she fell on her knees. Soon, it became hard for her to breathe. “Help…me.” She reached out her hand towards the long white dress before she lost consciousness.

Like a newborn child beginning another life, the woman woke up at the tingly feeling of the cold grass. Was everything a dream? She rubbed her eyes as she sat up.

“If you are awake, you should hurry back to your friend.”

The woman snapped her head to the voice. “I’m alive!”

Hye-jin smiled at the simple woman. “Yes. I lifted the curse. And I am going to curse you again. Now, can we get back where we left off?”

The woman agreed to Hye-jin’s conditions and gave her word. Since then, the two secretly meet every week at the border. In exchange for the potions, the woman told Hye-jin about the town, the people, and what had happened in all the years she had lived.

During that time, Yong-sun was strict with Hye-jin about going to the border and when Hye-jin, out of nowhere, was eagerly making potions, Yong-sun was suspecting her. After two and a half months, the woman’s friend had finally recovered and Hye-jin decided to stop meeting the woman. She advised the woman to never come back to the forest unless she wanted to die. Hye-jin then hid the hairpin and stopped going near the border; ending the short-lived relationship for good, only to revive it two years later.

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“You let her go without erasing her memory?”, the suddenly cracked yell from Yong-sun made Hye-jin almost burst out laughing, but she held it in. Hye-jin explained that she had never tried to master that spell and she pitied the woman. In her defense, she didn’t lift the curse yet let the woman go.

The two sisters eyed the woman still sleeping on their bed. Hye-jin stood up from her seat and crouched down next to the woman, slapping the woman hard on the cheek. Yong-sun gasped as she stared eyes wide open.

Maybe the pain traveled through the dreams, the woman woke up with a grunt. The red cheek must have stung with the pain. The woman noticed Hye-jin and Yong-sun in front of her. Hye-jin introduced Yong-sun to the woman. “This is my sister, Yong-sun. And sis, she is…” Hye-jin averted her eyes to the woman and whispered, “What is your name?”

“You don’t even know her name?”, Yong-sun looked deadpan at Hye-jin.

“I was too caught up in the moment”, Hye-jin mumbled.

Yong-sun pursed her lips before she turned to the woman. “Will you introduce yourself? And tell us why you are here again. I have restored your voice."

The woman cleared to speak. “My name is Moonbyul. I am an orphan and I have my best friend only. She is sick again. The rashes had reappeared and her health is getting worse. I need to bring the medicine to her. Please help me once more. I will do whatever you want me to do. Please save her. She is all I have.”

Hye-jin and Yong-sun looked at each other. “My sister is one of the best potion makers. She can help you. Right, sister?” Hye-jin begged her sister with her eyes to help the woman. Since Moonbyul already knew them, Hye-jin wanted to keep her.

Yong-sun turned to the young woman on their bed begging her to help. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Fine. But I must see your friend myself to make the po- Medicine.”

The three women put their heads together to discuss. Since the sisters were traumatized to leave the forest, they wanted Moonbyul to bring her friend to their cottage. But Moonbyul had to disagree. How could she bring a sick woman to a forest, that too the Witchery Forest? She requested Yong-sun to come with her to the town. She even asked why and how they were living inside the forest.

Hye-jin opened to tell the truth but Yong-sun stopped her. “If you want me to treat your friend, then do as I say. Bring her here. As long as you two are with us, you will be safe. And for your safety, I will give you a talisman.” At last, Yong-sun convinced Moonbyul and she agreed to bring her friend.

The next day, Yong-sun and Hye-jin waited for Moonbyul near the border. In the distance, they could see Moonbyul and a woman in a cloak walking toward them. Moonbyul bowed to the sisters and introduced her friend, Whee-in.

Whee-in still hung her head and her heavy breath from walking a long way could be heard loudly. The body was frail and her hands were holding on Moonbyul’s arm to keep her balance.

“I am sorry. She is very weak.” Moonbyul apologized and requested the sisters to start the treatment.

Inside the cottage, they help Whee-in sit down on a stool. Yong-sun burnt some dried herbs from her collection around Whee-in, then she slowly undressed Whee-in revealing the red rashes spread all over her torso. The horrid sight was unbearable to watch. Hye-jin excused herself and went outside.

Yong-sun immediately checked Whee-in’s head for more spots. Fortunately, there were none.

“Is it uncurable?”, Moonbyul clicked her nails as she gazed at Yong-sun.

“No. But we must hurry before it reaches her head.”  Yong-sun did not delay a second and started to make a potion. ‘So, it really was not an effect of eating something from the forest.’

There was nothing Moonbyul could do except being next to Whee-in. Yong-sun was also busy grinding and boiling the herbs to explain anything to her. But she trusted Yong-sun. The way she reacted fast to Whee-in’s condition and knew what to do without asking anything about it was enough to leave Whee-in in their hands.

Yong-sun made an ointment to apply on the red spots and potions to heal them back. She requested Moonbyul to let her stay there till she gets better to avoid going back and forth. Moonbyul readily approved and for safe traveling in and out of the forest, Yong-sun handed Moonbyul a protection stone. Moonbyul hugged her tightly and as the overwhelming emotion took over her, she thanked Yong-sun for helping them. For the first time in her life, Yong-sun felt a strange feeling inside her.

As time slowly passed, Whee-in was getting better. Each time Yong-sun and Moonbyul were away collecting herbs, Hye-jin would sit down to talk with Whee-in about the life of the towns. Hye-jin learned that Manyeo ma-eul was long gone and the place where their father died was now known as the Scorch Meadow, a place for bandits where people fear to enter. As the story of witches and wizards pass down to the generations, it became a legend and a fairytale to the young generation.  

During this recovery time, the two sisters taught Moonbyul and Whee-in how to read and write and the way this mystical forest worked; the creatures, the plants, and the animals living together in this peaceful environment. However, due to their odd nature, the two friends eventually found out that the sisters were sorceresses. They were more surprised than shocked because they have been together with the beings that were believed to be a myth.

As they grew closer, they learned about the devastating past of the sisters that left them traumatized. But the difference in their origin did not stop the four women from being friends.

Fate once again smiled upon the four friends when Yong-sun put the same curse on Whee-in as Moonbyul and let them go. The friendship that bloomed at the wrong period.