Yoongi trotted in the woods. The fresh air was pleasant and made him walk in a slower pace. It had been several hours since he crossed the white bridge and left the enchanted forest. The enchanted forest separated Daejeon from Gongju. It was put under a spell by the nine elders to keep the banned descendants of the Dokkaebi outside of the kingdom. While Yoongi walked through it he had noticed that he became tired quick, so he hurried to enter the safe half of the forest. Somehow the enchanted forest made him worn out. Was it because he had black blood? Because his parents probably had ancestors of Dokkaebi descent? Why was he not informed about it?

“Dokkaebi, Red Rose, Bujeok, Xiah... Dokkaebi, Red Rose, Bujeok, Xiah…”, he repeated on his way.

After hours he approached a clearing up on a hill that he had to run up first. He stopped there, put down his backpack and stretched in the fresh autumn breeze. His blonde ponytail was blown by the wind. The leaves rustled and the sunlight tickled Yoongi’s nose. As he stretched and opened his eyes, he finally saw it. It was a breathtaking view. Daejeon, a beautiful city surrounded by a great forest laid to his feet. Yoongi could observe the high buildings from afar. They shimmered in the sunlight and were overgrown with plants. There was one huge building in the center of the city, greater than all the others. It was probably something like their palace. Did they have a king in Daejeon?
Yoongi discovered small houses and fields further away from the center. Where these the housings of farmers? Or housing of the rich people, who just wanted to live far away from all the noises that came from the center?

Yoongi's thoughts were clear as water. What was this city? The buildings looked weird, and they used weirder vehicles. Was this still the same country? Was he still in the same era, or was this some sort of different period? It did not seem like the very same world. It seemed like not only the language was modern, but entire Daejeon was. The housings on the outskirts looked a lot like the ones in Gongju, but everything else was different. Did he travel in time? Because that was exactly how the boy felt about Daejeon. Well, he would not be cowed by it. No way. He had an assignment he needed to succeed, no matter what. Yoongi was determined, he would succeed this time.

He took a deep breath, grabbed his backpack, and ran down the hill. It was about time to leave the forest behind. As he reached the bottom, first he explored the area of the small housings and the big fields. Yeah, in comparison to the center of Daejeon the outskirts really seemed very idyllic and resembled their kingdom. After the fields he crossed a park, in which there was a small fountain. Many children stood around it, laughed and played with the splashing water. Yoongi clenched both fists because these children reminded him of his little brother. Back when they were kids they had often played at the well in their village. Bona had always smiled when they came home soaking wet. The thought of it made him sad and angry at the same time.

“Are… Are you alright?”, a little kid asked him.

Yoongi only frowned at the kid. The scar on his face and his expression to it scared it away. Its parents, of course, cursed at Yoongi, but the boy did not care at all. He did not respect those he did not know. Why would he? What for? It did not fit his character anymore. Respect was something, people needed to earn themselves first. And neither of these inhabitants of Daejeon did. They were banned people after all.

Yoongi walked to an ice cream vendor and bought a cup of banana and matcha ice cream. He spooned it with relish until a ball rolled to his feet. A little girl came running up to him and stopped in front of the eighteen-year-old. He had put his foot on the ball, spooned his ice cream one last time and then dropped it. The girl looked him straight in the pitch-black eyes and was scared of him. Yoongi then smiled, picked up the ball and held it to the girl. She hesitated first, but then reached out her arms with a big smile so that all her milk teeth were showing. Yoongi smirked, drew back the ball, took out a knife of his sleeve in a flash and stabbed the brightly colored ball. It happened so fast that the little girl could only watch her ball lose its air. Tears welled into the big eyes of the girl.

“In this world, only if you feel pain you will grow stronger.”, Yoongi whispered to the girl and put the scrumbled ball into her hands, “Only the strong ones survive.”

The girl let out a loud scream and cried. Immediately her mother approached them, which is why Yoongi quickly walked away. Not because he was afraid of her, but because he did not want to waste time and energy on her. Yoongi hated these children, all that played here in the park. He could not stand the people here, although he did not know any of them. He did not want to get to know them either. Why would he? He did not care about them at all. It would only be a waste of time.
After a while he went to the sports ground, located in the center of Daejeon. It was huge and surrounded by high buildings. The streets were filled with cars and motorcycles. Yoongi had read about these machines when he was a kid, but never had he seen one for real. What a weird place this was. People hurried from one place to another in their weird clothes. Some wore Hanboks, some not. It was a weird place. How could people live like this?

There were no teenagers anywhere. Right, young people had to be in school. Even in Daejeon education was highly of importance. Yoongi wondered how their schedules were put. Was it a school who taught its students how to fight and defend, or was it a place that put more importance into science and history? Yoongi was curious. Therefore, the boy decided to pay a visit to the school he had to attend for a brief period.

The school building could not be overlooked. Clearly it was the greatest building the boy had ever seen. The building in the center was not a palace, it was a school. It had like endless floors, shimmered in the sunlight, and was overgrown with plants, not just ivies but also roses. A lot of flowers and even trees supported some floors. It was a huge building and impressive, if not frightening. If the people here were able to build something like that, they had to be strong, intelligent, and rich.

Yoongi got to the huge, silvery gate, and finally he saw all the teenagers and young students. They stood in the schoolyard, some laughed loudly, others played with balls and cards, some lied on the grassy ground and enjoyed the autumn sun. There were groups and couples everywhere. Yoongi did not like them. He was not interested in anyone, except the ones who could be of Dokkaebi descent. He took another deep breath, tightened his grip on his backpack, and slowly pushed open the gate. The squeaking of the gate could not be ignored. Everyone glanced in the direction of the annoying sound. Yoongi entered the schoolyard confidently.

The weather was still pleasantly cool in the forest, but in Daejeon it was way too hot. The autumn sun really hit the schoolyard from a perfect angle. The heat was annoying for the eighteen-year-old boy because it had never been so hot in Gongju. And in addition to the seething fire in his veins it was difficult to keep a cool mind. Hopefully it would not stay like this an entire year. Unfortunately, he wore black clothes, layers over layers. His headband itched a little thanks to the hot rays of the sun. At least his blonde hair kept his head cool. Yoongi walked straight to the entrance of the huge building and paid no attention to any of the curious looks. On his way he suddenly stopped in the middle of the schoolyard and patted an adult on the shoulder. Presumably a teacher or scholar.

“Hey you! I am new here... Can you take me to the guy who oversees this school? I have no idea where he is...”, he asked.

He could not be more impolite.

“Excuse me ‘You’? First! Watch how you- how you talk to me! Secondly! The head is a woman! And thirdly! I have supervision, as you can see!”, the adult scolded him, “Wait- Wait until break is over, then I will lead you- you to her.”

The teacher seemed to have trouble speaking. He stuttered a lot.

“Yeah …”, Yoongi muttered annoyed and in no case did he apologize for his rude language.

But he was told by Song Il-Kook that there was no hierarchy. He gave no damn about politeness in Daejeon. The boy walked away, sat down on a lattice bench in the shadows, and put down his backpack. At least it was a little cooler there. He stretched, leaned back with a tired yawn, and crossed his arms. He was tired and exhausted of the long walk in the forest earlier. Maybe it was for the better if he went to his new apartment first. But well, he was here now, so no turning back now. He shut his pitch-black eyes and fell asleep for only a second. Instantly he opened his eyes as he sensed someone. To his surprise a girl stared at him, close to his face. Yoongi backed away as she stooped right in front of him. She was beautiful, but somehow that seemed to be the case with everyone at this school. Her black hair reached to her back and her red eyes seemed warm. She wore a beautiful hanbok. So, she was someone who still held to the traditions. She sat down next to him.

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