Chapter Four
Destiny

It was Friday morning and as Eunwoo promised Aunt Gyuri, he did not leave Moon's side until they both separated to go to class. Her next class was art. Which was relaxing for her. Ara and her group weren’t in this class, so she was able to enjoy this one solid hour of peace.

Still. She hasn’t seen Ara this morning and wondered if she really did get suspended for what she had done yesterday.

“You are all aware that I’ll be marking this assignment over the weekend, so I expect that it is finished when you leave here today. Your easel will hold a completed portrait. If it doesn’t. . .” Ms. Hirayama face those who knew wouldn’t be finished with a sour smile but didn’t continue.

The assignment was supposed to be a painting of the vase in the center of the room, and they could choose whatever they decided to be inside it.

She wasn’t putting anything inside it; instead, she was focusing on the vase itself, the intricate details. Everyone else was doing flowers—

As the class neared its finish, she leaned back on her stool to admire her work. She had done a plain white vase with light pink triangle patterns going across it. She did put one flower inside after changing her mind, but it looked limp and wilted as she had rushed it.

Just as the bell went, she dropped her brush and hurriedly picked it up as people gathered their bags and left their pictures on their easels. Ms. Hirayama was already circling the room like a vulture, murmuring to herself with her marking sheets.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and made to leave, tripping on her shoe as she haphazardly grazed her foot on the floor.

“Oh, Moon?” Ms. Hirayama chirped.

She cringed and shut her eyes. “Ms. Hirayama?”

“I hope to see you enter last semester’s piece into the winter festival. I think you’d place well, and if you wish to go on and study art, it would be good for you to start building up a portfolio.” Suddenly, she was in front of her, smoothing her bob and pressing her lips against her teeth. She watched in avid fascination as her lipstick got stuck on her tooth.

“I’ll try Ms. Hirayama.” The lie sounded overused and exhausted, even to her ears.

The winder festival is 7 months from now, she’ll be. . . gone by then. No need to single herself out any further.

The art teacher looked at her with a firm gaze. “I hope so,” she said after what felt like centuries. “Have a good day.”

She managed to slip into her English class unnoticed by Mr. Kang, who sharpened his row of pencils as the room bustled with chatter. People were planning their weekends, it was a typical Friday, and the school was less doom and gloomy.

Sitting down with a sigh, she pulled out her copy of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, their assigned book for the month. They had to read it as a class, together. It was tiring because she had read the page seven times before it was her turn.

All her classes in Ulsan were remedial. She had spent so much studying while she was home-schooled, yet she was stuck doing the work she did years ago.

“Alright!” Mr. Kang barked, bits of apple spraying out of his teeth. “Pages open to fifty-six. Seo-woo, you start.”

“I did the last reading. It was Jiho’s turn!”

“I have a sore throat today, sir. My eomma advised that I shouldn’t be doing any extra talking.”

“We all know why she has a sore throat,” coughed Seo-jun from beside her. Jiho’s face went red as people giggled.

“I hope that wasn’t a derogatory comment being announced in my class, Mr. Han.”

“Absolutely not, sir.” Han Seo-jun was always saying filthy things. He was crude and disgusting and spent more time on his phone watching than actually doing any work. He didn’t even use earphones.

“Seo-woo read from where you left off.” Mr. Kang ordered, looking flustered.

“Oh my God!” Her annoying pitchy voice cried out. “It’s like you have a thing for me, sir. You always pick me.”

Moon crinkled her nose in disgust. Mr. Kang was 53 years old.

She watched as the tip of his nose turned white, and she sunk further into her chair as he began his verbal lashing about how he shouldn’t teach a class of idiots. It happened every session. She focused on the book, continuing to read, and by the time she had gotten through five pages, he had given up and was behind his desk. Seo-woo had been sent to the principal’s office, and the rest of the class did what they wanted to.

Her palms began to sweat as the class was almost over. She had gym next, and knowing that Ara and her friends could be there made her anxious.

Eunwoo is there too. A small voice spoke in her mind.

She could never really grasp why Eunwoo was so protective of her. At first, she thought that maybe. . . just maybe that he did have a crush on her, but from what she could feel. He treated her more like a sister than anything else.

Changing for gym class was an awkward and awful event. As expected, Ara and her cronies were here. They kept their distance, but that didn’t stop them from calling her names.

“You know Moon,” Ara called out. Some people in the changing room lifted their heads in vague interest as they usually did when Ara was ready to insult her. “The point of wearing a bra is to keep your s in place. You don’t have any.”

How original.

They all found themselves hilariously funny, though, giggling as they finished getting ready.

Slipping out of the room and into the gym, she slowly made her way over to her class, positioning herself as far away from Ara as possible. Eunwoo quickly spotted her from the crowd and flanked her side. She heaved a sigh at this, feeling Ara’s glares from across the room.

The class was going to consist of rope climbing, archery, and trust exercises.

“Everyone needs to pick a partner,” Coach Kim ordered as she rubbed her forehead. “We are doing group cycles today. I’ll group each pair, and you will either start with rope climbing, archery, or the trust exercises until you get rotated out and move on. Questions?”

Met with silence, she felt a grip on her arm and she turned to Eunwoo. “We’ll stick together.” He said.

Before she could nod, Coach Kim interrupted them, “Eunwoo, I would need you to sit this one out since the class is not even. Since you are already great at Gym class, I need you to assist me with this. She then turned to Seo-jun, “Seo-jun, you partner up with Moon.”

Eunwoo gritted his teeth and was about to protest when she placed a hand on his arm. “It’s fine.” It took a minute before he nodded, standing to the side, his eyes glaring daggers at Seo-jun.

“You two over archery,” Coach Kim said.

“Alright!” Seo-jun nodded and slung his arm over her shoulder. “Come on teammate.”

She shrugged off his arm and walked toward the section where it listed the rules and demonstrations on how to use the bows. She didn’t need to read it, having learned how to shoot arrows before.

At least the ends were blunted.

“I think I’ll go first,” Seo-jun said cockily as he prepared his arrow. She stood back with her bow, watching him pull back the string, aiming at the target.

He hit the target perfectly.

“Alright, your turn.”

Her arms shook as she lifted the bow and aimed at the target, and she jumped in fright when his hands went to her waist, his back pressed up behind her. “Your posture is off,” he purred into her ear.

Her eyes shut in disgust, at how his hold tightened briefly, and he maneuvered her body. Moon met Eunwoo’s eyes, and her gaze hardened when she noticed he was about to tower in her direction. But thankfully, Eunwoo regarded her expression as someone who didn’t need help. Instead, he watched, his body tensed and high alert if she does make the indication that she couldn’t handle it.

“You don’t know how good you smell. . . everyone here can smell you, it’s sweet, addicting.” He growled against her ear, and she froze.

Did he just. . . growl? She swore she didn’t mishear, it was like a dog growling next to her ear.

“Even Eunwoo can sense it, Ara, too. Wouldn’t want Ara to get angry that you’re all over her claim now, do you?” He bit her ear, and she ducked her head, clutching the bow. “You smell like them— The Lycans, boy, I’d have so much fun with you.” He murmured, his grasp tighter.

He jumped and stumbled backward as her arm came back and hit him in the chest, her arrow hitting the target dead on. She blinked back the stinging assault of tears and turned to face him, his evil smirk still in place.

“Your turn.”

✱✱✱✱

She washed under scalding water, trying to see what she was doing through her vision was blurred by an attack of tears. She shut off the shower and wrung out her hair before rubbing her face with her washcloth and quickly wrapping herself up in a towel. The steam fogged up the bathroom.

She liked the steam—she could barely see herself. Avoided looking in mirrors.

Pulling on some leggings and an oversized sweater, she dried her hair and took her medications for that afternoon.

“Moon! I think our ride is here!” Aunt Gyuri said from downstairs, and she quickly put on her shoes and walked down. “Either that or the president got lost in Ulsan.”

Moon headed for the window and saw the Mercedes. The blackened windows look bulletproof.

The two of them walked out of the house and walked over to the SUV. Eunwoo was already waiting outside with a smile on his face. A little old man, dressed in a black livery, got out of the driver's side and came around to greet them. Incongruously, he was a cheery sort, all smiles. With the loose skin on his face, his long earlobes, and all those jowls, he looked like he was melting, though his radiant happiness suggested disintegration was a fine state to be in.

"I am Jeddam," he said, bowing low. "Please allow me to drive you.”

He opened the rear door and Eunwoo slid inside first. Aunt Gyuri was next, and when Moon was settled back against the seat, Jeddam closed the door. A second later they were on the road.

As the Mercedes glided along, Moon tried to see where they were going, except the windows were too dark. She assumed they were headed north, but who knew?

"Wher