Chapter I;
Wangdda

“Stop following me.”

”No.”

“Go eat grass or something.”

”I don’t need to eat.”

“Then wait home for me to finish school.”

”That’s boring.”

Huffing in frustration, SungMin looked down at the rabbit hopping along beside him. The rabbit’s legs were totally healed already, and that probably would have surprised him if it weren't for the fact he was talking to a glowing, pink, talking bunny. ”You can’t come to school with me. I’m surprised no one’s flipped out at you yet.”

”Normal humans can’t see me,” Yuetu replied very matter-of-factly. ”They’re looking at you for talking to me though.”

SungMin noticed the looks he was getting then and flushed, ducking his head a little. “Great. Another thing wrong with me.”

”There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re my Keeper.”

“And I told you, I have no idea what you mean by that.” Last night had been a mix of trying to tend to his and Yuetu’s injuries without attracting attention from his mom, dad or little sister, and listening to Yuetu talk. Apparently the rabbit was one of what he called ‘spirit beasts’, animal spirits that protected and stabilized the world. He kept referring to SungMin as his Keeper, a human who would partner with him and give him strength.

SungMin thought he had to be mistaken. Surely a spirit beast would have higher standards than the gay wangdda — outcast — ostracized by his whole school. After an embarrassing confession where his crush laughed him out of the room and told the whole school about his orientation, SungMin had gone from the cute and spunky soccer team lead, to the outcast no one talked to and everyone picked on. Or beat up, like yesterday.

”You know, you just don’t want to understand,” Yuetu sighed forlornly, hopping along.

SungMin clenched his teeth a little but didn’t reply. They’d entered school grounds, and the sixteen-year-old didn’t want to give any of his classmates any other reasons to dislike him. Being declared wangdda was enough to drive many students to suicide after years and years of isolation and abuse by their peers. It had already been over a year since his secret had come out and he lost all his friends, and there was a marked difference in SungMin. The lively spirit and attitude problem were replaced by hunched shoulders and attempts to fade into the background. He’d been shunned right out of the soccer team despite being one of their best players.

Though he guessed some of his friends might not actually have much of a problem with his orientation and want to reach out to him, he knew that they wouldn’t because if they associated with a wangdda, they’d earn the label themselves. HyukJae and JunSu had tried, they’d spoken to him briefly in the hallways or when none of their other classmates were around, but peer pressure had pushed them away after the first couple weeks. Now they wouldn’t even look at SungMin anymore, avoiding his eyes when they crossed paths.

He understood why they wouldn’t want to speak with him; he hadn’t really associated with any other wangdda before all this himself. But it still hurt.

Class was long and only barely tolerable. SungMin focused on taking notes and understanding the subject, and ignored those around him who acted like he wasn’t even there. Yuetu, despite his orders to leave, sat on the corner of his desk and observed the room with an air of curiosity. Tapping his pen lightly against his paper, SungMin eyed the rabbit and tried to devise a plan to ditch the animal somewhere.

He knew at the end of the day though, he wouldn’t do it. It was nice talking to someone again, even if that someone was a pink glowing bunny.

”That was boring too,” Yuetu announced at the end of the day, waiting for SungMin to finish up at his locker.

“Maybe you’ll stay home next time,” SungMin mumbled, jamming his books into his backpack. Reaching into the small locker to grab his shoes, SungMin gasped in pain and retracted his hand quickly.

The insides of his shoes were filled with thumbtacks. Looking down at his fingers and seeing blood slowly welling up from three small holes, SungMin drew in a slow breath and closed his hand into a fist. There was snickering from down the row of lockers. He didn’t look to see who was laughing at him this time.

”That hurt,” Yuetu said sadly, watching as the teen took out his shoes more carefully this time and removed the thumbtacks from inside. ”Why would someone do that?”

“Because some people are s,” SungMin sighed, shoulders slumped as he dumped the thumbtacks in the nearest garbage can before switching his shoes.

”You should tell them to stop that,” Yuetu told him in that child’s voice.

SungMin’s lips quirked bitterly as he closed his locker. “You’re braver than I am, little guy.” He’d had the fight knocked out of him long ago.

“Okay, so let’s try this again…you’re a spirit beast.”

”I am,” Yuetu agreed amiably, nibbling on a carrot SungMin had snuck out of the kitchen for him. SungMin was curled up on his bed, working on the mountain of homework he had with Yuetu beside him.

“And I’m your Keeper…why?” SungMin chewed on the tip of his pencil, glancing down at the rabbit.

”Because my power isn’t strong enough,” Yuetu answered. ”Spirit beasts protect against the darkness…if we aren’t strong, very bad things happen. We’re each in charge of an Overseen, the part of the world we look after. Keepers help us be strong enough to look after that part.”

“Okay, so what’s your Overseen?” SungMin inquired, looking back at his papers.

”The moon.”

Nearly choking a piece of eraser, SungMin snorted and laughed. “You…look after the moon. Like the chinese moon rabbit.”

”I am the moon rabbit,” Yuetu answered cheerfully. ”And you’re my Keeper, so you’ll help me keep the moon bright.”

“Why would you pick me as your Keeper? I’m nothing special. Would think the moon rabbit could do better than a wangdda.” SungMin erased a wrong answer, before Yuetu hopped up onto his lap and scattered his papers. “Hey!”

”Wangdda doesn’t mean anything to spirit beasts. I picked you because of your fire and strength. Many people have tried to put that fire out, but I still see it.” Yuetu put his paws on SungMin’s chest and butted his nose against the boy’s chin.

SungMin frowned, pushing Yuetu out of his lap. “I haven’t had any fire in me for a long time now, so quit that. I just want to get through school in one piece.”

Tumbling onto the bed, Yuetu righted himself and looked up at SungMin sadly. “You’re scared, but that’s okay. I still believe in you.”

“SungMin oppa?” The door to his room clicked open, large eyes peering in. “Who are you talking to?”

“Ah…no one, SoonKyu,” SungMin forced a smile for his little sister.

“Oppa…you’re not hurt again today, are you?” She leaned into the room a little more.

He hated worrying SoonKyu. “No, no, I’m fine, see?” SungMin stretched out his arms with a wide smile. “All in one piece. Go do your homework, hurry.”

“I’m stuck.”

“Then come in and I’ll help you,” he patted the space on the bed beside him, subtly pushing Yuetu farther away with one foot. He didn’t trust the rabbit not to make his presence known to SoonKyu somehow. The spirit chittered unhappily, but SungMin ignored the hurt look.

It wasn’t SungMin’s fault he picked the wrong person to be his Keeper. Sooner or later Yuetu would realize that, and leave.

He was caught outside again a week later, cornered in a back street by six other kids. SungMin only had time to recognize them as from his class before the first punch was thrown, sending him staggering back against the wall.

“What the hell do you want, why won’t you just leave me alone,” he coughed, straightening and resisting the urge to cover his throbbing jaw.

“You’re stinking up our air,” laughed one of the boys. He was holding a plank of wood. SungMin’s eyes flitted from one person to another, searching for a break in the line so he could escape.

It was then he noticed Yuetu was missing. So the little bunny had finally decided to find someone better now that he saw SungMin really wasn’t up to being a Keeper. If he couldn’t even defend himself against bullies, how was he supposed to help protect the world?

Someone hit his knees and he went down, catching himself before he hit the ground. Wincing, he shouted in pain when the wooden plank came down and flattened him to the cement. Blinking back the blurriness from the hit to his head, SungMin saw a few drops of red fall from under his hair.

This was it. They were really going to kill him this time.

“Yah! Pick on someone your own size!”

Two arms waded into the fight and grabbed one kid each, slamming their heads together. As the two staggered out of the way, their friends and SungMin looked up to see an older teen standing behind them. The new arrival wore the uniform of a high school not far away, known for it’s delinquent students. And this teen certainly looked like the troublemaking type, with a buzz-cut and no-nonsense eyes. He was well muscled, and very pissed.

“Scram before I have to start breaking bones.”

Someone threw a punch, but it didn’t reach it’s target. Before SungMin could blink, the older teen had blocked the punch and cracked his attacker on the jaw. Then he was laying into the other kids who had been too stupid to heed his warning. SungMin watched from the ground, dazed. There was no finesse to how he fought, and SungMin doubted he’d had any formal training. But he had obviously been in a lot of street fights, sending the kids bowling down the alley with a well-aimed punch or kick.

Finally after he’d knocked a few teeth loose and nearly broken someone’s arm, the leader of the bully group took off. With that, the others scattered. SungMin watched them go.

“Did you have to be so rough on them?”

A new voice made him look up just as another older teen appeared around the corner. This one wore the same uniform as the fighter, but was skinny and stork-like instead of buff and sturdy. He had a dimply smile in place, one that faded a little when he noticed SungMin. “Hey…you okay?”

“Y…yeah,” SungMin mumbled, but when he tried to push himself from his knees to his feet, everything spun. He’d been hit in the back of the head a lot harder than he’d thought. Legs giving out, he shut his eyes and waited to hit the ground.

He landed on something small, furry, and squeaky. Forcing his eyes open, SungMin saw Yuetu underneath him. ”Ow,” the rabbit said; he’d tried to break SungMin’s fall.

The teen who’d fought off the bullies snorted. “What was that supposed to be?” He crouched down next to SungMin and pulled the dizzy boy off the rabbit. “Tell that rabbit of yours he’s not a very good pillow.” He supported SungMin so he wouldn’t fall over again, helping him to stand.

“He doesn’t listen to me anyways,” SungMin mumbled, before realizing something and struggling to look at the two older boys. “You…can see him?”

“Of course we can,” the dimply smile was back on the stork-like boy. He stepped closer, brushing SungMin’s hair back out of the way where he’d been hit. “They got you good…YoungWoon, let’s take him to Daniel. I want to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion.”

“You’re the boss,” YoungWoon sighed. Before SungMin could protest, he was being helped onto the larger boy’s back. Not that he could protest that much; he was still very dizzy.

“Who are you?” SungMin asked, wincing and trying to keep his eyes open.

He was given a reassuring smile by the stork boy. “My name’s JungSu, and this is YoungWoon.”

Blinking at him slowly, SungMin saw a red glow out of the corner of his eyes. A massive bear made out of the same light as Yuetu paced around YoungWoon, it’s glow a bright crimson to Yuetu’s pink. On Yuetu’s other side, closer to JungSu, sat a golden lioness.

“Are those…”

“Our spirit beasts. Don’t worry, you’re among friends.”

[  First chapter~~ Finally up \o/

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