Thanks to all of you who left reviews. Please make sure to comment on this one. I will try to post as frequently as I can!
If the previous chapter was confusing, please ask me to clarify any specifics. The previous chapter was Choi Young's childhood memory, which he shared with Eun Soo. Sorry, if this was not clear. I hope this helps.
It was a vision of the past. An illusion, a beautiful mirage that would vanish as soon as he moved or blinked – his first love. She appeared in front of Choi Young as if in a dream and he watched her holding his breath, afraid that even the slightest expansion of his chest would break the spell. He knew that if he tried to reach out and touch her, she would not be there. It was a beautiful daydream, his heart became overwhelmed with joy and exuberance she exuded whenever she was around. She was the kind of girl that outshone the sun on a bright summer day and he remained smiling as she moved on her quick feet through the market with a couple of girlfriends, stopping at various stalls, trying things on, giggling and whispering to each other, having fun and full of live.
Mae Hee was alive and well. Younger than he ever remembered her, but her face has not changed much, she was just thinner and a bit shorter. Her hair was braided, not pulled up in a ponytail. She wore a dress, which surprised him, and had a ribbon in her hair. She was a pretty child, innocent of the dark future awaiting her.
Some hurried kid bumped into him rudely awakening Choi Young to reality. The market was real, the girl was real and the kid who ran, like he had dogs chasing him, was none other than Jae Su.
"Stop, you rascal," barked Choi Young, grabbing the teen by the arm. "Jae Su?"
"And who are you?" Asked Jae Su, addressing an unfamiliar adult in the most formal form, batting his eyes at the dark clothed man.
Choi Young was too happy to think about the implications. He pulled the boy into his chest and firmly hugged him. Tears swirled in his throat, making him swallow the strong emotion quickly overtaking his heart. The bastard is alive! He is definitely at the right time. He can make it work!
"Excuse me," the boy was tense and awfully uncomfortable, jolting back as soon as Choi Young loosened his iron grip.
"Oh, yes," coughed embarrassed Choi Young. "I am just really glad to see you healthy and grown up." He mumbled unimpressively to the side.
"Do you know me?" Continued inquisitive Jae Su. "I don't know you."
"I am your father's... friend," explained Choi Young with a strained smile, still turning away, to keep his face in the shadow.
Jae Su stepped back and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. He swept a long look over the general's figure. The man was obviously lying. He did not have a father. The master took him in, but unfortunately he was not his real father. It was a well-known fact in the neighborhood. A fear crept into the boy's stomach. A strange man accidently meeting him in the market... would he be a spy sent by his biological father? He needed to escape and tell the master immediately that somebody has come for him.
Jae Su turned and sprinted so fast Choi Young was stunned in his place till he started after the boy. The warrior cut through the narrow passage between the houses and then over the street that led to the master's house from what he could recall.
He chastised himself for acting so rashly. He should have planned the approach and furthermore, he was not even sure if he could meet face to face with Jae Su without causing serious consequences in the ripple of timeline. As he ran through the familiar streets, rounding corners and evading collision with people, he realized his mistake – Jae Su caught onto the fact that Choi Young addressed the master as Jae Su's father. It was not something that Jae Su was allowed to call his savior outside of the house.
Choi Young knew of a secret passage that the master showed him once. He jumped over a fence and moved the lid off the dried up well, jumping into the darkness. His feet found the footing in a second, while his eyes took a moment to adjust to a faint source of light. He rushed, bending to pass under the low-hung ceiling of the passageway. Climbing up a short flight of stairs he pushed another lid to find himself in an abandoned storage shed behind the master's living quarters. A squeaky door opened up and he was steps away from the backyard of the house where the master resided with his family. He looked for the signs of Jae Su. The boy did not seem to have arrived yet. Choi Young made his way without any noise, taking a position by the entrance wall.
Choi Young heard loud tramping and panting – Jae Su dashed toward the gate of the house, stopping to catch a breath. He opened the wicket and stepped inside the courtyard. A hand covered his mouth and another pulled him back, Jae Su thrashed in the strong arms, but a gently pressed point on his neck put him out quickly.
"I hate to be doing this, but I got to think it through first." Apologized to the unconscious boy Choi Young. He dragged the boy's body to the barn and locked the door from the outside.
. . .
When Jae Su came to, his blurry vision revealed a face of a fairy. She was pretty with big brown eyes and hair color of fire, her smile was as gentle as the touch of her snow-white hands. "Where am I?" He asked looking around.
"Drink this," offered a fairy in a soft voice with an encouraging smile. Her hand offered him support and he sat up, feeling strangely lightheaded. The liquid turned out to be simple water, not some heavenly ambrosia. The face of the woman came into more focus and despite her human features, there was something different about her - the way she spoke. The words had a difference cadence and sounded different, yet he understood her.
"Are you a fairy?"
"A fairy?" She chuckled. "You can say that. I'm a fairy who came to your rescue. And I bring some news with me."
"What is it, noble fairy?" Jae Su heard stories about fairies and magical beings when he was younger, but he always thought they were just tales for little kids.
"The man you met at the market is with me. He is my husband. Sorry about the fright he gave you earlier. He can be rough like that, but it's his charm, you know." And she winked at the bewildered teenager as his eyes grew wider and filled with panic at the approach of the dark clothed tall man, whose face was now covered by a mask, only his almond shaped eyes pierced through Jae Su like arrows.
"I am sorry our meeting was so unfortunate, Jae Su," a velvety low voice trailed from underneath a masking cloth. The man kneeled beside him and pulled up a bunch of hey as a pillow behind the boy. "Are you back to your senses? We don't have much time. My wife, I mean the fairy," he coughed and glanced back at the woman who nodded at him to continue. "She will be your guide into the future. She will tell you things that you need to remember in your heart and keep safely in your mind, understand?"
"Y..yy-ees, my lord," mumbled Jae Su. So the man was not a spy, he just had a magic knowledge from the fairyland.
"Promise not to scream or run to your father. I know you only call him father in the house, nobody besides your sister is aware, so you must believe me when I say I know things about you that nobody else does. So, will you listen quietly and I will explain everything," continued the charming voice of the male fairy. Jae Su nodded.
"Young-ah," turned the fairy to her husband, "I think I should talk to him about the girl first, while you catch up with the master."
"Now?" the muffled voice sounded troubled and the man's forehead crinkled.
Jae Su followed their strange conversation. They acted awfully human like and the more he was getting clarity, the more they appeared a bit suspicious. The fairy lady was beautiful and all, but she was dressed plainly, like any other ajjuma in a village, and the man who indeed knew private information about his life, suddenly was hiding behind a mask, as if he was afraid to be recognized.
"Are you really a fairy and he is your fairy husband?"
The woman gave him another gentle smile and offered more water. "You need to drink, your oxygen was depleted." Her strange words and dialect gave him assurance. Although he husband spoke perfectly, he indeed appeared harmless with her speaking so directly without apprehension toward such a powerful being. Maybe, her powers were greater than his? Jae Su's head hurt from all the thoughts. He scratched it, wincing. Was not his life already complicated? He was hopelessly in love with his non-blood related sister, living under the care of his benefactor, her father, on orphan and an outcast. And now this – a married fairy couple sought him out to deliver some kind of magical knowledge of havens from the future.
"No, it can't be," he said his thoughts aloud. "I'm not that special."
"But you are," said the fairy woman in a kind voice. "You are a fairy special person, Jae Su," added the fairy man with strong conviction. "Get up, we have a lot to talk about."