Chapter 25: A night in the forest
Mi-na felt sorry.
Her stubborness had led her into an impossible mission. She didn't even know where to go.
It was at night. She was sitting on a log in the middle of the forest. She was crestfallen, drawing circles with a stick in the ground. Beside her, her pack with all her supplies. Nowhere to go.
She started thinking while she ate an apple.
For a moment, she thought she just had to go back home, to undergo the most embarrassing situation in her life and accept her father's terrible punishment.
However, her rebellious side had the "great" idea of walking aimlessly and asking people about Soul Edge until finding something out.
She was thinking about all that when a man who was walking by a nearby path approached her.
- Sorry, miss. Do you know where I can stay tonight?
- I don't know. – mumbled Mi-na without raising her head. – Keeping on this path you'll find a dojo, but it is 2 days walk from here.
- So…there are no people around here? – asked the man.
- As far as I know, you and me. – answered Mi-na while chewing the apple.
Before Mi-na could react, the man took out a little knife and grabbed her neck, almost making her choke.
He pushed her against a tree and put the knife on her throat.
- Gimme everything you have! – he yelled.
Mi-na spitted what she had in her mouth.
- I only have what there's in that pack, I swear. – said Mi-na shaking.
The aggressor kicked the pack. Two or three pieces of fruit rolled out of it.
- There's only food! Where's the money?
- I don't have any money. – cried Mi-na.
- It's okay. – said the robber. – You've asked for this.
- Please, don't hurt me. – begged Mi-na.
The robber put the tip of his knife on Mi-na's chest, just at the beginning of her cleavage. She didn't know if he was going to kill her or rape her, and she didn't know what she preferred either. However, before the man could do any of those things, someone pounced on him.
Mi-na breathed deeply after being released from that man's hand. Then she noticed what was happening.
On the floor, two men were fighting about the robber's knife. They were the robber himself and Yunsung.
A saber was near them, probably dropped by Yunsung during the fight.
At that moment, the robber managed to overpower Yunsung. He raised his knife but, when he was about to kill Yunsung, he was impaled with a halberd.
The man dropped the knife while Mi-na took the halberd out of his thorax. His dead body fell down on Yunsung.
Yunsung get rid of it quickly and stood up. He hurried to hug Mi-na, who was crying.
- Are you okay? – asked him sweetly.
- Yes. Now I am.
- It's okay. It's over.
Mi-na then realised she was hugging whom she thought of as her little brother. She slowly moved away from him.
- But I could've beaten him by myself . – said Mi-na with a much more confident tone and she smiled slightly.
- Yeah, I'm sure. – replied Yunsung, with a mocking tone.
They both laughed.
- Come on, let's eat something. – suggested Mi-na.
...
After they had dinner, they were talking for a long while, sitting on the log like a pair of old friends.
Mi-na was more confident with Yunsung by her side.
Then she realised that he had appeared from nowhere without explaining the reason.
- Listen, Yunsung. Why have you come? Did my father send you to get me back?
- No, he didn't.
- Hwang did?
- No. Hwang and your father are a little too busy worrying about your father and Hwang. – replied Yunsung angrily, despite of his joke. – It was my own choice, but I'm not here to get you back.
- You aren't? So then?
- If you want to go back, that's perfect for me. If you don't…I'll go with you, wherever you go. – confessed Yunsung, a little embarrassed. – Provided that you want me to, of course.
Mi-na smiled.
- Would you do that for me?
- Of course. – said him, looking at her eyes.
- I was thinking about going back, you know? Now you're here…I think I can go on.
They both hugged again.
- Well, I'm going to bed now. – said her. – It's been a hard day.
- It's ok. I'll stay awake a little bit more.
- Ok. Good night.
Smiling, she lay down on the grass. Yunsung remained a long time looking at her. He couldn't take his eyes off her. If something bad had happened to her…he didn't even want to think about it.
Finally, he started feeling drowsy, so he lay down near Mi-na and fell asleep.