Seo Reun trudged along the riverbank, the same twisting path he'd swum through just hours earlier, though this time his feet sank into the dry, cracked soil rather than gliding through the river's cold embrace. The sun hovered just above the treetops, its orange light licking the horizon. His shoulder throbbed like a heartbeat, hot, swollen, unforgiving, where the man called Yang had landed his blow. Each step was a quiet war, a grim reminder of the mistake he had made.
He had allowed that man to live.
That truth pulsed in his mind like a festering wound, rotting deeper by the minute. He had shown mercy. Held back. Fought not like his father taught him, but like some hesitant novice who mistook hesitation for wisdom. When the blow struck his shoulder, when the sharp jolt of pain rippled through his bones, it wasn't just his body that flinched, but the illusion of control he had let himself believe in. That moment had peeled away restraint like a rotting bandage, and he knew then what he should have done: finished it. Ended it completely.
But before he could correct that misstep, they had surrendered and in that brief moment of uncertainty, unsure how to proceed, he simply retrieved his belongings and walked away.
Now he sat on a smooth slab of stone, carved by time and water, his jaw tight, fists clenched against his thighs. His whole body radiated coiled rage, a silent storm ready to break. The forest around him was still, but not empty. He could feel the weight of unseen eyes pressing against his skin like needles, watching, tracking, stalking. He had sensed them from the moment he reclaimed his possessions. Even as he dried himself, as he dressed in silence, as he draped his travel-worn robes and tied his wide brimmed straw hat, he felt those sinister eyes on him.
He had pretended not to notice.
He took a breath, deep and cold, and let his father's voice echo within his skull, that ever-present phantom of discipline: "Anger, if left buried, rots the bones. Let it breathe. Let it move. But guide it, boy. Make it useful."
Those words were carved deep into Seo Reun's heart, for they were the kindest his father had ever spoken to him. The memory of them lingered with him, as vivid as if his father had uttered them just the day before.
What use was it now?
His anger had no clear target. It seethed and spiraled, furious not only at Yang, but at himself for sparing him. For allowing weakness. For showing mercy when he should have shown blood.
With a sharp exhale, he stood. His sleeves swayed as he rolled his injured shoulder in deliberate, painful circles. A series of cracks erupted from the joint like distant thunder, sharp, staccato, satisfying. Then, arms crossed behind his back, he turned to face the trees.
"Come out," Seo Reun said. The words were not loud, but cold, so cold it could have frozen the river itself. There was steel in that voice. Not a plea. A sentence.
Silence.
Not even birds moved. The trees stood tall, still, ancient and indifferent. It was as if the forest held its breath.
Then, in the distance, he spotted a small figure making their way toward him. His heart skipped a beat as recognition crept in but deep down, he hoped it was a trick of the light, a hallucination born of fatigue, though he'd never known his mind to betray him like that before.
"Brother Saaaaa!"
shrill cry shattered the quiet like a cracked bell.
Seo Reun's lips parted in disbelief, his breath catching as his heart nearly stopped. He stared, wide-eyed, at the small figure bolting from the tree line.
Ah Li.
The boy's feet slapped the ground with frantic speed as he ran toward the riverbank. Disbelief crashed into Seo Reun like a wave. He had made sure the child was safe, reunited with his companions before setting off on his own. What was he doing alone? He was still in the simple jeogori jacket and oversized pants which means the child had clearly not gone home with the companions he reunited with.
"Brother Saaaa! Sa.....ahhhhh."
At some point Ah Li started running like a frightened deer, limbs flailing, voice trembling with panic as he called out. The oversized jeogori fluttered like a flag around him.
Seo Reun took a step forward, realizing what Ah Li must have seen to make him flee in such terror, then, the forest moved.
A figure surged out from the shadows of an ancient tree. The man was quick, too quick. His arm lashed out like a whip and snatched Ah Li backward mid-sprint.
"Careful there…" the stranger hissed, voice slick with venom.
Ah Li shrieked, struggling violently in the man's grasp, kicking and flailing with the wild panic of a trapped animal.
"LET ME GO! WHO ARE YOU!" the boy screamed, tiny fists pounding against the iron grip that bound him. "Brother Sa...." he cried out.
Seo Reun didn't breathe. Didn't blink. His eyes narrowed, taking in every detail, the man's posture, his spacing, the shape of the clearing, the angle of the sun. This was no random ambush. They had studied him. And when he annouced that he knew they were there seemed to be when they made the deciding to come out and use the child as bait.
But they had made one fatal mistake.
They had cornered a beast and mistaken it for a man.
The man holding Ah Li was bald, his grin wide and mocking. Three silver rings glinted from his tongue as he let it loll between his teeth. His presence radiated a dangerous confidence and he had a sword dangling at his waist. Then, three more emerged, filthy, half-shaved hair, scarred, and smug. One was twriling around a rope dart, one carried a spear and the third had four daggars attached to his waist belt. Seo Reun's jaw tightened.
Bandits.
He recognized their faces instantly, men from the same bandit group he had encountered earlier. Seo Reun wondered, briefly, if they had followed him all this way just to extend their offer again, to try persuading him into joining their ranks despite his clear refusal. He had already told Woo, their so-called leader, that he wasn't interested. But seeing how they now held Ah Li hostage, their postures bristling with menace, made it clear they hadn't come with peace in their hearts or recruitment on their minds.
Seo Reun's gaze shifted to Ah Li, still struggling in the bandit's grasp, small limbs flailing in desperation. When he had reunited the boy with his companions, it hadn't been some noble act of kindness, it had been a calculated decision to rid himself of a burden he didn't know how to carry. He wasn't equipped to care for a child, especially not in a world like his. But now, seeing Ah Li here again, alone and terrified, made it feel like all that effort had been in vain. Worse still, the absence of any other footsteps, cries, or shouts told him all he needed to know.
Ah Li was lost again.
The man with the tongue piercing threw Ah Li with a careless flick of his arm, sending the boy tumbling through the air. The second bandit with daggers caught him effortlessly, as though the child weighed no more than a bundle of leaves. Ah Li cried out in shock, his voice a sharp, panicked wail as his body went rigid, desperately thrashing in the stranger's grasp. He kicked, screamed, and squirmed, his small limbs flailing wildly, trying to break free from the unyielding grip that held him like a rag doll, helpless and vulnerable.
"What do you want?" Seo Reun's voice was cold, flat as grave dirt not bothering with the so called southern accent as his gaze locked onto the man with the tongue piercing. His eyes burned with a quiet intensity, though his expression remained eerily calm.
Ah Li wasn't his responsibility. The child was a complication he hadn't asked for, and Seo Reun knew better than to let emotions cloud his judgment. The boy's fate, in the grand scheme, was of little concern to him. But being cornered was different. He wanted answers. Why had they followed him, why had they trapped him here? What was their purpose in attacking now? He wanted to understand their motive, to unravel the reason they were forcing this confrontation.
"Boss Woo told you to join us, but you refused," the man with the tongue piercing sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "Which means, I'm here to take your life." He said nonchalantly as he let out a loud, unsettling laugh, his shoulders shaking with the absurdity of his own words. His laughter was infectious, as the others joined in, a chorus of cruel, mocking cackles that filled the air. Meanwhile, the man holding Ah Li tightened his grip, twisting the boy's arms behind his back as the child continued to thrash, helpless and desperate.
"Do not touch my brother Sa!" Ah Li yelled out as he started to cry.
Seo Reun's gaze never wavered, his voice cold and unyielding as he asked, "Did he send you?" He needed to know. If Woo was behind this, then Seo Reun would deal with him accordingly. His father had taught him a valuable lesson about trust and honor. To break a word was a sin worse than death. If Woo had truly ordered this betrayal, there would be no hesitation in Seo Reun's next move. A man who could not keep his promises was worse than trash in his eyes. They were not to be left alive, especially if they wore the mask of honor.
The man with the piercing threw his head back in laughter. "No," he said with a malicious grin, his eyes gleaming. "Boss Woo doesn't go back on his words. He's not the one who sent us and why is your accent different?"
Seo Reun's eyes narrowed, the slight flicker of confusion passing through him. He had to be sure. He couldn't afford mistakes now. "So, he didn't send you?" HIs voice dropped lower, harder, as if the very air around them grew thicker with tension as he ignored the question.
"Are you stupid?" The man's tone became venomous as his patience thinned. "Didn't you hear me the first time?" His words were sharp and jagged. "Your confidence is disgusting. Ridiculous, really. You think you can just walk away? That's why we decided to kill you." He gestured broadly to the others, a savage grin creeping across his face. "We'll take your shiny box, whatever's wrapped in that cloth, and present it to Boss Woo along with your head."
The others erupted into cruel laughter once again, the sound a twisted symphony of amusement at Seo Reun's expense.
"Boss Woo acts all righteous, like he's some noble man, but he's nothing but a bandit who does as he pleases," the man with the piercing continued, his voice darkening with contempt. "That little show with Yang is Yang's way of letting you go, you and Yang might have fooled the boss but you cannot fool me!.. I have all sorts of ways to kill you." His fingers snapped, the sharp crack of it echoing through the silence, his eyes locked on Seo Reun with a cruel, predatory smile.
"Start with the brat."
The man holding Ah Li drew a dagger with unsettling speed, his movements fueled by an impatience that bordered on hunger. It was as if he couldn't wait to silence the thrashing child, to rid himself of the nuisance with a single, swift stroke. His eyes glinted with malice as the cold steel glimmered in the light, a deadly promise that hung in the air, ready to be fulfilled.
"Ah Li, close your eyes!" Seo Reun roared without thinking.
His hands moved before the command finished leaving his lips. His wrapped sword, was unsheathed from his back and hurled like a lightning bolt, his hat fell in the process.
It hit the dagger-wielding bandit's wrist mid-swing with a sickening crack.
"GAHH!" the man shrieked, dropping Ah Li and the blade.
Seo Reun was already moving. He crossed the distance in four strides, faster than thought, faster than any eye could follow. He grabbed Ah Li mid-fall, shielding the boy's face with his arm, spun, and yanked a dagger from the stunned man's belt.
In one breathless motion, Seo Reun rammed the blade into the man's throat ignoring his shoulder that sent a slight pain through him due to the sudden movement.
The man gurgled. Blood fountained. His eyes bulged as he clawed at his neck. Ah Li whimpered, trying to turn his head, but Seo Reun's bloodied hand clamped over his eyes.
A scream tore from another bandit.
He hurled a spear. Seo Reun turned, snatched it from mid-air like plucking fruit from a tree, and launched it back. The weapon punched into the man's belly with such force he folded around it and dropped like a rock, gasping, writhing.
"AH LI, DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES!" Seo Reun shouted because he had uncovered Ah Li's eyes due to the spear he caught.
"Hu… hmm!" Ah Li nodded against his chest, terrified.
Another rope dart whistled through the air.
Seo Reun ducked, the metal blade slicing over his head. It snapped back toward its wielder, but he sidestepped, caught the cord with one hand, and yanked.
The bandit on the other end stumbled forward, eyes wide in horror.
Seo Reun surged forward, dragging the rope with him. The moment he closed the distance, he spun, redirected the momentum, and drove the rope dart's end into the man's chest, straight through the heart. Blood sprayed in a perfect arc.
A shriek erupted behind them.
The man with the tongue piercing, frozen this entire time began to convulse. He backed away, hands trembling, eyes wide like a man staring into the abyss.
He dropped to his knees, babbling.
"Eh… ehhhh… d-d-d-DEATH… d-death… h-h-h-he's death, he's not a man, he's… he's death!"
"Asinine." Seo Reun uttered as he watched the man scrambled to his feet, stumbled, fell, scrambled again, face contorted in primal terror.
"DEATH WALKS! DEATH BREATHES! DEATH!"
He bolted.
He screamed as he ran, sobbing, howling like a broken beast. His legs failed him three times. Each time, he crawled through the bloodied earth until he could rise again. He didn't look back.
Seo Reun exhaled.
His chest heaved. His hands dripped crimson. The river wind caught the edges of his robes, making him look less like a man and more like some vengeful spirit called forth from a story.
"Is your eyes closed, Ah Li?" he asked, voice soft now, touched with the wind.
"Y-yes… can I open..."
"Not yet."
Seo Reun walked to the riverbank and gently laid the boy down and he nodded when he noticed that Ah Li eyes were shut.
He washed his hands, scrubbing until the red ran clear. Then he washed the boy's hair, his cheeks, his little trembling hands, every spot that bore the stain of violence.
When he was done, he lifted Ah Li once more, pressing the child's face gently against his chest.
"Keep them closed."
He picked up his wrapped sword, his hat and his lacquered box, then turned from the battlefield, walking slowly, solemnly, as if the forest itself mourned what it had witnessed.
Behind him, the bodies lay in silence.