Chapter 9

As soon as her body made contact with the freezing waters of the river, Yoon-Yi felt all the air leaving her lungs suddenly. Her breathing stopped and she felt her mind go numb. That is when she realized what a stupid idea this had been, but it was too late now. Her clothes were soaked through and pulled heavily at her body, taking her further down into the waters.

She tried desperately to swim to the bank, but her muscles protested due to the icy temperatures. It was impossible for her to advance towards the riverbank and soon her head went under the waterline. When her head made contact with the water, she repressed a gasp, trying to keep the air in her lungs for as long as it was possible.

'Maybe I will be able to get back home. If I just let go, I might be able to see mother and grandfather again.'

Those were the last thoughts her brain could muster, and she felt herself slip away slowly. Just as she was starting to lose consciousness a strong hand pulled her out. Her eyes jerked open and she coughed, taking in the air hungrily despite the burning sensation in her lungs. That moment the air seemed just as cold as the water did, but it was lifegiving and she reveled in the feeling.

"What is it with you and rivers?" someone grumbled.

She looked up and stared in shock at the man in front of her.

'Shin?!'

Sure enough, Shin was standing in front of her, breathing heavily. He had managed to pull her out of the freezing waters, and he had done it just in time. One more second and Yoon-Yi would have been dragged to the bottom, unable to swim due to the currents and the cold water.

Looking at her in disbelief, Shin thought it was a miracle in itself that she had not died of shock.

"Let go of me!" Yoon-Yi demanded suddenly, trying to free herself from his grasp.

With not so much as a blink, Shin let go of her arm. Not expecting to be released so quickly, Yoon-Yi did not have a chance to prepare herself, therefore as soon as her arm was free, she staggered forward and fell on the ground in a heap of wet clothes. Her hair was damp and untangled, and it latched onto her face and neck. She was shivering violently, and her breaths were ragged and uneven.

"Let us go back. They are all worried about you." Shin said coolly. Judging by his expression, though, he was not included in those 'all' he mentioned.

Yoon-Yi got to her feet and pushed her wet hair back, her hands trembling slightly in the cold wind.

"I am not going back." She said with a defiant look, as if she dared him to force her to go back.

"So you'd rather stay here like this?" Shin said slowly, no special inflection in his voice.

"Yes."

"Suit yourself then but freezing to death is a painful way to die, I assure you. You would be better off at the house."

"Yeah? Why? So I could be a loyal dog and wag my tail every time someone throws me a bone?" Yoon-Yi said savagely, her eyes throwing deadly daggers at him, her chest heaving with fury.

Yoon-Yi did not know why exactly she had said that. It was like her mind was not working properly anymore; like all she had thought had been thrown away in an instant by desperation. She had read about people acting strangely due to panic, but she never knew there would come a time when it would be her in that situation.

In the meantime, Shin's countenance changed. At her words, his body tensed, and his gaze turned icy cold. He looked like a volcano ready to erupt, his fingers clenching and unclenching slowly, as if trying to release some of the steam that was seething right beneath the surface. Unfortunately for her, Yoon-Yi was too busy with her own thoughts to notice the subtle change in atmosphere. That was something many enemies usually ended up regretting doing after facing Shin.

"There are worse things than that." Shin said quietly, trying to maintain his expression stone-like.

"Yeah, like not being able to go back home." Yoon-Yi shouted, a tinge of desperation dripping in her voice.

"No. Not having a home to begin with is much worse." Shin responded in a cold voice.

Something flashed across his face, but it was gone before Yoon-Yi could register it. For a split second she had been taken aback by his answer, but immediately shook it out if her mind.

"Why do you care if I go back or not?" She finally asked after a moment of indecision.

"I don't." He replied simply. "But I care about them. That family has made me who I am today. I owe them everything I am, and I will punish anyone who tries to hurt them, no matter who they are." He finished in a deadly tone, fixing Yoon-Yi with an icy stare.

She gulped and took a small step backwards looking slightly frightened. There was something very menacing in Shin's posture.

"That's great for you, but I have done nothing to..." She started but swallowed her words as soon as she saw him take a step towards her. He looked even scarier than before. His eyes were narrowed, just two black slits that looked as deadly as two sword edges.

'If looks could kill…' She thought and found herself suddenly backing away again. Despite her stubborn resolution not to let herself be intimidated, she could not resist the intensity emanating from Shin's body.

"Those people have taken you into their home, fed you, tried to help you and how do you repay their kindness?" He said in a low, dangerous voice. "By running away, trying to drown yourself for heaven knows what reason and finally saying you'd rather starve on the streets than be their loyal dog."

At that time, Shin did not know what possessed him to say that. Why was he showing so much emotion to this ungrateful girl? He wanted to protect his adoptive family's feelings, surely, or maybe it was something else.

Maybe it is because she may not even need their help, but was given it, nonetheless. He thought.

Yoon-Yi on the other hand, was thinking about her own family, the way they cared for her and loved her. She was sure that her grandfather and mother would have done the same thing these people did. They would have saved and helped a lost girl, as if she was family. It was normal to want to protect each other, after all, wasn't it? Had she really been so ungrateful as to not see that? Had she really forgotten everything she was taught?

They remained like that, silently staring at each other for a couple of minutes, until Yoon-Yi finally decided to speak. Her words, though, were covered by a frightening noise coming from behind her.

Before she could turn around and see the source of the noise, someone grabbed her and hoisted her up like a sack. Feeling her feet hanging high in the air, Yoon-Yi let out a terrified yelp, clutching at the person who held her.

"You're coming with us, missy." A hoarse voice said, seizing her tighter around the waist.

***

"Let her go." Shin's voice sounded threatening. He took his sword out and pointed it at the abductor's face.

The man leaned his head back and laughed callously.

"You don't scare me, boy." He threw at Shin with a sneer.

Just then an arrow passed by him, missing Shin's shoulder by less than a few millimeters. It grazed his clothes but did not go deep enough to draw blood. A second later, two other men came out from behind Yoon-Yi's abductor.

Seeing them made Yoon-Yi's blood run cold. They looked completely different than the thugs from the other night. These men were dressed in red leather clothes, fitted around the body to allow better movement. One of them held a bow, while the other wielded a long spear. Compared to the one holding her, who was rather bulky, these two were slimmer, fitter.

After his comrades appeared, the man threw Yoon-Yi unceremoniously on the ground. He pulled out his sword and sneered down at her.

"If you try to run, you will die, either by arrow or sword."

Yoon-Yi's insides turned unpleasantly. She was downright terrified at this point. Slowly, as if hypnotized, she nodded at the man. As if that could protect her from the man's threats, she hugged her knees tightly with her arms. Satisfied that he was being obeyed, the ferocious looking man turned his face away from her. That's when she risked a glance at Shin.

Cursing under his breath, Shin was sizing up his enemies. His eyes were narrowed, and his jawline clenched in concentration. His fingers were tightly clutched around the handle of the sword.

'Who are these guys? They do not look like ordinary thugs.' He thought to himself, before being aroused by the leader's hoarse voice.

"Well, are you going to just stand there and look serious or are you going to fight?" he taunted Shin, a leer plastered on his brutal-looking face.

"Only if you're worth it." Shin threw back, raising his sword higher. A strange glint appeared in his eyes, one many associated with an intense fighting will.

"Ha! You're funny." The man laughed again, throwing his head back. His laugh though, did not reach his eyes. They looked filled with bloodlust.

Without a warning, the man threw himself forward, slashing the air with his long sword. It made a whooshing noise just as it missed Shin's head. In response, Shin's sword twirled in the air and cut savagely in an arc. Clanging noises reverberated across the area, but luckily the river bank was empty at that time. No one, except for Yoon-Yi who was trembling on the ground, could hear the clashing and see the sparks that flew in the air.

After three heavy contacts with the enemy's sword, Shin's blade met the sharp end of a spear. The other man came to join the battle, as the archer stood his ground, carefully following Shin throughout the battlefield. It was clear that he would shoot his arrow as soon as he would have a clear shot. That is why Shin kept moving, leaping through the air, slashing his sword relentlessly at the two men.

A few minutes later, the bulky man seemed to get tired. His breathing became heavier and his movements slowed down slightly. Shin soon found an opening and while diving out of the spear's way, he slashed the air with his sword, cutting the man's sword arm between the elbow and the shoulder. It was a deep wound. Blood gushed out in a continuous stream. The man dropped to his knees, holding his limp arm tightly close to him.

Just as Shin was turning around, the other man waved his spear in an archway and pushed Shin out of balance. He staggered for a second before finding firm ground, but that was enough for the archer. He pulled back the string and released an arrow, hitting Shin straight in the shoulder.

With a soft wince, Shin fell on one knee. He tried to raise his sword and felt a searing pain coursing through his arm. Blood was streaming from the wound, soaking his shirt.

Cursing loudly, he pushed against the ground and forced himself to his feet. Stumbling slightly, he turned around to face the spear that was coming in a whirlwind of metal, aiming for his heart.

With heavy effort, Shin deflected it, just a second before it made contact, but the movement made him fall on the ground. The man reeled, spinning the spear above his head with difficulty. He was getting tired as well. Wielding such a heavy weapon never worked for long battles.

The spearman was just about to cut through the air when an arrow shot him right above the stomach. He heaved and fell to the ground with a loud thud. The enemy archer spun around, ready to release his arrow when one hit him in the chest. He toppled on the ground and remained there unmoving.

"Glad to see you're having fun." Jun-Ho said with a wide grin. He came running down the river bank. He had his bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.

"Yes, you know me. Sword fighting for breakfast." Shin mocked with a grimace of pain. His shoulder was starting to become numb from the pain and blood loss. He let out another wince, his knees hitting the ground.

Shin's display of pain and seeing Jun-Ho arrive jerked Yoon-Yi out of her fright. She scrambled forward trying to reach them when someone grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. The wounded swordsman had come behind her while Jun-Ho was helping Shin to his feet. Neither one noticed until Yoon-Yi let out a frightened yelp.

Shin groaned, pushing himself to get up and Jun-Ho already had the arrow prepared to shoot.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." the swordsman croaked, heaving deeply.

His wound kept gushing blood, the warm liquid spreading down his arm. It was obvious that he could not wield the sword in that condition. Nevertheless, he was still a threat. He kept Yoon-Yi in front of him as a shield, his hold on her neck getting tighter.

"Any ideas?" Jun-Ho asked through gritted teeth.

"Not at the moment, no." Shin replied in a strained voice. He cursed again, his mind fervently trying to find a way out.

"Don't try anything stupid, or she dies a painful death." The man sneered at them.

Seeing how they remained still, the abductor started walking backwards, pulling Yoon-Yi along with him. She was facing them, held in such a way so Jun-Ho would not have a chance to shoot his arrows without hitting her as well.

The distance between her two rescuers and herself was growing bigger by the second and Yoon-Yi's mind was yelling at her to do something. In a violent attempt to get free, Yoon-Yi squirmed into the man's grasp, flailing her arms desperately. One of her fingers touched the sword wound by mistake and the man gasped despite himself. His grasp weakened slightly, and Yoon-Yi felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body.

'This is it. Violence for violence and blood for blood.' Her mind supplied fervently.

With a sudden jerk she turned in the man's hold and grabbed his wounded arm with both her hands, squeezing tightly. Her fingers sunk into the skin, ripping the wound open even more. Blood gushed in violent streams.

"Take that, you sorry-excuse of a man!" she told him savagely.

The man yelled and pushed her away, smacking her across the face with his good arm. She fell at his feet quivering. The next second Jun-Ho's arrow found its way to the man's shoulder.

With a shriek, Yoon-Yi scrambled away right before the man fell, hitting the ground exactly where she had been a second before.

Shin grabbed the fallen man and shook him into consciousness. His head lolled unpleasantly from side to side, but slowly opened his eyes.

"Who are you? Why have you attacked us?" Shin asked, his face twisted in anger.

The man let out a bark-like laugh and fixed Shin with glazed eyes. Then, a second later he pulled something out from between his robes. A blade flashed in the daylight and before anyone could do anything the man stabbed himself in the chest.

"NO!" bellowed Shin, clenching his fingers around the dead man's clothes.

Yoon-Yi looked like she was on the verge of faint, while Jun-Ho hovered behind Shin with a horrified expression on his face.

"Why in heaven's name would he do something like this?" Jun-Ho said appalled.

"I have no idea." Shin groaned, getting to his feet.

He was just about to turn around when something caught his attention. He bent down again, ignoring the twinge of pain in his shoulder, and looked carefully at something the dead swordsman had on the back of his hand. There, on the bloodied skin, was a tattoo representing a black sword.