Chapter 4

Yoon-Yi looked up, slowly following the edge of the sword and along the arm that was holding it. Soon, her gaze fell upon a pair of black eyes that were glaring down at her. They were like two dark tunnels without an end.

Yoon-Yi kept staring transfixed, unable to look away, until a harsh voice startled her out of her bewilderment.

"Who are you?"

"You're scaring her. Perhaps you should let me talk."

Another voice came from the shadows and a moment later a second man appeared in Yoon-Yi's line of sight. His lips were forming a small smile, one that made his beautiful features even more pronounced.

The sudden apparition brought back all her senses. Yoon-Yi immediately sprang to her feet and stared between the two men with apprehension.

From what she could see in the moonlight, the person who was pointing the sword at her looked young, not older than twenty years old probably. His hair was jet black, tied into a high ponytail. A dark colored headband covered his forehead, keeping the kept rebel strands of hair out of his eyes.

The pallor of this man's face contrasted with the darkness of the night, making him look like a ghost, rather than a human being. If it was not for the dark warrior costume he was wearing, Yoon-Yi would have sworn that he was a vengeful spirit, haunting the forest.

The other man seemed to be about the same age as the first one. His attire, though, appeared to be more comfortable. His dress was simple, yet made out of the finest fabric.

If she were to trust her instincts, Yoon-Yi would say that the one smiling kindly from behind his companion was a noble born. But she could not trust her instincts right now, could she? Because if she did, then that would mean these two men appeared out of a history novel.

As another thought occurred to her, Yoon-Yi let out a gasp. What if she was the one who landed into a Historical novel?

The very idea made Yoon-Yi's insides churn painfully. 

'No, but that would be impossible. The laws of physics have yet to prove the possibility of time traveling.' She tried to reason with herself.

"I asked you who you are!" the man with the sword spoke again.

His voice sounded harsher than the first time. As he spoke, the man made a slight movement towards her.

That seemed to have jolted Yoon-Yi from her thoughts. She nervously took a step backwards, trying to maintain the distance between the advancing man and herself. She felt her wet clothes clinging onto her skin, every move sending cold shivers across her body. 

Even though it was a summer night, the proximity of the river and the wind that started to blow ever since she had arrived in this strange place, made her realize just how cold she really was.

"I… Uhm… I am…" Yoon-Yi stuttered, glancing from the man's scowling face to the tip of the blade. "No one." She finally mumbled looking down at her feet.

In that moment she was hoping against hope that this will all prove to be some kind of nightmare, from which she'll wake up soon.

"What's your name?" The man continued with his interrogation.

"Yoon-Yi." She said before she could stop herself.

'Damn. I did not want to give them my real name. I need to be more careful. What if I have really travelled back in time?! Won't my presence here change things or something like that? Isn't this how things usually work in fiction?'

"Where are you from?"

"Chungcheong." She said quietly, thinking it was only half true.

"And what about your family?" he asked coldly.

At this she felt hot anger rising in her chest. Thinking about her family now only made her desperation feel even heavier and, for a moment, she forgot all about the scary looking sword that was inches away from her face.

'What is this, the bloody inquisitorial squad?! Who is this guy anyway? Well regardless of who he is, I do not like him one bit.'

As she was thinking that, Yoon-Yi openly glared at the man, trying to convey her feelings of loathing through her stare. He seemed unperturbed, though. If anything, he looked as if she was boring him.

"They're..." She eventually started to speak, but paused for a moment, a tragic realization dawning upon her. "They're dead." She finally said in a strangled voice.

'Dead?! Ha! What a sick joke.' She thought bitterly. 'Well, technically, if I travelled back in time, my family wouldn't have even been born at this time, so I guess this works just as fine. I am sorry, mother and grandfather, for this horrible lie. But if this proves not to be a dream and I have really travelled into the past, then I am sure I will be forced to tell many more lies.'

"How did they die?" the man asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. Now he didn't look so bored, but rather interested and alert.

"I don't want to talk about it." Yoon-Yi retorted, looking away from him.

"She might be lying." The black-haired man frowned at her. She knew he was talking to the other man, but she couldn't stop the bubbling fury from reaching the surface.

"They burned to death in a fire, if you really must know." She spat with as much venom in her voice as possible.

'Wow, since when did you get so good at lying, Yoon-Yi? And what is with the dramatics?' She asked herself, quite taken aback by her unexpected outburst.

But apparently her strong reaction did the trick. The man with black hair seemed to have been silenced by her words. She was pleased with herself, though she hoped her tone had also played a part as well.

"I think that's quite enough with the questions." The other man spoke for the second time since their arrival.

'You think?!' she growled inwardly.

Yoon-Yi was just about to let out a breath of relief, when the man's next words made that breath catch in her throat.

"You should come with us. It's not safe to be out here all alone."

'WHAT?!' She shouted to herself. She would have said that out loud if the shock had not rendered her speechless for a second.

"N-No, I don't think so." She stuttered, finally finding her voice.

"It's alright, no one will harm you. You'll be safe with us." The man spoke calmly.

He stretched out his hand and looked at her expectantly. 

Yoon-Yi stared at his long, white fingers apprehensively. Then, she gazed up at the man, taking in his features. He had lighter hair than his menacing companion, tied in the same style of high ponytail. His eyes were slightly rounder, making their dark brown seem warmer.

Due to the calmness of his voice, he inspired trust in comparison with his glaring companion. Yoon-Yi felt herself wavering for a second. But then, the image of her body lying dead somewhere on the side of the road made her take a step away from them, while violently shaking her head in refusal.

'Yeah, I am sure you will find a perfect place for me. One called 'six feet under' perhaps.' She ranted silently, watching both men with uneasiness.

The man who previously questioned her, now stared at Yoon-Yi suspiciously.

"I think we should leave her here." He stated simply, turning to his companion.

'You know what, that is the first intelligent thing you have said so far. Please, by all means proceed to do so.'

"Shin, we cannot! She is a woman. We cannot leave her alone in the middle of nowhere." The other man said, appearing obviously scandalized by the idea.

'Oh yes you can. I am sure I can manage.'

"But Jun-ho, this woman might be a spy or an assassin. I don't think we should risk our lives by taking her with us." Shin said curtly.

At his words, Yoon-Yi's face scrunched up in displeasure and her mouth twitched. Nevertheless, she remained quiet on the outside, while on the inside she was ranting away in distress.

'Yeah ok, whatever you say. I am a demon in disguise if you want. Just leave me alone now.' She eventually pleaded silently, hoping they would get the hint and go.

Unfortunately, the other man interpreted her pleading look in the wrong way.

"Oh, just look at her expression, Shin. She must be frightened out of her wits."

'Yes,I'm scared! Of you!' She desperately yelled inside her head. 'Now begone and leave me be, you historical-looking maniacs!'

Just as she was thinking that, Shin turned to look at her. The two locked glances and Yoon-Yi saw a shadow across his features. His hand was grasping tightly the handle of his sword, his face a mask of determination. The tension finally got too much for Yoon-Yi to handle.

"The hell with this!" She cried out, turning on her heels and bolting out of there as fast as she could.

Yoon-Yi didn't know where she was heading to, and she didn't care. At that moment, her sole purpose was to put as much distance as it was possible between herself and those two men.

After barely five seconds, though, her wet clothes sabotaged her escape. The fabric of the skirt tangled between her legs, causing her to fall face first onto the ground. She barely had enough time to protect her face with her hands. Due to the force of the fall, the hair pin she was holding almost flew out of her grasp.

In three swift strides Shin came closer and was now looming over her lying, trembling form. His features were set into the most condescending expression she had ever seen on a person before. At the same time, the man's sharp sword was pointed at her back, waiting almost hungrily to pierce through her skin.

"You're right, Jun-Ho. This woman couldn't possibly be a spy or an assassin. Not with these running skills at least." He said with a sneer.

'Oh, sod off!' Yoon-Yi cursed him inwardly, wanting nothing more than to punch the annoying man.

"See, I told you!" Jun-Ho said, evidently pleased with himself. "Now help her up and let's go. It's getting late. And put that sword away, will you?! You're making me feel nervous."

Without asking or waiting for her approval, Shin bent down slightly and grabbed Yoon-Yi by the back of her blouse shirt, hoisting her up. She felt as if she was being peeled off the ground.

"Hey, I'm a human being, not a bloody rag!" She yelled at him, freeing herself from his grasp as soon as her feet landed on solid ground.

To her utter vexation, saw the man smirk and shrug. Then, he sheathed his sword, while casting a mocking glance in her direction. He seemed determined to make her feel even more humiliated. 

The sight of his derisive expression made Yoon-Yi almost choke with anger and resentment, but before she could say anything, the man had already turned around and was walking towards his horse.

"Oh, you infuriating arse!" She grumbled furiously, shooting daggers at his retreating back.

She clenched her fists so tightly that the hair pin pricked her palm. A few drops of blood trickled through her fingers and she could feel a stinging pain where the metal pierced the skin.

'If I feel pain, then this must be real.' Yoon-Yi thought dejectedly. 

Up until that moment, her mind had been stubbornly entertaining the idea that this might be just a bad dream. Now, she felt that idea sinking into the cold waters of reality, drowning her in despair and loneliness.