Engaged Soul

It was a peaceful night. Jaejin stifled a yawn before letting his eyes drift off to his alarm clock. He crawled out of bed, still shaken by the dream last night. “Eunjoo ah!”

Eunjoo snuggled deeper into her bed, tossing her blanket over her head. She let out a deep moan, still grasping onto sleep, not wanting her brother to disturb her.

“Eunjoo...” Jaejin called. He shuffled out of his room shirtless and kicked the door open. “Eunjoo!”

“Uhmmm mum mum...” Eunjoo mumbled.

“Wake up, pig snot. Your ass got bigger.”

It was no use. Eunjoo willed herself to drift off to sleep again, but Jaejin was rambling on and on. To make things even worse, he threw her blinds open.

“Oppaaaaaaaa!” Eunjoo wailed, wrapping the covers tighter around her head.

“You’re too young to be a vampire. You’re not eighteen yet.”

“Haha,” Eunjoo said dryly. She kept her head low and stepped off her bed with her blanket dangling from her head.

“We’re not in India, you know. You can show your face.” Jaejin snatched off the coverlet, the light hitting Eunjoo right in her eyes.

“Oppaaaaaaaaaa!” She quickly ran from her room to the bathroom, locking the door as she slammed it.

“Well, good morning to you, too!” Jaejin yelled after her. He returned to his room and waited for his turn to use the bathroom. He fell back on his bed, his hands under his head as he stared up at the blank ceiling. “Hmm...” He let his mind wander off, the quiet humming of the air conditioner helping him ease further into his thoughts.

A soft hiss danced into his mind as Eunjoo finished her morning shower and retreated back to her room. The light voice quietly murmuring something in the back of his head. He strained his ears to make out what it was saying as his eyes narrow.

           

Yoonmi stared. “What the hell?!”

“YOOOOONMEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

Yoonmi looked up from the crispy piece of paper, startled by the howl of her name. “WHAT?!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOONAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Yoonmi jumped up from her bed and scurried to her door, the paper crushed in her hands. She threw the door open and stuck her head out to find her brother zoom across the yard.

“YOOOOOONMEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”

Yoonmi collected the hem of her dress and stepped out of her room, the paper now in one bunch in her other hand. She quickly decended the stairs that brought her downstairs to her end of the yard. She saw her mother emerge from the family quarters, a small whip in her hand.

“Where is he?! Where is that troublesome nam dongseng of yours?! Yoonmi!” her mother screamed, waving the whip wildly.

“Oma! Oma...what happened?” Yoonmi quickly went over to her mother, her hand still clutching the paper to her heart.

“Him! Where is he?!” Her mother stormed over to Yoonmi, her face red with anger.

“What did he do? I don’t know where he went,” Yoonmi said quietly. She placed a firm hand on her mother’s arm. “What did he do?”

“That son of a bastard!” her mother cursed. “Yoonbi! If you’re not coming out, be prepared to be motherless too!”

“Oma!” Yoonmi cried. “You can’t do that. Yoonbi’s still a child. What did he do?”

“Huh! Ask him when he comes to you after I leave.”

Yoonmi looked around, her eyes traveling over every hiding spot she could think of. “Oma...”

“Be good. Oma needs to talk to you tonight,” her mother told her softly. She patted her daughter’s hand and walked back to the family quarters.

Yoonmi watched her mother go, her hand grasping tightly onto the front of her shirt. She looked down at the paper she had squeezed tightly in her hand and released her hold on her shirt. She smoothed the paper out to read, her mind not concentrating on the letter.

“Pssst!” Yoonbi hissed.

Yoonmi looked up from the letter, her eyes darting from side to side. “Yoonbi?”

“Nuna! You gotta help me!” Yoonbi whispered.

“Where are you?”

Yoonbi jumped out of the well and ran to his sister. “Nuna!”

Yoonmi nearly fell back as Yoonbi collided against her, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

“Nuna!” Yoonbi cried.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is Oma still around?” Yoonbi mumbled, not daring to part from his sister.

“No. She went back.”

“Nuna! I don’t want you to go!” Yoonbi wailed, lifting his head up. “Nuna!”

Yoonmi stared at her brother, baffled. “Go?”

“Jaejin!”

“Who’s that?”

“Lee Jaejin!”

“He’s your friend?”

Yoonbi shook his head.

“Who is he?”

“Nuna...you’re gonna die.”