Phoenix Wings

Chapter 9: "Bin and Bok"

Changbin was not always someone who needed such dire protection. Believe it or not, there was a time in his life when he was just a carefree child, and didn't need any sort of bodyguard. There was a time during his childhood wherein he could play in the streets with other children, he could go buy around the city his favorite bread and pastries without being supervised; and these were one of his favorite childhood memories: being free.

But as his father slowly rose up in the world of politics, things have begun to change.

The Seos have always been rich. They came from a lineage of renowned businessmen and doctors, and his grandfather was a known businessman who established a lot of shops in the district. His father on the other hand, also started with business but decided to venture into politics.

One of Changbin's favorite memories with his mother was during the time they spent their summers in the Ashola mountains. Changbin's mother was frail with weak lungs, so getting fresh air was something his father wanted for all of them.

Every summer from when the young Seo Changbin was seven to twelve years old, they would spend time in their cabin up in the mountains. The cabin was magnificent to say the least: it had two stories: His late great grandfather's library was on the first floor, and they had a huge dining area, a simple kitchen, and five bedrooms upstairs.

Changbin loved climbing up and sliding down the railings of the huge spiral staircase. The place was not an ordinary cabin at all; it seemed like a mini mansion made of thick wood. The furniture was vintage and classy; having aged well with time.

Young Changbin felt that the mountain was his friend. In the mornings, he would help the maid in picking up berries in the garden, and then he would go and have breakfast with his mother. On other times when his mother could not get up in time for breakfast, (they had to call the doctor every now and then), Changbin would decide to just swim in the river just a bit north of their cabin.

"Be careful child, you don't want to run into strangers. Stay clear of the woods and after swimming go straight home." His mother would say weakly; planting a kiss on Changbin's forehead.

The Ashola mountains were sacred to a lot of villager hybrids. It was a place of serenity and worship for some of the hybrids believing in their old gods. But hybrids were a very cautious community, though the Seos have been around their mountains for many years, the hybrids kept well away. They kept to themselves... to which his father does not mind at all. The more privacy for them, the better.

Rangers patrolled the mountains to see if there are poachers though. In their modern world, some evil hearted individuals still capture poor hybrids and sell them into the Black Market for slavery; especially the young ones. At a young age, Changbin made a mental note to himself that if he ever grew up, he'd want to have a platform of protecting hybrids from such cruelty. Little does he know that in a few years from now, the world would get worse, and some unlucky hybrids would still be subjected to slavery.

+++++++

It was on one particularly hot sunny day, when he met his first hybrid friend. His mother took the turn for the worse after a week of battling pneumonia, and was continuously wheezing despite her medications that the maids had to call the doctor once again (They had a family doctor who lived just a few blocks away; apparently this is Bang Chan's father). Changbin was heartbroken seeing his mother that way and decided to leave the house. The burden was too much and was crushing his little heart. What can a small boy do though? Everyone shoos him away when these things happen, thinking he won't be of much help anyway. It made him mad at himself for being so useless. He could not even fetch his mother a glass of water or massage her poor feet. Everyone just shuns him away.