Before (Akatsuki No Yona)

|07| Goodbye

Early morning, at Hak and Tae Yeon's house...

_______Your POV_______

Stirring awake from my slumber, I yawned as I sat up, stretching out my arms as I dart my head around, noticing that the room was empty.

"What? They didn't even bother to wake me up!"

Finally standing, I walked out of the room, hoping to see one of my companions outside.

"Where are they?"

Feeling a bit odd for not meeting even one person through the hallway, I was about to shout Hak's name when I suddenly caught glimpse of Yona's back and Tae Yeon, seeming as if Yona was giving Tae Yeon a hug.

"What's going on here?"

Waving my hand with a smile, I was about to ask them again when Yona have suddenly turned around, facing me with a dreadful look.

"Ah, good morning (Y/n)... Have you heard? Hak is leaving us here"

Hearing what have happened from Yona, the smile from my face dropped into a frown.

"What...?"

In response to my confusion, Yona forced out a fake laugh, saying, "Hak doesn't want us to be with him anymore. He's not coming back."

(Y/n): "No...! What are you talking about? Last night, Hak told me that he's coming back before daylight!"

Yona: "(Y/n)... calm down--"

(Y/n): "When did he left?"

Yona: "That's—"

Interjecting in between our conversation, Tae Yeon tugged on my clothes, saying, "Elder brother came here a minute ago, saying that he is leaving and just wanted to say goodbye to me and also telling me not to tell anything about it to you and Rina"

Patting his head, I smiled and said, "Thank you for still telling us that despite having your elder brother not wanting us to know that he's leaving"

Tae Yeon: "I... I just think that its unfair that elder brother only bid his goodbye to me and left you and Rina out.

Letting out a sigh, I re-assured, saying, "It's ok, we can still catch him. He just went here a minute ago, he wouldn't be that far"

"W-Wait--!"

Tae Yeon interrupted me from going, his voice shaking, seeming as if he was about to cry.

"Y-Your also g-going? (Y/n)?"

Almost in a brink of tears, Tae Yeon gripped on my clothes even tighter, suppressing his tears from falling.

Crouching down to his level, I embraced the small boy, saying,

"Yes but I promise that we'll come back, maybe in the later years when you're all grown up. Until then, are you willing to wait for us?"

"I... I can wait"

Smiling, I released him from the hug, nodding as I answered, "It's a deal then"

Tae Yeon: "Y-Yes...! I promise that when you come back, I'd be more stronger, and bigger, just like my elder brother!"

(Y/n): "That's the spirit!"

After bidding our farewell to Tae Yeon, Yona and I rushed to the front gates, hoping to catch up on Hak before he could even step foot outside of Fuuga.

Finally reaching the front gates, we arrived just in time to see the man himself waving his goodbye to Tae Woo and Han Dae.

"Hey! Stop!"

Suddenly pausing, Hak's feet stopped from walking, freezing as he slowly turned his head to look, our eyes meeting each other's gaze.

"(Y/n)?"

Running to his direction, I jumped and kicked his sides as he fell down to ground, coughing and asking me, "Why are you here?!"

"Shut up!"

Kicking him again as he helplessly squirmed on the ground, I furiously told him, "You liar! You told me that you'd be back before daylight! Yet now you're here at the front gates, attempting to leave us?!"

"W-Wait stop kicking me! Let me explain—Agh!"

Kicking him again, I stomped my foot down his back, saying, "Talk to the ground and repent for what you've done!"

"I-I'm sorry ok?! Its not like I'm doing this because I want to! There's no other way to keep you two safe than for me to leave Fuuga and let you both live a peaceful life here!"

"Asshole! You're not begging for forgiveness enough!"

Grinding his back with my foot, Hak yelped as I add, "There are so many choices for you to choose from yet you still chose the worst way possible, saying, "It's for your sake!" Bullshit! Are you trying to plan our lives!? When did you become a director!? This is not a soap opera! This is reality and its finally time that you wake up from that dream!"

Removing my foot from his back, Hak slowly sat up, stunned but what I've said, saying, "You know what?! Forget it! Even if you two are with me, you two would only slow me down!"

Finally stepping in the middle to stop our argument, Yona talked to Hak, calming him down with the use of her 'convincing' words.

"What happened here?"

Seeing how Hak had his clothes full of dust, Lord Mundok appeared out of nowhere, adding to his sentence, "I told you that the path you're about to take is dangerous! Now look at you! You've been beaten up to pulp by (Y/n)!"

Hak: "Lord Mundok... Why are you siding with them?"

Lord Mundok: "I'm not siding with anyone, I'm just here stating facts"

After a short moment of silence, Lord Mundok spoke again, saying, "Now that the three of you would probably head off together on another long journey, I guess it's about time I tell you about priest that can foresee the future of Kouka."

Hearing what Lord Mundok have said, I inquired, "Lord Mundok, are you talking about the legendary priest of Kouka? The one that now lives at the northern mountains?"

Lord Mundok: "Oh? So you know about him too huh"

(Y/n): "Yes, Lord Mundok, I've heard a few things about him from my grandfather"

Lord Mundok: "Your grandfather? You mean... Lord Han?"

Nodding my head in agreement, I replied, "Yes"

Stopping to think for a moment, Lord Mundok looked at us and proposed of an idea, saying, "How about you three head to the northern mountains and find that priest? He might be able to tell you the future of Kouka."

Secretly handing me a small talisman paper, I swiftly took the small paper from Lord Mundok, placing my hand behind as I broke the seal from the paper, making me hear a telepathic message from Lord Mundok, saying, "That priest is from the time of King Junam, he is older than King Jnam himself and even older than King Il. He have been in this world for a long time now, he might be able to tell you the secrets of Kouka or maybe even give you clues in regards of what Soo Won might have been 'searching' for at Kouka."

After hearing what Lord Mundok has to say, my eyes have suddenly widened at the fact that the priest that Lord Han told me have actually been alive since the times of King Junam, the father of King Il, and even older than King Jnam himself!

Does this mean that-- that priest have been here even longer than the times of King Junam?!

Wouldn't that mean that he's already a few hundreds of old now?!

What the hell... The more I learn about Kouka, the more I learn that Kouka is such a strange place to be.

____________

Word Count: 1171 Words! ＼（Ｔ∇Ｔ）／

Next Chapter: |08| Falling down the rabbit hole