Give & Take

Awkward Handshake

"Oh, grandmama. Don't trouble the hero with things like this."

"No, tell me. What's happening?"

The girl hesitated but one gentle look from Minhyun made her spill the beans. "It's just that the crops haven't been growing well again. We thought the dark plague was over but something has been happening to everyone's crops recently. The earth is dying all around is. We don't know how much longer we can survive this famine. I'm really sorry, sir. My grandmama keeps blaming it on this... Death god but many of us younger ones don't even know who that is. We think it's just a myth but most old folks tell us to steer clear of the man."

But Minhyun knew it wasn't a myth. Dongho was real. And it seemed like he had something to do with the dark plague that had hit the slums area years ago, resulting in loss of plot lands, houses and lives spanning over acres. But he wasn't sure how. Baekho's powers only affected things that he touched, right?

"I see. I'll tell the mayor and see if we can do anything about it. Thank you so much. Thank you for letting me speak with you too, ma'am." Minhyun bowed and left the house, joining his two guards who waited for him.

After 10 more minutes, he reached the house of the family target but before he could even get down his horse to enter the house, a lady bolted while holding a child's hand from the back door. Minhyun lifted his hand and motioned for his guards to cut their path off as he followed from behind. The two dashed off and their horses blocked the lady's path, circling her and the child. Minhyun's horse strutted up and he took notice of her dress. It didn't look like it fit in the slums. At the very least, it belonged somewhere between the mid tier and high tier living cost but it was so tattered and dirty that it could be easily mistaken for a rag. Seeing no path to escape, the lady turned until she saw Minhyun and fell to her knees. That was when he saw her tear stained cheeks and pale complexion.

"Please. Please spare my child. You can kill me but don't touch him," she begged him with a broken voice while the child just held onto her tightly with frightened eyes. Minhyun hopped down the horse, hand reaching for the handle of his sword. He stopped in front of them as she bowed lowly.

"Where is your husband?" Minhyun asked and she looked up at him, still choking on her sobs as she coughed. Minhyun gasped quietly when he saw blood but he kept silent about it.

"I don't know. He's been missing for days but he told us to run..."

Days? Minhyun raised his brows. "You husband doesn't happen to be Lord Jung, is he?" It was slight but he could somehow see a bit of the male that had fallen in his hands in the face of the little child.

"Yes, yes. That's my husband. Have you seen him, hero?"

Minhyun stiffened, hand clutching onto his sword. Hero. Suddenly there was a conflict in his heart. Baekho crossed his thoughts and he thought about the other's request to not kill people for his sake. But this wasn't for his sake. This was for the town but he couldn't seem to draw his sword and strike them down like how he always do. "I... I have seen him."

"Is he safe?"

Minhyun gulped, tightening his grip and frowning. "You... Your husband..." The sound of his neck snapping resounded in Minhyun's head as he let go of the sword. He couldn't do this. They were of no harm to Baekho. Somehow that thought made him take a step back. "You should leave. Go to the next town. Your husband would have wanted that."

"You're letting them go, sir?" a guard asked and Minhyun shot a glare at him.

"Yes. Go now."

"Thank you. Thank you," the lady cried as she pulled her child up and started running.