Win No Matter What

CHAPTER 19 - TRUTH UNTOLD

Principal Bang convinces you that the best course of action right now is not to say anything to the guys until he knows for sure the intentions of Lord Luciferous. You agree to keep quiet for now, but you don't think they should be left in the dark for too long. Principal Bang agrees with you and promises to touch base with you soon.

After you leave him, you decide to speak to your Mother and ask her what she knows about Lord Luciferous. You make the call, a bit nervously as you haven't spoken to her or your brother since you started at the Academy. Your Mother is thrilled to hear from you, making you feel even more guilty for not getting in touch sooner.

"Rumi, it's so nice to hear your voice! How is the Academy? Is it as you hoped it would be? How are the students?" she asks enthusiastically.

"Everyone at the Academy is great Amma, the students are keen to learn, the teachers are friendly. I'm very happy here," you reply, trying not to let your voice betray your true emotions. "Amma, there's something I need to ask you and it's really imperative that you tell me everything you know," you pause slightly, "I need to know about malspirits and Lord Luciferous."

There is a sharp intake of breath at the other end of the line, and then silence. Your Mother is clearly gathering her thoughts. I wish I had Yoongi's mind-reading skills right now, you think.

"Rumi, I don't know what's going on over there and I don't think I want to know, but I completely trust you and your judgement. So if you need to know about them, you must have a good reason. I will tell you everything." You listen very carefully to what your Mother continues to say.

"Do you remember my distant cousin, Lee Jeong-eun? Well, about a year or so before you were born, she met a man whom she fell deeply in love with, and he with her. They were both very happy for a long time and soon she found out she was pregnant with his child. It looked like she was going to spend a blissful life with the man of her dreams, but one day she found out a terrible secret about him. He used to disappear for days on end every few months, so one night she followed him and discovered that he was from another world where he ruled over malspirits who were demonic in nature. These malspirits are known to attack people in our community. As you can imagine, she was terrified when she found out and what might happen to their child. So she ran away that night and came to our home for refuge. She explained everything to me and of course I took her in. She was safe with us for many months and gave birth to a son. I gave birth to you soon after. About a year had passed until Lord Luciferous, after discovering where she was, came looking for her. I had cast a protective charm around the house, in case of his sudden arrival, so thankfully he couldn't come in. I can still remember every word he said."

"Jeong-eun let me in!" he bellowed "Our son is the heir to my throne and will eventually have to return to his rightful home. Come back with me and no harm will come to both of you. He must fulfil his destiny as a powerful ruler. If you refuse to come back, both our unborn child and your cousin's daughter will suffer as I am now. They too will suffer the loss of love."

Your Mother continues, "It took all of Aunt Jeong-eun's willpower and strength to refuse him. He eventually left, but your aunt lived a life in constant fear of her son being taken. As a precaution, I immediately put that locket around your neck, scared Lord Luciferous might one day take you too. Thankfully he never found either of you because of the powerful cloaking charms we put on you. Your Aunt decided to never tell her son who his Father was so that he could live a fairly normal life. To this day, he doesn't what terrible future awaits him if Lord Luciferous ever finds him."

You interrupt your Mother to ask, "Was Aunt's son's name Park Ji Min?"

"Yes he was! How do you know?" your Mother asks surprised.

"He's a teacher here at the Academy Amma, and whatever normal life he had before, he doesn't have one now."