Page 3 of Gumiho Kiss
She took a deep breath as feet rattled against rooftop tiles and a series of dull thuds hit her ears.One, two, three, four.
Chin Sun unsheathed her blade, but when she stepped out of hiding, ten faces sneered back at her, arrows at the ready.Where had they come from?She’d never fought so many at once before.
“Surrender, and your death will be quick,” shouted the leader.
Gwishin withdrew, fleeing south toward the market.More arrows flew by, but she didn’t stop.She had to keep going while she still could.
She cried out as pain erupted in her upper arm.One of the arrows was lodged in her flesh, creating a thin trickle of blood.She stumbled to a stop, then sped back up again as the guards drew nearer.
Just a little farther.She crouched behind a stall full of brassware, heart racing as the guards ran past.
Murmurs filled her ears, followed by a few shouts and more pounding feet.Too many to just be the magistrate’s guards.The night patrolmen must be searching for her now, too.
Chin Sun’s home lay in the center of Sokju, as was customary for yangban and jungin families.Yangban were the highest class in Joseon society and, apart from the royal family, the most powerful.Jungin, on the other hand, were considered middle class and, while privileged, didn’t enjoy the same benefits as their highborn neighbors.
Since Sokju’s government offices were also in the heart of the city, Chin Sun knew better than to return straight home after a night out as Gwishin.Instead, she normally disappeared into the forest at the city’s outskirts before circling back home.
But tonight, she wasn’t sure that was an option.The pain in her arm was making her dizzy, and she couldn’t afford to pass out.She had to get home, and fast.
She hurried back the way she’d come, then cut through some side streets until she reached a familiar stone wall surrounding a group of raised pavilions with lanterns hanging from their eaves.Home.
Would everyone still be asleep?
Chin Sun threw herself over the wall and slunk through the courtyard until she reached her quarters, chest heaving.She went to her secret stash of medical supplies behind the folding screen at the back of her room, then shoved a piece of cloth in her mouth.After slicing off the arrowhead, she yanked at the shaft, the cloth muffling her pained moan.
The shaft came free, but blood streamed onto her clothes.Chin Sun took off her black robe and white underjacket, exposing the wound.She grabbed a handful of dried orchid root powder and pressed it into her injury to stop the bleeding, then began wrapping the area.Now that her adrenaline was wearing off, the burning in her arm was growing more intense.
Sharp knocks at the gate interrupted her, followed by a cacophony of voices and footsteps.Uncle’s voice rose above the din, but she couldn’t make out his words.
Had they found her?Chin Sun’s fear was slick, pulsating, seeping through her pores and filling her nostrils.She ripped the gauze with her teeth and tied it off before stuffing all her incriminating evidence behind the painted screen.She put a fresh sokjeogori underjacket over her shoulders, wincing as the fabric touched her arm.
When the voices outside died away, Chin Sun sighed in relief and crawled onto her sleeping mat.She’d made it, barely.How much longer could she keep this up?At the rate she was going, they were going to find her out soon.
She’d deal with that when it got here.For now, she needed to sleep so she could recover.Her healing rate was faster than a human’s, but her body could only take so much.
“Chin Sun-ah, are you awake?”called a nasally voice.
Chin Sun jerked into an upright position.A silhouette hesitated outside the hanji doors, one she recognized like the thrumming of her own heart.“Cousin, what is it?”
A young woman burst into the room, clothed only in her silk undergarments.She threw herself to the floor, trembling all over.“Unni, one of the servants said Gwishin was spotted just outside the house.Father is taking care of it.”
“Oh, he is?Good.You need not worry, then.Uncle will keep us safe,” Chin Sun replied, more breathless than she would have liked.
Her younger cousin was easily excited, and something as unusual as a sighting of the infamous vigilante would probably keep her awake for several hours.
Sang Mi frowned, then glanced at the door.“I wonder why Gwishin would come here....”She shook her head.“It’s late.I apologize for waking you.I just wanted to let you know.”
The chagrin in Sang Mi’s eyes was genuine, but Chin Sun knew her cousin would do the same thing again within a few days.Sang Mi lacked restraint, even at sixteen, but Chin Sun loved her too dearly to fault her for it.
“I’m glad you told me.”She lifted her mouth into a grin despite the flames shooting through her arm.
Sang Mi smiled back.“Of course.I wanted to make sure you were all right, too.You are all right, aren’t you?”
Chin Sun nodded.“Yeh, but I am very tired.It was a long day.Might we discuss this more in the morning?”
“Oh, yeh.I’m sorry.”Sang Mi bowed, cracked open the paper doors, and scampered out.
Chin Sun stared at the door long after her cousin was gone, stomach still tight.Another night, another crisis averted.
