Page 74 of Gumiho Kiss
Chin Sun’s heart dropped to the floor.“But that would mean he’s spying on his friend’s ...”
Min Joon nodded.“I was shocked when I read the letter, too.I wouldn’t have expected him to turn Kang Dol Sam in like this.”
Tears pricked at Chin Sun’s eyelids.She sat quietly for a moment, then whispered, “But he would if it was the right thing to do.”
Min Joon didn’t argue with her, simply took in her words with a somber look.She’d known Hyun Soo was a good man, but to choose justice over loyalty to his friend ...
Her fingers dug into the fabric of her chima, anchoring her in the wake of emotions flooding over her soul.Heartache for what Hyun Soo must be feeling, anger for Kang Dol Sam putting him in such a position, shame for not recognizing her betrothed’s true character sooner ...
But the strongest emotion that came, the one that overwhelmed her senses, was the love burning in her chest.A love that went beyond fear, and distance, and even self-preservation.
Her head swiveled to Kim Min Joon.“Did his letter tell you exactly where to find the base?”
“Yeh, I’ve got it right here.”
As soon as he pulled the paper out of his sleeve, Chin Sun swiped it from his hand.She scanned the letter, homing in on the part where it stated the base’s location.
“What are you planning to do?”Min Joon asked, voice full of suspicion.
A ghost of a smile passed over Chin Sun’s face as she stood.“Do you even need to ask?”
Min Joon jumped up, head shaking.“Chin Sun, this is a military base with trained soldiers.If they spot you, you might not make it out of there.”
“That applies to Park Hyun Soo, too,” she pointed out.
“But—”
“If you’d had a chance to save your betrothed’s life, would you have taken it?”
Min Joon looked away, crestfallen, but when she tried to walk past, he blocked her exit.
She scowled.“Get out of my way, Min Joon.”
Her friend gave her a wry smile, his dark eyes twinkling as they often did when he’d done something he knew got on her nerves.
Before she lost her temper though, he said, “You may be a gumiho, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting you go alone.”
Chapter27
The Mission
“Over here, men!I think I saw something near those trees,” shouted a sentry.
Heavy footsteps crashed through the undergrowth toward Hyun Soo, but he remained crouched in the tall pine tree he’d retreated to, silently observing as a line of troops in light armor stomped below, torches held aloft.What the guard had seen was actually a moon bear, but Hyun Soo wasn’t about to correct him.After about thirty seconds, the sounds of the soldiers faded, leaving him alone.
For the time being.
After following the map Dol Sam had provided, Hyun Soo had found something much worse than the simple encampment he’d envisioned.The mist-covered mountains above Sokju weren’t sheltering a small band of soldiers; they concealed a fortress.
The enclosure itself was massive, with high stone walls and watchtowers at both ends.The main gate had guard platforms on either side, where sentinels monitored the surrounding area like hawks in their perches, and troops also patrolled the perimeter every hour.Hyun Soo couldn’t be certain how many men were stationed within, but from the rumble of voices each morning during drills, he guessed at least sixty.Enough to be a solid challenge for the police—even without considering the distinct advantage of rifles over bows and spears.If these men marched against the city of Sokju, there was no question who would be victorious.
Was this what Sokju’s taxes had been paying for?A fort like this must have taken years to construct.How had Dol Sam gotten enough manpower and kept it secret all this time?
Hyun Soo had done his best to gather intel since arriving, but progress had been painfully slow.All he’d managed to do so far was listen in on some interesting conversations between the guards.From the sounds of it, Commander Song was not an easy man to get along with.Brash, controlling, and strangely temperamental, the commander would compliment the men on their drill performance in the morning, but then he would fly into a rage that same afternoon, claiming the troops were nowhere near ready for battle.
He was also apparently growing impatient as he awaited Kang Dol Sam’s “expert strategist,” and the general consensus among the guards was that if Hyun Soo didn’t arrive soon, Commander Song was going to march on Sokju without him.
When Hyun Soo wasn’t scoping out the base, he was in the woods, foraging roots and berries or resting on a thick tree limb for short spans of time.A mountain stream supplied him with plenty of fresh water, which he’d been overjoyed to find the day after his canteen had run dry.Birds, deer, and gorals roamed freely through the forest, and he’d even spotted a lynx the third day he’d been here.So far, the wildlife hadn’t bothered him much, but he was always careful not to startle them in case the commotion drew unwanted attention.He needed to stay alive if he was going to help when the authorities arrived.
