[Novel] The Mirror [Chapter 1 (1/2)]

CHAPTER 1

 

It's just an ordinary morning in Kim's not-so-small-yet-not-so-big apartment. Kim Myungwoo, the eldest, just awoke from his short sleep. 

Since he just slept for only two hours - this is the habit he has been doing since he was 13 years old - and now it's 8.30 in the morning, some noises wake him up. He sits on the bed with his legs on the floor while stretching his upper body and yawning widely. 

He notices another noise outside of his room. He walks on the floor with his bare foot while messing his thick black hair and finally opens his bedroom door.

"Good morning, hyeong."

He knows the noise must be made by the youngest, Kim Minseong, who is now sitting in front of the entrance door and busily wearing his shoes. His brand new blonde hair (he just dyed his hair around a week ago) still looks too bright for Myungwoo's morning sight. He notices Minseong, who is younger than him by 10 years, isn't wearing his school uniform.

"You won't go to school? But yeah, if you go to school, you're gonna be late anyway."

"No hyeong, today I'll go to the agency. I think I told you yesterday."

"I... sorry, I forgot."

"Busy hyeong with his busy mind. I'll go now anyway!"

Minseong stood up and fixed his backpack. Myungwoo walked closer to his only dongsaeng, fixing his hair. 

"How about breakfast? And do you want me to take you there?"

"I'll have my breakfast on the way and no need, hyeong, the van is waiting for me downstairs. So... I'll contact hyeong again about when I'll come back."

"Sure. Please eat on time and don't diet."

"Don't worry, hyeong!"

Myungwoo smiles as he sees Minseong leaving their apartment. Minseong is still young, a bright 17 years old teenager, who reached his dream and debuted as an idol 4 years ago. That's the reason why Minseong barely goes to school, even barely stays at their home. He is still required to live in the dormitory together with another 7 members of his boy group until next year until he can live alone, or in Minseong's case, until he can come back to live with Myungwoo. 

Myungwoo is getting used to living alone and missing his brother. Sometimes they can't even meet each other for a week straight because of Minseong's busy schedule. Their group, THE TOP, is doing really well in Korea and they are even being known worldwide. Just as long as Minseong is happy and healthy, Myungwoo feels relieved. He then walks lazily to the fridge and prepares his simple breakfast: chocolate-flavored-cereal with milk. 

He takes his time to enjoy his breakfast before forcing himself to wash the dishes - the only thing that he hates to do. Kim Myungwoo, a 27 years old man, is a reliable man with a bright future who is working in XTREME ART, a game company, as their production manager. He has been working here for 5 years, it means since the first that company was established. Starting from zero, now he can even afford to buy his first car. 

Around 20 minutes before 9, the on time man Kim Myungwoo will go to his company. He just parked his car when another luxurious red car parked beside him, and the owner of the car shouted cheerfully as he saw Myungwoo.

"Myungwoo hyeong... I mean Kim bujangnim!"

Myungwoo is laughing and walking closer to Cho Bonhwa, the CEO of XTREME ART Company.

"It's in the company, don't call me hyeong."

"Yes... yes... that's why I corrected it right away."

The CEO and the manager are walking inside together. This scene, even though it has already happened since a long time ago, still makes the other people amazed. How come it's not, the two of them are so handsome. Bonhwa himself is younger than Myungwoo by a year, and they have been friends since their childhood. 

But slightly different from Myungwoo, Bonhwa is a golden spoon in his family. He is also very smart, so he managed to establish the company even before he graduated from university. Ever since then, Myungwoo has always become a real supporter of Bonhwa by working here. 

The day is passing quickly, it's 6 PM now, so Myungwoo's working hours have finished. He politely bid goodbye to everyone he met on his way home. He doesn't feel like eating outside, so he decides to buy dinner before he goes home.

"Yeoboseyo? Kim Myungwoo's here."

As Myungwoo enters the apartment's lobby, his cell phone rings. It was a call from his neighbor, Ok Eunbin.

"Yes, noona, I just arrived at the apartment. Halmeoni? Oh really? Okay, let me go there. No, it's not a problem, noona. I'll call you back soon."

Ok Eunbin is a kind neighbor who lives on the 7th floor (while Myungwoo's apartment is on the 9th floor). Eunbin is a busy career woman who is living with her 81 years-old grandmother. 

She tries to call her grandmother who, according to Eunbin, isn't feeling well these days but her grandmother didn't pick up her call. She then asked Myungwoo to check on her grandmother. He is in a bit of a rush to stop the elevator door which is almost closed.

"Please wait for... Minseong?"

"Surprise hyeong! You came home on time!"

Myungwoo is still confused when he meets Minseong inside the elevator. Minseong lifted up the food package in his hand while smiling brightly.

"I thought you'll contact me if you wanna come home?"

"It's a surprise. I had a very nice dinner and wanted to share with hyeong, so I didn't tell you I'll come home."

But suddenly, the two of them get shocked when the elevator door, once again, gets held open by another hand.

"Excuse... Minseong? Myungwoo hyeong?"

"Bonhwa?" Myungwoo said in surprise at the same time when Minseong said, "Bonhwa hyeong?"

"What a coincidence! Why did you leave me, hyeong?" ask Bonhwa as he steps in and stands between the two brothers.

"Did we... Have an appointment?"

"We do! I told you yesterday!" complaint Bonhwa.

"I think I forgot..."

"We said we're gonna have dinner together tonight!"

"But Bonhwa hyeong, I bought dinner too, but only for the two of us," said Minseong with a softer voice.

"How about we just eat in your apartment? I'll buy more food."

"Really? Sure, hyeong! It's been a long time since you visited our apartment!"

"And it's been a long time since I saw you, Minseong. And by the way, why are we stopping at the 7th floor? Isn't your apartment on the 9th floor?" ask Bonhwa in confusion.

"Let's check on Ok halmeoni first. Eunbin noona asked me a favor."

Myungwoo stepped out of the elevator followed by Minseong and Bonhwa. They walk straight to apartment number 706 then Myungwoo presses on the door bell. 

"Halmeoni," called Myungwoo after some time while knocking on the door, but still, there was no response.

"But why suddenly hyeong wanna check on halmeoni?" ask Minseong in confusion.

"Eunbin noona said that halmeoni didn't pick her call and she is currently not feeling well."

"I think we should get in... how if something happens to her?" suggested Bonhwa.

"Luckily I know their password, for emergency purposes."

Myungwoo enters the door lock password: 204125 and the door is unlocked. The apartment looks dark as they step in, then Myungwoo turns on the lamp. 

"Halmeoni?" called Myungwoo.

They look around but they still don't hear anything.

"Should we check into her bedroom?" asked Myungwoo, not sure about his own idea.

"I think we need to, hyeong," agreed Minseong.

Myungwoo knocked on the door of a bedroom on the left side, just guessing randomly if it's the grandmother's bedroom.

"Halmeoni?"

Since there is still no response, Bonhwa is knocking on the other bedroom door too.

"Should we get in?" asked Myungwoo while frowning, he doesn't like this idea but he doesn't like the uneasy feeling inside him either.

The other two men nod their heads. Myungwoo opened the door slowly... and he was surprised. The room isn't dark, there is a string of light in the middle of the room. That string connects the grandmother's body - who is laying on the bed - to the big standing mirror across the room.

"What the hell is that?" asking Bonhwa in confusion, loudly.

Myungwoo runs towards the grandmother to check on her condition.

"She looks pale..."

"What the... OUCH!" Bonhwa tries to touch the light but he quickly pulls away his hand again, "it stings!"

"Hyeong, I don't think halmeoni is in good condition," said Minseong, who was already kneeling beside her bed.

"And I have a feeling it's because of this string," said Bonhwa while frowning, "how to break this thing?"

Myungwoo looks around and takes a book to cut off the light, but the book gets pushed away as soon as it touches the light.

"Any idea how to cut this thing?" asked Myungwoo, now he is frowning too.

"If we can't cut the string, how about the source?"

Bonhwa bravely walks closer to the standing mirror and touches it, but in a sudden, his body falls to the floor. 

"Bonhwa!"

Myungwoo runs to Bonhwa and shakes his body.

"What's happening to him?" ask Minseong, half screaming.

"I don't know. What's happening here?" Myungwoo asked back while looking around the room.

"So the problem must be in this mirror!"

"No, Minseong, don't touch it!"

But it's too late, Minseong touched the mirror and just like Bonhwa, his body fell to the floor.

"Minseong!"

Myungwoo senses danger, but he only has a short time to decide what he should do. His priority is to save his brother, no matter what kind of danger he will face. He touches the mirror, and just like Bonhwa and Minseong, his body falls to the floor.

Just like stepping into another world, Myungwoo confusedly looked around him. Minseong and Bonhwa are in front of Myungwoo, also look around. They seem like in some kind of dessert, the sky is in orangish color, and the wind blows and makes the sand fly around them.

"What place is this?" asked Myungwoo.

"I'm sorry to call you like this... Element Guardians."

Out of nowhere, a woman steps closer to them. She is wearing a long white dress and holding a weapon, which Myungwoo only ever sees in the movie or game, it's a morning star: a weapon consisting of a spiked ball mounted on a medium shaft. What an unmatched appearance, Myungwoo thought. She walks closer to them, so Myungwoo can see her more clearly. She is a young pretty woman with long wavy black hair, but her face is a bit pale.

"What's Element Guardian?" asked Minseong, "do you mean us?"

"Yes. I will explain more later. At first I thought I didn't need to call you this early, but the situation forced me to."

"What do you mean? What do you want us to do?" asked Minseong again.

"You all should go into training but we don't have time now, so let's just fight using your instinct. Here, grab your stone."

Suddenly, a stone the size of their palms flew from this woman's hand to the three men. A stone with bright white color flying to Myungwoo; bright red color flying to Bonhwa; and bright green color flying to Minseong. Myungwoo carefully stretches his arm to grab the stone and his body suddenly feels warm as the stone strangely is absorbed into his palm. He can see his body light out a bright white color for a few seconds as he feels warmer and warmer. He looked at the other two men, their bodies also light out the color of the stone they got. But something more than just the warm feeling got triggered inside him. Something that makes him feel like home... feels like it's him... feels like it's what he should do... feels like he is more than just the usual Kim Myungwoo. And as he stretches his right arm one more time, an ax miraculously appears on his hand: the ax is in gold color, with a brown wooden medium length shaft, and another gold metal part in the end of its shaft. As Myungwoo grabs the ax, he just realizes it feels heavy.

"What the hell is this?" asked Bonhwa, making Myungwoo look at the other two men again.

Not only does he have a weapon, so does Bonhwa and Minseong. Minseong has an ax too, its shapes almost look alike with what he has, but his is silver; while Bonhwa holds a longer weapon, it's a trident: a three pronged spear in gold color. 

"Okay so are you guys ready?"

It seems like Myungwoo was trans, but her voice makes Myungwoo's mind clear again, even though he still has a lot of questions in his mind, but her voice sounds in a hurry, so he decided to listen to her rather than ask her, for now.