By Zephyria 
87
The entire iron fence vibrated with a metallic twang. Such an impact would be painful, but the Devouring Ghoul showed no sign of distress, continuing to hurl itself against the fence.
Kaa-aack! Kak, ka-gak, kaa-aack, kak!
It reached its hands through the fence, clawing wildly at the air, desperately trying to shove its head through the gaps. Saw-like teeth scraped against the metal. Red eyes never left Ho-eun and Seong-im for a moment.
“Haa, haa……”
“Haa……”
Ho-eun and Seong-im watched the Devouring Ghoul, panting heavily. Their breaths formed cloudy puffs in the air. Thick raindrops continued to pelt their heads.
They couldn’t move for a moment. Their trembling limbs refused to cooperate. Even Seong-im, who was always so upright, slumped her shoulders and gasped for breath.
Ho-eun wiped the rain and sweat from his face with the back of his hand. Then, he checked on Jeong-woo and made sure Seong-im wasn’t hurt. Only then did he look at the Devouring Ghoul.
Krrr…
The Devouring Ghoul was pressing against the fence with all its might, making a strange noise. It forced its head through the gaps, tearing its mouth, crushing its gums, even cracking its teeth, but it desperately tried to get through.
And with that terrible hunger, the fence began to bend with creaking sounds. Ho-eun grabbed Seong-im’s elbow and pulled her back.
“Ah, we should go inside. Quickly.”
Seong-im nodded and stood up. Ho-eun, following her, belatedly looked up at the church.
The church wasn’t that big. It was definitely smaller than the churches in Hanyang. If people were packed in tightly, it seemed like it could barely hold about a hundred.
Still, the roof was high, the walls looked solid, and there was a thick iron door. Judging by the intact fence and walls, there probably weren’t any Devouring Ghouls inside.
Seong-im brushed the mud off her sword and approached the door first. Ho-eun walked backward, keeping his eyes on the Devouring Ghoul.
“……”
Seong-im put her ear to the door, trying to hear any sounds inside. But there was nothing. She grabbed the D-shaped handle and pulled. It wouldn’t budge. It seemed to be locked from the inside.
“……”
Seeing that, Ho-eun bit his lip. It reminded him of what happened at the shelter. He worried that it might be full of nobles again. But even if that were the case, they had to go in this time. There was no other choice.
Ho-eun poked Seong-im’s shoulder to switch places. Then, after taking a short, deep breath, he knocked on the door, thump, thump, thump.
“Is anyone there? Please open the door.”
But his voice was drowned out by the rain. So he stood close to the door and said again.
“Please, there’s a woman and a child here. Please open the door.”
Ho-eun chewed on his lower lip. He had a bad feeling. Even if they had come alone, there was no guarantee they would have been let in, but now they had brought a Devouring Ghoul with them.
What if they didn’t open the door? Aside from the Devouring Ghoul, his body temperature was dropping rapidly. His cold, numb fingertips were losing sensation. His vision was blurring.
Please, just, open the door.
Why do people have to be so cruel to each other?
Staggering, Ho-eun leaned his forehead against the iron door. Then, breathing out, he pleaded again.
“Please……”
But before he could finish, the door began to vibrate. He felt a tremor from the other side, as if someone was unlocking the bolt. Ho-eun, who had almost lost consciousness, suddenly lifted his head. Then he took a step back.
Soon, the rattling door creaked open. Ho-eun, without even checking if the church was safe, went inside with Jeong-woo in his arms. Then, turning back, he called out to Seong-im.
“Seong-im!”
At his call, Seong-im, keeping her eyes fixed on the Devouring Ghoul, backed into the church. As the three of them passed through the door, it slammed shut with a heavy sound.
The thud echoed heavily inside the stone church. After that sound, someone could be heard locking the bolt.
“Haa, haa……”
Ho-eun gasped for breath. Then, staggering, he grabbed the back of a long chair nearby. Just having a door between him and the Devouring Ghoul made him relax. His knees felt like they were melting.
Seong-im grabbed Ho-eun’s elbow to support him. Ho-eun patted her wrist to show that he was okay. Then he lifted his head. He didn’t know who was inside, but he had to thank them for opening the door and saving them.
But the interior was completely dark. The only light came from the pale blue moonlight filtering through the high windows. Even that was murky because of the rain, so it was impossible to tell if anyone was there, or even if there was anyone at all.
Moreover, there was no sound. They should have asked who we were, why we came, if we were nobles, but they didn’t.
Ho-eun felt it. Those in the darkness were wary of him and Seong-im. Which meant they could kick him and Seong-im out at any time if they didn’t like them.
“……”
Ho-eun swallowed hard and hugged Jeong-woo tighter. Seong-im also raised her sword and stood close to Ho-eun.
Just then, there was a soft rustling sound, then a flicker. A candle was lit.
The faces revealed in the crimson light were… none other than young girls.
About six girls, who looked to be around thirteen or fourteen, huddled together near the candle. Their braided hair was tied with Hair Ties of different colors, and they wore neat but comfortable everyday hanboks.
Their wide eyes looked at Ho-eun and Seong-im with fear.
“Ha……”
Ho-eun let go of all his wariness at those young faces. Compared to the Devouring Ghoul or the nasty nobles, they weren’t very threatening.
Relaxing, Ho-eun wanted to collapse on the spot, but he had something to do first.
“Thank you for saving us.”
Ho-eun, with the hand that wasn’t holding Jeong-woo neatly placed below his abdomen, bowed deeply. Seong-im also lowered her sword and bowed with him. She must have decided that these girls wouldn’t harm them.
“……”
“……”
The girls didn’t answer. They stood a few steps away, shoulder to shoulder, just staring at Ho-eun and Seong-im. It was amazing that they had opened the door while being so scared.
After that, a meaningless standoff continued. Silence fell. The only sounds were the rain tapping on the windows. And the sound of the Devouring Ghoul slamming into the fence, thud! clang! thud!, could be heard in the distance. Ho-eun turned to look at the iron door without realizing it.
“Uh, where did you come from?”
One of the girls, holding the candle towards Ho-eun, asked. It was a girl with a yellow Hair Tie. Ho-eun said, “Ah,” and readily opened his mouth.
“We came from the hospital. No, not the hospital, the Crimson Rain Brigade……”
Ho-eun, who was about to start a long story, suddenly stopped. He took a step towards the girl without realizing it. The startled girl took two steps back. The girls surrounded her and glared at Ho-eun.
“D-don’t come closer. Don’t come closer.”
“Go away!”
“……”
At that, Ho-eun stopped in his tracks. And he stared at the girl’s face, illuminated by the candlelight. It was definitely a face he had never seen before, but it was familiar. How could a face he had never seen before be familiar? But it was. Strangely familiar. Like someone he knew. Ho-eun realized why she was familiar after looking at her for a long time.
She resembled Jeong-woo. Her bright eyes, flat forehead, and plump cheeks were similar.
“You, by any chance… are you Jeong-i?”
Ho-eun asked. His voice was softer and gentler than ever. At that, Jeong-i’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“Do you… know me?”
“Ha……”
Ho-eun let out a sigh of joy. He gently shook Jeong-woo, who was burying his face in his chest.
“Jeong-woo, we found your sister. Huh?”
At those words, Jeong-woo peeked out. He looked bewildered. Ho-eun smoothed Jeong-woo’s wet hair. He also wiped the cheeks that were stained with rain and tears. It was the first time they had met in a long time, so he wanted him to look presentable.
“Jeong-woo? My brother?”
“Yes. Jeong-woo. Park Jeong-woo.”
“Really… is it our Jeong-woo?”
Jeong-i approached hesitantly. Ho-eun knelt on the floor and placed Jeong-woo towards Jeong-i. Although he couldn’t run to Jeong-i because of his injured leg, he could still look at her.
Jeong-i brought the candle to Jeong-woo’s face with trembling hands. As Jeong-woo’s face was revealed, Jeong-i’s face crumbled. She ran over and hugged Jeong-woo tightly.
“Jeong-woo!”
“Sister? Sister?”
Jeong-woo groped Jeong-i’s body with his small hands.
“Yes. It’s me. You were alive, huh. You were alive…… I’m so glad. I’m really glad……”
Jeong-i hugged Jeong-woo tightly. She pressed her cheek against Jeong-woo’s soft cheek.
“……”
Jeong-woo was dazed for a moment, then he hugged Jeong-i tightly and began to cry bitterly. At that, Jeong-i also burst into tears. The immature cries filled the cold church.
Ho-eun thought as he watched the two of them. Their cries sounded like laughter. He was amazed that there could be such a thing as a good-sounding cry.