Chapter: Stopped Time

"Master, we should stop now." Min Jong said quivering.

He knew that the words which fell out of his words so recklessly could take his life away from him. He looked at Han Gyeol who was right now standing in front of a mirror while his left hand was holding the willow wand, ready to work according to the spell. Han Gyeol looked back at Min Jong and Min Jong gulped.

"I can't." Han Gyeol replied.

Min Jong's eyes got widened as he had expected his silence as an answer to his question. But after receiving an answer, he chose to ask further,

"Why master?"

Han Gyeol looked down, and sighed,

'I've- come too far in this and now there's going back and there's nothing for me to do now. So, I'll anyhow find Kang Yu Jun and make him pay for what his family did to me.'

Han Gyeol's face had a few sweat beads, while his eyes were wet. He was in pain, the pain of losing his father.

"But master still-"

"If you want you can leave. But I won't. So get this thing in your mind, this revenge is my life and nothing else matters to me now!"

With these words, he positioned his hand in front of the mirror in which he was holding the holy willow wand and whispered a spell which was inaudible even to Min Jong.

Soon the mirror's surface turned into a semi-solid surface and began to wiggle. Black clouds started to form in their surrounding in the sky and some deep thunders led to bright lightening. Han Gyeol's reflection disappeared from the mirror and the colour of the surface changed into blackish blue.

After some seconds Han Gyeol went inside the mirror followed by Min Jong. No one was aware of what had happened just a second ago. Neither anyone saw the bright lightening and forming of black clouds nor did anyone hear the deep earth trembling thundering. Everyone near that locality felt the day as usual except for the two.

The one who followed them straight into the mirror, the other who could see the danger approaching nearer and nearer day by day, who knew that Kang Yu Jun has to face his enemy sooner or later. Someone, who could see all this even if being faraway on a distance which can't even be calculated...

***

Here time which was stopped all of a sudden made Do Yun think.

"What is today's date?" He thought and looked at the calendar on his left hanging on the wall.

"Third of March? Right, it's that date." He whispered again.

He looked at the people who were still frozen.

"So, does it mean that...I can- can even stop time?"

At this thought of him, his eyes got widened and his breath got hitched. He looked here and there and started to think about how can he undo this move of his. He thought about what he did which stopped the time and suddenly he remembered what had happened earlier.

He closed his eyes and snapped his finger, and opened it again just to find everyone still frozen. He got panicked and snapped twice thrice but nothing worked. He closed his eyes again to concentrate fully only to hear a ticking sound out of nowhere.

Soon the clock's minute hand moved and it made a ticking sound that echoed in the silent cafe. Do Yun's eyes felt on the round wall clock on his left above the calendar, its minute hand moved directly from six to eight, while the hour hand was still on nine.

"Sorry for that annoying stare, actually I thought that I'd seen you somewhere." Do Yun heard Hyun Soo speaking as she felt ashamed of what she was doing a second ago as she came out of her thoughts.

"But can you tell me if there is still a vacancy for a part-time job?" Hyun Soo continued.

Do Yun looked back at Hyun Soo, averting his gaze from the clock with the same widened eyes but this time his face showed a bit of surprise. He was surprised how everything went back to normal all of a sudden as he heard Hyun Soo speaking. His doe-shaped eyes become bigger soon after seeing everyone move. He didn't hear what Hyun Soo said and just look at her and his surroundings which was all frozen just a moment ago.

Hyun Soo on another hand concluded these expressions of him as if he was angry,

"I already apologized so, I don't think there is any need for you to still be angry."

Do Yun was still confused and surprised, little did he know, that, snapping fingers will not make time move again and this thought was making him crazy. According to his understanding, he hadn't found any solution to what will he do if he accidentally stopped time again.

Now Do Yun was staring at Hyun Soo with widened eyes cause he was not sure what made his actions undo. While his silence made Hyun Soo a bit angry and frustrated.

"Now you're taking it too far. I apologized to you and I promise I won't do that again so, can't you just answer my question?"

Hyun Soo almost yelled in frustration and Do Yun Came back to reality.

"Um-" Do Yun took a deep breath

"I'm so- sorry. What was your question again?"

Hyun Soo sighed in frustration and put both of her hands on the counter. She looked at the ground for a second and then looked back at him,

"Do you still have a va-can-cy?" She replied emphasizing each syllable of the word vacancy.

"Ah! That!" Do Yun exclaimed and Hyun Soo smiled being frustrated and said,

"Yes, that."

Do Yun nodded as a reply and said further,

"You should ask Ms Yoon Sang Hyeon. She's over there." Do Yun pointed in the direction of the old lady.

Hyun Soo nodded and ran towards her while, kept his elbows on the counter's table and covering his head with his hands.

"Hello, Ms Yoon." Hyun Soo said and bowed down as she greeted Sang Hyeon.

Sang Hyeon greeted her back with a smile and asked

"Yes, young woman. How can I help you?"

Hyun Soo smiled and answered,

"By...giving me a job here."

At this confident answer and a unique way of asking for a job Sang Hyeon laughed.

"So, will you help me?" Hyun Soo asked smiling.

Sang Hyeon wasn't able to deny this request and so she nodded. On the other hand, Hyun Soo was ok the ninth cloud now as she had just now got a job. All her difficulties which had been arrived due to lack of money will be overcome now. Her smile got widened and she just bent down once again to thank Sang Hyeon. Sang Hyeon nodded with a smile and started to walk towards the corner table.

But suddenly a thought came into her mind,

"But wait...' She said and Sang Hyeon turned around to face her with confusion written on her face.

'You wouldn't ask me about how will I work, what salary I'll take or- or anything like that?' Hyun Soo asked and looked at the lady standing in front of her.

Sang Hyeon shook her head

"You're perfect for this job, I...was waiting for you." She said and went on her way. leaving behind Hyun Soo who was a bit baffled by her answer.

"So, from when should I start?" Hyun Soo asked standing in the same place.

"If you want, so, from now or else from tomorrow." Sang Hyeon replied politely moving far from her

"I'll start from today! And I promise I'll do my best ma'am." Hyun Soo said confidently.

"As you wish" Sang Hyeon replied to her and Hyun Soo nodded.

She went to the counter and stood beside Do Yun,

"5, 10, 15 and 25. It means after every five years." Do Yun breathed heavily and murmured again.

"How many more to go?"

He was lost in his thoughts while Hyun Soo wondered what he was murmuring standing beside him. To eavesdrop on his murmur she bent a bit and took her ears towards him.

"Healing, memory destruction, weapon manipulation and now...now, time stopping. What next, Do Yun?" Do Yun murmured again?

He, feeling baffled and tired of too much thinking, sighed and rubbed his hair abruptly. While, on the other hand, Hyun Soo, listening to his murmurs concluded something else and butted in his deep thoughts,

"Do you...perhaps write webcomics?"

She asked as a bright smile took over her lips and her eye started shinning. On the other hand, Do Yun got more frustrated and almost yelled at her,

"What?!" His brows were and knitted and his eyes were narrowed in frustration while his hands were still on his head.

As soon as he turned around he found Hyun Soo standing too close to him. Whereas, on the other hand, Hyun Soo's heart skipped a beat as she saw herself caught up in such a situation. It was the first time when a guy was close to her. Though she had always been friendly with everyone she still maintained a proper distance from every guy of her college. So, as for a simple girl like Hyun Soo who has been graduated almost a month ago this moment was quite heart skipping.

Here Do Yun found Hyun Soo staring at him again and this time her eyes were widened up while she blushed a bit. Do Yun got more irritated and so he yelled again,

"Hey! Stop it! Will you?!.."