Chapter 20: Eunwoo’s mother is dead/my hidden powers

The words hit me like a blow to the chest.

My eyes widened, For a moment, I didn't know whether to scream, cry, or run so many Questions crashed violently in my head.

Was she really Eunwoo's mother?Or was everything true?

I stood frozen, staring at Yoon. Part of me wanted to rush forward, to pull her up and hold her, but the memories of the night and the dream hit me back..

I stepped back.

Yoon noticed immediately. She lifted her head, surprise and pain flashing across her face as she stood up to face me.

"Jina," she said, "a woman who risked her life to tell you the truth has been murdered. She was found in a nearby bush this morning,part of her neck cut with bites,different teeth marks…And you are standing there, staring at me?

Her words cut deep.

"They are looking for Eunwoo now," she continued, her voice shaking again. "They know he is alive. And I don't know how to protect him anymore."

A tear slipped down my face before I could stop it.Could she be saying the truth?

"Oh no…" I whispered and sank onto the bed.

Yoon pulled out her phone with shaking hands and turned the screen toward me.The image burned itself into my soul.

Eunwoo's mother,her body butchered, her head severed. Blood everywhere. Her two children lay beside her crying,

I screamed.

The sound tore out of my chest as I jumped up and grabbed Yoon.

"Oh no… oh no…it was real,She was dead.

"Was she really Eunwoo's mother?I cried,helding Yoon desperately.

Yoon pushed my hands away gently.

"You still think I deceived you? she asked, ‘You actually think I lied? I risked that woman's life because she trusted your father Lee and Because she believed in you."

My knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor,

Oh no… what have I done? I whispered,i had failed again.First was Hae,and now Eunwoo's mother.

I stood up unsteadily and held Yoon's hands, tears pouring freely.

"I had a dream," I confessed. "In the dream, you were chasing me with a sword… and the woman was with you. I thought you lied. I thought you were trying to deceive me."

Yoon's expression softened as she pulled me into an embrace. This time, I didn't resist.

"They already know why I am here," she said quietly. "And even if we don't say it out loud, the walls have ears. They will do anything to separate you from me."

I pulled back, staring at her.

"Jina," she continued, her voice lowering, "have you ever wondered why they haven't killed you yet?

I shook my head slowly.

"You have special powers Jina," Yoon said. "Powers you haven't awakened. They are tied inside you, buried under fear and ignorance. If you could trust me, I would help you build them."

I stared at her, my heart pounding.

"With those powers," she went on, "these beings,vampires both their ranks…would be nothing to you. You could see them. Command them. Send them back to the underworld where they belong."

My breath trembled.

"But it takes time," Yoon added. "And someone else will help you too. Someone you already know."

Her words pushed in my mind.

For now," she said softly, "you need to get yourself together. Remove the fear. Build yourself. When you are ready, I will tell you a story. And when you hear it, you can go ask your mother if it's true."

She tapped my shoulder gently and walked out, closing the door behind her.

I sat heavily on the bed, the image from the phone replaying over and over in my mind.

Another life lost because of me.

Another innocent soul dragged into death because I didn't know enough and didn't act fast enough,

Would it be better if I ended everything and dissappeared just as Raven suggested?

Why do everyone close to me keep dying?

Tears soaked my pillow as I sank deeper into despair,…

I stood up and rushed to yoon’s room,

She opened the door and hugged me,taking me to her bed,we sat as she held my hands.

“I think is time Jina,’

'I want to tell you a story first,' said still holding my hands

Many years ago, Jae-hyun was no longer a shaman.

The villagers of a small settlement on the outskirts of Busan knew him only as an old farmer quiet, bent by age, his hands permanently cracked from years of digging into stubborn soil. He lived alone in a wooden house at the foot of the mountain, His eyes, clouded with old age,

To the world, Jae-hyun was ordinary,but to his granddaughter, Jina, he was simply Grandpa.

I sat frozen as Yoon spoke…

At first, I didn't realize the story was about me. I listened like someone hearing a folktale,But the moment she mentioned my name, my breath caught.

I turned slowly and looked at her,she was looking at me closely.

‘Jae-hyun's granddaughter, Jina....