One week after Jimin's curse was set upon the unsuspecting Young Min, a storm began to brew over the mountains.

“Shh!”  Kim Nara frowned, glaring at her stomach as it emitted another unhappy grumble.  She’d been traveling for only two days through these exact same mountains over which dark clouds were currently gathering, and already she had run out of food.  Now, she would have to either forage for sustenance, or use up her meager allowance for a small meal, but first she would see how far she could get before hunger ruled out.

Hoof beats suddenly sounded behind her like a stampede—which, well, it was—and she barely had time to throw herself off the mountain path and out of the way before a band of at least fifteen men on horseback came flying past.  The dust kicked they kicked up temporarily obscured Nara’s view, but she could hear what happened next clearly enough.

“Help!  Oh, someone please help!”

With her heart beating almost as loudly as the horses’ hooves, Nara stayed behind the bushes she had landed in and crept alongside the road until she found the source of the cries.

A merchant family had been caught in the mayhem up ahead, and as Nara peered through the leaves of the bushes, she recognized the large cart of market goods as the source of the wheel tracks she had been following in the road for the past few days.  Currently the band of riders had surrounded the family and was taking great pleasure in throwing things around and striking down the servants while the family cowered nearby.

Nara gripped her hiking stick, unsure of what to do.  It wasn’t like she was an exceptionally good fighter, but she couldn’t just hide there and watch!

To her horror, the band of raiders had now discovered the merchant’s wife and dragged her away by her feet, despite her screams and kicks.  The merchant and his son stepped forward to intervene, and Nara screwed her eyes shut as the sword of one of the bandits rose into the air to strike them down.

Instead of hearing a strangled cry from the merchant, however, Nara instead heard a quiet whistling sound followed by a solid thunk, and reopened her eyes to find the would-be murderer with an arrow straight through his chest.

Before the other robbers had time to react, the two holding the wife by her feet found themselves in similar situations, staring in horror as blood poured from the new wounds in their chests.  One final arrow found its mark in another vandal’s shoulder, and then a midnight-black horse tore into Nara’s limited view, ridden by a solitary yangban.

This noble-to-the-rescue had a bow in his hand, but as he drew nearer to the attackers, he traded bow for sword and clashed with the nearest opponent, whose skills were no match.  Within moments, the other man was on the ground—either dead or unconscious, Nara didn’t know.  Without hesitation, the young noble moved on to his next target, and the merchants who had been under attack took the opportunity to fight back, reaching for their weapons in the cart and joining in on the defense.

Wishing she could do more than just watch, Nara finally glanced down as her hands brushed over a stone on the ground before her.

Bingo.

When one of the attackers got to close to her hiding spot, she took the opportunity to lob him in the head with it.  To her satisfaction, the man went down like he’d been struck by lightning.

With the young noble’s unprecedented arrival, the fight was soon over and the attacked merchants cheered in victory.

But the newcomer was not so easily satisfied.  To Nara’s horror, he immediately turned and began striding towards her hiding spot, and she realized he must have seen her throw the rock at the man from earlier.

“Come out,” he ordered.  “It’s no use hiding.”

Shakily, Nara got to her feet.  She tried to reassure herself that she would come to no harm, but if anything, his frown only darkened once he saw who it was.

“What are you doing over there?” he demanded.

“Hiding, sir,” was her honest reply.  To her surprise, she found the blade of his sword leveled at her throat.

“Were you with these bandits who attacked earlier?” he asked, gesturing with his free hand at the bodies around them.

“What?  N-no!  Of course not!  They almost ran me over!”

The noble’s eyes narrowed.  “Then, perhaps, you are acting on your own, and are pretending to be a victim so you can get close to these people’s valuables.”

Nara could only gape in shock at this yangban and his ridiculous notions.  “That’s not…That’s not true,” she finally managed.

“Then who are you?” he asked.  “What’s your name?  Where do you come from?”

“I am under no obligation to answer to you,” she snapped, starting to get annoyed by his unjust hostility.  Why couldn’t he just believe her?  She had helped them!

“I believe you are under an obligation, since I am the one holding the sword,” the noble shot back.

“Just because I’m not wearing fancy clothes like you doesn’t mean I’m dishonest!” Nara objected.  “I have no interest in stealing!”

The young noble raised a disbelieving brow as he looked over Nara’s worn clothes and unkempt appearance.  “I might have believed you if you hadn’t been dressed as a man,” he said.

Nara huffed indignantly, upset that he had been able to see through her disguise so easily.  “I am a woman traveling alone—of course I would dress as a man!  Bad things happen to women to travel on their own!”

“And yet, here you are,” he replied.

“I had no other choice!”

“Or so you would like me to believe.”

“That isn’t true!”

The young man gave a sigh, but still refused to lower his weapon.  “I believe I asked for your name,” he said.

“And I believe I chose not to give it to you!” Nara retorted.

“Well, I must call you something.  What shall it be?  Thief?  Liar?  Sneak?”

Nara’s jaw clenched.  “Then what about you?” she snapped.  “Bully?  Skeptic?  Prejudiced?”

The noble regarded her for a moment.  “My name is Park Young Min.”

Nara was a bit surprised he had actually given his name, but she didn’t have time to decide if she should reciprocate with that of her own.  One of the merchant’s servants took this moment to approach the nobleman with a timid cough.

“Sir, my master and his family would like to extend his thanks for coming to our rescue earlier,” he said.  “If there is anything you need, he would be welcome to assist you…”

“Tell your master I appreciate his offer, but I am fine for the moment,” Park Young Min answered calmly, still holding Nara at swordpoint.  “Although…some rope might be useful.”

Nara’s eyes widened.

“Of course, sir!” the man replied, casting a nervous look at Nara before hurrying over to the cart.  He came back quickly with some coarsely-woven rope, and at Young Min’s orders and Nara’s protests, tied Nara’s hands before her.

“What will you do with him, sir?” the servant asked, and Nara took some consolation that at least not everyone could see through her disguise as a man.  Curse this noble for being so observant!

Park Young Min went along with the assumption.  “I will take him back to where he comes from and make sure that he never bothers another person again.”

Nara scoffed—she certainly wasn’t about to tell this man where she lived!  They could wander around the country for eternity or until he became tired of her, for all she cared.

Satisfied, the other man nodded and left.  Then, to Nara’s surprise, Young Min looped the other end of the rope around a high tree branch.

“Stay here,” he ordered.

“Wait—where are you going?” Nara asked, trying to keep the panic from her voice.  If he just decided to leave her tied to a tree, she’d be as good as dead if any other bandits passed by.

“I’m going to see that this family is able to restart their journey,” he replied, sheathing his sword and turning away.  With a last glance over his shoulder, he added, “Don’t worry, I’ll come back.”

“But—!” Nara tugged against her bonds in frustration as the back of the irritating yangban got further and further away.  All too soon, the merchants and Park Young Min had turned the bend in the road up ahead, and Nara was left tied to the tree, the bodies of the attackers scattered before her.

“Well,” a voice drawled from the bushes.  “This appears to be quite the feast.”