The Love That Remains

When I open the door, I walk into another white room. I see four figures standing in the middle of the room. A kid around ten years old smiles at me. He has dragon eyes and a foxy smile. A monk is standing right next to him with a peaceful expression. His eyes are closed.

The third person is a tall and muscular guy with short-cropped blonder hair. He has icy blue eyes and olive skin. He is holding a wooden staff with inscribed runes. A magician.

"Hello, my name is Christian." He introduces himself first.

I give him a polite nod. "Fang Aisa."

The monk doesn't introduce himself or say any word. He just smiles and nods back at me. The fourth person is a tall woman. She has red hair and yellow-green eyes upturned eyes. No eyebrows. Thin pale lips. She glances at me once, then she looks away in distaste. A fae.

Okay, dislike at first sight.

"Pretty Noona, I didn't introduce myself." The little kid comes forward. "My name is Choi Minho. I am not a magic-user or spiritual energy manipulator. I am an esper."

I blink at him with surprise. "Esper?"

"Haven't you seen those movies about people with psychic abilities?" He takes my hand. "Noona is pretty. So, I will explain. There are magic users, demons, priests and the fae. Then, how can humans stay behind? Nature has a funny way of doing things. So, there we are. The espers. We are the ones with psychic ability. We can't do magic, but we have one or two special talents like being able to read the mind or move things at will."

I feel like I am hearing an esper advertisement.

Then, he looks at the monk. "He asked me to tell you that you are not pregnant."

"WHAT!" I yell at the monk. "I am not?"

The monk nods again with a peaceful smile.

"Noona, the limbo demon is a liar. It comes up best lie to make you stay there instead of moving on to the next level." The kid looks at me with sympathy. "He told me that my brother was waiting for me in that city. He always exploits a person's weakness."

I feel slightly disappointed. It's a lie if I say that I didn't feel happy about not being pregnant. This is not a good time to be pregnant.

"Don't be disheartened." The kid eyes the monk. "He asked me to tell you."

"You can read the mind?" I ask the kid. I find him interesting. Before meeting him, I didn't know that there are people like him in the world. Among all the people here, the kid seems honest and least dangerous.

"I can read the mind and see the other world." He gives me a knowing smile. "And a bunch of other things."

I wonder what those other things mean.

"You are amazing!" I ruffle his hair. "And cute."

He blushes under my gaze. "Noona, if we leave this place, will you leave your husband and marry me when I grow up?"

I can't help but laugh.  This is the cutest proposal. "You are an interesting kid, Choi Minho."

He rubs his nose shyly and looks down at his feet shyly. Christian laughs. The monks give me a broad smile. I feel goosebumps when I notice the fae woman staring at me.

"You are here now." Christian steps forward and speaks loudly. "We have been waiting for the fifth member for more than a hundred years. Now, we can move forward."

Before I can ask what he is talking about, Choi Minho squeezes my hand.

"Pretty Noona, we are standing in the blank space between Limbo and Lust." He explains. I guess, he read my mind before I can even ask. "To go into Lust, we need to have a team of five people. Else, the door won't show."

"So, you have been waiting for someone to come?" A hundred year is a long wait.

"I came here around three years ago." He looks at the Fae. "She has been here for more than three hundred years. The magician man is here for more than a hundred years. The monk came somewhere around twenty years ago. Now, you are here. We can move forward."

I pity the Fae. It's no wonder that she is like that.

"Do you agree to join our team?" Choi Minho asks with a solemn gaze.

"Okay." I hope that they aren't tricking me. Choi Minho grins. I realize that the kid has read my mind, but he says nothing. I decide to take a chance on them.

A door appears as it appears in Limbo. It's a black door with a white knob. We don't go immediately.

"The next level is Lust." It seems that Christian has taken the role of the leader. "There are nine circles of hell. First three levels are easiest because it depends on our will only. Lust is the toughest of the first three levels. Gluttony is significantly easy. We are a team. Do not forget that."

"Okay," I mumble.

"We are Team Awesome!" Choi Minho raises his hand happily. The monk nods in agreement. The Fae ignores everyone.

"Team Awesome is a cool name, kid." Christian pats his head. "You must always stay beside me. I will help you get out."

Choi Minho runs to my side and grabs my hand. "Thank you, Hyung. But I will stay with pretty Noona. She is my first love."

Christian laughs heartily. I smile at the kid. "I am taken though."

"Love is love~" He winks at me. "Hell is a long time. I want to protect my first love."

"Fine." I don't know why I like this cheesy kid. I have a good feeling about him. I pinch his cheek. "When we get out, I will treat you to a meal."

"It's a promise." He raises his pinkie finger.

I curl my pinkie finger around his. "Promise." 

********AUTHOR'S NOTE********

Read Choi Minho's Novel :- SUPERNATURAL INVESTIGATION 101: CHRONICLES OF NAKASHIMA WAKANA