The air grew heavy and damp, smelling of ancient stone and decaying leaves. Young Seon-mi,gripping the ornate fan like a shield, pushed through a thicket of gnarled trees whose branches twisted like skeletal claws against a bruised sky. The forbidden mountain lives up to its name. The wind here did not whisper, it sighed with the loneliness of a thousand years and the silence was so profound it pressed against her eardrums. She felt a growing, icy dread, but the memory of the ghosts whisper and the promise of a quiet life propelled her forward.
Following the Devil king's vague instructions, she eventually found the cave. It was a fissure in the rock face, veiled by thorny vines and the weight of a forgotten magic. From its dark mouth emanated a soft, pulsing golden glow- not the harsh light of a lamp, but a warm, living luminescence. As she cautiously stepped inside, the air shifted feeling dry and strangely clean, as if it has been cleaned by a force of unimaginable power.
He is there.
He sat on a raised stone platform, chained by heavy, rusted iron to the cold rock. His hair was long and wild, framing a face of breathtaking, roguish beauty. His eyes were the true marvel-golden as sun-drenched honey, and filled with a mischievous intelligence that seemed to mock the chains binding him. This was Son Oh-gong. The Devil king, Woo Ma-wang had warned her about.
"Look at you ", his voice was a low, melodic rumble, like thunder rolling over a mountain range. "A tiny little girl. They sent you to me? Pathetic ".
Seon-mi froze, the fan suddenly feeling heavy and useless in her hands. She clutched it tighter.
"They?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
He laughed, a rich, genuine sound that seemed to chase away the last vestiges of fear in the cave. "The Gods, the demons....the devil king. They all fear me. That's why they sealed me here. But not you, little one. You're not afraid of me, are you?
She took a slow, deliberate step back. She was terrified.
"No" she lied
His golden eye seemed to sparkle "Ah. The fan. The Devil king wants you to give this fan to me. A pitiful offering for a great king . But I'll take it".
She held it out, her hands trembling. She had to complete the task.
He ignored the fan entirely, his gaze fixed on her"You know, he didn't tell you the whole story. You've come to free me, haven't you? By giving me that fan, you break the seal that holds me. But there's a price for freeing a great demon. A big one. The world is full of ghosts and evil spirits, you see. They're all attracted to you. Your blood is.... special.
He stood up, the heavy chains rattling and a wave of pure power washed over her, pushing her against the cold wall. She felt a deep, instinctive terror.
"Tell you what ", he continued, leaning in close so she could see the playful devil in his eyes. "You free me, and I will protect you. Whenever you call my name, wherever you are, I will come. I will save you from anything you fear.
Seon-mi stared at him. The thought of a powerful protector, someone to keep the whispering shadows away, was a promise too sweet to resist.
"And your name?" she asked, her fear giving way to a desperate hope. "What is your name?"
He smiled, a wide, breathtaking grin that lit up the cave. "It's a secret of course. But I'll tell you mine, if you promise to tell me yours".
Her small head shook from side to side. "The Devil king said not to.....
" Trust me", he purred. "My name is Son Oh-gong ".
As he spoke the words, he reached out, his hands not touching her, but moving through the space near her head. A powerful magic, a sense of a key turning in a lock, filled the air. She felt a gentle warmth on her forehead, and his name- the beautiful, dangerous name- vanished from her memory as if it had never been there. It was replaced by a feeling of profound, empty loss.
Son Oh-gong chuckled, a cruel triumphant sound. He looked at her, and the gold in her eyes was hard and cold.
"What is my name again?" he asked.
She opened her mouth, and nothing came out. The words was gone.
"My name is....." She flattered, her face pale.
He grabbed the fan from her slack hand, and in the flash of light and sound, the chains shattered. He was free. He stood tall, stretching with a yawn. The immense power in the cave swelled, a hurricane of untamed energy.
He turned and looked down at her one last time. "You gave me the fan, you broke the seal. But you forgot my name. A deal is a deal, but I'm a demon. What did you expect?"
With a flick of his wrist, the fan vanished. He gave her one last chilling smile, and then, in a blink of an eye, he was gone. The cave was silent and dark again, the cold seeping back into the stone. Seon-mi was alone once more, left with nothing but a broken promise and a memory of a beautiful, terrifying name she could no longer recall.