I'm The Boss's Secretary?!

Haneul wasn't sure if it was the right approach to tell someone to enter a place while telling that it w a place she wouldn't like. The girl named Seola seemed to dislike her and she couldn't understand why. But then, she remembered the gazes the villagers had on her and thought that it might be strange if they instead welcome her nicely.

The house she entered was dimly lighted. Only two candles of medium size was placed on beside the desk where Madam Yoo was sitting and the candles were not enough to give enough lights for the house that was rather large.

Two large men who wore no top clothes and only trousers stood behind Madam Yoo. Something which Haneul noticed is how people respect and regarded Madam Yoo which mean she would have to be cautious in what she would say and do in front of the woman now.

"Take a seat," Madam Yoo offered the seat in front her. "We will only have a simple talk miss, cease your worries. Being you and noting what JaeGil did, I can tell he didn't bring you here willingly. I apologize for his action but this is to protect the village."

The woman was polite, and it eases Haneul somewhat. She understood that in this position she was seen like a hungry large wolf while the others were feasible humans that could be her meal.

"I am indeed the catalyst but I can assure you that I bear no intent of endanger anyone and I only attack when anyone harms me," upon saying this, Haneul saw one of the two men who was standing on the left side frown. She gulped, "My priority is my own safety."

Madam Yoo turned her head as if to warn the man who had caused Haneul to be on edge of her seat again. "Everyone's priority is to safe themselves. We promise that we won't attack you, miss..."

"My name is Haneul. Sol Haneul." Haneul didn't understand how her simple act of wanting to take a light walk in the woods turns out to now where she was questioned. "May I know where I am? At least I could know it, can't I?"

"Currently you are in our village but I am sure that is not the point of your question. You wish to know why you had never seen or heard this village despite having to scout the forest for hours, isn't it?"

"You know?" Haneul asked the man earlier who she knew his name to be JaeGil but he didn't seem to know about the Queen's armies but the elderly woman knew. 

Madam Yoo nodded her head. The woman was old in age but she had the elegance that seemed to never fade. "As you might have guessed correctly. We are witches, Miss Haneul. I am the elder here to protect and lead my coven. There is a protective barrier placed around our village and most of things happened outside the village are known by me as I am also the person who casted the barrier."

Haneul's eyes widened. She was right! 

"All of you are witches?" Haneul questioned. She had only seen women as witches and didn't know men could be witch either.

"Everyone starting the newborn baby," confirmed Madam Yoo.

The woman seemed to be saying the truth, "Then were you also the people who had caused missing people?"

"Woman, be careful of your words. We don't take slanders kindly," warned the man on the left whose frown worsen.

Haneul shook her head, realizing how she sounded accusing earlier, "I am sorry for my wordings. I'm not assuming or accusing anyone of anything. I was here to find out the people who went missing. Do you might know about them?"

Madam Yoo narrowed her eyes as if trying to remember before shaking her head, "Unfortunately I don't think it rings a bell. But if it is about dead bodies, we might be able to lead you into it."

"Dead bodies?"

"It might be easier if you see it for yourself. Come with me," the elderly woman stood from her chair. Holding to her cane, the two men behind her shake their head as if to oppose the idea of letting Haneul see the bodies. "She won't do anything I believe," said the woman while looking at her. 

They left the house and when the door was open, Haneul saw how more villagers gathered outside the house as if they were waiting to see her but the moment she came to view, they were quick to shrink back and went on their way as if they were were just passing by.

"The forest isn't safe," started Madam Yoo, bringing back Haneul from looking around the village where the building was made different, almost old in structure. "Many hungry wild animals spent their time around here. We chose the place for the very reason so the wild animals could protect us but during winter when they run out of foods, some beasts would leave their next to hunt for food. It appears that most human aren't aware of this, leading them to become the meal of the beasts."

"So the people didn't went missing but they were killed by the wild animals," Haneul concluded and the woman nodded.

"As a fellow human being it is beneath us to let the bodies out in the open. Therefore we burry them. It had been one of our work since centuries ago. This is the cemetery for the outsiders of the village," Madam Yoo said, leading Haneul to the place where small bumps were made on the ground. A long and rectangular wooden plank was placed on the head on the soil bumps.

"If this isn't enough for you to believe us, a day ago another unfortunate event happened. Show her," Madam Yoo ordered the men behind her and while being vigilant of Haneul the man left and came back with another two people who carried a stretcher made up of fabric tied to the wooden poles. "It won't be pretty to look at, brace yourself."

Haneul didn't have time to do what the woman ordered as the next moment the stretcher was placed down, the man pulled the white fabric that covered the body.

Haneul saw the corpse for a good one minute before avoiding and looked away. Although she cannot handle the sight of the dead body, she had made sure that the person indeed died with traces of being ripped and eaten alive. 

So this is where the bodies disappeared, thought Haneul. The people who live in the town must have made some short trip toward the forest without expecting the dangers that came from the wild beast. As the witches here live in hidden, they cannot show to the people who were searching for the missing people the victim's bodies.

Madam Yoo made another trip away with Haneul who know stood beside her. 

"There are a lot of women and children here," said Haneul, making a note of what she saw. 

"As you might have known witches are stronger than warlocks. While we have men here, they work to hunt for food while the women live to protect the village with their magic. We don't have a lot of people in our village but if you compare us to other village, we must have more residents."

"Why do you live in a hiding?" Haneul asked, she noticed that while they were witches, they live very peacefully. They were not the dark witches the Queen assumed them to be. While witches hold the most criticism in the kingdom, unless they are dark witches, not many of them are spurned.

"It is to protect ourselves from the dangers of outsiders. As you can see around you, we are people who live behind the growing age and all because of our origin. We are the witches known as the light witches."

Haneul had heard them once and Seoyeon as well. Both of them were surprised to know that this was the village of the light witches. "You are the witches known to be the protectors," said Haneul. "To say, why do you have to hide yourself. Many would welcome your presence in the kingdom."

Madam Yoo chuckled at her words, "Do you know, Miss Haneul. The prison house which we led you to earlier and what that house is used for?"

Haneul shook her head and heard the woman said, "It is the house used to seal the power of other witches except for light witches. When you were in the room, you would not be able to use your power."

Haneul know understood the reason why the men from earlier was reluctant to let her out. They feared that without the room's power she would be able to use her expendable power to attack them.

Haneul heard the woman spoke again, "Most of us fear the stronger and people who held more power fear those who are stronger than them. They fear that one day someone stronger than them would use their power to dethrone them. When one has taste the sweetness of power, they fear to lose them. Such as like—" Madam Yoo turned to meet her eyes as they both stopped walking, "—Your Queen."

Hearing the Queen's name, she remembered the hatred JaeGil showed and she could only see it better on the two men's faces who walked after them that they dislike even the mention of the Queen like most of the villagers would. 

"Do you know the Queen?" Haneul saw the woman crooked her lips upon her question.

"I know her well. Very well. She is someone whom I trusted and also the person who caused my entire coven to be living in hiding again. Do you trust the Queen, miss?" Madam Yoo then asked. Her eyes were black but Haneul could see the faint light hidden underneath the woman's eyes. 

"I don't," answered Haneul without showing the slightest hesitation. "Can you tell me more about your relationship with the Queen and maybe the reason why you have to live in hiding as well?"

"I can tell that but—" Madam Yoo reached out her hand and using her cane she drew a circular motion. The empty air suddenly turned rippled as though a surface of water had appeared as a flat oval mirror and Haneul could easily spot Min Hyuk amongst the forests that were shown from the reflection. "—there seems to be people who wish to find you. It was our mistake to let JaeGil bring you here against your will. If you still wish to find the answer, you can come to this forest again and in exchange, I would ask you for your silence about this village."

"It might be strange for this to come from me, but wouldn't you fear that I can betray my promise?" Haneul asked, letting the woman know of the consequence as it appears she could easily believe on her who was a stranger.

"Yes you can but we have no choice," said the woman calmly with a wise attitude due to her age. "I believe if I keep you here one day you will learn how to use your power as the catalyst to break free from this place and it's something I cannot let to happen. If you leave and tells everyone about our village then I would have no choice but to strengthen my barrier or leave this place to find a new place to live in. That being said you will have no answer about us or the Queen's true nature."

"The Queen's true nature?" Was there still something that the Queen hid from her?

"It would do you a favor if you manage to keep silence. As it would also protect the common folks of this kingdom. JaeGil stop hiding," Madam Yoo called for the young man who had been following them in silence to come out from his hiding place. "Bring Miss Haneul outside it is your responsibility. And miss Haneul, I trust that you are someone whom I can trust. Please stay true to your heart."

JaeGil then led Haneul outside the village. She could see and hear the heated discussion the people of the village had with Madam Yoo, everyone seeming to oppose her decision of letting her leave.

On the foot of the barrier where she had entered from, JaeGil suddenly stopped his feet. He looked at her, his lower face had been exposed and with his hair tied to a short ponytail, he appeared to be a rather handsome man but that wasn't Haneul focus. 

"Have you seen the children from our village, princess?" Asked the man, still calling her with the false nickname.

"I have. What do you mean by the children occasionally went missing. Was earlier not the first case?"

JaeGil shook his head, "Many children have went missing. They lack to control the power and while this barrier that Madam Yoo created for us are powerful, the stronger they are, there would also be a drawback. In this case, the drawbacks is that only light witches could enter and exit. The children often use their power unknowingly and exit the place. When that happen, some hungry bandits would come to sell them. We tried to save them but there is an extent to things we could do while living in secret."

Haneul frowned at the condition they had to live which mostly only held disadvantage for them.

"As one of the residents here, I hope you can keep this place a hidden," JaeGil did the unexpected by bowing his half body froward to show his sincere its and Haneul could also see his desperate expression, "Please help us to protect this village. We might be known as the strongest witches but we are also vulnerable, the children are always the victims in war."

Haneul saw from behind Seunggo, the boy who had went missing and other children who were looking at her form afar with curiosity.

"I won't reveal anything, Mr. JaGil," Haneul answered the man who then lifted his head the brightness, "I might work for the Queen but to trust her was a different matter. More than that, I agree with you, children's are always the victim and I wish for no harm to come for them."

JaeGil looked at her before he smiled, "I expected you to be someone similar to the nobles I saw when leaving the village. But I learned that you are different. You are a good person, princess. I will lead you to the way outside."

Haneul returned the man's smile and she followed him outside the barrier. The first thing she noticed when stepping out of the barrier was how the air suddenly shifts.

By the time she looked at the torches, she looked to where JaeGil had stood, wanting to thank him but the man had disappeared. She then turned to look behind her, finding that the village she had just entered had disappeared, a prove that the barrier had went to effect.

Haneul turned her face when she met another pair of red eyes. "Min Hyu—" her words were cut off as Min Hyuk who had been searching for her quickly shortened their distance and pull her to his embrace. 

"Where did you go?" He asked, worries laced on his voice that melted Haneul's heart.