Antifragile

“Is everyone ready?” Chaewon checked.

The small group looked around, making sure that nobody stood out. They had to look as ordinary as possible. Altogether there were eight of them. Chaewon, Yunjin, Wonyoung, Yujin, Goeun, Ireh, Dosie and Swan. Sakura and Kazuha had wanted to help as well, but Chaewon couldn’t risk them being recognised. Instead, the two of them would wait outside together with Yuri, Yuki and Chaein just in case anything went wrong.

Kazuha had given them detailed instructions on the specific route the handmaidens always used to ensure that they didn’t look suspicious, and each of them carried a weapon hidden underneath their skirts. All they had to do now was sneak into the palace without getting caught. Thankfully, the hole in the gate Sakura had used to escape had not yet been sealed, allowing the eight of them to enter the grounds easily. Given that it was about 1.50am, security was rather relaxed and not many people paid attention to them.

Chaewon led the way as they followed the path Kazuha had described, soon arriving at the passageway that led to the handmaidens chamber. The passageway was dimly lit and damp, but they had to make do. A couple of guards passed by on their way back to their own quarters, but none of them spared the group a glance.

“Remember the plan. We will walk past the guards first and pretend to return to our quarters, then Wonyoung you’ll distract them by pretending to be lost since you’re a new staff member. Once the bell strikes at 2am, we’ll return to help you knock them out and take the keys. Then we swoop in, rescue Eunbi and Jieun and we’ll all be on our merry way.” Yunjin reminded them.

“Easier said than done.” Goeun remarked.

“Have some faith. We’re bandits, if anybody can pull this off, it’s gonna be us.” Dosie reassured her.

“We don’t have time, let’s go.” Chaewon hissed.

The group, excluding Wonyoung, casually strolled past the dungeon and headed towards the handmaidens quarters. They rounded a corner, but didn’t go inside just yet. Wonyoung waited for about a minute before she put on her act, pretending to walk around frantically.

Wonyoung wandered around for a while, before “accidentally” walking towards the dungeon. The two guards straightened up, staring at her with mild interest.

“What is your business here? We did not receive any orders about a handmaiden entering the dungeon.” One of them asked sternly.

“I’m so sorry, I got lost. It’s my first day here and this place is so big. Do you happen to know the way back to the handmaidens’ quarters?” Wonyoung quickly apologised, using her charms to her advantage.

“Just continue going straight from where you first came, then take a right. Do you need an escort?”

“No, thank you.” Wonyoung said with a bow, pretending to leave.

Suddenly, she whirled around and approached the guards once more. She made herself seem as innocent as possible, trying to make herself seem as little of a threat as possible.

“It must be tiring standing guard here all day. Is there anything I can get you to help ease the job?” She asked in an overly sweet voice.

Wonyoung tried to ignore the leers of both the guards as they studied her up and down, forcing herself to continue smiling. Inwardly, she wanted to poke their eyes out. How disgusting could they get? It was so obvious that all they wanted as to take advantage of an innocent, sweet underage girl. But, she couldn’t blow her cover.

“On second thought, an escort sounds nice. Would one of you gentleman lead me back to my quarters? I’ll give you a special treat once we arrive there.” Wonyoung continued, resisting the urge to gag with each word.

The guards were all too eager to escort her, following behind her like wolves stalking their prey. The moment the bell rang at 2am, Wonyoung rounded the corner where the rest were waiting to ambush the guards.

The two guards were well trained and fought powerfully, but ultimately they were no match for the combined strength of the bandits. Once both of the guards had been subdued, they quickly stole the keys to the dungeon and ran to rescue their friends.

As the door to the dungeon burst open, both Eunbi and Jieun flinched. Since it was dark, they could not make out that it was their friends.

“What do you want now you sick bastards?” Eunbi demanded bravely.

“Hush! It’s us! We’re here to rescue the two of you.” Chaewon whispered.

Chaewon ran over to Eunbi’s cell without hesitation, unlocking it before throwing the keys to Goeun so she could help Jieun. Although Eunbi was injured, she was still fit to run. Jieun on the other hand, could barely stand and had to be assisted. They had to leave before the next set of guards came and realised that they were gone.

“Everybody out now!” Chaewon ordered, hurrying the group out.

Yunjin led Eunbi out first, followed by Wonyoung and Yujin. Goeun’s group was much slower, having to support Jieun. Chaewon waited until everyone was out of the dungeon before she slammed the door behind her, throwing the keys into a random corner. All of them ran for their lives, their speed increasing when they heard the shouts of guard chasing them.

Everything was a blur for Chaewon. All she could see were the dim lights as they raced past of them, desperate to escape the passageway. Once they exited the passageway, all they had to do was find the bush they had entered from and escape. Chaewon heard shots being fired, but she was too focused on escaping to notice them. Everything felt numb, the sound of her heart pounding echoing in her head.

Chaewon’s lungs felt like they were on fire, but she forced herself to keep going. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, allowing her to persevere forward. She could hear Yunjin and Eunbi beside her, all of them pelting for the exit.

The moment the exit to the passageway was in sight, Chaewon felt like she was flying. Her speed increased as hope filled her, they were almost there. She sprinted out of the passageway and ducked into the bush, guiding Eunbi through. Once they were through the hole, they joined Sakura and the others in a hidden spot behind the castle.

“Where’s Goeun and the others?” Chaein asked worriedly.

It was only then that Chaewon noticed that Goeun’s group was still inside of the palace. Only her group, along with Eunbi, had managed to escape safely.

Chaein and Yuki cursed, running off to look for their friends. Chaewon wanted to run after them, but she could feel herself beginning to collapse. She had exhausted herself while running, and dark spots had begun to appear in her vision. She felt the world spin, before she fell into Sakura’s arms.

“I got you, it’s okay.” Sakura comforted her, gently patting her back as Chaewon recovered.

It took about ten minutes for Goeun to appear, now carrying Jieun on her back. Dosie, Ireh and Swan appeared alongside Yuki and Chaein, but something was not quite right.

“Why did I ever agree to this? I should’ve never trusted you.” Goeun muttered, her voice full of hatred.

“What do you mean? You succeeded.” Sakura questioned.

Goeun glared at her with eyes that screamed murder, practically throwing Jieun onto the floor in front of her.

“See for yourself. I hope you’re proud of yourselves. We didn’t succeed, but you did. Congratulations.” Goeun spat.

Jieun lay on the floor, unmoving. The grass around her had been stained dark red, and for the first time the rest of them noticed the multiple bullet wounds that littered Jieun’s body.

“No…” Eunbi gasped.

“Thanks to your genius plan, we lost her. She died because of you.”

“We never meant for this to happen! You can’t blame us entirely! It’s not like we were the ones who shot her!” Yujin argued.

“No, I blame myself for listening to you. If I hadn’t agreed to this stupid escape plan, she’d still be alive. Sure, she’d still be locked up, but she would have been alive.” Goeun replied quietly.

Eunbi was crouched over Jieun’s body, sobbing. During her time in the prison, Jieun had been her only source of happiness. The two of them had developed a strong bond, finding comfort and solace in each other. They had even planned to celebrate together after they both escaped.

Dosie unsheathed her sword, holding it up to Eunbi’s neck. Eunbi stared at her in quiet acceptance, she understood. A life for a life. It was fair.

“No, sheathe your sword. Killing her isn’t worth it. We’ll crush them in a different way.” Goeun ordered coldly.

Goeun stepped over Jieun’s body, still staring straight at Sakura. She glanced at Yunjin, who tried to apologise, then at Eunbi who was still sobbing over Jieun, then back to Sakura. Chaewon had regained most of her senses, and so Goeun stared at her instead.

“Remember this night, and never forget it. The blood that has been spilled tonight, is a declaration of war. Watch out, because we will be coming for you.”