"Suh Seona!!"
"...Mmm..."
"Suh Seona!!!"
The next day arrived. Since early morning, Sian's voice had been ringing in Seona's ears, trying to wake her up. Annoyed, Seona raised her hands to cover her ears. When Sian's buzzing finally quieted down, she relaxed her hands and tried to fall back asleep.
"Suh Seona!!!!!!"
Suddenly, Sian sneaked into her room and shouted right into her ear before running away. Swearing under her breath, Seona called after him. The sound of Sian's chaotic footsteps echoed in her ears, and she shook her head with a sigh.
Hasn't he changed at all, even as an adult?
Seona picked up her phone and checked the time. It was already heading toward 4 PM. Startled, she jumped out of bed.
"I was going to live right during the break...!"
Maybe it was already too late for that...
Though it was already early afternoon, Seona quickly ate a simple meal and stepped outside, taking a deep breath in and out.
"Ah..."
Being in the countryside, the air was unbelievably fresh. After breathing only heavy, dusty city air for so long, it was a relief to fill her lungs with something pure. Just then, Sian approached, munching on an ice cream.
"Finally up, huh?"
"Sian, aren't you cold?"
"Nope."
"I'm freezing to death."
"I'm just naturally hot-blooded."
Seona nodded, acknowledging his words. Sian always ran hot. Sometimes, when she woke him up because his body was overheating in his sleep, he would open his eyes calmly as if nothing was wrong. His heat felt like it radiated off him—making summer warmer when he was near and winter more bearable.
Watching Sian munch on ice cream in the chilly winter air, Seona shivered, feeling even colder herself, and stepped back inside. Sian followed and mentioned,
"Mom said we're eating out today."
"Oh, really? Hmm... I have plans tonight, so I'll just go with Mom, Dad, and you."
"...Okay."
"Yeah."
Seona planned to visit that place again tonight—the one she had gone to yesterday. No matter how much she thought about it, she was sure she hadn't imagined what she saw last night. That had kept her awake.
Soon, the sun began setting behind the mountain. Her parents and Sian left the house to eat out. They kept asking Seona to come with them, but she, curious as ever, insisted on settling her questions first. After they left with a mix of regret, about thirty minutes passed.
As dusk fell over the countryside, Seona prepared her clothes to head out. When the front door opened, she hurried outside. Worried someone might see her, she hurried toward the back of the house.
"Ah, it's cold..."
The countryside night was colder and darker than the city's. The streetlights flickered on and off, casting unstable glows. This made the atmosphere eerily unsettling. A creeping fear tried to overwhelm Seona, but since she was already halfway there, she refused to give up. Her face hardened as she hurried forward. Soon, she reached the spot where she had seen the castle appear yesterday.
"Uh... it's not here."
Despite braving her fear, the castle from last night was nowhere to be seen. Only the vast brick wall greeted her.
Did I really see things wrong? But no... that can't be
Confused and flustered, Seona blinked slowly standing in front of the wall.
"What are you looking for?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Ah!!! You scared me!"
A deep male voice startled her from beside the wall. Seona quickly turned her head to see a blue-haired man standing there, watching her. Shocked by the sight, she screamed and collapsed to the ground.
The blue-haired man laughed softly and knelt down to her eye level.
"What are you looking for?"
"..."
"Come on?"
Can I even tell him?
Worried about being treated as strange, Seona hesitated. But something about the man gave her a feeling he might understand. Lowering her voice like sharing a secret, she whispered,
"Have you seen a castle around here?"
"A castle?"
"Yes!"
"What does it look like?"
Seona described the castle with all her heart—majestic, huge, and shining brightly, just like in a movie. The man listened carefully, resting his chin on his hand and nodding thoughtfully. When she finished, she looked at him expectantly.
He smiled brightly.
"So you're right after all."
"Huh?"
"You're the one who broke through the barrier yesterday. And you're the only one who can see me."
"What do you mean...?"
"By the way, you really do look alike. I didn't think the reincarnation in a human body would resemble so much."
Barrier? Reincarnation? What is he talking about?
Seona frowned at the strange man who kept speaking in riddles. He stared back with a fascinated look. She avoided his gaze, feeling like she might get pulled in by those eyes. The man chuckled softly.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps ran toward them.
"Suh Seona!!!"
"Sian...?"
The runner was Sian. Seona turned to look as he sped toward her. She hesitated for a moment, watching him approach. The blue-haired man gently held her cheeks and turned her head to face him.
"Your name is Seona, right? I'm Taeyoon. Remember that."
As if planting those words deep into her mind, Taeyoon spoke. Seona nodded, feeling as if something inside her had shattered. At that moment, Sian grabbed Seona's wrist and pulled her behind himself protectively. Taeyoon laughed dismissively, then whispered,
"Someone forgot to lock the door properly when they left yesterday."
"We'll talk later. Seona's here."
"And the barrier was briefly lifted. By someone."
"Hey, Taeyoon."
Sian's voice was sharp and angry. Despite being told to talk later, Taeyoon kept speaking. Sian covered Seona's ears and quickly started leading her back home. But just then, Taeyoon reappeared in front of them.
Seona, shocked that someone who had been far away suddenly appeared so close, froze. But Sian seemed unfazed, muttering curses quietly. Taeyoon's voice echoed again.
"Next to that was the Orb of Memories. I checked it, and you and that girl were there."
"What are you trying to do?"
"No, you—what are you doing?"
"Sigh..."
"Sian, you know we can't hide it anymore. We've been desperately searching for Seon and hiding her all this time. Even though you're my friend, you'd better prepare yourself."
With that, Taeyoon disappeared. Shocked, Seona collapsed onto the ground. Sian looked at her, closed his eyes, and tilted his head back to stare at the sky. Seona sat there dazed before finally looking at Sian.
His expression is so complicated... angry, yet sad at the same time
Seona slowly stood up. Her mind was just as noisy as Sian's. What had he been hiding? Who was this Taeyoon? And how did he know that mysterious person she had met? She looked at Sian. Feeling her gaze, Sian forced a smile and spoke.
"Seona, what you heard earlier..."
"Tell me."
"..."
"Explain what's happening and what you just said."
"..."
"Don't hide anything."
Seona's firm tone wiped the smile from Sian's face, leaving his eyes uncertain and lost. He avoided her gaze, sighed deeply, and ran his hand through his hair. A cold silence fell between them.
"Sigh..."
Sian sighed deeply and nodded at Seona as if conceding.
"It's cold. Let's go home, Seona. I'll tell you everything there."
Without another word, they walked in silence. A flickering streetlamp sputtered and went out as they passed. The darkness swallowed the road ahead.
What awaited them at the end of this dark path? Seona's head began to throb.