***
"Ha ha ha!"
"Catch me if you can!"
A girl in hanbok was running and a man dressed as a noble was chasing after her.
It is clear that they both are having a really good time.
"Young lady, you should stop now, or if I catch you I won't go easy on you."
"That is if you can catch me! Ha ha ha !"
"Caught you!"
"Wow!"
The girl suddenly felt a pair of strong arms holding her, and with a strong pull she felt into a strong embrace.
There was a voice in her ear saying, "I warned you my lady, now that I have caught you, let's see how I punish you."
The girl turned in his embrace, faced him and said with a smile, "how are you going to punish me, my lord?"
The man's doe eyes were hiding a glint of mischief, leaning in their faces only inches apart, "that... You'll have to wait for few more days and I'll show you!"
The girl blushed, her palm patting the man's chest lightly, "shameless!"
"He he he!"
The man's voice came as a delightful laughter escaped.
"Come, I'll ask Queen for a leave for you."
"Why?"
"I want to take you somewhere nice."
The scene shifted...
Gone were the laughter, gone were the beautiful garden.
All that was left was flames!
Blazing flames each higher than the other!
"Whoosh!"
"Crackle!"
"You have to... live! You... promise me you... will live well and protect the Queen... and... King... well! I... I'm sorry to... leave you alone, if... if there is a next life, let's be together forever... I'll wait... Gasp! I'll wait for you in our... next life."
"Please don't talk, the physician is coming. Nothing will happen, you will be fine. We are about to get married soon, you can't leave me." The man was holding the lady in his arms, tears in his eyes.
"Nothing will happen to you, hang in there."
The desperation is something that no one has seen in this man before.
"Physician Lee! Call physician Lee!"
He was loosing his mind by now, frantically calling for someone who can save his beloved.
The lady weakly touched his face, as he brought his face closer to her face, she touched his lips and stayed still for few breaths, and whispered, "aein, I love you!"
"I love you too!"
As the man waited for her next words, there was no response for sometime.
His heart skipped a beat.
He slowly and carefully pulled away from her lips, and started at her in a daze.
Physician Lee, along with other physicians and guards came by now.
And they saw this scene upon reaching them...
The noble man,who was high and above, is now covered in dust, disregarding his appearance, holding onto his beloved in a daze.
Everyone of them were overwhelmed with emotions, they waited to give the couple some time.
But they quickly noticed something, physician Lee stepped forward and lifting his shaky hands, tapped the man's should, trying to wake him up.
Then
"Aaahhh!!"
"Aaahhh!!"
"Nooooo!"
"Please...!"
Physician Lee sighed and gestured to the guard beside him.
Who walked to the man and knocked the man unconscious.
They too are pained to see the young lady leave them, but the man has to gather himself other it will be difficult to save him.
Looking up at the blazing flames, his eyes burned.
They will avenge every soul!
One day, the other side have to pay double the price!
Next scene...
At the river bank, a gentle breeze blew by, a man stood there looking into the distance.
"My love! Hope you are well over there. Here, the King and Queen are safe, there are small princess and prince by their sides now."
"I have avenged everyone from that time."
"I have meet with Guru Bhai! "
"My love! Isn't it my time to meet you now?"
"Your are really unfair to leave me behind, all alone."
The man whispered, as if to complain to his beloved who left him behind.
Then he smiled, a smile filled with relief and contentment, " I'm comming, my love."
And he stopped breathing.
Guru Bhai, standing behind, sighed.
This man, for his junior sister, has indeed been good enough.
He really wishes that they can be together in their next life.
***
Mandeok- dong, Busan, S K Country.
The boy in the room sat up.
"Huff... huff"
There are still tears in his eyes, the tear streaks visible.
The boy was still heaving deeply, the raw emotions still lingering.
"Good morning champ! Wake up!"
The boy turned to his mother in a daze.
Seeing her son, with tear streaks, breathing heavily and still dazed, she got a fright.
"Oh god!"
"Baby what happened?"
"Dear! Dear, come quickly!"
While shouting towards the door, the woman pulled her son into her embrace.
The boy tightly hugged his mother and started crying silently.
He mumbled as he cried, "don't go... don't go...! Noo... Noo..."
The woman was growing anxious listening to her son's mumbles.
"What happened?"
A man rushed inside the room, hair a mess.
He was stunned seeing his youngest crying in his mother's embrace.
The man calmed down. Then thought of something, and so did his wife, eyes wide.
The couple exchanged a glance.
Taking a deep breath, the woman pulled apart, gently soothing the boy, " there... there. It's a dream, a nightmare. Look everything is fine now."
"Mom and dad is here, and so is big brother. There is nothing to fear."
The boy also calmed down slowly. Then he looked up to see his father, mother and brother all looking at him worriedly.
He then said, "Mom, it hurts."
"Where hurts baby? Tell mom."
"Here!" Pointing towards the heart.
The three fell silent.
"Mom, it's the same dream, over and over. And everytime it hurts even more."
"Those cries, those flames, those laughter and at the end the guy who stops breathing."
"I can't take it!"
As the more he was speaking, the more agitated he get, in the end he held his head and started yelling and shaking his head.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Why?"
"Why did the flame devour evrything?"
"Why did that lady die?"
"Why did that guy stopped breathing?"
"Why?"
"Why am I seeing the same dream again and again?"
The couple hurriedly hugged him, trying to restrain. They are feeling hurt seeing him like this, wishing to share the pain in his stead.
It took a lot of efforts to calm him down and soon he feels back asleep.
After tucking him under blanket, the exited the room carefully.
In the living room, the three of them sat silently, them no one knows who said.
"Let's invite the monk from last time!"
"Let's call pastor!"
"Let's get a psychiatric appointment!"
All three looked at each other.
The woman said first, "we have been to the psychiatrist before and it was of no help you know. They are only able to reduce the frequency of dream."
"The pastor said the same thing as monk last Sunday."
The man then said, "there's only the last option now, let's go to the monk then."
"And he is now grown enough to understand somethings, it's best to let him know about those things."
The other two agreed with him.
So, the family of three all went there separate ways, the man went to get ready and arrange for transport and inform the monk, teh woman went to wake the boy and get him freshen up and get ready.
The eldest son went to get ready himself.
Once everyone is ready, the family of four set out for the temple.
The youngest was really worn out as he soon fell asleep once inside the car.
Perhaps he really was tired, as this time he didn't see any Dreams.
They reached the temple in couple of hours.
"Eldest wake you brother up, we are here."
"Yes mom!"
The couple for down from the front seat and started to take out the offerings from the back of the car.
"Brother, brother! We are here!"
"Wake up!"
The boy woke up feeling the pat on his face.
He sat up in a daze.
"Come let's go, we are here." Eldest took his brothers hand, and led him out of the car.
The family then headed up the stairs.
They offered incense sticks, and bowed three times then sat there for some time.
Afterwards they were led my a junior attendance towards a room.
Once inside they met with the monk, the same one from years ago.
"Amitabha!"
The monk motioned them to sit.
"Amitabha! What is the benefactors wishes?"
"Master, you know the situation of our youngest. "
The monk nodded.
The woman continued, "recently he is having more of those dreams, more events and almost every night."
"Master! Do something I can't bear to see the child suffer."
***
Author's note:
Aein:This Korean word refers to "lover" or "sweetheart". It's a term of endearment for a significant other.
Guru Bhai:senior brother, (master's disciple).