Vantage || Hwang Hyunjin

• Epilogue •

The lady had obviously noticed our presence, as she was looking at us, giggling. Her smile was catchy and soothing.

"We're sorry for disturbing" we bowed apologizing.

"Oh, don't mind me, this is not the right place for paying respects to others, so I am the one disturbing." She said as she tried to get up. Hyunjin immediately helped her stand up, she thanked him patting his head, which of course he had to bend down.

"I was leaving anyways, so please stay and enjoy!" She waved at us.

"Thank you" I bowed again. "We're sorry for your loss." I said.

"Oh" she chuckled, " thank you, honey. She actually left long ago"

Something sparked in me.

"Was she your family?"

"Not by blood, She was friends with my mother. She treated me as her own daughter, and she made my teen years so fun. She passed away a few months after I turned 20."

"We're so sorry to hear that, and it's so nice of you to visit her."

The lady laughed again, looking up at the tree.

"You hear that? there is people who think I am nice, miss Hana!"

Hyunjin and I almost dropped our jaws.

"I'm sorry for behaving crazy" she apologized while giggling. " She used to tease me because I wasn't nice to people, yet I come every year to visit her."

"Is today her anniversary?" Hyunjin asked.

"Yes" she said, "July 21st, 1975"

Tuesday, July 21st, 1920, the day Hyunjin and I met her.

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That day, the lady explained Hana used to live in a little house deep in the woods, and she requested to be buried there too, but years after her passing, the whole land was bought by the owners of the resort, and everything was whipped new. No one ever knew she was actually buried there, but luckily, the exact spot remained untouched, which was below the cherry blossom three.

Hana wanted a cherry blossom tree as tomb, as the lady told us she always said she wanted her spirit to be sitting on top of the tree, resting in peace.

She passed away peacefully at 81.

We never told the lady we knew her, as it was clearly impossible to explain.

It did explain the events of the school trip, that's what I believe, she was there.

Once Hyunjin and I returned to Incheon, we went straight to the records building to request a correction of her information, and they did.

.................................................................................
It's been One year after everything officially concluded, magically speaking.

Hyunjin reunited with his mom, three months after they spoke by emails, their reunion was beautiful, with a bit of laughs, tears, hugs. I got to meet her too, and she's one of the most kind hearted people I've ever know, she's also extremely beautiful.

We thought it'd be a great idea to introduce her to my mom, and indeed, they became good friends. She moved back to Hyunjin's house, getting rid of everything that belonged to Hyunjin's father, giving her house a whole new start.

Hyunjin's father, along with Eunbi and Beom So, were sentenced to life in prison, as police kept finding evidence. Turns out, Hyunjin wasn't Eunbi and her father's first target. They found evidence of actual victims, all of them connected through business their company eventually owned. The Geum company was immediately shut down.