Choi Hye Jin is just a normal human with an unhealthy obsession with K-dramas. One day when she boarded the bus she found herself in a different universe and what's weirder is that she was in the universe of her favourite drama, 'Tale Of The Nin-Tai...
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3rd Person's POV
Ji Ah tried to talk with the people on the island while Yeon looked at her in amusement while Hye Jin didn't do anything as she knows that they all will ignore Ji Ah or run away to their homes.
"Why are you doing it the hard way?" Yeon asked as he walked towards Ji Ah.
"It's not easy to open the hearts of the elders in a country town." She said sighing.
"When I ask them, they tell me everything." he said matter-of-factly, making both the women roll their eyes.
"And what's your secret?" Hye Jin asked folding her arms across her chest.
"Just break their fingers, one at a time, until they tell you." he said shrugging his shoulders. That statement made Ji Ah glare at Yeon.
"Ugh, it doesn't seem fruitful, and you're not good at digging into a story, either." Yeon told Ji Ah and turned around. "I'm leaving."
"To where?" she questioned.
"Humans are not the only ones with eyes and ears." with that being said, he walked away.
Hye Jin and Ji Ah looked at each other and started to follow Yeon. They both had to walk taking big steps because Yeon was walking quickly. Both were panting from sprinting for a long while.
"Ugh! Why is he so fast?" Ji Ah said catching her breath.
"It's because he has longer legs than ours. Now hurry up before we lose him." Hye Jin said huffing and started to walk again.
Ji Ah groaned and followed Hye Jin who for her was also walking fast.
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Soon they saw Yeon standing looking towards a tree. Hye Jin and Ji Ah stood at his sides.
"Did you hear something?" Ji Ah asked Yeon, still huffing from all the walking.
Yeon just shushed her and kept his eyes closed as he focused on listening. Ji Ah gave him a dirty look but didn't speak. She looked around the forest while Hye Jin was tapping her feet on the ground with nervousness about the coming future.
Yeon opened his eyes and sighed saying, "This forest is dead."
"Huh?" Ji Ah exclaimed with confusion.
Yeon turned to look at her and spoke. "It means the forest spirits all left."
"Why did that happen?" She asked, curious.
"Because it was forgotten and abandoned by people." Saying that he looked around the forest.
Suddenly Yeon turned his head when he heard someone walking on dry leaves.
"Who's there?" he questioned, which made both the women look towards the tree.
A girl who was behind the tree came out and walked towards them. Ji Ah was shocked seeing her while Hye Jin just had the same expression as Yeon.
The girl went down on her knees and bowed her head and said. "I pay my respects to the former lord of the forests."
Yeon walked towards the girl as she got up to face him. Ji Ah hesitantly looked towards Hye Jin who nodded her head encouraging her to move forward. Both Hye Jin and Ji Ah stood behind Yeon and let him talk with the girl.
"Do you know me?" he asked the little girl who looked to be around twelve years old.
"I've seen you from far away once." she replied immediately.
"You're the spirit of this sacred tree. What kind of a calamity happened here?" Yeon asked the spirit of the tree who turned out to be a young girl.
She looked down and replied, "I don't know."
"You don't know?" he asked the girl, curiously.
"This island has changed. The house spirits and land spirits who settled down here at each house have all left. So no one can come to tell me about what's happening in the village." she revealed.
Yeon sighed and crossed his arms at the information and spoke, "Since when?"
"Since right after the Korean War ended." she replied. "Something vile came into the island through a typhoon, but I had no power to see or stop it.
"You must've been so lonely." he said, feeling sad for the spirit.
"Even if I want to leave." she began and looked at the tree behind her. "I'm bound to this tree, so I can't go anywhere."
Yeon sighed, looking at the tree. Ji Ah looked at the tree and walked towards it while the three of them looked at her. She touched the rope that was wrapped around the tree and looked at the spirit.
"Is it because of this?" she asked the girl.
Yeon nodded and asked, "Can you unite it?"
To which Ji Ah smiled and took out a pocket knife from her bag and sliced the rope and tugged it off the tree truck.
"Thank you." the spirit of the tree said, smiling. "Thanks to that, I'm now free."
"I didn't know what I did but I feel great." Ji Ah replied with a smile.
"Young lady, you have a connection with my forest." the spirit said which made Yeon frown.
Ji Ah smiled kindly and said, "This is my first time here."
"Go to the northern part of the island. Your first answer would be there." The spirit said with a small smile.
Ji Ah looked at her in content with the information and nodded to which the spirit bowed to her and started to walk towards the tree but stopped and turned around to look at Hye Jin. The spirit smiled at her which made her look at Ji Ah and Yeon with nervousness but still looked at the spirit and smile back.
"If you have any doubts in your journey ahead, you should ask the young lady who is beside the former lord for answers. She will know what to do." saying that she bowed again and walked behind the tree and disappeared in the bright light.
Both Yeon and Ji Ah turned to look at Hye Jin which made her panic a little. She chuckled nervously and looked away from them.
"Well done." Yeon said and walked to Ji Ah and took the rope from her hand.
"It was tied with the strong desires of humans, so it had to be untied by a human." Yeon informed and threw the rope away while Ji Ah took out her phone and opened the compass app.
As she navigated and found the direction she walked away, leaving both Hye Jin and Yeon behind. Hye Jin looked at her walking away and looked back at Yeon finding him already looking at her with his eyes squinted. Hye Jin turned around and walked away and glanced back to see him still looking at her which made her look in front and walk faster.
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POSTED: May 10, 2023 EDITED: August 03, 2023 WORDS: 1146
