GUESS WHAT? (ONC 2024)

Chapter 9 Words speak louder than Action Part 1

I held her until she had to push me away a bit to breathe.

"What happened? What did I miss?" Bae asked.

My dad jumped on the bed in excitement, kissing me on the cheek and my mother simultaneously.

"Mom, you almost died, and I saved you with the power that I got from grandmother," I explained.

Her smile turned to a frown.

"You should have let me die!" Bae exclaimed.

"Why do you say such things, Mom?" I asked.

The room went silent. All the joy had left the room. She cleared her throat. Waited for someone to say something before she does.

"The story of the artifact is a curse. All the women born in our families are barren and we have used the artifact all these years to give birth. I did not take the artifact because the curse had to die with my mother. I did not want to scare you at first and thought you would fail the challenges and give up. The power of your words causes ripples in the universe. All the people fell ill because your grandmother passed on, including me. My heart disease has been healed for the second time now. Thank you, my daughter, but this is not the life I wanted for you. To be a saviour will strain your life forever. The artifact ruined their perfect marriage, trapping my mother after conceiving me and leading my father to leave us. There was no happy ending," she explained.

I ran out of the room with tears joining in.

It seemed necessary for there to be a distance between me and the woman who raised me. Ashley was right behind me.

"Seulgi wait for me," Ashley screamed.

I found a place to sit and think.

"My whole life is a lie, Ashley! Everything!" I shouted.

We sat in silence after that while I held the artifact in my hand, observing the thing that destroyed my whole life.

I sobbed in Ashley's arms.

"My friend, we will get through this together," she said.

She tried to distract me with her newfound power by portraying an illusion. My mind did not allow it.

Everyone celebrated in the village.

The day had run its course. Anger and exhaustion were a potent mix.

"Let us go back and get some rest. You will feel better in the morning," Ashley said.

''I fear rest will make me restless," I said.

We walked back to our place of rest and found my mother waiting for me.

"Can we please talk?" She asked.

"There is nothing more to say. All I need to hear now is when are we leaving?" I asked.

She left the room without a response. I slept with a million new ideas about how my life would change once I went back to New York.

The morning light had come, and birds continued in the celebration of the village by singing endlessly to my agitated spirit. Rest did not calm me.

We got dressed and made our way to where everyone gathered for breakfast. When we entered, everyone had already settled around a table, like one big happy family.

"To my daughter, we love you all and wish nothing but the best for you," Eun said.

We all ate together, and there were whispers of us leaving in the afternoon. Only my mother did not come for breakfast.