Jongho POV
Seonghwa and I walk hand in hand through the dark corridor. We actually forgot to take a torch with us.
"Can we go a bit faster. I don't know for how long I can hold it in.", Seonghwa says.
"Sure.", I say and giggle.
"It's not funny. I think I got an upset stomach from the food earlier."
We feel our way forward a bit faster until we finally reach the stairs. Seonghwa lets loose of my hand and rushes outside.
I calmly walk outside and enjoy the sun and fresh air for a minute before I search for my friend. He is hiding behind a bush, doing his business.
"Are you okay?", I ask.
"Yeah, can you please find something I can wipe my butt with?"
"Are leaves okay?"
"Yes."
I look around and gather the biggest leaves that I can find from bushes and trees. Then I go back to Seonghwa.
"I'm back."
"Thanks! Just wait a little bit. I'm not done yet."
"Really? How much are you pooping?"
"A lot. It feels like my butt is on fire."
I laugh out loud.
"DON'T LAUGH! I am suffering here!"
Suddenly we hear rumbling in the distance. I hope the others are safe and just solved the puzzle. A few minutes later Seonghwa's digestive system has finally calmed down.
"You can give me the leaves now. But don't look! And hold your nose!"
I step closer to the bush and hold my nose. I reach out my arm to give Seonghwa the leaves. As I turn around and let go of my nose I get a bit of the smell into my nose. It's the most horrible thing I have ever smelled.
Shortly after Seonghwa comes out of his bush.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah, I'd just love to take a shower but I guess that will have to wait until we saved San."
We go back inside, down the stairs and through the corridors and rooms.
We reach the last room but where previously was a passage, is now a stone wall.
"GUYS, WE ARE BACK ARE YOU OKAY?", I scream, hoping that they will hear me.
"... is... you?", I hear Yunho say but it is hard to understand him.
"WE HEARD SOME NOISE THAT CAME FROM HERE. DID YOU DO THE WRONG THING AND SET OFF A TRAP?"
"... wrong... trap... Wooyoung..."
"Wrong, trap, Wooyoung? Did he get injured?", Seonghwa mumbles.
"WE WILL LOOK AROUND, MAYBE WE CAN FIND A WAY TO HELP YOU."
"You mean feel around. It's pitch black in here.", Seonghwa comments.
"Whatever. Let's just search for something that could help us."
I feel the wall but don't find anything. Then I have the idea to go back to the room where lost San and feel around there again. I especially concentrate on the wall with the hidden passage.
"Jongho, where are you?", I hear Seonghwa shout.
"In the room with the hidden passage. At the wall that opened up."
The wall doesn't seem so special but maybe there is some thing on the floor? I touch the floor tiles. They seem pretty normal. Suddenly I get something pushed into my face. I try to feel it and it turns out that it just was Seonghwa's knee.
"Be careful, I am kneeling on the floor."
"Sorry, why are you on the floor though?"
"I just want to check that we didn't overlook anything."
"I didn't find anything in the corridor. I am guessing the passage only opens from the inside. Maybe we should just wait until the others solve the puzzle."
"Yes, but I have a feeling that we missed something in here. We can't do anything while the passage is closed so why not look around here?"
I don't find anything on the floor either. The only place that none of us has checked yet is the ceiling. How do I get up there?
"Hey, Seonghwa! Do you think that you'll be able to touch the ceiling if you sit on my shoulders?"
"Maybe, I don't see it at the moment so I don't know how high it is."
"Let's try it!"
Seonghwa sits down on my shoulders and I slowly stand up.
"And?"
"I can touch it. I don't feel... wait... there is like a hole in this stone directly at the wall. I don't know if I should put my fingers in there. This ruin has been really dangerous until now."
"Do it slowly."
"There is something, it feels cold."
I hear a click. The rumble is back and the secret passage has finally opened up.
"It's open!", I exclaim.
I let Seonghwa down, take his hand we go through it. From what I can feel behind it is another corridor. It rumbles behind us and the passage closes again.
"NO! Now we can't get back.", Seonghwa exclaims
"Let's see where this leads then."
We slowly walk forward. After a minute the corrider ends and instead transitions into funnel that is barely big enough for a person.
"You go in first, Jongho. I am too scared. "
I squeeze myself through the funnel with Seonghwa directly behind me. It takes a few turns before it ends...somewhere.
I think we are in a bigger room again. It is definitely a bit colder in here. Seonghwa takes my hand again and we slowly move forward. After a few steps I smell something foul and steps on something. I try feel what it is. There are the long and thin things, five if them and it feels a little bit like there are... joints. Wait is this the hand of a skeleton? I scream in shock.
"What is it?"
"I think there are skeletons on the floor."
"From the smell I would say maybe not only skeletons... but also some semi fresh dead bodies..."
We are silent for bit and don't dare to make a move. If there are a bunch of dead bodies in here, it means that it must be dangerous.
"Now that I think of it. There are deadly traps in the puzzle rooms but we never saw any dead bodies. So maybe this is just the room where all of them get stored.", Seonghwa tells.
He is right we never saw any bodies and this might just be a morgue.
"We should still be careful."
We sneak through the room. The foul smell gets closer and something brushes my cheek. I slowly reach out my hand and feel... a half decayed head. Actually a lot of them, there is probably a pile of bodies next to me. I keep my hand out to insure that we don't walk straight into it even though it feels very gross.
"I wonder who brings them here.", Seonghwa says.
"Probably the same person that kidnapped San."
In the distance we hear a door opening or closing. Maybe the others finally solved the puzzle.
We finally get to the next passage. It directly leads into another room. I hear a rattle.
"Sorry, I walked against something."
Seonghwa bends down.
"It feels like San's backpack."
"Does he have a torch in there?"
"Yeah."
Seonghwa lights the torch and we can finally see something. The room we are in has paintings drawn all over the walls. In the middle is a throne, a withered carpet lays in front of it. The chandelier that hung above the throne once, crashed down. Candleholders lay scattered across the floor. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust and spiderwebs. There are two rooms on either side and a corridor on the other side of the room. We enter the room on the left side first. It seems like it was once a bedroom. An ancient bed stand at the back of the room. Two bookshelves are on the the right side. One has fallen over and the other one has collapsed. Books are scattered throughout the room. I pick one up and look at it but it is completely unreadable.
We decide to go into the other room.
Gold and jewels are piled up in every corner of the room. At the end of the room sits San with a floating sword at his neck. Wait... how? What is going on? Am I hallucinating?
"Gold and blood or friend but no gold?", a deep voice asks.
"Where are you? Why are you doing this?", I ask.
"I am in front of you. This is my palace, you are invaders."
I don't see anyone besides San with us.
"I am scared. Let's take San and get out of here.", Seonghwa whispers.
"We will take our friend.", I say.
San gets thrown into our arms and something pushes us out of the room.
I try to enter again but I get pushed out again.
"Thanks for saving me. I was so scared. The two ghosts were so mean.", San says, hugs Seonghwa and starts crying.
"Of course we wouldn't let you get killed."
Are there really ghosts? I doubt it. Maybe it's a mechanism. Or just one if these unexplainable things. I rub San's back until he has calmed down. We hear rumbling again, this time much closer. Shortly after we hear footsteps in the corridor.
"Should we split up? Three go up and three follow the corridor?", I hear Mingi say.
"CAPTAIN! WE ARE HERE!", I scream.
A minute later the rest of the crew enters the room. Wooyoung is being carried by Yunho. He is looking a bit pale and his clothes are covered in blood.
"Brother! Are you okay?", Haneul exclaims.
"What happened to you guys?", I ask Hongjoong.
"We answered the flower puzzle wrong the first time and Wooyoung got sliced by one of the traps. We had to... what was it Yeosang?"
"Ah we had to press the buttons according to the molecular structure of the different things needed for photosynthesis."
"......okay, what?"
"Doesn't matter and then we had a puzzle involving the magic energy of crystals.", Hongjoong replies.
"Why do ruins like this even exist?"
"Once Wajasi wasn't one unified country. Every island had their own ruler. They often were at war with each other. Often they had to flee from the islands, when they did they often installed puzzles and traps to protect their riches from invaders in hopes that they can come back and get them. Sometimes they also hid in one chamber of the palace and build traps around it to keep safe."
"You were captured by ghosts?!", Wooyoung shouts and immediately regrets it because he is convulsed with pain.
"Yeah. They also pushed us out of the room and you can't get in there.", San tells.
"Really?", Yeosang utters.
"Yeah, a man said we can either save San or get the gold and we chose San.", Seonghwa explains.
"What is in the other room?", Yunho asks.
"A destroyed bedroom.", I say.
"And how did you and Seonghwa get here?", Yeosang asks.
"We found a hidden button to open the secret passage, crawled through a funnel and ended up in the morgue behind this room. Then we came here and saved San.", I say.
"We should get out now. Wooyoung is injured, we need to treat his wound.", Seonghwa states.
"We found some stairs maybe it is an exit.", Mingi tells.
We go through the corridor and up the stairs. After another short corridor we end up in a side building.
We go through a room that looks like a kitchen and end up in the next corridor. There are several rooms at the side of it and at the end is a brocken-down door that leads outside. We go straight through the door and ignore the other rooms.
The side building is a little bit away from the main building. Hongjoong uses his compass to find the way back to the village. As soon as we reach the village he asks a villager that passes by if there is doctor in the village.
The villager nods and brings us to him.
We knock on the door. A middle-aged man opens. He looks at us and immediately sees what our problem is.
"Come in.", he says.
We enter the house. Yunho gently lets Wooyoung down. The doctor begins cleaning the wound.
"How did that happen?", he asks.
"We were exploring the ruins and he was hit by a rotating blade."
"Oh, you can be lucky that you made out alive. Also he got lucky because the wound isn't that deep."
Yunho holds Wooyoungs hand while the doctor stitches the wound. I notice that Yeosang is looking around the house during the whole process. I guess he still can't see blood.
"How are your eyes?", I ask him.
"A little bit dry but otherwise good. The hat actually helped."
"That's good to hear. I'm pretty disappointed that we had to go through all of this but didn't even get something in return."
"I guess this job comes with this risk. Also we know now what could await us in other ruins."
I guess he is right. It just bothers me. It feels like we failed. I never failed at anything before. Have I gotten worse?
And everyone seems to be accepting that we didn't get anything. Am I missing something? Maybe they are really just glad that we made it out. I am glad too. But I am still mad that we didn't get anything for our effort. Back at home everyone was always so proud of everything thing that I achieved. If they saw me fail like this they would be disappointed. My parents would be disappointed that I am not their perfect son anymore that can do anything.
Two years ago
My family and I enter the hall. It is fully decorated for our graduation.
My mom checks my clothes one last time before we each go to our seats.
I look back and wave at them from my seat before the ceremony starts.
After the school director, a few teachers and I held our speech it is finally time for the main part of the ceremony.
"Before everyone gets their diploma some students have earned some special prizes. The first prize is the special medics prize.."
The director gives prizes to the best of each field.
"Next are the special trading prize, the top student council prize, the student-voted student popularity prize and the mayor's prize. This student is the most successful young man we ever had. He is smart, strong, handsome and kind and a blessing for our town. Everyone knows him and everybody loves him. I don't think I have to say more. Jongho Koltrag!"
Everybody is clapping and cheering as I walk to the front. I feel a little bit embarrassed as I take all of the prizes.
I shake the school directors and the mayors hand before I go back to my friends.
"Wow, you got so much. Can I take a look at them?", my best friend asks.
"Are they real gold?", my other friend asks.
"Looks like it."
My classmates congrat me too.
The director moves on to our diplomas now. He announces them in alphabetical order, so I have to wait a little bit until its my turn.
"Now the best diploma with full marks on everything goes to: Jongho Koltrag!"
Everyone claps and cheers again.
I take my diploma. My parents look very proud.
After the ceremony I chat a bit with my classmates before I go to my parents.
"Jongho, we are so proud of you!", mom says.
"Wow, you're so cool.", my little brother exclaims.
The director comes to us.
"You must be very proud to have so an incredible son. I am almost a bit sad that he has to go. He did so much for the school and its students."
"Of course we are.", dad utters.
"It's nothing honestly.", I mutter.
"Of course he is humble too. What a perfect son."
Now
Everyone kept praising me but now... Ever since I joined the crew, things suddenly didn't work out as I wanted them too anymore. But I guess that is kinda what I wanted. I wanted to experience something new and different. Maybe it's normal to fail sometimes? I still don't like it.
After Wooyoung's wound is treated we go back to to the ship to rest for a while. I lay down in my bed and read.
San squeezes himself next to me.
"Jongho, thank you for saving me. I really thought I was going to die. I thought you would choose the treasure over me. Thank you for choosing me.", he whispers cutely in my ear.
"Why would I let you die?! Do I look insane? Do you think I am a bad person?", I ask shocked.
"Noo but the treasure is more important than me. You could have bought dozens of ship with that treasure. I am nothing compared to that. I am just a naive boy who isn't good at anything."
"You are very important to me and the others. You're sweet and always there for us and you're good at fighting and making us laugh. We all love you."
"Really?! I love you too."
Suddenly I feel his wet lips on my cheek. Ahh, why? I hate it!
"Please, don't do that. I don't like kisses."
"I know.", he says and giggles evilly before he lays down in his bed.
He can be glad that he is so cute...
Authors Note:
If you're thinking: Wow she actually released this chapter on time, even a little bit early, something seems fishy!
You are right! I am going to another country, on an island, and wanted to get out another chapter before I go because I am not sure if I will be able to release any while I am there.
When will I be back? When I had enough summer, sun and sea and the plane tickets are cheap. Earliest around early December probably not later than early January. ^^
Thanks for reading and voting. I hope you liked this chapter. Have a nice day!