------------------------------------------------------------
"A bright light comes through the holes,
And I found you through one of the holes,
You are standing in front of me with that smile,
And there are shining lights behind you..."
- the lights behind you by surl
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ara's POV
Once the stage ended between me and Namju, I noticed that the time went back to how it was before. Did the others notice it? Or was it just for mine and Namju's Stage? I'm about to lose my mind over what just happened and I don't know if I should first go to Jinmi and ask him about this or head on over to Danoh and Dohwa who should be heading over to the Snack Bar with Haru.
"Seol, are you okay?" Joon's voice called out from behind me.
"ORABEONI!" I exclaimed out loud, relieved to see him.
Maybe I should tell him about what just happened!
My older brother gave me a funny look but changed it to a smile. "Hey. Miss me already?" He joked, making me raise an eyebrow at him.
"Ha. Ha. I saw you earlier this morning," I simply answered.
Then he faked a laugh and changed the topic by asking, "What are you doing out in the hallway? You look kind of lost."
I furrowed my eyebrows and said, my voice trailing at the end, "Oh, uh, I'm not sure how to say it..."
"Did something happen, Seol? What's wrong?" Joon worriedly asked.
"I had a stage with Namju earlier," I started while thinking of the right words.
Joon nodded his head. "I remember hearing the pages being flipped when I left the kitchen. But okay, continue."
"Well, I think I changed it."
"...You mean you took over your stage self?"
"Yes."
"Okay, but what's the difference?"
I bit my bottom lip and sighed. "I don't know what went wrong but after the stage ended, I had gone to the library to kill some time..."
I stopped in between and decided not to tell my brother about my past self's memories, Joon's already worried as it is.
"...then I decided to text Juda about the summer trip and after talking with her, I sent some screenshots of the text messages to Namju. Then that's when it happened."
Joon gave me a gentle look and said, "Go on, Seol. You can tell me."
"The stage from earlier this morning happened again. But this time... It was like a continuation? Namju also knows about the screenshots I sent to him during the Shadow. At first, I thought he must have been aware, but it didn't look like it."
My older stayed quiet for a couple of minutes before telling me.
"Namju must have been in a stage when you sent him those screenshots. That's the only logical explanation I can think of."
I mentally groaned as I felt my head slightly aching.
"This whole thing is confusing," I spoke up honestly, earning a soft chuckle from Joon.
"Don't worry about it, Seol," he said with a smile.
Then he added in, "If you're having problems trying to understand the Manhwa World, you can always talk to me about them. I know that you've always been confiding in Jinmi and I'm relieved that he's there to help you out. But just know that... I'm here, too."
I smiled back at him and gave my older brother a hug.
"I know, big guy. I'm glad that you're here in Secret," I replied as Joon hugged me back. "It's a great comfort to know that you exist in this Manhwa with me."
"Ara! Finally! I thought you'd ditch us!" Danoh exclaimed all the way from where she, Dohwa, and Haru are sitting.
I shook my head while smiling at the small girl and quickly walked over to the three. I see some sandwiches and strawberry milk on the table and Haru eating.
"Did you guys start without me?" I asked with a pout, making Dohwa chuckle to himself.
"We're hungry, Ara! We can't just wait for you, we'll starve!" Danoh replied back then she looked over at Haru and smiled when she sees him eating well.
I raised an eyebrow at the two and looked over Dohwa again who mouthed, "Thanks for showing up. I'm no longer a third wheeler."
I bit my bottom lip from laughing out loud and sat beside Danoh while the other two boys are sitting across from us.
Then Danoh looked back at me and asked, "So where were you?"
I tried not to be surprised by her question as I thought about what I would say.
Should I tell them about the weird stage that happened with Namju or just let it slide?
"She was in another stage with Namju," Dohwa answered for me, making me look at him in surprise.
How did he know? Did he happen to come across the manhwa and read the new pages?
Then he added, "She was helping him with Juda as always."
Danoh nodded her head, understanding right away. Then she patted my shoulder and said, "I'm glad I'm not the only love bridge between Namju and Juda."
"Second male lead, present," Dohwa spoke up, this time with a pout.
I smiled at him and asked, "What about me? I'm the second female lead here."
Dohwa chuckled again. "But you like someone else."
I blushed at what he said and grabbed an empty strawberry milk box on the table. Then I threw it at him and said, "Shut up, Do! Someone might hear you!"
Danoh laughed at us and then she said, "By the way, Student 13 this is Ara. She, too, is aware just like us."
I looked away from my friend and over at Haru. He already had his eyes on me and I started to feel nervous. He may be aware but I don't know when his memories from Trumpet Creeper will come back. I still have to tell both Dohwa and Danoh about my past self... I just don't want to make things complicated. I mean, it will be a relief once Haru recognizes me but the fact that there is another manhwa before Secret and many bad things had happened back then, I just hope that Haru won't recall them anytime soon.
So Haru as of right now. Just help Danoh with her stages. I'll make sure that you two will end up together this time.
I smiled at my other brother from my past life and said, "Hi! It's finally nice to meet you."
Haru then smiled, not aware of the mayo stuck on the left side of his lip. Danoh immediately grabbed a tissue and handed it to Haru as Dohwa and I smiled at them. For a second, I wish that we'd all just have this kind of moment every day without having to worry about the next stages. Having Haru here brings back the good memories from Trumpet Creeper. Even if he doesn't recognize me now, I'm happy to just see that he's here with us.
I opened the doors to the cafeteria and entered the kitchen but stopped in the middle of my tracks when I heard Jinmi's voice.
"Joon told me about today's stages. Are you okay? Got any headaches?" Jinmi asked me.
I crossed my arms over my chest and replied back, "Every time I walk inside this kitchen, you always ask me if I'm okay or if I've got new headaches. What are you... my doctor?"
Jimni gave me a serious look while holding a cutting knife and I smiled back at him, slightly scared to speak up. Then he placed the sharp object inside the sink and walked over to me.
"I'll always be worried about you," He spoke up with a soft tone. "I'll even be more worried once you go on that summer trip."
I frowned and sighed at him before saying, "Jinmi. Geum Jinmi. I'll be alright, okay? Joon will be joining the summer trip and he'll make sure that nothing bad will happen to me. Plus, shouldn't we be more worried about Danoh? She's the one who is changing the bigger stages here."
"But at least, she's got Haru to look out for her," Jinmi exclaimed while rubbing the back of his neck. "Doesn't matter if he doesn't remember their pasts in Trumpet Creeper. There's a reason why he's here in Secret."
I looked at him in confusion. "And what's that reason?"
Jinmi looked at me again before continuing, "What's the symbolic meaning of Trumpet Creeper?"
I furrowed my eyebrows as I think about it. Then it hit me.
"Waiting. It's the symbolic meaning of waiting," I answered as I realized right away.
Then Jinmi added in, "It's not just Haru. But it all applies to everyone who was in that old manhwa."
"What do you mean, Jinmi?"
My older friend was about to say something when the doors to the cafeteria opened out of nowhere. Dohwa came running inside and when he sees me, he grabbed me by my shoulders and said, "You... You..." Then he looked at Jinmi and back at me, "Him... You guys were from another manhwa before this?"
Jinmi and I both looked at him in shock and were about to ask how he knew but then Joon showed up while holding the Trumpet Creeper manhwa in his hand.
"You told him?!" Jinmi asked, taking a step forward.
"I had to," Joon explained with a frustrated look. "Dohwa found this manhwa lying on the ground in the library."
Then Joon looked at me as if waiting for me to say something. I knew right away that he figured out what had happened in the library before the weird stage started.
Great... I have a lot of explaining to do... again.
Then my attention went back to Dohwa who still had his hands on my shoulders.
"So, is it true, Ara- No, I mean, Seol..." Hearing my old name escape from his lips made me shudder.
It felt weird to hear him say it. Usually, it's just Jinmi and Joon who calls me 'Seol' but hearing it from Dohwa, made me feel like a totally different person. As if... I'm not Oh Ara.
"Yes, it's true, Dohwa. We were from another manhwa before Secret," I answered as gently as I can.
Then Dohwa took his hands off my shoulders and sighed. "I... Wow... This is..."
I gritted my teeth and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry if I offended you, Dohwa."
"Huh? Offended me?" Dohwa asked, making me, Jinmi, and Joon surprised.
"Um, are you not angry or disappointed?"
"For not telling me that you were in another manhwa before Secret?"
I nodded my head then Dohwa smiled at me with a short laugh.
"What? No way! Of course, not! I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't say anything just yet," he explained, leaving me in disbelief.
"Well, I didn't expect that..." I muttered under my breath.
"I may be dramatic during a stage and in the shadow, but I'm an understanding person." Then he lowers himself to reach my height and placed his hand on top of my head before patting it gently and whispering, "So don't worry, Seol. Your secret is safe with me."
I slightly blushed at his words but ended up smiling back at him. "Thanks, Dohwa. That means a lot to me."
"So, Joon was your older brother and a scholar. Jinmi was the Crown Prince turned King. Then you were a noble lady turned into a Crown Princess... Wait, but if you were the Crown Princess and Jinmi was the Crown Prince, how come you didn't become the Queen?"
If this wasn't such a serious matter, then I would have laughed. Dohwa's facial expression changed every two seconds as he tried to understand mine, Joon, and Jinmi's roles back in Trumpet Creeper. It was cute and funny at the same time. If only I had my phone with me. Damn... I shouldn't have left it in my bag and given it to Danoh earlier during lunch.
Then just when I was going to answer Dohwa's question. "That's because our marriage didn't happen," Jinmi said.
I looked at the blonde guy and then back at Dohwa when I heard him asking, "Was it because of Kyung? He was your brother, right? Half-brother, to be exact, and he and Seol had feelings for each other at the time."
I glared at my friend when he mentioned Kyung and I. Dohwa faked a cough when he saw me glaring at him and he looked back at Jinmi. But instead of Jinmi answering him, Joon spoke up.
"It was more than that, our father was framed by Baek Kyung's uncle, who is now his father in Secret, and so the marriage was canceled. Seol was stripped from her title as the Crown Princess."
Dohwa nodded, finally understanding. But then he asked, "If she was stripped from the title, how come she lived in the Palace?"
I sighed and answered this time, "That... We don't really know why. The Writer must have thought that having me in the Palace would stir more drama, so he never made me leave the place."
This time Jinmi sighed. "Trumpet Creeper was surely dramatic."
"It's also a tragic love story, like Romeo and Juliet..." Dohwa added in with a pout.
Then I spoke up, "Anything else, Do?"
Dohwa turned to face me and asked, "Why did the Writer make all of you appear in Secret?"
Joon chuckled. "You mean, why did he draw us again instead of making new characters?"
Dohwa nodded his head and Joon continued, "I don't know. All I know is that there's a meaning behind this. Us being here. Jinmi, my sister, Danoh, Kyung, and everyone else who was in Trumpet Creeper. It's not just a simple coincidence. The Writer must be up to something or someone else must have brought us here."
I looked at Joon in confusion and asked with my arms crossed over my chest, "Why are you making it sound like there's more to the Manhwa World than... this?"
"I've been in many manhwas, Seol. But Secret is different. It's common for the Writer to bring back only one or two of his characters from his old works. But having half of the characters from Trumpet Creeper in Secret. That's not common," Joon answered with his eyebrows meeting in the middle. "There's something or someone who is manipulating the Stages. And it's not Danoh or Student 13."
Jinmi walked over to the table with a serious expression. "Are you saying... There's someone else who's aware aside from us?"
Then I remembered the strange guy from the mall. I quickly looked at Dohwa and exclaimed, "Remember the strange guy? The one at the mall."
Dohwa sat up straight on his chair and looked at me before asking, "You mean the one who bumped into you?"
I nodded my head. "What strange guy?" Both Jinmi and Joon asked in sync.
The next thing I know after Dohwa explained what had happened at the mall, Jinmi and Joon were arguing about how to keep me safe.
I groaned in annoyance and stood up while slamming my hands on the table. "Excuse me! But why do I need protection?" I called out to the two, making them turn to look at me.
"He must have bumped into you on purpose," Joon said with a protective tone.
"We must make sure that nothing bad would happen to you," Jinmi joined in with a worried tone.
Then Dohwa stood up. "Jinmi hyung, Joon hyung, should I remind you two that we are in a Rom-Com manhwa. If anyone's going to get hurt, it would be emotional, not physical," he explained as slowly and gently as he could.
But the second Jinmi and Joon heard the word 'hurt', they both went back to their own world and continued arguing about who will keep an eye on me.
"Are they always like this?" Dohwa asked me as we both stood together while watching the older boys.
I shook my head and answered, "No, usually they would joke around. But when it comes to me, they both get worried and protective as if I'm still the Crown Princess."
Then Dohwa chuckled softly before whispering to me, "At first, I thought it was just me, Namju, and Kyung who are protective of you. But I didn't realize this whole time, you already have two other people by your side. I feel relieved and happy to know this."
I looked at him, feeling embarrassed but the emotion went away when I looked back at Jinmi and Joon. I smiled at the two and shook my head.
Some things never change.
🌼 A/n:
Like I said earlier in my announcements...
This is more of like a filler chapter. 🤧😂
I hope everyone's doing good! To those who are about to have their finals, good luck!
I might fail my 2nd term 😭😭😭 Who knew being a film student was hard? (LMAO)
I'm starting to ship Seol/Ara and Jinmi now. #JinSeol as end game? 😩👊🏻
Anyways, prepare yourselves for Chapters 39 and 40. The drama will hit you like the skit that Taehyung did with Olivia at the Grammys. 💀💀💀
Word Count: 2741