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‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧
3rd Person POV
"Just say yes," Rang whispered, his voice low as he leaned towards her ear.
Ji Ah's eyes fluttered shut, her mind conflicted between her heart's desire and her mind's warning. Her heart urged her to accept, to finally uncover the truths she and her twin had long been seeking, while her mind screamed in opposition, raising every conceivable objection.
She breathed out softly and replied with a firm "No", her decision seeming to catch Rang off guard.
Rang moved back, raising himself to his full height once again. "Why not?" he asked, his voice showing a hint of frustration.
"Foxes always pay back when they're indebted." Ji Ah said which made Rang scoff sofly. "In other words, if you do someone a favour, it comes at a price."
"You are so uncompromising," Rang said, his tone filled with amusement as he eyed Ji Ah. "Are you going to continue being this inflexible, in our relationship?"
Ji Ah scoffed at his words, and retorted swiftly, "What 'relationship' are you talking about?"
Rang chuckled softly at her annoyed expression, enjoying the fact that he had managed to irk her.
"Bastard..." Ji Ah mumbled, still feeling quite annoyed by Rang's previous words.
Rang's grin faded away instantly and he started looking annoyed. "Hey, what did you say?"
"Bastard." Ji Ah repeated her words louder this time, her expression filled with a smug sense of satisfaction.
"You—!" Rang exclaimed, visibly irritated. "I don't like vulgar language, so if you call me that again, I will kill you myself!" he threatened, only fueling Ji Ah's amusement even more.
‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧
Yeon had said nothing in response, but immediately had turned around and ran swiftly towards the direction of the house. While en route, he spotted Minji moving in the same direction.
"Minji, where is Ji Ah?" Yeon asked, his tone filled with concern and worry.
"She's at Pyung Hee's house, she's been there for around ten minutes," Minji replied, her brow furrowing as she noticed his worried expression. "What's wrong?"
"That bastard asked for that woman's house address," Yeon said.
"Who? Lee Rang?" Minji asked.
Yeon didn't respond and took off running, not wanting to waste any time. Minji grumbled about how he never fully explains things and just went heads first into the situation by himself. Then started running too, towards the house, a few steps behind him.
‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧
"What are you up to, huh? What kind of game are you trying to play?" Ji Ah asked, deciding to return to the matter at hand.
"I'm not going to tell you." Rang shook his head and walked away, but stopped in his tracks before turning around. "Let me offer you a piece of advice instead."
"Don't trust everything Lee Yeon says," Rang cautioned seriously, though he was unable to mask his smirk.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Ji Ah asked in confusion.
Rang shrugged, then turned around once again and replied cryptically, "If he finds what he's searching for, you will experience hell."
With that remark, Rang walked away with an air of nonchalance. He could sense Yeon's aura close by.
‧₊˚❀˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚❀˚₊‧
Minji and Yeon finally arrived at the scene, only to find Ji Ah seated on the steps of the house and Lee Rang nowhere to be seen.
"He already left," Ji Ah said wearily.
"You don't seem to be injured," Yeon remarked, still panting from the exertion of running. "What did he say?"
"He said that he can find my parents," Ji Ah disclosed.
Minji expressed her annoyance and said, "I really hope you kicked his ass."
"What was your response?" Yeon inquired, visibly worried. He dismissed Minji's comment, seeking Ji Ah's answer.
"Regrettably, I did not have a chance to kick his ass," Ji Ah responded with a smirk, finding amusement in the situation. "But, I did manage to put him in his place." She disregarded Yeon's question, which seemed to only enhance his concerned expression.
Yeon continued, seeking an answer. "Can we go back to the matter at hand? What was your response to his offer?"
"I declined," Ji Ah responded, standing upright. "After all, Minji had made a deal with you, right?"
Minji asked, her curiosity peaked. "Did he mention anything else?"
Ji Ah replied, her voice containing a hint of amusement, "It appears Lee Rang is preparing a special event."
Lee Yeon responded, his voice carrying a touch of amusement. "I'm not surprised in the slightest." He said, hinting at his awareness of the situation.
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Minji walked up the stairs leading into the lush, mountain forest. She wanted to be away from the village and have her peace and quiet. As she strolled, she received a call from Ji Ah.
Ji Ah's voice crackled through the static, "Minji, the disappearances have a pattern. They occur on July 15th of the lunar year." Her tone was filled with urgency as she added, "If my deductions are accurate, the next disappearance is expected to happen today."
"Great..." Minji exhaled deeply, pressing the device closer to her ear, and remarked, "The person behind these disappearances cannot be the same person unless it is not human."
Ji Ah's voice echoed from the phone's speaker as she inquired with concern. "Yeah, but who exactly is responsible for these acts, and with what purpose in mind?"
"I don't know," Minji responded, her words tinged with a sense of urgency. "I'll head back to the house so we can figure out what's happening." Without waiting for Ji Ah's response, she ended the call.
As she looked up, she was startled to find a man racing frantically down the stairs. It was none other than the last fisherman from the group.
As the man drew near, Minji recognized him as the last fisherman from the group. His eyes locked onto hers and he hurried to turn away, intending to continue his escape.
"Wait!" Minji called out, her voice filled with a sense of urgency. Determined to catch up, she sprinted up the stairs in pursuit.
Despite her efforts, the man continued in his frantic getaway, blurting out hysterical phrases about demons while urgently running away from Minji.
"Stop!" Minji cried out as she managed to catch up to him, her fingers firmly gripping his arm in an attempt to halt his flight.
Yet, in a swift and unexpected manoeuvre, he got out a hammer from his pocket. With swift reflexes, he swung the hammer forcefully, striking her shoulder and simultaneously pushing her off balance as pain surged through her.
The fisherman held the hammer high above his head, preparing to deliver another forceful strike to Minji. However, his attack came to an abrupt halt as it made contact with the back of an unexpected individual – Lee Yeon.
Minji's gaze widened in shock, a mixture of pain and shock etching across her features. Lee Yeon, unfazed by the blow, locked eyes with her for a moment.
The fisherman's eyes widened with alarm at Lee Yeon's sudden arrival. In a state of escalating tension, he raised the hammer once again, preparing for another assault.
Lee Yeon swiftly turned around, seizing the fisherman's wrist and wresting the hammer from his grasp. As he twisted the fisherman's hand with a forceful motion, a cry of pain escaped the fisherman's lips.
Yeon then griped the fisherman's throat tightly, holding him in a threatening position. He raised his hand, the hammer poised to deliver a crushing blow. However, Minji's plea halted his action.
"Don't! Let him go,"
The fisherman hastily retreated, after breaking free from Yeon's grip. Yeon turned towards Minji, his expression a mix of irritation and concern.
"What? That man was just protecting himself," Minji muttered, grumbling as she stood up, nursing her injured shoulder. "But hell, he could have broken my shoulder." She winced in discomfort.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE!
There were many people who told me that my writing was too simple and I should learn more. I have told them that I know how to "write" and that I wasn't a novice. I just wanted people who don't have English as their first language to read it too.
There are many who don't know English much and use translators to read in their own language. And due to the translators not being accurate it was difficult for them to enjoy the story.
That was the reason why I used a simplified vocabulary (in Lucid Dream) so that the translators would translate it accurately and the others whose English is a second language could also enjoy it.
Months ago (when I was wrapping up Lucid Dream) someone messaged me saying I was a novice and I shouldn't write before I learned first.
Let me tell you, I have been writing for more than ten years now, I started at age 10 and now I'm 20, so no, I'm not a novice.
But I was like you know what let's give them what they wanted and when I started this book and Reverie, I switched to my actual writing style but surprise surprise, some people had things to say about it too.
So in conclusion, I won't be able to make everyone happy. So, if you don't like like writing style, just stop reading. You have that choice.
I just had to let it, because I kept thinking about it as I wrote the chapters and it made me feel unmotivated. But now that I have addressed it, I hope it won't affect my writing.
— Jia
POSTED: May 06, 2024
EDITED: May 11, 2024
WORDS: 1610