Chapter 19

                                    

                                          
(couldn't find a photo that will match the whole scene, but we all know that Hongjoong would look good with these nails)

Seonghwa's POV
    Fingertips were massaging my scalp slowly, drawing circles at the nape of my neck to  then travel upwards, meeting that sensitive middle spot in the middle of my hair. More patterns were traced as the fingers explored my scalp, and at every movement a lock of my hair seemed to be changing sides.
    A small wind picked up, filling my lungs as I took a deep breath of air. I was feeling warm and content, my head resting on something so soft while resting my whole body on the grass , surrounded by the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. 
    A small whisper called out my name, distant yet close,  as if it was speaking directly into my ear. And it was persistent, getting louder and louder , followed by a few gentle nudges. It broke my quiet spell, and I was forced to open my eyes.
    Dark brown , or black. I found myself guessing  as I stared into the blurry figure's eyes. It was easy to make out the emotions that they were portraying: relief , concerned and worry. Once my vision cleared up, with a few blinks, I recognised whose eyes they belonged to. 
My heartbeat picked up slightly as I quickly got up. 
I was sleeping on his lap!
But because I got up too fast; a slight uncomfortable ache, suddenly came in. 
I groaned at the pain, sending Hongjoong into panic mode. 
 "Are you okay?!! I'm so sorry for knocking you out. I checked your head injury and -"
    Without thinking, I placed a finger on his lips to shut him up, as all the talking was doing nothing to help my head. 
    Hongjoong took my finger in his hands to pull me closer . Afterwords, he placed his hand on my cheeks to get a better look at my face. His eyes, I noticed, were a dark brown up close, twinkling due to the rays of the sunlight . And the more I looked at him, the more centred I felt. 
Nothing mattered but us. 
    It felt like minutes had passed, as we laid on the ground in a crouching position, with my face cradled in his hands. 
"What are you doing ?", I asked him, slightly dazed. 
Why was I noticing small details about his eyes?
Hongjoong pushed my cheeks together, my lips pushing out like a fish. 
   He burst out laughing , crying out, "Your face! Your face!" , rolling on the grass, clutching his stomach. 
    I rolled my eyes at his childish antics and got up slowly from the ground. Blinking a few times, i found that the ache i was feeling had vanished, and the dizziness, that accompanied it, was also gone.
    Casting my glance around my surrounding , nothing had changed. The boat that Hongjoong had used to sail here but know it was tied to the tree and i wasn't wearing my clock. There was still the green forest on the other side staring at me mockingly as i was still not able to cross the river. 
The sun was bright and based on the sun's position it should have been past noon. 
    Looking back at my companion, who was still giggling,  and questioned him for his incredible timing. Riding on the boat at the same time as me thinking about it. 
"Ahahaha", he awkwardly laughed, "Well ...  I just wanted to explore the river", he said, with nervousness laced in his word, "Must be a coincidence to meet you here."
    I narrowed my eyes on him, since I didn't believe a word out of his mouth, just to warn him not to try anything before I let go of that conversation. Focusing on the fact that I must have missed a lot of time while I was passed out. 
"What time is it?", I asked. 
"3 PM".
Great, I thought sarcastically. 
    I had planned my day to successfully get to explore the tree house. Actually, hoping to explore it if it was still there. However,  I had been knocked out for the majority of the time I planned to use. Soon enough , the sun would set, and it would be harder to see anything and the danger of the forest would also increase. 
I didn't want to deal with a screaming Hongjoong. 
Dusting myself as much as I could, I went on a search for my cloak. 
    Hongjoong must have sensed my intention, as he cleared his throat and pointed in  the direction of the boat. Neatly folded, the cloak was on the seat. 
I made the motion to grab it, but Hongjoong stopped me. I looked at him puzzled.
"Would you... like to ride with me?"
The look of confusion and shock must have made him realise how wrong the whole sentence sounded, and, to salvage the conversation, he tried to explain himself. 
"NO!! I  mean to get ON the boat. WITH me.", he exclaimed. His face had turned red in the course of a few seconds. I knew what he had meant, I was shocked that he would have had the courage to say it so upfront.
He looked sort of... cute while being all flustered.
    I got rid of that thought as soon as it came by shaking my head, in which Hongjoong perceived it as rejection. His face looked dejected and prepared the engine to say the final goodbye.
"Wait!"
I found myself saying. 
"I wasn't trying to reject you, there was a bug on my hair".
    A small smile appeared on his lips before he quickly offered to help me on the boat . I took it quickly to prevent any more misunderstanding between him and me. I didn't understand why his opinion of me mattered so much, but this also belong to the "Thy shall not speak" folder stored in my brain. 
We started sailing.



🤍




    Once I arrived home, I was greeted by the lovely sight of the couple making out on the couch. I didn't stop them on my account, since I was a guest in this house,  and swiftly made my way to the bedroom. I needed a relaxing shower after the long day. And unexpectedly I wasn't in a bad mood even if my plans got ruined. 
    After the boat ride, Hongjoong hesitantly asked for another chance to meet. I whipped my head so fast to look at him as if he had grown two heads. This was our second meeting and throughout the time we had been together. I remember being  quite cold to him in hopes that I wouldn't deepen the friendship. 
    However, I couldn't say no to him, as I found myself liking his presence and the fact that he was a stranger with no knowledge about my past. So we were emitting tomorrow and i was going to also use him to get to the tree house. 
    A pang of guilt was threatening to expand, quickly went away once i reassured myself that it was all for the best. 
    I needed to get  back on track for the journey, needed to understand the whole situation and  get to the bottom of the curse to finally break it. I wasn't going to waste my mother's last few efforts before she died. And I had no desire to  leave this burned on  my future children. 
With new fund determination , I got out of the bath and prepared myself to sleep.