11:59 (35)
11:59 (35)
I'LL GIVE A MASS RELEASE IF WE REACH 500 COINS!
..........
Gayoon was enjoying the view of the garden. The sun shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the landscape to highlight the vibrant colors around her. She had to admit that the Hwangs had great taste when it came to their decor. The garden was like a mini park. There was an arch in the entrance which embodied the theme of Alice in Wonderland. It was decorated with cards belonging to the Hearts' deck.
Once inside, there was a small pond with a mini fountain in the middle of it. The water sparkled under the sunlight while there were different species of pet fish swimming around merrily. The pathway was tiled with broken stones, leading towards the marigold garden which was lined in a linear manner on both sides.
She walked on towards the crimson carnations which were planted in the corner, standing out amidst the yellow and orange marigolds. She also notices the lavender lilies' bed in the center. It took her a while to realize the pathway was in a circular shape. Another route located directly across the lily bed which seemed to be like a maze.
Gayoon followed the maze like route. The plants were a foot taller than her, entangled into a chaotic union as the branches hovered around her. She could not see where she was going but the maze was designed in a way that it would lead her somewhere. Gayoon, as if enchanted, kept on walking ahead until she reached a mini patio There were other routes heading for the patio making her realize that no matter which one she would have taken, she would have ended up there.
"Woah!" she marveled. The whole place felt like a world of its own, leading her to where it wanted her to go without making her lost. She sat on a seat at the patio, basking in the bright sun. The fele of the warm sunlight felt good against her skin and she was feeling more relaxed.
"It's so peaceful here," she sighed. She could not remember the last time she felt so at peace. For years, she had been busy with the dark life of the underworld, catching criminals so she barely had any time to rest or work on her mental peace. But being at that garden made her feel like home.
Suddenly, she missed her grandmother and ahjusshi who were back home. She had not heard from ahjusshi after he had returned. Was he mad at her? Her grandmother had called a few times and hearing her voice made Gayoon miss them even more. She lay on the seat with her hands under her head, staring at the clear sky above her. Were they missing her at all?
Her eyes were beginning to droop. Taking out a handkerchief from her pocket, she put it on her face to protect it from sunburn. She was feeling sleepy and wanted to rest for a while in the wilderness, free from any worry.
As the sun shone in the clear sky, a slow and cool breeze began to swirl around the garden. It hovered around the sleeping figure, brushing by her as she slept. The wind was rustling the branches with its soft touch as if careful not to wake up the girl. A cold wave began to dawn on the garden as the wind kept on swirling and swirling, knocking the handkerchief away from the sleeping figure. Gayoon stirred a little but did not wake up. Her body was becoming cold but in her sleep, she did not realize what was happening.
Something cold was touching her slender neck. Gayoon frowned in her sleep, her mind beginning to realize something was wrong. The cold touch was now more aggressive, alerting her subconsciousness and suddenly, her neck felt constricted.
Her eyes flung open and to her horror, a grey shadow lurked over her. The faceless shadow was pressing down its cold fingers around her neck, throttling her. Gayoon tried to hit it but her limbs would not move. They were paralyzed to her sides, refusing to defend as the cold shadow strangled her. The calm wrath emitting from the shadow was scaring her as its hatred for her became even more evident.
As her consciousness began to fade again, the shadow leaned into her ear. Its gleeful whisper haunted her.
"If I can't have you, then no one else can…"
"Gayoon! Gayoon!"
Gayoon awoke with a start, frantically struggling.
"LET ME GO!" She yelled. "NO!"
"Gayoon it's me!"
Minho's voice caused her to calm down. She was sweaty and panicked. Minho was alarmed when he saw her struggling and writhing in her sleep as if she was in immense pain. She was breathless and for the first time, Minho saw her looking very scared.
To his surprise, she threw her arms around his neck and hid her face in his embrace. She was shaking as if feeling very cold even though the weather was scorching hot. He was perplexed when she began to cry. Patting her back in assurance, he tried to calm her down.
"Are you alright?" he asked. He felt her shaking her head.
"Do you want to talk about it? What happened? Did something scare you?"
Again, she shook her head. She was not ready to talk about it but something had scared her a lot. For many years, she had not seen that dream but suddenly, it was back to haunt her. The dream which she tried to escape from desperately was back. But does that mean…
No! She told herself. He's not back. If he was, I'd have known. It was only a dream. Just a dream.
Minho did not press her any further but the fear she felt was familiar to him also. It was the same feeling he got whenever he remembered that night he had confronted the CCK.
It seemed as if Gayoon, too, had her own CCK.
He did not ask anything else but let her rest in his arms as she calmed down. She did not dare to face him while she was crying but being with him made her feel safe and she was finally able to control her chaotic thoughts.
Finally, she let go of him. His shirt was a little wet because of her tears.
"Sorry," she sniffed. "Your shirt is wet because of me."
"Forget about that," he shrugged. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. No. I don't know," she admitted. "It's hard to tell."
Her mood was so breezy that morning but now there was nothing left but a fear and uncertainty. She held her knees close, trying to comfort herself. Whenever she would have these nightmares, Ahjusshi would calm her down by saying that the monster was gone. He would never return because Ahjusshi had taken care of him.
But why was she seeing him in her dreams again?
Minho stared at her for a while before stooping down to pluck out a small violet flower. To Gayoon's surprise, he handed it to her.
"W-what's this for?" She asked, feeling startled.
"K-Kanji said that girls like flowers," he frowned. "In his rule book. I thought if I gave you something you liked, then you'll feel better."
He spoke in a very serious manner while holding the flower. Gayoon blinked for a few moments before bursting out into giggles.
"Rule book? "She snickered. "What rule book?"
"It's what he gave me for that date!" Minho frowned. "Bring a girl flowers, take her out to dinner, walk in the park, gift her something and then-"
"Ohhh," Gayoon said, remembering their first date when Minho was mumbling something about rules. "So that's what those rules were about!"
She could not help but be amused at Minho's affronted expression.
"I studied those rules very diligently," he boasted.
"And did any of them work?"
There was a short silence before he replied, "No."
Gayoon sighed at the money lover who looked like a confused puppy. "Relationships don't have rules," she explained. "You just go with the flow and see if anything happens down in the road. If you play by these 'rules' then you won't get to enjoy the perks of the unknown."
"I like to calculate everything," Minho scowled. "If I have to spend money on someone then that person has to be worth my time."
"Are you spending any money now?" she asked. "When you were comforting me a few minutes ago, were you thinking of any cost value?"
Minho had to think for a while. Gayoon rolled her eyes and lightly pinched his arm.
"You should reply no to that question!" she scolded him.
"Sorry," Minho pouted. "No. I simply saw you were afraid and I came over to help you."
His pouting only made Gayoon laugh more. Her mood was getting lighter at his antics and the color on her face was returning. Despite his slight annoyance, Minho was glad that she was smiling again.
To her surprise, he held her and lay back, pulling her on top of him. She was startled by his gesture, red in the face as she hovered over him. His feet were tangled with hers while his arms held her tightly, not letting her go.
"W-what are you doing?" she squealed in embarrassment. If someone came into the garden and saw them like this then she would have to bury herself in the ground!
"Rest," he told her.
"I can rest on the seat!"
"No, you'll be more comfortable this way," he said in his deadpan tone, making her mortified. The damn smooth talking money loving CEO! She cursed.
"I-"
Suddenly, Minho's phone rang up. He was irritated by the disturbance and to his further annoyance, it was Kanji.
Gayoon took the chance to be free of his embrace and sat up as he answered the phone.
"What is it?" Minho demanded.
"Minho!" Kanji's panicked voice came from the other end. "It's Mina. She's missing!"