Querencia

Jae-Hwa woke up the next day in far less pain than before. She gingerly got out of bed, testing her strength. Realizing she was strong enough to walk independently, she quickly checked the time. She could still make it to school.

She grabbed her work off the desk and stuffed it into her bag. Grimacing, she attempted to walk down the stairs and was able to catch Hyuk-Jae before he left the house. He laughed, watching her stumble down the stairs while she gave him a side look.

"I see my suffering is amusing to you, Hyuk-Jae," She said jokingly.

"Always," Hyuk-Jae responded.

They walked silently to school, the way they both liked it. While they might share similar physical features, the exact opposite could be said for their personalities.

As they turned towards the University entrance, Jae-Hwa stepped two paces away from Hyuk-Jae in preparation for the hoard that would soon follow him.

Tens of people moved in their direction upon seeing Hyuk-Jae. People of all genders gawking over him, something he indeed loved. She moved away, watching Hyuk-Jae as people surrounded him.

He looked over at her from afar, a smile dancing on his lips as he walked away.

If Chin-Sun saw this sight, she might blow a fuse. Despite having a boyfriend herself, she had been obsessed with Jae-Hwa's brother. It was weird that she bullied Jae-Hwa, considering her relationship with Hyuk-Jae, but she assumed it was some inferiority complex at play.

Regardless, no matter what, Chin-Sun made sure never to let word slip of what she had been doing to Jae-Hwa. She guessed it was to keep up her facade as the perfect student.

Walking through the halls to her class, she spotted someone she desperately wanted to avoid. Duan ran towards her, grabbing her arms.

"Where were you?" he practically yelled at her. She could feel the dizziness coming back as she shook him off.

"I was hurt, not that that's important. You need to leave now!" She said back. If Chin-Sun saw them together, Jae-Hwa wasn't sure she would be so lucky this time.

She moved out of Duan's way towards their class, but he didn't let her.

"Why won't you explain why I must leave, or what the hell happened yesterday?" He yelled at her. People in the halls began looking at them, and she became uncomfortable.

She dragged Duan to a quiet corner of the stairwells, shoving him against the wall.

"You wanna know so bad? What happened yesterday was because of you! Those girls have it out for me already, and you following me around like a lost fucking duck got on their bloody nerves!

"I need you to leave before they see me with you again, and I suffer again!" She shouted at him.

His face had an unreadable expression all over it, and for a moment, she caught a glimpse of pain. But she couldn't let herself be a victim any longer, simply by hanging out with this guy. It wasn't worth the pain.

She turned around and went to class, silently sitting in the back. Chin-Sun walked in, sitting a few rows in front of Jae-Hwa. Jae-Hwa turned her head, resting it against the table. Tiredness set in, probably remnants of the fever, as she slowly nodded off and fell back into the visions.

She was kneeling on a stage in the middle of a city square, thick chains holding her arms to rods planted in the ground. Yells, screams, and shouts overwhelmed her system. Breathing became much more complicated, and looking down, she realized why. Pain ricocheted through her, the slashes and bruises covering her, not helping much at all.

She raised her head to her horror. People of all ages, with expressions of sadness, excitement, horror, and disappointment. Uniformed men stood on either side of her, shouting something she could barely make out over the crowd's roar. She wearily met eyes with them, craning her ears to hear their words.

"Where have you hidden the traitor!?" The officer yelled.

Once again, she could not control her voice, quietly speaking.

"I don't know," Tears rolled down her face, and pain swelled in her heart. She could feel it, she knew, but would never say.

Like the officers had read her thoughts, they shouted again. "This is your last chance! Tell us where the traitor is, or DIE in his place!"

Sobs wracked through her, pain seeping into her bones. She looked up at the sky, whispering.

"Please be safe, Hyun."

The officer levelled his sword, preparing to strike. She lowered her head when something in the crowd caught her attention. His face was in the crowd as he fought to the front. Matching tears rolled off his face as he desperately shouted her name. She smiled, looking at him.

"Don't worry, Hyun, let's meet again in our next lives." He raced through the crowd but wouldn't make it in time. She closed her eyes.

"I love you, Hyun."

She woke up with a jolt. Sweat rolled down her face as she tried to catch her breath. Only when Jae-Hwa had calmed down did she realize she was in an empty class, the sunset light filling the room with a warm glow.

Checking her phone for the time, she stood up fast.

7:45 pm.

Crap! She thought. Her mother was going to kill her. She looked at her phone again and

noticed there were no missed calls from her mom.

An unsettling feeling washed over her. Something wasn't right. She ran out of the class and the school, sprinting home as fast as her legs could take her.

Halfway there, she stopped, gasping for breath. As she stood there, panting, she could have sworn she saw something from the corner of her eye. A dark shadow disappeared behind one of the buildings. Terror seeped through her. She sprinted the rest of the way home, not daring to look back once.

Once she made it to the door, she spun around, looking at her surroundings. She quickly grabbed her keys and shoved them into the door, struggling to open it.

Click

She sighed in relief until she spotted something from the corner of her eye. She whipped around, looking for the source, and again caught a wisp of a black figure. She quickly went inside her house, slammed the door shut, and collapsed on the ground.

Bang!

"Surprise!" Hyuk-Jae shouted. She jumped in shock, the tears still rolling down her face. Hyuk-Jae and her father noticed, their faces riddled with worry. Her mother stood near the back, not even looking towards her.

Her brother and father grabbed her and sat her in a chair.

As she explained, Hyuk-Jae's face only grew darker. Her father was planning to report to the police when she finally got up and quietly made her way to her room.

In all the worry, she had completely forgotten that it was Hyuk-Jae and her birthday today. Her father had told her not to worry about it and that they could always celebrate tomorrow, but she felt horrible. She knew how much their birthday meant to Hyuk-Jae.

She tossed in bed all night, too terrified to sleep. She jolted at every little sound in the night, wondering if it was him again, coming to hurt her or worse.

Him? It felt like she was missing something important but she couldn't put her finger on it at all.

All the stress from the day had gotten to her head when she finally passed out, but of course, she wouldn't have a peaceful dream either.

A small child ran up to her, hugging her leg tightly. "Jae-Hwa!" He whined. A smile lit her face as she stared at this adorable child clinging to her so tightly. "He hit me!" He said, pointing at one of the other kids playing to the side. The kid then proceeded to come up to her and the child, holding onto her leg, promptly hitting him on the head.

"Ow!" The kid shouted. "See?!"

She laughed, an excellent warm sound emanating from her. "It's alright, Hyuk, he just wants to play with you!" The young boy, didn't look too convinced.

Tears dripped down from his face, and she laughed more at the sight.

"If you keep crying, how can we defeat the bad guys?" The other kid shouted at Hyuk.

She pulled Hyuk off her leg and brought them together.

"Do you think it was nice of you to hit Hyuk, Kin?" She asked. The little boy shook his head.

"And Hyuk, don't always come crying to me; try to stick up for yourself, too, huh?" She smiled at him sweetly. "Now go play together; it's almost time for bed!"

The kids giggled as they ran away.

"You are good with kids, aren't you?" A voice called out from behind.

She turned around, but she still couldn't make out his face. It was as if her mind told her: Don't remember him; it will only hurt you.

"Yeah, they lost their parents so young because of the war; I should at least make sure they have a decent childhood." She said softly. A light chuckle emerged from his shadow.

"Hwa, do you want to open a school for them?" He asked.

Her heart warmed at the idea. A place where they could learn without being worried about being hurt or, worse, killed. She practically jumped with joy at the thought.

"Yes, I'd love to!" She said longingly. "Can I?"

"Of course, Hwa, I'll make it reality soon." He said. She couldn't see his face, but she sensed the smile dancing on his lips. "I promise,"

"You promised! You better keep your end of the promise, Hyun, or I'll bug you not only in this life but in our next lives, too!" She said happily.

The sounds of their laughter filled the room as the dream faded.

She woke up with a jolt, tears on her face. Why was she crying? She couldn't understand these dreams, but each time she had one, she felt like a piece of her heart was being ripped out of her.

She glanced at the clock. Only ten minutes till school began. She stood up, running to Hyuk-Jae's room. She slammed the door open to a surprised Hyuk-Jae in bed with someone else next to him. She immediately turned around and closed the door, her face red with embarrassment. Then she checked the hallway, making sure her parents were still asleep.

They never knew Hyuk-Jae and Jae-Hwa's taste, but if their mother found out, they would be kicked out and forced to live on the streets.

The door to Hyuk-Jae's room creaked open, revealing Hyuk-Jae's embarrassment plastered onto his face just as hers.

"Why did you just run in!" He said, a hand over his face.

"We are going to be late Hyuk-Jae!" She whisper-shouted back at him

He facepalmed himself. "We don't have school today, Jae-Hwa!"

This time, it was Jae-Hwa's turn to facepalm herself.

"Holy shit, I'm sorry Hyuk-Jae, I forgot!" He sighed, returning to his room when she grabbed him.

"Who's that in your room anyways?" She questioned. He blushed, a flustered look on his face.

"Uh, this nice friend of mine, they came over last night when mom and dad fell asleep." He said sheepishly.

"Well, you might want to get them out of your room before Mom and Dad wake up. I'm going to go out for a bit." She said, going down the stairs mumbling about him being a player. She needed to figure out what the hell that dream was.

She went to the cafe by the university, the only place where she could relax. It was small and hidden well enough away that only a select few people went there. She dropped her sketchpad and pencils on one of the tables while ordering hot chocolate.

She took small sips, drawing the face of the little boy she had seen in her dreams.

Hyuk.

That had been his name. These dreams surely couldn't just be some fantasy made up; she had enough sense to tell the difference between a dream and a reality. This had happened. How she was able to dream of the past, she didn't understand at all.

Her headphones blocked out the noise, music pounding against her ears. She drew each stroke carefully, trying to preserve each part of his childlike face. She drew faster and faster but as detailed as ever to try and keep the memory of his fresh and alive.

What had happened to him? Had he got the chance to go to that school? Or did he never make it to school age? She had so many questions and so many thoughts in her mind that she didn't even notice the person who had slipped in front of her, sitting in the chair across.

She yelped in shock, pointing one of the sharpened pencils at him.

"Relax, I won't bite," Duan said mockingly.

She relaxed and then tensed up again. "What are you doing here?" She asked, looking around nervously. If Chin-Sun happened to come anywhere nearby and see her, she was practically dead.

"I've been coming here since I moved," he said, eyeing the drawings she had been working on. "Didn't know you liked the place too."

"How long have you been sitting there?" Jae-Hwa asked Duan.

He just shrugged. "Since the beginning? You were so focused you didn't even notice me when I called out to you."

She blushed, embarrassment creeping on her face. Without warning, he grabbed the sketchbook and looked closer at the drawing.

"Hey, give it back!" she yelled at him. She hated it when people grabbed her sketchbook without asking. But she hesitated when she saw the look on his face.

A mixture of awe, confusion, horror, and pain flickered across his face like a blur.

"H-how did you draw this?" He asked, a tremor in his voice.

She gently pulled the sketchbook out of his hands, taking it back from him and eyeing him. She could have lied and made up some random story, but she didn't. For some reason, she felt he would understand on some weird level.

"Might sound weird, but I had a dream about him last night. Couldn't help but get the feeling that I knew him somehow, so I drew him to try and remember." She said sheepishly.

His face turned to shock.

"You know who that is?" He asked, practically jumping at her.

She shook her head lightly. "I can't figure out who he is."

He sighed dejectedly. Jae-Hwa felt unsettled.

"What about you? Why do you look like you have seen him before?" She asked.

He stared at her, a guilty look on his face. She could read him so easily, but what she didn't understand was how he knew this kid.

"I should go now." He said, getting up and making his way out. This only added to Jae-Hwa's confusion. She had so many unanswered questions.

She packed up her stuff, making her way out of the shop, when she thought of something. She quickly looked around and spotted Duan getting in a taxi. She ran and grabbed his arm as he spun around, startled.

His arm relaxed as he looked at her face. "What's wrong?"

She got lost in his eyes momentarily, truly seeing their bright colour in the sunlight. The hazel sparkled like gold in the glow.

His face scrunched up in confusion, making her smile inside.

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a bit." She continued, "It's my brother's birthday today, but I don't know what to get him."

He smiled, his face lighting up. "Sure, I'm not busy, so let me take you to a place!" He said enthusiastically. He grabbed her arm, pulling her into the cab. As he rattled off an address to the cab driver, she realized he was still holding onto her.

She blushed, but their interactions from earlier still unsettled her.

"Hey Duan,-" she began.

"This place is known for their great quality!" He said quickly, cutting her off.

Jae-Hwa looked at his face, the forced smile that danced on his lips. He was hiding something and she would figure it out, whether he liked it or not.

"How much longer till we get there?" He asked the cab driver.

"About an hour, sir, it is quite a far ride," The cab driver responded.

Duan looked over at Jae-Hwa, who he only realized had fallen asleep. Her head rolled around until he grabbed it, gently placing it on his shoulder.

His hand was still wrapped around her hand, holding it close. Duan's face flushed pink, but when he tried to remove his grip, Jae-Hwa only held on tighter. That just made him turn a deeper shade of red.

Then his thoughts returned to before, back in the Cafe. Did Jae-Hwa have any clue who that was? Were her memories slowly returning? Dean's head filled with millions of questions he wanted to ask the sleeping Jae-Hwa, but he didn't move to wake her up.

Jae-Hwa saw the signs everywhere. They were looking for Min-Hyun, and she couldn't do anything about it. She picked up her pace, reaching the town's center as the deepening feeling of despair settled in slowly.

She reached the plaza, only to be met by a hoard of people surrounding something. As she rushed forward, her eyes caught a glimpse of a minor figure in the crowd, whom she immediately recognized.

She grabbed his tiny body, pulling him away from the crowd that could crumple him any second. She held onto him tight, dragging him away but was so immersed in her thoughts, that she barely realized the child was yelling at her.

"Jae-Hwa!" Hyuk shouted. She put him down, just by the edge of the street.

"They are going to kill Min-Hyun!" He shouted desperately, leading her back to the crowd.

Tears streamed down her face, the terror finally setting in. She knew what she had to do.

"Hyuk, I need you to listen to me carefully, okay?" The young boy nodded at her, matching tears streaming down his face.

"You need to go home, NOW!" She whisper-shouted at him. He began to say something, probably an argument, but when he looked at Jae-Hwa's face, he realized there was nothing he could do to change her mind. He slowly stepped back, turning and running down the street towards their little home.

She ran back to the crowd, pushing her way to the front. She took limbs to the face and was shoved in all directions but forced her way through.

Jae-Hwa saw the stage, with guards on each end holding swords and standing as still as statues as the head guard rattled off words to the crowds.

"Find the traitor, and be REWARDED! We will not stand for traitors in this NATION!" He shouted.

She ran up to him, standing directly in front of him, and shouted at the top of her lungs, above the roar of the crowd.

"It wasn't him! I'M the traitor!"

The guard smiled at her menacingly.

"Well well, let's bring our so-called 'traitor' to be executed then!"

She woke up, sore from the awkward position. Then she realized why. Her head was resting on Duan's shoulder while her hand was still held in his.

She quickly got up and removed her hand, blushing.

"Finally awake?" Duan asked teasingly.

She sighed and looked around, taking in her surroundings. They were still driving to wherever Duan was taking her, but the neighborhoods changed. Larger houses, buildings, and a richer vibe overall.

What made Jae-Hwa truly surprised though, was when the taxi stopped in front of one of the biggest department stores she had ever seen.

She had worked hard to get the money she currently has, and her parents were not that well off financially either. These kinds of department stores were a luxury she couldn't experience yet, and being there was a whole new world open to her.

They stepped out of the car, and she felt a crazy sense of joy washing over her. This would be her first time inside such a huge store, and maybe this time she could finally afford the things inside.

She ran through the doors, hearing Duan's warm laugh behind her. Jae-Hwa turned around, looking at him, and the sun lit his face up so brightly. His hair was colored gold in the sunlight, flowing down in waves.

She stopped for a second, watching him come closer and closer to her. Then she realized she was staring and quickly turned back around.

Duan spent most of the day showing her around the store, things that Hyuk-Jae might like, and random items that were absurdly priced. She hadn't had this much fun in years, and the smile on her face practically never dropped.

Jae-Hwa's eyes rested on a beautifully crafted wallet, with embroidery and leather edges. She knew Hyuk-Jae would love it immediately. She checked the price, and while it was expensive it was perfect and she was willing to make the cost.

She walked to the checkout groaning as she paid for the expensive wallet that would make her brother's day. His wallet had been falling apart for months but he hadn't had time to get a new one, so she was hoping that he would like it.

As they walked out of the store Duan grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around, to see him flustered while quickly pulling his hand away.

"Sorry, I just want to give you something as well." He said sheepishly. He opened his palm, revealing the most beautiful pendant Jae-Hwa had laid her eyes on.

It was a circle of silver with maze-like lines running through it with adorned beautiful little daffodil flowers around the edge. It was beautiful, and for some reason brought out strong emotions in her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she gingerly picked it up out of his hands. She wiped the tears off her face, mumbling a tiny apology to Duan.

"It's beautiful, but why are you giving it to me?" she asked, looking up at him.

He looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"I heard you had a twin brother and just assumed it was his birthday you were talking about. Figured since you were twins it would be your birthday too," he laughed.

"Yeah obviously," she laughed back. "Thank you, Duan. This means a lot."

He smiled in answer.

They quickly flagged down a taxi and made their way back the way they came, watching the sunset on their way back.

It was a quiet car ride but in comfortable silence. They got off at the same cafe and walked the rest of the way home. Duan walked her home despite her multiple protests, but she liked it.

"So those girls from school, not the best group I assume?" He asked gingerly. Jae-Hwa laughed in response.

"Yeah, not my favorites honestly."

"Why don't you tell someone about it?"

"Like who?"

"A teacher? Maybe your parents?"

Jae-Hwa scoffed. "I think we are old enough to know the adults don't do shit about this stuff,"

"I mean, I know that but is there nothing you can do?" Duan asked.

Jae-Hwa turned to look at him. "I have spent years, not days, not months, years, being their victim.

"Do you not think that after all those years, I would have thought of something? They are from rich families and can buy their way out of any situation, and my so-called parents? They have not done anything but blame me for their actions."

Duan stared at her for a bit, a weird expression on his face.

"Is there any way I can help Jae-Hwa?" he asked softly.

"I love that you want to help Duan, but there is nothing you can do." she sighed.

"If you say so, Jae-Hwa."

They parted ways, and Jae-Hwa made her way back home. It was late, and her parents were already in bed, but when she made her way to her room, Hyuk-Jae was sitting on her bed waiting for her.

"Why did you take so long? Mom was pissed!" He whined.

Jae-Hwa rolled her eyes. "Like that never happens." She tossed the little bag with his gift inside towards him.

"Here, that's yours." She said, falling onto her bed.

Hyuk-Jae opened the gift, and then squealed, actually squealed with joy.

"Hyuk-Jae, shut the hell up man," she said, whacking him in the back.

He grabbed her, squishing her in his embrace, then immediately letting go.

"Anyways, thank you, and this never happened." He said, getting up to go to his room.

"Hey, Hyuk-Jae." she called out to him before he left.

"I found someone, someone good," she said

"I'm assuming not to date since you get no game, but continue," he said.

She tossed her pillow at him, and he swatted it back her way.

"He makes me feel comfortable, I think I can be close to him," she said softly.

"Is it that new kid everyone was talking about? The super hot one?" he said out of the blue.

Jae-Hwa was flustered. Just how did he know everything?

"How did you know?" she whisper-shouted at him.

"Hey, if he's like me, get me his number, I heard he's super hot," Hyuk-Jae said, winking at her.

"Get out," she said with a straight face, as he quickly ran out the room laughing.

She woke up the next morning, getting ready for school, and made sure to put on the necklace that Duan gave her the night before.

Grabbing her stuff, she quickly made her way out the front door and ran towards the school.

As she stopped to take a quick breath, she felt something hit the back of her head, and everything went black.

Duan waited outside the doors, but he didn't see Jae-Hwa. He did, however, see a guy coming towards the school who looked suspiciously like Jae-Hwa.

He quickly walked over to him and stopped in front of him.

"Are you Hyuk-Jae by any chance?" He asked the guy.

"I am, do I know you?" He asked in a warm voice.

"I am friends with Jae-Hwa, have you seen her?" Duan asked.

"Ohh, so you are the friend she was talking about!" Hyuk-Jae said enthusiastically, but Duan picked up a bit of an undertone with it too.

"Wait, she talked about me?" Duan asked incredulously.

Hyuk-Jae grabbed his shoulder, "All the time." He said, with a stupid grin on his face.

"I didn't leave with her, so I'm honestly not too sure where she is, but she should be here," Hyuk-Jae answered.

"I haven't seen her at all, so I was just curious," Duan said.

"No problem, it was nice meeting you," Hyuk-Jae said with a slight smirk on his face.

"Ah, before I forget," Hyuk-Jae said quickly. "What's your name?"

"Duan, Song Duan."