Midnight Tales | ✔

23

Jaehyun

I'm currently sitting on the front porch—on one of the steps, beside Lola who's playing with her yarn ball. While Soyoung's at the side tending to the plants on the front lawn. I turned to the gate before us. How many days have passed since I went inside of that gate? clueless of what was waiting for me.

I turned to Lola. "Hey Lola, do you want to go out of here?"

Soyoung turned to us. "We haven't been outside of the house ever since"

I smirked. "Then it's the perfect thing to do. I know a place near here. Let's go out on a picnic. I'll prepare the things we'll need"

Soyoung watched me in confusion. "You know a place around here?"

"You said this reality is a mirror of ours right? If I'm not mistaken, I think there's a nearby lake—"

Soyoung didn't let me finish as she picked up Lola and ran inside. "Give me ten minutes!" She shouted.

I chuckled and stood up before walking inside to prepare the things we needed to bring with us. I took a picture of the map my grandfather left in the journal to make sure we won't get lost. I was placing the cloth inside the bag when Soyoung came running down the stairs.

"Hey, you should not run especially when you're going down the—"

I stopped when I turned to her.

Her long hair was tied into a braid. Her usual shirt and skirt were placed with a yellow dress with floral prints and thin straps, matching it with a pair of white sandals and a rattan hat. She smiled."We're ready!"

I turned to Lola at her arm and laughed, seeing her neck now surrounded by a thin collar.

"Let's go"

We walked towards the place since there was no available transportation. We're somewhere in a province of Gangwon-do, probably in Pyeong Chang, so the road's still undeveloped and rough. The view of emerald green hills surrounds us as the soft breeze of spring kisses our skin. After another five minutes walk, following the map I was given, we finally arrived at the small lake. It's located in between mountains and trees surrounding the area. There's a wooden port on the other side of the lake and a small boat beside it. After finding a great spot just beside the lake, we settled down and set up the place.

"This is beautiful" Soyoung breathed.

I took out the contents of the picnic basket and served Soyoung a plate. Lola found her spot just beside the trunk of the tree near us and slept there. 

"Lola, you're tired already?"

Soyoung chuckled. "She loves to sleep"

After eating, Soyoung and I settled into a comfortable silence and took our own books to read. We both lay down on the picnic cloth in opposite directions, me on my back and Soyoung on her stomach. It has been a long time since I've done something like this, away from the busy streets of Cheongdamdong or the concert walls of our company's building, or the cameras of the media.

Closing the book I'm holding, I pushed myself up to sit and turned to Soyoung.

"Soyoung"

"Hmm?"

"What happened between you and my grandfather?"

She stopped, then turned back to her book, flipping to the next page. "It's not something you would want to hear"

"Try me"

Sighing, Soyoung turned to face me and lay on her back. Laying the book facedown on her stomach.

"It's basically not a love story"