Book 3: 24/seven | A Jung Hoseok BTS Fan Fiction

Heart's Desire

Back at the dorm, Yoongi was reading in the living room. Jumping from the panels, Yoongi was drawn into the story quickly. He was able to make headway that the girl, named Emiko was late for her school trip bus and had decided to follow by commuting to Gwangjuho Lake. The boy's name was Hopi and he offered to accompany her until she found her school group.

As they walked around into the park, Emiko and Hopi chanced upon an ancient walled structure. Soswaeson.

"Seokseok-ah," he called as he turned the page. In front of him, Jeongguk and Hobi were folding clothes on the coffee table. 

"Ye?" Hobi answered, but he was intent in ironing out a stubborn pleat on Taehyung's khaki chinos.

"Have you been to Gwangjuho Lake?" Yoongi figured that he must be familiar having hailed from the southern city of Gwangju.

"Ye." Hobi answered again.

"Hyungie!" Jeongguk cried out in surprise. Hobi looked up to see their youngest looking at him with wonder. "Have you been to Soswaewon?"

Hobi nodded. "I have, but that was a long time ago. I went there with a friend." He turned to look from Jeongguk to Yoongi. "If this is about that book, I'm going to kill you both. I don't want to know anything until I read it." he snapped.

"Sorry." Yoongi muttered and continued reading. On the page, the first panel started him off with the image of two orbs of light just above a pavilion roof. In the distance, the two characters Hopi and Emiko were approaching.

The page showed two shimmering lights lowering themselves closer to the roof as they approached the pavilion. In the next panel, the two unwitting humans stepped under the roof. Half the page showed the pair of lights taking human forms. They were two dokkaebi, or goblins that were once human literati of their time. Jo Wangjo and his disciple Yang San-bo listened in on the conversation between the boy and the girl below. 

Yoongi was familiar with these historical figures. It was Yang San-bo who built Soswaeson in his exile after Jo Gwangjo was ordered to drink poison during the Third Literati Purge for his pursuit of radical reform. A quick search of Soswaeson yielded images of the garden. It was a popular tourist spot in the eco-park near the lake. The garden consisted of three pavilions, the first was the Jewol which represented the bright moon after a brisk evening rain Followed by the Gwanpung which symbolized the bright sun and fresh wind after a downpour. Where the couple stood was the Daebong which represented the luck of phoenixes, the majestic bird that rises from the ashes of despair. Yoongi thought that it was an interesting concept that they turned into goblins.

The narrative of the book talked about how it wasn't often that the two goblins paid attention to the garden's visitors. Often then not they debated Anbinnakdo which was what Yang San-bo reflected on when he created Soswaeson. Anbinnakdo, the state of being comfortable in poverty and living a life of integrity, Yoongi thought to himself.

The story continued with the goblins studying Emiko and Hopi at the outset of their destiny taking shape. They looked at their past, their future, and what was in their hearts and minds. They discovered that Emiko was gifted with words and the ability to tell stories and Hopi had the natural gift of lighting up a room with his dance and disposition. Long bored and lacking preoccupation, the goblins took interest in them. Their hearts were pure, and it had long since been they sought amusement.

The next page showed Emiko reading the tourist placard on a wall. "This pavilion is called Daebong." Emiko said." It means...The luck of the phoenix."

"That's interesting." was Hopi's reply in the next panel."It seems contradictory to the idea of Anbinnakdo, doesn't it? To settle with nothing and be happy with integrity doesn't seem to follow rising back to keep going."

Sitting on the roof and eavesdropping, Jo Gwangjo approved, and Yang San-bo snorted.

"I like this boy." Jo Gwangjo chuckled at the start of the next page. For centuries, he teased San-bo that his message could be easily misconstrued." read the panel caption.

"I don't think so." Emiko countered in a series of frames. "I think what Annikbado means is that even if you get nothing out of it, you can be happy with living fully knowing you lived with integrity, but it's not about settling for nothing. You can keep going and you hold on knowing pain ends, People can endure and rise back again."

Yoongi liked the illustration over the pavilions. It was very accurate to the images he found."The two other pavilions, I think represent the satisfaction of the moon seeing that failed efforts can be washed away. It gives way to the bright morning sun that will invigorate us to start over." Emiko's explanation continued. The next panel showed Hopi gazing at Emiko with admiration. 

Things got interesting for Yoongi when the two goblins were both pleased they decided to grant them one wish. Jo Gwangjo whispered in Hopi's ears urging him to make one. "Let's make a wish." He said out of nowhere to Emiko. He pulled out two coins and handed one to Emiko.  "I can climb up and put it up there on the beam." Hopi offered.

It was followed by a close-up of Emiko's hand taking a coin from Hopi. The next panel was split showing both with their eyes closed.

The next page was a full-page frame of Emiko and Hopi facing each other. "I wish..." Hopi said, "That I will be able to make a difference in the world and cast away the darkness."

Emiko's thought bubble read: "I wish that he gets what his heart desires."

"What did you wish for?" Hopi asked, but Emiko just smiled and shook her head shyly.

"Alright." Hopi accepted in the next panel. The next panels showed Emiko returning the coin to Hopi and Hopi climbing one of the pillars to hide it up in one of the beams of the pavilion.

After some careful deliberation, the two goblins granted the girl's wish.