Stack It Up || Choi Hyunsuk from TREASURE

20

Korean Folk Village

"Welcome to Korean Folk Village! This tourist spot introduces the traditional culture of our ancestors from the late Joseon period. These houses and structures have been restored from the Joseon dynasty period to be able to recreate the past for the future generations to see." Jaehyuk said as everyone stood in front of the beautiful village in front of them.

The group followed him as they walked inside to see more of the place. "There are usually some performances depending on what season it is, today they have the Pungmul and Eolssigu Jeolssigu Performance."

"We'll be able to watch the first show for the Pungmul Performance which showcases the traditional music and dance." He smiled at them.

"Everyone can pick one thing to try before the show in 50 minutes. You can do horseback riding, traditional dyeing, or experience the traditional lifestyle from the Joseon period. You may also take some pictures and walk around if you'd like but at exactly 11:00 we need to meet here in the performance area." Jaehyuk pointed at the open area where there were staircase seats for the crowd.

"Please refer to the maps we've given to you in case you get lost, have fun!" In just a second, the crowd immediately split up and walked towards different directions. Heeyoung, on the other hand, stayed with Jaehyuk.

He almost got confused on why she was just standing there but then remembered that they were buddies. "Oh sorry, I almost forgot," Jaehyuk laughed. "What do you wanna do first? Horseback riding?" He asked as they walked around, looking at the different houses and amentities inside.

"No way, I don't wanna ride on a horse. I pity them cause they're obviously trained by getting hit." She said.

"Hmm, then what are you up to?"

"The traditional dyeing seems interesting. What do they dye there?"

"I think it's a handkerchief or a cloth."

"Then we get to take it home as a souvenir?"

He nodded his head in response. "Alright, let's do that then."

The two of them walked going to the other side of the folk village without rushing. Although it was tiring, they enjoyed the simple cardio exercise. They were greeted by an old lady who was wearing a hanbok, probably one of the teachers.

"Hello excuse me, is this where the traditional dyeing takes place?" Heeyoung asked her in a polite manner.

"Yes dear, it is. Are you going to try it out with your boyfriend?" The old lady asked with a smile while glancing at Jaehyuk.

The two of them looked at each other and he ended up chuckling. "Yes, we would like to try it out." He answered.

"Okay come, sit down." She motioned for the two to sit on the stone chairs located in front of some small tables with bowls on it.

They followed the old lady's instructions on how to make the natural dye with gardenia seeds and sappan wood. As Heeyoung crushed the seeds in the bowl, Jaehyuk laughed at her.

"Why are you laughing?" She looked at him then back at her bowl of seeds.

"You seem so immerssed on making dye." He laughed even more.

"How can I not? It's a rare experience."

They continued talking while making the dye. "Who are you gonna give the handkerchief to?" He asked out of curiosity.

"It's indigo colored so I might give it to my friend named Indigo." They both laughed.

"You have a friend named Indigo? What a unique name, parents around here always name their children with two syllables but she has three." (Sidenote: Indigo in Korean is Namsaege. I'm just too lazy to type Namsaege all the time so I call her Indigo LMAO)

"Yeah, even her life is unique. Aside from her name and her husband being the cafe owner instead of her, she has 5 kids."

Jaehyuk gasped in disbelief. "No way, that's a lot!"

"She's living a unique life and living up to it, trust me it's entertaining." Heeyoung laughed as she remembered the different stories she has heard about her friend.

After a while, they finally got to dip their handkerchiefs in the dye and saw the outcome. "Wow, this is pretty." Jaehyuk brought up his handkerchief that had two colors, green and orange.

"Mine's alright too." Heeyoung showed her subtly colored indigo hankerchief. She then glanced at his. "Why'd you do two colors? You're very ambitious."

His bright smile turned into a more apologetic one. "It just represents something important to me." He glanced at her but avoided her gaze.

She could sense that it might be something personal and decided to not ask about it. "Can we leave these here to dry first?" She immediately asked to brush off the tension.

"Yes dear, leave it here to dry and walk around for a while. Don't forget to come back for this though." The old lady grinned as she joked.

"Thank you, we'll make sure to come back." They handed their handkerchiefs to her and walked going to the performance area.

"Oh no, we only have 5 minutes left before the performance starts." Jaehyuk checked his phone to see that it's already 10:55.

"What? But it's on the other side!" Heeyoung's eyes widened.

"Let's run then!" Jaehyuk laughed and ran while being followed by Heeyoung who panicked at how fast he was.

"Jaehyuk, wait for me!" She yelled while running after him.

"You're so slow!" He said as he looked back at her.

"I'm getting old you idiot!" Jaehyuk couldn't help but laugh at what she said.

He stopped and waited for her to come near him. Heeyoung panted, knowing that they still had a long way to go.

"You done with your break time?" Jaehyuk asked.

"What? No-" Before she could even answer properly, he grabbed her hand and they ran to the performance area as fast as they can.

They arrived just in time, hearing the traditional music play as they stopped. Jaehyuk and Heeyoung were too tired to even think about how their hands were still linked to each other.

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