Dappled Light [2yeon]

Chapter 12

Gjógv, Faroe Islands

The cabriolet decelerated, she can see the quiet town entering her sight, surrounded by only snowy hills and halved by a straight, flowing creek. Both sides of the town linked by two bridge that one can only fit people, another can fit only a car. Jeongyeon swiftly made a turn into a parking lot for visitors and their residents, she could count the cars while passing by, but the car she hoped to see was not around. I should look around. That was what came to her mind first. She used to believe her intuition, although some she felt bad for it, she had never regretted about her decision. The streetlights were on but it did not help much, it was hazy and she can merely see shadows down the slope, there was no sunlight either as if everything was going against her way. Is it going to rain? Jeongyeon could see grey clouds increasing in layers, deepening the colours while moving ominously, the breeze getting impatient and flaring nervousness inside her. She had to hurry, her inner voice reminded. Before locking the car for good, she spotted another pair of gloves, probably Jihyo's and did not think twice while stuffing it into her pocket.

"Where should I go....?" She felt incredibly aimless, there was nothing to motivate her nor guide her, all she saw was a hazy junction in front of her. Her parents should be here, maybe I can ask something about her. Jeongyeon slid her hands into her jacket and started walking, the ache from just now acting up on her but it did not refrain her from moving forward, it just that she held her head low, that was all. A local.... She came across an old man with his dog, he was feeding it with some dog biscuits and Jeongyeon figured she could ask him. "Uhh, hello?" She stuttered, and she felt uncomfortable about it. The old man looked up, he was taken aback as if he had never seen a foreigner before but gained his composure instantly, and then a smile, he was waiting patiently. Jeongyeon was embarrassed, her phone almost slipped from her pocket and she trembled while typing in her question, she wondered why she became afraid after the hustle of rushing to find Nayeon. Do you happen to know, or see Im Nayeon around here? She had her question translated into Faroese, but it was a bad idea using Google Translate. He got puzzled, tilting his head as if he was trying to understand.

Maybe I should show him a photo of her. She thought, quitting Chrome app and then searched for her gallery, it was arranged by timeline and of course she had photos with the girls, but she only had one picture of her. Jeongyeon's eyes gone hazy, she could not remember when did she took this, Nayeon's clothes looked similar and it was a moonlit sky. She was trying her best to reminisce, yet nothing came to her, the more she tried to remember, the more it fades. Then a hand with deeply engraved patterns waved before her, she snapped out of her thoughts, the old man was trying to convey something through his sign language. He wants me to follow him....? Jeongyeon nodded hesitantly, her phone almost crushed between her palm. They set off, with the dog wagging his tail while being followed by an unfamiliar face it never met before, it surprised her because it did not bark, nor growled. Even the animals here are tender. Jeongyeon was calmed down a bit by the presence of the dog, beside her pounding heart she can hear thunder rumbles from miles away, and how the plains danced with the roaring wind. She hastily tucked her hands back into the pockets, the freezing breeze painting pink on her ears and cheeks, Seoul's rain was nothing compared to the rain here.

There was a thud, more like something close to a twig snapped behind her. Jeongyeon jolted her head back, if the livestocks were supposed to be asleep at this moment, then it should be predators but this is a residential area, no predators can be in the parameters. She spotted no one, the dusky environment restrained her sight even though her intuition warning her there was someone behind, following or rather, staring at her. Could it be? Her eyes wandered to the farthest she could, every time she blinks a shadow disappears right before her, she was sure someone was there. A pull on her wrist, she understood that the old man wanted to hurry, whether he was bothered by the coming thunderstorm or his dog started to bark, Jeongyeon just wanted to confirm the presence. She heard another sound, it resonated through the empty street and bounced back to her ears, in the midst of dim lights she can see the familiar silhouette, and when she showed herself in the lights, they met eyes. She thought she was being deceived by her eyes, the silhouette had longer hair until their bottom neck but she had not look at Nayeon quite some time, and she remembered the eyes too well, everything just came around.