Against Time | k.th. ✔

三十三 : fool's paradise

With clammy fists and a profusely perspiring forehead, Yeseul lunged for the nearest slab of rock that she had managed to locate, in order to prevent herself from having her feet swept off the ground in case of an inauspicious piece of information heading her way. Unsteadily settling herself on it, she grazed her fingers against the phone's screen, eventually commencing the indispensable sleuthing.

"5th January 1940, that portion of our history which would've remained smirched as one of the most controversial events that happened back in colonial Korea— as the Japanese have continued to aver— had a survivor of the rebellion not brought forward his side of the story, completes its eighty-second year today. Those whose names should've basked in glory, we pay our homage to the unsung heroes, namely, Kim Taehyung, Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Kim Namjoon, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook. Watch this exclusive interview of us with Mr. Do Sangcheol, the eighth and sole survivor of the martyred unit, to know about the whole truth." Yeseul's mumbling had simultaneously come to a close with the termination of the news article.

However, unlike her incoherent self-address, the storm that had begun to ferment within her was emphatic— the latency of which may seem benign at first, but was highly disastrous once figured out accurately.

And she was not sure if she possessed the ability to properly contain it.

Yeseul shrieked, shutting her ears in the hope to build a protective wall surrounding herself. One which could not be breached, so that her vulnerability was not exposed, while at the same time could conveniently be razed to the ground, so that it was ensured that she did not face an unnotifed death due to it.

The latter possibility was definitely not a euphemism, that was exactly how Yeseul was envisaging her condition to be in the near future.

She sought an assurance— about all of it being nothing more than a figment of her imagination. But little did she know, that in the process of searching for it, she would end up embarking onto a road of fallacy.

To avert which must be at the forefront of her priorities if desisting herself to reside in a fool's paradise was still the mindset that she wanted to proceed with.

Therefore, Yeseul jumped to land on her two feet, bearing a visage that exuded an unparalleled diligence. She was aware of the place where all her answers laid, where the remedies to all her apprehensions could be discovered. She knew that she could not— and perhaps, should not— trust anything except for what her eyes tell her to.

Because, was that not what she had realized when she snuck herself into Taehyung's time? Prior to that, was not all that Taehyung had divulged regarding his world but a series of fortunate lies to her? If anything, the same should apply to the current situation as well, if one was to extrapolate.

And Yeseul obviously knew that better than anyone.

Thereby, she stomped away in the direction of the unnatural tunnel, which had succeeded at maintaining its facade of being a bare supply closet at one of the many subway stations of Seoul, for years unknown. The heels of her boots— initially thumping against the rough, concrete surface for as long as she was treading on the pavement— soon started to produce clanking noises once she entered the station. At a pace that ensured not to spare her even a second-worth respite, Yeseul motioned herself relentlessly towards her main motive.