Kang Chi: Beyond Life and Time

Chapter 18: Beyond Time: A Joyful Feeling

Kang Cheol dropped Yeo Wool and Han Wool near a bus stop as she had requested. He wanted to drive them directly to their apartment, but she did not want to. He felt that perhaps she did not want him to know where they live.

As if I couldn't find that out for myself.

He did as he was requested. He let Yeo Wool and her brother off near the bus stop and watched them get on. He tailgated them, to the point of almost beating a red light just to keep on it.

They took off at the third bus stop from where they got on. He continued following them, driving stealthily a few meters behind. The siblings crossed the street and went inside a chicken restaurant. He waited for about fifteen minutes until they came out and he continued following them.

They went up in a low-cost apartment building, about two blocks from the chicken restaurant. He parked his car and watched them emerged from the elevator on the fifth floor.

Should I go up?

As much as he wanted to, he thought twice about it. Nobody would want to be stalked home, especially by someone you just met. He would not want her to feel all creepy about him. Knowing where she lives was his goal at the moment, and he had succeeded on it. He could better plan for his next move.

He left the area and went directly home, ignoring the calls and text messages sent by Yeon Seok. As he had expected, the latter came to his place when he failed to get in touch with him.

"Ya!" Yeon Seok blurted out upon barging in and seeing him. "Wae gurae? Do you hate me that much to ghost me for almost two days?"

He scoffed at Yeon Seok's statement. He's cool. No need to worry.

"I know you can handle it. You don't need me for that."

"Geulsse..." Yeon Seok's mood and tone suddenly changing. "You're right about that." He ended proudly as he jumped onto the couch. "How's your hike?"

"The best, so far."

"Yeoja mannattjyo?"

He did not answer, but he knew Yeon Seok knew he guessed it right.

"Did you get her number? When will you meet her next? You should've at least made your first move...Ya, you have to have a girlfriend this year."

I've been waiting to have a girlfriend for more than four hundred years. But of course, it must be Yeo Wool and no one else.

Ever since he saw Yeo Wool as a woman, everything he had previously believed and perceived about her changed, and that included his feelings. He thought he had found true love in Cheong Jo, but later realized that he only did so in Yeo Wool. The long wait would not be bearable if it was not for her. But now, it was Yeo Wool that needed to find true love in him, as she did in Kang Chi.

Given the circumstance, he must plan his next move carefully.

"Ya...Plan your next date with her later." Yeon Seok said. "We need to address this first." Apparently, Yeon Seok had been talking for a while about the subject on hand, which he had no idea of. He was not all ears because Yeo Wool was all in mind.

"Eo, ye." He absentmindedly answered. "Go on."

Yeon Seok did, with him listening half-consciously. His other half was with...Yeo Wool.

When Yeon Seok finished discussing the business on hand, his next statement turned him from a competent personal assistant to a perverted dating counselor.

"Ya, your next move with this girl should put you on first base...."

"Jinjjaro? First base? I haven't even got a hold of the bat...."

"Eo...Geureom...Do that first."

That's actually what's racking my brains out now.

"Do you want to go hiking with me next week?"

"Again? You just came back. You'll be hiking again next week?"

He was planning to, and this time he wanted Yeon Seok to actually go with him. After meeting So Jung, he wanted them to meet and hear what the former had to say about it. As far as he knew, most of the people that had played a big part on his life as Kang Chi in the past were already reborn. Perhaps, the circumstance would have an effect on his future with Yeo Wool.

"You need it, jinjja." He answered, hoping to convince Yeon Seok. "Besides, it's just for a day. Let's do it. Just like the old times."

Yeon Seok seemed apprehensive, but a few more minutes of persuasive talk made him give in.

He wanted to meet Yeo Wool again in Namwon, if possible, but he knew that it would be the opposite. What could be the reason for her to go home but for her father? He would need So Jung hyung's help for this, but him having no hold on modern technology made it difficult for them to get in touch with each other. He would have to see him personally whenever he needs him.

Long after Yeon Seok left, he was still deep in thought as to how to see Yeo Wool again. This time, he wanted them to meet on a positive note. He did not want to waste time running on her in embarrassing occasions and compromising situations. He needed her to find love in him again, and that is what he must focus on.

He stood up, looked at the moon far up in the sky. For centuries, he had been looking at it during its various phases, with himself in various conditions. His affiliation with time made it possible for him to count how many crescent moons have gone by without Yeo Wool by his side. He silently hoped that he would get to look at the next one with her.

He was unaware of how long he was lost in thought of Yeo Wool, the moon, their past and their future. But when he turned, he became aware of the blue firefly-like orb of light that was floating around the Violet flower in the crystal vase.

How could this blue orb light help me now?

He had seen how they worked wonders in the past. They were in abundance when they were around him, and were often present whenever he used his powers. But since he withheld himself from using it, they seldom showed up and began dwindling in numbers. It did not bother him much, but now, he wondered whether he should be. He could need them anytime soon. He remembered the night when he gave Yeo Wool the flower. There were two of them present during that moment, and they were partly responsible for the flower blooming in a blink.

And now, the lone blue orb light is floating around the Violet flower. He did not know whether it was there even if he was not present, but he was certain that it is what is keeping the flower in full bloom....

For more than four hundred years.