Unwanted Marriage

Chapter 71

"That's Jungkook's car!" Chaeyoung exclaimed, pointing towards a sleek black car already parked in the carpark. It looked like it had been there for a while; a smooth white layer of snow had already settled on it's exterior.

Lisa pulled over next to Jungkook's car, sighing in relief. "Thank god he's really here... I was afraid we were going to have to keep searching."

"Let's go." Chaeyoung impatiently unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

"Hey be careful the floor is slippery outside." Lisa warned Chaeyoung, turning the ignition off and going over to her. Lisa was worried that Chaeyoung would get hurt getting to the temple; she couldn't risk getting into any trouble now that she was pregnant.

"Here hold onto me so you don't fall." Lisa offered, linking arms with Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung smiled, reaching over and squeezing Lisa's arm reassuringly with her free hand. "Thank you. Should we go now?"

Lisa nodded, and the two made their way to the footpath leading up to the temple.

The pathway was lined with thick slabs of stone; the temple was near the top of the mountain, so visitors had to climb a number of stairs and winding pathways to reach the temple. In the warmer seasons, the walk was always a quiet and relaxing trip. Lisa  especially enjoyed visiting during autumn; the orange and yellow colours of the falling leaves covering the ground like a thick blanket of fire. It was also the reason Jungkook's grandma liked to come here. When she was healthy, she used to walk to the temple everyday.

Now that it was winter, the trees lining the mountain were bare, and the ground layered with white.Now it was snowing lightly, and the stone slabs were a little slippery from the ice that had glazed them over. Lisa held onto Chaeyoung tightly, and they slowly followed the signs leading them up the mountain.

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't take more than 30 minutes to reach the end of the path; but with the speed they were walking at, it was taking a lot longer than usual.

"I don't remember this walk being
so tiring...Too many stairs." Lisa complained, pausing to catch her breath.

Chaeyoung chuckled and playfully punched her in the shoulder. "Have you worked out lately? You're so unfit a pregnant lady is coping better than you."

Lisa rolled her eyes and linked arms with Chaeyoung again. "Yeah yeah sure, I'm just not as young as I used to be okay?" She stuck her tongue out at Chaeyoung, earning a light pinch in return.

"You know I probably have like ten bruises from you pinching me? Why are you so violent!"

"That's because you keep being cheeky!"

Chaeyoung laughed. "It's not my fault you're literally unable to go up a few flights of stairs."

Lisa felt very grateful that Chaeyoung was here with her. She had always helped her out of hard times and cheered her up when she didn't feel like herself. If Chaeyoung l wasn't here right now, she would have broken down already.

"Okay stop laughing at me satan, we're here now!"

The temple courtyard was completely silent; a stark difference to its busy hours in the summer. Normally it would be bustling with visitors, but the weather wasn't exactly ideal right now so it looked like a ghost town instead. It seemed like there were no signs of movement; the only sounds to be heard was the audible crunch of snow under their boots and the rustling of the trees around them.

They walked around the empty courtyard and Lisascanned the area for people."Should we check inside the temple first? I doubt he would be out here in this kind of weather." Chaeyoung agreed,and they walked over to the temple entrance.