Lost ↹ Yang Jungwon

.Forty-Two.

THE HUMAN MOVED her chocolate hair out of her way, taking deep, steady breaths as her hands gripped the black velvet material flowing down from her waist to the floor.

She continuously muttered words of affirmation towards herself as the horse stopped in its tracks, the man sitting in front of her jumped down and raised his hands, helping her to get down.

"Thank you." She mumbled.
The tall daunting mountain stood ahead of the pair as dark smoke circled its crater, overlapping each other as it caused the air to thicken.

Her previously cold hand was greeted with a warm welcoming as a bigger hand enveloped hers, squeezing it lightly. "Scared?" The prince asked.
"Quite."
"Don't be."

"Easier said than done." Haeyul reprimanded and Jungwon erupted in laughter. The brunette glared at him, huffing in annoyance. How is he so calm?

"Won, with you staying with me, you won't be able to attend the introduction party." Haeyul told as worry washed over her for nth time that day. "Won't everyone ask where you are?"

Jungwon hummed, obviously not fazed by her worry since he has heard it many times before, "Hae, we've talked about this," Jungwon spoke, "Heeseung will cover for me until the hunting begins. No need to fret."

Haeyul sighed, swallowing her concerns as she nodded, forcing herself to stay optimistic. "Besides, I'll be here to save you if anything happens." Jungwon leisurely said, smirking egotistically.

Haeyul scoffed, rolling her eyes as she judged on his arms. "Come on, let's make our way inside before your ego gets bigger." Her remark earned an ear pleasing laugh from the vampire.
She couldn't help but smile too.

As they took slow steps into the volcano, Haeyul struggled with her long dress, hoping she wouldn't step on the hem of her dress which will cause her to fall. Noticing her discomfort, Jungwon held her back, stopping in the middle of the pathway, kneeling in front of her as his back faced her. "Climb up." He ordered, "We still have a long way to go."
"But the dress is heavy, it will only burden you."
"It's better than tripping over your own dress and cutting yourself on an obsidian."

The brunette grew silent, unable to counter his sentence. Why does he have to be always right?
Pursing her lips, Haeyul jumped on his back as he swiftly supported her, standing back up to his feet. "Thank you.." Haeyul mumbled as she rested her head on the crook of his neck, receiving a soft hum from the prince.

Haeyul silently cursed Elena since she was the one who told her to wear such a hefty gown. Elena had insisted for her to go to the hunt with this dress even though Haeyul knew it was only a recipe for disaster. Luckily, Eve had come to rescue her. She told her to wear tight and flexible clothes underneath the dress so whenever she faces difficulties she can immediately strip out of the gown.

"We should search for an obscured area." Haeyul suggested, "I need to do something."

Jungwon's head quirked to the side, "What?" His voice fully alerted, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?" He asked as his eyes roamed the cave.

Haeyul lifted her head up, eyes meeting with the view around hem causing her to pause in her sentence. Her jaw dropped as she saw the shimmering blue liquid pour down from a cliff above them, illumining the void. She felt Jungwon tapped her on the thigh, gaining her attention as she tore her eyes away from the mysterious blue liquid. "Don't look at the blue lava for too long."

"Why?" Haeyul asked curiously.
"As mesmerizing it looks, it can cause danger towards you. It contains a spell that makes us drowsy. Eventually if we stare at it for too long, we will faint for a very long time." Jungwon explained while the latter listened intently.
"How long?"
"A whole eclipse?"

Haeyul's eyes bulged out of shock. Who knew something so beautiful can be so deceiving. "Has anyone died because of it?"
"So far, no one has."

The girl caught a glimpse of a place, hidden behind a large piece of obsidian and she quickly tapped Jungwon's shoulders. "There! Can we go there for a while?" She asked. Although Jungwon was confused what her intentions were, he simply obliged and walked towards the area she had pointed.

"Thank you!"
Was what Jungwon heard before the girl vanished out of his sight. "I'm behind this obsidian, don't worry." Haeyul assured him as if she had read his mind. The prince chuckled breathily, "Alright."

Moments passed and Jungwon heard shuffling behind the shiny piece of rock. Curious, he called out to the girl. "Hae? Are you okay?" He inquired. The noise paused momentarily, "Uh, actually- can you come hee and help me?" He heard her asked. Wasting no time, he walked behind the obsidian, only to see her dress's zipper undone.

Jungwon fell silent as he blinked, processing the situation in his brain while Haeyul turned around to face him, face slightly flushed as a pink hue displayed on her cheeks. "Umm...Can you help me with my dress? I want to take it off." She said, her voice was so small that Jungwon had almost missed it.

"O-oh." Jungwon stammered, ears turning crimson red as he walked close to the petite girl. His hands trembled lightly as his finger accidentally grazed her skin, causing Haeyul to flinch at the coldness in his hands. "Sorry-" Jungwon squeaked.

Although she was fustered herself, embarrassed by the fact that she couldn't take of the dress herself, Haeyul laughed. The sound of her happiness bounced of the cave's walls as her shoulders bounced up and down. She found him adorable. And she couldn't even see him!

Haeyul spun around, meeting Jungwon's red face. "Why are you so nervous?" She asked, a wide grin stretching on her lips. "I have clothes underneath. Are you thinking of something weird?" She accusatorily pointed her finger at him.

"What?!" Jungwon exclaimed, baffled by her question. "No, I'm not! I was just...."
He placed his hands on both sides of her shoulder and turned her around, silently unzipping her dress fully.

His next action left Haeyul stunned as she blushed furiously. If she was a tomato before, then she would be a ball of fire by now.
He had kissed her.