Cinderella's Fate | 🤍 seongjoong 🤍

Chapter 21

Seonghwa's POV 

    The boat parked at the other side of the river, the side that I have been wanting to get to. And as soon as I helped myself out and Hongjoong from the boat, I grabbed the backpack from my shoulder and took out the map. Hongjoong looked at me curiously as he tied the boat just like he did before to ensure that we would have been able to go back.

    Without waiting for him, I made my way in to the forest, noting that that part of the forest was thicker. The tree had more branches, more leaves, more roots in which my cloak kept getting stuck. Some of them ripped through the fabric, an alarming action in which I solved by putting the cloak in my bag.

Hongjoong was closely following me behind as he caught up to me.

    At the beginning, he kept asking for the destination but gave up after shushing him a few times.

    As we ventured in deeper, it was harder and harder to understand where I was going . After all, the map only described a few things that they had left behind, and over the years the forest grew and changed, leaving nothing for me to rely on .

"AH!"

    A small cut appeared on my forearm, made by one of those sharp tree branches sticking out. Hongjoong, alarmed by the noise I had made, he saw the cut and straight away from his small packet of his coat, an expensive navy coat with swirling embroidered gold leaves spread out from his chest to his collarbones. He pulled out a white handkerchief with its sides painted in blue and his name neatly written at the corners. He quickly wrapped it up around my arm, making sure not to put too much pressure on it.

He looked at his work before smiling widely back up at me.

"Looks good now ", he said, "Just be careful next time"

    A warm feeling spread through my chest, but I ignored it and blamed it on the fact that for the past few years there were not many people who truly cared about me. However, it is not to say that my brothers were not caring people. Being close like this with no threatening entity must have created new feelings that I hardly experienced since my mother's death.

    I mumbled a 'thank you' and kept going. It all seems that I would not have been able to find it as the darkness drew near. A beautiful sunset painted the sky whoever, it did not comfort me. I felt agitated as I saw the future flash before my eyes; being back at the house receiving all that treatment and moreover I would have ended up in a worsen fate since I had decided to change it.

    A hand slipped through mine, a thumb caressing the back of mine . The gesture brought me back to reality, and I took a couple of breaths to slowly release the panic that I was feeling.

    I looked around, forcing myself to point out the most obvious things; a technique I learnt to do while Yeosang would panic before every dance performance showcase.

The grass, the river running in the background, a butterfly, a tree with a heart drawn on ...

A TREE WITH A HEART, DRAW ON!!

    I walked faster to it to examining what the heart could be holding and i found my parent's initial just as the map had been saying. I dashed to the left of it to where is a ray of light peering from the top of the dense forest, getting closer and closer.

    My vision whitened due to the sudden change of light, but it soon revealed a giant tree and the house setting among its branches. A low whistle escaped Hongjoong's lips as he admired the house. I examined the whole tree before my eyes landing to something useful. There was a staircase that lead straight into the tree house, a bit old and missing a few steps , as i noticed one i got closer, but it is a way an opportunity to get inside.

    I made my first step to get on the staircase, but I was suddenly pulled away from it. I looked down to notice that my hand were still intertwined with Hongjoong, barely noticing it throughout the whole excitement of finding a huge clue of the track my mother had left.

My eyes followed the arms until the end on Hoogjoong's face.

"I think you should postpone", he said seriously, "It's getting dark, and it will be difficult to get up there"

    I looked surprised at the seriousness of his voice, but once I looked around I saw that the sun had already set , and the stars were dusting the sky to welcome a new night.

    I agreed, and we went our way back with the promise that the next day we would explore the house.