No one believed him.
Not when he cried to his parents.
Not when he screamed it at the police.
They called him a liar.
An attention-seeker.
A child with too much imagination.
So he stopped talking.
But the truth didn't disappear - it ju...
Near the end of summer, a new family moved into the neighborhood close to Hwang Palace.
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The moving boxes still sat half-unpacked when Felix's laughter began bouncing off the empty walls. The ten-year-old spun in circles across the bare living room, his socks sliding on the polished wood floor.
"Oh! Our home is very attractive!" Felix declared, arms spread wide as if greeting the house itself.
His mother knelt, her floral dress pooling around her. "Are you happy to be here, my son?"
Sunlight streamed through the unfurled curtains as Felix beamed. "Wherever my parents live is heaven! If you're happy, I'm happy!"
His father's breath caught. "My soul is a victim of your beautiful words,"he murmured, sweeping Felix into a hug that smelled of cardboard and salt - from the sweat of their move or unshed tears, no one could tell.
By evening, the last box was flattened. The Australian-Korean family stood in their completed kitchen, drinking banana milk from the corner store. Felix's socked feet kicked the cabinet gently, his earlier joy now softened into contentment.
Somewhere beyond the window, the spires of Hwang Palace caught the sunset.
Ni-Ki's room was lit only by the flickering light of his video game. Hyunjin stood in the doorway, fingers tapping against the frame.
"Ni-Ki, please come with me."
"Never." Ni-Ki's eyes stayed glued to the screen.
"Why?"
"You know our father gets angry later." His grip tightened on the controller.
"Please, just once."
"Nooo!" Ni-Ki drew out the word, kicking his feet like a much younger child.
Hyunjin's face darkened. "You cowardly little boy. Don't come then." He slammed the door so hard the posters on Ni-Ki's wall fluttered.
The sudden silence was broken only by the distant "Game Over" music from the forgotten console. Ni-Ki sat very still, staring at where his brother had stood.
Hyunjin paced the gilded hallway, his boots clicking against the marble floors. The palace walls felt like they were closing in on him. He spotted Yuna reading in the sunroom and rushed over.
"Yuna! Let's go out for a while," he begged, bouncing on his heels.
Yuna didn't even look up from her book. "Wait, don't even say that. What about Father?"
"Please Yuna," Hyunjin whined, tugging at her sleeve. "I'm dying of boredom here!"
"Go ask Ni-ki then." She finally glanced up with an annoyed look.
