Blue Skies | 707/Luciel Choi | mystic messenger | #1

Seventeen ; Beyond the Lake

"Jihyun-ah! Mama said to stay away from the chicken coup. You know what happened last time you bothered the hens!"

The boy who dressed in a white shirt with dark brown suspenders holding up his pants paused, his hand seconds away from unlocking the wooden shelter. A groan bubbled in his throat as he spun around to face his younger sister. "That was last time! I'm going to be careful this time." He retorted with a hand waving in the air.

The look she gave him was stern, but it quickly morphed into a goofy grin. "If she finds out I'm saying you forced me! Anyway, why are you going to the chicken coup? I found somewhere better!" She exclaimed, taking the time to skip around her brother with a mischievous gleam in her grey eyes.

Jihyun suddenly felt suspicious.

"Oh yeah? What it it then?" He questioned skeptically. The younger simply shrugged and spun on her dirt clad heel. "You gotta follow me to find out! It's called a surprise for a reason you know."

Jihyun rolled his eyes before following after Hyun-a towards where he only recalled a small lake to be at. He was unsure as to why she was heading that way, didn't she know that there was nothing beyond that right? Just a bunch of underbrush and fallen branches. Hyun-a giggled to herself as she skipped ahead of Jihyun , ignoring the fact that her mother would be livid at the state her once white dress was.

They skipped over a river, dancing on moss covered stones and weaved through outstretched branches. She was so excited to show Jihyun her secret place!

Although their time in Tuscany was waning , since fall was right around the corner, Hyun-a always found a way to make their summer vacation worthwhile. Especially now since Jihyun seemed very sad that he couldn't bring his new friend, Jumin Han along. The blue haired girl just wanted to give him something worthwhile so that a genuine smile would overturn his negative feelings.

"How much longer Hyun-a?  My feet are getting tired." He complained between panting breaths. The cyan haired boy wasn't as energetic and built for the outdoors as his little sister was—which he was a little sour over. He wished he could have built up some kind of endurance, but his body was just too fragile.

"Why are you so impatient? I think I know why Mama says to always be patient. You're annoying!" she tutted. "It's right behind the big willow trees. Which is only a few seconds away you know." Hyun-a quickly made her way to the leaves hanging like curtains thickly pushed together. Jihyun wiped the sweat from his brow before nodding. He felt excited and nervous, what could Hyun-a have found that was so exciting? If it was something big, how come he couldn't see it between the limp branches of the willow trees?

Nonetheless he followed after his younger sibling, admiring the way her braided cyan hair that matched his own swayed as she walked. How had he been so lucky to have a sister like her? How was he so lucky to be a big brother to the sweetest, yet naive, girl on the Earth? It was often Jihyun was overcome with these questions and emotions. He always glowed with pride whenever it came to his sister because he knew she was going to do great things one day.

Hyun-a on the other hand was getting impatient. Her skinny arms were crossed indignantly across her small chest and her foot was rapidly tapping on the earthen floor as she waited for her brother to snap out of his daze. She loved him, she really did, but sometimes he just flies off into a world of his own! 

"Jihyun~!" She whined, skipping over and tugging his sleeve. The boy blinked rapidly, tilting his head down to look at her. "Huh?" he murmured in confusion. The five-year-old rolled her eyes and used her tiny hands to direct his gaze to the place beyond the lake. Jihyun's eyes widened as he took in every detail, his breath hitched in his throat as he stood there wonder struck. 

"Do you like it?" Hyun-a inquired with a knowing grin. He simply nodded, feeling around for his camera. "It's beautiful, Hyun-a...how did you find it?" 

The girl hummed, skipping away so that she stood in the frame of the camera. "A friend helped me! They were so nice. I come here all the time when mama and pa are out painting." She explained. Jihyun slowly brought the camera to his eye, focusing on his sister and the beautiful background. Without a moments notice he snapped a photo, capturing her as she spun to face him with a bright smile on her face.

Hyun-a was like the sun, always smiling and laughing. Why did she disappear so suddenly?