Deadline-Park Jisung

✨2✨

The ride to the royal kingdom where Dongpyo was taking me was the most fun I'd ever had in my life. If felt like I was making a friend.

Only 7 hours left until he wakes up.

"Say, Dongpyo?" I said. "Yes Haeun?" "Do you think we could be friends? I don't have any and it'd be nice to have one." "Of course! I'm glad to be your first!" Dongpyo said with a smile. "Why am I your first friend? Didn't you make friends in school?" Dongpyo asked. "I didn't get to go to school. My mother taught me how to read though." I said smiling at the memory, a sad smile.

"What do you mean you never went to school?" Dongpyo asked. "Do you really want to know? If I tell you, I'm scared you'll think I'm weird." I said looking down. Dongpyo stopped the carriage and looked back at me. "Not at all, we're friends now." He said patting the seat next to him which I gladly took up.

I explained to him everything I had experienced in my life. All the abuse, the mistreatment, the engagement, all of it. Dongpyo's face went pale. "How could someone be so awful to you? You seem like such a kind person." Dongpyo said shaking his head. "That's why I had to do that to him. Now that I'm alone, I'm just going far far away from that man." "Where are you gonna live?" Dongpyo said. "I think I could make it on my own in the woods." I said nodding as if my plan were a sound plan.

"Listen. I have a hut, it's nothing fancy but it is right by the woods. There's a pretty little waterfall by it too. I think you'd like it there. I live there with my 4 friends, well, more like brothers. We're all orphans, we'd love to have a sister figure there with us." Dongpyo offered. "I guess I really can't say no since I have nowhere else to go." I smiled at him and looked ahead. "We should be arriving to the kingdom in a day or so. I'll stop soon so that we can both get some rest. We are quite a ways away from that vicious father of yours."
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Only 1 hour left until he's expected to wake up..

"Haeun?" Dongpyo said. "Hm?" I said turning my head in his direction. "There, I found an inn you could reside in for the night so that you don't have to sleep inside the wagon." He said pointing off into the distance.

"But what about you?" I asked worried. "Thought it would be fit. You are a single young lady after all." He argued. "Even more reason to have a little extra support. Not saying that I need protecting but I'd prefer you didn't sleep out in the cold." I said and Dongpyo sighed. "You're quite the independent one Haeun. Okay, I'll come with you, only for extra support." He smiled.

After we checked in to the inn, got a room, and changed, we stayed up for a little while taking before Dongpyo knocked out on the bed. He's probably awake by now, what do I do? What if he's already looking for me? Waiting to get me back for some sick reason? I thought as I looked out of the window of the inn.

"Haeun." Dongpyo said behind me. "I thought you went to sleep." I laughed as I turned around to face him. "You look like you could use a distraction. Why don't I tell you one of my favorite stories?" Dongpyo said patting the space next to him. "Okay, what's the story?" I said sitting down.

"My mother told it to me before she passed away. I've never forgotten it even though I was so young. Do you know about the red string of fate Haeun?" He asked me. "The what?" I questioned. "I forgot you didn't get out much. Sorry." He apologized. "Just hurry up and tell me the story." I said lightly shoving him.

"Okay. Well, the red string of fate is something that binds 2 people's souls together because they were forged from the same soul. You were meant for each other. It's like your life is incomplete without them. My mother and father were fated together. My mother told me that there was a red string attached to her right hand one day and across the way, my father was standing there looking at her too. She said it was like nothing else mattered but him and she couldn't stand being away from him for too long." Dongpyo smiled. "She loved my dad a lot." He said.

"Can I asked what happened to them?" I asked. Dongpyo paused his eyes held a glint of rage in them as he chose his next words carefully. "Rouge vampires." He gritted out through his teeth. I had known about the existence of vampires because of things my mother told me about them. She wanted me to be ready for anything when we got to the outside world.

She told me of their hierarchy and how they run the kingdom we live in but peacefully unless laws are broken. Sometimes higher ups would take girls and keep them as slaves for whatever needs they wanted. Other times there were the rouge vampires who went around killing people off one by one because the had a taste for blood that the just couldn't get enough of.

"I'm so sorry." I said patting his back. "It's fine." He said "let's just get some sleep." "You can always talk to me if you need it." I said bedding down next to Dongpyo. "Thank you Haeun." He said before they both dosed off.
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Poor Dongpyo 🥺