The Mountain With Melted Snow Caps | Ateez San

Part V

"Mingi, I'm so sorry," Haeun said, tears streaming down her face. Still, she tried comforting her friend as best as she could.

"Sorry? That's all you have to say when you've brought terror to everyone?" Mingi's grandfather exclaimed, raising his hand up to slap the girl across the face. She didn't flinch because she didn't think his hand would come in contact with her. Mingi had always protected her from him. But, it was selfish of her to expect her friend to be there for her all the time. This was her moment to take care of the boy who always had her back. She grabbed her cheek in pain, but her heart truly hurt for the family who gave her everything she ever wanted and more.

"We have to stop the fire!" Haeun said, sprinting to get water.

"It's too late," Mingi said, hopeless. He watched as his home raged on, tempted to jump in the fire as well. His grandfather pulled him back, screaming to knock some sense back into him. When Haeun returned, the fire had gone out and the two men sat in front, staring at the ashes. She made her way next to her friend as she bursted into tears.

"All you ever do is cry, Haeun," Mingi spat out harshfully. The girl was shocked by his sudden behavior.

"I'm the one suffering, so why are you making this all about you?" Even his grandfather was surprised by his words. Haeun didn't know how to respond.

"I should've believed my grandpa from the beginning. It was you, wasn't it?" His voice became louder. She looked over at him, confused as to why he was acting like this. Just moments ago, she thought the two of them had something special going on. Now, he was treating her the way the entire village was.

"Answer me!" His tone was exasperated now, grabbing the girl in his hands and shaking her back and forth. She was too scared to say anything. He was not the boy she knew.

"Why are you being like this?" she managed to choke out. He finally released his grasp, immediately throwing his face into his hands.

"You lost your parents and now you're making me suffer too?" Mingi questioned, angrily.

"How could I have done anything when I was up in the mountains with you?" She tried reasoning, but it was no use. The boy wouldn't even turn to face her.

"My mother and father used to tell me how happy they were living here. Then one day, news spread saying a random girl with red hair had just been born. It was rumored that she would bring bad luck to the village. But, they didn't want to listen to the rumors and the stories. They tried proving everybody wrong, including my own grandpa. But, he was right all along. And if they would have just listened to him, they'd still be alive!" He screeched.

"If I had just let you die up in the mountains, we'd all be happier," he whispered. His grandfather stood behind him, smiling.

"You really are just a curse, Haeun. It doesn't matter what you do, all you're capable of is creating disasters. I wish I never fell for the girl who melted the snow caps off our mountains. You're nothing but a fire who burns everything she touches." He turned away and started walking, his grandfather following behind.

"Mingi, that's not true!" The girl cried out. She tried chasing after the two but the old man kicked her down when she got too close.

"Haven't you done enough?" the old man asked before catching up to his grandson. Haeun was addled by her friend's sudden mood change. But, she couldn't do anything to change his mind now. It was nighttime and she didn't know where to go, so she returned to the only place she knew. She hopped onto Mingi's motorcycle that he left behind. She would plan on returning it the next day, hoping that they could resolve their argument then.

"Please, protect me, mountains. Just one more time," she cried out when she reached her destination. She had lost everything, once again, over the span of few hours. Even though she was an adult now, she couldn't help but look toward the mountain for comfort. She felt like the same helpless girl she was 12 years ago. She walked closer to the old heart carving she made as a child and deepened the top half of it as she noticed it fading away. Afterwards, she crawled into her little hut and weeped all night.

"I'm not strong like you are," she whispered before drifting off to sleep.

When she woke up, the sun felt hotter than ever as its rays peaked through a small hole on the roof. It was a new feeling as she was used to the mountain blocking the bright light from her. Groggily, she got up, not yet realizing what had happened last night. Once her memory came back, her heart ached but as soon as she stepped foot outside, her mind went blank. The mountain had disappeared right before her eyes and the sun was now beaming towards her. She quickly covered her eyes and made her way to where the landform had previously been.

"What is going on?" She wondered to herself. When she wandered around the area, she noticed a boy her age laying there unconscious. She ran over to him, gently shaking him to see if he would wake up. She checked his pulse to make sure he was alive. Once she knew he was still breathing, she tried again to make him regain conscious, but it was no use. She lifted him back to her little hut to hide him from the sun, hoping that when he awoke, he could explain to her about what had happened to the mountain.