The Mountain With Melted Snow Caps | Ateez San

Part VI

It had been hours since Haeun had found the boy. She stared at him, constantly checking to see if he had made any movement. When she studied him, she took in all his features. He had a pale complexion with a strong jawline, cheekbones sticking out. He had dark hair that contrasted his skin with a white streak starkly sticking out towards the front. She had never met someone else with unusual hair like hers.

"He's really attractive," she thought. But, what use was it to have thought every boy she encountered was handsome? She needed to be cautious now about random boys she found while living alone.

Her stomach growled from eating nothing all day, her mouth becoming dry from the lack of water as well. She wanted to go back to the village to retrieve some things and give the motorcycle back to the owner, but she had forgotten the big detail that everything she had before had burned up, and the owner absolutely despised her now. It would be best to wait for the boy to wake up in case he decided to leave when she was not there.

His body started tossing and turning, sweat building up on his forehead. She ran over to him and started fanning, but her energy was quickly draining. With no other ideas, she carefully removed the boy's shirt, looking away as it felt wrong for her to be stripping a stranger. The boy's eyes immediately shot open.

"If you wanted to see me naked, you could've just asked," he suddenly said while smirking. Haeun started panicking and got up to walk away, embarrassed that he had to wake up in the middle of all that.

"Who are you?" she asked, covering her eyes from the shirtless boy.

"I'm San," he said, sitting up from the bed and crossing his arms over his body.

"Your name is mountain?" she questioned, still not looking over.

"And your name is Haeun," he replied, eagerly. Paranoid, the girl looked over to the boy who had an innocent smile across his face. His smile was so big that his eyes scrunched up and deep dimples appeared on his cheeks.

"How did you know that?"

"Because I've been watching you since you were a child," he said, unfazed by her fear. Haeun froze up in her spot. She was alone with a stalker with no means of protecting herself.

"I protected you and you called me strong!" He pouted.

"Where did the mountain go?" she asked, not understanding anything that was going on.

"I am the mountain." His smile had not disappeared from his face.

"Look, if you're trying to kidnap or kill me, just do it now. I don't want to have to figure out this whole riddle thing you're laying out just for you to torture me. I've been through enough," she said, defeated.

"Why would I hurt you when I put in so much effort to protect you?" He pouted once again. Haeun didn't know what to think at this point. So many things had not made sense to her that this really didn't feel all that strange.

"If you're a so-called, "mountain", then prove it."

The boy pondered for a moment, not knowing what he could do to make her believe him. After thinking, he uncrossed his arms from his body to reveal a heart on the side of his stomach.

"Does this look familiar?"

Haeun walked over, taking a closer look at the shape. Its edges were bloodied and the cut was deeply punctured into his skin.

"Is this the carving I did when I was six?"

He excitedly nodded his head.

"Does it hurt?" Her hands gently grazed over the scar. He flinched away, his expression filled with pain.

"Just a little bit, but I love it since you gave it to me," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be! You only did it because you loved me, right?"

Haeun was afraid to play into San's delusions. The situation was growing too weird for even her, but somehow she still found what he was saying to be believable.

"If you were the mountain outside, why are you a boy now?" she started to interrogate.

"I don't really know. I just remember looking down at you crying last night and suddenly I woke up here, with you taking my clothes off. Isn't that crazy?"

"Extremely."

"But, aren't you excited? We can finally do things together instead of me just watching!" San grabbed Haeun's hands and bounced his body up and down on the bed.

"Could you put on a shirt?" the girl asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, you're the one who took it off. But, fine." He listened to Haeun's request and then immediately grabbed her into a hug. She hugged back without thinking, his body somehow cooling her down from the intense heat.

"Why are you so cold all of a sudden?" she asked.

"So I can help you when you overheat."

"You realize nothing you're saying is making sense, right?"

"Can you blame me? I'm literally a mountain," he said with a small giggle following. Haeun smiled, his happiness breaking down her skeptical exterior.

"So, enough about me, tell me about you! I can't believe we're actually talking right now," San said, sitting back down on the bed.

"I thought you already knew everything about me."

"Well, there was something I never understood."

Haeun stared, waiting for him to continue.

"Why's everyone so mean to the golden girl?"

"Golden girl?"

"That's you, Haeun."

"What do you mean by that? I'm the "cursed child", according to the village."

"No, you're the golden girl who brings light to everyone. That's why I'm protecting you."

"I bring fires, not light."

"Well, you do both. It's not your fault you have such a big responsibility."

"So, it's true? I really am the reason why the village is slowly burning down?"

San stayed silent, afraid to tell her the truth he knew.

"Say it, San. Tell me how big of a curse I really am," she said, sternly.

"You're not a curse to me, though."

"But, I'm a curse to the village, right? Aren't I the reason Mingi's parents are dead?" Tears started to dwell up.

"No, that's not true. Please don't cry. I never liked it when I saw you cry."

She quickly wiped her tears.

"You said you've always protected me, right?" He nodded.

"So, why couldn't you have saved the whole village?"

Truth be told, his only focus was Haeun. He hadn't seen the chaos she had created until it was too late to fix it. The only powers he had were to shield her from the light to cool her down and cause the ground to erupt beneath him. Thinking of his skills, he was ashamed to be considered "strong" by her. He was weak and seeing her bond with Mingi throughout the years made him realize it. Mingi had the strength to physically protect her. He had everything San ever wanted. He was a normal human being who Haeun adored. But, San was a normal boy too now, and he was going to exceed all of the girl's expectations.

"I'll save it now."