The Girl of an Old Mansion

39. And the Flowers Bloomed

Nyang became agitated when he couldn't find the torn out piece of the Devil's book that he and Lord Yong kept secret from Si-ri. He was not concerned about losing the piece of paper, he was more concerned about Si-ri knowing the whole truth. Lord Yong never wanted Si-ri to learn about the last part of the solution to lift the curse, he knew that if she found out, she would sacrifice her life.

"What are you looking for, brother?" Si-ri asked, after noticing Nyang in jittery.

"Nothing special, sister," He sees Min-ho coming. "Min-ho is here, I need to go home for some urgent work. I might come back by tomorrow." Min-ho greeted Nyang with a smile and told him that he is certain that the boy will be cured. "That's nice. I'm heading to the town, so you two need to be more cautious." He said before heading to the forest.

Min-ho came closer to Si-ri. "Finally, we are alone," Min-ho said, flaunting his impish smile.

"So?" Si-ri asked, standing there with her arms folded while raising her eyebrow. Min-ho smirked and in no time he swiftly encircled his arms around Si-ri's petite waist. He was looking at her and smiling faintly.

Si-ri froze and the red colour was beginning to dawn on her porcelain cheeks when she felt the strong arms around her waist. She tried but couldn't free herself from his steady grip. But somewhere she too wanted to go with the flow. Before she could say something a head leaned on her shoulder making her more nervous and excited at the same time.

Min-ho leaned and found a place in the crook of her neck. Removing some strands of her hair Min-ho dipped his head near her neck and breathed in her lavender scent. Si-ri's heart rate was increasing by the second.

"I really like this aroma of yours, it's so tempting and intoxicating. This makes me feel light and relaxed. But above all there is one thing that I'll always want to see on your face till my last breath. Your smile. You have such a bright smile that can light up the darkest caves. Seeing you smile is the only cure to my pain, it's like a beam of hope in the midst of chaos." Min-ho suddenly cupped her face and said in a melancholic tone, "Promise me, you'll never lose your smile, no matter what happens.."

Si-ri was looking puzzled with the sudden change in Min-ho's emotion and concern. "Is everything fine, Min-ho? Why are you saying this to me, out of the blue? Are you hiding something from me?" Si-ri felt mushy and worried at the same time.

Min-ho laughed heartily to break the tension and said, "No, you silly girl. Everything is alright. It's just that I can't see you crying, it breaks my heart to see you vulnerable. After a long time I've seen you smiling and now I don't want this mesmerising smile to fade away."

"arh...Min-ho you almost gave me a heart attack," Si-ri said furiously.

"Now come, I want to show you something." Min-ho held Si-ri's hand and took him outside and showed him a plant.

"What's this?" Si-ri exclaimed in surprise.

"You're such a dumb girl. It's a plant." Min-ho jokingly said and laughed out loud but quickly brushed off his laughter once he saw Si-ri's angry face. "Do you remember when you had told me that you love cherry blossoms and how much you were craving to dance in the rain of pink petals of cherry blossom trees? So, here this is a mini cherry blossom."

Si-ri was overjoyed and was touched seeing how he had remembered such a vague and small detail. They both planted the cherry blossom tree. With the muddy hands Si-ri painted Min-ho's face and laughed hysterically looking at his muddy yet funny face. Min-ho being intolerant ran towards Si-ri and pulled her in his arms. Si-ri tried releasing but his grip was stiff and hence she too got mud on her face. Now Min-ho started laughing.