The Mountain With Melted Snow Caps | Ateez San

Part VII

"Today's the day of the festival," Haeun smiled.

"What festival?"

"The festival of crops."

"I think I remember seeing something like that. Isn't it just a lot of people eating corn together?" San asked.

"Well, it's a little more than that. It's a celebration for a plentiful harvest. Corn is the only thing that can withstand the heat around here, but there's other plants involved too. The community is grateful for whatever we can grow." He nodded along, deeply intrigued by her words.

"But, the festival has been lackluster recently. When Mingi and I were younger, his parents would take us every year to run their own stand. His family was more well-off than most so they were able to afford the most diverse variety of plants to sell. It was tiring to work during the day but when the night came, that's when the most fun started to happen. We all wore masks and robes, singing and dancing around a small fire that people could control. And the best part was, at the end of the day, Mingi's parents would spend some of their profit to buy us both our own chocolate bar." Haeun finished with a weak smile, her eyes dwelling up.

"I don't think the festival will ever be like that again," she admitted.

"How come?"

"The crops keep burning away." The two were silent for a moment.

"Well, let's go see the village anyway," San pleaded. Haeun was hesitant at first but took a quick glance at the motorcycle she borrowed. She knew she couldn't hide from Mingi for long.

"It might be a little dangerous. The people there probably all hate me by now," Haeun admitted.

"That's why I'm here, silly. I'm "strong", remember?" he said while flexing his biceps. She couldn't help but giggle at him, but she still felt unsafe. But really at this point, the boy was all she had left.

"Why do you wanna go so badly?"

"There's nothing up here. I've been here my whole life. Maybe the village could make me feel...human," San said, grabbing onto her hand. Haeun sympathized with him, understanding that isolation can cause a person to go crazy. At first she was bothered by how touchy-feely he was, but now she realized that he was just deprived of interaction. 

She grabbed his hand, leading him to the motorcycle. She hopped on with him following behind, his arms wrapping around her body and his head resting on her shoulder. He wanted to make her feel safe, acting as a full-on human protection shield.

When they arrived at the outskirts of the village, the sounds of people cheering could be heard in the near distance. The two grew more and more excited. Before entering the busier parts, they stole two disguises from a nearby stand. They wore hooded cloaks with embroidered face masks. They felt guilty for not paying, but they had no money and they couldn't be seen. As they got closer, the cheers got even louder.

The boisterous noise sounded promising, but as they reached the source of commotion, both of their hearts sank. 

"We have riddance the devil who has destroyed our village!" the crowd shouted.

A picture of Haeun laid in the center of the crowd, mounted on a wooden stake. The peaceful campfire that used to be there was now gone. Children took turns throwing pebbles while adults felt the need to spit at it. The girls who bullied Haeun had gone up to make small burn marks with their matches. She flinched at the memory of when they scarred her skin. San tried comforting her, but her heart couldn't handle when she saw her former friend walk up to the photo. She expected him to do something, but he didn't. He stood there, staring, his eyes quickly forming tears. The crowd had gone silent. His grandpa started booing, with the rest following after. Out of rage, Mingi grabbed the picture and ripped it into shreds.