It was the dawn of a Sunday, when pale orange washed over the village that was once covered by the dark blanket of night. Seven-year-old Hongjoong yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sniffing the morning dew wafting through the window sills. Once his eyesight cleared, his feet landed softly on the hard wooden floor as he got out of bed, kissing his stuffed bunny goodbye before he made his journey to the front door.
Tip-toeing past the door of his parents' bedroom, Hongjoong stilled when he picked up muffled shuffling from inside. His ears pounded loudly with the rush of anticipation while he waited for any signal that his parents were waking up, and when there were none, he continued his journey and reached his destination. Standing up on his toes, he grappled the brass door knob, twisting it.
When he stepped outside, he smelled the endless freedom that was before him. Hongjoong beamed, feeling the gust of autumn wind grazing his skin, listening to the cries of the songbirds as wonder filled him to the brim- until he was sure that he would topple over just from the excitement of seeing the outside world.
Light on his steps, he skipped through the gravel path that led from the entrance of the cottage house to the main road, some rough shards sticking to the pads of his feet. He paid no mind, though, as he had seen the first target of his day and he quickened his pace. Bending down, he observed the patches of orange, white and black that weaved through the fur of a sleeping cat. It was snuggled up beneath the shadow of a cart that was half-filled with firewood that his mother would burn beneath the stove whenever she cooked. He smiled when it stirred and stretched before him, its mouth agape. Then, it looked at him with a lovely pair of yellow eyes and he giggled when the bristles of its fur tickled his legs as it circled him. He managed to brush a few strokes of the soft fur before he heard leaves rustling, and what sounded like hurried footsteps.
Looking up, ignoring the meows of the cat that demanded for attention, his keen eyes peered into the dense brush that was a few lengths ahead of him. It was the edge of a forest, which his father had warned him countless times to never go into. If he got lost, it would be troublesome for him to be rescued, his father had said. He also warned that the wolves would gobble him up in one bite.
In the next second, trying not to stumble on his feet, he was navigating through the foliage. The snippets of light that fell through the gaps in between the leaves from the trees towering over him were the only light source he had as he trekked through uncharted territory, his face occasionally hit by swinging branches and his feet caked with soil. Within a minute, he had thought of turning back to return home before he got lost, and especially before his parents woke up to find him missing.
His mother would definitely make him do more treacherous chores. Then, there was going to be 'the encounter' with his father. He could already feel the stern gaze burning into him.
Inhaling deeply, Hongjoong turned around, about to trace back to where he entered the forest from, when he heard it again.
The distant sound of footsteps.
Hongjoong groaned. On one hand, he wanted to go back to his modest little home and sneak in through his window, then pretend to be snuggled up on his bed.
On the other, the smell of freedom and the curiosity burning in his chest called out to him, insisting that he should follow the footsteps and unravel the mystery person and what they were doing in the forest.
He went further on his conquest, trying to cover his tracks by watching where he stepped, careful not to break a single twig. When a musty smell hit his nose and the sound of rushing water grew, he realised that he was near a stream, or maybe a river. In a distance, the foliage was thinning out and there seemed to be a clearing.
