Monsta X - All In (English ver.)

II.

The trees in the forest rustled and sang their usual song. They slowly fluctuated in the wind, bending firm but flexible bodies in a wind dance. The sky was clean, as clean as it can only be here. The smells of the forest smelled all around. Dry foliage. Rotten wood. Forest herbs.... Jooheon walked on rustling foliage along the forest border. He was in no hurry. He knew where he was going. He knew that no one was waiting for him. He knew that even if he did not return to the village, no one would look for him. He corrected his old canvas bag loosely thrown over his shoulder and continued to pedal. He looked around. Sought. He was looking for plants that could finally be the answer he was looking for. In his head, he endlessly replayed the conversation with Minhyuk. He knew That Minhyuk was right, but he still wanted to try it his way. Only then, when it accidentally does not work out again, will he do it according to Minhyuk. He should listen to Minhyuk more, after all, he is the son of a guard.... but that doesn't mean anything yet, doesn't it? Jooheon is a guard himself... The same thoughts swirled around his head. Jooheon thought of Shownu and his sick father, for whom he had been trying to find a cure for years. Even today, he worked on one, in his forest cave, which he arranged as an apartment, he still mixed different essences from herbs and forest stands. Jooheon grew up in the forest, especially after he became a guard at the age of ten and his family abandoned him. Now he was nineteen. In nine years, he has learned a lot about plants. He walked on. A frightened jaybird flew over his head, but Jooheon did not notice her. Jaybirds squeak all the time and are afraid of almost everything. He finally arrived at the place. He took off his bag from his shoulder and knelt down. He looked at the fragrant green field in front of which he stopped. This is exactly what he was looking for. The last herb in his medicine. From the bag, he took out a small wrought-iron sickle, which he stole from his father's shed. Dad did not use it, so he didn't even look for it. Jooheon smiled at the sight of the sickle. Hyungwon teased him that with that sickle and when collecting herbs, he looked like an old druid. Only long hair and a robe were missing. Jooheon cut off a handful of herbs with a sickle and looked at them up closely. He hoped these would be the right ones. He smelled of menthol scent. He remembered Changkyun's request. Thanks to Changkyun, he got to know Minhyuk, who told him a lot of new things about the flower, but still did not take their advice. He was afraid to use the flower. He did not know what he was capable of. He decided that this would be his last attempt with forest herbs. When this fails, Jooheon will use the power and magic of the flower to help everyone who will need it. With a sigh, he continued to harvest herbs as he raised his head sharply. It seemed to him or...? NOT! It did not seem to him. Jooheon threw himself sharply to the ground. A sickle latched on, cooling his sweaty body. He pushed himself on fragrant herbs and watched what was happening on his left. He was turned to face the exit and was hiding from the threat from the north. Along the northern border of the forest, completely on the outskirts of the Demilitarized Zone, soldiers were just marching. There were a lot of them. They shouldn't be here, Jooheon knew that. After all, he should not be here either, the territory in which he was located was forbidden for both villagers and soldiers. But Jooheon was here. And the soldiers too. If they had found him here.... Although he had no idea what would happen to him, he did not want to find out. Jooheon thought quietly. He was breathing heavily, and panic was pressing into his head. He did not want to allow this. He forced himself to calm his breath. He slowly rose, stuffed both the herbs and the sickle into a canvas bag and crawled a few meters further, after the dry foliage it might seem loud to someone, but the march of the soldiers was louder. Jooheon crawled further, hiding behind a large rotten tree trunk that had fallen a very long time ago. From there, he ran into raspberry bushes that he knew well. He knew that in addition to soldiers, he also had to watch out for forest beasts. He has often found himself face to face with a wild boar in a raspberry thorn and almost stepped on a snake. Jooheon rushed forward while looking wildly behind him. Fortunately, no one followed him.