Dreams Who Never Come True

Chapter 15: Have Your Questions Ever Found Answers?

"Hey Myeong!" I hear a voice call my name, as I stride outside in the forest. Weeks have passed since Ji-ho's parting, and now here I was, all alone, in the cage set by my father. But today, I'll have a sense of freedom, for I knew precisely who was the one who had just called my name. Rei.

I turn around to face him. He, like Neorong, was someone I can now consider as a friend. Despite his confusing nature, his puzzlement he brings upon me, I considered him as a friend. I mayn't know him fully yet, but in my view, it was enough to consider him as a friend.

As I whirled around, my head bumps into a tree branch that was lingering behind my head. Thunk! I think to myself, 'Ow.'

The ineluctable impact phlegmatically shakes me a bit, but then I push myself back to normal. Rei lets a laugh slip through his lips, and I give him an aggrieved, choleric expression in return to his outburst. Jokingly, I threaten him, "I, myself, will plunder and maraud you of everything you have, toss them on the ground, and leave you to pick up the scraps like an indigenous rodent."

The laughter fades from his tone. I notice a smile on his face. The end of the lips were curled up, but then they reverse their action, and replacing the smile, is a more, serious expression. Abstruse words fly out of his mouth, and under his breath. I had no idea what he was saying. Then, after, he raises his voice, and I can hear his words and understand them.

But, all I get is, two simple words. Nothing more, nothing less. Just two words; three syllables. All that spills out of his mouth is, "Follow me."

Letting the sudden awkwardness fly over my head, I nod. Rei also nods in reply, then turns around. He begins to walk, and I walk behind him. Clearly, something conspicuous was up. Something that Rei, I believed, was bound to inform me of soon enough, instead of just leave me in the dark. However, it can be either something dramatic and depressing, or something full of vitality. Or it can just be something boring and plain, like, 'Fun Fact: There is a thing that has a tall, rough, and brown trunk and fluffy green leaves growing around the expanding branches, called a tree!'

For the first minute, Rei is silent. I take this time to examine and look at the surroundings of the lush, green forest.

No more leaves were left, scattered across the ground, in all sorts of colors. The atmosphere wasn't arid at all, in fact, it was humid. I could sense the humidity pressing down against my shoulders, weighing me down a bit. Not like it was a big issue anyways.

While my house was far away, from the urban and rural areas, it was still arduous for me to enjoy the scenery, as I mostly found myself indoors with my fabulous family. Some saw this as clairvoyant, but whether Ji-ho was alive or dead, I'd happily trade positions with him right now. Later on, I may change my mind, however, because all people change. Except my father. I don't think he can ever change.

Whiffs of fresh air baffle me. It felt warm, but yet cold in some way. Ostracism has made me a recluse, but now, I was finding my way to weave around the path already carved out by the shovel for me by my parents. At least, I thought so. I can't tell, because I do not own prescience. All I had were my urges and instincts to tell me what to do, really.

Finally, after I-don't-know-how-long, Rei speaks up, throwing me out of my wandering and scattered thoughts. Rei eyes me, "I began another gamble. Right now, we are walking towards a man who may give you answers you desire, but at the cost of... never mind. Just don't throw this opportunity to waste, okay? I don't want this to be a waste of my time."

My panacea left me, the minute I caught the word, "answers." Answers, the one thing I've been searching for my whole life. Answers, the one thing I could've never achieved. But now, I was going to receive answers? From who, and where? What types of answers?

In an attempt to contain my overwhelming excitement and joy coursing through me, I reply in the, hopefully, most nonchalant tone anyone has ever heard. In that placid, calm, and kind of boring tone, I say, "Okay."

The one word, 'Okay', was all I could muster out, before I'll fall into a breakdown of excitement. But I can sense myself falling down into it, because this was just a major turn in my life. However, such joy can easily bid me farewell, by just one mere thought running through my head, once. What if, these answers Rei speaks of, aren't the answers I'm looking for? What if these answers were just something like 1+1=2?

As sudden as the excitement came to me, it left me. Replacing it, was something I think was called disappointment. Disappointment was what my father held towards Ji-ho, and was what something I did not want my father to hold towards me—sometimes Other times, I wished he did.

In a heterogeneous mixture, galling, pleasing, placid—all sorts of thoughts wriggle themselves in my mind. Some more than others, some less than others. I don't know which thought to listen to. And, in cases such as those, I've developed a tendency to act on whatever my heart speaks to me of. This time, however, my heart held to me no response. So, those paradoxes continued to wage wars among themselves.

Rei, growing sick of the awkwardness spiraling inside the air, sparks a conversation between him and I. Words adding to my mess run out of his mouth, and I don't get the words he speaks of. I had no idea what he was saying, in fact. So, all I could do was give him spontaneous responses and answers.

Then, my gaze drifts towards a knife-like branch hanging off one of the trees. A sharp, agonizing thought pulses through my mind, canceling out the others for a second. What if I— but then, my impulse speaks up: Don't listen to it.

I felt as if I had just entered a morass. But I haven't—I think.

While Rei and I continued to 'talk' those noisome and noxious thoughts played themselves inside of my mind. In the end, I decided to leniently shove them away, and push them into the far back of my mind. There, I hope, they will die, as I will pay no need towards them. There was no point of doing so anyways.

I've pellucidly wished death on many before, this wasn't the first time I've come to the capricious decision of doing so. Once, I think, I wished death upon my father. Once was perhaps an understatement though. I don't remember how many times I've wished it upon him. Or others as well. I had the tendency to forget when I did so, because it is futile to remember such wishes upon others, right? Or at least, I believed it to be futile.

I dwelled deeper into my thoughts, while keeping my desultory conversation with Rei. It was awkward between the both of us, but the opposite of awkward inside of my mind. I kept up with this until we reached the destination— a tranquil spot placed somewhere in the forest, where a wooden table stands, with benches on both sides of it. The table was under the shadiness of the forest, where small specks of sunlight weaved it's way through the leaves, and lit the surface of the table and benches.

On one of the benches, the calm man that I saw long ago sat. His arms were crisscrossed, and his eyes were shut tight. As if he were listening to the sounds of nature. Or as if he was meditating, but judging by his feet's posture, I assumed he wasn't meditating. His left leg rested over his right leg. The right foot touched the ground, but the left one hovered there. Both feet were covered by shoes, of course, otherwise I'd be looking at his toes.

He was the man Rei said would provide me with answers. Whatever answers they were. I didn't know Rei knew this man, nor did I know that the man knew of Rei. I guess them knowing of each other is a bit coincidental. It just happened that Rei knew of him, and he knew of Rei as well. Now, I was joining their group, by knowing of Rei and the man as well.

"Ready to talk now?" Rei asks the man, and the man's eyes open.

"Yes, I am. Ask away, Myeong."

"Wait," I say abruptly, "What is going on?"

"I got someone to answer your questions, at the cost of many chips." Rei replies, "So ask away, Myeong."

"Huh?"

"Hurry up, Myeong. Ask away, and don't just loiter around."

Puzzled, I nod. Finally, answers were unfolding themselves for me. But also, how did Rei find out that I had many questions without answers for them, lingering around in my mind?

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A/N: Not going to lie, I hate the ending of this chapter. It feels rushed, and I do not like it. I am definitely going to change the ending of this chapter, because I also think it makes absolutely no sense at all. Anyways, have a great day or night!