Boy from Wonderland: The Untold Story of Hwan

VIII

2013, March

Hwan opened his eyes as the early morning sunlight hit his face. He looked down to his stained shirt. It has dried up over night. 

He tried to stretch his sore arms and legs before forcing himself to sit up. He looked over the window, frowning. There was something different and odd. He could feel it. But he didn't know what. 

Shaking off the weird feeling, he slowly stood from his bed and went to the closet. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside before pulling out a new one. He put the clean shirt on before heading downstairs. He went out at the front yard and saw his mother standing in the middle of the meadow. 

"Mama?" he called for her. She had her back to him.

She slowly turned around, a worried look on her face. When their eyes met, he knew instantly what was happening. 

"She's coming, isn't she?" he asked her.

Soo-ryun only nodded silently in response. Hwan was about to say something when Soo-ryun said, "Please, Hwan. Can we just at least try?"

"But she'll be in danger!" Hwan argued. 

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," Soo-ryun said cold-heartedly.

"But I can't! Not if there's a possibility that she might die!" 

"It's too late now," Soo-ryun said. "She's on her way."

Hwan stood in front of his mother, speechless. He stared at her, his eyes full of questions. Soo-ryun slowly walked towards him. She reached out her hand and placed her palm gently on Hwan's cheek. Hwan closed his eyes tightly as he tried to control his emotions. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered to him. 

"It's okay, Mama," Hwan finally said. "She'll remember. I'll help her."

Soo-ryun smiled weakly at him. Then she stepped away from him and walked silently inside the house. 

Hwan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt a strange feeling. He knew. So he opened his eyes. And that's when he saw her. She was looking around. Her curly hair was clumsily tied in a messy pony tail. She had grown so much. Yet she was still the same. She was still his Hye-joong. 

She slowly walked towards him, still unaware of his presence. All he could do was stare at her in silence. And then she slowly turned to him. And once again, his eyes met the familiar gentle brown eyes.