The Guardian's Gift

6

The first thing that crossed Jisoo’s mind when she opened her eyes was that she must have been trapped in a movie scene. There couldn’t possibly be any other explanation. Soft, trimmed grass served as the pavement for her bare feet to walk on. Trees that could protect her from even the most destructive type of sunlight were lined around her like a protective but serene cage.

     The chirping of birds played in harmonious melody, like the nature’s own choir. On the branches of the trees sat butterflies in assorted colors. Next to the farthest tree, there was a river in which water as clear as crystal and as warm as fireplace in winter flowed. It had considerable amount of distance from her, but the noise of the stream sounded like it was coming from her eardrums. As if someone was pouring the water into her ears.

     The sky was in clearest shade of blue, with thin clouds moving all over it like shredded chunk of cottons. Rays of sunlight illuminated the freshly showered leaves, but there was no giant ball of heat as far as her sight could see.  She blinked and rubbed her eyes, yet nothing changed. When she was doing so, she noticed the white silk material covering her skin. She looked at her legs—she was bundled up in her usual majestic gown, which added even more confusion into her head.

     “Satisfied?”

     She gasped as she stood up. She turned around and saw him, leaning his body against the nearest tree behind her. “Seokjin? What are you doing here?” she asked, looking at him from head to toe. “I… I mean… where are we? What is this place? What’s happening?”

     Seokjin sighed, but still smiling. “This could be our home together, if your superhero syndrome hadn’t gotten in the way.”

     “What?” she responded almost immediately. She walked closer to him, again eyeing him from the strands of his hair to the tip of his shoes. “You talk funny. And you dress funnier. Just what is going on here?!”

     “Oh, so I’m not allowed wearing a nice, white suit like this? Do you think I only deserve those stupid long sleeves that even the nerds in my school don’t want to wear?” he raised his voice as he glanced at his neat and slick white suit, the male counterpart of her white gown. “You think you know me? Seriously? No one knows each other within a day, silly.”

     She approached him until the silk brushed against cashmere. She stared at him as if she was a detective extorting information straight from the eyes. “You can’t be Seokjin. You’re not him. Who are you? What do you want from me?”

     He smirked. Something she had never seen him doing during her one day with him. Or for the past twenty six years. “Let’s just say I’m someone who knows your worth,” he said as her eyes widened. “Does it really matter? What difference will it make? Who I really am is not what’s important.”

     She wondered how many kinds of pains were there. It wasn’t throbbing like that impact she had inflicted on her heels nor was it like someone had punched a giant hole on her chest when she realized how much of a bystander she had been. This one was gut-wrenching. “You must be Ilhoon. I’ve heard so much about you.”

     “What if I told you I’m the real Seokjin? Deeds are not always equal to the heart. You might think you know everything about me, but the truth is you know nothing,” he spoke to her as if their day together had never happened. “You’re just an observer, a servant, and that’s all you’ll ever be.”