Chapter 3: NOT ALONE

NOT ALONE

Min-hee pushed up towards the sun, basking in its radiance. She threw her head as she lifted herself above the surface in a graceful burst, giggling like a little girl.

And when she opened her eyes, she saw a darkness shielding her from the sun, from the Lady.

Frantically, she dragged her hair away from her face and started rubbing off water from her eyes. Perhaps, the water had to be playing tricks on her.

Yet, it wasn't the water because the darkness was real. It was a man. Not a statue, a real man in flesh and blood.

"Who the hell are you!" She yelled at him, unable to conceal the shock in her voice. She was horrified to see a man so tall with broad shoulders and a tattoo of a cross on his arm. His close-fitting black T-shirt hung around his biceps, his hands were in his pockets and his handsome face staring down at her with an expression that she had never seen before. What horrified her the most was that she instantly knew that this dark figure wasn't from the village. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a small frightful voice.

"How quaint. You know, I was about to ask you the same thing," he said in a low baritone voice filled with amusement and his brows lifted.

She suddenly realized that her breasts were clearly much visible to him, so she hastily sank down, letting the water cover everything but her head and shoulders. "This is a private property and you're trespassing."

"Hmmm. That makes two of us." His grin was wide this time around, displaying a set of beautiful white teeth. His dark hair swayed a little because of a gentle wind and his eyes peered inquisitively at her. He wore only black and a silver wristwatch on one of his wrists. The other wrist was adorned with black African beads and a tattoo which formed a unique type of mala.

She looked at him again, properly. Perhaps he was new to the village and decided to check out the popular and only Manor in the village. Or maybe he must have been from a magazine or a tv station to do some sort of documentary of the village. Or worse, he is a grand theft. Here to take the remaining prestigious items that weren't auctioned off.

"If you leave right now, I won't report anything to the authorities. I will forget about you being here," she said, mustering out a little courage which she doesn't have at that moment. "There are CCTV cameras, it won't be easy for you to get away with anything."

"Oh well. Thanks for the warning. I haven't seen any. They must be hidden quite well." The stranger said as he moved Min-hee's neatly folded clothes to one side in a lackadaisical manner and sat down on the bench. "Well, how did you get in? Care to share with me?"

"All I want is for you to get out the same way you got yourself in here!" Min-hee said in between chattering of her teeth. At this juncture, she got confused about her teeth chattering as she wondered if it was anxiety or she was getting cold. Perhaps, a bit of both.

"Why?" he asked with a mischievous smile. "It's quite the view from where I'm sitting and any man in my shoes right now won't be in a hurry to leave."

How in the name of my great, greatest grandmother did I get myself here? Min-hee thought to herself. Under the water, she gave herself a pinch to check if she was dreaming and when she felt pain, she concluded that she was having a nightmare instead.

"But, I am. And I need to leave," she said, struggling to speak normally. "So I'd really love to have my clothes back on."

"That's not a problem," he smiled and indicated to the pile of clothes beside him. "Go on then. Be my guest."

"That's without you looking," she retorted back. Min-hee would rather freeze to death in the lake or get entangled in the weeds and drown than to let this stranger watch her dress.

"Hmmm. Why do you think I wasn't watching while you took them off?" he asked gently.

Her eyes grew wide with horror and there was a sudden tightness in her throat. She immediately composed herself and swallowed hard. "Emmm . . . Were—you?"

He leaned forward with a smirk. "I won't answer that. The answer is a leisure I alone should enjoy," he replied. "I bet you enjoy talking to inanimate objects," he added unapologetically.

Holding up his hands, he stopped Min-hee from saying anything as he fumbled in his pocket to pull out a smartphone.

Min-hee looked horrified at the thought of this stranger taking pictures of her. Instantly, she pushed herself back into the water after a while when she needed air, she pushed herself back up gasping for air.

"Alright . . . mhmmm . . . I'm okay with everything. I'll be with you shortly," the stranger said to the phone.

He ended the call. "You're lucky princess, I have matters to attend to."

"Lucky? What do you mean by that?" She queried. "Because from my own side, you are the lucky one. You could be chilling off in jail by now!"

"Why is that?"

"I was considering charging you with a lot of things like trespassing and sexual harassment. Just for a start."

"Trespassing? I doubt because we both would be in jail. Sexual harassment? Really? Just for a little teasing?" He shook his head and chuckled. Getting up from the bench, he continued, "None of your charges will even hold up. Because you still have to tell the police what you were doing here and I know you don't want that."

The stranger winked at her. "See you around my little trespasser," he said and walked out without glancing back.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Min-hee remained in the water, staring at the path the stranger took— waiting until she could be completely sure he had departed. With a countdown to three, she swam out of the lake, climbed out and dashed towards the bench to pick up her clothes. Her legs are shaking and her teeth are chattering because of the cold.

Normally, Min-hee would have dried off in the sun and made a crown of flowers to decorate her hair, but this time she hurriedly dragged her clothes over her very damped skin. Although it was uncomfortable, she still couldn't wait to get out.

Looking up at the Lady, she cursed under her breath, knowing that somehow she won't be returning there ever again because her place of solitude had somehow been ruined for her.

Min-hee remembered the stranger's last words, "see you around my little trespasser." And this made her heart beat faster. She ran as fast as she could to where she had kept her bicycle, and struggled to push it out through the frames of tangled weeds and wildflowers and then to the little side gate. Deep inside, she was glad she came with her bicycle but even more glad that it was still at the exact spot she had left it.

Beautiful Min-hee hopped on her bicycle and peddled fast like her life depended on it. Riding farther away from the manor, away from her favorite place, away from the Lady playing the harp.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

But he had been there all along, watching her, studying her, memorizing the slightest detail.

The curves of her body, her beautiful face, her long wet hair which flowed down passing her waistline.

He felt pained that he had scared her. It wasn't his intention.

And when she picked up her clothes and started dressing while facing his direction, he held his breath and fixed his eyes on the alluring bean-shaped birthmark between her breasts. He actually thanked the stars for his good eye sight.

The stranger watched as perfectly manicured toe nails first made their way into panties and how the piece of pink-flowered fabric moved up to conceal his haven. Well, he somehow had convinced himself that she was his haven.

"See you soon, my lady of the lake," he whispered to himself and disappeared into the thick bushes, finding his way to a secret door that leads outside the manor . . .