Chapter 2: Strangers (2)

Hwee-ah shared the stories of her trip during the meal.

"Really? Wow, I never knew the world was so big!" Said Yeonha after listening to Hwee-ah's stories.

"Didn't I tell you all sorts of stories about the outside world?" Said her father.

"Hmph, you only talk about how bravely you fought and all." Grumbled Yeonha.

Yeonha's father, Shima, had all sorts of fascinating stories about the outside world, but they were limited to what he could experience in the military. Stories of accidentally hunting a bear when he was aiming for a deer to feed his team, secret codes they used in the forest to communicate with the main force in the rear, how to move around without making noise and so on.

Hwee-ah's stories, however, were filled with adventures. She said that she came from the lands far up north and that there were giant rivers, lakes, mountains, and all sorts of cities between her homeland and this little village.

Yeonha was born and raised in this small mountain village isolated from most of the world. Though some merchants occasionally paid a visit, the village was mostly self-sufficient and cut off due to the distance and harsh road conditions to other areas where people lived, thus explaining the lack of an inn as there was no use for one.

"I wish I'll get to go on an adventure like that one day..." Yeonha mumbled.

Hana and Shima looked at their daughter with a complex expression.

Hwee-ah's stories sounded fascinating, but the two knew that the outside world was neither a safe nor a kind place, especially for a little girl.

"Thank you for the meal." Hwee-ah interrupted the tense situation as she had finished her meal. "We'll get ready to rest, as we also have a long way to go tomorrow."

"No problem; thank you for the stories." Hana smiled as she started to tidy up.

Yeonha was the only one who noticed that Haru hadn't finished his meal. He had been poking around at his food after a certain point with a worried look on his face.

'Hmm...' She was starting to get suspicious. Though the stories were fun, they had never revealed their identities. They also didn't mention where they were going or what they were doing down here.

She wanted to ask but noticed her parents hadn't mentioned anything either and just decided to stay quiet.

'Whatever...' She grumbled again as she walked out of the house.

Zrrp Zrrrp

Yeonha walked up the little hill near her house where a little pond existed. She liked to listen to the sounds of bugs and other critters while staring into the reflection of the moon on the little pond after dinner.

The pond was originally used as the primary water source for villagers in the past but had since become obsolete as people started to dig wells next to their houses for convenience. Nowadays, some small fishes, frogs, and other small animals lived in the pond.

She sat on a flat rock that her father had carved and placed on the edges of the water for her as she stared into the rippling reflection of the moon on the surface of the water.

"Whoa"

"AHHHHH"

Splash

Yeonha screamed as she jolted and fell into the water after hearing a voice suddenly ring out next to her.

"Ah... sorry..." It was Haru's voice.

Yeonha glared at Haru, who seemed to have climbed up after her.

She sat back on the rock as she squeezed out the water from her clothes in annoyance.

"Make some noise when you approach someone, I thought I was going to have a heart attack." Grumbled Yeonha.

"Sorry..." Haru apologized again.

"It's fine, come and sit." Yeonha replied as she patted the rock she was sitting on. There was enough space for the two.

Haru hesitated for a bit as the rock was all wet from Yeonha, but decided to sit anyways.

Yeonha asked as he sat down.

"How old are you?"

"Uhh... I think I'm eight this year..." Haru replied.

"What do you mean you think?" Yeonha's eyes squinted in suspicion.

"Well... We've been on this journey for a long time and haven't celebrated my birthdays in a while, so..." Haru's head drooped.

"Oh... Sorry. I'm seven." Yeonha replied.

The two sat in silence for a bit before Yeonha asked again.

"Where are you guys headed?"

"I'm... not sure." Haru replied.

"Huh?"

"We... are just heading south." Haru looked up at the bright full moon in the sky. "South... To the Sea..."

"The Sea..." Yeonha stared at the rippling water of the pond as she imagined the sea.

'A really, really, really large pond... right?' She thought to herself. 'I wonder if there are big fishes there... Big enough to eat.'

The little guppies in the small pond were all too small to actually eat. She had caught one and tried eating one in the fast, but it was mostly tasteless and just hurt her mouth due to the bones.

Haru hugged his legs as he stared into the pond as well. "I... Miss home."

"..." Yeonha didn't know what Haru felt as she had never left 'home', but knew that he was sad.

"There was a pond like this where I lived as well." Haru continued. "It was a lot larger than this and frozen most of the time of the year. The moon looks prettier with the ripples on the water. Much prettier than reflecting off of the ice..."

"..." Yeonha continued to stare into the pond in silence as she tried to imagine what that was like.

It was nice to talk with someone near her age, but the story kept sounding sad.

It's been a very long time since she got to hang out with someone her age like this, and she didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Don't be sad like that! I heard it gets warmer and warmer the more south you go! The waters will never freeze there! You'll always be able to see the pretty moon on the waters!" She raised her voice.

"...Right." Haru squeezed out a smile. "Thanks."

"Hehe. Come on, let's go back. Father told me not to stay out too late." Yeonha stood up as she shook off the remaining bits of water in her hair.

Boom

Ahhhhhh

A sudden sound of an explosion occurred, followed by somebody's scream.

The two flinched as they quickly ran down the hill before noticing a bright red fire in the distance.

"Yeonha!" She saw her father rushing out of the house in panic along with Hwee-ah before they quickly brought her and Haru inside.

"What's going on?" Yeonha asked in fear.

"Shh, listen to me Yeonha. Haru too. Do not make a single noise and stay inside this closet, okay? If we don't return until dawn... follow the road east and—"

Crash

The sound was nearer this time.

"Hurry, get inside!" Shima pushed the two kids into the closet as he rushed out of the room to pick up his bow.

Boom

Then, the house collapsed.