Capítulo 1 – Monarch Wings

You won’t feel fear when death falls upon you, for she will stand above you and grace your face with a delicate hand and a beautiful grin.

    The first time Jongdae came face to face with death was on November 2, 2011; he had been out, driving through the streets of Seoul when the unexpected happened: a car came at full speed and crashed into him. He doesn’t remember much about how it looked like only the beautiful colors adorning its face and the crown of marigolds placed into its long, dark brown hair. He forgot about it, the colors and the marigolds—everything was sent to the backburner.

    However, she had a part in this too. Having been a busy creature, she spent Jongdae’s recovering days watching as he furrowed his oh so straight eyebrows as he drew continuous pages of her blurry face into his sketchbook. She watched him struggle as he pressed his bandaged covered head into his head, his face red with frustration as he tried his best to remember: “What is this?”

    More like whom, she would think silently. She didn’t show her presence, for she was an entity that was highly fear and worshiped and showing herself to a living being in her true form would only make him fall to his feet in terror. But he has the sight, one she gladly gave him, she would have to until he came to terms of what he had seen, of whom he had seen.

    Because it had been her and she was willing to risk it all. But when Jongdae wailed in pain from his injury she could do nothing but step in, creating a wall for his safety and just like that she was forgotten and those beautiful pictures of her blurred face were set aside.

    The second time Jongdae came face to face with death was in 2013, he stood with his hands outstretched standing at the edge of a pier, he didn’t know how to swim but he was ready to sink to the bottom of the ocean…all for a girl. She couldn’t help but snort, rolling her eyes as she neared his determined body and whispered words of uncertainty: Are you sure about this? What if she was the wrong girl? Are you really going to risk your life for one girl?

    She is a devious thing, playing mind tricks on him and watching him hesitate as his arms slowly began to fall to his sides and seeing him put his feet on solid ground. She placed a golden marigold inside his hoodie and waited for him to find it which he did not, much to her disappointment.

    It wasn’t until the ending of 2015 when someone found Jongdae’s old sketchbooks and watched mesmerized at the colors and shapes so carefully drawn. “Hyung, I didn’t know you knew about Mexican culture.” 

    This had caught her attention, watching from the shadows as the foreigner looked carefully at the book. Jongdae stopped what he had been doing, turning to face his friend and roommate with a confused expression, “What are you talking about?”

    The foreigner showed him the picture and he can’t help but raise his eyebrows in question, he doesn’t remember drawing them even though solid colors of white, black, red, yellow and gold adorn the woman’s face, even though his name is written in clear Hangul: 김종대.

    “I didn’t think you’d read up in what I’ve been telling you about my culture, hyung.” Oh yes, Julio, she remembers him quite clearly. Very handsome and very intelligent, too bad she didn’t like his machismo. She found it to be so…old. She may be a deity filled with many eons in her soul but if there was one thing she had always hated was that men always had to prove their masculinity by being masochists. What are bore really.

    “I think the last time I spoke to you about home was like a year ago?” Julio furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out if it was that much of time span.

    Jongdae, however, couldn’t help but stare at the paper that was tightly gripped by his fingers. He sure didn’t remember drawing them and it confused him to think that he would draw something so colorful—he preferred to do black and white portraits.

    “…I don’t remember telling you about La Catrina…” Julio was still talking but at that point, she knew Jongdae was not listening because all he could think was who did those chocolate brown eyes belong to and why did he feel so nostalgic.

    After that, he found himself looking at the pictures and wondering when he forgot about such beauty.

    But that was then and this is now, it’s the middle of October and Jongdae occasionally stares at the coloring before he sets it down and continues on with this day. She, on the other hand, has left his side but still keeps an eye on him; watching as he takes another girl by the hand and calls her “자기야”. She has a strong dislike for it, of course, she does but as a supernatural being, she had to allow him to live his life.

    Ha. Pun.

    There was one small detail in which she had to in—because she has come face to face with the Korean man, a bond had formed between the two and as an exchange of friendship, she had given him the sight. Jongdae hasn’t been able to use, it’s her own will that will allow to see her and it seems now is the time to allow him to open his eyes.

    “I’m always dreaming of Monarch butterflies,” Jongdae says, staring at the cotton candy haired girl in his arms. He always did prefer bold girls. “I don’t know why. I tried looking up the meaning behind it but everything I find just doesn’t seem…right.”

    Cotton Candy looks up, matching blue eyebrows furrowing. “Aren’t you overthinking it? Maybe it’s just a weird continuation of your dream.”

    “For two weeks?” Jongdae asks, lying his head back against his arm. “I doubt it. It’s been driving me crazy.”

    Cotton Candy hums, “I wouldn’t overthink it. It’ll go away eventually.”

    They’ll go away when he comes to me, she thinks.

    By the time October 31st came around, Jongdae found himself without a woman and with a (non-coincidental) thought of moving countries. “I think it’ll be a good idea,” he said, “New life, new beginning…less nagging, definitely less nagging.”

    Julio furrows his eyebrows. “But, Jongdae-hyung, this is Mexico we’re talking about. You don’t speak a of Spanish! With your short height, you’ll get run over.”

    Jongdae said the words going through her mind: “Shut up, Julio.”

    Little fact known about Jongdae, he tended to be impulsive, especially when he was decided on something. Twenty-four hours later, he was handing his showing his ticket and boarding a plane to Mexico. The monarch butterfly had opened its wings.