---

Youngmi sat down and leaned against the tree. She studied the words etched onto the watch, trying to figure out what it meant. Her eyes began drooping, she was exhausted. She thought of taking a small nap and continue her search. She closed her eyes and slipped off into dreamland.

---

 

Sanha went around the table setting out plates and eating utensils. He had been assigned to set up the table because the other guys banned him from the kitchen. The poor boy was trying to make rice but the pot he was cooking it in somehow managed to catch on fire. Therefore he was deemed unfit for kitchen duty that morning. Once everything was in its rightful place Sanha went back to the kitchen to let the others know. Moonbin, who had replaced Sanha in making the rice and was currently bringing it out to the table, told the boy to go up and get Youngmi since breakfast was ready.

 

Sanha knocked on the door and waited for the girl to answer. Several seconds passed with no answer so he knocked again. But when a couple minutes went by and he didn’t get a reply he opened it and entered the room, figuring that she might still be asleep. He went up to the bed only to find that she wasn’t in it. He looked all around the room and there was absolutely no sign of Youngmi. Sanha thought that maybe the girl had went out earlier, possibly to take a walk. So he went back downstairs.

 

“Youngmi isn’t in her room.”

 

Minhyuk and Jinjin , who were the only ones left in the kitchen, turned to Sanha.

 

“She’s not?” Jinjin asked.

 

Sanha shook his head and replied, “Nope.”

 

The three boys all looked at each other with confusion on their faces. None of them had seen the girl leave her room, nor had they seen her outside the treehouse. Then Minhyuk spoke up.

 

“Maybe she went for a walk?”

 

“That’s what I was thinking. Maybe we should look for her, just in case she got lost.”

 

“Good idea, I’ll let the others know,” said JinJin.

 

Sanha and Minhyuk transformed and took off flying out of the room.

 

“Where are they going?”, asked Moonbin.

 

“Youngmi wasn’t in her room, they’re going to look for her.”

 

“Really? I wonder why. I hope she didn’t get lost or anything.”

 

Myungjun looked over at Eunwoo. “Should we look for her too?”

 

“Hmmm. Let’s give it a few minutes. I’m sure Minhyuk and Sanha will find her.”

 

The four boys sat and waited, each of them nibbling on some food. They were trying not to start breakfast without the others but all the dishes seemed to be calling to them, inviting them to dig in and eat.

 

Suddenly a bird swooped down and crash landed in a bowl of soup, transformed, and proceeded to roll off the table. Everyone was trying their best not to laugh but couldn’t hold it back. But they were soon interrupted by the boy laying on the ground.

 

“We can’t find Youngmi.”

 

Eunwoo stopped laughing and looked at Minhyuk. His eyebrows shot up with worry now etched onto his face. JinJin helped the boy up and their eyes met.

 

“What? How far did you go?”

 

“About one mile, we went around the entire area but didn’t see her.”

 

“Where’s Sanha?,” Moonbin asked.

 

“He’s still out looking, he thought one of us should come back to let you guys know, so you can help.”

 

Eunwoo shook his head, confused as to why the girl would just leave. “Alright, we should split up. Since Minhyuk and Sanha can fly they’ll have a better view. Sanha will take the north and Min will take the south. Moonbin and Myungjun have a good sense of smell, which will work well for ground search. Moonbin, you’ll be with me, we’ll go west.”

 

“And me and JinJin will go east.”

 

JinJin looked at Myungjun and nodded.

 

It was then that Sanha showed up, only to relay the fact that he had not spotted the girl. The younger boy was told of the plan and quickly agreed. They then took off, each transforming so they could move faster. The six boys hoped they would easily find Youngmi, surely she couldn’t have gone too far.

 

 

 

 

The light that filtered through the leaves danced across Youngmi’s face. She scrunched her already closed eyes and brought her hand up to her face to block out the sun.

 

Youngmi quickly sat up from where she had been laying on the ground, realizing that she overslept. It certainly had to be around noon by now since the sun was high in the sky. Youngmi jumped up from her spot and gathered up her stuff. As she started moving she heard something hit the ground. Looking down she noticed the pocket watch she found the night before. She picked it up not wanting to leave it behind. And so she went on, making her way through the woods.

 

It had been a while since she took off, and so far the day being uneventful. And she was still unable to find Seunghee’s cottage. In her travels she happened to see several people, a bit surprised by the new creatures she came upon. She passed by some pixies, a group of satyrs, and a lone centaur. The girl managed to avoid them, not wanting to approach them in case she got caught up in more drama.

 

After another mile or so she decided to stop for a bit, she definitely needed a break from walking. Youngmi sat down on a rather large rock. A soft breeze passed through which felt nice against her skin. Youngmi laid down and bathed in the sun, the day was nice, although the temperature could be a bit cooler. She took in the sounds of birds and frogs singing and leaves rustling. It was quite peaceful, a vast difference from what she dealt with when she was with the rowdy group of boys.

 

The girl stayed there for several more minutes before deciding she should get going again. Youngmi rose from the stone and stretched, her back being tense from laying on the rock. And so she went on through the forest, looking all around so she wouldn’t miss anything.

 

Youngmi then heard something off in the distance, it kind of sounded like voices, shouting even. As the person, or people, drew closer it sounded as if they were calling her name. Youngmi listened closely only to notice that she recognized the voices. They belonged to Moonbin and Eunwoo.

 

This had been exactly what she was trying to avoid. The girl had figured that the boys might try to look for her. But she had hoped she wouldn’t run into them, they would ruin her plans.

 

“She’s close by,” Moonbin said. “The scent isn’t strong but she’s been in this area.”

 

At that Youngmi took off and carefully and quietly maneuvered around the trees. She hadn’t thought about the fact that the others might be able to pick up on her scent. But it made sense, Moonbin is a wolf and canines have a very good sense of smell. Then she figured that she had to find a way to cover up her scent to throw the boys off her trail.

 

Water. I need water.

 

The girl tried her best not to bump into any trees in case it left a stronger scent that lasted longer than necessary. She thought back to the lake that the water nymph resided in. But then she remembered that Yooah wasn’t very fond of her. But water is water, she would have to take her chance with the girl getting mad at her. The only problem was how to find it.

 

When she could no longer hear the boys she started running. She wanted to find some water as fast as possible. She ran and ran, looking in every direction as she went. Behind her she began to hear the sound of barking. They were close by, and if she slowed down they would definitely find her. Youngmi pushed herself to go faster, dodging trees and jumping over bushes.

 

Off in the distance she could hear the sound of rushing water. So she went in that direction. As she got closer the air became damp.

 

Youngmi came upon a river that split off into three directions. She had only a short amount of time to cover herself in water. But then she came up with a terrific idea. The girl stepped into the river and began walking in one direction. When she went about ten feet she dunked herself under the water, then turned back to continue in a different direction.

 

The sounds were getting closer, Moonbin barking and Eunwoo yelling out her name. As she went down the river she continued to dive under the water, hoping that it would throw the boys off her trail. The water began to get deeper and deeper and she found that her feet could no longer touch the bottom. So she ended up having to swim, occasionally going underwater.

 

She must have gone about 100 yards when she decided to stop, figuring she was far enough away. Youngmi climbed out of the river and ran.

 

She couldn’t tell if the water on her face was from the river or if it was tears pouring from her eyes. Her eyes stung and she could taste the salty water that streamed into . She was definitely crying. The girl had come to care for the six boys, they had quickly become friends and she felt they would be good companions to live with. But the prospect of returning home to her father outweighed her desire to stay with them. She felt bad that she was causing them to worry. Youngmi never planned to hurt them and all she could think of was how sorry she felt.

 

 

 

Youngmi rested against a tree, exhausted from running. The tears from earlier had long dried on her face, but they still threatened to fall from her eyes. She was very fond of the boys that had taken her in, they had all quickly become friends, she almost didn’t want to leave them. But the possibility of returning home erased any thoughts of staying. She missed her house, her town, her friends. And most importantly she missed her father. If there was a way of getting back to the human world she was going to find it.

 

The girl took in a breath of air and slowly breathed out. She looked up at the sky and noticed that it was orange, a sign that the sun would be setting soon. Youngmi really didn’t want to be out in the dark again since it was difficult to see where she’s going. The night before she ran into many trees and tripped several times. She didn’t want to go through that again. Before she went off she decided to change her clothes. They were still damp and frankly it was a bit uncomfortable.

 

Youngmi was quickly becoming tired, and not to mention she was starving. She hadn’t even thought to bring food with her. The girl was distracted from thinking about how much she would to have a big bowl of rice and some meat that she almost didn’t notice the small cottage to her right. She looked over to find the building quite familiar. It was exactly the thing she wanted to find, Seunghee’s house. She went up to it and knocked on the door and waited for it to open, however there was no answer. Youngmi tried the doorknob, certainly the witch wouldn’t mind her inviting herself in, she was a very nice person and seemed welcoming to just about anyone.  But when she twisted the doorknob she found it to be locked. She came to the conclusion that Seunghee wasn’t home. Well there went her plan of trying to obtain more information about Junmyeon.

 

Youngmi sighed in defeat, no longer knowing what to do. She didn’t know what she was supposed to look for now. The girl was starting to believe that she may have been wrong. Maybe the man hadn’t found a way out and she misinterpreted his words. She had gotten her hopes up for nothing. The girl hung her head, she felt so stupid for believing she could get home. Deciding to give up on her wild goose chase, Youngmi made her way through the forest, she was going back to the treehouse.

 

As she went further through the forest a flash of light caught her attention. Next to her was a tree, and attached to it a mirror. She then remembered that the trail of mirrors wasn’t far off from Seunghee’s house. But then she thought about the fact that the forest often changed, shouldn’t it be somewhere else? But maybe, even though the place changed shape, everything remained in the same positions as they moved along with the trees. If that was true then she knew which way to go to get back to the treehouse. It would also explain what Minhyuk had said, when he mentioned that a person would “just have to know which way to go.”

 

Then a soft sound of humming came from down the trail, which drew Youngmi to follow where it was coming from. A girl stood in front of one of the mirrors, running her fingers through her hair. Even though Youngmi had never seen the girl before she seemed awfully familiar. She was covered in flowers that looked as if they were growing from her skin. Not quite sure how to approach the situation Youngmi stayed rooted to her spot. She wanted to call out to the mysterious girl but wasn’t sure if would be friendly or not. She didn’t have to worry about that though because the girl covered in flowers came up to her with an inquisitive look on her face.

 

The two girls stood face to face, the air becoming slightly awkward and tense for Youngmi. What did the girl want, and why was she just staring at her? The girl smiled at her and turned back to look at the mirror.

 

“Umm. Don’t those mirrors not work?”

 

“Yes. But I like to pretend they do.” The girl peeked over to Youngmi with a smile still on her face.

 

“My name is Hyejin, but my friends call me Jinee. Ah, I’m a forest nymph by the way. You were curious to know what I am right?”

 

Youngmi nodded, embarrassed that she had been caught watching Jinee.

 

“So what are you looking for?”

 

Youngmi looked quite surprised. “How do know that I’m looking for something?”

 

“Humans don’t usually wander around by themselves for fear of getting lost. And you’re carrying a bag so you must be expecting to be out for a while.” Jinee then giggled. “Reminds me of another human that did the same thing.”

 

Youngmi’s eyes widened, could she be referring to Junmyeon? Maybe she was right after all.

 

“Was his name Junmyeon?”

 

“Hmm.” Jinee thought for a couple seconds before replying. “I believe so. Do you know him?”

 

“No. Well, only from a journal. Did you meet him? Was he looking for something?”

 

Jinee only replied to her first question. “Yep, I’ve met him. Several times in fact. He often wandered around, sometimes writing in a book. So what are you looking for?”

 

Youngmi was a bit annoyed that the nymph ignored her second question, it was really important.

 

“I-I’m not quite sure.”

 

“I see. Well, if you look hard enough I’m sure you’ll be able to find it. You know, sometimes it might be staring you in the face and you don’t even know it. Often whatever a person may be looking for is right in front of them but they overlook it. Don’t you think so too?”

 

Jinee giggled again, amused by the expression on Youngmi’s face. The girl looked like she was straining to understand her words.

 

“Oh, it’s starting to get dark,” the nymph said, “I should be getting home.”

 

Youngmi looked up at her and nodded, then watched as the other girl walked off. She immediately went back to thinking about what the nymph said. She was right, sometimes things are so obvious but somehow are overlooked. Youngmi began pacing, pondering, trying to find the answer. She tried to think back to what the man had written in the journal. She knew that the last entry was a big clue, but she didn’t understand what it meant. The girl, remembering the pocket watch, pulled it out and read the words carved into the metal. “You’re the key.”

 

Key. Was it referring to a door? Surely it must. Not many things required the use of a key. But what kind of door? And why would she be the key? It didn’t make any sense.

 

Youngmi went to turn around but ended up bumping into a tree, and then rubbed the spot on her arm that had collided with the wood. The girl raised her head and found herself looking at a mirror. But it was strange, for she found her reflection to be looking back at her.

 

She remembered what Seunghee had told her about the looking glasses that were placed along the trail. They were enchanted so that they couldn’t be used. But how was it that she had a reflection? Youngmi went to several different trees and peered at the mirrors, all showing her to be looking at herself. And for her reflection to be looking right back at her.

 

Wait.

 

Youngmi had seemed to come to a realization. Was this the answer she was looking for? Suddenly memories flooded her mind, things she originally thought were of no importance, things she overlooked.

 

The day when she entered the forest there was a pair of pixies fighting over a looking glass. Youngmi thought it was silly at the time so she paid no attention afterwards. But Ahrin had said something quite interesting. “The me that exists on the other side.” Obviously it was referring to her reflection.

 

And then her encounter with Yooah. While Youngmi watched the water the nymph had mentioned how underneath the surface there was a completely different world. Reflection. A different world. Things were starting to come together.

 

Seunghee told the girl of the enchanted mirrors, the very ones she was surrounded by. The people of the forest weren’t able to use them. But somehow she could. Was it the fact that a spell was placed on them? But why did it only work for her?

 

And last but not least were Jinee’s words. What she was looking for might be staring her in the face, and that's exactly what was happening. Everything was starting to make sense.

 

And the fact that Junmyeon had gone missing, never to be found. He must have found a way out. It was the only explanation. But what did he mean by “key”? How was she the key?

 

“That’s it! The mirror is the door.”

 

Youngmi ran down the trail, looking at each and every mirror, all of them showing her reflection. But which one was the right one? They were all too small to be a door, too small to fit through, and some too high to reach.

 

She was about to give up, and noticed she had come to the end of the trail. All that lay in front of her was dense forest, not a single tree carrying a looking glass.

 

Figuring she may have missed one, the girl turned around to go back up the trail. However, what she found was that it was no longer there.

 

“It was there just a second ago,” Youngmi shouted in frustration. “It’s just like the tunnel.”

 

In those few seconds had the forest changed again? At this point Youngmi was sure the place was now just messing with her. She threw off the bag she had been carrying, sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. The girl was positive she had figured it out, it was the obvious conclusion. Really it was the only thing that made sense. But perhaps the mirror she needed was somewhere else.

 

Youngmi felt tears welling up in her eyes, she was so close to possibly getting out. But the girl fought back the tears. She was tired of crying, it wasn’t going to help her. She laid on the ground, with the soft dewy grass beneath her skin. She watched the sky as it began to grow dark, the moon already glowing and lighting up the trees. Youngmi didn’t know what to do or where to go. But she knew it wouldn’t do her any good to just lay there.

 

The girl sat up and sighed, she was so tired and simply just wanted to sleep. She plopped back onto the grass and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She could feel that she was about to drift off but held it back as best she could. Turning her head to her left she opened her eyes then gasped at what she saw. Youngmi shot up into a sitting position and stared at the thing before her.

 

A standing mirror.

 

Youngmi slowly stood up from the ground and walked up to the looking glass. This had to be it, this had to be the door. And she was the key.

 

She put her hand up and placed it against the glass. Youngmi watched as her arm began to pass through and she smiled. The girl then stepped forward into the mirror, her body easily moving through.

 

Youngmi was finally (hopefully) going home.