2017, 23 DECEMBER 06:32

 

"How is he?" Mr. Park asked the staff in the room.

"He seems well. He doesn't remember anything anymore," one of them answered.

"Now, that's good news." Mr. Park gave out a huge grin of success and entered a white room. It doesn't even look much like room, more like just a small white box. No windows, no bed, no chairs, no blankets, nothing--just a silent silver-haired young man with cold blue eyes that stares blankly into space.

The young man was sitting on the floor with his left leg slightly folded where his elbow rested perfectly. He looked up to Mr. Park who was by the door.

"I hear you've been responding well, Young Jin," Mr. Park said.

"Young Jin? Is the supposed to be my name?" The young man asked in confusion. Is it really?

"It is." He replied, his smile reaching his ears with glee. "Now, I've been told you don't remember anything."

"It would seem so," he replied. Then he suddenly clenched his head as his entire body fell on the floor. "Aahh!!" He screamed in agony as he tried to recall his memories. He curled on the floor, squeezing his head in pain when a calm hand rested on the back of his palm. His eyes jolted up and saw the mad scientist flash a smile of concern.

"You don't have to remember them anymore," the scientist spoke up. "You forgot them because they don't matter. All that matters is that you listen to me."

Young Jin suddenly lost the throbbing pain he felt and he got up on his legs. The scientist's voice echoed in his mind--they don't matter, they don't matter.

"Since you've been a really good boy, I'm giving you a chance to go out and find the Pandora's Box. And when you return with a good piece of information, I'll reward you." Mr. Park moved closer to Young Jin's ears and whispered, "I'll release your powers that you've long wanted to do."

Young Jin's eyes lit up as he heard the deal.

Mr. Park handed him a pair of clothes. "Get changed, you wouldn't want to go out looking like that. The door is open, leave when you're ready," he gestured while opening the door and left it unlocked.

Young Jin looked down at the clothes on his hands, he quickly changed into it. A few moments later, he was already wearing a black jeans paired with a leather brown turtleneck cardigan, topped with a black coat which strongly complements his silver hair. He put on some black sneakers and went straight for the exit without even sparing a single glance to anyone in the lab.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Oppa! Sing me that song again please," little Ji Hee pleaded her bestfriend.
"But I just sang it to you a while ago," her bestfriend ranted.
"But it's my favorite," she begged once more.
"Okay, you win."
"Yay!"
"🎶It's a different place, a different time, but my love is right. Even by your scent that passes--"
The little boy's voice trailed off as it was followed by a loud thud and the boy collapsed on the ground, his head bleeding.
Ji Hee screamed in terror as she looked back only to see Chanyeol holding another piece of brick in his hand. "Yah Chanyeol, you're going to kill him!" Despite the fact that her fiancé was two years older than her, she never bothered calling him with honorifics. She quickly gave him a deadly stare before screaming at the top of her lungs, "Yang-ahjusshi! Help!"
"What a totally weakling, you can't even save him yourself," Chanyeol harshly replied while crossing his arms. "Serves him right for stealing what's mine..." he reached out and pulled Ji Hee away from the unconscious boy and whispered, "...and you're mine."

-----

Kwon Ji Hee slowly opened her eyes as she realized she was still in her school uniform. She walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower. Since it was a weekend in the middle of winter, she wore a gray sweater and some comfy pajama pants. When she went back to her room, she noticed that the fireplace had been replaced with fresh burning coals. Yang-ahjusshi must have been here. She placed her hand on her forehead and started massaging her temples. "Ahh, that dream is giving me a headache," she cursed under her breath.

She headed to her study table and started searching under all her piles of books. "Here it is," she said. "This will make me feel better," she held a tiny silver music box just about the same size as her fist.

The music box was her father's last gift and it contains a single music track--her favorite song.

"It's not much for a gift. Happy birthday."

"But it is more than enough, dad." She trailed off as she opened it and let the melody resonate through the room.

🎶It's a different place, a different time, but my love is right. Even by your scent that passes with the wind, I know it's you. But I...

"Princess, breakfast is waiting. Would you like me to send it here for you?" Mr. Yang announced as he opened the door, startling Ji Hee in the process.

Ji Hee quickly closed the music box and turned around to Mr. Yang. "Ahjusshi! You scared the hell out of me," she uttered.

Mr. Yang just smiled while teasing her, "you still can't resist listening to that song, can you?"

"Oh shut up." A long silence ensued before she spoke, "I-I'll eat downstairs. I'll be there in a bit."

-----

A few minutes later, Ji Hee realized that she was after all, hungry. She went out of her room and started her way to the dining room. She glided her way down the divided staircase. The left side leads to her room while the right side leads to none other than her fiancé, Park Chanyeol.

Ji Hee hated the idea of him, she doesn't even know why anymore. She just does. She quickly and carefully descended to where the divisions of the staircase collides into one. She's trying to avoid aby possible encounters with Chanyeol as much as she can.

At the end of the stairs lay a huge living room where a comfy couch encircled the space. To the right is the dining room, to the left is a library where a vast number of books lay untouched.

Ji Hee took a deep breath of relief as she looked back at the door that leads to Chanyeol's room and dashed for the dining room when suddenly, crash!

The shattering of glass was heard and she looked up to see Chanyeol all soaked up in milk. She gasped with eyes wide open as she tried to wipe the milk off the thin fabric of Chanyeol's shirt, not even minding that her hands were bleeding due to the collision with the glass earlier. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to--"

Before she could finish her words, Chanyeol grabbed her hands away from his dripping clothes, "you're bleeding."

"I'm sure it's just a minor cut. I should go and get you a change of clothes before you catch a--" Ji Hee was about to get him a towel when Chanyeol caught her arms and pulled her towards his chest. "What are you do--" before she could even utter another word, Chanyeol's face was barely inches from hers.

His eyes were filled with concern as he held up her injured hand to his face, "Let's get you fixed first. Wouldn't want any bleeding princess now, would we?" He smiled and escorted her to the dining room and ordered on of the maids to fetch him the first aid kit and a change of clothes.

-----

"You didn't have to do that," Ji Hee said as she bit her last piece of cake at the dining table.

"Do what?" Chanyeol asked.

Ji Hee raised her now bandaged hand, "this."

"Oh, that. Well, oneday, you'll be my wife and I ought to be a caring husband, don't you think?"

"I have no plans of ever marrying you," she glared.

"Oh but I do."

She rolled her eyes in reply.

"You hate me that much?"

"Hell yeah I do."

"Ahem." Both heads turned to Mr. Yang as he said, "Mr. Chanyeol, your car is already outside. Ready for an appointment, I presume?"

"Ah yes," Chanyeol nodded and gave Ji Hee a slight bow before taking his leave.

Mr. Yang turned towars Ji Hee and as he was about to open his mouth, he was cut off by Ji Hee. "Yeah, I get it. Tomorrow is my birthday and I should stay in my room for safety and to avoid inconvenience. Blah blah blah," she rolled her eyes.

"You really know just the right words to say, young lady," Mr. Yang chuckled and watch Ji Hee slowly ascended the stairs.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Park Chanyeol reached the Pandora's Laboratory and he was greeted by many scientists at the entrance. "Where's dad?" He asked.

"He's already in your lab room," one replied.

Chanyeol heeded the word and opened his room, it was white. It looked a lot like Young Jin's except that it had burnt marks all over the place.

"You're quite late, get changed," Mr. Park ordered.

Chanyeol changed into an all white pajamas before saying, "my bad, I was just chatting with Ji Hee and lost track of time."

"I warned you about getting attached to her," his dad hissed.

"Dad, I love her."

"Shut your dirty mouth. She's only your fiancé because she's our only lead in finding that goddamn box! Now get your together and start your training."

"How about you get your together, dad? You love mom the same way, don't you? That love drove us to this mad search of a box that we don't even know if it still exists!" Chanyeol lashed out as a punch landed on the left side of his face. He wiped the blood from his lips and his eyes flashed a shade of blue as he smirked, "such a person you are to even do this to your own son. No wonder mother decided to let go."

"Not another word, young man. Young Jin has been released early today. He will be on his way for that box soon," Mr. Park stated.

"You did what?" Chanyeol swallowed hard and his eyes started glowing. "Do you have any idea what you've done? He could kill us!"

"He doesn't remember a thing, not even his name." Mr. Park said as he left the room.

"That doesn't matter now, does it?" Chanyeol's eyes finally lit up and turned from dark brown to cold blue and balls of fire exploded across the small room.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Kwon Ji Hee was restless as her birthday approaches. She wants nothing to do with it. If only it was possible to celebrate without her, she would. She felt helpless and continued laying on her bed in her night gown. She glanced at her room-served dinner that was left untouched.

She got up and looked at herself in the mirror, remembering every piece of her younger self as she will come of age tomorrow. She stared at the dark circles beneath her eyes and wondered how she was supposed to hide it tomorrow when suddenly, she saw a reflection of a silver-haired man in a black coat standing on her balcony, staring deadly at her.

She almost stopped breathing and she quickly turned around, "who's there?!" Her eyes fixed on those piercing blue eyes. She walked closer towards her balcony, trembling with every step when suddenly, in a blink of an eye--he was gone.