Soaring through the sky was the maddening laughter dripping from a strange bird’s beak. It came from its little powerful heart, and it sounded across the woods and the green fields. In this wacky land, there was always something like this.

The cackles that echoed through the field, just as the night entered its youngest hours, alerted all the nearby humans to remain indoors. Or at least, to proceed through the beaten paths away from the village with caution. Truth be told, the laugh was funny in broad daylight! Like a mad old man laughing at a joke that he dared not repeat, but felt tickled deep within. A peculiar bird that flew too high to be detailed by the eye, but shared the lighthearted humor of the little jokes from land of the earthbound. The people found it endearing sometimes, the kids got a little scared, but everyone was equally wary of the presence of such unpredictable birds when the night sky glowed with its freckled stars. They already dared not to disturb the goddess living in the moon, for she was a bit shy at times, so no one had stood up to fight any of these birds.

To be fair, no one knew why they were such gargantuan birds cloaked in the darkness, and why they insisted to remain so anonymous despite landing on top of any scarecrow they saw. Indeed it was a mockery to the scarecrows, and to the crows as well that ran for their lives whenever the laughter was nearby. But besides this, none of this bird had flew too close to humans. Were they aware humans, when greedy, were dangerous? Ah, it would not be far fetched.

Out of all the very few families and farmers on this rural and distant side of the country, Bae Joohyun -- the grand-daughter of the farming master, the elusive Bae Joohyung -- was the only one that smiled and giggled at the sound of those rambunctious overgrown birds. She was perhaps the only one out of her mind enough to sit by the backfield and watch the moon’s glow so carelessly, listening to the strange music from such a manic laugh.

There was a good reason for this however.

Late at night when everyone slept quietly and safe at home, Joohyun sat outside on her favorite swinging bench, letting the graceful night breeze tenderly caress her youthful face. She waited patiently, heard the distant hoot of the cute owls, and lavished on the sound of the rustling leaves on the neck of the woods. Yes, she should be afraid of coyotes and other wild animals that explored the world this late. 

But when she saw the dark, gargantuan bird inching closer and closer, she smiled and knew she would be just fine…

Gracefully, it cockily flew past the dense trees, floating low enough to nearly collide with them, but avoiding them with such a controlled movement. And then, just as the cloud of green leaves finished, the bird dropped down to ground level with a proud cackle. It flapped its raven black wings as it approached, with frightening speed, towards the only person outside. That beautiful dame with hair darker than the mighty black stone bestowed to the queen of the land, that thin attire billowing with the wind -- ah, such a gorgeous thing!

The bird’s eye, strangely cat-like, could feel themselves warming up at the look of that smiling damsel.

The bird inched closer and closer and then suddenly a dark mist engulfed it, and it disappeared into it. In the blink of an eye, it was like the cackling bird -- majestic and huge -- was an illusion, dissipating with the wafting mist. Until the breeze slowly cleaned up the mist and revealed, almost heroically, a human.

A human woman with those strangely enchanting feral eyes, a cocky smirk, and dressed like any peasant from the village. Long brown mane flew with the wind, unlike the fluffy feathers of a bird; her lips luscious and human, unable to produce that manic cackle with power. She was just a normal woman, standing proud and almost defiantly right before Joohyun, who could not stop smiling.

“Yah, you’re getting cocky, Bae Joohyun,” Seulgi said playfully, arms akimbo as she shifted her weight and tilted her head. “It could’ve been any other bird.”

“I highly doubt it,” Joohyun replied instantly, standing up and walking towards her. “I know the cackle of my favorite bird.”

And of course, Seulgi rolled her eyes. “You’re something else.”

Now, face to face, Joohyun let her smile turn mischievous. “So are you, Kang Seulgi.”

Seulgi rolled her eyes again, something she did often with this woman. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”

“You love it,” Joohyun insisted, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck, standing on her tippy toes just a little bit to kiss that lovely nose of hers. 

Who would’ve thought that such a frightening creature held a gorgeous secret like this? 

Joohyun certainly didn’t think so until that day she was stranded in the woods, out of her own foolishness, as the skies darkened and the air turned foul. As Joohyun grew desperate, she noticed a shadow stalking her behind her own dim shadow. A shadow too big and dense for it to be any actual animal she recognized. It wasn’t until Joohyun finally caught this shadow moving too slow to hide, being met with this mysteriously gigantic crow-hawk mixture of a bird. The first thing she did was scream of course, and in the panic, Seulgi opted to show her true colors by transforming back to her human form right before Joohyun’s eyes. And, fascinatingly, Joohyun then fainted.

Well, Seulgi thought it was because she was too gorgeous to be real! But perhaps the shock was a bit much, especially with the legends running amok across the land about these creatures. However, like the self-proclaimed protector of the woods she was, Seulgi picked up the poor woman and carried her out of the woods, right to the very start of it, enough for her to be secret, but closer to home than Joohyun was. Only when Joohyun woke up Seulgi explained it all.

She was, yes indeed, a human turned into a bird. This was not to say all of the birds were humans, but perhaps there was that slim chance they were. Besides the point, the only reason Seulgi stalked behind Joohyun was to keep an eye on her, but…

“But…?” Joohyun asked, still disoriented and unaware that, hidden in the darkness of the night, Kang Seulgi was blushing madly. “What is it?”

Seulgi puffed her chest out and came out with it, despite her shyness. “I found you very good looking, I… just felt inclined to tag along, perhaps selfishly.”

Joohyun was so confused, but there was no denying that her straightforwardness was admirable, especially when she trusted such an important secret to a stranger like this. But most importantly to Joohyun, this girl saved her life.

It began with a pinky promise to keep it all under wraps, but the cheeky Joohyun paraded around the woods late on purpose, just to encounter that adorably huge bird and that gorgeous woman hidden within her. And Seulgi couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy this at all.

Now, present time, here they were in each other's arms, embracing under the tender light of the moon, at home with each other. Heart and heart thumped madly, rhythmically, seeking an outlet for this newfound energy coursing through each other’s veins. Seulgi slowly pulled away, letting her smile shine through the dim light, it asked a question. Joohyun looked at the smile and replied with a sly smirk of her own, she had understood the message.

“Are you going to let me?” Joohyun asked softly, hands automatically drawn to Seulgi’s luscious hair, enjoying the scent of the clouds emanating from her body. “You won’t chicken out this time?”

Seulgi’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile before she giggled. “Just hang on tight, you know I worry.”

“Done and done.”

The night was beautiful and young for the creatures that did not fear its shadows. While everyone was asleep, high above the sky, praised by the gods, flew the feared overgrown birds of the land -- free and without fear. They did not cackle this time, rather enjoyed traversing and crashing through the misty clouds. 

And our dear Seulgi, sporting her feathers and her beak, flapped her wings and let the air take her. On her back clung the impish Joohyun, once cocky now a little scared of the great heights the bird was taking. It was kind of funny, her hand really clenched and clung to Seulgi’s sturdy body, hugging tightly, and Seulgi had to stop her maniacal cackle! She was far too close to hear it, it might scare her a little bit. Instead, she comforted her lover, diving down slowly but surely, closer to the ground, the huts and houses now visible to her human eyes. 

Ah, the fear went away and gave way to the beautiful sights of the land. The green fields and the darker shade of the forest complemented each other, the handsome clear river flowed so carelessly and looked so healthy. The moon looked closer than ever, at a healthy distance, and it glowed with a magical aura all around it. Ah, Joohyun was positively delighted.

And very grateful for the opportunity to witness such a gorgeous sight.

Moreover, as Seulgi’s more human giggle came out of the bird, Joohyun felt eternally grateful for her. For saving her, for her love, and for the adventures she brought with her.