Geumja was quite tall, had a pale white skin, beautiful round eyes, and plump lips. On the outside, she looked like a perfect noble family's eldest daughter. Until her family discovered her secret penchant for sorcery, which was why she was disowned and banished out of their home. She ran away, eventually settling into a small urban village at the edge of the woods, where the people seemed to not mind her practicing sorcery. She was an outsider, and while she was welcomed to stay at one of the abandoned sheds, the people kept an arm's distance from her. 

In her shed secluded from the rest of the village, she made medicinal potions she supplied to the village in exchange of money and food. That was how she got by. No one dared to come close to the shed, which was now her home, because on the outside it looked disheveled, scary, and gloomy; but in reality, the inside was cozy and homey. Saving her money from selling her potions, she filled up her little shed one by one. From floral beddings, rocking chair, yarns and needle to knit her sweaters for winter, and other knickknacks she fancied at the market in the capital. Whenever people saw her come out of her house, she was always fully dressed, hair done neatly, her lips red. She barely talked to anyone, and only exchanged short phrases with the village chief whenever delivering her potions and getting her pay. She made no friends in the village, and would go on trips to the capital alone.

Even though five years have passed, she did not seem to age at all. The secrets of mortality, the human body, and fairies, which she had all discovered in the small space of her disheveled shed, made her heart excited. Something she hadn't felt in a long while. A life will always end, but you can do stuff to lengthen and preserve it. She found out. To her, it was fun. And so she started performing it on herself, the empty feeling of being abandoned slowly melting away, gaining an exhilarating feeling of wanting to live longer, longer.

Another five years have passed, and she looked the same. The villagers started calling her 'Witch,' without malice, really, it's just that witch was what she was now. She didn't mind the nickname, and noticed that the people in the village grew less vigilant towards her and started to greet her friendly. She still did not dare speak to any of them, now scarred of human relationships caused by her family. But once in a while, when the kids happily greets her good morning, she offers them a kind smile. The villagers who see this are always dumbstruck, wondering how such a Witch can be so beautiful.

She was sitting by the table in front of her bedroom's window, reading a book she had bought from the capital's library. It was expensive, but she knew how to diligently save her money and so just this morning, she went on a trip to buy it. The light on her lantern sparked with her magic, illuminating the brown pages of her book with a soft, warm glow. 

Just then, she felt a heat tickle her ear. She looked up from her book and out the window. The Witch's mouth hung open, stunned.

A beautiful man dressed in white was by her window, looking down at her with kind eyes. His long hair glowed in the moonlight, locks flowing, swaying in the air as if it was underwater. The blue sparks of magic on her lantern fluttered towards the man, who exuded the same blue sparks and pink sparks - something she has never seen before. 

"Fai...ry..." she muttered under her breath. The man's lips formed a smile, as if affirming.

The fairy opened his mouth, but Geumja couldn't hear- couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Geumja,"  he called for her name, knowing she wouldn't be able to hear him.

Heejae was a dilligent fairy, a spirit halfway through his service. He only needed to serve 2000 more years, 20 more human lifetimes, to reincarnate as a human. He usually sees to it not to get involved with humans as a fairy, but one day while wandering around noble family houses, he felt a pair of eyes look at him. He was warned about humans who could see fairies, and that such humans usually influence fairies to want to reincarnate right away therefore breaking rules and therefore getting punished or sentenced a longer service. 

Heejae did not understand such sentiments. All he needed to do was to wait. Wait, and one day he would be able to feel his body be warm again.What was so hard about waiting? It looks like Heejae is about to find out.

When he looked back at the noble lady whose eyes was on him, their gazes met. Flustered, he snapped and disappeared out of her line of sight. His heart raced, the reason unbeknownst to him. He found out that the lady practiced sorcery, which explained her affiliation to magic. Subconsciously and consciously, he continued watching her. From that moment on, to the day her father announced her marriage arrangements, fighting with her parents about it, sneakily letting his fiancé's servants know she practiced sorcery, being banished from her family, and until the present, as she settled in the village by the woods. 

Every step she took, every hurt she felt, every smile that escaped her lips, he watched. He was angry at all of the people who hurt her, and was angrier at himself for not being able to do anything. For what he saw was a pure woman, who had dreams and ideals of her own, simple happiness, and a sense of justice. At the height of feeling all these emotions was when it dawned on him: So this is love. This is why fairies needed to take caution around humans who see fairies. Because fairies also had human hearts. And human hearts are easily swayed, affected, and damaged. A human heart is always capable of love.

In the present, when their eyes met up close for the first time. He concluded that he is in love. 

Geumja stared at the man's eyes, which was full of affection. And she was sure she has seen those eyes before. Her big eyes rounded by the shock, slowly turned into half-crescent orbs of joy as she flashed a big grin, causing her nose whiskers to show. The man's smile also widened a bit, and he hovered slowly towards her. Closer, and closer, until their faces were a breath apart, neither broke eye contact. Geumja was scared that if she blinked, he would disappear. 

The fairy's eyes traveled down to her lips, making her close her eyes in anticipation. She felt a light cool breeze blow against her face, and she immediately peeled her eyes open realizing her mistake. 

He's gone.

She bit her lips, her forehead creasing in frustration. The open window was empty, and only the faint lights of the village from afar can be seen. She turned to look at her lantern, and only her blue sparks remained.

No wait---

Hiding in the swarm of blue sparks, she spotted it. Three pink sparks. She smiled and beamed at them, feeling her cheeks get hot. She whipped her head back to the empty window. 

"I'll wait for you tomorrow," she said, the smile never leaving her face. 

Tomorrow, Heejae pondered as he watched her from afar.

The following night, the Witch built a bonfire in her frontyard, her magic lighting it up. She observed her blue sparks dance into the night sky. She paced around the frontyard, not impatient, but waiting. She looked up at the sky and the moon bared itself in full. She walked back towards the fire. Her eyes lit up and she giggled.

Pink sparks joined her flame. There weren't a lot of them, but there were just enough for her to see among her blue sparks. The pretty sight of little pink twinkling lights elicited so much joy in Geumja that she started dancing around the bonfire. Feminine and carefree, she carried her dress and danced barefoot around the fire, her eyes beaming, her lips smiling. 

The villagers who was still awake at that hour, saw the Witch smiling and dancing around a bonfire from afar. The sight of the Witch left them feeling pity towards her. In their thoughts, a noble lady banished by her family because she loved magic, who had no friends to talk to and was always alone, finally, her mind broke. But they will never understand, and they will never know. That the dancing Witch was not insane, but just a plain lady in love happily dancing around her flame, in front of the fairy who captured her heart. 

He was there, although only she could see. His smile, his gorgeous locks, his enchanting eyes, all of it was only for her to see. And she liked it that way. So she danced and danced, until the fairy leaned his face towards her again. A smart woman never repeats the same mistakes, and so she kept her eyes peeled open. Heejae found her cute, when she tried to fight the urge to close her eyes, her lashes fluttering.

He chuckled, although she could not hear his laughter. The image alone made her heart skip.

She watched his finger point to the ground, and her eyes subconsciously followed. On the dirt, lines carved themselves, forming letters. 

희재

She looked up at him but he was already gone. So she turned her eyes back to the ground, but the writings were gone too. She picked up a twig and re-wrote the two letters that were there moments ago. 

"Heejae. You have a pretty name," she cooed into the cool crisp air of the night, the right side of her body warmed by the flame of her bonfire.

He smiled, somehow a bit embarassed, as he watched her clean up the bonfire and return back to her house.

On the following night, he came again, and on the next, and the next, and the next, and the next. Until he started to show himself in the daylight, too, much to Geumja's joy. She learned more about him, and they communicated with the writings on the dirt. She learned that he is forbidden to touch a human, and he was forbiddden to let her hear his voice. She didn't mind. The whole village called the Witch crazy, but having Heejae in her daily life fed her more love and affection than she had ever received when she was still living as a noble man's eldest daughter. She loved his company, and noticed how his mannerisms were all humanlike. Also learning that fairies had human hearts and that he loved her. He promised that when he finally reincarnates, he will find her, and they will live normal, quiet, happy lives together. This was enough to completely sweep Geumja off of her feet. At that moment, she wanted to kiss him. But she knew that it was not time. Not yet. At least not in this life time.

And so the years passed, and Geumja the Witch died of old age, preserving her 21-year old appearance her whole life and until she passed away. The villagers mourned and laid her remains on the front yard of the disheveled shed which was her home. And thinking it was still the Witch's remaining magic, the villagers was felt with solemn emotions when they saw that a bed of pink peonies covered the land of her resting place.

Heejae mourned, too, but not for long. As he was sure he would still see her, in the next life time, and the following 19 more. In the next lifetimes, he would appear in front of her, and she would always greet him with the same soft, round, and kind eyes, along with the smile that melts his heart. Even though he was sure, she had no recollections of him and their past, she always welcomed him warmly as if it was the most natural thing to meet a fairy. But as the knowledge of magic slowly left the human world and eventually Geumja's soul, they met less and less in each lifetime. The very last time he was sure she still saw his magic was when her eyes followed his pink sparks he sent by the window of her room in the palace on the 11th lifetime, while she was queen of a dynasty. Until she could completely see him no more, until he could only watch and wait.

Through the lifetimes, she remained the same. A bright, smart, kind, and beautiful woman who captured the hearts of the people who took the time to know her properly. If there was one thing he was disappointed about, is that he couldn't help steer her life for the better in her next lives too. She was always abandoned, hurt, betrayed, and ignored. Those times in her lives made him boil with anger, at the people who always keeps messing with her, and at himself for still not being able to do anything.

He watched her become a shaman, noble family's daughter again, a lady-in-waiting, a concubine, a queen, a single mother, a doctor, a nurse, a doctor again, a pharmacist twice, an activist, a police officer, a nurse again for 4 consecutive lifetimes, and a police officer again. He was always curious as to what kind of career path she will take in each one. She took on different roles but remained one thing: her kind heart that wanted to help other people. In the lifetime where they will meet, he wondered what career path she would take.

He watched Geumja live each life to the fullest, her will to live never waning. In every single life, without fail, she always died alone and of old age. But in each time, he saw her happily pass, with no regrets. He misses her, and he wants to make her feel that she would never have to be alone anymore.

"Geumja," he uttered her name under his breath as he felt his body levitate into the sky. The goddesses are finally sending him back to the human world. Finally, he has served his 4000 years, and finally, he will have the chance to freely fall in love with the Witch, his lady.

-

Heejae woke up to the sound of his alarm tone blaring. He grumpily grabbed his phone by the bedside table and turned it off. The warm sunlight felt good on his skin. He stood up and drew the curtains. He sighed. Another day.

It has been exactly 35 years since the once-fairy Heejae, reinacrnated into Earth with the name Yoon Heejae. He has still not caught a glimpse of the Witch. When he was a fairy, it was easy to find her with his magic, but as a human, he only had his own hands and feet to rely on. And so since he turned 12 and had enough freedom to roam around on his own, he would show up at the Civil Registry and ask about a Jung Geumja. The woman at the desk pitied the poor child, thinking he was searching for a lost mom. He befriended her as the time went by, visiting every week for any news about a Jung Geumja. He did it without fail, every single week, every month, every year, even after he moved out of his parents house at 18 and had moved into one of the tall buildings uptown.

Unfortunately, when he was a college freshman, the woman passed away. And swept into the shenanigans of his human family, the Yoons, he was jaded by law school and was immediately shoved into the Song & Kim firm after he got his license. Never, though, not even for one moment, did he not think about Geumja. He worked dilligently to free himself from the Yoon's strict supervision for upholding the pride of  their family lineage of judges and lawyers, proving that he was outstanding alone. All of this was just so he could get back to searching for Geumja as quickly as possible.

And so, Yoon Heejae became S&K's ace. A cunning lawyer and efficient team leader, who barely made intimate personal connections out of the office. He finally came back to the Civil Registry. He saw a familiar face on the desk, it was the daughter of the woman he had befriended years ago. The lady offered him a small smile, thinking that the man really showed up just as her late mother said he would.

Once again, he asked about a Jung Geumja.

This time, the person behind the desk had an answer for him, and the anticipation made his chest palpitate. His eyes shook a bit nervously, and his hands were clammy.

"What is it?" he asked, a little impatient.

The lady slid a folder on top of the counter.

"A woman by the name Jung Eunyoung bought the name Jung Geumja 9 years ago," she calmly explained.

He frantically flipped through the pages and ran his fingers over the printed letters Jung Geumja. The file didn't come with a picture, but he was sure. He was certain. My Witch. I found you.

 His heart couldn't stop beating fast. He used his resources, maybe even a little bit too much of it, to dig everything about the woman Jung Eunyoung, who was now Jung Geumja. Holding a powerful position now, results came back quite quickly. He specifically told the investigators not to send him any pictures. No. I have to see her in real life, in flesh, in front of my own eyes. He read through everything, and his rage once again seething because she had to go through such miserable things, while he was comfortably living in the household of a family of lawyers and judges.

He found that she's nine years older than his human body. That she's now also a lawyer and runs her small office. Reading that, he quickly threw a coat on and drived-- or rather raced to where the building was. Heejae stood in front of the building, staring at the second floor with writings that read Choong Law Office, Legal Consultation. Through the frosted windows, he could see a faint warm light from the inside. Suddenly, the beating of his heart became peaceful.

Inside the second floor of the unkempt building, Geumja must be inside, probably reading a book under that faint warm light. Memories of two thousand years ago flashed Heejae's mind, to when Geumja the Witch was sitting by her bedroom's open window reading an expensive book she bought from her savings, under the light of her lantern.

He went back home, an overwhelming feeling of peace engulfing him. He is so close. So close to her. But if he wanted to love her again, he needed to clear his mind. He needed to take slow, small steps, because he's the only one who remembers. And he knows he cannot force Geumja to fall in love with him, as that is something that always happened naturally. Even if pink sparks would never light up in Geumja's heart again, he just wants to get close. Close enough to be able to give her the love he knows damn well she deserves. Even if she doesn't reciprocate it.

The report included her usual habits, and it included going to the laundry shop close to her office at 5:30 in the morning. Now, Heejae decided to take at all his chances. Starting the following day, he brought a couple of dirty shirts to the laundry shop at 5:25 in the morning, waiting, hoping for a chance to see even her shadow. He did it every day, the piles of dirty clothes in his hamper decreasing in height each morning.

And five days later. A soft, distant, nostalgic dream. That was what he thought as memories of all 20 of Geumja's lifetimes flooded her head. He walked towards the laundry shop, and she was there. He cautiously opened the door with trembling hands, the sight of her back reading a book faced him. Even with the door chime chirping, she didn't look up, perhaps too invested with the book in her hands. He took small steps towards the washing machine, and noticed that the one he always uses was now currently ocupied.

When he walked past her, a whiff of her perfume filled his nose. Pink peonies. The familiar scent almost suffocated him, it was all too familiar. He put the four dirty shirts into the washing machine and let it spin. He then walked across the table from where she was sitting at, and sat in front of her. With every step he took, his eyes saw more and more of her face. It took everything in him to keep his feelings to himself. His tough training on reeling his emotions as a lawyer was paying off the best at that moment.

He stared at her, almost lovingly. He once again reminded himself that in this lifetime, they are strangers. Strangers who are meeting for th first time, not supposed to know anything about each other.

As if she felt him looking at her, Geumja raised her eyes from her book. And there it was, Heejae inwardly sighed. Her soft, round, and kind eyes, which every time they looked up to meet his, he gets hypnotized. It was the same eyes, the same gaze. Only difference is that now, it's b with confidence. Her eyes were still kind, but they were robust. He could almost see the distrust of people in them. Her eyes were fierce. It's been centuries since their eyes last met. You've grown up a lot. Heejae thought.

Geumja raised her eyebrows at the man with a small smile. Hm. Yoon byeonhosa. Song & Kim. We've been in the same events together. But probably doesn't a know a street lawyer like me. Influential and competent. Staring at me like this. Gosh. Am I that pretty? Choong Law Office Atty. Jung Geumja analyzed the man sitting across her in her head. I think you can be useful to me, she thought. It doesn't take a genius to see that the way he looked at Geumja was like as if he just saw a goddess. Geumja, of course, took quick notice of that. And she decided that she will use that to her advantage.

"Yes? Hi?" Geumja cooed in a soft voice. This seemed to snap the man back to reality.

In his eyes, something shifts. Geumja couldn't make it out, but it almost seemed like determination. A small smile also formed on the man's lips. 

Geumja, he wanted to say, but the name caught on his throat and only came out as a smile.

"Hi. I'm Yoon Heejae," the man, Heejae spoke. She was almost startled by the bass in his voice. Unlike how dumbstruck he looked at her earlier, he spoke coolly and collected.

Yoon. Heejae. Heejae. For a split second, Geumja felt a heat tickle her ear, and for some unknown reason she could hear the beating of her heart grow louder.

Heejae rested his elbow on the table and leaned just a bit forward, locking eyes with her. Spending 2000 years of watching her, he knows her now like the back of his palm. Even if he hadn't seen her in 35 years, he knows her enough, still. What flatters her, what scares her, what words make her feel happy, what makes her sad, what makes her embarassed, what makes her heart skip.

And so he smiled at her once more. "And you are?"

Geumja shook off the weird feeling and leaned on the table too, resting her chin on one hand. With Yoon Heejae's demeanor, she felt as if he had read her mind. She smirked. Oh. He's even cleverer than I thought. This is going to be fun.

"I'm Jung Geumja," her name flowed out of her lips with utter confidence, as she extended her free hand for a shake. 

Heejae looked at her hand, skin still white and soft, and took it. As their palms touched, they both felt electricity travel down their spines.

And after two thousand years, the symphony to Geumja and Heejae's dance started once again.