July 17, Saturday, Morning: PLAYING FIELD

"The Seoul High Summer Festival is finally here!

The air is warm with a slight scent of kimchi (which could be either good or bad). Bluebirds are singing to each other happy chirpy songs of love. Streamers of red, blue, yellow and green decorate the dormitory path up until the school gates. From the playing field to the classrooms, brightly painted booths with all kinds of merchandise, snacks, and curious trinkets have been set up. Students, parents, grandpas & grandmas, and all sorts of people from all over Seoul have come to join in the festivities (or to ogle at the handsome Seoul High students). Come one, come all! Everyone is very very excited about this event! However, the main character of this story is totally oblivious to the adventures lurking outside this dorm room."

"Heechul, stop narrating," you groan as you throw a pillow at him.

"Haneul, it's a beautiful day and I have every right to openly describe your pathetic laziness to the singing birds in the trees," Heechul announces with his arms wide open. He takes in a deep breath and exhales. "Smell that? It's the smell of Korean summer. Rustic, traditional, with a little hint of ripe trees. You're missing out."

You sniff the air. "Heechul, that's the smell of your leftover kimchi and salad from last night." 

"I WILL NOT LET MY PERFECT SUMMER BE RUINED BY THE LIKES OF YOU, SQUIDWARD-SSHI!" he points at you dramatically. "Anyway, it's your fault that you don't want to get up because you'll have to wear giiiiirl clooothes today~" 

You roll your eyes and pull the covers over your head. 

I should be getting up soon. But Heechul's right. I don't want to go outside because I'll have to wear a dress today. 

With all the mental preparation I tried to give myself, I'm still scared as hell. 

You hold the sapphire droplet pendant around your neck tightly and let out a sigh as quietly fervent as a hundred prayers to God or Buddha or whoever would listen to your call right now.

The door of your room closes. 

:( Heechul left me. 

You sigh again as you tuck your pendant back under your clothes. Quickly, you wear your Seoul High uniform. The classroom booths won't be open until after lunch time so all the students are free to roam the premises in their normal attire. 

 

MAIN FESTIVAL GROUNDS, PLAYING FIELD

The warm morning sun greets you as you reach the playing field. It seems that the your schoolmates aren't the only ones with booths. There are ajummas and ajusshis as well selling all sorts of interesting items! The sweet and spicy aroma of ttokbokki wafts by your nose as you walk past a red-roofed food stall. You fan away the smoke almost enveloping the stall. On the menu, you see sundae (blood sausage), japchae (glass noodles), odeng (fish cakes), and fried squid. 

Another food stall has a ton of deep fried vegetables like sweet potatoes, normal potatoes, eggplants and carrots. You walk past them and order a fresh watermelon shake from the smoothie stall beside it. 

"Yes, duryeonim, one watermelon shake coming right up! I've got some really fresh watermelons right here," the ajumma in a green visor and apron tells you from behind her stand.

You see a couple of female high school students in the fried foods stall coating their fried sweet potatoes in ttokbokki sauce. You wonder if that makes it taste better or not. (A/N: I've tried it. It's a bit weird. Don't mix sweet potatoes in ttokbokki sauce.)  While you wait for your watermelon shake, you hear them giggling to each other about the "cute accessories vendor in the blue cap". You secretly wish that you could also swoon and giggle freely like any normal high school girl. After a while though, their giggling starts to get on your nerves.

You are relieved when the ajumma at the stall finally gives you your fruit shake and change. A bow and a thank you, and you walk deeper into the festival grounds. 

A glint of light catches your eye. There are a cluster of jewelry and accessory stands all lined up a few feet away. You go and take a closer look. Sipping on your watermelon shake, you discreetly scan the numerous bow headbands, hair clips, and hair extensions. You see that other stalls are also selling wooden bangles, feather earrings, and animal shaped rings for only 1,000 won each. Another jewelry booth has a lot of unique intricately woven bracelets, pendants , dreamcatchers, and keychains.

A mystical-looking brown bracelet with an aqua blue stone in the shape of a water droplet catches your eye. 

Pretty... 

The girl at the booth looks up at you and smiles. 

"Hey there, you wanna own something no one else in the whole world has?" she asks in a husky soft voice. She seems to be a college student. 

"No one else in the world has?" you repeat.

She nods. "I made them all myself." 

"EH? Really??" you exclaim. 

"I'm an arts student at Honggik University," she says proudly. "My prices might be a bit much for a high school student but I can give you a discount if you buy two items together with a friend. In any case, I'll still be here tomorrow and you can find me at the Free Market in Hongdae park on Saturdays." 

"Oh, thank you so much! I'll try to stop by again," you grin. 

Two items together with a friend, huh? 

You get lost once again in the maze of booths and stalls. It seems like it never ends. More people on this side of the playing field are selling artsy clothes, painted shoes and customized snapbacks.

Others are selling earthy notebooks, paperweights with miniature versions of famous paintings on them, and gel pens with rainbow ink.

You come across a crowd of people watching a woman in a black felt hat sketching a portrait of the middle school boy in front of her. 

Oh wait, that kid's a high school freshman. 

"Noona," he shouts excitedly. "Give me the body of a dragon, okay?? My head on the body of a dragon! And put G-Dragon on the paper instead of my real name." 

The girls around him swoon and scream. 

I wonder if Jiwon is around here. She's totally in love with this brat, isn't she? 

You feel something tugging on your drink. When you look, you see your ever-loving best friend who's best friends with everyone sipping up the last of your watermelon shake. 

He wipes his mouth happily. "Aaahh~ That was refreshing!" 

"DONGHAE YOU STUPID FISH I BOUGHT THAT WITH MY OWN MONEY!!" you roar as you try to strangle him in his own arms. 

"AH AH AH, HANEUL, OW!! SORRY SORRY SORRY!!" 

"Horsing around so early in the morning?" Jungsu says, stretching his neck to the side as he approaches the both of you. 

"Good morning, hyung," you wave.

"Jungsu hyung, have you seen the others?" Donghae asks.

"Mm, I saw Donghee walking around with what seems to be his girlfriend, Sungmin and Heechul were at some clothing booths fighting over a pink scarf, and Youngwoon and Hyukjae are on the prowl for 'fresh hot chicks', according to them," he replies. "Have you found anything interesting?" 

"Everything is interesting during festivals!" Donghae chirps. "Look at all this stuff! Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think myyyy collection's complete~?" 

Jungsu shakes his head at Donghae's sudden Disney mode. You can't help but chuckle. But suddenly, someone grabs your and Donghae's butts. 

"AAACKK!!" you both yelp. In panic, you quickly whip around. 

"Herro, oppas," Sunny says in a frog-like voice. 

"Sunny!!" you exclaim, half reprimanding and half happy to see her. "Don't ever grab my like that again."

"That was really weird..." Donghae frowns. 

"It's a habit, sorry," she grins, scratching her head. "Hello, Jungsu oppa!"

"Why didn't you grab HIS too??" Donghae protests. 

"If I had three hands, I'd definitely go for it," she laughs. 

"And if she had a hundred hands, she'd grab the butts of everyone in the area all at the same time," Jessica says, walking towards your group. She bows politely. "Good morning, oppas." 

Jungsu gives her a nod. Donghae bows silently. "Good morning..." you respond. 

Well, what a way to start the day... o_O 

"We shouldn't keep you from your plans," Jessica says. "Sunny, let's go find Taeyeon and the others." She takes Sunny by the arm and drags her away. 

Before she is out of sight, Sunny shouts to you and Donghae, "BY THE WAY, I BETTER SEE A GOOD CLASS BOOTH FROM THE BOTH OF YOU!! IF NOT--" She draws an imaginary knife across . 

"She still scares me," Donghae gulps. "Crap, that reminds me, Hyukjae wanted to meet about something. I'll see you later, Haneul~!" He runs off. 

"So it's just you and me, hyung," you say turning to Jungsu.

He's not there.

"Sigh. Just me. Okay." 

There is still time before the class booths are scheduled to open. You meander around another part of the field.

You see a sign that says, "Fortune telling: 5,000 won only" in front of a cone shaped tent covered in violet curtains with silver stars on them. You take a peek inside. There is a very heavy scent of lotus flowers. It makes you a bit dizzy. You see a table with a crystal ball and a deck of purple cards. No one seems to be in the tent. 

"Ahem," someone says. 

Startled, you fall over inside the tent, almost knocking yourself into the table.

A boy steps inside the tent and closes the curtains behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demands, irritated. 

"U-uh, I saw the sign outside so I just peeked..." you reply nervously. 

"Wait a minute," he says. "You're..." 

Your eyes widen as you recognize him. The one at the psychic club. The one who told you that your aura was "interesting". The one who demanded to know why you were enrolled in this school. 

"U-UM, NO I'M NOT!" you stutter. "You must be mistaken!" You get up and make your way through the curtains but he grabs your hand tightly. You freeze in place. 

"Yes, it IS you," he says in a calm low voice. 

Your heart is beating like crazy and you hope his psychic senses or whatever you call it don't hear it. You are scared but somehow the atmosphere changes. You don't exactly understand what's going on here. 

"Come, take a seat," he says as he gently pulls you to the table. 

Hestitantly, you pull up a chair and bite your lip. You don't understand at all. But the smothering scent of lotus relaxes you.

"Want me to read your fortune?" the boy asks as he takes a seat across from you on the table. His index finger makes circles on the crystal ball as he watches you expectantly. 

"I don't have 5,000 won on me right now..." 

"It's okay," he says. "No need to pay me for this." 

You blink at him trying to read between his words. He just looks back at you silently, fingers playing on the surface of the crystal ball. 

Hm, seems like there's no catch. And what the hell, it's not like I believe in magic anyway. 

But you catch yourself wondering if there actually is such a thing. Maybe the incense in the tent is making your brain fuzzy. 

"Okay, cool," you reply. "Let's have this 'fortune-telling' thing." 

The boy places both hands on the crystal ball and closes his eyes to concentrate. 

If he's closing his eyes, how is he seeing my future in the ball? o_O

"Shut up," he mutters. 

You are surprised. You're pretty sure you didn't accidentally say that out loud. 

"You have... an interesting story indeed," he says, eyes still closed. "You need to have more confidence in yourself and learn who you can trust and who should not be trusted. If you strive harder than you ever did, you will be able to fulfill your destiny." 

That's what all fortune tellers say to everyone. Generic advice. =_=

A spark of light from inside the crystal ball catches your eye. 

Woah. What was that?

He starts chanting in a language you have never heard before. Your palms are getting sweaty.

"You coming to these grounds..." the boy says, now in Korean again. "You have started a chain of events that cannot be evaded. You will have to face them head on, Kim Haneul..."

He opens his eyes to reveal only the whites and no irises.

"...And survive," he says in a booming voice. "Lest you lose your most precious treasure, Kim Haneul." 

How does he know my--?!

Suddenly, there is a strong gust of wind within the tent. The purple cards on the table are flying all around you and the crystal ball is glowing a bright yellowish white. The sound of rumbling and thunder coming from nowhere makes your heart stop. Terrified, you close your eyes and cover your ears. 

This is a bad dream. This is a bad dream.This is a bad dream.

"Live life with no regrets," a different but familiar voice says. "Everything brings you forward, and as for the bad things, learn from them and charge it to experience..."

"... Seek happiness..." you finish the verse. 

Haraboji?

You open your eyes and see your grandpa in the place of the boy earlier, smiling at you from across the table. "Hello, my Haneul." 

"Haraboji!" you cry. "Is it really you??" 

He nods and smiles, tears glistening in his eyes. 

"B-but you died..." you gasp. 

"It's really me, child," he says. "I'm sorry if I couldn't give you tuition for a girl's school. When people age, they tend to forget a lot of things," he says wistfully. 

"It's okay, haraboji, I forgive you. I've made lots of good friends here." 

"I know," he says. "I'm always watching over you, my precious grandaughter. So don't you ever think for one second that you're all alone, even if it seems like everyone has left your side."

"Haraboji, I--"

"My Haneul, I can't stay long," he says. "I came to warn you. You will go through very difficult times in the near future. Just never forget my advice and the words that this boy gave you. And remember: not all things are what they seem." 

"Huh? What do you mean--"

"Farewell, my Haneul," he says. standing up and walking over to the curtains. 

"Haraboji, don't leave yet!" you stand up as well. 

"Remember our words, my little Haneul," his voice fades away as he leaves the tent. 

You go after him and run out of the tent. 

The crowd is bustling around the booths and students are laughing with each other, going about their normal businesses. You look around but there is no sign of your grandpa. No one seems to have heard or felt anything unusual. 

You turn around back to the tent but it is no longer there. 

Goosebumps pimple your skin. 

What the hell just happened to me...

"Haneul!"

Donghae is waving at you from afar. He is with Siwon. Kibum, sour-faced, is standing behind them. 

Pale-faced, you walk over to them. "Hey, Siwon. And Kim Kibum." 

"Is something the matter, Haneul? You look... not so okay," Siwon says, concerned. 

"Actually, you look like you got run over by a tornado," Donghae laughs. "Where have you been?" 

"Oh, I went into this weird booth... That's all..." 

"Hmph. must be the freshmen and their prank booths," Siwon says, shaking his head. "Anyway, shouldn't you be getting ready for your class booth, Haneul?" 

"We've still got a lot of time," you say. "It's only 10 am." 

"No, silly, it's already 11:30am!" Donghae shouts. 

"WHAT?? HOW CAN IT BE THAT LATE ALREADY?" 

I was only in that weird booth for 15 minutes. How is this possible??

"BOOTH TIME, BOOTH TIME~" the fish sings.

"Well, since it's like that, let's just go and run, Donghae," you say, hastily. "Siwon, don't you also have to go to your booth?"

"Ah-- yes, right," he says, almost absent-mindedly. "I need to go. Kibum, you should go with them. You're part of the same class, right?" 

"Sigh, okay," Kibum says, sounding like he wishes he never woke up today. 

Donghae places his arm around your shoulder and Kibum follows quietly behind as you walk towards the dorms to change into your costumes. 

"Donghae," you say quietly so that Kibum won't hear.

"Yes, Haneulie?"

"Is there a fortune-telling magic psychic club at our school?" 

He looks at you puzzled. He looks up as he thinks a bit.

"Nope, there's never been one. Why?" 

"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering..." 

._.

"HEY, KIBUM," Donghae calls out to the robot-like student following you. "We have to hurry up and get dressed!" 

Kibum just looks at him with pissed off, dead eyes. Donghae ignores this and slings his other arm around Kibum's shoulder, much to his surprise. 

"What are you doing--" Kibum asks. 

"Heyyy, we're all friends now, aren't we? Why don't we skip happily back to the dorms and change our clothes together? Let's do that, let's do that~" 

"I'd rather change my clothes by myself, Fishy, thank you very much," you say. o_o

"Me too," Kibum says. "Let's all just meet up after we're done." 

"Ohoho, but you guys might run away~" 

"No, no, I'm sure I won't, so you can let me change by myself," you reassure him. 

"But I want to help one of you dress up..." Donghae pouts. 

Kibum sighs. "Fine, I'll need some help with my zipper anyway." 

"Hooray!!! I love you, Kibum, we're best friends now~" 

"Wha-- who said-- Sigh, fine whatever," he says, defeated. 

Even with your awkwardness with Kibum, you can't help but laugh at how easily he gives in to Donghae's advances. 

 

ROOM 101

You reach your dorm room and lock the door. (Good thing it's only the bathroom lock that's broken.) You begin to dress up. 

Come to think of it, when did Kibum and I start becoming awkward? 

Weren't we good for a time? Why did it suddenly turn into this situation that I can't seem to put a finger on?

Could it be that he's afraid I will replace him in the student council?

Psh. What a girl. 

HAHAHAHA, thinking about that, I'll  actually see him as a girl today. Perfect.

You put on the pink hanbok that Mrs. Park had sewn for you. 

 

It looks really beautiful on you. She had told you that she designed it in a lotus flower fashion and that you could wear it with or without the top mini-jacket part of the hanbok. However, since you have to hide your girly shoulders from the world, you put on the matching sleeved top. You put on the Joseon period Korean headress and pull out your sapphire pendant over your clothes for the final touch. 

You joke to your reflection, "If you were a girl, you might actually be pretty." 

"HANEUL~~" you hear Donghae shout from outside the door. He knocks loudly thirteen times. "ARE YOU DONE YET?? KIBUM AND I ARE HERE NOW. WE'RE GONNA BE LAAATE." 

"Hold on just a second!" you shout back. You hurriedly fix the strands of fake hair in your wig/headress and smoothen out your skirt. Walking to the door, you take a deep breath in, and out. 

Here goes nothing. 

Open the door.