- - CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

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You know, I really, really liked Minho's village.

People here... They were really nice.

Have you ever seen those movies, or read those books where everyone in a community helped one another and just seemed to have this sense of unity? Yeah, that was Minho's village. It was no wonder that he was the way he was - always wanting to help and unselfish  - since he'd grown up with such an influence.

I was almost jealous.

The people here had accepted me quite quickly too and I'd already met basically everyone in the neighbourhood. I was still amazed that Minho's parents accepted me. I mean, we'd simply rocked up at their house and they treated me as though they'd known me since I was a young girl.

It was really amazing.

Life here was different too.

It wasn't as fast paced as the city.

People took their time to do something well, they didn't simply rush it because it 'needs to be done'. So what if it meant work to do tomorrow? They enjoyed the moment and what they were doing in that moment.

I learnt this soon after I began helping the Choi's harvest.

At first, I'd worked myself into exhaustion trying to harvest everything as fast as I could. I'd worked like mad, trying to prove myself to his mom and dad. But at the rate I was going... by day three I was sore in places I didn't know existed and Mrs Choi ordered me to stay in bed for the day. I'd felt so guilty. Here I was, leeching off of them and now I wasn't even doing anything to help.

But then Minho, my saviour in every situation it seemed, had come to me.

"Krystal, were you having fun while harvesting?"

"Fun?" I asked sceptically as I winced, "Why would I be having fun?" I froze, "No, no, I'm not saying that I don't want to help anymore, I-

Minho's chuckle cut me off as he shook his head before lovingly patting my head, "You're such a silly girl sometimes, you know that?" he affectionately teased me.

"What do you mean?" I was honestly confused. What on earth did he mean? And why was he grinning like that?

"You're meant to be having fun you know," he said simply, "Harvesting is meant to be a fun thing."

I frowned.

Harvesting... fun? It was work wasn't it?"

"But... it's work..." I tried to argue, "When you make work 'fun'... you usually mess it up?"

He rolled his eyes, "That is what is wrong with you city people sometimes. You try so hard to be efficient and... I don't know... stiff that you've forgotten how to enjoy even mundane things."

I tilted my head, pondering his words.

"Look, there's a difference," he moved closer to me, "Between having fun with work and making fun of work. The latter is bad, because that's when you don't put in your best. But the former... that's what counts. Sure, it might take you longer to do something, but wouldn't you rather spend more time doing something you actually want to do than doing something that you hate doing quicker?"

His words made a lot of sense.

"That's why my parents and I don't mind harvesting or planting or whatever. Because we make it fun. Even if you make it your goal to pick things in a certain way, or even talk to the food as you pick it... it all adds to the enjoyment."

And I'd always thought that I was smart.

But going to school didn't make you smart.

Going to university didn't even make you smart.

Academically 'smart' wasn't smart at all really.

Not in the real world, and by real world, I meant the one that really mattered. The real world wasn't the one where we lived in a secure environment. The real world was the one where we survived.

The city wasn't the real world.

The city was almost too perfect really. After living out here, I'd come to realize that.

In the city, people followed a scheduled routine day in and day out. Like mindless robots they conformed to a standard. Whereas here, each new day was simply something new, something unexpected.

Would the crops survive? Would the soil be fertile enough? Would a fire start? Would it rain today so that the sprinklers wouldn't need to be put on?

They were all unexpected variables, but they brought so much life to... life.

"Eh? Krystal, why are you looking at me like that?"

I hadn't even realized I'd been staring.

He looked awfully cute when he was confused. With a sly smile I leaned forward and pecked him lightly on the lips. His confusion heightened and I felt amused, giggling it off before I proceeded to go back to work, this time with much more vigour than before.

A question formed on Minho's lips, but he stopped himself from asking it.

I think he knew.

- - - - -

"There you go Yuri dear."

My ears perked up at the sound of that name.

I was in town as Minho's mother had asked me to run a few errands. I'd come without Minho though as he was still busy with the lands. Besides, I wanted a little bit of alone time, just to think about everything that'd happened in the whirlwind that'd taken over my life recently.

I'd pretty much abandoned my old life and run away with a boy whom I'd only known for a short amount of time. My life sounded like a movie of some kind, however the ending was as predictable as the movies. I'd learnt so much about Minho in the past few days, more than I'd found out when he'd been living with me in the city and the thing that made me the most curious was Kwon Yuri.

I'd found out about her via a few sources, namely Minho's parents and some town gossip. I'd first found out about her when I'd seen a picture of a young Minho and a girl and Minho's mother had told me about his childhood friend. She'd spoken very fondly of the girl and I'd felt a twang of jealousy. Thus, naturally I was curious about the girl and why Minho had never spoken of her and why it seemed like they didn't speak to one another anymore.

Kwon Yuri was a beautiful young girl.

She seemed to be about my sister's age, with long, straight black hair, soft skin and a kind smile. However, she a body most young girls would kill for. She was curvier than most Korean women and it was something to be desired. I felt the twang of jealousy grow.

I took in a deep breath as I decided to approach her.

Striding bravely, I held my head high and watched as she paid the old lady at the counter. I was only a few steps away and I felt my confidence waiver slightly. I stopped and watched as Yuri began to leave the store.

Who knows when I'll have the chance to speak to her again? I thought to myself as I shook my head and quickly exited the store.

"Kwon Yuri-shi?" I timidly called out.

It was just loud enough to make the girl in question stop and turn to face me.

"Yes? How can I help you?" she quizzically replied as I walked closer.

"My name is Jung Krystal," I said while bowing, "And I-

"You're the girl that Minho brought back from the city, aren't you?"

She'd cut me off before I could even finish my sentence.

My eyes widened and I nodded slowly. How had she known?

"Word gets around fast in small villages," she said awkwardly, "I knew you'd come find me sooner or later."

She seemed uneasy.

"I..." to be honest, I wasn't even sure what to say to her.

"Come with me Krystal-shi," she said softly as she motioned her head, "I know a place that we could talk."

- - - - -

Yuri lead me to a quiet clearing that was not far from the town. Out of suspicion, I'd tried to memorize the walk here, just in case. You never know after all, and I definitely didn't know Kwon Yuri. I doubted that the girl would attempt anything, but once I'd stepped into this clearing, a sense of unease had captured me.

Despite the serene sunlight, the clearing was eerie. It was as though something permeated from the grass below and snuck into the shadows the trees created. I shivered.

"This place..." Yuri mumbled as she stared upwards, "I've spent a lot of time at this place."

I furrowed my brow slightly, unsure what to say to her.

"Minho and I used to be best friends you know," the taller girl spoke again and I felt a tinge of jealously course through me.

"Until... one day."

This piqued my interest.

"He killed someone."

Have you ever been struck so hard that it numbed your body and knocked the air from your very being?

It felt as through my blood had turned to stone and that my feet had been cemented to the ground. Perhaps I'd even forgotten how to breathe.

Minho.

My Minho... a killer?

She had to be lying.

There was...

No...

Thoughts raced through the new highway of my mind, and I was unable to control them.

"He killed someone protecting me."

A road block formed.

Yuri slowly turned to face me and I couldn't help but admire how the sunlight made her soft skin glow.

"A man tried to me here," a pained expression overtook her, "And Minho was the one to save me. However, he was in such a rage that he couldn't stop himself."

My heart lurched.

He wasn't...

Relief.

He wasn't a killer.

No, not in the sense of being bloodthirsty.

He was a protector.

"No one ever condemned him for what he did," Yuri moved closer to me, "No one here will ever condemn him. He saved me." She gently placed a hand on my shoulder, "And I will be forever grateful."

I nodded slowly, accepting her words as slowly, the stone in my body began to crumble. I felt my limbs begin to tingle again as the relief continued to surge through me.

"Is that why he..?" I was able to speak and luckily, the girl seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"Yes, that's why he left here. He's been wracked by guilt for no reason for a very long time. No one has been able to console him..." she smiled wistfully.

I could never imagine my Minho ever being... inconsolable. I could not imagine him crippled by grief and guilt...

No.

His smile. It hid nothing. His smile, it warmed.

"But when he came back here with you..." I vaguely heard Yuri continue.

"That guilt that caused him so much pain..." she paused and somehow, her smile seemed as though it could light up the world, "Is gone."

"It was because of you."

My eyes widened.

"You healed him."

I opened my mouth, but no words came.

"And that's why I told you," her voice was just above a whisper, "Because I wanted to thank you..."

"I wanted to thank you for saving him."

Dum dum dum! Hello ><

Yes, it's been awhile. A long while in fact. I can't say why it's taken me over a year to update this. Seeing as it was basically finished too. But here, take this! This chapter has been written throughout the course of a year give or take. Thank you to everyone who kept asking for this and I promise I will finish this story :)