Beautifully Untamed

Chapter Three

The Past

“Well, it just makes sense, in the end; the prince is always going to end up with the princess. It’s like fate has set it up so that he saves the right princess for himself. So the prince can love her and make her happy forever.”

He could see himself, sitting on by a desk and a very happy woman at the front blabbing about one thing or the other. He wore a bored expression on his face, blinking a few times to keep himself awake and focused. This woman, she seemed to be rambling so much that his mind just didn’t want to keep up with it. Or was it that he didn’t care for what she had to say.  

He was sitting in a dull room, with mahogany gloss wood in front of him- and it gave off a familiar feeling that he no longer could describe. He was restless having somewhere to go, and wanting to be there instead. There was something pressing in his mind, but he couldn’t seem to grasp it. Something that weight heavily on his mind and made him fidget with almost an insane feeling of having to go to it—go now!   

“I wish a prince would someday save me,” the woman gushed, sighing almost longingly at her own words. Suddenly the bell rang across the town, announcing that it was noon and time for everyone to have lunch. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he had the feeling. He bounced up from his seat, brightly smiling, the feeling of freedom rushing through his body “End of class, right--?” he sweetly asked, and the woman’s cheeks flushed, making her stutter and then nod her head with slight reluctance.

“Right, go to lunch,” she huffed, and turned away from him as he quickly picked up his note books and text books, just to fly out the doors.

He rushed to a bedroom, it was his, practically falling over himself as he carelessly dropped his textbooks and notebooks on a pile near the door. He kicked off his shoes, jumped over the bed, and towards his closet. There he threw off his tunic to replace it with a plain T-shirt, and changed his nice dress pants for some simple looking, ripped, sweat pants. Then he removed all the jewelry from his body- except for a silver crisscrossed necklace---

The necklace was special.

Why was it special?

He gently and lovingly every curve, feeling the ridges of it and then a smile lit up his face again. He had plenty other jewelry that could probably outshine this one in anyone else’s eyes, but not his. This simple necklace outshone everything he had ever been given. He was going to cherish this for life. He frowned once again…

But why?

Finishing with dressing down into simple clothing, he rushed out again and into the mess hall, were servants lightly chatted over their work. A few quieting down when they saw him.  Not that he cared; he was here for a reason---what was the reason?

Ji Yong’s eyes snapped open, a slight gasp escaping his lips as his hand immediately reached to touch his neck, and the familiar necklace that laid there. One that he either hid under his shirt, or under his scarf, but he never took it off. There was no reason for him to ever do so. Taking a deep breath he lowered his head, hiding his eyes as he gripped the necklace. He didn’t understand, he didn’t get it—what had he just seen now?

What had this girl showed him?

“Did you see it?” The small ghost girl asked. Gaho cleared his throat, noticing that Ji Yong was not going to answer her.

“Are you alright Ji Yong?”  The small puppy asked, concerned about his charge’s well being. It couldn’t be easy to try and recall a memory that was not there. Showing a memory wasn’t the same as remembering. Even when a memory was gone though, an emotion, you could call it residual tone, was left behind in its wake. Something that couldn’t be erased from your heart, and muscles, somewhere deep inside, part of that memory still lived.  

Usually it wasn’t enough. Once a memory is gone, it’s gone forever.

Ji Yong gritted his teeth in slight frustration, and quickly got to his feet. “I don’t get it,” was all he said as he briskly walked away, adjusting his scarf around his neck. He wanted to understand what he had just seen, the quick unfocused flashes and so little information—it felt like there was more that was missing and cut out of what he had just seen, but what was it? Why couldn’t he recall it? He couldn’t help the feeling that there was more to that memory, that once he had held it dear to his heart---because it was his memory.

This was just too confusing! He didn’t want to deal with it. He felt like he didn’t have the time and he needed to get going now.

“You are not supposed to understand it just yet!” the girl snapped, chasing after him. “It was just the first thing that I could think about showing you. Just accept it, that’s all I ask of you,”

“You mean the meaning behind the necklace I’ve worn around my neck for as long as I can remember is something I’m just supposed to accept?” Ji Yong paused in his walking. How was it that this simple piece of jewelry was still with him? “Does that have to do with what I am searching for now?” Ji Yong asked. Could it be that maybe someone that gave it to him whom he was looking for or maybe that someone had a clue to what he was looking for…or maybe it was a place that he had found it and he was now searching for that place!

He needed answers, not more questions.

“It was just a nudge, Ji Yong, put the rest of the pieces together,” the girl stopped following after him. “I’ll see you next time, when it’s time to show you something new,” she smiled, and vanished. Ji Yong turned, and looked down at Gaho whom bumped into him, in his attempt to stop. Ji Yong reached down for the puppy, and tucked him into his arms.

“Let’s keep moving, the feeling is still fresh. This way,”

Gaho for once didn’t question him if he was sure that it was this way, he simply went along with what Ji Yong wished.

“So anyone new in your life?”

Seung Hyun flinched before shooting a glare to Chaerin, whom for the past hour just kept hanging on him and bugging. They were currently in his room, and she didn’t seem to get the hint that he was busy doing his homework to leave him alone. Sure, it was a sad existence, but once this was all done he would finally be free to just work and then do what he wanted to do. “What, no one,” he said, and turned back to his cell phone when a new text message dropped. Chaerin made a sound of disbelief, before snatching his mobile device away.

“Uh huh, then who is… Hyori? Come on best pal, spill,” She teased, shaking the phone at ransom. Seung Hyun sighed, turning to his laptop. Chaerin curiously took that moment to see what they were messaging about.

“She’s an aspiring director that asked me to try out for the lead role in her play,”  not that he owed Chaerin an explanation, but he rather not have to deal with her being even more annoying. “I decided to try out of course, and see what happens.”

“Oh,” Chaerin said, before placing his phone on the desk next to him. She then let out a long suffering sigh, “You’re such a bore Seung Hyun. Can’t something more exciting come out of your mouth?” she asked.

“Like what?” Seung Hyun asked, with slight amusement in his voice. He was very much a calm guy, distracted really by pretty things like Chaerin’s long blond hair—but he wasn’t that clueless. Siwon always warned him about being too spacey around girls. They tended to manipulate you whenever they had the chance, because they could never ask straight out what they wanted. Chaerin though, was a bit different. Seung Hyun never had to worry about double meaning with her.  

“Like let’s go to the beach!” Chaerin moved around him and slammed the front of his laptop closed. He frowned; slightly angered by the fact that she could have harmed it. “Or maybe the fair that’s happening over at the mall, or…” she shrugged her shoulders, “Let’s go out to eat like we used to, and pig out. There was no one better than you to do that with,” she gave him large pleading eyes. Seung Hyun was wise to look away quickly.

“I do have a lot of work to do, I can’t just decide to up and go have fun right now,” he said, opening his laptop once more to help it resume to where he had left off. “Maybe after I graduate and all this is over,” he muttered. Chaerin was about to protest when the door to Seung Hyun’s room opened.

“Is everyone decent?” Siwon joked as he poked his head in, and grinned at the two inside. Seung Hyun as usual was ignoring him and Chaerin was giving him a glare for his comment. “Hey girly, Bom is downstairs waiting for you, she said that something came up and that you have to go with her, but she won’t say what to me,” Siwon shrugged.

Chaerin looked a bit curious, “Okay,” she said, and turned back to Seung Hyun, giving him a slight awkward hug “I’ll see you later then boy,” She said, and then grabbed her bag and went out the door. Siwon followed after her, and waved both girls goodbye before closing and locking the front door and heading back to his younger brother’s room.

Along the way, he made sure to turn off the lights. It was already eight at night, and their parents were already in bed asleep. They didn’t have to worry about him and Seung Hyun going out at this time, so they relaxed. Slowly, he opened the door to his brother’s room, before closing it and smiling at how Seung Hyun looked so studious over his work.

“Senwy hwuny…” he said before dropping into his brother’s bed, grabbing a huge stuffed pillow. “I’m so tired,” he yawned, but then looked at his brother. He was wondering if Seung Hyun realized that lately he was more worried about him than ever before. When they were younger he always worried that his brother was going to kill himself because when he ended up distracted he usually ended up getting lost or hurt. The first time that Seung Hyun got really lost, was the last time. Siwon had taken it upon himself to teach his brother to concentrate. Even when he tried not to act so protective, he always kept an eye out for his brother. He could never explain the odd feeling in his chest, one huge fear of losing his baby brother…

“What do you want Siwon-hyung?” Seung Hyun asked, never once taking his eyes off the computer screen. Siwon sighed, and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he said. Siwon made himself comfortable, and found himself falling asleep to the sound of his brother typing away on his laptop. Siwon only meant to maybe rest a little, but he never meant to actually fall asleep.

The next time he woke up it was already two in the morning, suggesting that he had knocked out for at least four hours and his brother—Seung Hyun was no longer at the laptop. Sitting up, he wondered where his younger brother could have gone, and looked at the screen. The report was nearly finished…if that was so then Seung Hyun would have done his best to end it before joining him in bed. They’d always shared a bed when they were younger so he knew that his brother was opposed to sharing even now that they were grown.

Getting a slightly sick feeling in his chest, he looked towards the bedroom door, finding it slightly ajar. Seung Hyun wasn’t the type for late night snacks. Rushing out, he looked down the dark hall ways, first to the rest of the rooms, and then to the end. That was when he spotted Seung Hyun slowly making his way towards the stairs.

Siwon for the life of him didn’t know why dread filled him, or why his heart clenched so hard, but before he could make any sense of his feelings, he was reaching for his brother, stopping him. Seung Hyun didn’t protest, didn’t say a word as he fell limply back against him and he took a sharp breath.

He was right.

His younger brother was sleep walking again.

Seung Hyun suddenly whimpered a bit, as if trying to push him off. Siwon held on tightly, hoping that neither of his parents would find them out or Seung Hyun would be back to seeing the psychologist once again. “Gosh, what are you dreaming about little brother? Where is it that you think you are going in these dreams of yours?” he whispered to himself, until his brother stopped struggling and his breath evened out.

At all costs, it was his job to protect his brother--- no matter what!

It was curiosity, a dreaded feeling he had been born with.

But this time, it was like a pull that had him wondering down a path that he was told countless times to avoid. Everywhere around him, there were high trees, plants, and the sound of a few birds singing their melody. They seemed to guide his way as he took his first few steps into the forest line, a path paved just for him.

But every time that he was about to reach his goal, or just as he had started to walk, arms came from the dark and pulled him back. And he could hear a screaming voice—he often was clueless of what it was, but as of late, he had associated that voice with that of his brother.

“No Seung Hyun! Don’t go there!!”

Seung Hyun snapped his eyes open, breathing slightly harshly as he looked around himself. He was warm, in his room, and the sound of slight snores. Slight disappointment settled in his chest as he recalled that he was no where special, that the place in his dreams wasn’t real. He turned his head around and found his older brother sleeping next to him, holding him in place, a familiar sight that he had come to known when his sleep walking had started.

Had he slept walk?

No, he had kicked that habit a long time ago.

Already forgetting his dream, Seung Hyun didn’t find it strange that his brother was there with him. After all, he recalled his brother had falling asleep in his bed, but as to how he got into bed with him didn’t even cross his mind.

He simply relaxed, and went back to sleep.

It was too early to even think about getting up.

Gaho yawned, opening his eyes to see where they were.

Ji Yong had not stopped walking all through the night, and the puppy was shocked to see that they were in an underground subway station, with Ji Yong trying to figure out how the transportation worked. Several times already the blond had been scolded that he needed a ‘ticket’ to be able to ride on one. The problem was that even after asking how to purchase one of these ‘tickets,’ he still wasn’t sure where he wanted to go so he didn’t know what he would purchase.

There were so many places that he could end up in, and the names to Ji Yong didn’t sound familiar at all.

“Which one is heading south!”  He demanded from the person selling the tickets. The woman looked perplexed, scared of the odd looking guy in front of her. He didn’t exactly present a well kept person.  

“South sir…” she flinched at the glare that was shot at her for repeating what he had said. “I mean, yes, here,” she immediately drew out a ticket that would be going down south into the city of Seoul. She then handed it to Ji Yong, flinching when he snatched it.

“Where do I go now?” he asked his eyes curious. The woman had to hold her own breath at the sight.

“You…you go down to the far right, and number fifteen train, there you will get on,” she tried to keep herself from stuttering. Ji Yong nodded and then left, running away as fast as he could. It was then that the woman noticed that she forgot to charge the boy for the tickets, and tried to call him back, but he was long gone.

She would surely get into trouble for this.

Finally managing to get into the train that he needed, Ji Yong took a seat, looking out the window with wonder. Humans and their inventions were complicated, but he felt like he was starting to get the hang of t his new world. Gaho could tell that these things were nothing but a frustration to Ji Yong, and he couldn’t blame him. A lot had changed over the years. A few minutes later the train was moving and Gaho pawed at Ji Yong, whimpering a bit to catch his attention.

“Don’t worry Gaho, we’re going the correct way,” he assured. He knew the pup was hungry, as much as he was. But in this world, nothing came free and easy as it had in the past.

Gaho nodded, but once again, he could only hope that he knew what Ji Yong was doing. It seemed like the day’s were passing by so fast, and there was nothing that either one of them could do to stop them.

Ji Yong shifted, turning to look out the window.

His eyes following the fast moving blur motion outside, wondering where it was that the feeling inside of him was taking him now.