Chapter 3: The Present.

Let’s take one step at a time.

“Uh yeah, so anyways, let’s take a look at the well?”

The moment Jieun went near the well, she knew it wouldn’t turn out well because the minute she touched it, pictures started forming and Jieun could see her mother crying.

They were in the hospital and Jieun could see herself lying on the hospital bed with a life monitor beside her. Her mother was crying, desperately telling the doctors to make her wake up. Her father wasn’t talking but he was holding her mother, preventing her from falling down. She doesn’t understand why they were in a hospital, yes, she knows she had been involved in an accident but what kind of accident?

Jieun feared the thought of her dying. What would happen to her family if she died? To her work? To everything that she had worked hard for? It was so heartbreaking and Jieun doesn’t know if she could handle watching her parents cry anymore, she was about to take her hands off the well when a new picture started creating.

“What’s happening?” She asked.

“The well understands what you’re feeling and you didn’t want to see further down the current picture that’s why it changed. She wanted to show you a different one and maybe you can try to connect it to why you’re here.” Nana explained.

Jieun looked back at the well and saw herself again but this time, she was preparing for her wedding. She was with her fiancé, Wooyoung and they were deciding on the food that should be served for their reception. Jieun could see how happy they were that time.

“Wooyoung…” Minho said and Jieun looked at him with curious eyes.

“You know Wooyoung?” She asked.

“I’m not sure but he looks familiar.” Minho answered. Minho felt like he knew the person for a long time already. Jieun looked back at the well but the pictures started disappearing.

“What’s happening? Where did it go?” Jieun asked.

“Your time is up. The well only gives you the memories you need to know now and she doesn’t give you everything you want because the well knows the future and she doesn’t want to sabotage what’s going to happen.” Nana explained.

“But I haven’t seen mine though.” Minho pointed out.

“Like what I’ve said, the well only gives you the memories you need to know now. You can come back some other time but it would probably take a while before you can see a new one again.” She added.

Minho was confused, does this mean that what they saw about Jieun also has something to do with him? Is it about the guy named Wooyoung? Who is he exactly? There were a lot of questions on his mind and he doesn’t really know how it would be answered. Minho decided to just ask questions about the well since he is curious as to why it is magical.

“Who exactly is Dana?” Minho suddenly asked and Nana smirked at him,

“Dana… is my sister. Funny right? Nana, Dana but yeah, Dana. She owns this place and I am here as a caretaker.” She said.

“But where is she?” Jieun asked and for a second, Nana’s face changed into a sad one but it quickly went back to her usual expression.

“Do you want to go inside? Consider this as a privilege, I don’t always let people in but considering I know Taehyun and you seem to be his friends, I’ll let you pass.” Nana said and she started walking inside the house.

Dana’s house isn’t really creepy compared on what it looks outside, in fact, Jieun was mesmerized on how pretty it is. Yellow embossed walls with hanged abstract paintings, flower vases placed in almost every table in the house, red vintage furniture. It was kind of a medieval style house and Jieun loved it. Nana led them to the dining area and once they were seated, she started talking,

“Well, Dana is a good person and she was always the good daughter.” She started, walking around in the kitchen making juice and preparing cookies.

“Honestly, I envy her because my parent’s attention was always on her but I understand because I’m always the one who causes trouble in the family. When we were eighteen, Dana and I decided to go for a drive in the middle of the night. Crazy, right? But I was always the persistent one, wanting to be reckless and somehow I got Dana to agree to go out with me.” She added, finally sitting down on the dining table, cookies and juice placed in front of them.

“Who knew that even in the middle of the night you could get involved in an accident? Dana was driving and I was in the passenger seat beside her. We were jamming to our favorite music when a truck started honking its horn and when we looked at our left, we only saw white and I didn’t realize that we’ve already caught ourselves in a car accident.” Nana said.

“But how come you knew how you got yourself in here? And why isn’t Dana here?” Minho asked, munching on a cookie.

“Dana got in heaven first so she left this house for me to live in and take care of. I’ve been here long enough to figure out why we’re really here and I’ve been here long enough to have a chance whether to live on earth again or enter heaven. But apparently, I was given the chance to live on earth again, to change the bad things I’ve done and to start anew but I chose not to.” She explained.

“Why?” Taehyun asked.

“Because I realized, my parents would be better off without me. It might be selfish but I thought that if I go back without my sister, they would accuse me of killing her and I don’t want that. It’s better for me to wait here alone until the day comes that I can enter heaven than live a life full of regrets because I know it was my fault why we ended up here. To them, I’m dead already. A few months after Dana went in heaven, I would always look at the well to see how our parents were doing and I saw how they were thinking whether they should put me out of life support or not and eventually, they did. I’m dead, I’m just waiting for my call. I’m waiting for Seunghoon to tell me that I can finally enter the gate. But until now, he hasn’t visited me so I went on to what I should be doing, taking care of this house, the well and to do good to everyone.” Nana finished.

“But how did you found out about the well? Is it something you created or…” Mino trailed off, not really sure on what the right words to say.

“No, Dana and I were looking for a place to live in and we stumbled here. She’s the one who found out about the well and how it lets you see what’s happening on earth, she took good care of it. That’s why it’s named after her, Dana lets everyone take a look at the well. The people would always come here but when Dana entered the gate, no one returned because they believe that Dana is the reason behind the well, that she can predict their future—can see what’s happening in the present. And she is, now that she’s in heaven, she was granted that power.” Nana explained.

Jieun was amazed, there were so much about Nirvana that she doesn’t know. Well, when you just came in the place yesterday, you wouldn’t manage to know everything right? Jieun could see that Nana had already changed for the better, she wasn’t the same reckless Nana anymore and Jieun admired her because even if she’s alone, she managed to stay strong and do what she was supposed to do.

“Can I… still try?” Minho asked. He just wanted to see if what they saw earlier was really what the well wanted them to know. There were a lot of ‘what ifs’ in his mind and he wanted to try touching the well, to see if he’ll be able to see something.

“Okay.” Nana said and Minho looked a bit surprised but he nodded and said a quick ‘thanks’ to Nana. They stood up and went outside the house to go back to the well.

Minho was nervous, he doesn’t know what the well might tell him. He’s afraid of knowing what’s happening down on earth. Jieun patted him at the back, smiling at him and it help Minho, somehow. Nana opened the gate going to the well and Minho took a deep breath.

“Okay, the well is yours to see now.” Nana said. Minho took quiet steps on the way to the well, and for a moment, he was uncomfortable under Nana’s gaze. Minho felt as if Nana knows something that they don’t and he doesn’t really know if he should be scared about it.

Standing in front of the well, Minho could see himself in the water. When he placed his hands on the edge, a picture started forming and Minho could see his eighteen year old self. He was with a guy but he couldn’t see his face, he must’ve been close with him since they were laughing probably at some lame joke thrown. After a few seconds, another picture started forming. A woman was walking with a baby in her arms, she was frantic and looking everywhere, making sure the baby in her arms were safe. Minho could see the face of the woman, the hood of her dress falling on her shoulders. The woman suddenly stopped in front of a mansion and Minho could tell that it was their house. The woman knocked on the door and when it opened, a woman or Minho knows as his mother, went out to entertain the woman. They talked for a few minutes until the woman kissed the baby on the forehead and gave him to his mother. Minho could see the broken hearted expression on the woman before finally leaving her baby to the arms of his mother. When his mother went inside the house, the well stopped showing him pictures.

Minho didn’t even realize that he was already crying, wiping his tears away, Minho stood in front of the well for a while. The others doesn’t seem to mind. After 22 years, he’s finally able to see his biological mother, she might’ve looked younger but still, it’s his mother. Minho had spent years finding his her but he couldn’t, his step mother didn’t know where she is. He still hopes that one day, he would be able to see her and hug her.

“Are you okay?” Jieun asked, worry evident in her voice. Minho told himself that it was time to stop crying so he turned around and gave Jieun a smile.

“Yeah, just… tired.” He said.

“Why don’t you go home? It’s getting late already, the forest of dreams and nightmares can be really creepy at night.” Nana said and Taehyun nodded,

“We’re leaving then. Thank you, Nana.” He said. Minho and Jieun did the same, thanking her for showing them around and telling them about Dana. It might be confusing for now, but Jieun believes what they saw today would really help them in the future. It’s a small step but it can be a start, it’s a stepping stone to finding out everything.

Hi, sorry for the long wait, got caught up with my college life.

comments are really appreciated :)

enjoy xx