Jiyong dried his face with a towel as he walked out of the bathroom, ready for bed. He hated feeling dirty after taking a hike. Seated on the edge bed, staring out the window, Ara looked as if she had lost her soul. Jiyong wondered how she could sleep out there, looking like the same glowing goddess every passing day. Where did she sleep? What did she do when she couldn’t? How did she spend all those lonely days waiting for the next client?

Jiyong sighed as he leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom as he simply stared at her back. She was always cold. Ara was distant, and he understood now. After too many years of living, just waiting for another person to accompany her for a month or less must’ve been heartbreaking. Hours of waiting and waiting, only to trust someone then have them leave you after getting what they wanted. Nothing to look forward to while awake, but at times, too afraid to close her eyes.

But now he was seeing her.

Shin Ara meant God Ara. She was something new – a breath of fresh air. He could see how cute she could act, and how collected. She wished to help others, always obeying the rules that were laid out for her centuries ago. There was never a time she forgot a single one. She was well mannered and knew of the limits to her powers. Hell, if Jiyong was a god, he could play around with his powers to their fullest extent. Ara was something of a masterpiece of a goddess to Jiyong. But there was always a mystery behind the masterpiece.

He had come to know this much about her personality, and yet there was still so much more to learn. Why was she stuck on Earth? Why was she punished like this? How much longer would this go on? She probably didn’t know herself, and that’s what was most disheartening to Jiyong. She was losing hope.

Slowly, Jiyong approached her, watching as she heaved a long, deep sigh. He may never be able to put the pieces of her puzzle together, but for now, he just wanted to solve the mystery she hid of him.

“I know your grandparents. They asked for my help.”
“For what?”
“They asked me to create you.”

Jiyong needed to know. Create him? What was that about? Before he knew it, Jiyong was simply standing in front of her, staring at her with almost a glare sharpening his gaze. Ara looked up at him, scooting into the bed, lying down on the farthest end from where he stood. He sighed, softening as the emotion in her eyes told him it was at this moment she would tell him. He slipped into bed beside her, closing his eyes for a moment as the silence was heavy upon them. What was once a comfortable silence between the two was now something completely different. Something that weighed on their shoulders.

When Jiyong opened his eyes, Ara had her eyes closed as well. She looked genuinely at peace as her breathing evened. Now Jiyong was afraid to break that peace. But instead, Ara began speaking, and all he could do was shut his mouth and listen. If he wanted to settle the raging curiosity in his head, he had to listen to everything she said. How she had a large part to do with his ‘creation’. How he was born to know nothing about her until this vacation. How she knew his family so well. Everything.

“On November 6th, 1987, I felt the presence of a family.”

November 6th, 1987 – 11:32 AM

As Ara approached the area of her pond, her physical body came back together and solidified. She could feel the presence of a family tingle under her skin. They had entered her forest, though she did feel their presence since the night before. But it was only twenty minutes ago she felt