༺ o 6 3 ༻

“Tan hyung, Jaewon noona… “he paused and took a deep breath. “… I think Jaewon noona is alive”

“Okay kid! I know kids like you doesn’t lie in my perception, kids tell the truth and nothing but the truth. But, didn’t you saw your Jaewon noona in the casket yesterday when you attended the funeral? Look kid, I’m in the middle of convincing to your tan hyung about his wife’s death and he’s being skeptical right now. Will you please stop talking for a second? Because you’re not a big help right now” Chen and his famous sarcasm tone told and rolled his eyes.

“White flowers around me… I always see that in my dreams” Taeho blurted making Kai looked up at his direction with wide eyes. “I always woke up in this field of crops. It was quiet like I’m on this ghost town.  I realized later that I’m on a farm and the concept is some old-school” Taeho paused and took a deep breath. “Every time I get up, I will see Jaewon noona twelve feet away from me, smiling. I will run to her direction and it took me forever to do that. As soon as I’m closer to her, she would turned her back like someone called her and will leave me in that field”

“It is just a dream kid” Chen told chuckling coolly. “I know it’s just a dream for you hyung. But, there’s a meaning to it if I keep dreaming that same dream. There’s a high possibility that Jaewon noona. And I’m sure about the incident last night” Taeho said with a terrified tone.

“I had the same dream last night. But, it was different at the same time. The setting is still the same. As soon as I woke up, Jaewon noona is right in front of me plastering that smile that I’ve been seeing the past dreams. She lends her hand out and pulled me up. I noticed that she didn’t let go and we began walking around the whole field. It was weird and we didn’t dare to talk even a few letters. I can see that she was happy like a kid and would look down to me whenever she senses me that I’m looking at her. We heard someone called her name making her looked back for a second and turned to me in sadness before letting me go. I called her name many times but she wouldn’t bulge to turn back. As I was about to wake up from reality, I heard Jaewon noona’s voice telling me that she’s here and will always by my side to guide me”

“Don’t scare yourself kid. It will be Valentines soon, not a Halloween month” Chen told. “I had the same dream too” Kai blurt out making Chen looked at him with an ARE-YOU-SERIOUS one before shaking his head in disbelief. Kai began telling the story to them.

“Hyung, what if wifey/Jaewon noona is alive? Where could she be?” the two asked in unison looking at Chen desperately. Chen hummed tapping his finger to his lips with furrowed brows. “If Jaewon is still alive, I think she’s staying to someone we know. Maybe someone is keeping her and he/she is acting that Jaewon is really dead” Chen told shrugging. “Maybe that’s because you keep dreaming about it for a few times” he added with a weird intonation.

“There’s no any unusual action from your friends Mr. Kim” an investigator that Kai had hired to spy his friends secretly told before shaking his head.

Kai nodded sadly as the investigator bowed leaving the room. Kai let out a tired sigh and laid his back at the couch. He groaned silently messing his hair.

‘Is it true? That Jaewon is…’ Kai stopped shaking his head didn’t like the term. ‘No no… you’re not dead yet. Wifey, you’re not dead yet. My dream wouldn’t be like that if you’re still alive’ Kai thought not losing hope.

It was a long silence as Kai was in a middle of arguing with his thought. Taeho’s story began to replay in his mind before his dream appears. He compared Taeho’s dream to him thinking of any similarities to it.

‘Hmm… the setting has any similarity from my observation. Taeho once said that he’s waking up at this field full of crops. He even mentioned that it’s quiet like the place is a ghost town. If you’ll put it that way, what would be the perfect place for that description?’ he asked himself humming tapping his finger to his lips.

‘That place must be unique. Where could that be if it’s in here? It’s impossible if Jaewon will go to other countries just to hide! She wouldn’t think of doing that and besides, her pregnancy is sensitive. There’s no chance that she’s on another country’ he thought shrugging.

“I always woke up in this field of crops. It was quiet like I’m on this ghost town.  I realized later that I’m on a farm and the concept is some old-school”

‘Wait!’ Kai widened his eyes. ‘Farm? Old-school? If the concept is old school, which means modern world that time isn’t that widespread in that place. And, there’s only one place which describes the exact thing!’ Thinking of that, Kai snapped his fingers and a wide smile brimmed on his lips.

“Omo hyung! I can’t believe this! It all makes sense now! No wonder me and that kid dreamed like that!” Kai exclaimed in so much joy jumping on his place excited to see his wife once again.

“What if she’s not there Kai? What if… she’s really dead?” Chen asked with a sad tone, heavy breathing between his words wasn’t expecting Kai’s statement. Kai shook his head confidently still his wide smile visible on his lips. “She’s not dead hyung. Why are we dreaming that kind of dream if Jaewon is dead?” Kai asked with a slight pout.

“You just miss your wife. Kai…” Chen let out a long sigh brushing his hands to his hair calmly. “Don’t expect that your wife is alive. If she’s alive, good! But if it’s the other way around, you’ll end doing the same thing the past days; crying and suffering. You know I hate to see couples right? It’s a total crap that’s why I don’t want to commit to a girl” he added slowly shaking his head.

“I’ll go to her province” Kai blurted changing the topic. Chen remained quiet and let the boy decide.

The next day after Kai announced it to Chen, Kai immediately went to Gwangyang, Jaewon’s hometown expecting to see her. While driving, he looked around the white flowers around the road some hitting his car gracefully. He can see few people walking at the side of the road indicating the province has limited population. What satisfies him is the inaudible essence and the purity of the province and made him compare the lifestyle from the urban world to here; if he will choose, he prefers to live here since it is just simple and quiet.

He stopped the car when something caught his eyes: a field full of flowers. It is the same visualization of his dream, he thought.

He looked from the other side and saw a market. He left the car and locked it as he will ask Jaewon’s whereabouts.<