Placing the stick down and letting the fire consume the dead leaves and the coals, you opened your phone and went through your gallery, looking for the one picture that you had with him.

With a surprised and confused look yet still handsome and endearing, you stood next to him in the photo, smiling truly and freely, not aware of how much he had affected your life since then.

It was your recent dreams with the trees, the village, and with him that made you go back to this very place. It was through them that you have renewed hope.

How is he now? What could he be doing? Has he stayed true to his word, learning all that he can in hopes of visiting you? You wondered: in the year that passed, does he still remember you?

 

---

 

The day wasn’t going great at all.

Camping has always been on your bucket list ever since seeing that one movie. There was the serenity in the coolness of nature, the beautiful river you could drink from or maybe splash around to cool off, the smell of fresh air and wood all over, taking your time to walk on the trail to admire the different flora and fauna, spending the night beside a warm fire while gazing at the night stars; it was all supposed to be magical. However, reality was having none of it.

Instead of the coolness of nature, it was blazing hot. Even after sacrificing your protective clothing from insects and bugs that have been flying and leaping in and out of your way for the past hour, your skin was still sticky from sweat.

The beautiful river? You weren’t sure where it was. You’ve been trying to locate it on the map for a while now but it’s only then that you’ve realized how different maps are with the actual thing.

The smell was similar to what you’ve expected though. Although, there was so much more smell than just the damp earth and of the woods. A whole lot more that you did not bother trying to know.

The trail? It started off normally. But the deeper you went it, the more it became clear that no one’s come to the site for a while. The trail has been overtaken by the grass and dead leaves. It was hard to tell if you were still walking down the trail or somewhere else.

And of course, it wouldn’t be complete without the occasional slipping and tripping, sometimes even getting cuts on your hands.

“I have gloves damn it!” you said, fishing out your gloves from your bag only to take them off again because of the heat. The cuts didn’t matter anyway, you thought. You were tired. You were exhausted. All you wanted was a place to sleep.

The sun was almost setting, casting a deep orange glow to all that you can see. You needed to find a good place to set up your tent fast.

It took a few more minutes of walking and panting when you saw what could only be the anticipated campsite.

Growing from the ground were thick trunks of oaks with branches bent so lowly almost like the rib cage of the forest, some twisted and turned upwards as if holding up the sky. Tiny, gray moss draped over the branches, casting shadows that swayed gently in every breeze while the tree’s green leaves shone like emeralds from the last rays of the sunlight that shimmered through.

You took your phone and went through your gallery immediately. “That’s odd,” you said looking back up at the site. “It doesn’t look the same.” But it looks beautiful, you thought, pushing the oddness at the back of your brain and setting up camp.

“It’s still a bit cold,” you said draping your jacket over you. “How can the weather change so drastically?”

You were seated at a makeshift chair made from smooth rocks piled together, your hand busy feeding the small fire in front of you with the twigs and leaves you’ve gathered. There were so many that you made sure to build a high enough wall with rocks for the fire to be kept in. You didn’t really want to create a forest fire.

The embers crackled and popped in the cold night, the only sound you can hear except for the insects nearby. The fire continued to grow as it consumed everything it touched upon, with tiny flares of light floating up to the sky.

You turned to the empty packets of instant food you had. “Looks like I’ll have to cut my trip short.” You looked up to the sky, barely making out some stars from between the branches and leaves of the trees. You closed your eyes and breathed as if to breathe in the whole universe in you, missing the shooting star that passed. “I didn’t know camping was this hard.”

The chilly night passed and dawn came when you heard a soft drop from outside. You stirred on your sleeping bag, clutching on the heat it provided when your eyes shot open. “What was that?” you whispered. You grabbed your phone to check the time. “That’s weird. I’m sure it’s not midnight,” you said.

Looking at the walls of your small tent, it definitely wasn’t. There was a soft hue of light coming from outside. It could easily be five or six in the morning right now. “Maybe it’s broken,” you muttered but you weren’t sure at all.

Outside, something rustled. Suddenly, you remember why you woke up. You found your body frozen and unable to move, not daring to breathe in fear that it would be heard. But there wasn’t anything else that followed. It’s probably just the morning wind, you thought convincing yourself.

You crawled towards the zipper and opened it carefully. Soft light came in and filled your tent. Looking out, there was nothing.

Just as you left it, the small fire you made laid still and black on its own. Dried leaves stirred and tumbled at every breeze, the moss hanging on the branches swaying and dancing freely, creating shapes and shadows on the ground below. Nothing out of the norm. Except for the fact that the moss had tiny glass beads of dew on them and the ground and remains of the fire were damp. “Huh. Maybe it showered.”

You grabbed your boots and jacket and stepped outside, hugging your jacket close as a slight shiver coursed through your body.

Ah! The sound.

You turned around and scanned your surroundings. Something light fell just earlier. You stepped towards the tree and searched beneath the branches when you spotted something. There, lying on the ground, was a book.

You crouched down to pick it up and examined it in your hands. It was bound in brown leather and had a plain design with a string attached from behind it to keep it closed. Its brown pages were worn out, some with curved edges like paper that dried from getting soaked. Most pages had big and small dots drawn connected through lines with descriptions and symbols written on them, some having pages dedicated entirely to various equations.

“Are these…stars?” you ask aloud, tracing one figure with your finger. It looked like it was about stars and the night sky though you can’t tell for sure. You weren’t exactly the biggest fan of astronomy but they seemed to be. Maybe it’s how they really look like out here away from the man-made lights, you thought to yourself.

It was an old book for sure yet there were blank pages. Or maybe, you paused as a thought come up to you, it was a notebook or some traveler’s guide.

“But that means…” You turned around. Where did it come from? It can’t just be lying here. This was definitely what fell from what you heard earlier.

Then, your body froze. Your mind was raced with thoughts of psychopaths and campers missing without a trace. “But that’s stupid,” you said. “Psychopaths and stars?” You let out a slow breath and let your body relax when you heard a shout from above followed by a loud thunk.

In your fright, you dropped the book and started running the opposite direction only to trip on a big root sprouting from the ground. You landed with a thud, dirt and leaves flying towards your face. You coughed. Rolling on your back, a sharp sting made you retract your leg close to you. You closed your eyes in frustration. You might’ve sprained your ankle.

But your attention was brought back to the rustling of leaves, groans and angry mutters from behind the tree. Someone’s there. Someone is definitely there. With your heart hammering inside your chest, you braced yourself for the death that awaits you when finally, someone emerges from behind the tree.

A scream was caught in your throat as you realized who it was. You didn’t know him of course. But he definitely didn’t look like a psychopath. If anything, he looked like a normal boy.

Standing in front of you with one hand rubbing his hip and the other dusting off the dirt from his clothes and his hair was a tall, young, and handsome boy dressed in clothes that you’ve only seen in movies and in stage plays. He wore brown pants with a brown vest bound by a belt and a white top underneath that was a bit crumpled and dirtied on the sleeves. He wore black boots and had a satchel around him too which completed the look. It was like he popped right out of a children’s book.

He finished dusting off his clothes and noticed the book that laid near your foot. He bent over to pick it up when you shouted.

“Stop!” You held out something, anything and pointed it threateningly towards him. “Stop right there. Who are you?”

The boy stopped in his tracks but his eyes were steeled on you until he saw what you were holding. Opposite of how he looks, his voice was low and deep, almost smoky and echoing. “What is that?” he asks, his eyes going back to you. “And what is it that you are wearing?”

You followed his gaze at your supposed weapon and slowly deflated. “M…my phone has a taser! Don’t you dare come nearer!” You grabbed your jacket and wrapped yourself in it only to feel a wave of pain from your ankle.

“You are hurt,” he says kneeling slowly. His eyes went to your ankles and saw how bad you were reacting to your every move. He winced. “I could help you.”

“No. Stay there.” You inched farther from him, careful not to move your ankle too much but it didn’t help. Any move you made was like having a rope tied to your ankle while dragging a net of large rocks.

“You need help,” he insists already taking out a piece of cloth from his satchel. “We need something cold for this but the river is too far.” He had his hand under your boot and removed it as gently as he could – at least for him, it was gentle. For you, it was like torture. Once he got it removed, he pulled down your sock to reveal a red and madly swelling ankle. “It looks like an apple,” he mutters earning him a look of murder from you. “How badly scared were you for this to happen?” he asks as he wraps the cloth firmly on your ankle.

“Ask the one that scared me,” you replied sharply. “What are you? A monkey? What were you doing way up there?”

“Me?” he smiles. “I fell asleep after watching the stars.”

His answer was surprising. “Way up there?”

He nodded. He grabbed your boot and placed it under your foot before taking a seat on the ground. “I see better. It makes me feel like I can touch the skies and the stars. I feel closer to them.” He had this wistful smile on his face as he spoke but his eyes looked far away as though searching for something that’s been lost.

“Not the safest place for a sleep, huh? You worry about me but you fell pretty badly too.”

“Oh, I’m used to it,” he says grabbing the forgotten book from behind him and placing it inside his satchel. “I’ve done it a hundred times. And the leaves caution my fall. I’m alright,” he looks up to you with a boyish smile that you can’t help but share.

You turn your eyes away from him and his dashing smile and shifted cautiously in your position. “What’s with the outfit anyway? Are you filming something or what?”

“What do you mean? What is filming?”

His question grabbed your attention. You expected him to have a teasing smile on his face. Instead, a look of pure innocence and confusion met you. You scoffed. “Yeah, okay. Don’t tell me.”

You slumped on your shoulders and moved your other foot leisurely. “What am I supposed to do now? I’m hungry. I haven’t had breakfast yet–oh right!” you said perking up. “Can you grab something for me?”

“What is it?”

“At the tent over–” Your words were cut off as you stared at your left. Where your tent stood, along with all of the things that you’ve exhaustingly carried with you for miles, was a bush. It wasn’t just some tiny shrub of leaves and branches. It was a large, thick, as-if-thriving-for-years-bush. “–there.” You blinked a few times with your mouth still agape. There were no signs of your tent or your camp at all.

“Where?” the boy asked.

You turned your head and scanned the area for your tent but there was nothing. The panic you had before rose again. “My tent. My things. Where is it?”

“Hey,” he says placing a hand on your leg. “Stop moving. You are going to make it worse.”

“Where is it? I swear it’s just there! I didn’t even get to run far. I camped near the tree!”

“Are you perhaps…hallucinating?” The boy moved towards you and waved a hand in front of your eyes. He then placed a hand on your forehead and shook his head. “You seem well. Did you hit your head?”

“What–I didn’t hit my head! Didn’t you see it? There was a tent there right beside the tree you fell from! That’s where I slept! And all my things are there too.” You breathed heavily, your eyes shaking at the thought when you remembered your phone. You opened it frantically in hopes of calling someone but there was no signal. In fact, the time still hasn’t changed from what you saw earlier. Is it broken? You clicked on a few apps but they seemed to be working alright except for those that needed connection.

“What is that?” the boy asks drawing you from your thoughts.

“What? It’s a phone, duh. What are you? Living under a rock?”

The boy leaned back and stared at you, seeming to decide over something hard. Without a word, he grabbed his satchel and placed it around him and stood up.

“What are you doing?”

He walked towards you and grabbed you by your hand, helping you stand up with great pain. “You are too unwell. I need to take you back to the village.” He crouched down before pulling you on his back.

“Wait! What are you doing??”

“You are terribly unwell. You do not even understand what I just said.” He shook his head and grabbed your boot before standing back up.

It took you a few minutes before letting him walk in peace. Arguing didn’t seem to work. It was just getting you heated up for nothing and it, with your sprained ankle, was just tiring you out fast. You had nothing to drink nor to eat. All you wanted at the moment was to go back to the comfort of your home where your bed and fridge are.

“Are we there yet?” you asked in resignation after a while.

The boy hummed as he continued to walk. “Nearly.”

“What’s your name anyway?”

“Wonwoo. Jeon Wonwoo of Eswar. And you are?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n,” he repeated. He said your name a few more times before nodding. “And where are you from?”

“Far from here,” you muttered as you took a look around. The scenery has changed and the sun shone brightly by now. The trees have thinned, no longer confusing and you soon came to a path, an actual path that looked like it had been there for quite some time. Houses, a tiny couple of them came to view. “Looks like old Europe. They look ancient.” Your eyes trailed to Wonwoo’s clothes. “You look ancient.”

“I do?” he asks with an air of mock offense. “I might say I look young. And handsome.”

You rolled your eyes at his comment. Quite arrogant, you added in your thoughts. But your thoughts have been interrupted yet again.

As you drew closer to the village, you saw more of how it looked. Rows of small and fairytale-like houses lined up left and right and the streets were paved in cobblestone. The people – men, women, and children alike – wore the same clothes as Wonwoo did. It was almost medieval, the way they were dressed up in dresses and aprons and vests and boots.

“What is this? A filming location?” you asked aloud although Wonwoo did not seem to hear you.

The village grew closer until Wonwoo veered off, walking at a less taken road far from the main street. “Where are we going? Why are we walking back here?”

“To avoid them,” Wonwoo answered simply turning a corner. “Here we are.”

In front was a quaint and humble house that was almost hidden if not for its oddness. Unlike the ones that you’ve seen, it didn’t have a second floor, it looked a bit older, and oddest of all, had a large brass tube with a glass as big as an industrial ceiling fan peeking from a window built in the roof.

“Is that…a telescope?”

“Why, yes. I’m surprised you know that. Not many people have interest in what people like me do…nor do they choose to understand,” he adds quietly before kicking the door open with his foot.

In the hours that passed, Wonwoo worked tirelessly as you rested in his room after eating a quick meal of bread and leftover pottage. While assuring you that staying in his ‘living quarters’ is not a problem, he seemed to be quite worried himself. Muttering about not having enough resources and materials and a more decent bed, he paced back and forth in front of the room where you stayed, most of the time holding items and transferring them from one place to another as if he was doing his last-minute cleaning.

“Y/n?” he says stopping by the door from the room. “I think I’d have to treat you without the doctors for now. Going out may attract us unnecessary attention.”

“Why?” you asked propping yourself up. “Are you a criminal or something? Is that why you’re living way back here?” you teased.

Wonwoo shook his head but the worried look on his face lingered. “From the way you dress and speak, I could tell. You are not from here.”

“Well, of course, I’m not from here,” you laugh, the short moment of fear in your body being lifted. “I traveled here to experience camping in nature. True camping. I had to ride the bus for hours before hiking for a long time. Man, that was tiring.”

“Exactly what I said.” Wonwoo walked towards you and sat at the foot of the bed, his eyes careful and not leaving yours. “You are not from here. I cannot tell how nor do I know how exactly but I just somehow do. And being different in this place…that might put you in danger. The people might think of you as a bad omen but I do not think that. Listen to me,” he continues after seeing the blood drain from your face, “whatever or whoever you are or why you are here does not change the fact that you need to rest. When you are feeling better, let us talk. I will help you. Understand?”

From the moment he spoke, all you can do was look at him and listen but not really hear. Too many thoughts swam in your head. The possible and the impossible have turned and twisted just like the branches in the woods. You heard him say your name but it was drowned, drowned in the silent screams of your mind as you fall into the deep, black trench of your consciousness.

A few hours must have passed when you woke up. The sun was still up from the rays that shone through the slits in the walls but it was also a bit darker. The sun was almost setting. The house seemed empty and all was still.

You moved your injured leg cautiously, smiling in relief after noticing that the pain and the swelling have subsided. You moved to get out of the bed when you saw something at its foot. Folded neatly at a corner was a dress: a full-length gown in deep brown that reached to the ground and a light brown chemise with sleeves that reached to your elbows. It wasn’t fancy. It didn’t even look new. But it was beautiful, not to mention a perfect fit.

What’s more is that there was a bowl of soup at the table near the bed. It was still steaming and it tasted good.

Wearing your boots with an extra sock on the other foot, you moved (limped, more likely) to explore the house. Books lined up in one of the cupboards at one side. Papers (parchment, as Wonwoo corrected later on) with the same drawings and symbols from the book overlapped and have been put together by pins as some sort of map covered the other.

Telescopes and lenses of various sizes littered the wooden table near it with a compass and some more things that twisted, ticked, and turned that you did not recognize. While the outside of the house looked empty and quiet, the inside of the house was terribly busy and, well, messy.

You walked out of the house. Though it was hidden and a bit far from the main road, you could still see glimpses of colorful, bright lights that illuminated the street, soft music and faint laughter resounding from the distance.

“You are awake,” came Wonwoo’s voice from behind. He stood with his hand on the strap of his satchel just like how you saw him the first time.

You pointed back to the lights. “Can we go there? It looks fun. Is there a festival or something?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “Every summer solstice signals the start of the ‘Festival of Fire’. Men and women come to church with candles and other lights and pray all night. After that, we stay up at night and make three kinds of fires: one is of clean bones and no wood; another is of clean wood and no bones, and the third is made of both bones and wood. It has already passed. Now is the time when we have feasts and watch plays. It is very tiring work but it is also fun.”

“We have to go there. We have to! Please?”

Wonwoo looked at you some more with his arms folded as if he were judging your appearance. Maybe he was. Because after a while, he nodded, seeming to come to a conclusion and walked towards you.

You shrank back but stayed rooted in your spot. Reminded of the dress you were now wearing, your cheeks grew warm and you were suddenly conscious. “What are you doing?” you ask, your eyes watching him carefully for he has placed a hand on your head, sliding down gently to your cheek. “What are you doing?” you repeated, your cheeks growing warmer from his gesture.

With the sun going down behind him pulling in the dark of the night and the light from the street reaching his face, he looked magical, as magical as the village and as magical as everything have been. But the illusion soon broke as with the moment you thought you had.

His hand moved fast, ruffling your hair and messing it up.

“What are you doing??” you cried trying to swat his hand away.

“You look too prim and proper. Only royalty does.” He continued to ruffle your hair now with a smile on his face, even crouching down to pick some dirt and throwing it at the hem of your dress.

“Stop! You’re ruining the dress!”

“There is nothing to worry about. It did not cost me much anyway.”

You stopped from fixing your hair and stared at him as he dusts off his hands. “You bought this? For me?”

He stood back, admiring his work. He nodded. “You needed it. Your clothing is too different. And I had extra money.” He gave you a smile, pulling up his hood over his head and offered an arm. “Shall we go?”

Seeing the streets up close was so much better. Stores selling food on sticks that you haven’t seen before, simple and fancy clothing alike that looked like yours and Wonwoo’s, musicians playing folk music with weirdly shaped instruments while others jumped and danced; it was like an adventure into Belle’s story only without the beast.

You watched all this, disappointed that you haven’t brought your phone with you. Instead, you watched it carefully, wanting to catch and record everything with your eyes. “So pretty!”

“Indeed.”

You turned to look at him and flashed him a smile. “Really?” you batted your eyes exaggeratedly only to see him drop the smile on his lips. You scowled and turned from him, missing the amused laugh that escaped from Wonwoo.

Wonwoo guided you through the village with ease as it was small and has been where he lived all his life. He seemed to know a lot and he looked like he enjoyed telling you everything about it.

“Why are you wearing a hood anyway?” you asked after settling on the grass with some food. “It’s night time.”

Wonwoo took a bite of his skewered barbecue, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Not many people understand my profession,” he said finally.

“You mean studying the stars? How? Don’t they teach that in school?”

“No,” he said, his voice sounding forced. “That is why they see me differently. They thought I practiced dark magic when in truth, it is all science and mathematics. However, they do not understand those either even when I tried teaching them about it. It is all well now after I have made an appeal in the palace and have been proclaimed innocent. However,” he drew his hood closer as someone passed by, "that does not mean that everyone believes in them…and in me.”

You stopped eating and considered his words. It explains why he took another route earlier and why his house was almost hidden. Maybe, life in here isn’t so magical at all, at least not for everyone.

"You mentioned the palace,” you said steering yourselves from the earlier topic. “Do you mean there are actual kings and queens living here?”

“There are and they have treated us well,” he said, his lighthearted tone more natural. “You cannot see it from here and it is not as grand as others but there is a castle just past that forest,” he said pointing beyond the village. “They do not often come out from there but it is due to their kindness that I still live.”

“Why don’t they visit? I know they’re royal and all but shouldn’t they be more…I don’t know…close to the people?”

“We are a small village. There is not much to do here,” he shrugged as he took another bite of his food. “You will get used to it.”

His words, though simple, sunk in. ‘Used to it’ meant staying here long. It wasn’t exactly a terrifying thought. Everyone seemed nice enough and it was kind of peaceful. It wasn’t so ancient like the Stone Age either. But being in a place that is so different from yours, it was just a little bit worrying.

“I…I want to go home.”

The smile on Wonwoo’s face melted. Looking at the way you hugged yourself and the sad smile on your face, he could only imagine how you were feeling. He reached out a hand and patted your head. “All will be well,” he said smiling. “I will help you. But for now, you have to rest. Understand?”

With the moon fully up and the noise slowly dying down, it was easy to sleep. Even the discomfort slowly decreased to a point where you didn’t have to be supported by Wonwoo whenever you stood up or walked. There was still pain and you can only go as far as inside the village but it was more bearable.

Seeing the village in the daytime still felt like it was a dream. It was just too traditional and old. It was like they have not moved from the Middle Age at all which brings up the question: just how far were you from home?

Noting the differences, Wonwoo took the time to explain how everything worked and in turn, you told him about your experience living in the city. It was somehow strange talking to him about it. Though he did not know exactly what you were talking about, he accepted it openly like a child hearing stories for the first time. It was innocent, pure and full of belief. He especially found your phone interesting.

However, after explaining to Wonwoo how your phone worked, even letting him use it and take pictures, he suggested not to use it where other people might see.

“Just to be safe,” he said giving you back your phone.

“Then,” you said taking it back, “it’s fine if I use it with you right?” You pulled him close to you and opened your front cam, throwing a V sign as you pressed the capture button.

He had a look of surprise in the photo but it somehow turned well like most candid pictures on your Instagram feed do. This photo is definitely going up on my IG, you thought.

The day passed by swiftly as you two continued to share stories. At night, Wonwoo taught you what he knew about astronomy thought it seemed little. Not that he didn’t know much. From the writings in his book and the papers that have been with him since childhood, it seemed like there were little study and information available to him.

“This was from my father,” he said taking off his spectacles (‘Not glasses’ as he corrected yet again) and showing you the leather-bound book from earlier. “This house and everything in it is my only connection with him. I was just a boy when he passed. I did not know much about him except for his love for the stars and the sky.”

He opened a page from the book. One of the earliest entries in it had a constellation drawn in thin black ink. “It is supposed to be a heart,” he says tracing its shape. “However, it is slightly more of a circle. My father named it after me. Won, meaning ‘round’ and Woo, meaning ‘help’. That is for me to live by helping out with a rounded heart. Is he not a genius?” he says with a faint smile.

Like the eyes that he had when he talked about the stars when you first met, his smile was there but at the same time seemed like they were longing for something. And in this moment, you understood why.

You nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Well, I think you’re doing a superb job living up to your name.”

“Superb?”

You held out two thumbs up to him and grinned. “That means you’re doing really well.”

His eyes studied your fingers before he returned your smile. Copying your gesture, he too held up two thumbs up. “That is good.”

The first morning from your camping, it was the sound of Wonwoo’s book that woke you up. Yesterday morning, it was the sun that greeted you and woke you up. Today, it was the knock on the door that jolted you awake and made Wonwoo nervous.

“Nobody ever visits,” he says walking before you and having you stand behind him.

Wonwoo opened the door and his heart fell. There must have been thirty or more foot soldiers that made a barricade in front of his house and over ten knights on their horses. Right in the middle of them is the royal coach.

The body was heavy black with a mirror finish, reflecting any light that touched it, while the royal emblem sat in the middle of each door. From the intricate flourishes and embellishments decorated on the doors to the lamps on each corner of the body, everything else was painted in gold. It was dazzling. It was elegant. It meant trouble.

“His Majesty, King Elazar Godelot of Eswar, Emperor of Ouhuviel, and lord to all–”

The carriage door opened and a man, King Elazar, came down. Dressed simply in his brown coat, he looked like any other noblemen if not for the golden crown that sat on his head. He waved a hand at the Herald as he walked towards the house.

“Jeon Wonwoo.”

Coming back to his sense, Wonwoo knelt in front of the king. “Your Majesty. What is it that I may be of service to my king?”

“Rise. I did not come here as the king but as a believer of history and science. I might, however, admit that the number of soldiers that came with me is somewhat necessary.”

At this, Wonwoo slowly and cautiously looked up before standing up. “A believer of history and science, your majesty?”

The king, though was a bit old, smiled handsomely to him and, to your surprise, at you. “To see is to believe. Word has arrived that someone was seen using some sort of sorcery in this village.”

“Your majesty, if I may speak,” Wonwoo quipped.

“You may.”

As if everything that happened by far wasn’t strange enough, watching Wonwoo and the king while hearing all these words, all the formality, and the roundabout, repetitive way the conversation has progressed was enough to make your head hurt. Whoever simplified the English language must be given a pat on the back and maybe some gold, you thought. Although you have tuned out most of the conversation, one thing was for sure: the king’s visit didn’t mean trouble. It meant help.

After some serious discussion that lasted a couple of hours, things made more sense. The king, as he told you and Wonwoo over lunch at the area behind the house, had some ideas on your situation.

According to him, he has grown up reading every book in the royal library and remembered clearly an account from the past. During the time of his grandfather, an entry spoke of a wanderer getting lost in the same village. It said that the wanderer had clothes that were alien and had objects that did all sorts of things but made no sense to anyone at all. The wanderer was believed to be a traveler from a different world.

“As I recall,” the king said with his eyes filled with excitement as he looked at you, “the wanderer called it a camera.”

It took some time and a lot of holding back your laughter to explain to the king how cameras have now been invented to be part of cell phones. Although the king tried hard not to ask too many questions about ‘your world’, Wonwoo made sure to remind him about what he knew about the first wanderer.

At this, he called for one of his men to fetch a book from the coach. Upon examination, Wonwoo found it to be his father’s.

“He served in the palace for a short time, studying the heavens and the skies for my grandfather. This is his work. From what I remember, he was the pioneer of studying about the wanderer. His work will be of great help. He has done us great service and I,” he said looking at Wonwoo, “am expecting the same from you. I will provide everything that you will need to help our dear young wanderer get back to her home and much more after that happens. And of course,” he said now facing you, “I will be helping and providing for your travel as well.”

With the promises and the help of the king, Wonwoo set to work. He spent hours and hours reading and re-reading his father’s notes, having you tell him the exact conditions of your camp from the moment you have stepped in the woods until when you met him.

But while it was endearing to watch him passionately studying and working with what he loves most and while you were excited to the possibility of getting home, it was kind of…bittersweet. Because going home meant leaving everything, including him.

“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”

Wonwoo’s excited voice woke you up from your short nap.

“But we have no time to lose. It is going to be over soon and we do not know when will be the next! Y/n!”

He stops to see you standing at the doorway with a somewhat sad smile on your lips, the energy he had leaving him and the excitement quickly dying down.

He knew what it meant. He knew it from the moment the king has offered his help. But what was he to do? Keep you from leaving? Have you abandon your life when you had such greater things than what he has?

He had already made his resolve. It was not the best case scenario he had imagined but with all the great things that have happened to him for the past days, he did not dare to be greedy.

From how Wonwoo acted, worry and hesitation must have been obvious in your face. You knew this was to happen. But it’s still sad.

He walked up to you and held your hand gently yet true in his. “Are you alright?”

This hand, you thought, holding his hand tight, has done so many things for your sake. It was with his hand that he patiently helped you when you were being stubborn and doubtful of his intentions. It was with his hand that he carried you tirelessly to be able to rest in a clean house and eat a good meal. It was his hand that took you to the village and helped you learn and adjust even for a short time to their way of living. And now, it is by his hand that you will be able to go home, far from here and far from him.

He has done so much for you in the short time that you knew each other. You knew more than enough not to be greedy.

Walking back to where you camped and first met Wonwoo was a silent journey. Neither one of you spoke but with hands holding each other, it did not seem to matter.

At last, you saw the branches that you’ve seen before. Turning lowly and upward with the grey moss slightly swaying from the wind. It seemed to be the entrance, as you now think of it, as the starting point of your magical adventure.

You walked towards the tree where you camped and where he fell from, smiling at the weird encounter as you ran your palm lightly on its surface. The sun was setting. The day is nearly over.

“I have been invited to the palace to study and to be the king’s royal astronomer. My father’s work, I want to complete it and much more,” he said though his lighthearted tone seemed force. “Maybe…maybe I could learn more. Maybe I could find a way to visit you.”

Droplets of cold, wet rain started to gently land on your skin. You held out a hand to catch them in your palm, admiring the small glass beads of rain that you’ve gathered. Gathering your courage, you took a deep breath and spoke.

“Wonwoo…being with you for the past days…I wanted you to know–” you turned around to face him, ready to tell him how you felt but when you did, he was gone and the time in your phone continued to work, adjusting itself as if nothing ever happened.

 

---

 

You stirred in your sleep, hugging the covers of your sleeping bag close to you when you woke. The morning sun has risen and it’s warm, golden rays are saying good morning.

You pulled on your jacket and wore your boots, tying the laces tightly before going out your tent.

The bonfire you made laid damp and still where you left it. The grey moss stayed still without any breeze to make it dance, dewdrops falling silently from its stems. Not a single living thing, not even the dead leaves rustled. All was still. All was calm.

You walked towards the tree, the one where it all started, a small yet sad smile making its way on your lips. It’s been a year. It’s been a long year.

“Well, I wasn’t really expecting anything.”

You turned to get ready for the long hike back when you saw someone standing in front of you.

With his messed up hair and slightly dirtied and crumpled white top, he stood panting, out of breath, as if he ran without rest not wanting to miss anything. Wonwoo walked towards you with his lips growing to a smile.

“I found you.”