ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ ~

SATYR :

From Greek mythology, a mystical human-like being with features that are part man and part goat. Satyrs can be wildly social creatures, loyal protectors of their land and players that love to drink and play music. They are often found in natural locations such as mountains, forests and fields.

~ ꕤ ꕤ ꕤ

The young man stepped back with a small relief in his smile. He nodded at the call of his name and Bomi returned with a grin of delight.

"No way! Oppa, what brings you here?"

"I've been looking for you actually. I had to come see you. Er, right, you have others with you…?" His eyes danced to the other five audience members behind Bomi, crowding around the door.

Bomi remembered, finding Chorong and making sure to pull her to the front. "Everyone! I can't believe it. This is a cousin of my world! My long-time satyr neighbour, senior, and protector, Im Hyunsik."

"What~??"

"Satyr?"

Bomi opened in excitement to explain, but Hyunsik cleared his throat awkwardly, needing to move on from this and this…attention. "Ahm. Bomi-ya, it's okay. I only really have to see you. Could we talk?"

"Oh, sure! But first! It's really been so long since I've seen you. We should really take you out to eat to celebrate!"

"Uh-"

Chorong's grip stiffened in Bomi's hold without her noticing. Bomi looked at her at that though, as the first person she'd ask. "Oh. Would we be okay with that?"

"We?"

"Yeah. All of us right now, since it's so rare that we're all up together in the morning. What do you think guys?" Bomi asked hopefully, and the rest of the girls had not caught up to her level of energy that it looked like they were left scratching their heads.

"Now? Ah… We've just eaten though."

"I have work too."

"Uh, I really don't think this has to be discussed…" Hyunsik said without confidence that no one really heard.

"Ey, it's fine. He's Bomi's friend!" said Eunji, "I can do dinner. Is that too late?"

Namjoo strangely crossed her arms. "Unnie. Unnie, you haven't already forgotten, right?"

"Ah, relax, Joo! I remember that rule of this house, no worries. I'm asking if we should go outside."

Before Bomi's feelings about this could become clear on her face, Chorong cleared , speaking to her and Hyunsik. "Or… I can take you two to have breakfast outside. It'll be the three of us, if that's okay? How does that sound?"

Bomi lit up at that. "Great! Yes! That's a great idea."

"By the way, Bbom-ah, we're the only ones who haven't eaten, and you should eat something you can easily digest."

"Oh, right." Bomi laughed sheepishly.

With that settling the household, the two went back upstairs first to get changed before going out, and as they did, Bomi's grin went soft; something just between them. She tapped Chorong's arm.

"You want to catch up with him the most, right?" Chorong said first, surprising her.

"Yeah, ah, sorry, I got a bit carried away… Did that make everyone uncomfortable?"

"No, no, it's okay." Chorong tilted her head in extra thought. "Knowing some of them though, they're probably glad they're not going out so suddenly."

"But you're coming too, unnie. Oh~"

Chorong passed her a jacket, added with a weird look as Bomi cooed suddenly. "Wow, you didn't have to make this into a date! Or did you want to keep an eye on me?" Bomi teased. "You know I won't do anything."

"Yah it's not that! Of course, I know you won't do anything like that. It's just that this meeting is so sudden, and you wanted us to be there, so I'll go. But… I also don't know this Hyunsik at all. Even if you do know him." Chorong pouted, a slight itch in her neck.

"Ah, unnie."

"Is that too much of me?"

Bomi looked at her thoughtfully and shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. At least I know where your heart is, and it helps to be safe with you by my side. Hyunsik oppa shouldn't be much trouble."

~ ★ ~

Truth be told, Hyunsik had appeared hesitant at the suggestion of breakfast plans although he verbally agreed to it. Perhaps it was just discomfort with strangers. Chorong would give him the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe she couldn't help such an odd feeling though… Why did he appear out of the blue? Was it a coincidence that it was after yesterday’s events? The more she thought about it, she was less jealous and more cautious, because this was a friend of Bomi's who had just singlehandedly shown up at their door without notice, coming all this way to see her. Seemingly with nothing else to show for it.

But maybe it's just that: a chance meeting among old friends. No alarms ringing, no urgency, just… catching up.

It would take no longer than a ten-minute walk to arrive at Chorong's chosen restaurant.

Hyunsik didn't speak much on the way, just nodded politely along to them. With just the three of them, the apprehension didn't go away, but Hyunsik seemed surer of himself, responding to Bomi with the comfort of coming from the same background.

Bomi meanwhile had a skip to her step. They pointed a lot about the places they walked past and all the things Bomi discovered since she came here; whatever that sprung to mind in her enthusiasm.

She was clearly excited at the prospect to talk with Hyunsik after what must have been so long. That all brought Chorong a reminder of ease during their walk. At least from their dynamic, they seemed familiar with each other.

"Wait, seriously? Are you sick?" Hyunsik frowned. "That's…rare."

"Oh, I'm just a little. Nothing contagious. It's like an allergy that I've been clearing up," Bomi chuckled knowingly, linking an arm over Chorong's shoulders, as if making her point.

Hyunsik only smiled at them in a funny way and nodded the condition aside. "Riiight, I see. By the way, Bomi-ya, what is your relation with, uh, Miss Chorong?"

Bomi looked at her for a moment and Chorong gave a slight, though distracted, smile.

Chorong was still in the middle of thinking; Perhaps the feeling that she thought she saw someone yesterday had been the real coincidence. It doesn't feel like the light nature of Hyunsik at all…

Bomi just returned a nod in her own thought process, making peace with a sort of pride there. "She's my girlfriend! I'm with her now, and only her."

"Oh!"

Hyunsik's eyes went wide, and if he wasn't wearing a beanie to cover his horns, his eyebrows would have raised off his forehead. He didn't seem to expect that at all, and Chorong silently gawked back at Bomi too. Did she really just…?

"Chorong unnie knows all about me, so it's okay. You can tell me anything while she's here."

"You mean she's not seduced?" Hyunsik blurted first, dangling a finger in a circle by his ear to make his point and Bomi blanched.

"What? No, no! She's not. I didn't- I didn't do that!" she said frantically, shushing her friend. The two were still in a confused quarrel when they entered the restaurant then, stepping in through its open doorway, and they were led to a table that had just been vacated with perfect timing.

They thanked the server who finished setting up their table and they moved to sit down on the chair cushions; Hyunsik on one long side of the table with Chorong and Bomi together on the other. By the time they settled and Chorong turned to her though, she was a bit surprised to see Bomi still with an annoyed pout.

"Bbom-ah, what's wrong?"

"Yeah, what did I say?" Hyunsik tagged on. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Bomi was startled, her eyebrows curved in slight distress.

"It's not the same here, oppa. You have to understand that. I wouldn't…seduce her. That wouldn't be true. That wouldn't make it real."

Hyunsik only shrugged hastily. "Oh, why's that matter so much? All the best of you nymphs do it. No need to be upset." He looked at Chorong with a belated wave of his hand.

"Don't get me wrong, Miss Chorong. I know of your human concept of love, but for Bomi here to be seduced by that? I don't know… The nymphs I know usually don't like making any flings official like that, so I was just surprised to hear it."

Chorong nodded slowly, not entirely sure what to make of it. Bomi seemed to take it more strongly than her and huffed. "Please stop, just… I love her, and this is how I am now, okay?"

"As you say."

Hyunsik was getting a lot blunter with his words, and Chorong realised it was perhaps a feature of them, like how oddly Bomi spoke when she first came here.

At the same time, unlike his calm and certain speech then, his hands were fidgety; impatient and alert.

Hyunsik was more noticeably awkward around humans, like their friends, and inside the restaurant, sitting up on alert whenever the servers came by and interrupted them. Perhaps it was nerves? Though his choice of university jumper showed him blending in physically among humans, his mannerisms were unfamiliar to interacting with them.

"But anyway, seduction, pfft, that shouldn't be the topic here," Bomi said quickly, always having something to say even in what might be awkward silent moments. They chose their menu and waited for their order, and she began. "I want to hear more from you, oppa. How have you been? What've you been doing?"

After all, that was where Bomi was more invested; her eyes brighter when she's curious about something, when it comes to reconnecting with Hyunsik.

"Well, I've been occupied looking for you the past four weeks, but other than that…"

Chorong felt that unsure discomfort hit her gut again. Whoa. Four weeks–a month, to that extent?

Hyunsik let out a tired sigh. "I've been travelling to and from the human world a lot. Not for leisure. We made a union among satyrs a couple months back in early autumn–"

"A union? What for?"

"I was getting to that. You all were really scattered since that incident in Lowes. I know it might've seemed like fleeing was the best idea, but as the months passed and seasons became colder even for us, we had to be rational. We cannot simply wait for dangers to pass and for Lowes to open up to us again."

It made Chorong feel a bit out of place; the way they go on about their other world and how she has no solid hold on the conversation. But whatever happened must have meant a lot to a Bomi with shining eyes, and Chorong simply held to that optimism with a small smile.

"…So, it's tough work, but also dutiful and rewarding since we're building our community back together. We've reunited so many of us already back home."

"Oh wow. That's really, really wonderful to hear. I am glad you're doing that well, oppa," Bomi said, relieved.

"Yeah. It's good to see that you've been safe around these parts too, Bomi, even with it being so populated with humans."

"Mm. That's what I like about it."

Hyunsik just looked at her questionably. "Things have certainly changed while you've been here."

"I feel like you've changed a lot, too. More…responsible. You weren't like this before," Bomi thought and teased. "So serious."

"You've changed a lot too," he pointed out. "Talking so much about human things. Anyone would think you've become one of them."

Bomi's eyebrows furrowed at that statement but pushed on.

"Then you know how everyone is? Are they all…okay?"

"Right. Most are safe. Some even found their own way to contact us. We realised this separation really took a toll on everyone who wanted to go back to how things were. It's only unfortunate we couldn't organise these searches so