“Yongsun,” a voice called, sounding distant. “Yongsun?”

The flames have already died down by the time she looked up. Was I in a daze for a long time? Or was it just seconds ago?

With the support of her hands, she pushed herself to stand up. Stabilizing her balance, she walked tentatively towards the door, her hand hovering over the handle, contemplating whether to open it for the reality, or stay in assumption. She eventually slid it open. 

Empty. 

Yongsun blinked a few times to ensure she wasn’t seeing it wrong. She glanced around the vicinity as well checking for any other presence, wanting an affirmation for her theory. Other than the small cackling flames, it was just her and Miss Moon.

“Yongsun, are you alright?” Miss Moon asked in concern. 

“Do you think she has returned safely?” Instead of answering, Yongsun voiced out her first thought. 

Miss Moon weighed her options of how to reply. She couldn’t know for sure, but seeing how Wheein wasn’t in the chamber anymore, she decided to give Yongsun confidence. 

“I have faith she has,” she said, and Yongsun nodded blankly. 

It all happened too fast, she could barely register each moment as the priority was to get Wheein back to where she came from. Too much had been discovered and it wasn’t safe for her to be here anymore. 

The horses Miss Moon had asked for had arrived. She hopped onto one of them. “Come on, we have to go,” she said in a calm tone, despite the situation. 

“Hold on, I just want to take something,” Yongsun rushed into the room, knowing they wouldn’t be back here for awhile. She emerged again, a handkerchief clutched tightly in her hand. Wheein had sewn it from scratch and gifted this to her. Though Yongsun’s memories of them would remain in her heart, she wanted a physical object by her side to serve as a reminder. 

Taking one last look at the area, she climbed onto the other horse, both galloping away into the crack of dawn. 

~

Wheein took a few deep breaths and calmed herself from the slight headache. She adjusted her eyes to the difference in lighting, sensing the orange vibe. The sun was in the process of setting, bright but not glaring.  

She briefly closed her eyes, then glanced around her surroundings by rotating her eyes, keeping her head and body still. She noticed the familiar items; the sofa, the coffee table and the curtain. She was back in her apartment. 

Wheein tried to recall how she was sitting in a kneeling position in the middle of her living room, her body feeling the difference of lighting. Some bits of memory vaguely flashed in her mind.

...hurry…

... not safe here anymore… 

..last time…

...I’m glad to have known you..

Sobbing. Flames. Arrows.

Wheein grimaced at the rushed events, her heart aching involuntarily. As if suddenly remembering something, Wheein sat up straighter in her kneeling position and looked at the crystal bottle in her hands. She frowned a little, observing a faint small crack.

She thought about the link between the bottle and chamber, and was reminded of how she had to leave and she probably couldn’t go back again. The last thing she saw were the flame sticks being hurled towards the time chamber. With both sides damaged, she wondered if there might be a malfunction in the time traveling.

“What are you doing on the floor?” A voice jerked Wheein back to reality. She turned to the direction of the voice and saw Hyejin.

Wheein replied with the first question in her mind. “This is 2019, right?”

Hyejin gave her a puzzled look. “Yeah, why? Did you have a dream?”

“Actually, another question,” Wheein thought of something better to verify. “What day is it today?”

“Isn’t it Jiyeon’s birthday today? We were having lunch and chatting but I didn’t notice you left. I decided to come home earlier since you might be home-- and there you are.”

Wheein nodded slowly; she certainly was at Jiyeon’s birthday party. Then the next thing she knew, she was meeting Yongsun and Miss Moon. Over the weeks, she and Yongsun had become closer as the latter helped her cope with the life in the past. Her eyes widened at how a few weeks was actually only a few hours here.

She stood up, feeling an object in her pocket in the process. Taking it out, it was revealed to be a charm that Yongsun gave her.

It was real after all. Time travelling, meeting Yongsun; those did happen.

Feeling overwhelmed, Wheein rushed over to Hyejin and took her in for a hug.

“You’re being weirder than usual today,” Hyejin commented, though returning the hug nonetheless. Wheein smiled at the bittersweet memory with Yongsun. She may be unable to go back ever again, but the warm fuzzy feeling remained in her heart.