Fifteen summers have passed since the eventful day. Jo Serim grew up to be quite something. If her mother thought that she would spend time by sewing clothes with her daughter while talking about boys she likes, she obviously didn't expect this outcome. Right now, her precious daughter was somewhere outside, and definetly not picking up flowers and making them to a crow with other girls.

No, her daughter was on her way from the village about two hours from the one they lived in. She had dirty pants on with her fathers kimono shirt stained with her last meal, her pockets filled with money and expensive accessories that would made up for a few thousand won. In one hand she held a sweat lolipop she stole from the vendor on the outskirts of the quite big village, that could be almost considerd a small town. The other hand was holding onto a small knife she took from her fathers workshop, which she used for cutting of the leather straps of small money bags people usually carried around when they went to the market. She was breathing heavily, looking behind her back for a moment, before turning back and walking back to her village, sure that the shop keeper stopped chasing her, he was rather an old man after all, he had no chance catching the young girl that had great physique due to always running from the ones who noticed she stole something from them.

She popped the lolipop back to , skipping slightly and tossing the knife up and down in her hands, before closing it and placeing it back in her back pocket. After a few moments she stopped in her tracks, looking around if anyone was near, when she saw no one, she walked away from the muddy road, heading to the forest. Once she saw the big oak tree that had a S carved on the trunk, she turned to the right and took ten steps, after that she kneeled down, and started digging the ground, not caring that she was getting dirt all over herself. Her fingertips stopped on a wooden surface, smiling a bit she took the small box from the ground, opening it carefully. She emptied her left pocket, that was filled mostly with money and placed everything inside.

"I should get a bigger box, this one is almost full."

The girl muttered before placing the box back and filling the hole up with dirt, making sure to make it seem like nobody digged here. Once everything was done, she went back to the road. The sky was getting darker and she decided to run home, so her parents won't worry about her. It was yet another successful day for her, she even managed to steal golden watch from one of the higher class men. She smiled thinking about her fathers face, once he sees his birthday gift.

-----

"i'm home!"

The black haired teen yelled as she opened the door of their small home, quickly going to her mothers side, smilind at her, the corners of curling upwards, showing off her adorable smile that made her mother smile as well.

"Guess what? I managed to get you something while I was out."

The young girl reached for her back pocket to give her mother the gift she prepared, but to her horror, she couldn't find anything exept a stick from the lolipop she stole earlier.

"Oh no, I think I dropped it somewhere when I was running back."

She quickly took all the stuff from her pockets, placing it in her mothers hands.

"I got all of this today, use it for whatever you want, while your going to figure it out, I'm going to find it alright?"

"But it's already late Serimmie, why don't you go look for it in the morning?"

Her mother replied, but her daughter was alredy in the door, running back to the trail she took back to her home, hoping to find it as quick as possible, her mother always loved butterflies, and she managed to steal a brooch in the shape of one at the market. It was supposed to be in her back pocket away from everything else so she wouldn't lose it, but it had to fall from there when she was running. The sun was quickly setting, an the chance she would find the brooche in the dark were slim. The more time passed, the harder it became for Serim to see. Even when she was a fast runner, maybe even the fastes in her village, she couldn't possibly reach the end of the road in few minutes. Suddenly, a small spark of light caught her attention. She turned around...yes it was there again. The girl walked to the place she saw it and after a few moments of searching for what she was looking for, she found the butterfly like brooch, making her squeal in happiness.

As she was nearing her village, she was admiring the sunset that colored her body and surroundings in a deep orange, almost red color. The more she looked at it, the more it looked like a fire, oranges and deep reds were mixing with light yellows, painting a scene from a novel. The girl twirled around, looking at he beautiful nature that surrounded her. Oh look! Another sunset!....wait what. The teen looked closer to the 'second' sunset, noticing the round sun in the middle of everything. Confuse, she turned around once more, looking at the 'other' sunset that was in the direction of her home. After a while she noticed the fire like flames that appeared every now and then, the grey smoke surrounding everything.

Her vilage was on fire. Serim broke out in a sprint, clutching the butterfly brooch in her hand. Her legs burned and she barely got oxigen in her lungs, but that all seemed like nothing as she ran as fast towards her home, not caring if she felt like passing out. As soon as she arrived she looked around, peopl were running around, trying to save as much people as they could, dragging relatives from their homes that were engulfed in the fire.

"Mom."

She whispered in realization Serim's mother injured her legs when she was only a child. Serim had to save her. Running to their house, she saw the burned parts of her home colapsing, everything in the shade of black, as the smoke surrounded her from every direction. One of the beams fell in-front of the door, blocking her way. Serim however didn't care at all, the only thing on her mind was her mother, and how she had to save her. She ran to the door, jumping over the burning beam, kicking open the door, releasing tun of smoke in her face, making her cough violently. The room was filled with burning furniture, the smoke so thick she wasn't able to see almost anything.

"Mom! Mom where are you!"

Her voice was muffled by the smoke, a lot of it getting in her nose and mouth. She was struggling breathing, her time was running out and she wasn't doing anything. Stepping over the burning parts, she tried to make her way to where she knew her mother always sat in her chair, sewing together her clothes, as she almost always came back home with a whole new hole. The chair was knocked over, a burning cloth on top of it, and Serim could recongnise one of her dads kimonos that was passed down on her when she was tall enough, just last week she ripped one of the sleeves, tearing it off almost completely. Her mothers work was ruined...but she couldn't think about that now, not when hers and her mothers lives were at risk.

"Mom!"

Serim tried to call her mother once more, but yet again, no one responded. Staying in the room was getting harder and harder. Serim could't see a thing, exept for a few shapes of furniture and a piece of her mothers hanbok...her mothers hanbok! Yes there it was, laying on the ground near her. The girl quickly jumped over the chair, making her way towards the place she hoped to find her mother. Just a few meters from the piece of hanbok was laying her mother. A burning cabinet trapping her legs under itself. Serim ran towards her, kneeling beside. She tried to push the cabinet away, but the fire was making it dificult. Her hands were burned on a few places from the fire catching her palms whenever she tried to touch the wooden cabinet. Biting her tounge, she swallowed a cry of pain and grabed the cabinet, pushing it off of her mother, quickly letting it go, grabbing her mom and standing up. The smoke was gathering around the cealing, making her feel suffocated. She jumped over the pieces of furniture in her way, trying to be as fast as possible even with her mother in hands. The door was blocked with the same beam, but now two other ones were in the same place, making it almost impossible to get out of the house by there. Serim tried to think of another place where she could get outside. The one window they had was broken, a beam poking threw it, so she couldn't leave the house there as well. Her only chance was the back door, that her father used, when he had to go to his workshop. She ran to the door, only to find it locked. Serim ran at it in full speed, trying to brak it down with her back, the material cracking slightly, giving her a surdge of hope. She slammed in the door again and again, smiling when she felt the door crack a bit more. Finally the door flung open. Serim ran outside, laying her mother on the ground and placing her ear on her chest.

"Come on, come on..."

Nothing.

"Help! Anyone help me! Please! Anyone! My mom...she's...she's..."

-----

The fire was over.

Her father didn't come the next morning. Serim was desperately trying to find him, asking anyone if they saw him. Nobody knew where he was last night. Until a old lady told her she saw him running in a house that still had people in it. He just came back from the fields when he saw what was happening. The old lady told him she still had her grandchildren inside, and he ran in there, trying to save them. He never came back.

Serim couldn't even give him his birthday present, the golden clock still in her pocket, waiting to be given to her father.

She got up, thanking the lady for information, and headed in the house. Stepping over the burnt wooden chairs and cupboards. Kid toys laying on the floor, burnt to crisp, legs and arms missing. Everything was a reminder for her of what happened. The kids room had black walls, charcoal everywhere she looked. The figure of a burnt man laying on the floor, grasping a small child, one of his hands outstretched, as if he was trying to reach something. Serim reached to her pocket, placing the shiny golden pocket watch in his hand. The gold color soiled by the charcoal of his fingers.

"Happy Birthday dad...I love you."