[CONTENTID1]Choice: Check out the maze.[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Haera didn’t want to break any laws especially not while she was supposed to be having a little weekend fun. Plus, she just planned to wait for the rain to stop before heading back down to the forest to find her way back to the docks. 

She slowly walked down the steps and saw her wet shoe print still fresh on the concrete ground. Gripping the cold handrail with both hands, she carefully — but quickly — placed her right foot down first before her sprained left foot. After wincing and gritting her teeth a few times, Haera finally managed to safely land on the last step. She let out an audible sigh as she straightened up and tucked a few fly away hairs behind her ear. 

Haera looked straight ahead and the blooming flowers by the hedge maze practically invited her to look more closely.

‘Just because I’m lost doesn’t mean I can’t still look around,’ she thought. “Might as well make use of my time here. I hope the people inside won’t mind.”

After wringing out some of the water from her shirt and hair, Haera walked towards the direction of the tall hedge. There was a stone bench by the entrance but instead of giving her sprained ankle a rest, she wanted to see what was inside.

“I’ve always wanted to try going into one of these maze things.” With a mischievous grin, she started her journey inside. Since the night was still young, Haera decided to take her time. There was no rush considering that the raging rain looked nowhere near stopping. Pulling out her handheld flashlight again, she raised it in front of her to get a clearer view of the path. 

“Whoa, these are gorgeous!” 

Her eyes wandered to each wall of flora. Every path was lined with the same type of flower but once she turned right or left, the type of flower beside her changed. One path had purple irises while the other had pink carnations. The one before that was adorned by white roses while the path she currently stood had blue forget-me-nots. 

“I wonder who takes care of all of these,” she thought out loud. “They must be painstakingly patient.”

A few moments have gone by and Haera eventually came face to face with a stone fountain with little bears as designs. There were seven different little bears at the top, each bear having similar qualities to the one beside them. However, they had varying poses and props for their designs.

As she turned her attention to the left, she took notice of a similar stone bench from the entrance a few feet beside her. Wanting to get some rest from her little exploration, she lightly hopped towards it and plopped down. The bench she sat on had one of the little bears from the fountain sitting beside her. When she looked around closely, there were six other benches each with their own little bears ingrained in their design. 

The moon above gave her enough light so she decided to put away her flashlight. As she focused on the calm sound of the flowing water from the fountain, Haera closed her eyes while both of her hands rested lightly on her lap.

Before she could move or let out another word, a shifting sound behind the opposite side of the fountain made her freeze. Her eyes immediately shot open but her view was obscured by the fountain. 

“I sense another presence,” a male voice spoke. “I’m no longer alone, I see.”

“W-Who’s there?” her tone quivered. Haera couldn’t bring herself to move a muscle. 

“A human?” he spoke again, voice low in contemplation. 

“I-I don’t mean any harm,” Haera managed to grip the pocket knife she had tucked in her jean pocket in case the man posed a threat. “I hope you don’t mind me staying for a bit until the rain dies down.”

“Harm, you say?” the man chuckled. “I should be the one saying that I don’t mean any harm.” 

The man stood up from one of the benches. The sound of his footsteps was light against the slightly grassy area. His head turned towards Haera and it was then she saw his bright yellow eyes piercing through her. The man wore an ed black suit over a white dress shirt with plain black slacks and dress shoes. He had a dark cape trailing behind him. His auburn-colored hair was parted and neatly combed to the side, streaks glistening under the moonlight. 

“Who are you?” Haera managed to ask without making her voice tremble.

“My name is Wonho,” the man gracefully put his right arm over his stomach and bowed. “Pleasure to meet your acquaint