“You will forget me. At sunrise.” Joy tells him.

They always do and she has accepted the fact that no one will ever stay.

Deep in the dark woods with no one to accompany her.

 

She is already used to wandering men in the woods.

They find her and 𝙞𝙨 entranced by her beauty.

They promise her that they will be back.

 

She waits for them.

And waits for more.

But no one comes back.

 

And just like any other day, A man has gotten lost and finds her.

𝙄𝙢 𝙅𝙖𝙚𝙗𝙚𝙤𝙢.

A young man severely wounded after getting lost in the deep, dark woods.'

 

With nothing to do, she offers to help him.

On a condition that he needs to leave after he recovers.

He must leave the same day.

 

She sets the boundaries.

Afraid to be left alone in the end,

To get attached only to be heartbroken.

So, she stays away.

 

But, Im Jaebeom is different.

Her beauty does not enchant him.

He does not care about her beauty.

 

She does not want to feel anything.

He is complicated.

The more she stays away, the more he tries to get closer.

 

“I just want to repay your kindness.” He tells her sincerely.

And she lets him.

Maybe, just maybe.

 

Days pass by, their condition forgotten

With her walls down, they grow closer.

With stolen glances,

Intertwined hands,

No words needed, they know.

 

He is different.

He makes her feel loved.

Joy receives more than what she hoped.

She wishes for it to never end.

 

“Do you want to go home with me?” He asks.

The dreaded question finally comes.

Maybe she shouldn't wish for too much.

It will never be in her favor.

 

She smiles at him sadly, “Do you want to go back?”

“I just want to check on my family. I think will be really worried since I've been gone for a week.”

"Seven hours, you were gone for seven hours." She tells him.

 

Im Jaebeom is different.

Instead of being horrified, he looks curious.

He wants to know more.

 

But he needs to go home, He promises her he will be back and for her to tell him more.

"You will forget me. At sunrise." She says.

They always do, she thinks.

 

“No, I will be back. I'll come back for you.” He assures her.

He wants her to come with him.

She can't when she already knows what will happen after.

 

For the last time, he hugs her tightly and caresses her face, “I love you, Joy. I will be back.”

When the dawn starts to break, he walks away.

 

He does not know but she is there.

Hidden behind the trees

Looking out for him, silently praying for him to turn around.

He continues to walk away.

 

The sun rises,

And so, she waits for him.

Foolishly, she waits for more.

 

Days pass,

She is still waiting.

And keeps waiting.

 

No one is at the clearing.

Im Jaebeom is not in sight.

 

He is not different.

He didn't come back.

Once again, she is left alone.

 

Loneliness embraces her,

For a short while, he became her paradise

But the sunrise has taken it from her.

 

Joy cries and cries, hoping the gods will hear her,

but the curse still haunts her,

 

“When the sun rises, you will be forgotten,

Men enchanted by your beauty will leave you,

When the dawn breaks, they will walk away,

And the sunrise will take their memories of you away.”

 

The deep dark forest continued to drown her cries.

 

---

 

Two days after,

 

At the clearing,

A young man is lost,

He doesn't know where to go,

doesn't know where to turn.

 

He keeps looking for clues,

As to where the young maiden lives,

The maiden in his dreams,

Who is waiting for him.

 

He wants her to know that he has come back.

That, Im Jaebeom has come back for her.

 

Even after the sunrise.