20 Years Later: 

A woman with long dark hair sighed as she leaned against the brick wall. After What felt like hours she still was only just halfway through her shift. The door from the back of the store opened and her friend and coworker Eunbi peeked out. "Jin... Yewon just called..." Soojin stood up straight a look of panic crossing her eyes as she quickly took her apron off. "Am I to late?" She began to quickly gather her things from the backroom. "No but she said to hurry." Soojin nodded as tears began to streak down her eyes. "Thank you and I'm sorry." She ran out of the building carrying her bag and a present she'd wrapped. 

Within ten minutes she made it to the hospital. She already knew which room to go to as she ran through the hallways. "Mama I'm here!" She entered the room seeing a weak looking older version of herself. "Mama..." The old woman smiled at her. "Soojin my darling." She reached out a shaky hand for her. Soojin wiped her eyes with her sleeves as she knelt at the woman's bedside hugging her tightly. "I'm here Mama I'm here." She whispered the words repeatedly in an effort to ensure not only her mother but herself. "Soojin I have something very important to tell you before it's too late..." The younger woman shook her head. "Don't say that you're fine you'll be fine! Look I brought you a birthday present and everything!" Her hands shook as she gripped the box bringing it closer to the woman in the bed. "Look I'll help you open it." She began to tear the paper when her mother put her hand over hers. She looked into her eyes giving her a gentle smile. "Soojin my darling girl. Please listen." Soojin nodded as she sobbed quietly. "I need you to find Miyeon in our home town and tell her I lived a good life." Tears were pouring down her cheeks. "You've still got some life to live please don't give up. I need you..." The woman held Soojin's hand to her heart closing her eyes. "I'll always be with you Soojin. I love you." 

Soojin could feel the exact moment it happened. with her hand on the older woman's chest it would be hard not to feel the exact moment her heart ceased to beat. Her world came crashing down around her and the only person who'd ever loved her was gone. "Mama no..." She leaned down pressing her forehead against the woman's shoulder as she cried. A smaller woman walked into the room with a sympathetic look on her face. "Soojin...I'm sorry..." She sat up looking at her. "It's not your fault. Thank you for calling. If you hadn't I wouldn't have gotten to say goodbye." She looked at her mother again taking the present she'd gotten for her. She opened it seeing the necklace she'd carefully picked for her and wrapped herself. "She'd want you to wear it." Yewon spoke. Soojin nodded running her fingers along the fairy charm hanging on it. "Yeah... Help me put it on?" The woman came behind her and carefully hooked it in place. "There..." Soojin looked down and held the charm. 

2 years later:

"Yeah I'm here I made it safely. No I'm fine I promise." The woman stood just outside of an old house. She held her cellphone to her ear as she spoke. "Alright I'll call you when I find her. Shouldn't be hard she's probably old by now. Alright love you too bye." She hung up the phone before opening the door. As she walked inside looking around as the floorboards creaked underneath her feet. For two years she'd been saving every penny she could to buy this place. When her mother told her to come back here she knew she would want her here. This house had been in her family for a few generations until it had to be sold. She began to walk back outside to bring stuff in from the car when she saw a woman peeking into her window. The woman's long dark hair hung down her back in stark contrast to her pale skin. Soojin planned to confront the woman but when she blinked the woman was gone. 

This was only the first of many sightings. Throughout her first month in the house Soojin had seen the woman several times silently watching her. From the corner of the room. From the top of the stairs. From the window, the woods behind the house, even from the closet. And every time she searched for the woman it was as if she magically disappeared. "I'm not crazy I swear she's here she could be here now for all we know. When you realize you've seen her she's gone." She ran her fingers through her hair sighing. "I'm not crazy..." The woman on the other side of the table gently patted her arm. "I don't think you are. But there's no way someone is here that can disappear like that. It's probably just a trick of the light." Soojin rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Tricks of light don't have faces and stare at you from windows. She must be a ghost or something. Maybe she's Miyeon?" Eunbi bit her lip a bit and sighed. "If that's what you think then okay. I won't doubt you. But if she's Miyeon then why would she disappear every time you look at her?" Soojin shrugged shaking her head. "I don't know honestly. I think maybe I need to give her a reason to come out." Eunbi tilted her head. "Your mom told you to find her right?" Soojin nodded. "Maybe you should make sure they know who you are. Then they'll come out." The red haired woman nodded a bit. "I'll have to try something to let them know..." She looked up at her friend across the table. "Thank you... You know for believing me..." Eunbi shrugged with a smile. "It's you Seo Soojin. You're the most reasonable person I've ever met. If you say something happened something happened there's no question." Soojin nodded with a smile whispering just loud enough for her to hear. "Good cause I was beginning to think I might be crazy." 

That night Soojin went through her pictures. She found some from when her mother was younger in this house. She had just found a specific one she was looking for. Though a bit dusty and faded with time the picture was still clearly of a young teenaged Seo Joohyun. Soojin couldn't help but smile as she ran her fingers along the figure. It's been so long now since she's seen her mother. She looked at these pictures so often in hope that it would make her feel just a little less lonely. "Mama..." She mumbled quietly. "Mama?" A soft voice spoke just beside her ear. In a flash Soojin's eyes widened and she shot up from her seat. "Who are you?!" She turned to see the woman who'd been watching her for weeks now. The woman tilted her head and blinked. "I should ask you the same thing." She plucked the picture out of Soojin's hand looking at it closer. "Why do you have her picture?" Soojin tried to grab it back but it was pulled just out of reach. "Give me that it's a picture of my mom!" She tried to reach again. The mysterious woman didn't stop her this time only hummed. "You're the daughter of Joohyun?" Soojin held the picture safely against her chest. "Yes now who are you? Why have you been watching me?" The woman looked as if in thought debating if she should say. "Joohyun was supposed to come back. She made a promise. Where is she?" Soojin bit her lip looking down. "She's gone..." 

The woman looked shocked. She blinked a few times nodding slowly. "I see... Then you'll have to come with me." She took Soojin's wrist. "What do you mean come with you I don't know you!?" The woman pulled her towards the back of the house. "We must hurry before the promise realizes it's been broken." She opened the door leading to the forest behind the house. "What are you talking about?! Before it realizes it's been broken?" The woman kept walking pulling her along. "Promises are very tricky things. If they're broken they cause trouble. But Miyeon will know what to do don't worry." Soojin widened her eyes. "Wait Miyeon? My mama said-" The woman stepped into a tree pulling Soojin in behind her. "Joohyun knew about broken promises. She must've thought if you came since you were a part of her it would help. She was always smart like that." Soojin was confused about who this woman was and how she knew her mom but if she wanted answers clearly she would have to follow her and do what she said. 

As they walked she looked around them. The sky above them that had previously been dark and speckled with stars had been replaced by one with beautiful shades of pink with brilliantly colored lights spread across it. "Whoa..." The woman looked up at what Soojin saw and smiled. "You remind me a bit of your mother. She always loved to look at the sky. She said it made her feel more comfortable." Soojin's eyes connected with the stranger. "If you're not Miyeon..." She stopped walking and looked at Soojin. "I apologize a Fae mustn't give their name so freely. But child of Joohyun I shall entrust it to you. I beg that you do not use it for your own means. My name is Shuhua. I am the wife to Queen Miyeon of the Seelie court." She bowed to Soojin who widened her eyes. "Wait... Seelie? Like...." She looked confused and concerned. "Welcome daughter of Joohyun to the Faywilde." Shuhua gestured to the area around then with a small smile. 

Soojin's eyes widened. She remembered the stories her mother had told her as a kid. She always assumed they were just fun stories made up for a little girl. "I-It was all real? All the stories all the.... Wait does that mean there are dark fae?" Shuhua nodded solemnly. "On the opposite side of this very forest is where they call home. The Unseelie court. Don't worry I wouldn't let them hurt you." She gently pulled Soojin along. "Miyeon will be able to tell you everything please let's go." Shuhua looked a bit worried but tried to hide it as she didn't want to scare the human. 

As they entered the town Soojin looked around. She had never seen something as amazing before. Around them stood dozens of magnificent trees. Many of them were so big they had to have been hundreds maybe even thousands of years old. Inside each tree was a home carved carefully into it's trunk in such a way as to preserve it's growth. The Fae had found a way to live and thrive along with the forest. "This place is..." Soojin mumbled in awe. Shuhua couldn't help but smile looking at the human. "It's beautiful..." Shuhua laughed softly. "Just wait til you meet Miyeon. These trees...This forest has nothing on her." She smiled and Soojin could see the amount of love she felt for the other woman. "And this is coming from you? You're already pretty beautiful. Will I be able to handle such beauty?" Shuhua shrugged a wry smile spread across her lips. "I guess we will know soon enough." She led them towards a massive tree in the center of the forest. Its size made the others surrounding it look almost small. I'm the center was a beautifully carved castle. "After you. Daughter of Joohyun." 

Soojin walked through the open front door looking around. The castle was beautifully decorated. With delicate vines and fireflies flying about to provide light Soojin knew a place like this could only exist in a fairy tale. A voice so clear and smooth it could be made from honey cut through the air delicately. "Shuhua. My darling you're back. And you've brought a guest?" Soojin looked at the source of the voice. A woman only slightly taller than her wearing a beautiful green dress adorned with flowers stood at the top of the stairs. Her warm honey colored eyes disappeared as she smiled the most dazzling smile possible. "I've missed you." She made her way down hugging Shuhua tightly around her waist. "Honey we have a guest we shouldn't be so careless." The woman made a small disapproving noise before turning to Soojin. "Hello. I am Miyeon queen of the light fae. What brings you here?" Shuhua smiled sadly before kissing Miyeon's hand in an attempt to appease her before she could deliver the bad news. "My love. It seems that Joohyun is no longer with us..." As it dawned on her what that meant the look on Miyeon's face shifted from hurt to fear. "The promise..." She whispered to Shuhua who kissed her hand again. "But my dear this guest is the child of Joohyun. A part of her. The promise will be fine. We just have to talk to Soyeon." Miyeon nodded with a sigh. "Oh dear. My poor darling Joohyun. Was she happy at least?" Soojin nodded a bit confused. "She wanted me to tell you she had a good life." Miyeon nodded. "Well then I am glad. She has a very beautiful daughter as well." Miyeon wrapped her arm around Shuhua's own before taking Soojin's hand. "To Soyeon?" Shuhua nodded with a smile placing a soft kiss on the older woman's temple. 

Miyeon and Shuhua led the way through a corridor leading down under the tree. "Now child of Joohyun-" Soojin sighed softly. "My name is Soojin Seo Soojin. You don't have to keep calling me 'Child of Joohyun'." Miyeon and Shuhua exchanged a look before Miyeon let go of said woman. She turned to Soojin taking both of her hands in hers. "You are new here. You don't know the rules. It is very important that you are not so careless with your name. In the Fae world to give your name is to give a part of yourself... And more importantly you must never eat any food or drink you are given here." Soojin recalled something her mother had told her before. 

"If you eat the food of the Fae you will never be able to leave." She quoted quietly. "My mom always told me that... I never thought..." Shuhua smiled softly. "Most humans don't. They believe we are just myths. They don't see. Your mother was special. As are you. That's why it's very important you follow the rules to protect yourself." Soojin nodded slowly. "I'm sorry..." Shuhua simply smiled at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Everyone learns somehow. We just hope that you will learn now instead of by practice." Miyeon squeezed Soojin's hands gently. "Come on we must hurry." They resumed their earlier position with Soojin and Shuhua each to Miyeon's side.