"Wouldn't it be better to just stay at home and eat Milguksu?" Myung Soo complained, rubbing his hands together as he slowly trailed after Yeong Hwa and the twins. Poking her head over her shoulder, Yeong Hwa shook it firmly and narrowed her eyes at Myung Soo. "Or Gaeran Tost-u," Myung Soo tried again, quickly averting his eyes away from Yeong Hwa's face.

"Gaeran Tost-u?" Yoogeun asked, the idea of his new favorite food beginning to work its temptations. After quickly frowning at Myung Soo, Yeong Hwa tightened her grip on Yoogeun's hand and smiled down at him.

"Noona will make you some for breakfast tomorrow, okay?" she promised, extending her pinky to Yoogeun. She was getting a lot more used to this sort of a promise, although she still thought it was a little childish.

Pursing his lips slightly, Yoogeun thought about the deal for a moment. Instant gratification with Myung Soo, or a delicious breakfast tomorrow? Watching him, Yeong Hwa could see the gears turning in his little mind as he considered both sides, and how his eyes kept flickering towards Myung Soo. It was only obvious that a little kid like Myung Soo would go for the instant gratification.

"And I'll buy you some candy for tonight," Yeong Hwa quickly added, glancing over smugly at Myung Soo. "Sound like a plan?" Yeong Hwa asked, gently wrapping her pinky around Yoogeun's. Nodding eagerly, he violently shook her hand up and down, the chant coming out of his mouth so fast you would think he had just been promised a million dollars. Squeaking in pain, Yeong Hwa withdrew her hand the second Yoogeun stopped and began blowing on it to try and disperse the pain.

Watching this little scene, Myung Soo rolled his eyes and hunched his shoulders against the chilly breeze that was blowing down the darkening streets. Even though there were still two weeks left in July the chill of autumn had already begun to descend on Seoul, bringing with it the monsoon season. He had never really believed that the Chilseok festival marked the time of this change, figuring that weather was too unpredictable for human's to mark the changes accurately, but at least this year it seemed like their ancestors had got it dead right.

"That's why you should wear a hanbok!" Yeong Hwa scolded him, suddenly appearing directly in front of him with her finger shaking in his face. Startled, Myung Soo jumped backwards, much to the amusement of Seo Hyeon and Yoogeun. Blushing, he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to look cool, salvaging what little of his pride he could.

"They look ridiculous," Myung Soo muttered, avoiding looking directly at Yeong Hwa, who had decided to wear a hanbok.

"How can you say that about our ancestral clothing? I'll have you know that this hanbok was passed down through my family for generations, and I proudly wear it because of that!" Yeong Hwa declared, resting her hands on her hips and striking a proud pose. Giggling, Seo Hyeon mimicked Yeong Hwa's movements, jutting out her little chin as far as it would go. Myung Soo seriously hoped this wasn't a sign of Seo Hyeon's future. If she turned out like Yeong Hwa, Myung Soo would personally kill the "Warrior Princess" for turning his little sister into a raging demon.

"A good-looking raging demon," a small voice in Myung Soo's voice commented. The off-hand remark threw Myung Soo off for a moment, stopping any comebacks from coming out of his mouth and thus handing over the win to Yeong Hwa. "I don't have anything like that," Myung Soo mumbled as Yeong Hwa waited patiently for him to respond to her. Their bantering had become an instinctual thing for the both of them, each always knowing when the other wanted to say something and patiently waiting for them to do just that. "Like a pair of old love birds," the voice agreed, and Myung Soo could just picture the little demon with his arms folded across his chest and a smug smirk on his face.

Oddly enough, the demon reminded him a lot of Yeong Hwa.

"You should have told me," Yeong Hwa pouted, turning back around and continuing to head down the sidewalk. From just around the corner, the sound of traditional Korean music being blasted over loud speakers could faintly be heard drifting along the wind. "I could have picked something out for you. Maybe we could have even matched!" Yeong Hwa laughed, totally ignoring the sullen Myung Soo as he followed her. "Oh God, can you imagine that? We'd probably die if something like that happened!" Yeong Hwa continued, clasping her hands behind her back and half-skipping, half-walking along the sidewalk.

Nodding quietly, Myung Soo watched Yeong Hwa's rust colored hair bounce off her back in time with her movements, the slight curls cascading down her back like a waterfall of fire. She had styled it in the same manner she had during their impromptu "photo shoot", except this time it seemed like she had spent a little more time on it and actually managed to get the style right. Her hanbok, though, was what really made Myung Soo view in her in a different, and unwanted, fashion though.

The light gray fabric was considerably plain, with a very faint flower pattern embroidered on to it in a darker gray thread, but the dull colors suited her hair and face and turned everything into something more. And the way it fit her body you would think she had been born to wear the hanbok, the way it accentuated her slight frame. She looked like a doll, and not the murderous kind like Chucky. She looked like an actual porcelain doll, and if he touched her she might shatter at his finger tips.

"But she doesn't shatter. Yeong Hwa's a strong girl, no matter how sweet or innocent she looks now," Myung Soo caught himself, hiking up the collar of his black jacket so that it covered his neck and brushed against the lobes of his ears. "A strong girl who will murder me in a heart beat if I do anything weird," he added, hoping that if he kept a stern outlook on this whole situation that no more of his weird thoughts would come popping up.

"Oppa! Eunnie is going to leave you!" Seo Hyeon suddenly called out, her little arms waving frantically over her head as she tried to catch his attention. Behind her, Yeong Hwa and Yoogeun's backs could just been seen through the pressing crowd that filled the street, a narrow strip covered with brightly colored booths and lights on either side of it. Not wanting to lose them in the crush of people, Myung Soo jogged forward and took Seo Hyeon's hand before she, too, disappeared into the crowd and began heading deep into the thick of things.

By the time he caught up to Yeong Hwa and Yoogeun the pair of them were at one of the many game booths, attempting to shoot at a row of targets lined up on the opposite side of the booth. As Yeong Hwa carefully aimed the gun, Yoogeun watched with wide eyes and baited breath, though Myung Soo couldn't help but notice that the little guy's attention was focused on a bright yellow water yo-yo, rather than the Noona who was working so hard to win said toy for him. Taking in a deep breath and holding it, Yeong Hwa rapidly fired off three shots, all of which missed the targets.

Giggling, Seo Hyeon broke away from Myung Soo and stood beside Yoogeun, one arm slung over her brother's shoulder as she watched Yeong Hwa pop off another three shots, all ending in failure. Standing behind the twins, Myung Soo disguised a short bout of laughter as a cough, covering his mouth with his fist and turning his face slightly to hide the smile on it. Glancing over her shoulder, Yeong Hwa narrowed her eyes irritably at him and slapped down another thousand won onto the counter.

Shrugging his shoulders, the man running the booth quickly palmed the money and handed over six more corks. Determined to win, Yeong Hwa quickly reloaded the gun and hunched over, squeezing one eye shut and focusing the other on the first target. Smirking slightly, the man watched as Yeong Hwa's tongue poked its way out from between her lips and she slid her legs apart until they were standing a little over shoulder-width apart.

Behind her, Myung Soo covered his eyes with his hand and turned away from Yeong Hwa, embarrassed to be associated with someone who would take a children's game so seriously. As he listened, six more shots were fired, but he could tell by the long, quiet string of expletives coming from Yeong Hwa that none of them had hit. Peeking out from between his fingers, Myung Soo watched as Yeong Hwa critically eyeballed the targets. After a few seconds she seemed to come to a decision and handed the gun over the counter to the man in charge, then turned angrily towards Myung Soo.

Stepping back, his hands went up instinctively to defend himself in case Yeong Hwa decided to attack. "I'm not going to hit you," Yeong Hwa grunted, folding her arms behind her back to prove that she didn't intend to harm him. His mind set slightly at ease, Myung Soo dropped his arms, but still kept them ready and waiting in case any surprise attacks came his way.

"This game is crooked," Yeong Hwa complained, trying to keep her voice quiet enough for the man running the booth to not hear. The problem with Yeong Hwa, though, is that she's never quiet.

"I assure you, ma'am, that I run a fair game," the man told her, his voice slightly tensed as he took offense to her claim. Glancing over her shoulder at the guy, Yeong Hwa rolled her eyes dramatically to show that she didn't believe a word that he said. Even more annoyed, the man turned his back angrily on Yeong Hwa and began fiddling with some of the prizes that had yet to be displayed.

Sighing, Myung Soo ran a hand through his hair and looked down disapprovingly at Yeong Hwa. "You shouldn't say that sort of thing just because you're a crap shot, Yeong Hwa," he scolded her, rapping the back of his knuckles on Yeong Hwa's head. Yelping, she wrapped her arms over her head and crouched down on the ground, whimpering to herself. "I didn't hit you that hard," Myung Soo grumbled, nudging her with the side of his leg as he pulled out another thousand won.

"The game's crooked, Myung Soo. I already told you," Yeong Hwa warned him, this time not bothering to keep her voice quiet, as the man accepted Myung Soo's money and handed him the loaded gun. Glancing over at her with a look that clearly said "shut up", Myung Soo cocked the gun and carefully aimed at the targets.

Twelve shots later, the group of four were leaving the booth behind, two of the members fuming angrily.

"That game is crooked," Myung Soo complained, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets and hunching his shoulders sullenly. From beside him, Yeong Hwa patted him consolingly on the shoulder while keeping her other hand on Yoogeun's shoulder, preventing the excited boy from sprinting off into the crowd.

"Don't blame the game just because you're a crap-"

"Save it," Myung Soo threatened, shrugging off her touch as Yeong Hwa snapped closed, though her eyes still showed what she wanted to say. At least one of them was feeling better after the public humiliation of a festival game gone wrong.

Quietly, the four continued exploring the strip of festival grounds, stopping at any random booth that caught their attention. Turns out that, while she was a terrible shot, Yeong Hwa actually had a considerable amount of luck on her side, as well as an addiction to gambling. After winning several free passes to Lotte world, all of which she gifted to the twins, and several phone charms Myung Soo had to wrap his arms around her waist and forcibly remove her from the lottery booths.

That was when the silence was broken by Yeong Hwa's indignant cries against Myung Soo as she struggled to return to the source of her addiction. She wasn't strong enough to break free of Myung Soo's grip through brute force, and knowing about her particular skills in acupressure he had made sure to keep her arms pressed tightly against her side. Unfortunately, Yeong Hwa also knew about the particular pressure point of stomping on someone's foot as hard as you can to make them let go of you.

Slightly limping along behind Yeong Hwa, who was stalking down the festival strip with one twin on either side of her, Myung Soo kept his head down and tried to ignore the attention that was being drawn towards them by Yeong Hwa's none-too-subtle display of her temper. Not many people were paying attention to them, but the numbers were just enough to make Myung Soo suddenly feel very self-conscious. About his hanbok- or rather lack thereof-, about being seen in public with Yeong Hwa, about the faint traces of blonde in his hair, and about the fact that Dong Woo was just a few booths down from them.

"Dong Woo?!" Myung Soo thought, latching on to that particular thought and focusing in more detail on the couple currently checking out one of the festival booths. If things had been bad before, they had just gotten ten times worse. Panicking, Myung Soo lunged forward and wrapped an arm around Yeong Hwa's waist, tugging her backwards. Crying out in loud protest, Yeong Hwa stamped her foot down on the ground as he forced her to the nearest booth, which happened to sell masks.

"Kim Myung Soo what the-"

"Don't say my name!" Myung Soo hissed, tugging Yeong Hwa down until their faces were hidden from Dong Woo's line of sight. Knitting her eyebrows together, Yeong Hwa waited impatiently for him to explain this situation further to her. Instead, Myung Soo pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket and slapped an indeterminate amount onto the counter, simultaneously pointing to a pair of masks hanging on one of the many display racks that covered the booth's walls.

"... Dude. Seriously," Yeong Hwa said as Myung Soo handed her one of the recently purchased masks. The design on the front was that of a wolf... well, sort of. Like a wolf that had been drawn by a man who never knew what a wolf looked like. One could get the basic gist from it, though. Across from her, Myung Soo had already slipped the mask's elastic over his head and was wearing the second purchased mask, this one showing a design that Yeong Hwa assumed was meant to resemble a cat.

It kind of suited him, in a way.

"Don't call me dude," Myung Soo grumbled, glancing nervously over his shoulder.

"Oppa? Master? Hero? What do you want me to call you, if not your name?" Yeong Hwa asked, attempting to make it sound poetic. Really, though, it just came out as extremely cheesy. Frowning in disappointment with herself, Yeong Hwa slipped the mask onto her face before Myung Soo tried to do it for her.

"I like that second one," Myung Soo decided, his eyes flashing mischievously through the mask's eye slits as he looked over at Yeong Hwa.

"Alright, then, master. What are you getting so worked up about?" Yeong Hwa asked, peeking over Myung Soo's shoulder as he, upon request of the twins, bought two more masks for them. A monkey for Yoogeun and a colorful, feather-adorned one for Seo Hyeon, which Yeong Hwa assumed was meant to resemble a peacock.

"Dong Woo is here, and if he sees us there's definitely going to be trouble," Myung Soo explained, pointing discreetly in the direction of Dong Woo and his female companion. Myung Soo hadn't know the guy had gotten himself a girlfriend. Maybe it was time he started paying more attention to his friends and less to Yeong Hwa. After all, when school started, it was obvious who would still be interested in associating with him and who wouldn't.

"Dinosaur boy?" Yeong Hwa asked disbelievingly, peering over Myung Soo's shoulder. The second she caught sight of him, Yeong Hwa quickly ducked her head back inside the booth, her eyes dulling with worry. She hadn't even noticed that he was here!

"Dinosaur?" Myung Soo asked, following Seo Hyeon as she, not concerned with Dong woo, tugged him towards one of the game booths.

"Yeah. Don't you think his smile looks like a dinosaurs?" Yeong Hwa asked, taking Yoogeun's hand and leading him after Seo Hyeon and Myung Soo. "It's not a bad thing. He actually has a really charming smile. It just looks like a dinosaurs," Yeong Hwa reasoned, shrugging her shoulders. Who was she to judge how nature had determined to make Dong Woo look?

"And me?" Myung Soo asked, unable to help his curiosity. Glancing over at him, Yeong Hwa mentally visualized his face- considering it was currently covered by a mask- and ran it alongside every animal she had ever seen.

"Cat?"

Rolling his eyes, Myung Soo meaningfully tapped his mask.

"Well I can't help it if that's what you remind me of! Besides, it's a good thing to be like a cat," Yeong Hwa defended as they arrived at the game booth. Eagerly, Seo Hyeon leaned over the pool of water sitting in the center of the booth, where several dozen gold fish were lazily swimming around. Eyes widening in wonder, Seo Hyeon looked up at Myung Soo with as much aegyo as she could muster.

"Alright, alright," Myung Soo sighed, acting as though he was caving in to Seo Hyeon after having a serious debate on whether or not to try and win the prize for her. Honestly, he wasn't fooling anyone. "And as for you, how on Earth am I like a cat?" he continued, glancing over his shoulder at Yeong Hwa as he handed over a few bills to the woman who was running the booth. Smiling, she handed over one of the Poi to Myung Soo and gave Seo Hyeon a quick wink. In return, Seo Hyeon did a quick aegyo for the woman.

"Aigoo! How cute! Make sure to cheer on Oppa!" the woman giggled, pointing towards Myung Soo as he crouched beside the pool of goldfish and gently lowered the Poi into the water.

"Well, you have cat-like eyes and... um... I dunno! You just look like a cat!" Yeong Hwa stubbornly exclaimed, folding her arms over her chest and stamping her foot slightly in frustration. Pausing in his pursuit of a particularly fast gold fish, Myung Soo glanced over his shoulder at Yeong Hwa with another of his "shut up" looks. Frowning, Yeong Hwa narrowed her eyes at Myung Soo but did keep shut tightly.

Nodding in satisfaction, Myung Soo went back to catching gold fish. By the time the Poi broke, he had managed to gather up four of the little fish into his bowl. Smiling, the woman took the bowl from him and used a proper net to transfer them into a water-filled bag so that Seo Hyeon could take her new friends home.

"And you're good at catching fish," Yeong Hwa suddenly commented, the words coming out in a short burst as though she had been working hard to hold them back.

"You were just waiting to say that, weren't you?" Myung Soo asked, trying not to laugh as Yeong Hwa stiffly nodded her head. Turning to look at her, he caught sight of a familiar face over her shoulder. Once again, Dong Woo had managed to wander along with them and was currently heading straight for the goldfish booth. Fidgeting nervously, Myung Soo graciously accepted the fish from the woman, bobbed a quick bow, and then hurried further on down the festival's strip.

Unquestioningly, Yeong Hwa and the twins followed him, knowing by now that Myung Soo- usually- had a good reason for leading them on these sudden detours. This particular one took them in a circle, eventually landing them at the booth beside the goldfish scooping game. This booth, too, focused on scooping out prizes, this time water yo-yos. In no time at all, Yoogeun spotted a bright yellow yo-yo similar to the one he had coveted at the target booth, and was on Myung Soo in a moment.

As she watched Myung Soo pay the man and accept a dark blue Poi, Yeong Hwa couldn't help but feel hurt that Yoogeun hadn't come to her when he wanted a prize. Not that she blamed him, after her miserable failure at the target practice booth. Still, even a five year old should know how to humor someone. Frowning, she tilted her head back and looked up at the lanterns that had been stringed along the tops of the booths, giving off warm glows from inside the red paper. The lanterns looked like stars that were just a bit closer then their counterparts, which swathed the dark blue sky overhead.

It was a rather pretty sight, and Yeong Hwa soon found her thoughts drifting quietly along as she stared up at it. Meanwhile, in the real world, she could vaguely hear Myung Soo win the yo-yo for Yoogeun, who let out a long exclamation along peppered with "thank yous" and "awesomes". Smiling softly, Yeong Hwa gently brought her head back to its normal position, trying not to agitate her neck, and glanced over at Myung Soo as he accepted a second prize from the booth's owner.

Curious, she leaned over to see what it was he had won. Somewhat disappointed, Myung Soo held up the small plastic bag that carried two colored rings inside, one purple and one green. The cardboard that had been stapled to the mouth of the bag proclaimed the two rings to be promise rings, like something that a couple would buy for each other.

"Want one?" Myung Soo offered, holding the bag out towards Yeong Hwa.

"No! Do you even know what these are?! Promise rings are meant for two people in love, not a babysitter and her master! Seriously, Myung- master- don't you even know the first thing about this sort of thing? I'd think that a Kingka like yourself would at least know a little about-"

"Yeong Hwa," Myung Soo interrupted as Yeong Hwa's voice began increasing in both speed and volume. "Just take one," he sighed, recognizing that, while she did want one, there was no way she would ever admit it.

"Well... if you insist," Yeong Hwa sighed dramatically, accepting the bag from Myung Soo and gently ripping a hole in the top. Reaching inside, she pulled out the purple ring before handing the package back to Myung Soo. "Why did we get these, anyway?" she asked, carefully slipping the ring onto her finger. It fit snugly, but not uncomfortably. Holding the ring up to the lantern's light, Yeong Hwa admired the deep purple color as it reflected off the light.

"Consolation prize. I tried nabbing two of the yo-yos, but the paper broke before I could. Personally, I think the guy was just trying to unload some of his extra crap on us," Myung Soo explained, pulling out the green ring and trying to fit it onto his finger. No matter how much he struggled, though, the ring refused to squeeze over his middle knuckle. Glancing over at Myung Soo's struggle, Yeong Hwa giggled quietly and gently removed the ring from his grasp.

"If you force it then it'll get stuck," she scolded lightly, reaching into the folds of her hanbok, which concealed the pair of jeans she was wearing beneath, and into the pocket she was keeping her phone charms in. Pulling out one at random, Yeong Hwa slipped the charm off its string and placed it in her pocket, using the promise ring to replace it. Then she held out her hand to Myung Soo, a silent request for his cell phone.

Cautiously, he pulled it out from his pants pocket and handed it to Yeong Hwa, never once taking his eyes off the precious device. Rolling her eyes, Yeong Hwa quickly tied the string onto his cell phone, then handed it back to him. Examining her handiwork, Myung Soo fiddled with the ring as it dangled a few inches down the string now attached to his phone.

"If you don't like it we can always find something else to attach the ring to," Yeong Hwa offered, twisting her own ring around her finger as she watched Myung Soo fiddle with his. Glancing up at her, Myung Soo shrugged his shoulders and slipped his cellphone back into his pocket.

"This is good," he decided, taking Seo Hyeon's hand and leading her further into the festival. Doing the same with Yoogeun, Yeong Hwa walked alongside Myung Soo.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to use all of these charms anyway," Yeong Hwa laughed, patting her slightly bulging pocket. Not that you could see this, with the way her hanbok covered the jeans. "Probably could have done with a few less of them," she added, almost sounding regretful at having gone so crazy with the lottery game.

"So you admit that there is a slight, possible chance that you maybe were kind of wrong?" Myung Soo asked, choosing his words carefully so as to get his full, sarcastic point across. Embarrassed, Yeong Hwa gently elbowed Myung Soo in the side. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled, simultaneously dodging another blow from Yeong Hwa. It was becoming easier to determine when she was going to try and talk with her fists, which Myung Soo felt extremely thankful about. Otherwise, he would definitely have a lot more bruises than he did now.

Overhead, the stars suddenly darkened as heavy clouds filled the sky, and the rumble of thunder began in the distance. Soon after, a thin sheet of rain washed over the festival grounds, sending all those present racing for cover. This was no exception for Yeong Hwa and her group, with all four of them making a mad dash for a nearby booth, which was beginning to grow crowded as people realized this was the only place to sell umbrellas. Fortunately, Yeong Hwa was not afraid to do a little shoving when she and the twins were getting soaked, and managed to buy four umbrellas for her and the others.

Returning, she handed out the umbrellas and then suggested they all head home, considering there wasn't much they could do in the rain. Myung Soo quickly agreed, and after a little coaxing and promises of candy, the twins agreed as well. A short while later they were back at the entrance of the Chilseok festival, and after a short detour in order to avoid Dong Woo and his new girlfriend, they were on their way home.

"Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu must be crying," Yeong Hwa thought aloud after a few minutes of walking, her voice sad as she extended her hand out of the protection the umbrella offered, catching a few raindrops on her palm. "I didn't even see any magpies at the festival. I guess they'll have to wait another year," she sighed, drawing her hand back inside the umbrella's protection and wiping off the moisture onto her hanbok.

"Magpies? Crying?" Seo Hyeon asked, blinking up innocently at Yeong Hwa.

"You don't know the story?" Yeong Hwa asked, genuinely surprised. When Seo Hyeon and Yoogeun both nodded their head, Yeong Hwa glanced over disapprovingly at Myung Soo before launching into the story.

"The heavenly king had a daughter, Jiknyeo, who was very good at weaving beautiful clothing. One day, while she was weaving a new dress, she happened to look out her home's window and saw a handsome boy just across the Milky Way. This boy's name was Gyeonwu, and he was a herder. She fell deeply in love with him, and he with her, but the two could not be together until her father approved it. Eventually the heavenly king did just that, though, and the two were happily married. Jiknyeo did not want to leave clothes anymore, though, and Gyeonwu no longer took good care of the cows and sheep. The heavenly king grew angry with them because of this, and ordered them to live apart, only allowing them to meet once a year. When the time finally came for the two to meet they became very excited, but neither of them could cross the Milky Way. However, crows and magpies came together to form a bridge for the couple to use, and they were able to cross the Milky Way and meet. The night they are allowed to meet is tonight, which is why we celebrate the Chilseok festival. When it rains, it is because the couple has had to part and are sad about needing to wait another year to see each other once more," Yeong Hwa finished her story and smiled slightly as she watched an array of emotions go across the twins faces.

Eventually, they settled on angry. Clenching up her fist, Seo Hyeon tilted her head back until she had a clear view of the sky and began shaking her tiny fist at the clouds. "King, you had better let them be happy or Eunnie will hurt you!" she threatened, glancing over at Yeong Hwa for confirmation. Surprised, Yeong Hwa managed a small nod before having to turn her face and shake violently from laughter.

"Looks like even the twins know who to turn to when someone needs a good thrashing," Myung Soo chuckled, watching as Yoogeun echoed Seo Hyeon's threat towards the sky. Nodding, Yeong Hwa wiped a few tears away from her eyes and took several deep breaths to calm herself. Not a moment later, though, a loud clap of thunder rumbled across the sky, accompanied by a flash of lightning that split the sky.

Squealing, Yoogeun and Seo Hyeon ran to Yeong Hwa and hid behind her, trembling slightly as they peered frightfully up at the sky. "Sorry!" They both yelped at the same time. Covering her face with her hand, Yeong Hwa's shoulders began trembling once more as she tried to keep from laughing at the twins display. "Please be nice to Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu!" Seo Hyeon rephrased loudly, trying to appease the heavenly king.

"Are you trying to bully Seo Hyeon and Yoogeun?" Yeong Hwa suddenly called out, frowning up at the sky. "Don't think I won't come and teach you a lesson, mister! I don't care if you're a king or not, I'll put you in your place!" she threatened, shaking her finger up at the clouds. Nervously the twins waited for any signs of retribution from the "heavenly king", but when none came they both regained their confidence and jumped out from behind Yeong Hwa.

"YEAH!" Yoogeun cried out, puffing up his chest and jutting out his chin as he glared up at the clouds. "Put you in your place!"

Doubling over, Yeong Hwa burst out laughing as the twins let out a long list of jeers and threats towards the heavenly king. Beside her, Myung Soo began laughing as well, his face splitting in half with a wide grin as he watched the three stooges in front of him. Slowly, though, a sobering thought began creeping along from the corners of his mind.

"How long can we stay like this? We only have a few more weeks of summer left, and then everything is going to change. Whether Umma will let Yeong Hwa stay with us is still unsure, and even if she does  let her, school will still be the same. I'll ignore Yeong Hwa, she'll ignore me... none of this will have ever happened," he thought, his hand absentmindedly slipping into his pocket and fiddling with the promise ring inside. "Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu... those names could be replaced with Yeong Hwa and Myung Soo. Only able to be together once a year, in our case the summer, and forced to remain apart for the remainder of the time. A couple fated to never be together..."

His smile shrinking and turning bitter, Myung Soo watched as Yeong Hwa playfully joined the twins in shouting at the sky. Her head tilted back, umbrella long since abandoned at her side, Yeong Hwa exposed her face to the rain, which ran down like tears coming from her eyes. Did she feel the same way he did? Would she cry if they couldn't see each other the same way, like Jiknyeo, once summer was over? Or would she even notice that anything had changed between them?

Suddenly Yeong Hwa turned to face him, her smile warm and bright as she caught his eye. "Care to join us? This is a great way to get rid of your stress!" She invited, waving Myung Soo over towards them. Quickly Myung Soo pulled his hand out of his pocket and, with a short nod and forced smile, walked over to join them. Pursing her lips slightly, Yeong Hwa watched him suspiciously. Although he was smiling, she could see that it didn't reach his eyes, which were, for some reason, sad.

In the spur of the moment, and because she felt the need to help Myung Soo's mood improve, Yeong Hwa suddenly reached over and laced her fingers together with his, ing both their arms up into the air. "Hey, heavenly king, you'd better let Jiknyeo and Gyeonwu be together or else you'll have the both of us to deal with!" she threatened as Myung Soo yelped in surprise, his previously sad mood replaced by the default mood for him- irritation.

"Was that too rough?" Yeong Hwa asked, genuinely concerned as Myung Soo pulled his hand away from Yeong Hwa's- showing some reluctance to do as he did so- and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, which was now burning. "Sorry... I guess I got carried away," Yeong Hwa apologized, mentally slapping herself for just making things worse for Myung Soo.

"It's fine," he grunted, waving off her concern and managing a small smile. "So... no. She does not feel the same way towards me. I mean come on, what kind of girl shows her affection through ripping off the guy's arms?" Myung Soo thought, pushing his hair out of his face as the rain began to plaster it against his eyes.

"Yoogeun! You shouldn't get your hanbok all wet!" Yeong Hwa suddenly cried out, rushing over to the gutter, which had become Yoogeun's new playground. Splashing in the water, he sent a particularly big wave towards Yeong Hwa, dousing the front of her hanbok. Groaning, she pretended to be upset about it, but then suddenly attacked Yoogeun with a splash of her own. Squealing, he turned his umbrella upside down and used it to gather an obscene amount of water.

"No... no!" Yeong Hwa squealed, running away from Yoogeun as he tried to heave the water-filled umbrella at her. Laughing, Seo Hyeon joined in on Yoogeun's side and began chasing Yeong Hwa down.

"Maybe that's for the best," Myung Soo thought, remaining dry beneath his umbrella as he watched the other three play. "Maybe it's better for only one of us to be hurt... and yes, I will be hurt," he admitted, trying to keep his bitter feelings from reaching his expression. "Nae Yeong Hwa., my princess.... What is going to happen to us?"

Author's Note: 3 months... o.O That's a really long time! And it isn't even done yet! Looking back, my first fanfic took me a week to complete... My second 9 days. Either I've been really lazy on this fanfic or... I've been really lazy, haha

Anywho, I guess I'd just like to say I hope I'm not boring you guys with the slow pace of the story (updates, hehe), and thanks to all my susbcribers for... well for starters for subscribing, haha But also for brightening my day with your comments and making writing this story that much more fun! You guys are to me like leeks are to Hatchune Miku (totally weird analogy, but it's all good, haha)

Really guys (and gals) thank you so much for all the support!  *hugs*

Have a great day!

*I'm not sure when the Chilseok festival is in reality, but I learned about it's Chinese counterpart in... well in my Chinese class (haha)  and fell in love with the story behind the festival. Doing a chapter on this was a must. I'm not even sure if this is how Chilseok is really celebrated XD

* And if you can't tell by the A/N, this chapter kind of made me just a little sentimental. Sorry if this is really sappy and cringe-worthy...

I saw this gif forever ago, but just found it again now. Hence why Myung Soo is now a cat :D