Dawn came faster than expected. With the classic clock swingingits pendulum to and fro and signaling that it was four in the morning, Hwayoung gave out a yawn, yet her actions didn’t go further than her turning the yellowish paper onto the next page.

“And I look further as the apocalypse has ended. I push him away, giving him a smile full of regret for one last time. He turned away, his figure disappearing into the vast forest. Thy should be forgotten. Thy should keep the moonlight’s sorrow.” Hwayoung read the last verse of the passage and her slender fingers traced the name. “Nam Junmin.” She mumbled, feeling her insides churn in an attempt to decode the truth.

She had been in the library the night before and she could clearly remember how shaken she was when her eyes landed on Chanyeol that night. His silver eyes were more than the depth of its color. It was more like the moon. 

Still able to visualize how skeptical she must have looked like when she ran away from Chanyeol’s room towards the library, Hwayoung shuddered at the thought. And the moment she had reached the huge door leading to her safe haven, Hwayoung knew she was in the right place.

She entered the library in hopes of having a clear mind and to look for answers. All night, she searched through the collection of books, only to end up with the mysterious leather object in her hands.

It was the book she had finished reading with Chanyeol the last time they had occupied the place — the book that had mystery written all over it and the same book where Hwayoung was able to see the photo of the man who looked exactly like Chanyeol.

Filled with curiosity, the girl reread the book and this time, she was much more careful not to miss anything. She read everything with eagle-like eyes and when she finally reached the last page, her questions were answered. Not all, maybe, but mostly.

“It’s halmeoni.” She mumbled as she laid her head against the wooden table. “Halmeoni wrote the book.” Hwayoung stated growing accustomed to the not so pleasant scent of the book that was left open in front of her. Once again, Hwayoung scanned the pages before finally taking the photo that had Chanyeol’s look-alike in it. She studied the photo, eyeing it carefully before her eyes slowly closed.

She had let the unconsciousness take over and fell asleep.

—

The scratching on the other side of the door was a greeting that Hwayoung didn’t expect when her eyes fluttered open. Dizzily, she stood from the study table in the library and made her way towards the door. “What is it so..” She trailed off..

She stared, her feet rooted onto the spot as she came face to face with Chanyeol. Hwayoung’s teeth started to chatter in a hushed manner in fear. Everything that happened the night before returned afresh on her mind, causing her to slowly back away.

“Chanyeol.” Hwayoung said and almost instantly, the boy looked at her with warm eyes that told her he wasn't the same person she saw last night. She sighed, trying to push herself towards him and when she succeeded, she gently patted his head. .

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for suddenly running away last night.” She told him while continuously patting his head due to the shame she felt. It was wrong of her to suddenly accuse or to judge what could have happened to Chanyeol when she opened his room last night. It was just simply wrong when all this time, she had thought of herself to be the only one to understand him.

“I’m such a hypocrite.” Hwayoung grimaced before engulfing Chanyeol in a hug. She leaned her head on his chest such that he was far by taller than her and it dawned on her how he smelled like mint.

Mint. That word ran through Hwayoung’s mind and she was reminded of how her grandmother described the boy in the book. He was a breath of fresh air. Compared to the lilacs and roses that grew in our garden, I prefer how he smelled like mint under the morning sun. Once again, the lines in the book became implanted on Hwayoung’s mind and she struggled for better judgement.

She never really knew this boy. He was, just as everyone thought of him to be, one of the hundred lost kids during the war. Yet to Hwayoung, he was more than that and no matter how huge the risk is, she was determined to find something out about this boy one way or another.