The events of this chapter take place a few years before the beginning of the story

 

"Are we almost there?" My impatient younger sister asked my parents in the front seat.

"We haven't gone very far in the two minutes since you last asked that question." My mother answered in place of my father – who was driving.

 

It was early morning New Years Eve, and our family was taking a trip to visit the Hwang residence. We had started our trip before the sun rose, and Haeyeon was growing impatient.

"We'll be there fairly soon." Our father eventually said.

"Can we get an estimate?" My quiet older brother turned his attention from his game to ask the question.

"I'm guessing an hour or so: as long as traffic doesn't pick up."

"I'll have already died of boredom by then." My sister threw her hands up in frustration.

"Here... take this and calm down."My brother handed Haeyeon a small hand-held game that he had picked up on his last trip with our father.

The whole thing was a pretty big deal because my brother hadn't let anyone else touch it since he showed it to us.

Haeyeon's eyes widened with excitement as the game slid into her hands. "Thank you Oppa!"

Now bored, my brother slumped down in his seat. "What are you looking at?" He asked me.

 

I had been staring out the window without any real purpose for the past hour or two.

"I don't actually know..."

 

...

 

We arrived at the house relatively soon, and the Hwang's were waiting outside – everyone except for Tiffany.

"It's great to see all of you again!" Tiffany's mother greeted us with her trademark eye-smile. No matter what the situation, it seemed like she was always in a good mood.

"Good to see you as well." My parents returned the gesture.

 

As the adults got to talking, my brother walked over to Tiffany's sister and started up a conversation. They were pretty close due to my brother always asking her for advice about his girlfriend.

It wasn't long before everybody talking agreed to setting up a small picnic.

"Um... Where is Tiffany?" I had just been standing there the entire time without anyone to talk to.

Haeyeon was the only person not in a conversation... but she was too focused on the game in her hands to pay mind to anything else.

"Oh, Tiffany's out with her boyfriend right now – she should be home soon."  Her mother explained.

I was slightly frustrated by what Mrs. Hwang told me, but I tried to not let it show.

 

Tiffany had been dating the guy for a few months, and something about him had been bothering me from the get-go.

 

I stood around with my thoughts as a few awkward moments went by. Everybody was standing still while waiting for me to join them, but I just stood near the door of the house.

"I'll just wait for her inside..." I said sadly.

It was obvious that my gloomy mood had affected everyone else, so I tried to look a bit more cheery. Nobody really believed that I was happy, but they let me be.

"It's probably just puberty or something." My brother tried to explain.

His words drew a few laughs, which bothered me a bit, but I was okay with it because it got the adults off of my back.

"I'm sure Fany will be here in no time!" Her mother attempted to reassure me as everyone got into the car.

"Don't look so glum, Chum." My brother joked from the now moving car.

 

...

 

"Ah... Fany's room is always so clean." I spoke to myself as I entered the enormous, pink room. "What is there to do?"

I sat on Tiffany's bed and propped my head against the wall.  During my spell of boredom, I spotted a picture frame the counter.

"Hmph"

The picture was of Tiffany and her current boyfriend. They both looked extremely happy together.

I can't just be bitter forever...

 

I stood up to set the picture down, when somebody burst the door open.

*BOOM*

 

Tiffany came running through the door with her hands covering her face... which made it impossible for her to see me.

Our two bodies collided, and we fell onto the bed with a loud thud.

"What the..." Tiffany uttered as she raised her head from my chest and wiped her eyes. "Tae... What are you doing here?"

"Uh... our families always meet up for New Year's..." I responded; confused. "... Wait, are you crying?"

Tiffany wiped her eyes a bit more before responding. "No, my allergies were just acting up."

"Fany, you don't have allergies..."

"..." Tiffany stood there, silent, before turning her head to the side. "It's nothing."

"Mi-young... what happened?" Tiffany always paid more attention to what I said when I used her Korean name.

As reluctant as she was to speak up, some part of Tiffany wanted to spill out everything.

"Umm, well... I just found out that my boyfriend has been cheating on me..." She wiped some more tears from the corner of her eyes.

"He's been doing what?!" I was furious at the fact that Tiffany's boyfriend was unfaithful, but a small part of me was relieved for some reason. "Alright, where is this guy?" I spoke with resentment in my voice.

"What do you plan on doing?" Tiffany asked nervously.

"I just want to have a little chat." I grabbed Tiffany's hand and pulled her out of the room.
"Let's go."

 

...

 

Tiffany and I ended up in front of the boy's house; making our best effort to not be seen.

"How did you find out this guy was cheating on you?"

Tiffany didn't respond in words, but led me towards a window that gave us vision of somebody's room.  Tiffany's boyfriend was in the room; lying on his bed, watching a movie, but he wasn't alone:

From the angle Tiffany and I were standing at, we could see that he had his arm around some random girl.

"You see them?" Tiffany asked me, but I was already making my way to the front door.

 

*Knock, knock, knock*

 

"Who's there?" The boy raised himself from the bed to answer his door.

The split-second that the door opened, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said very calmly.

"Who are you?!" His voice wavered due to his uncertainty and the abruptness of the situation.

"Who am I?" I responded his question with a question. "Who is she?!" I pointed towards the random girl in his house, who was now standing behind him.

"What's going on, Honey?"

Around that time, Tiffany walked from behind me, and approached the front door as well.

 

"Oh, Tiffany..." He was shocked to see her.

 

There was a bit of awkward silence as the four of us stood near the door.

 

"What's going on?" The random girl asked Tiffany's boyfriend.

Tiffany didn't say anything, which was probably because of nerves, so I spoke up for her.

"Your honey is dating my friend, Tiffany." I pointed behind me.

"Is that true?"  She spoke more towards Tiffany than the boy.

"Yes..." Tiffany responded very softly: confrontation always made her feel uncomfortable.

"Let's not jump to conclusions here..." The boy started to say before I cut him off.

I still had a hold on his shirt, so I pulled him forward, slid my knee under his leg, and tossed him on the ground.

 

Part of me threw him to the floor because of how he treated Tiffany, but another part of me used the situation to take out some pent up frustration.

 

"First, you're going to apologize to all of the girls that you're misleading, and then you'll figure out a way to make it up to them." I commanded.

"... And exactly who's going to make me do those things?" He tried his best to save-face despite how back things looked for him.

"You really don't want to go down this path." I said with the most sinister voice I could muster.

 

The boy was silent for a while; taking the time to assess the situation. I remained steadfast in my in my approach, which he was able to read on my face.

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry, please forgive me – I will never do anything like this again." The boy kneeled down and bowed at the feet of the two girls he betrayed.

Tiffany and the other girl got some enjoyment from the sight, but they were both still upset by everything that happened: Seeing him make a fool of himself was small reconciliation for what he put them through.

 

...

 

"Thanks for that, Tae." Tiffany said to me while we were just strolling through the town.

"Don't mention it... but you shouldn't just let people walk over you like that..." I tried to explain.

"I know..." Tiffany glued her eyes to the ground as she spoke. "I just really hate situations like that: I get so uncomfortable that I just freeze up."

"You'll stand up for yourself one day – I'll just have to be your backbone until then."

Tiffany frowned slightly. "That doesn't seem fair: Me just relying on you."

"Well you're just going to have to accept it!" I twisted in place and started walking backwards as I spoke.

"It's still no good... I'm going to find some way to make it up to you."

"I guess; if that's how you feel." I replied. "Should we meet up with our families for the picnic?"

Tiffany put her left pointer finger under her bottom lip and thought about it for a little while before responding. "I'm not too hungry yet... We should go look at the lights that the town has set up."

"What lights?"

Tiffany looked at me wide-eyed, as if I was in the wrong for not knowing about the lights. She then grabbed me by the wrist and started running down the street.

 

 

...

 

 

"Wow..." was the only word that came to mind once I saw the lights.

"You see?" Tiffany responded to my awe.

"They're so beautiful."

"Let's keep going – the farther you go, the better they get."

 

Tiffany led me down the wide walkway that was surrounded by trees with an array of lights hanging off each of them. As we went along, the designs became more detailed and intricate.

 

In between a pair of the trees, there was a small gap – sitting in that gap was a small girl with long, white hair and pale skin.

She was sitting with her knees up, and had her head down into her lap.

That's odd.

People walking by would look at her curiously, but she would ignore all of their glances... until Tiffany and I approached.

"Umm, excuse me." She started speaking in a light, resonating voice. "Can either of you describe those lights to me?" She pointed directly across the walkway towards a design that was shaped like a cloud.

"Can you not tell what that is?" Her question surprised me.

"Not exactly..." She raised her head and smirked slightly as her eyes opened.

Her pupils were colorless, and she appeared to be looking at nothing in particular.

 

She's blind!

 

"Well the lights are grey, silver, and white; the colors are arranged to look like a cloud." Tiffany made up for my silence once I came to the realization.

"Hmm... that sounds... nice." The girl responded with a smile.

"Are you out here by yourself?" Tiffany asked the young girl.

"Yes, I am."

"Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any."

"What?!" I was finally able to blurt out. "Who's taking care of you then?"

"Umm... I don't exactly know her name, but there's a very nice lady who takes care of me." Almost all of the girl's words were inquisitive as if she wasn't sure of anything she was saying.

"Okay, where is she?" Tiffany took her turn to ask the question.

"I have no clue." was her response. "We were walking amongst a lot people a couple of hours ago, and got separated. I eventually ended up wandering here – it gave off the best feeling."

Best feeling?

"Well you can't just sit out here by yourself... Come with us – we can help you look for your guardian." Tiffany suggested.

The white-haired girl twisted as if to signal indecisiveness. "I don't see why not."

Upon standing up, it was revealed that she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt while it was incredibly cold outside.

"You're going to get sick like that!" Tiffany shouted.

 

...

 

"Isn't this a bit much?" the small girl questioned Tiffany with a muffled voice.

"It's just a little something to protect you from the cold."

 

We had taken our new friend to a clothing store near the center of town in hopes of buying her some warmer clothes and, to see if anyone recognized her.

 

"You might have overdone it a bit, Tiff." I said jokingly.

The girl was covered head to toe with multiple layers of clothes – to the point where we could only see her eyes.

"Any less and she'll freeze to death." Tiffany interjected.

"I'm sure she'll be fine if you just take off a few."

Through the stack of clothes covering her, the girl attempted to nod, but all that showed was a small movement.

"Hmmm... Okay, you two might be right." Tiffany finally caved in.

 

...

 

"Do you have any idea of the specific location you lost your guardian?" I asked the small girl who was now walking in between me and Tiffany.

"Well..." She thought for a second. "I do remember the strong smell of tea."

"Tea you say..." Tiffany spoke to herself. "I think I have an idea of where that may be."

 

 

 

Tiffany led us to a small tea shop that was located in the exact center of town. Strong aromas ventilated from the roof of the shop and filled the surrounding areas; making all the nearby buildings smell of tea.

"This is definitely the same smell from earlier." There was a grin on the girls face as she absorbed the smell.

"Okay, now what?" I asked.

"I guess we just wait here to see if anybody is notices her." Tiffany replied.

"... B-but it's cold." I complained.

 

 

We waited for a few minutes, but the cold, winter air started to take its toll on the three of us.

"Why don't we just go inside the tea shop?" The girl suggested.

Tiffany gave a slight frown. "What if your guardian walks by while we're in there?"

"There are a lot of windows, and we can look to see in anybody is searching for someone." I rationalized.

"Fine, we'll go inside... but only for a few minutes." Tiffany conceded.

 

The smell of strong tea and even coffee was more prominent inside the small shop.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked the girl. The moment we walked in, she started wavering from side-to-side a bit.

"It just all smells so beautiful!" She said in a mildly excited voice.

Smelling beautiful?

 

We all sat at a table near the front of the shop and ordered some hot tea and coffee.

 

 

"You know: we've been with you for a little while, but we still don't know your name." I said casually before sipping my coffee.

"The lady calls me Seon."

"Seon – that's a unique name. Isn't that a food or something?"

"It means multiple things, but my name refers to meditation."

"How in the world did you get a name like that?" Tiffany asked.

"Well apparently I zone out a lot." She smiled. "So my guardian thought it was fitting to name me after something that entails zoning out the world."

Tiffany and I chuckled a bit.

"That's really cute, you know." I ended up saying.

"Cute huh... I guess I've never thought of it like that."

"You seem to not be too worried about finding her." Tiffany added.

"Hmm... I was for a while." She responded. "But the air became comfortable as soon as the two of you walked by – which is why I tried to grab your attention."

"The way you recognize and describe things is so odd."  I mentioned.

"Hehehe." Seon let out a unique laugh. "I guess I just see the world differently than most."

"Speaking of which: how are you able to walk around without aid if you can't physically see the world around you?" Tiffany asked the young girl.

"It's difficult to understand." The blind girl looked down at her tea. "My guardian explained that I'm able to feel the presence of things around me: By doing that, my brain can vaguely map out my surroundings."

"What? Really?!" The idea of that shocked Tiffany and me.

"Mhm... Everyone and everything has a sort of presence that describes them. It's like a culmination of all the things that make them; them – if that makes any sense."

"I think I understand..." I tried to wrap my head around the idea. "So your other senses are so strong that you can see a description of a person except their physical body."

"That's seems like the easiest explanation." Seon agreed.

"So the feeling that Tae and I gave off was appealing to you." Tiffany started to understand.

"Yeah – Explaining the exact feeling would be impossible, but the two of you being around each other definitely creates a pleasant feeling."

Things definitely feel nicer when Tiffany's around.

 

 

...

 

The conversation went on for some time, and it eventually started becoming dark. Tiffany and I had stopped looking out of the window a few minutes into our conversation, so we had no clue if anyone was looking for Seon – which made us feel terrible.

 

"It's okay; I've really enjoyed our talk." Seon replied after we informed her.

"Are you sure? We feel really awful for neglecting to look for your guardian." Tiffany mentioned.

"Well you should feel bad." Seon said flatly. "But that won't change the situation... Plus, I feel that everything is going to work out in the end." She had a smile on her face as she finished talking."

"You're way too mature for your age." I said to the young girl.

"MmmMmm... Well I have to grow up fast simply because of the way I'm forced to perceive the world." She responded with another wise statement.

"That's no good." Tiffany objected. "You have to enjoy your youth!"

"Uh, I guess I've just gotten used to things being this way."

"There has to be something enjoyable you want to do though."

"Hmm..." Seon thought for a moment. "I've always wondered what it would be like to not have to see everyone's presences all the time – it can be bothersome and overwhelming."

Once she finished speaking, Seon's stomach growled loudly. "Heh" she laughed softly.

 

"I think I have an idea." Tiffany randomly said as she sprang out of her seat.

What?

 

...

 

"Are you ready for this?!" Tiffany asked excitedly.

"Where exactly are we going? Seon questioned.

 

After leaving the tea shop, we ate a place that served noodles. We left that place not long after, and Tiffany had chosen to keep Seon and me in the dark about our destination.

"We're almost there." Tiffany responded playfully.

 

I remained quite most of the walk because I had odd feelings:
Despite having been in a bad mood for most of the day, I now felt completely content with everything – I was able to understand why Seon wasn't nervous at all. At that moment in time, it was clear to me that things would end up okay.

"Alright, here we are." Tiffany stopped walking as the paved road came to an end.

"What is it?" Seon asked curiously; as things weren't very clear for her.

 "We're at a fair." Tiffany responded.

"Isn't this the opposite of what Seon wanted?" I questioned.

Why go to where there is a mass of people if she wanted to be away from them?

"We're not here for the fair itself, but what's inside it."

Huh?

 

...

 

A few minutes later, the three of us were standing in front of a large Ferris wheel.

"Oh, I see what you're doing." I spoke sheepishly towards Tiffany.

She responded with a smile.

 

"Right this way, Ms. Hwang." One of the employees at the fair said.

Apparently Tiffany's family was a large part of why the town was even able to have a fair, so they got special privileges like: vacating one of the rides for personal use.

 

The employee guided us towards the seating for the ride and strapped the three of us into one seat.

Seon sat in between me and Tiffany with a smile on her face – even though she had no idea what was going on.

 

As the Ferris wheel turned, we each embraced the cold air rushing across our faces.

"This is all so nice." Seon spoke with joy in her voice.

 

With our section of the fair being empty, the only people Seon noticed were me and Tiffany. That, along with the strength of her other senses caused Seon to feel extremely happy.

The Ferris wheel was stopped at its peak after a few more turns, which gave us a moment to take in the scenery.

 

Tiffany and I saw a large field of grass that stretched extremely far. Beside the field of grass, we spotted the different light designs from earlier. The array of lights created a blend of color that was indescribably beautiful.

 

"Ahhhhh." Seon stared down near the city, where people were still walking around outside. She saw lights, but differently than Tiffany and I: The collective presences of the people in the city were far enough away that she could feel them, but the people were bunched up enough to the point where that she was still granted vision of them.

"So that's what glowing is..." She said under her breath.

It's easy to forget that she's blind.

 

...

 

"I told them to stop the ride for a couple of minutes, so we should start moving again soon." Tiffany turned to speak to me and Seon.

"I don't think Seon minds either way." I responded.

The blind girl had suddenly fallen asleep, and was now snoring loudly.

 

"What should we do?" Tiffany whispered; remembering that we had yet to find the girl's guardian.

I hadn't thought about that...

 

"We should take her back with us and ask our parents." I eventually suggested.

"Ohoho, good thinking." Tiffany praised my idea as if I said something genius.

 

...

 

She's so light...

 

I carried Seon on my back, with Tiffany by my side, while we walked back to the house. It had already grown extremely dark outside, and neither of us had seen our parents since they left for the picnic.

"Time sure does fly when you enjoy the company of the people you're with." Tiffany spoke and looked at me softly as if she could read my thoughts.

"It really does." I smiled back.

Throughout the night, it grew more and more difficult for me to understand how I was feeling because it was completely different from anything I had ever experienced.

I feel so happy, but...

 

My thoughts were interrupted by a waking Seon.

"Mm... that was an odd dream." She said to herself.

"What was it about?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know...?" She replied jokingly. "Where are we going?" She asked; noticing her surroundings.

"We're headed to my house." Tiffany spoke softly.

Seon looked shocked by the information. "Oh... I see."

"Is something wrong? Tiffany asked – there was unease in Seon's voice.

"I'm a bit skeptical when it comes to meeting new people."

"Everyone's really nice; there's nothing to worry about." I tried to assure her.

"Hmm... okay. I trust you."

 

...

 

"Alright, just wait here while we let our parents know about you." Tiffany spoke to Seon as she led the young girl to a small bench that sat outside the front door.

Seon nodded slowly. It seemed as if something troubled her.

"We'll be right back." I gave her an awkward smile to comfort her, having forgotten she was blind.

 

Tiffany and I walked inside the house to see everyone around the living-room table; playing cards.

"Ha! Three wins in a row... You should quit while you're behind!" Mr. Hwang taunted my father – who had an irritated look on his face.

My dad stood up with the intent of speaking back when he noticed me and Tiffany walking in. Once he noticed us, everyone else in the house did as well.

"You two look like you've had an eventful day." My mother spoke up.

How does she know... o_O

"What happened with you two?" Tiffany's mom asked, as she was able to tell that we went through something.

"Well..."

 

 

Tiffany explained the situation, with a bit of my input, to everyone in the house.

 

"I want to meet her!" Haeyeon exclaimed as she jumped from her seat.

"Whoa, she's seriously blind?!" my older brother commented.

"That's definitely hard to believe." Tiffany's sister added.

 

All of the adults in the room exchanged glances for some time. They started acting strangely from the moment that we mentioned how Seon was able to see.

"We can take her in until we find the girl's guardian." Mr. Hwang eventually spoke up – It was more of an inquiry than a statement.

Tiffany's mother nodded in agreement.

"Let's meet this Seon of yours." My father finally spoke up.

 

...

 

Tiffany and I led everyone to the front door – where Seon was supposed to be waiting. We checked the bench that we had sat her down at, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Were you guys pulling our leg?" Tiffany's sister questioned.

"No, she was literally sitting right here!" Worry filled Tiffany's voice.

"Maybe that'll tell us something." My father pointed to a note that was left on the bench.

 

 

I really enjoyed our time together!

Unfortunately, I had to go

But I'm certain that I'll get to see the two of you again

Thanks for everything

 

 

Tiffany and I read the note without any intrusion. We both sat on the bench; saddened by the news.

"How can a blind girl write a note?" I questioned.

"Plus, she didn't have a pen or paper to write this with." Tiffany added.

"It's safest to assume that her guardian somehow found her here." Mr. Hwang gave his input.

"None of this makes any sense..." My brother sighed before walking back into the house.

 

"Do what you need to do, girls." Tiffany's mother gave us consent as if she knew what we were thinking.

 

...

 

The two of us ended back up in the spot where we had first met the light haired girl.

"I can't believe no one remembers seeing Seon." I stated while standing in front of the tree that she pointed out to us.

"Not even the people from the tea shop remember her.... It's so odd." Tiffany mentioned.

"We were the only people she chose to interact with though..."

"True..." Tiffany lowered her head. "Do you think she's okay though? She was only around for a few hours, but I miss her, and I'm worried about her."

"She's perfectly fine – I'm sure of it." I instinctively reached over and held Tiffany's hand.

Why is my heart beating so fast?

"I really hope so..." Tiffany responded as she twisted to the side a bit, and rested her head on my shoulder.

"Should we head back? It's getting really late." I said choppily; due to being flustered by the sudden contact.

"Things actually feel really nice right here."

It's cold outside, yet I'm sweating...

"Uh... Mi-young..." I used that name to grab her attention.

 

The sound of something whizzed through the air before I heard a loud *BOOM!*

 

Fireworks?! I completely forgot it was New Years Eve...

 

"Tae, were you going to say something?"

I stared at a number of fireworks exploding in the sky.

"Oh, it was nothing – it can wait..."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Well that was the chapter. The style is a lot different than I'm used to writing, but I hope you all enjoyed it.