7/10/11

So... I haven't updated in a while... Mianhe~ But I hope this chapter will make up for it! It's longer than usual, so enjoy! Comments and criticisms are always welcome:P

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Oh! I recently dug up some songs that played a pretty important part in the story's plotline. Ooo, the memoriesXD Here are the songs:P

Aqua: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ha4EaR-ij4

Sora: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjB3SQ1EXAU

Yeah, the lyrics for the songs are composed by a person using the pseudonym, Gabriela Robin. Here's a fansite, if you want to know more about her:                       http://gabrielarobin.com/

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            Bom woke up in her room at Youngbae’s house. Last night, she heard all about Youngbae’s misadventure with a magical box.

            “I wasn’t supposed to be playing in the garage. My mom told me not to, but Seungri and I thought it would be a fun idea. We just saw a James Bond movie, and we wanted adventure,” he explained. “When we were down there, the box just attracted the both of us, like a good smelling flower to bees. But once I opened it, everything went black, and I was transported here, to this house.”

            He then explained that there was a curse casted on him that made everyone forget about him, except for his best friend, who will ‘spend the rest of his life in regret.’ But there was exception to the rule. His friends can travel to Terra to ‘try’ and bring him back to Earth if they are reminded of his name by Seungri.

            “But that wasn’t the only way to make you guys remember me,” his eyes lost its color. “Mom was warned that this would happen, so she casted a spell on us.”

            “What kind of spell?”

            “She bought each one of us pendants.”

            “Pendants? You mean the ones we’re all wearing?” Bom was confused. “I thought it was only a friendship thing.”

            Youngbae nodded. “Well, it sort of is, I guess. Mom cast a spell on us that bound us together. It made sure that we would not feel complete if one of us was gone. It also gave us the ability to locate one another. If you miss someone enough, the necklace will help bring you to that person so you can see him or her again.”

            Bom stared at her own pendant pensively. “Oh.”

            KNOCK KNOCK

            Snapping out of her thoughts, Bom quickly replied, “Come in!”

            After hearing that, Youngbae walked in. Bom just stared at him, stupefied. She first saw his head emerged the door, and then the rest of his body followed shortly after. It was like watching a person come out of water, except rotated down 90 degrees. “How did you do that?”

            “Do what?” he asked in confusion.

            “You didn’t open the door, you just… just slid in!” she replied.

            “Oh!” Youngbae smiled. “It took a long time for me to get used to it, too.”

            Bom shook her head. “There are so many things I need to learn about this place.”

            Youngbae smiled sadly. “Yeah, I know.”

            Realizing that she touched a sensitive spot, Bom changed the subject. “So, did you need anything?”

            “Oh!” Youngbae straightened his shoulders. “Breakfast is ready. Want to join?”

            Bom grinned. “Gladly. I’m starving.”

            Getting out of bed, Bom followed Youngbae out of the ‘door’. Hmm, doesn’t feel like anything. It just feels like I’m passing through empty space. As they went toward the dining room, Bom got a glimpse of the rest of the cottage. She first walked by the hallway that contained doors leading to other rooms. Youngbae explained that her room was the farthest one down the hall, and the room next to hers was his own room. He also explained the locations of his adoptive mother’s and father’s room as well as the bathroom and laundry room.

            The end of the hallway led to the living room. It was decorated with many windows that let in the light from the sun, making the cottage feel light and happy. Here, she saw a woman with long brown hair tied up in one braid running down her back. She was rather pudgy, and her countenance was kind and gentle. The woman smiled sweetly when she realized Bom had entered the room. “Bom! I see you’re awake. My name is Alana, Youngbae’s adoptive mother. I’ve heard a lot about you. Come! Let’s go to the dining room and have breakfast.”

            Bom smiled back and nodded. This might not be that bad. When they reached the dining table, a man with a brown beard and gentle brown eyes was waiting for them. “Hello, my name is Alfonso, Youngbae’s father. And you must be Bom.”

            Nodding, Bom replied. “Nice to meet you, and thank you for allowing me to stay.”

            “Oh, it is our pleasure,” Alana reassured. “Besides, it is not everyday that we see one of Youngbae’s friends from Earth.

            Bom grinned and looked at Youngbae, who was observing her reactions. “Yes, it is not everyday that I get to see him either.”

            And for the first time since she’s seen him, Youngbae let out a smile, full with teeth and wrinkled eyes. For some reason, she felt overwhelmed with emotion. Her heart flew up to the sky. She had a sudden urge to hug him. Whoa, what was that? She thought to herself. Mentally pulling her heart back down to the ground, Bomlooked away and focused on the dining table, “So what’s for breakfast?”

                                                                                        ::::

            Dara couldn’t believe her ears. These people were her long lost friends, the friends she’s been looking for and hoping to find. When she saw all three of them take out pendants that were almost identical to the one she was wearing in design and style, her mind froze for at least one minute. She wore this necklace every day, and Dara had no doubt that Jiyong, Seungri, and Chaerin all wore their necklaces every day as well. These necklaces were their own version of the jade amulet on red string that many Chinese wear daily. Although their pendants were usually hidden underneath their clothing, it surprised Dara that she didn’t notice silver chain that hung around every one of their necks.

            If realizing that she knew all three of them, especially Jiyong, before was not enough, Dara also learned that they are all trapped in a curse! The person who contained the missing ‘F’ in the BFFAE pendants is trapped in another world called Terra, and anybody who knew him on Earth had their memories erased of him, except for Seungri.

            In addition to that curse, they are also trapped in a spell. My mind is now officially blown. The friends who wore the BFFAE pendants were to never be able to feel ‘whole’ until they are all reunited. Wait, what about me? She realized that there was no ‘H’ in Best Friends Forever And Ever.Where do I fit in?

            “Wait, what about Dara?” Jiyong read her mind. “What does ‘H’ stand for?”

            “Dara was ‘hope’,” Seungri answered. “When we bought the pendants, Dara was going to move away. We wanted to be reunited with her one day, so she was our ‘hope’ for the future.”

            Oh, Dara was surprised. She looked down at her necklace again. And I thought I was just being superstitious, wearing this every day.

            “If our friends are trapped in another world,” Chaerin pondered. “Then how do we get them back?”

            “There are two ways to get to Terra,” Seungri explained. “The first way is to miss the person in Terra so much that the pendant transports you to where the person is. This is probably the way that Bomwent to Terra.”

            “Wait,” Jiyong interrupted, confused. “She could miss someone that she doesn’t even remember?”

            Seungri shrugged. “I guess. I mean, Bom did it, right? Maybe she had an instinctive or subconscious feeling of missing him.

            “Anyway, the second way is for me to remind you guys of the missing person’s name. By remembering his name, you guys will start to remember other things about him and thus, start to miss him.”

            “So you gathered us here to tell us his name?” Dara deduced.

            Seungri nodded. “That is, if you want to hear it. Remember, once we’re in Terra, there’s no certain way to get back. The only way to get back is to break the curse, and there’s no known way to break it.”

            There was silence in the group while each member deliberated. Dara and Jiyong looked at each other, expressing their uncertainty. Chaerin was absentmindedly looking at her fingernails.

            “Will we forget Bom after awhile,” Chaerin suddenly asked. “Just like how we forgot him?”

            “Yeah,” Seungri gravely confirmed. “She’s also part of the curse now.”

            Another silence ensued before Chaerin spoke up again. “I’m going.”

            Dara and Jiyong looked at each other again. This time, it was a look of determination. Jiyong nodded and turned to Seungri. “Yeah, we’re going too. We can’t keep on losing friends and not do anything about it. We have to end this.”

            Seungri smiled. “Then let’s get going.”

            “Wait!”

            Everyone turned to Chaerin.

            “Shouldn’t we pack some stuff before we go?”

            “Oh, that’s a good idea,” Dara said. “You never know what to expect, and it’s good to be prepared.”

            “Yeah, then let’s meet here in an hour,” Seungri agreed. Everyone nodded.

                                                                                                ::::::

            Bom had a great time eating breakfast with Alana and Alfonso. They were kind, caring, and funny. Most of what they talked about during breakfast was stories of Youngbae when he was younger. Bomfound it very entertaining.

            “Oh, I remember when Youngbae used to hide from all the other kids in the village,” Alana reminisced. “He would use anything and everything as a hiding spot. Why, once, he even hid behind wass dung! By the time he was done hiding, he was covered in poop! The smell hung on him for three days.”

            Bom, Alfonso, and Alana erupted in laughter until tears were coming out of their eyes. I didn’t know he was so timid, Bomthought.

            “Mom,” Youngbae mildly warned, his face turning red. “Not when we’re eating.”

            Alana made a surprised look. “Oh, I’m sorry. I always make the wrong comments at the wrong time.”

            “Oh well,” Alfonso tried to make amends. “Youngbae isn’t that shy anymore. Now, he gets along with others quite well. The villagers are very interested in his art.”

            “Art?” Bomwas surprised. “Youngbae does art?”

            “Mainly sculptures,” Alana said. “Ah, the sculptures Youngbae makes are exquisite. His pieces are worth quite a lot in this area.”

            “That’s really cool,” Bom commented. “I would love to see Youngbae’s artwork sometime.”

            “Well, we’ll show you after breakfast,” Alfonso offered.

            Thanking Alfonso, Bom glanced at Youngbae to see his reaction. He was quietly eating his breakfast, still donning a red blush on his face. Bom smiled.

            After breakfast, Alfonso led Bom to the living room while Alana stayed in the kitchen to wash the dishes and Youngbae went out to feed the wass. Opening a cabinet in the bookshelf, Alfonso took out three sculptures, one of a flower, one of a tree, and one of a boy, each made of the same material.

            “We only have three pieces right now,” Alfonso explained. “The others were sold. Youngbae sculpts as a part time job to earn more money for the family.”

            “How come they’re all made of the same type of stone?”

            “I work as an ore miner, so I bring him leftover raw materials to work with. We live in the land of Nod, which is the Blue Topaz nation. The only valuable stone found in Nod is the blue topaz.”

            As Bom examined the sculptures more closely, she realized something. “This sculpture of a boy, is this–“

            “Yeah, it’s Seungri.”

            Bom turned around to see Youngbae walk into the house and take off his jacket. Alfonso got up from the sofa and walked over to his son. Clasping a hand on Youngbae’s shoulder, Alfonso said. “Every time Youngbae sends in a batch to be sold, he would sculpt one of his friends. The sculptures of his friends are very popular with the villagers. One can see the love he has for them.”

            Youngbae looked uncomfortable. “Alright, Dad, that’s enough cheesy talks for today.”

            Bom smiled. “I don’t mind. I feel like I should try and get to know as much about you to make up for the years that I’ve missed.”

            Youngbae looked at Bom, and their eyes locked. His expression changed from one of no feeling to one of loneliness. For a split second, Bomsaw a hint of blue in his practically black eyes. Youngbae then smiled slightly, “I feel like I should be learning more about you as well.”

                            :::::::::::::

            On Chaerin’s way back to the park, she saw Seungri. Calling out to him, she quickened her pace to catch up to him. She caught him letting out a sigh of relief. “What’s that sigh for?”

            “I was afraid you’d go and pack three suitcases full of stuff,” Seungri smirked. “I thanked God that you only have a backpack.”

            Chaerin pouted. “I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t want to carry three suitcases full of stuff if we ended up having to go hiking or something.”

            Letting out a laugh, Seungri asked. “Then what did you pack?”

            “Oh, I just packed some sunscreen, an extra jacket, a first aid kit, and other stuff. How about you?”

            “Similar things, but I also packed some trinkets in case we need to buy something.”

            “Oh, that’s smart. I should’ve packed some earrings.”

            They were silent after that, bracing themselves for the journey ahead. Then Chaerin thought of some questions. “Hey, Seungri, how will you go to Terra? I mean, you already know that missing person’s name, and you’ve probably missed him for long time already. What way will you use to get to Terra?”

            Seungri looked surprised. “I never thought of that. I just assumed that I’ll be transported there along with you guys. You’re right, missing him and knowing his name won’t work for me.”

            Silence ensued once again. Then Seungri smiled. Chaerin asked if he thought of a way. He nodded and looked at her. For the first time, Chaerin realized that Seungri’s eyes were the color of topaz, a gold-ish brown. She felt bricks stack on top of her shoulders. Seungri replied. “I guess I’ll have to miss another person who’s in Terra.”

            Breaking the eye contact, Chaerin looked ahead. “Hmm, it seems like Jiyong and Dara beat us to the chase again. They’re already there.”

            This time, the couple was anxiously awaiting them. When Chaerin and Seungri reached them, Jiyong asked. “All ready?”

            The rest nodded in response, and Seungri took a deep breath. “Alright. The missing person’s name is… Youngbae.”

            Oh yeah, Youngbae. Chaerin thought. He’s that boy that Bom always fought with. I remember calling them Yin and Yang since they were so different from each other. Looking around, she saw Jiyong and Dara faint. Frightened, she looked at Seungri. He was looking back at her. After that, everything went black.

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Oh! Found a few more songs that has the same 'feel' as the songs above. They play a smaller part in influencing the storyline, but I definitely found all of these songs at around the same time.

Aura: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvuezxw

Obsession: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2JzvWvu0Tw

Sora's Folktale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RnMeT1Gvzo

Lol, I just noticed that the animes that these songs are soundtracks of are about people being 'spirited away' to another world. I swear this wasn't intentional! I didn't even watch Earth Girl Arjuna! Alright, time for comments:)

------------------------------To my lovely commenters---------------------------------------

Wait, wait WAIT! When was Dara the missing person?! *Looks back at Chapter 4* Oh. Woops. Well, I guess I'll keep it like that :P Gosh, this is what happens when you change the plot too many times.

Actually, after thinking about it, she IS actually kind of like a missing person. Let's just say that there happens to be TWO missing people in this group of friends. There! Problem solved:P Teehee :D

Oh! And laDy_akhee, that's for me to know, and for you to find out XD.