Lee Sungmin was riding his dark pink bike into the bike rack that was made for those who rode bikes to school, the school called Daylight Academy. Sungmin had taken his bike all the way home and to school. He lived quite far from most of the places he always goes to. He lives at least three streets away from his school, and he lives five streets plus the woods from his grandmother's little old house.

His grandmother had made him the red hoodie he always wore; he had it on right now. It was sewed and made of practically cotton since Grandma Lee had used cotton and silk at the same time. Sungmin had begged for his grandmother to make a pink hoodie, but she insisted it to be red and once she insisted it, that was all and Sungmin couldn’t do a thing about it.

Sungmin didn’t have his uniform on, and it was all because of his crazy mother. She hadn’t bought him one and said that it was best to express himself, especially with those overly priced clothes he had bought in the summer. Sungmin was wearing black skinny jeans, a black shirt, and black leathery boots. This was expensive clothing that he had bought all by himself.

Sungmin was no chef, but he worked at a restaurant where they were chefs and assistant chefs. Instead, he was a waiter. Sadly, men especially have mistaken him as a waitress, a woman and not a man. Sometimes when men do, they end up touching his behind or wrapping their arm around his waist, but Sungmin would always smack their head and leave to serve a nicer table.

Today, Sungmin would have to work and he found it quite tiring to do two things at once. But, he’d have to deal with it. If many of the students here could go to school and do their jobs, he could too. He wouldn’t give up. He wouldn’t be known as a failure. He was a hardworking student and a hardworking waiter. He didn’t like the sound of them, but he might as well accept it now than later.

“Lee Sungmin,” Ms. Oh, his math teacher who always went too far to her bottom nose with red cherry lipstick called out, “I believe you’re doing quite fantastic in math! But I must ask you have a job, don’t you?” Sungmin had strutted towards her desk and had replied by nodding.

He cleared his throat and lifted his chin up, “Yes, Ms. Oh, I do. I work at Tai Xi’s Chinese Cuisine and I work as a waiter who gets ually harassed by men who think I am a waitress or a woman.” Ms. Oh had widened her eyes and then rolled them. She was jealous. She didn’t have a husband.

Ms. Oh folded her hands and nodded, “Okay, you’re allowed to go back to your desk.” Sungmin realized when she rolled her eyes. He always responded dramatically. He wasn’t necessarily ually harassed, or perhaps he was, but he was able to defend himself thankfully, which is something some women couldn’t do but something that he could at least.

Once was at his seat, he took his phone from his back pocket and looked into his messages. He had just received one from his Mother:

Sungmin-ah, hurry and get home after school! I have some stuff I need you to deliver to your Grandma! I also heard that there was going to be some storm coming till 4 to 5, and I know that’s when you have work, so skip it!

---Mother Lee

        Sungmin groaned as he read over the text message again and again. He raised an eyebrow as he thought what his Mother could possibly want to give to his Grandmother. What he did know, was that he would have to skip work and go home to deliver what he needed to.

        School was finally over, and work would’ve been the next place he would’ve gone to, but he had to skip it. But of course, he wouldn’t leave without telling his boss that he couldn’t work today. He found it practically annoying that he had to go in and tell his boss that he couldn’t work, he loved and always worked. There really wasn’t a day when he was absent. But since he’s always there, he should be fine, right?

       Lee Soo Man placed his hands on his hips and chuckled deeply, “Min-ah, you want to be excused from work? Can I have a reasonable reason or excuse at least?” Sungmin’s boss was pretty strict.

     “Um...I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. I have to head to the woods and deliver something and I know it sounds actually…quite unreasonable, but I have nothing else to say, but I really want to keep my job and come on, I can’t get fired or be at fault since I’m honestly always here so—” Sungmin had stopped because his boss looked bored and tired. Was he drooling? Was Sungmin boring him?

       “Are you done, yet?” Lee Soo Man asked and Sungmin gasped and widened his eyes. Was that all that came out of his mouth? Gibberish? Now he understood where he got his overly explanations and wordings from, his Grandmother.

       Lee Soo Man burst into laughter and clapped his hands, “Doesn’t your Grandmother live in the woods? If so, I now know why men usually touch you, your Grandmother was a catch and when she worked here she would get a lot of pleased—”

  “Woah, woah, woah, Mr. Lee please don’t say such things, especially to my Grand’Mere like that, I mean those matters are practically and well, no they are all insulting and I find that quite wrong for men to do that to—” Lee Soo Man was once again laughing. Was Sungmin some kind of clown?

~~~

        “Mom, what is this?” Sungmin asked as he picked up a jar full of brown chunky stuff that looked like moist bread that was crumbled and squeezed into the jar tightly. Sungmin had gotten back from where he worked and had entered his home only an hour ago and found his Mother taking a brown basket from her closet and cleaning it and then placing a blue and white clean cottoned towel.

      Mrs. Lee giggled, “Its moist bread pudding. I looked it up online and found it. I also made red velvet swirl brownies, strawberry and vanilla macaroon trifles, mint and chocolate fudge Oreo bars, and orange cream pies.”

       Sungmin snorted, “Mom, are you trying to make Grand’Mere fat or something? Did you know that all that sugar isn’t good for her small and old body! Are you trying to end my Grand’Mere’s life so soon?”

        “Aish Minnie-ah, she’s an elder if anything she needs some sugar. Her husband has passed on, her kids are all grown up with their kids, and her grandkids are all grown up and would be having kids…sooner or later. It’s best to have some sweetness in her life,” Mrs. Lee spoke with a sweet and gentle tone.

       Sungmin groaned, “This isn’t the kind of sweetness she needs though, Mom. If she needs some niceness, I’d be happy to visit her every day and spend my time knitting with her. I can do that. I’ll quit my job, study more, and finish my work in class. I can do that and I’d be fine with doing—”

       Mrs. Lee shook her head and sighed deeply, “Now that’s something that her and I don’t want. We want you to continue doing what you’re doing, Minnie. You’re doing fine and we want you to be fine. You’d get stressed out and I know what it like is to go down that line. Your Grandfather went through that lane and look what happened to him.”

       When Sungmin was born, his Grandfather had died quite early since Mrs. Lee and her family were poor at first and he was trying to find a job for his daughter and son-in-law to have, and he had pushed himself too far and had committed suicide because of all the stress. Sungmin lost his Grandfather, Mrs. Lee lost her Father, and Grandma Lee lost her husband.

       Sungmin looked down at his shoes, “Okay, I understand. I…I won’t put that in any of my options or suggestions. So I’m going to deliver this to Grand’Mere and then stay there until 5 and then head back home?”

      Mrs. Lee was done placing the goodies in the basket and held it out for her son and nodded her head with a smile to reply to Sungmin’s reassuring question.

~~~

       It was the wind hitting his face. It was the tiny dust entering his eyes. It was the howling of wolves. It was the red hood that he had placed over his head to avoid the sprinkles coming from above. He liked rain, but it’d get into his eyes and distract him and he had no time for distraction.

        He started to feel shivers go up and down his back as he noticed from the corner of his eyes that the sky was getting darker. Not only was it the sky, but the wind got chillier and he lost a bit balance. He was only a couple more miles away from the woods and would enter any time soon.  Once he did, it seemed as if a tornado had fallen upon the woods.

        Trees were falling and wind was affecting each object. Sungmin’s bike had lost balance and the wind was taking it over. Sungmin had shrilled loudly before he knew it, his head hit a rock and his world went down.

~~~

        His head ached and his legs felt numb. He placed a hand on his head and tried sitting up. He was groggily. He tilted his head and squinted. He noticed that the woods and trees had little red things on them. He adjusted his vision and realized they were blood red apples. He’s never seen apple trees in these woods. That is, if he was still in the woods that lead him to his Grand’Mere’s.

       He noticed his bike was on top of his legs. He held the bike tightly and pushed it away from him, it was thrown back. He stood up with a little balance at least. He shook his head violently so leaves or dirt can shake out of his hair and clothes. He stretched his legs and arms.

       Afterwards, he didn’t ride his bike, he walked it. He squinted his eyes and noticed that he could see a large white mansion. He shrugged and wondered why he wasn’t looking at his Grand’Mere’s small white house. He knew that his Grandmother couldn’t have gotten rich by night. So where was he?

        He was finally out of the woods and only feet away from the porch with white stone stairs. He raised an eyebrow and placed his bike down where the first step was. He was amazed by the huge and white mansion. He counted each step as he stepped lightly on them, there were 10 long stairs.

        Sungmin tilted his head as he noticed that there was a small crack between the two tall black doors. Once he was finally in front of them, he placed his hand in the crack and pushed the doors opened. He was surprised of how the owners could just carelessly or forget to close the doors all the way. He didn’t want to, but something was telling him to enter the mansion. And so, he did enter.

      There were only lights coming from the windows and everything did look shiny top to bottom. He looked at the white clean stairs; he felt his stomach flutter a little. He thought he was imagining stuff, but he saw a red ball of misty light in front of his eyes. The ball of light had floated to the stairs, as if it were waiting for Sungmin to follow.

       Sungmin didn’t know why, but his feet moved and it wasn’t long before they touched the white stairs. He followed the light and once he was finally upstairs, the light led him to the last room which was all the way in the back. Sungmin was surprised as he entered the room. He couldn’t believe that such bedroom was created.

       The walls were painted sliver and the carpets were ruffled and the color of purple velvet. There was a king sized bed with a black frame. The headboard had white diamond designs, and the footboard had white spade designs. The mattress, bolster, pillows, blankets, and sheets were silver and black.

      There was a long black coffee table, and the curtains were black with silver ribbons tying it together. There were long and wide windows. There was a black door, which was probably where the bathroom was. There were black chairs and a black couch. On the coffee table were a silver tea set, and a silver bowl full of blood red apples. Sungmin spotted something that was standing out in the room than the bloody red apples. On the right side of the bathroom door, was a long wall mirror.

       The sides, bottom and top had the designs like an Athena wall mirror. The sides were silver and clean. On the top there were swirls forming a floral ornate heart. The glass was clean and showed a clear picture of Sungmin. Sungmin placed his hands on the glass and smiled weakly. He jumped when he saw a different face.

      In front of him, wasn’t a guy who had resemblance of a bunny who was wearing all black and a red hoodie. This boy had chocolate brown silky hair, and milky white skin. His dark chocolate eyes were full of confusion and daze. This boy had a dark pink shade lips. This boy was as tall as him, but perhaps not as confused as him.

       Sungmin realized he saw the boy’s hands were where his were. Sungmin didn’t know why, but it felt as if this boy in front of him, who was inside of the mirror, was real. Sungmin pressed his hands on the mirror and his eyes popped out. His fingers were inside of the mirror. It was when he heard someone call out, “Hey!” Was when he let his hands off the mirror and turned his head to face the newcomer?

~~~

        “Hey! Who are you and what is your purpose of being here?” A young boy who was younger than Sungmin by either two or three years called out at the doorway. Sungmin had took his hands off the mirror, and turned to face the newcomer.

       Sungmin cleared his throat, “Um…sorry about coming, I just…I’m from Ilsan from Goyang, and I was heading to my Grand’Mere’s and the storm came which was when I lost my balance while I was in the woods and I came to this area of Goyang and I found this man—”

       “Wait, storm? Goyang? I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. We’re in Seoul and there has been no storm. It’s as sunny as ever,” the young man said with a chuckle. Sungmin was confused. He was in Ilsan. He was in an area of Goyang. There was a storm. That all happened. It had to have happened.

        Sungmin shook his head, “No you see, I found the door open a little bit and I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, but I entered and this ball of red light lead me up here and I found this room. After finding this room I found this mirror and you see…there’s a…a boy,” He had taken a peek at the mirror and it was him. The boy had disappeared.

        The young man raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, “Are you okay? You’re not taking drugs are you? Were you drunk? If you’re on drugs or drunk, I’ll allow you to leave freely, but if not, I would like an honest explanation, please.”

       Sungmin sighed deeply and had his hand go through his hair and touch his nape, “I was lost, I guess. Perhaps I was drugged; I woke up in the woods quite groggily.” Sungmin thought perhaps it was a dream? Perhaps he was just imagining? Perhaps it was just illusions and figments? He had probably gone the wrong way.

The young man smiled brightly, “Sorry, if I offended you or something, or made you upset by ruining your truth.”

     Sungmin chuckled lightly, “It’s okay, but I would ask the same thing too if someone gave me such explanation.”

“Where do you live? I’ll call you a cab,” the young man said with a smile as he took out his phone.

        Sungmin giggled and blushed, “No thanks, I have a bike and I only live in Goyang. It’s only 16.4 miles away and I don’t need a cab or plane. It’d be cool to be a pilot, or to have a nice ride, but no thank you. I’m perfectly fine with my bike. I hope to see you soon.”

        The young man bowed his head, “Hope so too. Also, I’m Kibum, Kim Kibum. Your name? If you trust strangers who live in big white mansions.”

        “Sungmin, Lee Sungmin. Your name, Kim Kibum? That sounds familiar. Are you…related to…CEO of the Kim Corporations…Kim Sang Bum or in other words Kim Bum?” Sungmin noticed the boy’s saddened face.

        Kibum nodded, “Yeah, he’s my Dad.”

        Sungmin sighed deeply, “Ahh, he made such a success, don’t you think? I bet he still can.”

        “Yeah, he did, didn’t he? Sadly, I don’t think you’ll be getting any ideas from him,” Kibum said as he looked down at his shoes.

        Sungmin quirked his eyebrows, “Didn’t’ he marry…oh wait; he’s not…gone, is he?”

  Kibum chuckled bitterly and nodded, “Yeah, he’s…he passed away when I turned 14. I’m the heir, but my stepmom is taking it over for now.”

Sungmin pressed his hand on Kibum’s shoulders, “I’m sorry, about your Dad, really. I lost my Dad, younger brother, and Grandfather. It must be hard losing someone. I’ll be on my way.”

     Kibum nodded his head, “Be careful, and sorry about your loss.”

     It wasn’t long until Sungmin was on his way, but he never forgot about the mirror. What was with that mirror? And who was that boy? Was it an illusion? Was it a figment? Or was the boy…real?