JiAh opened her eyes. The monument loomed before them, swallowed by the woods.
It was beautiful, yes, but unsettling. Tall pines crowded the space, and the damp earth smelled thick and heavy. A waterfall crashed nearby, the sound a relentless pulse against the silence.
“I saw ruins, wrecked houses, as we approached,” Jimin said, his curiosity bubbling over. “What *is* this place?”
“Probably the village that once stood here,” Mr. Nam said, his voice measured. “The remains suggest this forest was once a kingdom. A well-established one, at that.” He glanced at the group. “Very well. We’ll explore the palace now. Admire the nature afterward.”
“Palace? Amazing!” Jungkook’s enthusiasm was infectious.
Everyone mirrored his excitement. Palace exploration was their shared obsession. Without delay, they moved forward.
Five minutes of walking along a stone path, deeper into the forest’s heart, before the palace towers materialized.
And there it stood. A giant, breathtaking structure nestled in the lap of nature. They approached a grand palace gate, the whole environment chilling them to the bone.
Everyone was eager to go inside and see what wonders were inside the palace.
“Amazing! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. The architecture…it’s beyond words. These carvings perfectly complement the palace’s design,” Chi Sun said, glancing at JiAh who too was amazed by the perfection by which the palace was made.
“I couldn’t agree more,” JiAh said, rubbing her arms against the sudden chill. “It feels like we’ve stepped back into the Joseon era. And the temperature dropped as soon as we passed through the gate. It’s…dramatic.”
They gathered around Mr. Nam as he prepared to deliver some extra information about the palace.
“Time for some facts,” he began. “This palace and kingdom belonged to King Jung Ho Seok, as we’ve translated from the scriptures carved into the main hall’s walls. The time period of his reign remains unknown, and we still don't know many things of the place. So our project is to study this place and gather as much information as we can about the kingdom. So come on everyone, give it your best.”
“Ancient…and mysterious,” JiAh said, a slow smile forming. “Perfect.”
“All I see is a hell lot of work and we don’t even know where to start. And it looks so different from any other korean dynasty, I can't even cheat from other texts to complete my file work.” Chi Sun sighed, already overwhelmed.
“Chi Sun-ah, get a grip,” JiAh snapped. “I’m not spoon-feeding you again. Stop whining and go back to work.”
Chi Sun stared at her, gaping. JiAh reveled in her friend’s surprise. She knew she'd be back with puppy eyes, begging for help because these projects were out of her league, and JiAh was her only guardian angel.
She hadn't decided where to start, so she wandered around to look for inspiration.
Taehyung stood in the main hall with some of his friends. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and they exchanged a tentative smile. He gestured for her to join them. The offer was tempting, but laced with danger. He was like a waffle dipped in chocolate—impossible to resist. She wanted to be near him, but the thought of rejection felt like a javelin to the ass. Going near him was a complete no-no.
She just smiled and shook her hands as she asked him to continue with his friends and quickly went the other way.
“Woah! That was close.” She muttered to herself, "If people saw me with him they'll think we are a thing now and then getting rejected by him would cost me my peaceful life. I really can't afford to make a fool out of myself. So all I have to do is act casual infront of him, have dinner with him and be professional like nothing happened. Yes I can do it. I'll never let my guard down.”
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice how she had wandered into the darkest part of the palace. Sunlight didn’t reach these halls. She looked around, trying to remember the way she’d come.
“Oh great. Am I lost now? How did I become so clumsy? And where's the door I came through?" She looked around with narrow eyes as the vision was really low, "Wait! There aren't no doors in this hall. But there's suppose to be one. I just entered here, there must be a door.” Her heart started to pound. She knew there must be a reason, but couldn't find a way out. It felt like she entered this hall and the door just vanished.
“Okay, calm down,” she told herself. “Maybe I didn’t search well. It’s so dark…people make mistakes. Nothing to worry about.”
She extended her arms, reaching for the walls, but no matter how far she went, she couldn't touch them. It felt as if the hall was endless.
She started to sprint, but it was no use. She felt like she was jogging in place, unable to move.
“HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY! I’M IN HERE, IN THIS HALL INSIDE THE PALACE! I CAN’T FIND A WAY OUT! CHI SUN-AH! MR. NAM! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME? PLEASE HELP ME!” She cried out, her voice raw with panic.
She glanced at her watch. Only five minutes had passed, but it felt like an eternity. She felt suffocated, helpless. They wouldn’t give up on her. They’d come searching for her any minute now. She just had to wait. Once they realized she was missing, she’d be out of here.
“Please come fast.”
She collapsed on the ground, her energy spent. She wanted to run, to cry for help, but she had nothing left. Her head was dizzy, her eyes heavy. She didn’t want to pass out, but her will was failing. She closed her eyes and succumbed to the darkness.
Then, a flicker of light. Someone was shining a torch. Hope surged through her. Finally, someone had come to rescue her. She looked at her watch and gasped realizing it's been an hour since she passed out. She stood up trying to accommodate her eyes in order to make out the source of the light.
“Hello? Is anybody there? I think I’m lost. Can you help me out?” The light led her to a door, glowing with a golden hue.
“Was this door here when I came in? I never saw it. And where's this light coming from? Am I dreaming?” She felt a pull, a tug toward the light. It felt wrong, but she was desperate.
“Anyhow, that’s the only way out. I need to get my ass moving. I can’t stay here forever.”
She stepped toward the door. As she reached out to touch the golden light, she felt nothing. But she couldn’t see her hand beyond the glow. It was as if a golden screen had materialized, obscuring everything beyond a certain point.
Before she could make sense of it, something pulled her forward. She resisted, but the force was too strong. Her feet dragged against her will, and within seconds, she was sucked into the mysterious door.
She closed her eyes as she felt herself falling, the same sensation she’d experienced in her dream—tumbling from a tower. But this was real. A blinding white light enveloped her, burning her eyes. It lasted only a few seconds before everything went dark and silent.