He continued to stay there, just looking at them.
'How is it possible? What did she do? Was she tricking me? Or have the flowers been tricking me too?' Weol-So thought to himself.
He stepped out of the tent, analyzing his surroundings, then zipped it back.
"Oh my God! Tini! You could not believe what happened," Joon-He said in the comfort of her and Weol-So's room.
The dog climbed on the bed. Then she followed, with the dog finding his way to her lap.
"My heart was beating like, bucom, bucom, bucom."
The dog raised an ear to her explanation.
"Yeah, I know, that was a horrible explanation. But I was scared, Tini. If I want to run, will you leave me?"
The dog jumped off her lap and headed to his bowl of meat.
"Jerk."
Then the dog ran back.
"Oh... then nevermind."
The dog began to cough, more and more.
"Are you okay? You've been coughing for a week now!"
The door opened wide, and Hin-Hye was revealed.
"Madam, I told you not to go anywhere, didn't I?" she said in a saddened manner, but also in a joking demeanor.
"I know, but I couldn't resist. The garden was so beautiful, and—"
"And?"
"Hin-Hye, you're the only one that I got to know so far, so can I please trust you with this?"
She closed the door and sat at the edge of the bed.
"What happened?" she asked while inching closer.
"Look at you... You like gossip too much, get out of here," Joon-He said while pushing her forehead.
Joon-He stood up, walking to the bathroom.
"Did... did the flowers sing?"
When this came out of her mouth, Joon-He stopped.
"How did you...?"
"I knew it," Hin-Hye said with a smile.
"Did they sing for you too?"
"No... But... I have to go."
"Where?"
Hin-Hye raced toward the door, and before Joon-He could get to her, she had already been in India.
"What was that about?"
The dog continued to cough.
---
"Mr. Shin," Hin-Hye called.
"What?" he replied, seated at the dining table, fixated on his android.
"Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"She made the flowers sing."
He stopped upon hearing this.
"Yeah... thought so."
"How did you—"
"I saw her... They were glowing..."
"Mr. Shin... I think you made the right choice."
Footsteps filled the dining hall as maids entered with trays upon trays of different types of foods.
"Hin-Hye, I want you to be in charge of Joon-He. She seems to have a little connection with you."
"Yeah... I know, I mean, yes sir."
He poked her on the head, but as she was about to leave, he pulled her back.
"And keep an eye on her," he said, tone serious.
She nodded, then headed off.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
The door opened, and Joon-He could be seen inside.
"Oh, Hin-Hye, how are you?"
"Fine, madam, but breakfast is ready!"
"Really?" She looked at her stomach, holding it. "I just realized I haven't eaten."
"Come with me, madam."
They began to walk.
"What are we having?"
"Hmm... let me think."
They reached the dining hall, seeing the table filled with different trays of food.
"Everything."
Joon-He left Hin-Hye, racing toward the table.
"What are all these?"
"Food," Weol-So said in a sarcastic manner.
She took a seat next to Weol-So, then started looking at him.
"What? Why are you looking at me?"
"I... um... I need permission to eat."
"You need what?"
"Since I'm eating with someone else, especially someone older than me, I should wait for permission to eat."
"What kind of... nevermind... eat or whatever."
"Thank you."
She took a plate of rice, then dished every sauce and soup that could be seen on the table.
"W..."
She took her chopsticks, picking a piece of duck, chicken, beef, and goat.
"Bless this food, amen," she muttered, then began to eat.
"Slow down when you're eating... don't you have any manners?"
She tucked her hair behind her ears, embarrassed. "Sorry."
She began to eat slowly.
Weol-So just stayed fixated on his android, leaving the dining to be a graveyard.
She sighed—maybe too loudly—which caught his attention.
"Oh... um... nothing..."
'Oh my God, I'm so bored. This seems to be a very boring person. Does he just have a handsome face and no personality? Is that why he wanted to marry me when I was drunk?'
While munching on the food, realization kicked in. She slammed her chopsticks on the table upon realizing this thought.
'Wait a minute! Why did he even marry me in the first place?!'
"Weol-So..."
He turned to her. She tucked her hair behind her ears.
"Why did you marry me?"
He got cut off when the question came up.
"Uhh... umm... No reason..."
"What? What did you just say?"
"Well... I'll... um... You'll know the answer to that sooner or later."
He got up from his chair and headed upstairs.
"What did I say wrong?" she muttered to herself, then continued to munch on her food.
After eating more than she could carry, she walked upstairs, but her attention got stolen when she saw Weol-So heading to a room.
She walked down the stairs, going toward his direction.
He closed the door, but she leaned her head on it.
'I need to know the kind of person this man is.' she said to herself.
"I don't know..." she heard from inside the room—Weol-So's voice.
"What do you mean?" another man said, sounding like someone in his very early thirties.
"It could be her... but I'm not sure..."
"Well, we need to find out."
"I know... but how?"
"We'll figure that out... or how about you ask for hel—"
"I'm not going to call her."
"Well, why not?"
"I said I'm not."
"Weol-So, we can—"
"I'd rather stay this way than call her."
"You need to forget about that and forgive. She gave you life, remember?"
'Are they talking about his mother?' Joon-He wondered.
"And so what?!" Weol-So said as he slammed the table.
"You already know why she couldn't—"
"But... I don't want to call her," Weol-So said, and Joon-He could feel that his expression and demeanor had fallen.
"I'm just trying to be a good friend. Set your pride aside and call her for help..."
"It's not about pride—"
"Weol-So, you need to call her."
"...Okay... I will."
She began to hear footsteps, and immediately that happened, she ran away.
Weol-So came out, looking around, not knowing that Joon-He was on the stairs.
"You can go," Weol-So said.
A man wearing a big black coat, black top, and black pants headed out. He was nothing but black, apart from his skin color. He turned to the stairs, and Joon-He could feel her heart jumping out of her chest.
He put on his hat and faded into shadowy dust, then faded away completely.
She held her mouth, slowly walking upstairs—falling at times—but got back up.
When she was completely out of the stairs, she ran to her room.
She shut the door, then began to scream into her pillow.
"AAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
The dog jumped on her back. Then Joon-He turned around.
"Tini, we're leaving this house."
She went to her wardrobe, looking for a box, but found nothing.
"Tini, look what's going to happen. I'll tell the maids that I want to get out for a walk and some air. Then, I'll use the money he sent me to buy a box and other supplies. Then I'll look for a hotel for us to lodge in, before finding a house."
She changed her dress to a shirt, which she tucked into her blue jeans. Then she took a black cap and put it on her head.
"I'll be back."
When she was about to walk, she remembered.
"Wait a minute... He hasn't given me the money yet!"
She rushed out of her room and down the stairs.
She saw Weol-So walking in the parlor, then she rushed toward him.
"Weol-So?"
"Hm?"
"You promised me a million dollars if I married you."
"Ah! Yes... What's your account number?"
She stood there, fiddling with her fingers.
"I don't have an account..."
"What? You're a fully grown woman and you don't have an account?"
"I know..."
"Okay, give me your phone me—"
"I don't have that either."
"What?"
"I don't have a phone..."
"Really?"
She nodded.
He clapped his hands three times, then a maid came out.
"Yes, Mr. Shin?"
"Get this woman the finest Android we have."
"Yes, sir."
She scurried off.
He turned around, analyzing her, noticing that these weren't her home clothes.
"Where are you going?"
"Just wanted to—"
"You shouldn't leave this house."
"But..."
"Go back to our room. She'll be back, and when I'm done, I'll go do some stuff and make an account."
He left.
'I don't have time to waste. This guy is friends with a ghost or a devil and probably wants to use me for sacrifice. I'll still go out to check what I need to check.'
She walked toward the door and exited the place. On the outside, she saw grass, a fountain, then the big gate.
"Open up!"
They opened the gate, and she passed through.
She began to walk on the road, taking in the swift breeze, the sweet scents of the air, lingering from the mansion.
She walked farther away from the house, seeing shops and other unique stores.
While walking on an empty road, a man with a hoodie appeared, putting his hands in his pockets.
Upon noticing the man, she began to pick up the pace.
She ran into an area where there were more people, though still scanty, considering it wasn't a main road.
When she looked back, he was gone. She looked forward—only to see him in front of her. He covered her mouth with a handkerchief. She screamed, but couldn't be heard.
Then, everything went dark.