.jpg)
x
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFo49LzPsd
The stench of death filled the air and Min-Young seemed to be the only one in the run down little town who abhorred it.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxbFO3dkqX
Technically it was the smell of flowers, but the twenty one year old didn't see a difference. One of the women in her town was a florist who often decorated the town with the unsold flowers from her shop.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDL1zyluWou
Min-Young despised flowers. She despised them because she despised funerals. Ever since she was a little girl, funerals were the worst occasions she could possibly endure. The loss, abandonment, confusion, regret, and fear was too much to handle. And many times, if not all, those feelings were not her own.
"Bomi?" she called out, searching through the streets and over walls.
Mrs. Shin, her landlady and housemate, lost her cat again and had asked Min-Young to find it for her. The elderly woman noticed something special about Min-Young, as did the rest of the town. She thought the young woman must've been an animal in her past life since she had a talent for finding them when they got lost.
However, Min-Young knew it was not that that made her special. She wouldn't even classify it as special - more like a curse.
"Bomi, where did you go?" She clicked her tongue in sequence, hoping the feline would hear it. She had just turned a corner onto the road with the shops when she heard it.
Under the car.
It wasn't as much of a sound as it was a strongly suggested thought. A thought she knew wasn't hers. When she looked around, she saw multiple cars. Some on the side of the road and some tucked away in driveways between the shops. Well that was helpful, she thought sarcastically, not knowing where to start.
Green.
Her eyes returned to the green car in a driveway beside the butcher's shop. She went to it and checked the underside. Sure enough, there she was. Bomi's wide, icy blue eyes stared back at her, shoulders hunched as though in the middle of a hunt. Though, once she recognized Min-Young, Bomi lounged on her belly and stretched, her fluffy gray tail relaxed and snaked in the air.
"There you are! You nearly gave Mrs. Shin a heart attack disappearing like that!" The marble-furred cat got distracted by a little beetle by her paw. Min-Young gave a lenient smile. "Bomi, come on, let's go home!"
After retrieving her landlady's cat and heading home, Min-Young was suddenly stopped by Mr. Lee. He and his family owned a restaurant. One of the few they had in the humble town of Changwon. The look in his eyes was familiar. She'd seen it every time he came up with one of his brilliant business ideas.
With him was a woman not much older than herself. She was clearly from out of town, as her apparel was clean and sophisticated. She also wore make up which reminded Min-Young of her lowly state. Her old sweater which had a kimchi stain from this morning was covered in Bomi's fur, hair in a loose unkempt ponytail with pajama bottoms decorated in cartoon print. With Bomi pawing at her hair in her arms she probably looked like a crazy cat lady.
"This is the girl I was talking about! Changwon's secret treasure, Park Min-Young!" he introduced her excitedly. The sophisticated woman looked Min-Young up and down seemingly perplexed. The haphazard woman made an attempt to brush the hair out of her face and straighten out her sweater but in vain.
"Hello," Min-Young and the newcomer bowed and greeted each other. The latter introduced herself as Kim Ah-Yeon who works for an entertainment company in Seoul. "Could I ask what this is about?" She looked timidly between Mr. Lee and the woman.
"Right," Ah-Yeon nodded, her posture professional. "As I said I work for an entertainment company. And they've sent me out here to look for a location to shoot our variety show. We were hoping-"
"They want to shoot in Pyeong Hwa Village!" Mr. Lee announced, giving an ecstatic round of applause. Ah-Yeon nodded stiffly, unsure if she should go on. Mr. Lee noticed her hesitation, "ah! I interrupted you, I apologize. Go on, go on!" he waved her on, though his excitement was still brewing behind his eyes.
"The show runners have scripted this episode about the importance of knowing history, so we're also looking for someone who knows the history of Pyeong Hwa. Our team tried researching it, but oddly they haven't been able to find anything. And Mr. Lee here explained that none of the elders in this town know much about it either - only that you do." The woman had a kind tone but harbored a hint of disbelief.
"That's right! Min-Young's the one you're looking for! She has a gift, you know?" Mr. Lee put a trusting hand on her shoulder but Bomi hissed and struck it with her claws. "Aish! Little..." he trailed off under his breath.
Min-Young calmed Bomi, but her face had been riddled with concern. "Doesn't the fact that it's abandoned, worry you?"
"Ah...to be honest, it makes our job a lot easier," Ah-Yeon chuckled as though she had just told an inside joke.
Singers. Dancers. So unnecessarily pampered...
Min-Young's head cocked to the side, her eyes calculating something in her head. "Like...a band?" She didn't mean to think aloud but when she did, the woman in front of her gasped, eyes wide with shock.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"It's her gift, I'm telling you! She's a psychic!" Mr. Lee blurted. They both continued to look amazed which made Min-Young flustered.
"Mr. Lee~!" Min-Young complained. "It was just a lucky guess! She said she was working with an entertainment company. It's not a hard one to guess," she covered up quickly.
Ah-Yeong seemed to find the sense in the excuse but Mr. Lee's confidence couldn't be challenged.
"Well, the show runners have really taken a liking to Pyeong Hwa, so we hope you'll work with us. If not, we may seek other options. Just know that you'll be generously compensated," she added confidently.
Cheeky girl. She knows how to do her job.
My idiot son-in-law left his wife to run the shop by herself again.
Min-Young took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the distractions. "I'll have to think about it."
"Understandable," Ah-Yeong nodded and fished a card out from her pocket and gave it to her, "I'll be back tomorrow. Please have a decision by then. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me," the woman bowed and took her leave towards a shiny silver car.
"Min-Young-ah~!" Mr. Lee whined when she got into her car. "Why didn't you tell her, you'd do it? Do you know how much business this would bring to Changwon? This could really help everyone."
"It's not like I said I wouldn't-"
"So you'll do it?" He flashed his big eyes at her. They gleamed with hope. "What am I saying? Of course you will! You never get anything wrong!" The man patted her on the shoulder, dodging a dangerous swipe from Bomi, then ran back across the street to his restaurant. The man's wife met him immediately at the door to discuss what had just occurred.
Min-Young carried on with her walk home feeling completely drained. At the end of the road just before turning back onto her street, she saw the tiny village on the hill in the distance. Some homes were obscured by trees, others sat out in the open. A single one sat upon the head of the hill, watching the inhabitants of Changwon, beckoning visitors to come and explore.
A shiver slithered down her spine as dark feelings tended to radiate from that place nearer to night time. She then noticed Bomi had finally settled down without fussing. Min-Young looked down in her arms and found the feline staring as though in a trance at the little village on the hill.
"It's a mistake, Bomi. They shouldn't go there. I wouldn't wish an encounter with that place on anyone. Even if they were handsome spoiled celebrities."
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrzjpF0XJL
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SV9iw10CK
The dial tone hummed against her eardrum. Every hum came in intervals and sent her heart into a panic. Min-Young chewed on her nails as she waited for someone to pick up.
She had no intention of using the number Ah-Yeong gave her. Unfortunately, she and Mrs. Shin's had a talk during dinner about how Mrs. Choi from two houses down will likely close down her business soon. The tourists were slowly forgetting about this place and business had been slow for too long.
"Hello?" the woman on the phone sounded cheery. No doubt she sat comfy in a five star hotel miles away.
"Um, yes, hi. This is Park Min-Young from Changwon. We spoke earlier."
"Of course, Min-Young-shi. Is there something you need?"
"I just need to know one thing," Min-Young took a deep breath and tried to find her resolve.
"Sure, what is it?"
"This variety show...you're shooting it during the day, right? No one plans to stay after sundown, do they?"
"That's right. Although it will likely be an all day shoot."
Min Young waited for a feeling of relief but she still felt uneasy. Plenty of tourists have gone up there during the day and came back fine. Maybe she was over reacting.
"Hello? Min Young-shi? Are you still there?"
"I'll do it."
"Really? That's great! I'll let the producers know!"
When the conversation was over and she hung up the phone, the uneasy feeling disappeared instantly. She looked around the room, wondering what had changed that made her feel free of fear all of a sudden. Nothing was amiss.
Bomi mewed as she sneaked in between the crack of the door. Min Young patted a place next to her on her bed. The self assured cat hopped up and nestled herself in the woman's lap. Min Young smiled, comforted by her feathery soft fur and soothing purrs.
"Everyone could use the business, I guess," she sighed and thought about what it might be like. The hustle and bustle, men carrying equipment through the town, women with make-up bags slung around their shoulders, holding umbrellas over a bunch of teenaged pretty boys. "If I could sell ten books, I'll mark the day as a success," she said trying to find the bright side of her unconfident decision.
"Do you think any of them like to read?"
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKauQa2FMv6
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQ9uQQL7BD
~Author's Note~361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bVI2ztdlM
I know this technically didn't star the guys, but you see where it's going, right? This is the beginning of a story I've been wanting to write for a while, but promised myself I wouldn't worry about it until I finished writing Colder Than Winter.361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3xk2EJ18HP
So, what do you think? Does this sound like it would be an interesting full story?361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEC0c0ludh
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story, don't forget to like it!361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYihF6UhZb
361Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdmnQhufir
