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"I'll be taking my leave now, ma'am." Jihee said, standing up from her seat after finishing the food the old woman kindly made for her. "Thank you for your hospitality."

She smiled, standing up slowly to walk her to the exit. "It is always my pleasure to host your kind. I hope you find a home, stranger, better yet I hope you find our reality a suitable home for you."

Jihee nods, gazing at the cabin one last time. On her second day in the little cabin, she noticed how dangerous the cabin was especially for a woman her age, and so what she did is she casted a protection spell on it. A spell that would protect it from collapsing or any strenuous possibilities that could happen any day. She hoped that the spell would remain as strong as the one protecting Jungwon at this very moment.

"What's your name by the way? I realized I never asked." She asked the old lady standing by the doorway.

"It's Agatha. If ever you see the stranger who once visited me, tell her my regards."

"I will." And for the last time, Jihee finally turned her back ready to begin her search.


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Jungwon watched as how Jihee's eyes brightened upon realizing where he had just brought her. Her eyes shone as if those pair of golden eyes have never seen what lies under the sea or towering castles crafted by men from the medieval ages.

From afar they could see how the men were preparing to release the hot air balloons.

They were going to watch a bunch of hot air balloons fill the blue sky as the sun sets in the background. She sat on the picnic mat Jungwon had brought for the two of them, and her gaze followed him as he fixes the food they bought. It was no romantic food but they were contented.

She looked around and saw they were the only ones watching. "How did you find this place?" She asked, curiously.

"My parents recommended it." He answered her, eating one of the chips they bought.

A soft chuckle escaped. "That's cute. You asked your parents, only a few ever does that."

He snickered, showing his dimples in the process. "You underestimate how knowledgeable my parents are when it comes to things like this. They've seen so much and to be honest, I wasn't even surprised they knew about the hot air balloons." He explained. "

Jungwon knew his parents would love Jihee especially her adventurous side. That's what the three had in common, they get bored very easily and staying in one place would never work for them. And that's what he loved about them, maybe in the near future he hoped to see half as much as what they've all seen.

"Actually their first suggestion was that we ride one but they assumed none of us would be able to control it so they settled with us watching it." He adds, which then resulted to her glancing at him in an instant. It was quick, as if she was in shock. "What?"

"I know how to control one." She says to which was no shock to the latter. "It was 50 years ago but come on, I have impressive memory." She brags to him but not in a way that she wanted to show off but to persuade him into doing what he thinks she's insinuating.

He crossed his arms. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"

She grinned, glad that he immediately got what she has been trying to say. "Do you want to ride one then? It will be beautiful plus by the time the hot air balloon will be ready, the sun wouldn't hurt anymore."

Jungwon could see the light in her eyes as she attempted to persuade him, and that fact alone stopped him from being able to say no. What was he even saying? His answer has always been yes, he wasn't a coward and as he said he wanted to see so much. This was his chance and there was no way he was going to say no to it. Not when he has the chance to spend that memory with her.

"So what's our game plan?" Her grin widens and soon enough she had him packing the food.

"We can't teleport there so we just have to run. You up for it?" Jihee asked and with a determined yes from Jungwon, she grabbed his wrist and increased her speed but not too much that she could harm him.

Him, being athletic from a young age, was able to manage her tight grip and incredible speed. He could tell she was holding back to avoid injuring him, to which he was grateful for. Otherwise his arm would've broken off from his body if she had been any more faster than the current speed. After what seemed like a hellish minutes for him, they finally came to a halt. He almost fell to his knees while she on the other hand, remained standing up as if they hadn't run.

"I'm never running with you again." He said, panting.

Laughing, "I think you should rest for a while, let me just pull some strings to get us a ride." She says, winking at him before walking somewhere. Jungwon already knew what she meant by that. And surprisingly, it didn't take her that long to use her magic to once again get her way.

"You sure you're not going to kill me?"

"No."

"You sure we're not going to be dragged by a tornado then end up in some magical place where witches exist?"

"We're not going to end up in Oz." She rolled her eyes. "Although if we do, we can spread the word that the wizard is a fraud."

Softly chuckling, he walked with her to the hot air balloon to where they were guided by the man preparing it earlier. The man briefly discussed tot hem what to do but only Jungwon was listening. She was already looking around, trying to study the hot air balloon.

Once he was gone and they were ready to fly, Jungwon watched as how she operated the hot air balloon and they were slowly rising to the sky. He thought she was going to use her magic but no, she did everything manually. As if she was trained to do so.

And for some reason, he wasn't worried. That showed just how much trust he has placed on her.

Not too long after they were finally up above the sky, she adjusted the heat so they wouldn't continue going up.

She glanced at him, as if she was expecting him to say something to her. He then realized what she wanted from him, she wanted a compliment or a recognition from him. He could remember the last time she had the same expression, it was when she had first shown him she could control objects with her mind.

"You're amazing."

That was the only words he could think of that could describe just how amazed he was with her.

"It's sunset." That was her reply. "The perfect moment for an hot air balloon."

He walked to her side and they both stared at the beautiful sunset as they were up above the clouds. He now understood why his parents wanted to suggest riding one in the first place, because it really was beyond ethereal.

From below he could see everything, beautiful terrains, numerous buildings, and all sort of things. A view he never thought he would get to see in this lifetime.

And then he looked to his side, her golden eyes now turning orange because of the rays hitting her face.

Then out of nowhere, what meant to be a thought turned to a statement.

"Stay."

That single word was enough to steal her attention fully. She looked at him, face filled with shock as she tried to take in what he had just said. He didn't mean to say that in a way that he was forcing it unto her, in the end he wanted it to be her choice. But he wanted to at least let her know where he stood in those choices.

"Everyday, you make it harder and harder for me to leave." She says. "But I have some things to clear first before I make my decision of staying."

He raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Letting out a sigh, she placed her arms on the side of the hot air balloon. "The truth about your immunity and everything that makes you different." She replies. "The aim of my trip was to find out the answer, I was close to putting the pieces together but I lost some of the pieces."

This was the first time Jungwon was hearing about the reason why she went in the trip in the first place. Her answers has always been vague, to think she was now telling him the exact answers. If she was able to put some pieces together, that could only mean she was close to finding the correct answer.

"What did you find?" Curiously, he asked.

"There used to be a stranger here in this reality." Jihee explained. "And I think she's the one who put the protection spell on you."

He's linked to another stranger?

"What has that got to do with you staying?"

There was a pause. A deafening one in fact.

"Let's just enjoy this hot air balloon for a while." She said, dodging the topic.

There he was again, left with no choice but to trust her.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE :

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSdrpS2BV/

that tiktok is my inspiration for this chap !

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