When the girl reached for the last bite of her apple, the boy beside her got up. Her eyes followed curiously before seeing another fresh fruit fall onto her lap.

"Alright, I'm going home now. You should too, lil miss," the boy then began walking away.

Faced with the unexpected turn of events, the girl panicked and stood up without thinking. Distress was clearly written on her face as she called out to the boy.

"W-wait!"

For the first time, she spoke out to him, and the desperation in her voice was palpable. The boy turned and shot her an inquiring look.

“Hm? You can talk? What’s up?”

“I… I…”

“Yeah?”

As the little girl faced the boy's curious gaze, her body tensed and she struggled to express her thoughts. She fiddled with the fabric of her dress in an attempt to compose herself. It wasn't until the boy noticed the unease that he realized the obvious.

“Aah… right, you must be lost…”

The boy facepalmed himself, speechless at how slow he realized this, “It’s ok, if you can tell me the name of your city, I can lead you to the city’s gate.”

But unlike his expectation, the young girl instantly shook her head and averted her eyes.

“Eh? Then what is it?” he was stunned at being wrong but still waited patiently.

For a moment, she struggled to speak. But as she looked up at the boy's eyes with a mix of guilt and fear, she said with a voice barely above a whisper.

"C-can I... go... with you...?"

“…Huh?”

The boy blinked his eyes, twice. Did he hear it right?

“Go with me? As in… to my place?” the boy repeated, looking at the girl in disbelief.

She nodded rapidly, and her grip on her battered clothes grew tighter. Momentarily lost in thought, the boy tried reasoning with her. “Your parent will be worried you know.”

But she only looked down in sorrow and murmured softly, “P-please… I… I don’t have a place to go.”

The boy's mind raced trying to figure out what to do.

‘I’ve… gotten myself into quite the trouble…’

He scratched his head, unsure of what to do. He knew he couldn't just leave the girl alone in the forest, but at the same time, he didn't want to be involved in anything. But alas, time was surely not on his side, when he checked the sun’s position, he found that night was fast approaching.

When she saw the boy's face, a feeling of unease swirled inside her. He looked unsure like he didn't want to help her.

‘Did I… asked for too much… but…’

The little girl bit her lips in misery. She felt like crying, overwhelmed with shame. Why did she have to ask for help in the first place? She felt so stupid.

“S-sorry... I-I was just... joking,” she stammered, trying to downplay her request despite her obvious need for help. Tears welled up in her eyes, she couldn't bring herself to meet the boy's gaze.

The boy's eye twitched in frustration as he watched her pitiful appearance.

‘Girl… are you trying to guilt trip me…’ was what he thought as his conscience weighed heavier and heavier by the moment. In the end, he found himself succumbing and his rationale wavering to his morals. "It's all right," he said with his self-defeated smile. "You can come with me."

The girl, however, didn't dare to show any sign of relief or joy.

“No… you don’t have to… I-I…”

Hearing her stutter, the boy let out a silent sigh before grabbing her wrist.

“It’s fine, so stop crying and follow me.”

“…”

Nodding in silence, the girl fought her hardest to suppress her sobs, even widening her eyes in great effort to hold back the tears. When he discovered her great dedication to follow what he said, the boy was rendered speechless.

“W-wait… you don’t have to try that hard you know…”

.

.

.

Some time had passed, and the terrain beneath them had transformed significantly. As they strolled along the grassy trail, the young girl observed how the trees had grown thicker and taller, their dense canopy barely allowing slivers of sunlight to penetrate. It was as if they had stepped into another realm, a place of hushed tranquility where only the occasional rustle of leaves and the gentle buzz of insects dared to disturb the quiet.

The realization dawned upon the girl that they were now following a well-trodden path. It wasn't a typical road, but more of a trail that had been worn smooth by countless footsteps, making their journey relatively unimpeded by tall grass or underbrush.

Having noticed that the girl had somewhat regained her calm, the boy initiated a conversation, “So, what's your name? I'm Tae Hyun Goo.”

“…So-Young. Cha So-Young.”

“Alright Cha So-Young,” Tae Hyun Goo continued, “My house isn’t in a city but is in this forest. And I live alone. Is that ok?”

Tae Hyun Goo intentionally used this somewhat unsettling description in the hopes of scaring her. But instead, what he found was just her head bobbing furiously with a display of dazzling innocence. Cha So-Young was just a child after all, a rich one at that, so this was to be expected.

"Alright, we've arrived," Tae Hyun Goo declared. Cha So-Young turned her attention to the front, and in that instant, her face transformed into sheer fascination.

Before them lay a relatively flat clearing, where the trees had been cleared to make room for a wooden house. Yet, the true wonder of the scene didn't stem from the house itself; it emanated from the majestic tree standing just behind it.

Amidst the lush sea of greenery, a colossal primeval tree loomed, its towering trunk casting the house into insignificance. Its branches stretched heavenward, creating an ethereal canopy that enveloped the rooftop. Adorned with vibrant, rosy leaves, the tree seemed to enshroud the house in an enchanting aura, offering protection from the unforgiving elements of harsh rains and scorching summers.

Tae Hyun Goo beamed with pride. "Looks great, doesn't it?" he gestured. "It’s getting late, let's go inside."

They soon stood at the entrance of the wooden house. When they came inside, Tae Hyun Goo gestured for Cha So-Young to stay put before disappearing into another room.

While waiting for his return, Cha So-Young glanced at her surroundings. Given that only a child lived here, the house was surprisingly spacious. It contained a simple kitchen, a combined dining and living area, a bathroom, and two other rooms.

Before long, Tae Hyun Goo reemerged while holding a set of clothes. "Here," he said, handing her a towel. "Since I only have my clothes, you have to make do for now. I'll get you some clothes tomorrow"

Cha So-Young accepted the clothes with gratitude, but her eyes turned to the objects in her arms. She stared at them as if she couldn't quite process it all.

"Hyun Goo," her eyes blinked, and she said blankly, "How come you have money?"

The boy's mouth jerked uncontrollably. “What does that supposed to mean?”

“I-I mean, you’re also like me. And mom and dad told me that children can’t work… do you also get an allowance every day?”

“…Damn spoiled kid.”

Tae Hyun-Goo grumbled under his breath. Sadly, Cha So-Young’s obliviousness was as thick as a brick wall and she didn’t catch his muttering.

Tae Hyun Goo then explained calmly. “It’s not that we can’t work. It’s just that no one wants to hire kids. And even if there are, we might not get paid and even be sold to some bad people.”

“Isn’t that really bad?”

“It is, which is why I don’t show myself as a kid.”

“Really?”

“Yes really! Enough of that. Come, I’ll teach you how to use the shower.”

Although curiosity still lingered in Cha So-Young's eyes, she restrained herself and followed him to the bathroom.

Tae Hyun Goo pointed to the shower handle. "You see this handle? If you turn it, water will come out from this thing called a showerhead." He then demonstrated how to do it, and exactly as he said, cold water began gushing out of the showerhead.

Cha So-Young's eyes gleamed with fascination. Her previous bathing experience had always been in a wooden bathtub filled with various fragrant herbs. Seeing something like this was an entirely new and novel thing for her.

“Cool right? Alright, you can try this yourself. I’ll go make some food while you shower.”

After explaining the uses of the shampoo and the soap, he left her alone, immersed in her silent wonder, as he headed toward the kitchen.

"Hmm, today I'm a little unlucky," he muttered, "I failed to catch any animals...” but then realization hit him. “Wait, why did I let that snake go?"

"...Aish, let's just think of this as vegetarian day."

Soon, he began taking out rice, vegetables, mushrooms, and other ingredients. But out of nowhere, he produced a knife hidden beneath his clothes…. what’s this? Some kind of assassination movie?

Using the same mechanism as in the bathroom, water poured from the faucet as he started washing the knife and the vegetables. Soon, the only sounds in the house were the rushing water, the boiling rice, and the rhythmic chopping of vegetables.

(Author's note)

The setting of this story is Korean murim.

Btw, I made the name myself. And when I said myself I mean I generate a Korean name that I like and mash them with a family name that I want. So yeah… if I misunderstood how Korean name work. Pls pardon my rudeness.

 

IMPORTANT QUESTION!

Cha So-Young, the female protagonist. Her original name was supposed to be Cha Hyo-Sonn. But bcs the name is a little hard to remember. I decided to go for Cha So-Young.

But do you think it’s better to go for the original? Or is this name also fine?

 

Character’s name meaning (from internet)

Cha So-Young: (So-Young: Eternal, Beauty, Prosperity.)

Cha Hyo-Sonn: (Hyo-Sonn: One who is filial and gentle)

Tae Hyun Goo: (Hyun: Worthy, wise), (Goo: Someone who completes you)