Once upon a red tree's leaf

Chapter 12:~All's new, you old red tree!

Yesung was humming a song which I recognized to be Naul's "One's Way Back'. It was a calming tune, that let my thoughts get lost in all the perfumes that surrounded us.

"And tell me again, where ar ewe going?"I asked, looking around with curiosity.

He turned his face towards me and flashed his usual smile. "You'll see!"

"You're a great helper, Yesung,"I mumbled, trying to keep up with him as we began climbing up the hill. "Hey! Are you sure this is important, 'coz if not, I will go home! This road made me hungry!"

He just speeded up, leaving me even more behind. "Great, Yesung! I swear I will-"

"We're here!"I heard his voice.

I stopped and looked up. The image I had before my eyes was...breath taking. It was Mother Nature's beautiful creation:an old tree, speading his branches towards the infinite blue of the sky. The sun was playing through it's red leafs, painting everything in shades of pink. The entire scene was overflowing with peace.

"Well?"

I looked at Yesung who was smiling like a dork. "Well what?"I asked, turning my eyes towards the red tree.

Silence. I looked at Yesung. He was frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't get it. This is the place that holds so many memories for you! I don't understand why you don't remember. This place...that person..."

I felt my heart beating faster. "That person?"I repeated, watching his reaction. "Who are you talking about, Yesung?"

He stared at me for a couple of seconds. I could feel his graze was burning a whole through my soul..."Tell me Seung Ho, are you sure you want to remember?"

My jaw dropped. "Are you ok? Has the heat got you? Of course I do! Do you think I like this? Not knowing what I was? What I liked in the past? How I used to spend my free time? With whom?"

"Sorry, but that's how it looks to me,"he replied on the same tone as me. " 'coz if you wanted to remember, you would have done it a long time ago! From the moment you arrived her in Anyang, you should have remembered,"he pushed my chest with his index finger. "This place is full with your memories! Your house, the school, this tree has been the witness to many of your actions! You should have remembered! But not if you have the tiniest trace of fear."

Fear? Why should I be afraid of? My own memories? What was hidden behind them?

Shooking my head, I started climbing down the hill. Maybe Yesung was right. Maybe I was afraid of something that on my subconscious was remembering. Maybe among all those forgotten memories there was something that mde me reluctant when it came to the past. Maybe something greater than I was imagining was being kept from me by...me, so that I wouldn't get hurt.

Maybe...maybe...maybe...there were so many damn theories that my head was hurting!

~*~

"Psssssstttt!"

"Hehehhee...let's skip today's classes, Seung Ho. Let's go to the red tree. Or better, let's go to the fair!"

"Look, Seung Ho! A fortune teller! Let's try it, ok?"

The images were mixing, creating shadows and chasing lights.

The setting changed and I inhaled the stiff air from inside a dark tent.

"Listen well, Seung Ho. Can you hear it?"

"The cards, Seung Ho. The cards! They are speaking. Can't you leave your shell and become more open minded?"she replied with a mocking smile. "Well, not everyone can hear the cards. It's a gift you see. I will tell you what they say. You two, you and that girl, have a strong line. That means you are tied together by fate. Nothing can break that connection you share. It's unique...or at least, that's how it's supposed to be. Only death can break your relationship with her and you know it. She knows it. The cards show it. And Seung Ho, this will occur sooner than you expected. Yes, it's a warning! The cards are warning you. Don't do anything hasty! Let things follow their flow. Seung Ho, she will die."

And once again I found myself running. I was all sweaty, but I was in a hurry. Why was I running? Towards whom? Away from what?

"Yang Seung Ho! I understand you don't want me to leave, but saying such hateful words...!"

I shrunk hearing that voice and I covered my ears, trying to run faster. I was somehow...afraid of what was going to come next...

"My decision is final! I'm going to...-"

"ANDWAE!"I yelled standing upright. I huffed and puffed while looking around me. I was all sweaty and the room was so quiet. "I dreamt. That voice..."I mumbled getting off from my bed.

I looked at my phone's screen: 3 in the morning. Now this was getting creepy! I remember that someone told me that if you wake up suddenly at 3 o'clock in the morning, it means that someone is staring at you. Brrrr! I peaked around me and turned on the lights. "Great, Seung Ho! Now you've done it,"I scolded myself as I got dressed. I put on my black hoodie and went downstairs.

Before I got to actually think about where I could go for a walk, I found myself climbing up the hill, huffing from the effort.

And there he was. Standing still in the dark. Not one leaf was moving with the wind. It ws like a huge painting, which was hidding lots of rays of light behind it.

"Why am I here, red tree?"I spoke, touching the hard bark. "Why are the first that comes into my mind when I hear her voice in my sleep? Do you know her? If so, can you help me remember her? Please?"I whispered, resting my forehead agaist the bark.

And I stood like that, waiting like a crazy person the tree's answer. "I'm not crazy, am I?"I finally said. "I mean, I remember someone told me before that even if you're just a tree, you're still living. You have life in this red leafs of yours, don't you?"

I sighed. "Great, Seung Ho! Now you're talking to a tree!"I mumbled while climmbing down the hill.

~*~

The red tree...he had something. Something was calling me, making me return to him again and again.

I sighed as I looked over the pages I wrote in the last few days. Unorganized lyrics, fragments of songs that came and quickly left my my head. But this one was going to be a hit for our next album...I knew that while I was writing it:

"Why won't this good-for-nothing, heartaching illness heal?

There isn't a scar on the outside but why does it hurt so much?
Like tiredly standing dominos with no end
I can't hold back the sadness as it gets bigger(..)

Will I be able to erase you? To forget you?
Will I be able to erase you? To forget you?
Will I be able to erase you? To forget you?
Will I be able to erase the scribbles of these memories?

I can't let you go - even when I say this monologue
You, you can't hear it yeah..."

"G.O., prepare yourself to blow the charts with this song,"I smirked as I was returning home. Not paying attention to the road itself, but to my virtual piano from my phone, I stumbled on something. 

"Ahhhhhhh! Wha-?! Who threw this?"I yelled while looking around me. "Throwing shoes at people..."

But then I stopped and looked at the house in front of me. It looked...sad. And empty. But even so it had some sort of magnetism that drew me to it. I slowly pushed the rusty gate and entered the yard. The grass was not cuted and the paint on the house was parching from the heat. It was an empty house...I touched one of the house's pillars. And like an electric shock, an image flashed before my eyes, while a voice rang into my ears:

"...wanna go stargazing tonight?"

"Who are...you?"I gasped for air. "What's this place?"