Monday Morning.
Seol Hwa woke up as usual, feeling mentally refreshed.
After that interesting encounter with a blind man playing hero, she decided it was enough for the day and slept like a log.
It wasn't an everyday occurrence to meet a blind mortal with such fine-tuned senses even in the old Murim.
However, encountering blind cultivators was possible, though just as rare as a phoenix's feather.
'Hmm, she has already gone to work,' Seol Hwa thought, plainly dressed for school as she exited her room.
One of the corners of her lips slightly tugged upward as she made her way to the kitchen.
After the Qi massage, Seol Hwa wasn't worried about Min-Seo burning out or collapsing when dealing with her intense work.
She had come to learn that her mother was an ER nurse who dealt with a lot of critical emergency cases.
And that further solidified Seol Hwa's initial observation: Min-Seo was closer to Death more than she would openly admit behind that easy-going, motherly smile.
Seol Hwa ate the breakfast her mother had prepared, her eyes briefly glued to the note stuck on the fridge.
"Does she always have to write… those? Isn't that tiring?" Seol Hwa cluelessly wondered but honestly didn't mind it.
"She can be such an inscrutable woman sometimes," she faintly chuckled while finishing the food.
The weekend had been well spent, her knowledge and understanding slightly increased.
Then, there had been… a green-eyed psychic girl, Jean.
A slightly serious expression appeared on her face briefly when she remembered the conceptual fragment of law she sensed hidden within the girl.
It made her not forget what she was supposed to do, what she wanted.
Sinking into complacency was a cardinal sin to her.
Her current world was small, she was merely a frog in a well, even as a former powerhouse.
Just as Seol Hwa opened the door, a familiar pretty face graced her presence.
Her blue eyes were laced with anticipation and surprise like a cute cat that was caught stealing food.
Her arm had been outstretched likely intending to knock on Seol Hwa's apartment door.
But there had been… some hesitation and a shit-ton overthinking.
"Hi… Hi, good morning, beau— Seol Hwa," Gwen greeted her, her face practically beaming with hidden excitement at seeing Seol Hwa.
"Gwen, morning. For my servant, you're surely punctual," Seol Hwa softly replied, amusement swimming in her eyes.
"I don't remember signing up for such duties, my lady," Gwen playfully scrunched her face, pouting lovably.
Oh how much she missed this damned piece of a woman.
But Gwen was too afraid to admit it.
'How am I supposed to say that I missed you so much that I couldn't stop thinking about you over the weekend?' Gwen thought in distress, the chaos and void she felt unexplainable.
It was weird, super weird.
She had merely known Seol Hwa for like three days.
And there she was, standing like a middle-schooler who was face-to-face with her crush.
"Let's go or we'll keep on looking at each other forever," Seol Hwa said as she slowly walked past Gwen, breaking her out of her daze.
Gwen grinned sheepishly before following Seol Hwa.
'How I wish that were possible,' Gwen mused, but she didn't dare expose her thought.
'I probably wouldn't get tired looking at that flawless face.'
There was little hope in her heart and mind.
Seol Hwa was so close yet so far.
Gwen couldn't figure her out wholly. She was like an undecipherable puzzle.
Gwen sneaked a glance from the corners of her eyes. 'She always has that serene look. How do I get to walk beside her? I'm not planning to lose that privilege anytime soon.'
"Do I have shit on my face?" Seol Hwa suddenly asked in a humorous tone, just as they entered the elevator.
Gwen was rendered speechless, a priceless expression on her face.
"You're… fucking unbelievable!" Gwen laughed, smiling at Seol Hwa.
'Maybe this is the reason. She's super real and magnetic,' she concluded, completing just one small part of the puzzle.
DING!
The elevator began its descent.
Outside, a gust of the morning chilly wind hit them the moment they stepped outside.
They walked in comfortable silence.
"Um, how was your weekend?" Gwen asked after a lot of deliberation.
"It was normal," Seol Hwa answered.
"Normal? That's rich coming from someone who learns foreign languages for fun," Gwen joked.
"So… can you like… greet me in one of those languages?" she then tentatively asked.
"I can." Seol Hwa curtly nodded and proceeded to speak in each of the languages she had learned.
"That's impressive. You sound like a native in those languages. How did you genuinely study?" Gwen happily inquired, her face morphing in amazement as she looked squarely at the woman who never missed a chance to impress her.
She didn't know that Seol Hwa had, in fact, completely mastered the four languages.
"I read a lot of books and watched a few videos. I don't know if it's enough though," Seol Hwa said while briefly touching her chin.
"Hmph, stop rubbing it in my face, girl. That's still as impressive as heck," Gwen remarked, lamenting at how oblivious Seol Hwa was.
'It isn't though. Four is so little. If I learn a hundred more, it would be at least a small, insignificant achievement,' Seol Hwa thought.
"I think I'll start learning one language. I suck ass at foreign languages," Gwen stated with a small smile.
"You don't suck. You can do it," Seol Hwa replied with an encouraging smile.
Gwen was mesmerized by her dazzling smile for a split second.
"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Seol. Honestly, you didn't strike me as the type of… you know…" she said genuinely.
"What do you take me for?" Seol Hwa arched her brows, mirth in her eyes.
"A cold empress archetype or that type of shit," Gwen said honestly, lightly shrugging.
"Well, I'm glad I subverted your expectations." Seol Hwa grinned.
'You nailed the truth, mortal,' she thought to herself.
"Let's hurry," Seol Hwa added while casually extending her senses to her surroundings.
The streets near her home were currently safe. She hoped it would remain so.
However, her 800 years of experience weren't for nothing. She understood the cycle of pests, especially bandits.
Kill a few and a few more would come to fill the vacuum.
If they so much as roamed near her territory (home) and streets, Seol Hwa would gladly prepare Grandma Meng's soup for them.
"Okay," Gwen muttered, rolling her eyes.
~~~<>~~~
Midtown High.
The lessons went by normally.
But normal… normal couldn't describe the state Jean Grey was in.
Ever since she had that fateful meeting with HER on Sunday, she had been left with a lot in her mind.
She had never meditated in her life. Never gave it a thought.
She had assumptions of meditation being something that only Tibetan Monks did.
And well… she was not bald and castrated.
Just how wrong had she been?
Meditation wasn't that one-dimensional.
Anyone could partake in it. She just had other 'teen' things to deal with.
Despite the internal resistance, Jean had tried to meditate that night, following her literal nightmare's unsolicited advice.
It was very difficult to sit still in the void of silence with your phone lying next to you.
The need to keep her thoughts and mind aligned with serenity was a step that she had to take.
Her first meditation session hadn't been successful, but that hadn't made her lose her heart.
For someone who Jean deemed unfathomable, her advice probably wouldn't be that simple.
And that flower. That daisy. It had become something akin to HER. Like she was there in the room with her.
Eerie and Warm.
Strangely, looking at those white petals boosted her concentration amidst the chaos.
What had been in that being's mind when she had given her the daisy?
What had been her intention?
Had it been a simple, uncalculated gesture?
Jean didn't know. But what she knew was that she wasn't going to part with the daisy soon.
It was lunch break and currently, she was sitting alone in her classroom.
She had astutely refused both Kitty's and Scott's invitations since it was usual for three of them to eat together.
They were a team, after all.
She had something important though.
Skipping one lunch session with friends wasn't bad, right?
She just wanted her 'me time'.
Jean gently fished out the old Biology textbook from her bag.
She gazed at the thick book and carefully unfurled the front cover.
Then slowly, she began sifting through the pages. The subtle scent of old paper hit her nose.
Soon, at the center of the old textbook, nestled with intricate botanical drawings, was the daisy.
Its white petals were still fresh, emitting the fragrance of winter and release.
The release she was looking for.
To be a master of her own mind, to be strong, to be… to confidently look into those hauntingly enthralling silver eyes.
There was no escaping what the flower represented to her.
Hesitantly, she ran a slow finger along the white petals, then traced down to the stem.
Jean gently closed her eyes.
She could still feel it.
Seol's warmth.
Her essence remained, as if her dainty fingers still wrapped around the flower.
In Jean's surprisingly cool touch, the daisy had become the symbol of comfort, of the stability she needed.
Jean delicately rested her cheek on the desk's surface beside the old Biology textbook.
'What… what are you doing, Jean?' she thought, but couldn't stop herself.
A dark possessive glint shone in her eyes as she stared at the daisy.
"You are mine," she murmured in a low tone.
She was going to cherish the flower.
She wasn't going to avert her gaze.
"You are mine…"
~~~<>~~~
Yu_ner here again. (You'll be seeing me quite a few times here lol)
So there's something that some readers might not know. It's just one thing.
Grandma Meng or Lady Meng, also known as Meng Po: She is the Goddess of Forgetfulness in Chinese Mythology. She stays in the underworld and offers soup to dead souls that can erase their memories in preparation for reincarnation. (This or miso soup, I'd rather drink 10 liters of miso soup)
You can read 20+ chapters on my p a treon: https://www.p a t r e o n.com/Yu_ner (remove the spaces)
Buy me coffee ko-fi/yunerr21.
Am also on tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/yunerr21