"This is our first date and you ditched me already? How could you!" Sai covered her face and pretended that she was hurting. I went back to our table and sat again. She has already finished her food.
"I got some tea."
"OMG! Spill the tea!" her mood changed quickly and rested her face on her palms.
"Right now?" I asked.
"Oh! Finish your food first. And I think it's better if you tell me about that later, there are more costumers coming."
Sai distracted herself by reading out hangul in the menu. I finished my bingsu and drank water. I can't even enjoy this delicious food, my mind is still processing Iseul's even more tragic fate.
"I'm done, let's head outside."
I wasn't able to bid goodbye to Nari since she's inside the kitchen. Sai and I went outside the Korean restaurant and walked beside the street.
"So? What happened?" she glanced at me with her curious face.
"Have you been to the Eastern part of this island?"
"Not really... there are no tourist spots there, and Dad said it's a long journey. Why? Is there something wrong?"
"Apparently, Iseul's home is located there. But it was... burned by her mother. If we go there-"
"W-wait... you mean, you found out where her home is and now you're planning to go there? It's not as easy as it sounds, Yohan." She sounded serious and stopped skipping.
"How can I get there?"
"Are you sure? Dad never brought me there, I don't even know how to go there! Gosh."
"An old lady said... a ship is used to go there."
"A vessel? Then let's check the town's sailing schedules! Come on, follow me." She started running and didn't even wait for me.
"Hey don't run, Sai. We just ate lunch." I said.
She stopped and held her wait. "You sound like a Dad! So boring!" She rolled her eyes.
"How old are you?" I asked when I got closer to her again.
"I'm twenty! Gosh, do I even sound like a kid to you?" she laughed.
"You act like one."
She frowned at me and made a face. "Well at least I'm not as stupid as you."
"Yeah? Look who's following a stupid person around. Birds of the same feather flock together indeed." I teased her and she glared at me immediately.
We stopped in front of a newspaper stand. I paid for one and Sai immediately grabbed it from me. We walked to get farther from people.
"There! Vessel Schedules!" We were both looking at it carefully.
"It says next week..." I read.
"Oh gosh, the next trip to the East is in next week. The last trip was yesterday. We're out of luck."
"I need to wait for seven days for Pete's sake. This better be worth it," I said.
"Hey! What do you mean 'I'? I'm going with you alright?" she crossed her arms.
"Do you want to? Who's gonna watch over your Dad's gallery?" I asked.
"The building's closed every Friday, that's why I'm here. Next week means I can still join you! I'll find ways."
"Okay... fine, I'll let you join me." She jumped and celebrated. I thought she wouldn't want to join me because she hasn't been there before.
"I'll book us a trip! I know where to buy tickets online. Just pay for your ticket next week! But I'll pay for two first so don't worry about it." Sai said.
"You sound like someone I can't stop. But... I appreciate your help, thanks."
"Are we going to another gallery?"
I exhaled and stretched my arms. "Let's call it a day. I think we gained enough information today." I smiled at her.
But in reality, the information was already too much for me.
We exchanged numbers to contact each other regarding the tickets before going to the opposite direction. I walked back to my apartment and changed clothes. I lay on my bed and closed my eyes to fall asleep.
It's already six o'clock in the evening when I woke up. I feel better, but my chest was still... heavy. I cooked myself some chicken pesto for dinner and made coffee.
I don't want to see Iseul... yet. I wanted to sort my thoughts first before seeing her.
I grabbed a blank journal from my box. This was supposed to be my journal for studying but I'll just let this one be about her.
Ah fuck, this means I might randomly sketch her face. I immediately dropped my pen and put the journal to the side. I can write about her tomorrow.
I just ate my pesto and drank coffee then cleaned my apartment the whole night. I doze back to sleep again and woke up because of the sunlight. Just as planned, I went back to the table to write in my journal.
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This is my fifth day at Techne Island, and things didn't go as planned. I met Iseul, and she's a ghost that I saw because I painted her during the night.
Anima perduta— That's how people call those ghosts that appear during the night when they are painted, sketched, or drawn by artists. But Iseul only wanted freedom; that's why I'm helping her.
Right now, these are the details that I know about her.
≈ She was murdered by a painter.
≈ Her killer is unknown but lives in Techne Island.
≈ Her corpse and her old house was burned by her... mother.
≈ She lives on the Eastern part of this island where one can only travel through a ship.
≈ Her mom begged Brent to paint her, but she didn't show up.
≈ Iseul has a sculpture of her at Jin's gallery.
≈ Iseul had a chingu named Nari and she was given a Norigae knot.
≈ Iseul is finding an important thing and she doesn't even know what it was.
I wasn't the first one to help Iseul break the curse. She mentioned she was betrayed and some left her after saying that they would help her.
I also wonder if those traitors discovered something about the curse.
Iseul's past is... a bloody art. That's why hearing that information was too much for me. But I'll paint Iseul again later. Let me just ease my mind for a bit.
—Y. Chavez
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