"Why is this place so beautiful?" I asked, looking around again and again while standing on the bridge.
"It might feel magical here in this little valley, but what if there are dangerous things or creatures lurking around? We don't know," Jungkook's voice pulled me back to reality.
"You're right. But nothing bad has happened so far," I shrugged.
"Not yet," he agreed, and we continued walking along the river.
"By the way… you're Korean, right?" I began.
"Yes, obviously," he chuckled.
"So what were you doing in New York?" I asked the question that had been on my mind since his introduction.
"Well… okay, I guess it's no secret. I moved there because of my wife," he shared.
"Oh, right! You mentioned having a little family," I said, slapping my forehead.
"Yeah. I have a three-year-old son. My wife's American, so when we got married, we decided it made more sense to move to the U.S. She doesn't speak Korean, but I speak English."
"That makes sense. So what's New York like? I've only seen it in pictures," I asked excitedly.
"The first time I went there, my jaw literally dropped. I don't even know what impressed me the most. It was so strange to see millions of taxis—like, that's almost all you see on the roads. And the Statue of Liberty… it was unbelievable to see it in person. Everything was amazing, but as the years passed, I started to feel that New York was really just another city. Apart from the landmarks, it's not that special. It's a lot like Seoul."
"Oh… that's kind of sad. Still, I'd like to go there someday," I smiled.
"It's worth visiting at least once. Definitely."
"I believe it. So you were born in Seoul originally?"
"No, I'm from Busan. But I lived in Seoul too. I went to Central High School there."
"What? Are you serious? I went there too!" I said, surprised.
"Really? You said you're 26, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then there's a 4-year gap between us. You must've started just as I was finishing. We just missed each other."
"That's a shame. We could've known each other by now," I said, a little disappointed.
"It's not too late to get to know each other," he shrugged. "But now tell me about yourself. Do you have a family? At 26, it's totally possible to start one."
"Despite that, I don't have anyone besides my parents. I work at a travel agency in Seoul and live alone in an apartment. I don't know, things just never really worked out for me," I sighed.
"I find that hard to believe. Even from another guy's perspective, you're very good-looking. Girls must be all over you. Are you saying you've never found anyone you seriously saw a future with?" he asked, surprised.
"Maybe because… well, I'm not attracted to girls," I said with a shy smile.
"Oh… you're gay?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Y-Yeah. But don't worry, you're not my type," I blurted out without thinking.
"Ouch," he laughed.
"I-I mean… I wouldn't make a move on you or anything. Plus, you're a married man and a father. I'm not that disrespectful," I stammered, and he gently patted my back.
"I really appreciate that. You don't need to explain yourself. You can't help who you are, and I respect that."
"Thank you. A lot of people hate me because of it. I'm just happy you accept me."
"You can count on me, Jimin."
"But we barely know each other. Why do you trust me so easily?" I giggled.
"Why not trust you? Do you plan to hurt me?" he narrowed his eyes teasingly.
"N-No, of course not."
"Then I've got nothing to worry about."
"You're right."
After that, we walked in silence for a while, but honestly, I didn't mind the quiet at all.
Once we had practically walked our legs off, Jungkook spoke again.
"There's no exit or anything interesting. What do we do now? Should we head back to the houses?"
"Yeah, I think so. We can figure something out there."
We turned back, and that's when we noticed someone walking toward us from the direction of the houses.
We could tell right away—it was someone else who had ended up here, just like us.
As he got closer, we could also tell by his face that he was Korean.
"Good evening," he said awkwardly. "Do you happen to know what this place is?" he asked politely.
"Unfortunately not... We were trying to figure that out too. But feel free to speak casually to meand I think to Jimin as well," Jungkook replied.
"Ah, alright. Hey Jimin, I'm Soo JunHae, but I prefer to just go by Juno. What's your name?" he asked Jungkook.
"I'm Jeon Jungkook," the black-haired man replied.
"Okay… So, have you figured out anything about what this place is?"
"Well, we've linked our arrival here to a book. It might sound crazy, but we don't think this is the real world," Jungkook explained.
"You said… a book?" Juno asked, surprised.
"Yes."
"That's weird… Earlier this evening I was out shopping for a few things for Christmas dinner, and I noticed a beautifully bound book on a shelf near the stationery section," he began, but I cut in quickly.
"Let me guess, the title was The Mystery of Christmas, right?"
"Exactly. I started reading the synopsis, but then this indescribable feeling came over me. I felt sick, somehow managed to get to the restroom, and then I collapsed," Juno finished.
"How far did you get in the synopsis?" Jungkook asked.
"I don't remember exactly, but I think it said something like somewhere there's a hidden Christmas village where you have to complete tasks to survive…? I don't know. That sounds way too dark for a holiday story. Christmas is about love and joy. Why would you have to fight to survive? I'm probably remembering it wrong," he said, but something about his behavior seemed off to me. Like he was hiding something... Or maybe I was just imagining it.
"Huh… I don't know. This whole thing is getting stranger by the minute," Jungkook said, frowning.
"But one thing's for sure… I have a bad feeling about this," I said. The others just nodded in agreement.