#yunjong

The wooden sword in your hand wasn't new, nor was the uniform on your back. The air around the mountain felt stale, like nothing new was in the wind. Every sunrise and sunset felt the same, the sect's decline being the only constant other than the fact that time still moved on.

You sat back against a tree, the evening breeze caressing your chin as it gently swept by. You fiddled with the ribbon that previously held your hair up and out of your face. Now, your fingers ran along it; even this was a lot to afford in the sect. No matter how much one holds their pride up…even you sometimes wonder if Mount Hua was the right place to have ventured to. And yet…the descending sun seemed to bring hope that good fortune on its rise.

"I was wondering where you were. Jo Gul said you hadn't come back after a short hike." A familiar voice said behind her. "Care for a little company?" You looked back over your shoulder at Yunjong, who was offering a soft smile.

You slowly nodded, and he walked up to take a seat next to you. He looked toward the sunset as you turned your gaze back to the sunset. It was calm and quiet. The only sound was the branches above us rustling and the occasional whisp of the wind.

"…Hey, Yujong? Do you…" You trailed off, almost afraid of what you wanted to ask. Is he worried about the future? Does it feel like we'll run our youth into the ground trying to survive? What becomes of the cherry blossoms of the future?

"You okay…?"

"Yunjong, what comes next?" You blurt out, "Sorry..I.."

He smiled softly before sighing, "To be honest..I don't know. Probably tomorrow." You laughed before rolling your eyes as his smile dropped to a small straight line. "…I want to have hope that something good awaits us when the sun rises. Even a plum reblooms after a harsh winter somehow."

Slowly, you leaned your head until it rested on his shoulder; his body stiffened before he relaxed and leaned his head over to rest on top of yours.

The golden sun dipped down, the dark purple of night drawing its curtain over the western mountains, small twinkles of stars starting to showcase their delight. The orange and reds painted the dimming horizon like an artistic masterpiece as it continued to draw forward the night.

"This is nice, Yunjung."

"…It's always nice with you."

"….Can we watch the sunrise tomorrow? Just in case good fortune awaits."

"We can watch it until the plum trees stop existing."

The two sat idle, words whispered under the sounds of nature, unaware of the mad fortune crawling its way to Mount Hua.