Lee Felix

The sun bathed the forest in a soft light, filtering through the treetops and sinking like liquid gold to the ground. Everything was so quiet, so calm, it was almost unfamiliar. The silence after long weeks of nonstop work in the lab was too exhausting, especially due to the pressure from his superiors and the high expectations for the results of his constant experiments. Hwang had been working on this project for almost a year, but there was no progress. The formulas were consistently flawed, and the experiments failed for the same reason. And despite his high qualifications and competence, he felt like he was trying to overextend himself. His life depended on coffee, cigarettes, and once-lofty ambitions. Tremors and the shadows of fatigue under his eyes became constant companions every day, and yet he paid no attention. Only when one morning began with him falling onto the tiled floor of his own bathroom did he decide to take a break from work. A walk in the forest was his first thought, and the only good one. He longed to get away from people and the city, to experience solitude and peace for the first time. The soft moss sagged beneath his steps, the leaves rustling occasionally as he examined the unusual flowers he'd never seen before. He wasn't a keen nature lover, but the fresh forest air really helped. It cleared his mind, constantly buzzing with thoughts, and required nothing but silence. Ahead, a clearing appeared, dotted with small, white flowers. But as he approached, he saw he wasn't alone. Amid the grass, right on the ground, sat someone. They were tugging at the flowers with slender fingers, arranging them into a small wreath. Their brown eyes were focused on their work, oblivious to anyone else's presence. Behind them, snow-white wings fluttered softly, almost completely folded, as if always prepared for danger. Hyunjin didn't want to stay here, but this creature looked too fragile for him to leave so easily.