The evenings in Sanheoli, as she decided as always from behind her bedroom window, is always calm and quiet. The fresh air from the east where the oceans lie still – never breaking their eternal bond with the foot of the hills just outside – feels colder by the time they reach this town. It smells natural, just like earth.

Lisa can't recall how many times she has inhaled and left out a relieved sigh, wondering how lucky she is to be blessed with such an opportunity in being so close with tranquility. And no longer to feel the breeze from just the compound of her house, she finally gets to live it outside today.

I'm not sure how this place looked like before...but it must've been equally magical. Daddy sure kept to his word – wanting to build the town like Guatape. His honeymoon with mom to Colombia ages ago must've stuck solid in his memory, looking at the determination!

Lisa has never been to Guatape but she'd seen the pictures and has heard of how beautiful the town is from her mother. It felt magical, in her mother's own words. She always thought the elder meant more about their 'honeymoon' experience but to walk along the streets today...she can understand why.

The town of Sanheoli had somehow been overlooked by many map-dwellers. A valley, surrounded by high hills at its north, east, and west, with rich and thick forest covering its south – as far as the hills can see. Perhaps the old settlement was never much of an attraction. When Lisa first got here, she thought of how sad it was for the place to be abandoned by the modern world outside but now...now she wishes it stays the same.

The quaint houses and shops are adorned with colorful hand-painted frescoes. Fragrant bougainvillea spills beautifully from red and blue-tiled roofs and the carefully-paved streets are covered with cobbles – encouraging a perfect walk at any time of the day. Life seems to be moving at peace since there are no cars allowed in the main center, but even on the normal streets where it is, she could see the towners living at the pace of a horse-and-cart totters.

She had walked from the man-made lagoon that her father and his people dug – watching boats bobbing in the harbor as the sun rises – and took her time to venture around the fish markets, fountain garden, and into the town's main center where most of the tourists' hotspots will flourish. It is so different than the life she knew and heard...the people here seems to not mind competing for money or power.

Lisa had been so immersed and captivated by her own thoughts of the place that she hadn't realize when it started being cloudy. The grey sky descends above Sanheoli out of the blue and forced her feet to climb back up to the Manobal's house. Now resting her feet at one of the bus stops that is yet to operate - around 20 feet higher than the town's ground - she rehearsed again on what to say to her father.

The elder initially wanted her to be just as she had been – kept safe from the 'harsh' world, he said. It took almost a year for Lisa's mother to convince the man that she had lost many years by being inside four walls and a garden, and it's about time for Lisa to find her 'true self'. Her father only agreed when he realized that he'd have to pass all of his 'achievements' to someone one day.

She didn't know what she felt when she first heard it...especially when she looks out to Sanheoli. A place shouldn't be marked or owned by a single person, she thought. Not when the place already has its own heritage – locals that have settled in much longer than they have. 

Sure, they seemed to be taking all these changes in happily ever since, but she didn't think she wanted her name to be stamped on it. I'm just a normal girl...barely nineteen. What do I want with a piece of land and its people?

The roaring with its unseen flashes of thunders above the clouds made her nervous. Weird that it was sunny the whole day and the beautiful violet sky had made its appearance just an hour ago, yet now it looks like a bad storm is coming. A sudden rush of wind hits her face first, and she closes her eyes on instinct. 

The scarf hanging loosely around her neck swept away and Lisa began panicking. Just as she turns her head to find it – her bangs and strands of untied hair messily interrupts her vision – the breeze stops as if they were halted. Lisa found her yellow silk scarf in the hand of a guy.

"Hello," A friendly smile is coupled with a small frown.

Standing tall from behind her, a guy with broad shoulders in black shirt and skinny jeans came forward, handing her the scarf. When she took it, his smile gets wider. His cheeks look a little flushed and some of his hair falls scruffily across his forehead. His face is beautiful and his eyes remains on her as he took a seat one foot away.

"I've never seen you before...you with the contractors?"

Lisa couldn't find herself to speak, partly because his face is so mesmerizing to look at. Another is because there's only the two of them here. She hadn't felt unsafe throughout her walks about town and her father hadn't warned her about any danger in particular before she left the house but...would it be wise to talk to this stranger?

"You must be. They haven't opened this place for tourists yet," He continues, throwing his gaze to the dispersing grey clouds. The violets gradually re-appear and Lisa finds herself frowning at the quick change of weather. "I heard the workers are leaving next week. You guys must be excited to go back home huh?"

She got back at his side profile. Something about his friendliness pays her caution. Of course, she had gotten wide-eyes and beaming smiles today, said a couple of 'hellos' and 'goodbyes' but it's hardly called making friends. Why is he stopping here? There are no buses operating yet and if he's a local, surely, he must have known it. 

"Not a big talker, are you?" He glanced at her and smirked – which for some annoying reason, makes him look extra attractive. "That's okay...too much talking didn't do me any good either," He sighed and looks back to the nothingness ahead, leaning back and putting his weight by the palms of his hands. From the looks of his arms and traces of his veins, she could tell that he had done some heavy works.

"When there's too many people telling you what to do...or how things should be...you can't say much, you know?" There's also those extra slurring in his words...as if he's been drinking. Her mother always spoke like this when she has a bit to drink. That would explain his blotched pink cheeks.

"Not gonna lie...I hated it when y'all first came here. It's already crowded with judgmental and high believers. This guy came in and suddenly, he became a savior. What a load of crap!"

Wow...he really laughed that part out with his whole chest!

"But I guess...y'all did a great job at turning the place around. And not wanting people like me to go out. Offering jobs so we can kiss some tourists' asses, just so we can dream a little...but not too much. No...never too much..." And now he sounds sad...depressed even.

"Dream...what good will it be if we're stuck here? What good is a dream if you can't chase it around? When people around you keep saying that it's no use – that it'll cause more harm than good? It's like a war zone...you see..." He suddenly turned to face her fully.

"I've been thinking about the concept of time - how we started and how we end. Maybe there is no end. Maybe it's all just a cycle of beginnings, yet you're promised that you'll be a part of it. You get to a certain age and the elders die, right? But it doesn't end there. I'll probably be fifty years old when I die but there's this legacy – this history, it's forced to carry on. It'll keep going in fucking circles and I..."

His pupils dilated and it seems like he's trying hard to focus on her face.

"Shit, I can't even remember what I was gonna say!"

That's unfortunate...he really got my attention there! "Your um..." Her small voice finally makes an appearance. "Your dream...what is it?"

His lips curved downwards as he weighed out on whether he should tell her, but it didn't last long. "I wanna get out of here...see the world...see if it's any good...but it'll disappoint everyone. I don't know...sometimes I feel trapped but like, maybe I wanna disappoint them, you know? Like, I wanna know what's out there – are the people the same? Better? Worse? I always feel there's more to it but I...I don't know, maybe I'm wrong,"

Oh...that's it? Wait – "Here...as in...Korea?"

"I'd be lucky if I even made it over that hill," He chuckled – gesturing to the top from where they sat.

Well, that's...surprising! "I thought there's a market-truck that goes out every morning? And there are boats that heads out and back in for supplies?" Seriously, what's so hard about getting out of Sanheoli?

"Traders...not 'market'. You must've been in town for quite some time to know about the trucks. Wonder why I've never seen you before?" He squints his eyes and cocks his head to a side.

Lisa have yet to introduce herself properly around town. It is, again, her first time of being out. And the guy did just - sort of - threw a little shade on her father...

"Wonder why you haven't thought about the trucks if you've been here longer? Since you're basically saying that you know every faces in town...you are a local here, right?"

"I wouldn't say so...and about ninety-nine percent of the locals will agree with me," He grins.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that..." He suddenly jerked forward, stopping his face only a few inches away from hers. Lisa felt her heartbeat racing at the close proximity. "Damn...you're even more beautiful up close!" His whisper brings shivers on her neck. The liquorish breath confirms her earlier assumption. "If I get on the truck tomorrow..." His eyes darted on her lips. "...will you go with me?"

His eyes shined and in a matter of seconds, she thought she saw them changing color. It was dark brown before and now they're grey. How is that even possible? Warm air suddenly grazes against her cheeks and it feels like she's hypnotized somehow. Dizziness...and he's the only one in her vision. It took her a couple of seconds to break away from that trance and she shook her head, backing away.

Fanning her face with one hand, she tries to act nonchalant by throwing her gaze back to the town's view. What was that?? "That's ridiculous – why would I go with a complete stranger?" Damn it, why is my stomach feeling weird? And my throat - I need something cold...maybe an ice-cream - "I kinda like it here, to be honest! I'm only trying to help...giving suggestions –"

A floating something catches her eyes, stopping her mid-sentence. The soft breeze can't be strong enough to fly anything by and as it gets closer, Lisa realizes that it's a petunia from the roadside. Noticing a movement by her side, she glanced to find the guy gesturing his hand forward and slowly moving close to her. Her frown deepens as the violet flower rests strategically on her lap.

"What –" Her intended question was cut off when she caught him staring intently. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful,"

She suddenly felt a palm on her cheek, pulling her to face him and out of nowhere, his lips are on hers. In shock, her eyes meet with his closed ones. His lips feel soft and pillowy against her own, and she could feel the soft tickles of his breath beneath her nose, with his fingers grazing from her cheek to her neck. Her mind went completely blank while warmth blossomed in her chest.

When he tilts his head more and brushed her lips with his tongue, Lisa felt a weird sensation of attachment to lean more into the kiss. He tastes like a mix of malt and apple. Sweet...yet bitter. So this is what it feels like... My first kiss...my first...kiss?

The realization felt like cold water on a winter morning. Lisa pushed the guy away and slapped him before hiding her lips behind one palm – as if the action could erase the fact that she had let this stranger kiss her. What was I thinking – what the hell is wrong with me?? Seriously, have I been romanticizing how it feels like to be in love too much that I sent off that vibe?!

Clearly, the guy isn't as confused as she is. Quite the opposite, his lips curved up into a calm smile as he rubs the slapped cheek with one hand.

"Well...that woke me up!" He suddenly stood up. "Thank you for your suggestion and uh...have a good night,"

With that, he walks off and away from her – leaving Lisa to dwell on what just happened as he heads back the route into the town. Still sitting upright from her own shock, she gazes back to her front before looking down to her feet, where the petunia had fallen.

Sanheoli keeps attracting her, that's for sure!

...