December 30, 2020

Seoulia, Geumsa

The king, restored to his kinder side, ushers the group to the border of Seoulia and Kakatria. There, he leaves them -- August Suga (or Isaac Taehyung) with Sunshine, Robin Nieminen and Jimin Packalen.

August Suga, his silvery-purple hair shining under the flower crown, stares in awe at the completely white land. It's like snow is covering all the trees, brush, grass -- everything. In the distance is a crystal white castle, whose towers poke up into the off white sky. Heavenly is a word that comes to mind to describe the image of Seoulia.

Jimin looks at the dragon-man. "Is this what you've imagined the kingdom to look like?"

August Suga looks at him. "Yes. It is. It is everything August Suga thought it would be." He reaches out to touch the air across the border. His skin glistens in response and he smiles, drawing his arm back and momentarily bringing some of the glistening sparkles with him. They quickly evaporate though.

He looks at Sunshine, beaming largely.

Sunshine smiles and claps his hands, dancing in place.

Robin's eyes meet with Jimin's temporarily, before he looks away. It's awkward for them, since they were so against one another, fighting over the same girl. Jimin combs his hair with one hand and slides over to him.

Jimin sighs. "Hey, I'm sorry...I shouldn't, she's your girlfriend. I should back off. There'll be someone else for me, I'm sure. Heck, maybe I can stay here and find someone. Maybe I'll even become gay like August Suga and Gunnarwolfe."

August Suga puts his hands on his hips and scolds Jimin with a sharp glare.

Robin looks at him, not cracking a smile, but looking amazed and humbled by the apology. "That means a lot coming from you. You can't ignore your feelings, sometimes it leads you to crazy adventures. Sometimes it opens your eyes too."

"So, friends?" Jimin questions.

"Friends." Robin finally cracks a smile and they shake hands. "Let's get back to Finland. I think I've got an idea for Luna's present, but I'll need your help."

Jimin smirks. "Happily."

They all step across the border into Seoulia.

Instantly, August Suga's red wings change white and his flower crown brightens in color, paling into a white tint. Sunshine's wings change to white as well and he begins to chatter happily, finally able to have a voice.

"Sunshine!? You can speak again?!" August Suga gasps with delight.

"I can! I can!" Sunshine exclaims, clapping his hands and jumping up and down in delight.

"I was meaning to ask you about what happened...to him," Jimin remarks.

August Suga looks at him, smiling. "During the attack in Kakatria, one of the guards blasted my poor friend with a beam of red energy that zapped his vocal cords. I guess Seoulia is the only place he can speak in with all of its magic and healing."

Jimin nods. "I'm sorry."

"I've been dying to tell you that I love you too and that you've been so good to me all the years, August Suga," Sunshine says.

August Suga dips his head, still smiling. "Let's get to the palace and get our two musical friends back to their realm."

Robin touches his throat, worryingly but says nothing. "It'll be good to get back."

Jimin smiles at him. "Yes, and as new friends too."

Robin cracks a slight smile at that.

They soon reach the edge of the castle, which is in a massive clearing. A thicket of white thorns and flowers enclose either side of a grand staircase that leads up to the sparkling white structure. It looks every bit like it's out of a Disney-princess fairytale.

They all stop and look up the stairs and then begin to ascend, taking each step one at a time.

Before long, they are standing before a pair of stunning white-heavenly doors that slowly open up and reveal a large ballroom inside. Kim Hoseok is standing inside with an all-white based outfit and bleached blond hair under his glistening golden crown. In his hand is the pineapple-themed staff.

"Greetings once more, my friends," Hoseok remarks, opening his arms wide on either side and bowing. "I am not only the ruler of Kakatria, but also the great ruler of Seoulia. Of all of Geumsa. I am in charge of the great balance of this universe, including restoring memories and damaged goods that were once taken away."

Robin looks at him. "But you were..."

Hoseok chuckles and spins on his heels, motioning for them to follow him farther into the castle. "The combined singing and dancing helped to break the curse that was set upon me by a certain Lee WooJin from Earth. He who controls the ornament, controls the universe it is attached to. The moment he became the owner of the ball and forced Robin here, was the moment everything changed."

"But we restored things through dancing and his falsetto?" Jimin inquires.

Hoseok gives a gruff response. "Hmmm. Because of it, you've been blessed by Seoulia in different ways. Sunshine, your voice is healed, August Suga's memories have returned completely...and, as for you two," the king stops finally and turns to Robin and Jimin. "You both are able to forget about your past feud and have the capability to return to your home planet of Earth and the country you call Finland."

Hoseok spins back around and takes his staff, drawing a wide and deep oval shape in the air before him. A patch of purple mist appears, churning and beckoning to them, spitting off little spurts of energy.

"All I need from you is a gorgeous falsetto chorus into a glamorous high note that's on-key and then you both can be on your way," Hoseok says, stepping to the side and allowing Robin and Jimin to step up to the portal.

Robin opens his mouth, but only a horrible caterwauling squeak comes out. He shuts his mouth and grabs his throat. "I-I can't...when you were fighting the demon you, your staff's energy struck me. It must have damaged my vocal cords so I can't sing. Not even the magic of Seoulia can heal it..." He looks down and mutters. "Guess we're stuck here."

August Suga entangles his fingers in Sunshine's and nestles his head against the monkey-man's shoulder.

"Wait!" Sunshine shouts out. "I heard about another way!"

Kim Hoseok looks at him, perplexed and curious.

Robin's head snaps up and he looks at Jimin. They are both equally as shocked.

Hoseok, Robin and Jimin all ask, "What do you mean?"

Sunshine smiles. "Back when my friend first got here, there was this text that was hidden in the Busantia castle. It spoke about an alternate method to getting back to Earth. It said...that only the purest and most emotional dance could unlock the portal should a singer be unable to sing."

How convenient!? Jimin thinks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Ah!" Kim Hoseok remarks. "That text is merely to throw one off. That's plot-hole gibberish. Convenient boulderdash. Ridiculous and ludicrous. No, the only way back is by a falsetto chorus into a high note."

Sunshine shrugs. "Then why have it in a book?"

"Because sometimes you need a little convenient lie or deception in a fairytale," August Suga suggests.

Jimin looks at Robin, screwing his face up in thought. "It's worth a shot, I mean...I've been told my dancing is out of this world. And if I wasn't able to make something with hockey, it was a passion that I was going to pursue as a back-up plan."

He plants his feet, looking at Robin. And then he flicks his hand toward the king. "Give me some kind of instrumental track?"

King Kim Hoseok shrugs and taps the pineapple tip of his staff at the air, creating a series of musical notes that generate a sweet instrumental piece to which Jimin can create a spur-of-the-moment dance to.

Jimin gives the music a brief intro, gaining the feel and rhythm, before he launches into a beautiful angelic dance. He moves with expert fluidity and emotion that it stuns everyone in the room, including Robin.

Jimin throws his hands up with a professional contemporary flourish and then slowly and rhythmically brings his arms down, before flinging them out right at Robin and unknowingly blasting him with a stream of blue mist.

Robin blinks, feeling a similar musical rush like Princess Ariel getting her voice back from Ursula's broken seashell. He launches into song, while Jimin dances about the space, feeling the music inside of him:

"I was just a dreamer

Looking for more, longing for more

Now I'm chasing dreams

Like I've never done before."

Jimin's hands launch back into the air in a fury, swiveling with a fluid motion to the movement while Robin sings:

"I can soar up high,

To touch the clouds in the sky

I can reach up as they float on by

But it doesn't last for long..."

As Robin continues to sing, Jimin, with emotion in his face, brings his arms down. He hovers them close to the palace floor.

"What goes up, must come down

Now I'm just chasing dreams, around and around."

Jimin straightens up and looks at Robin, winking at him.

"Now I'm just chasing dreams," Robin, taking his cue, sings in a sultry falsetto that leads up into a carefully sung high note.

At once, the portal roars like a powerful tornado and a strong jet of wind shoots out, grabbing a hold of both Robin and Jimin and pulling them toward it.