Chapter 103 - IN DANGER

After eating a late lunch, which she really takes her time chewing the food while watching the suspension bridge, Jieun once again stand near the bridge. 

She is not afraid of heights person as long as she knows herself.  But because  the bridge is quite high and swaying makes her feel nauseous for some reason.  Also, how long the bridge was did not directly help to calm her heart. Because of that, she took quite a while before wanting to continue her journey again.

"Why do I feel so nervous now?" Jieun said to herself while massaging her chest.  Trying to calming herself.

Suddenly the weather turned cloudy, quite dark.  Jieun start to feel worried if the day starts to rain. It's already snowing, and if it rains, then she will definitely face some trouble.  Freezing rain is never good for people who are on the outside.

"Not now. Please." She is begging now. She knew that she needed to move quickly, crossing the bridge right away before the rain really fall down.

Not wanting to think too long due to feeling a bit rush there to complete her mission, Jieun start moving. Inhale and exhale her breath several times to calm herself before she really get starting.

"Ah, I don't know. Let just done this fast." She said.

She holds the rope on the suspension bridge that serves as reinforcer, on her left and right tightly.  She can see that the bridge sway up again now due to her  touch even though the wind was not there then.

Slowly she stepped on the wood floor of the bridge and started moving. One step, two steps... As she got her rhythm and her confident is resurface, she started walking fast so that she can finish early.

"This is better than I thought. Not scary at all. I was nervous for no reason before." She said, relieved now, even smiling happily as she thought she could cross the bridge easily unlike what Princess Lia had told her.

"Did she deliberately say that this bridge is scary because she just wants to scare me?" Jieun start telling herself. Did not understand the true purpose of Princess Lia.

But, just as she felt calm, suddenly, the wind that had disappeared earlier began to blow quite hard there, the rain that she beg not to fall before also began to fall little by little now.

"Oh no."  Jieun start to feel like her body is in the air.

The bridge is now shaking so much. Her body also seemed to fly like a kite, making Jieun even lose her footing there. She started sitting on the bridge while forcing herself to get up now. She knows she needs to move fast because this kind of weather will only get worse each passing time. She can't wait there!

Her eyes at the time cannot be opened properly due to the strong wind and the rain that is now falling heavily. Her whole body is now shaking because of the coldness that she can feel now till her bone. Her whole body is also wet because of the rain. Rain in the winter is clearly freezing!

"Move!" Jieun encouraging herself.  Still holding tightly on the rope. She knows if she doesn't do something she will probably get hypothermia in this case.

While screaming, she manages to move little by little there even though the bridge is shaking in horror. It's just like she is riding a roller coaster now, but more scary than that. One, two, three step and then she had to stop whenever the wind making her wobbly. When she finds her balance again, she resumes her stride again.

Both of her hands are now feeling so hurt because she was not wearing gloves at the time and had to grip a rough rope there to help her gain balance. She scolded herself for that. She didn't think that further.

While she was trying to walk there suddenly a strong wind pushed her a little so that she was pushed forward and lost her grip on the rope making her fall face down at the bridge.

Turning herself to face the now rainy sky, she was now lying on the still swinging bridge. She feels tired a little now.

"I'm fine. I can do this."  Jieun trying hard try to hypnotize her mind there so that she will not get scared. Being scared at this time only will make things difficult for her.

Still not giving up, she has now changed her mission to a self -rescue effort. She cannot go back as she is already halfway. It will make her effort go in vain. So she just decides to keep going until she reaches the final destination. She doesn't have much choice anyway.

"Come on!"  Jieun scream to herself now before going back in action.

She stood there again and wanted to keep walking, but only a few steps, she come across an unfortunate fate that found her. The wood that was trampled now apparently had rotted and made her fall there. Again, making her miss the grip on the bridge rope. One of her legs is now included in the hole.

"Argh!"

She is now screaming in pain as her leg scratches to the broken wood. Even though it's rotten, it's still hurting her, making her pant is now torn a little.

Her hands are now supporting her.  Holding the sturdy wooden floor and the rope now.  Knocking the wooden floor in front of her, make sure it doesn't rotten before she concentrates her strength there trying to pull her legs up again. 

"Hiyahhhh!"

Having succeeded there. Jieun take a deep breath to ease her uneasy heart. She holds her necklace now asking for help that she hasn't asked for in a long time. She make a decision to start crawling little by little. No longer able to stand as her strength was almost gone.

"Just a little now." She said as she could see from a distance, the road at the end.

However, fate was still not on her side when suddenly a very strong wind began to appear and as if hitting her there even made the rope of the suspension bridge break on the left side.

"Ugh!" Jieun who managed to cling to one of the rope that is still strong there, start hanging on the bridge that has already collapsed in half.

"What?" She can't believe her eyes now with the situation that suddenly happened.

Now her eyes began to look down. The river water at that time was flowing very fast because of the heavy rain there. Jieun, who is not really a good swimmer started to get worried. She knows she can survive and have much more higher chances if the river is calm, but this... She can't be sure now.

So, by biting her lip, she is now trying to hold on there. Moving using the rope while clinging. But since her energy has been already low her movement is feeling heavy now. She knows she will fall anytime, but she refuses to give up so easily.

About 10 minutes she remained there, she finally loses her grip and fall down now. Weirdly, her eyes at that time managed to look at her glowing necklace there.  It glow, for the second time now since the last time at the palace before.

She can feel that she fall, but slowly in pace. She knows, she will not feel hurt by the impact of the water if she fall like this.  As though it is water, but if humans fall at such a high height, it can still hurt the body as the water will feel solid just same as fall down on concrete.

Slowly, Jieun is now finally make a contact with the river. As her body touches the water, the light on her necklace disappears instantly making her feel her struggle now. Because the water of the river flowing fast she began to continuing sinking and arose there.

Using her leftover energy, she tries to swim but only become more exhausted as the water is too fast there. Swaying herself.  She cant win against nature. 

"Help!" Jieun said even though she knew no one was able to hear her at the time. Her mouth at the time already entered a lot of water.  Making her feeling force to drink it.  Her backpack in her behind, hinder her movement so much as it become so heavy now. 

'I don't want to die yet...  Not before I know the truth'.  Jieun said in her mind now.  She also suddenly remembered Eun-Woo's face there.

"Eun-Woo... help." Jieun ask for that last time before she at the time stops her movement.  She didn't have any energy anymore.  She start sinking there while her eyes still open widely.

'Is this the end?'  She ask herself while drowning.

But, just about she wanted to close her eyes there, she could see the water that surrounding her was glowing brightly.  Vaguely from a distance she saw as if something was approaching her. The water that felt fast earlier seemed to calm down.. There she felt her hand being pulled, but before knowing what was going on she finally fainted.