2 July 2021

Bucheon

"Why is it so hot already?" I mumbled before figuring out that the warmth was in my bed. I didn't put it past Junhui to have smuggled in a giant teddy bear. Trailing my fingers across satin-smooth brown fur, I confirmed my suspicion. I sat up rapidly when I remembered that no synthetic fibre would feel like this.

Turning over onto my left side, I noticed the large wingspan where my back was a few seconds ago. I rolled back onto my right side and saw my boyfriend's face on this body. My shrieks of horror woke up the sphinx-like chimera. He tugged the blanket underneath me, and I fell to the floor. As I stood up, rubbing my sore backside, I looked at the bed again.

"It's me," the vampire clutched the linen tightly to his body. This time, I saw the bare skin of his fingers and arms, calming down. My cheeks flushed red again as I realised he was probably naked from whatever happened last night. I wouldn't have gotten tipsy on peanut butter-flavoured whisky if I had known this would happen.

"Let me use the bathroom first," I scurried as if there were a fire. I splashed water across my face and tried to remember what happened last night. All I remembered was the Seventeen member singing Chinese ballads in an effort to help me sleep. The only way I would know why he moved from the couch to the bed was if I asked him.

Thankfully, Junhui was fully dressed and I heard him requesting that breakfast for two be brought upstairs. "How long have you been having nightmares?" was a question I hadn't been expecting. "I even tried hypnosis but it took a while. You were shivering afterwards so I decided to become a teddy bat. What do you dream of? I think you should be taking some sort of sedative."

"The scenes change every night but the outcome is still the same," I shook my head, glad that there was a somewhat logical explanation for the events of last night. "That form of yours hadn't ever appeared in my visions hence I wailed like a banshee a few minutes ago. I want you to survive your battle but all I ever see is loss."

"And that's the importance of today's date," he placed the blanket around my shoulders. The red dawn outside warned of blistering heat but I was too numb to feel it. Hearing footsteps approaching, he answered the door and wheeled in the trolley. Reaching into his wallet, he tipped the staff extra for secrecy, placing a finger on his lips. "How much did you drink last night?"

"Five itty-bitty tumblers of whisky, with ice," I reacted defensively, not wanting to be criticised.

"I'm not judging, I need to establish an alibi," the singer laughed. "You seemed pretty normal by the time you got here but I need you to tell everyone that you're hungover and will join them for the afternoon screening." I nodded as he buttered toast for me and I then took my plate from him. Greasy, salty bacon was just what I needed.

"Done," I pecked the vampire's cheek out of forgiveness at ever doubting him and he smiled before attacking his fried eggs. After eating, we would go for a walk in one of the many gardens advertised before he would take me to our destination. The only people out were joggers, focused more on the paths than people in their proximity.

Hours later, I spotted an enormous building up ahead but the sign was invisible. I turned toward my date but he smirked, refusing to unveil the secret until the last possible moment. "We can get ice cream while we wait," the Seventeen member had me wait while he bought two tubs of Ppoya Marble, my favourite. God, did he know how to tantalise a girl.

"It's finally 9 o'clock," he took my hand and helped me up. "Bucheon Bow Museum" revealed the mystery and Junhui held open the door for me. When we went through, we saw a white paper announcing that the guide was sick so we'd have to read the informational plaques- until I remembered that my date had witnessed most of the history of archery.

"When I was a prince, Chinese crossbows employed sophisticated bronze trigger mechanisms. However, the trigger mechanisms reverted to simpler designs by the time I returned, either because the skill was lost during the Yuan Dynasty or due to the increasing prominence of cannons. The bow and arrow were still important in naval battles, though."

He paused, the both of us reading the corresponding plaques about Korean history. "Confucius was an archery teacher and said, 'A refined person has no use for competitiveness. Yet, if he cannot avoid it, then let him compete through archery.' Archery skills were a regular part of the military syllabus while standing and mounted."

"The Six Arts were math, calligraphy, literature, equestrianism, archery, music and rites." We paused to look at paintings of hunting using horseback archery, fowling with a pellet bow, and waterfowling with a tethered arrow. The last type of archery had died out before I was born. While Korean and Japanese traditions have been directly passed on, Chinese rites haven't."

"Despite the adoption of firepower and gunpowder weapons, the bow and arrow were still used in the military arsenal because of the slow firing rate and lack of reliability in early firearms. This changed around the time of Madam Ching, the famous prostitute-turned-pirate. Archery was banned from the military exam syllabus just over a century ago."

"In the 1920s, between the collapse of imperial China and World War II, there was a short-lived effort to revive traditional archery practice. Once the war ended, traditional bow makers continued their craft until the Cultural Revolution 50 years ago, when politics forced them to suspend the manufacture of traditional bows."

"A couple of years before you were born, Ju Yuan Hao resumed bow-making and until recently, was the only active workshop constructing bows and arrows in the traditional Chinese style. When I started high school, there was a revival, including an annual Chinese Traditional Archery Seminar. There's a similar revival with traditional scripts: knowledge is being lost."

I dared to ask why and he smiled as he complied: "With everything going digital, complex script is too difficult to type. China even has televised shows, featuring prizes for the winners, mainly from schools and universities. I didn't enter those competitions because I didn't want to annihilate my younger competitors, with thousand years' of writing under my quill."

"How thoughtful," I laughed, joyous at learning more about the vampire. I offered to buy lunch but he refused.

"I'm backed by a god of wealth, and you have your future to think about. The only times you're allowed to spend money on me are my birthday and Christmas," he wouldn't stop frowning until I gave in. We finished just in time to leisurely walk back to view the afternoon show, sitting in separate rows but meeting glances during the intermissions. Best date ever, I smiled.