A/N: I know that you all know the story of Omelas, but I want to re-tell it and serve as an introduction for this short story. I also added a few scenes. Thank you :)

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JEONGYEON'S POV

Few weeks had passed since I found real magic in my life--that was when I found myself smiling and laughing with someone whom I used to love. It's a bitter experience for me since it's a kind of relationship that I didn't want to experience, yet I still did. I guess it's an inevitable experience for each individual who is inlove. There will always be those relationships which causes bad luck to people like me.

I heaved a deep sigh as I step out of the coffee shop. I observed everyone who is passing by me. It's winter and everyone is in their winter clothes. Some people are wearing earmuffs and is rushing towards the closing supermarket stall. It's only a few days from now before Christmas and people are sure busy buying their loved ones gifts.

I hugged my book with me and and joined the crowd. I walked in a slow pace because I was watching these kids playing snowballs in the park. I don't know where they are getting those laughters and smiles even though our town is full of frowned faces, corrupted people and broken hearts. Our town is the ugliest in this state. It's full of unhappy people with unhappy thoughts.

I suddenly remembered this kid whom I used to play with during my childhood days. He has this slick black hair that suits him. His eyesmiles are the best and I would die just to see it again. It's been 20 years since I last saw him and thinking about him makes me want to go back in time. He's my best friend.

Eversince I moved here, I lost contact with him. I never got the chance to talk to him again. I tried searching for him through Facebook and other social networking sites, but I never found him. I miss our memories, though.

Someone pushed me, so I stumbled down and landed on the pile of white snow. No one dared to help me to stand up, so I stood up on my own and brushed the dirt off from my clothes. I continued walking until I reached my unit.

I share this unit with my sister, Seungyeon. She's a painter and has an art gallery. She makes the best paintings. She does different types of art forms such as impressionism, abstract expressionism, realistic art and the most trendy today: lipstick art. It's the kind of art wherein she puts on lipstick on her lips and kisses the canvas multiple times to finish her work. Her first lipstick art was me. She made a portrait of me using her lips and her lipsticks. She bought about 500 pieces of lipsticks that time to finish that portrait of me. She then gave it to me as a gift. I clearly remember her lips that moment when she handed it to me. It's a bit swollen and I believe that it aches a lot. After that, I told her not to do it anymore, but she didn't do it. She told me that will just do it occassionally.

"I'm home, unnie." I shouted as soon as I stepped in. I placed my book on the side table and looked for her. I can smell the aroma of coffee beans inside our unit. Maybe she's making coffee for us since she knows that we both can't live without coffee.

I saw her inside the kitchen with a big ass canvas. There are lots of coffee stains everywhere and the aroma of the beans is stronger. It makes my stomacj crave.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. She peeked out and smiled at me.

"Coffee art. I used coffee as my base this time."

"Okay. Last time, lipsticks and now, coffee?" I asked with a bitchy tone. She chuckled and put her paintbrush down. She stood up from her stool and stretched out her arms. I looked at her painting. It's a painting of a guy and a girl standing under an umbrella, both laughing. I can tell that the season is fall. "Where did that idea come from?"

"From you and your ex." She said. I raised one of my eyebrows, thinking when did that scene happen. "Here's a picture in case you forgot." She handed me her camera with me and my ex-boyfriend's photo. Okay, I can remember when did this happen. This was when we brought ice cream during autumn at the Seoul Forest. It was such a dreamy memory. "Oh, by the way," She rushed towards the living room and came back with two plane tickets. "I brought us tickets!"

"To where?" I asked with my furrowed eyebrows.

"To Omelas! People say that it's the happiest place on Earth." She said as if it's a very important fact that I need to know.

"What if it's not?"

"It is! I contacted my friends about this thing and they told me that it's really the happiest place to be." She answered.

"Happier than Disneyland?"

"Happier than Disneyland." She nodded. "The flight is on the 25th."

"Oh, it's two days from now."

"Yes!" She pointed her forefinger to my face with a smirk on her face and knees lowered down. "Did you bring dinner? I didn't cook."

"Of course, you didn't. You don't know how to cook." She laughed from my statement. "What do you want? I'll cook."

"Anything, my sister!"

*

So, my sister and I landed to this so-called happy place. Its name is Omelas and it's the happiest place for these people whom I call shallow. There are lots of kids that are running around with genuine smiles from their faces. Adults are also laughing because of these different amusement attractions.

"OMG! I am so excited to try that rollercoaster!" Seungyeon unnie pointed the huge and tall rollercoaster ride here. I even can't see the top because it's just so high. The back of my neck started to ache just by looking at it.

"It looks hella dangerous." I told her.

"It's fun! You're such a killjoy." I just let her drag me towards the ticket booth. She started buying different tickets for different attractions. She's so ready to try all of these. It's as if we can't go back here to continue having fun, tss. "C'mon!" After the ride finished, the people started hopping off. It's our turn now to ride. Me and my sister hopped in the first cab.

*

I've got to admit it. This place is really the funnest and happiest! I've got to tell this to other people!

"Look! You're smiling from eye to eye!" My sister laughed at me, causing me to laugh as well. We looked like idiots laughing, but that's what other people do as well. Everyone in this place looks like idiots because of too much laughing and too much happiness.

"I thought this place is fake." I said with a smile and continued eating my ice cream. "Happiest place on Earth? I agree."

"Good." She nodded. "Wait, I'll just go to the comfort room."

"Sure." I told her and focused on eating. I was scrolling on my photo gallery when someone approached me. I felt a different aura from him because he's not smiling. His face is too serious which made me nervous all of a sudden. "Excuse me? May I help you?"

"Why did you come here?" He asked.

"My sister took me here. Why?" I asked back. Seriously, he's creeping the hell out of me. I wanted to run away from him, but I can't move my legs.

"This place is made to deceive people." An eyebrow of mine raised. How can he even say that it's fake when you can find happiness here? Maybe he hasn't yet rode any of the attractions. I've got to recommend him to play from the stalls.

"That's just you."

"You won't believe me?" I didn't respond. "Everything you're seeing is fake."

"So, this is a dream?"

"That's not what I meant." He said and turned more serious. Maybe he's getting annoyed because I'm playing with my answers. "Every smile you see is fraud. Every laughter you hear is fake. Nothing is real here."

"How can you say that, mister stranger?"

"It's because of a boy." He answered. "Let me tell you a secret." I wanted to pull away from him, but his whispers sent chills to my spine. "Under this place is a secret dungeon where a boy lives. He was taken from nowhere and was placed in the dungeon. His sadness is the cause of everyone's happiness. The government here sacrifices a lonely and abandoned kid, so that the land will be happy." I didn't want to believe him at first because it's just too fictional. "Do you understand?"

"I understand that you're kidding me." He looked unamused when our eyes met which made my heart run wild because of nervousness. He suddenly grabbed my wrist and took me somewhere. I don't know where he took me, but I just found ourselves infront of the cage where the boy that he says live.

I didn't dare to step forward since everything is still unclear to me. I'm confused and curious as the same time. To see is to believe, and what I'm seeing right now is what he's telling me earlier. The boy is real. The dungeon is real. The sadness is real.

I can only see the boy's hair because of the reflection of a little light bulb as his source of light inside the dungeon. I can tell that his hair is used to be blonde because it's all faded now. His hair is also soiled. I don't know if he's moving because he's just hugging both of his legs and his head is lowered.

"Do you believe me now?" The guy behind me asked. I looked at him and gulped.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"You must tell everyone to leave this place. You must lead them here to see the boy of Omelas. People will keep on believing that happiness can be found in this rotting land." He explained. I glanced at the boy right away. Actually, he's not a boy anymore. He's grown up, but I think he's just the same age as me or older. "I'll wait here. Tell all those people what you saw." I just nodded and went back to the city of Omelas.

Seeing these smiles suddenly scared me. I can't believe that everyone is happy because someone needs to sacrifice his happiness for those people. These people are selfish and blind.

"Jeongyeon!" I turned around to see my sister. She's sweating and her face is full of worriment. She held both of my shoulders and cupped my cheeks. "Where have you been?! I was looking for you everywhere!"

"U-Unnie..." I trailed. I don't know how am I going to tell them this. I tilted my head around the place and saw a man singing on his little stage and everybody is applauding. This might be the only way. I ran away from my sister and joined the man on the stage. Everybody groaned because I distrupted their idol's song. "Everyone!" I yelled and they all became silent. "I-I've got something to tell you."

"What is it?!" Someone from the crowd yelled.

"You have to see it before I tell you. Everyone, follow me."

"How can you tell that you are a fraud?"

"How can you live a life laughing because of a fraud place?" I asked him back. Their eyebrows crossed from what I asked. "Under this city is a lonely boy. He was sacrificed by the government. His loneliness is the happiness of each and everyone of you." I explained, but they still looked confused. I sighed. "If you don't want to believe me, come and see." I said and hopped off from the stage. They looked at me with furrowed eyebrows and confusing looks, but I still told them to just followed me.

They were hesitant to take a step, but when someone did, everybody started following me. I led them to the underground dungeon that the unknown man has been telling me.

"Here he is, the lost and lonely boy of Omelas. The reason why everybody is happy above this place." I said. They shocked faces is just as shocked as mine when I first encountered him. I saw how they gulped and how they turned white. Almost everyone became pale and everybody ran away. They all went upstairs, away from the boy.

"J-Jeongyeon! Let's get out of here!" Seungyeon unnie said and held my wrist. I stared at the boy and when our eyes met, everything in my mind went blank. Everything seemed like it slowed down and it became blurred. All I can see now is the face of my childhood best friend.

My sister dragged me away from the place and joined the crowd.

Park Jimin...is that you? Are you the lost boy of Omelas?

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