A/N: And here we are at the last chapter for the Jeju before we move on to Seoul. The places I will mention here are personally my favorite places out of all the ones I visited during the Jeju part of my vacation, but I'm not sure I'll be able to properly convey the beauty and majesty of what I saw through mere words. I high, HIGHLY RECOMMEND you look up the places on Google images so that you'll be able to truly understand what I saw and what the family will soon see.
Jillygalaxy: William will be damned forever. He's guilty not just of crimes against the body but crimes against the soul, and there's a reason why he's suffering eternally in the lowest pits of Hell at Nightmare's (lack of) mercy. Also, I don't believe in the theory that Ballora is William's wife. It's a nice idea but one that has very little substantial evidence to back it up. It won't be true in this fic, at any rate.
JustMegaMothim: I honestly don't think that the Funtimes were ever possessed by souls. As far as I know, the only Funtime that was explicitly shown to be possessed was Baby.
DeathTheWolf: I should specify that when I say "a ghost can't harm humans," I meant to say an "isolated ghost not possessing anything can't harm humans." Every other dangerous possessed animatronic, even ones with special designation like Springtrap, Baby, and Puppet, were physical beings possessed by someone else. There is NO other example of a ghost taking on the shape of an animatronic in all of FNAF, which makes me doubt that FNAF1 Golden Freddy is a ghost to begin with. It makes more sense to me that he's an animatronic that has more supernatural powers than usual to compensate for the fact that he can't move. And I don't think I'll explain how Shadow Bonnie and Golden Freddy "crash the game" in this fic's verse, mainly because I honestly haven't given it much thought since it was never a major detail.
Thx: I usually update on late Thursdays. I originally tried to do it every week, but with how busy my schedule's getting because of second year med school I will have to skip a week every so often. At worst, I can guarantee at least one chapter a month, though I haven't been forced to do that yet and I'll try my hardest to avoid that level of infrequency.
Phillip: I'm not sure yet.
Chapter 66 – Vacation to Korea Part 4
"Wake up, Mike!"
Mike groaned as he rolled about in the hotel bed. "It's…too…early…" he mumbled. "I wanna sleep…"
"Mike!" Melody pushed at his arm. "Wake up! We have to go now if we want to see the sunrise!"
Mike blearily opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock. "At 3 AM?" he mumbled. "This early?"
"If we miss this, we might not ever get another opportunity!" Melody exclaimed. "We have to make sure we get there on time!"
"Why…are you guys…so loud…?" a sleepy voice interrupted. Mike and Melody both turned to see a barely stirring Charlie.
"We have to wake up, guys," Mike explained as he got off the bed to go get changed. "Otherwise we'll miss the sunrise at Ilchulbong."
"This…early?" Fritz whined.
"We don't have a choice, you guys can go back to sleep in the car," Melody demanded. Reluctantly, the other kids started stirring from their sleep and the family rushed to the car as quickly as possible. Mike quickly checked to make sure that each of them had anchored themselves properly before allowing them to doze off once again. At first, he attempted to get a glimpse of the view outside as Melody drove on the dark and mostly empty roads, but since it was too dark outside to see anything he eventually gave up and fell asleep as well. In what seemed like no time at all, Melody was shaking Mike awake and rousing them all from their slumber.
"We're…here?" Cassidy mumbled.
"Yep," Melody confirmed with an eager grin. "We're at one of the places I was really looking forward to the most in Jeju."
Even through their exhaustion, Melody's enthusiasm was beginning to trickle through the others' minds. The two adults and the ghosts got out of the car, ignoring the sudden swelling of heat in the warm summer night, and got a look around their bearings. To their surprise, the parking lot they were now in was much more crowded than what most people would expect for any tourist location at 4 in the morning. To the left were several small shops for tourists, including a souvenir shop like the one near Cheongsam Falls, a convenience store, and most bizarrely…
"What the heck is a DUNKIN DONUTS doing here of all places?" Jeremy spluttered.
Melody shrugged. "American franchises in foreign countries are more common than you might think. Heck, I've heard that some Dunkin Donuts in Korea offer treats and drinks that you can't get anywhere else."
"Think I'm gonna need those after we finish up here," Mike mumbled.
"What ARE we doing here, dad?" Liz asked. Mike turned to face her and the rest of the kids.
"You guys wanted us to go mountain climbing for the longest time," he informed them. "And we are finally ready to give you that wish. We wanted to save the best for last, after all."
"This is one of the most famous places in all of Jeju," Melody continued. "Welcome to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The sunrises at the top of this mountain are said to be some of the most beautiful in all the world!" The ghosts all turned to look up at the mountain that Melody was pointing to. Although the darkness of the night obscured most of the details, the mountain still gave off a sense of majestic grandeur that offered the promise of a beautiful view to any who could master it.
"We better get hurrying or we'll be too late for the sunrise!" Melody urged. Deciding to take her word for it, the family quickly approached and passed the buildings in front of the mountain peak to get to the base of the Ilchulbong as quickly as possible. As they did so, Melody launched into a description of how the mountain had been created in the chaos of magma colliding with water, rising from a pile of volcanic ash to the mighty mountain that now stood proudly today.
"So a bunch of ash and magma made something like this? That's insane!" Cassidy exclaimed.
"Nature can be crazy sometimes," Mike replied as Melody purchased two tickets for them. Once again, Mike had to marvel at how cheap the tickets were compared to tourist locations in America. Once they passed the gate, the family had a better view of what Ilchulbong looked like now that it wasn't blocked by buildings. The base of the mountain was a meadow covered with grass, save for stone paths that were flanked by wooden fences. The paths to the right climbed upwards, joining into the two main roads that tourists would use to climb up and down the mountain. The ghosts had hoped to get a clearer view of the path leading up the mountain, but the upper parts of the mountain were completely covered by trees that made any long-distance scouting attempt all but pointless. There were also a few paths inexplicably leading in the opposite direction towards the left, making them wonder if there wasn't a path leading down to the shoreline as well.
Mike stared at the distant peak of the mountain. "We have to climb up all that?" he spluttered.
"Yep," Melody blithely replied. "Hope you've been keeping in shape! Oh wait," she smirked, "you've been pigging out with all your meals for the past two days. Almost literally, in one case."
The ghosts started giggling at her playful jabs. "I had my reasons!" Mike protested.
"Never said you didn't," Melody's smirk widened. "Doesn't change the fact that what I said is true."
"Don't worry about it, dad, it can't be that bad!" Cassidy tried to assure him.
Mike gave her a dirty look. "What are you complaining about, you have it easy! All you need to do is fly up the mountain next to us!" He looked up again at the mountain peak, which suddenly seemed a lot more imposing and distant than it had been seconds before. "Welp," he muttered, "this is gonna suck…" He sighed and began to walk towards the ascending path, his friend and children following close behind. As they approached the fence opposite where they had come, Mike took a glance over the barrier and was surprised to see a steep drop alongside a stony cliff face leading straight into the sea.
"Imagine how dangerous this path would be if this fence wasn't here," Gabe muttered as they walked alongside the cliff fence up to the main road. About a minute of climbing later, the smooth stone path soon ended, transitioning into a set of stone stairs that marked the proper beginning of their climb. By now they were underneath the cover of the foliage, which would have provided welcome protection against the sun later in the day but at the moment was completely pointless. After the first set of stairs they passed a small pavilion to their left, which served the function of a miniature convenience store where foods and drinks would normally be sold.
"That has to be one of THE worst jobs here," Mike commented dryly. At the confused looks of the ghosts, he explained further. "Imagine that you had to walk up the path and the stairs to get here every single day just so you could do your job. And imagine that you had to do it while CARRYING anything that runs out here with you. Not to mention the fact that you're likely doing this AND serving here for the whole day while the sun's already out, which means doing all of this under this crazy summer heat."
The ghosts all cringed as they visualized the scenario Mike was describing. "When you put it like that, that sounds terrible!" Susie muttered.
"At least it can't be as bad as being a night guard at Freddy Fazbear's pizzeria?" Fritz hazarded. Gabe gave him a dirty look for bringing up their less than savory past, but before he could say or do anything Mike snorted.
"Pfft, being a night guard was easy as shit once I figured out the strategy," he retorted. "Sure, the penalty for fucking up was a lot harsher, but that just gave me plenty of incentive not to fuck up in the first place."
"Are you guys talking about…?" Melody interrupted.
"Yep," Gabe replied.
"It's in the past, we got over it a while ago," Mike brushed aside her concerns with a wave of her hand.
Melody shook her head in bemusement. "Not sure how to feel about how casually you guys are talking about that, but okay." They had passed the convenience store pavilion in the midst of their conversation, and were now climbing up the mountain proper. As everyone quickly realized, the path leading up Ilchulbong consisted mainly of stone steps with the occasional landing in between, some of which conveniently had stone cylinders and even the makeshift bench to accommodate weary travelers. Mike was now huffing and puffing in exertion, an unfortunate and irritating reminder of the climb up the cliff from the Jeju beach. And just like before, the ghosts had no issue keeping up with Mike and Melody thanks to their spectral nature.
"I like being a ghost now!" Liz giggled as Melody offered a bottle of water to Mike, who gratefully accepted it and began drinking it greedily. "We don't have to deal with any of this!"
Mike responded by flipping a middle finger up at her, not missing a beat in between his drinking. Melody rolled her eyes at the display of immaturity as all the ghost kids started laughing. "You guys really lucky nobody was around to see Mike flip the bird at empty air," she deadpanned.
"That's why I did it," Mike blithely replied as he finished the bottle. Melody rolled her eyes again as they continued their climb. As they did so, they passed by a few other tourists who had also come to the mountain for the same purpose that they had. A few of them were grouped up on a landing close to the peak, where they were admiring a tall stone pillar carved with various symbols and letters.
"Can you read that?" Charlie wondered as they stopped to inspect the pillar.
Melody shook her head. "Either those letters are carved in ancient language or they're written in Chinese. Either way, can't read shit."
"I wonder what this pillar was made for," Gabe mused.
Mike shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. Ancient civilizations did a lot of things that most people nowadays would call plain weird."
Several of the ghosts noticed how the landing was one of the few places on the mountain's ascending path not exposed to trees, but before they could get a good look Melody caught their attention.
"Don't look yet!" she insisted. "We're almost at the top. You don't want to spoil the view down here."
"Good point," Charlie conceded, and with a great exertion of willpower the kids managed to avoid the temptation to get an early glimpse of the mountain view. As Melody had stated, they didn't have long to wait, and the last stretch of the mountain climb was laid out with wooden, more modern stairs rather than the stone steps that had defined most of the route.
"Why didn't the ancient people just finish the stone staircase?" Susie asked. "Seems like they got so close to the top only to just give up at the finish line."
"Maybe they thought this was good enough?" Fritz hazarded. The ghosts immediately shook their heads – if they had been the ones making the staircase, they wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than full completion.
"Maybe this stone staircase isn't as old as we think it is, and they just changed how it was made towards the top to make things easier?" Liz suggested.
"We might find an answer towards the top of the mountain," Mike interrupted their hypothesizing. Together, he and Melody completed the last few steps up the mountain, the ghosts trailing them closely behind. The wooden stairs led up to a landing that could accommodate several people, more than half of which had been fashioned into stepped benches in the style of an auditorium. Already, several other tourists had arrived and claimed seats for the incoming sunrise, and the two adults quickly claimed an empty spot.
"We made it in time," Gabe breathed a sigh of relief. "Would have been a huge disappointment if we missed it."
Cassidy squinted in the distance. "Are those…are those rays of light coming up?" she pointed. An excited look crossed her face. "I think…I think the sun's coming up!"
"This is the first time we've seen a sunrise from a place high up like this," Jeremy added, his eyes fixed towards the East.
"Then you couldn't have picked a better spot to see your first sunrise," Melody replied with a smile.
[[Recommended music for this next section – Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the Sky – "Time Restored" or In the Morning Sun"]]
The rays of light intensified as the sun slowly crept up from the horizon, casting golden light that brightened with every second. As it did so, the veil of night that had obscured the summit view slowly vanished, and the ghosts all gasped in awe and wonder as they realized just how large Seongsan Ilchulbong actually was. The landing they were on was on the edge of a massive crater, the edge of it was ringed with trees that gave way to a lush green meadow that covered the entirety of the crater. Beyond the opposite edge of the crater lay the sea, its dark blue contour juxtaposed with the brightening sky. The sun's rays cast the crater, water, and sky in a brilliant golden hue, making the entire view seem all the more precious and valuable. Mike and Melody both took out their phones and began taking pictures, making sure to have a record of this moment to cherish.
The kids stared at the scene, utterly starry-eyed. "It's…so pretty…" Susie gushed.
"This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen…" Liz mumbled.
"That crater looks awesome!" Fritz exclaimed. "I want to play tag in it!"
"You'd probably be the first person to ever play tag in the crater of Ilchulbong," Melody remarked with a grin.
Mike wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew her close to him. "Thanks for bringing us here," he murmured. "Not just to the mountain, but to Korea. What you planned here was far better than anything I could've ever come up with, both for me and for the kids."
Melody leaned into his arm. "You came through for me when my life was going to shit," she answered, her voice equally quiet and serious. "This is the least I could do."
Cassidy caught a glimpse of the two of them and caught Susie's attention. The girl was annoyed at first at being interrupted, but her irritation quickly changed into amusement when Cassidy pointed at the two adults staring at the sunrise together. Both tried and failed to suppress their giggles at the sight, earning an eye roll from Charlie, the only other person who had noticed the sudden closeness of the two adults.
After a couple of minutes, Melody withdrew from Mike's arm and stood up. "We still have to see the other side," she pointed out, appearing as though she were only speaking to Mike when in actuality she was addressing the ghosts as well. "There's more than one view." Mike and the ghosts followed her to a part of the landing that had been made to get a better view of the opposite side, back in the direction they had come. The ghosts were once again blown away by the view of the West, different than the one to the East but no less beautiful.
Unlike the Eastern view, which had been wholly natural, this one was a juxtaposition of civilization and nature. Everyone except Melody had been asleep during the car ride, so everyone was surprised to discover that they were actually on an entirely different island off the coast of the "main" Jeju island. The immediate area surrounding Ilchulbong was completely natural, either trees or open plains, but beyond that the island was covered by buildings that looked like tiny matchboxes from their perspective, a small city that had been built on the edge of Ilchulbong. Small bridges connected to the main island, where the ghosts could see traces of buildings and trees mixed together. And all of this was complemented by a much clearer view of the sea, to the point that the kids could see a hint of green land submerged underneath its waters.
"I can't believe we missed all of this on the way here!" Gabe exclaimed. "And how is the land underneath the water so green? Shouldn't it have drowned?"
Mike shrugged. "Maybe different plant life? Who knows?"
"I honestly can't tell whether I like this view or the other one more," Liz murmured. "They're both so beautiful in their own ways."
"I'm really glad we came here," Susie added. "Coming here was definitely worth it."
"You guys still want to play tag in the crater?" Fritz asked. In response, Liz lightly pushed him.
"You're it!" she giggled.
"Hey!" he protested as the other ghosts fled, all laughing as Fritz chased them into the meadow that covered Ilchulbong's crater. Mike and Melody watched with amusement and contentment as the ghosts tried to catch each other with varying degrees of success. Since they all had the same advantages of fast speed and infinite stamina as ghosts, the ghosts decided to make the game more interesting by intentionally trying to screw each other over to make things easier for the "It" player. The game ended with Charlie tagging Gabe, at which point Mike mentally called them all back.
"I think it's time we wrap things up here," he declared. "There's still other things that we need to do."
"Good point," Charlie agreed as the family started to descend the mountain. Unlike the climb up, which had been mostly obscured by trees and defined by stone stairways, almost the entirety of the descent was defined by wooden stairs flanked by rails to keep tourists from stumbling. Another significant difference was that this part of the mountain wasn't obscured by any trees at all, so everyone could enjoy a clear view of the West until they reached the treeline much lower down the mountain and a stone path like the ones at the start of their climb. During the last stages of their descent they passed by a set of restrooms, which Mike couldn't help but give a dry look at.
"Wouldn't it be better for these restrooms to be, oh I don't know, on the way UP the mountain?" he deadpanned. "What's the point of having them here when the whole journey's almost over?"
"Who even knows…" Melody muttered. "Maybe there just wasn't any room on the way up."
"Still kind of pointless," Mike grumbled as they finally reached the paths at the base of the mountain. By now, both Mike and Melody were weary from their climb, and took the time to reward themselves with fresh ice-cold drinks in Dunkin Donuts. Taking Melody's advice to heart, Mike got a Jeju Tangerine Coolatta for himself, while Melody herself ordered a Green Tea Coolatta. The two savored their reward for an exercise-intensive morning, with Mike allowing the ghost kids to taste his drink through semi-possession. The two adults returned to the car tired but happy, with the kids eagerly chattering about their experiences on Ilchulbong.
"Thank God for the coffee," Melody muttered as she started the car. "I think I was going to pass out without it."
"If it weren't for the fact that our other main stop today is much closer than the hotel, I'd suggest we go back there and take a nap," Mike agreed. "With how close Sangumburi is we might as well just get that out of the way."
"Sangumburi?" Liz repeated, tilting her head.
"These names still confuse the crap out of me," Jeremy muttered. Melody grunted as she drove through the narrow and confusing streets of the city, trying her hardest not to get lost. After a few minutes, she managed to escape into a road next to the sea, and as she drove across the bridge connecting the two islands the kids turned around to get one last look at the mountain peak where hey had witnessed their first high-altitude sunrise. They soon left the coast and city behind, driving deeper into the natural and forest-covered depths of Jeju.
"Is it just me or is this around the same place where we went to Manjanggul and all those places yesterday?" Gabe asked.
Charlie peered at the navigator map. "Yeah, kind of, actually…"
"Why does it feel like all the cool stuff is on the Northeastern part of the island?" Fritz wondered. "Seems like we've spent most of our time there."
"It had a good combination of things that both you and we could enjoy," Mike replied. "I know I have the maturity level of a 10 year old sometimes, but adults and kids will always have different tastes."
"We're technically old enough to be adults," Fritz pointed out.
Mike only smirked at him in response. "You sure as hell don't act like it."
Fritz pouted as the rest of the ghosts giggled, even though they all knew that the only ghost there who could qualify as genuinely mature was Charlie. The rest of the ride progressed with the group making small talk here and there as Melody drove deeper into the forests of Jeju. After a few minutes, she turned into a parking lot that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.
"…are you sure you stopped at the right place?" Liz asked, unimpressed by her surroundings.
"Yep," Melody grinned, "just hold on tight for a bit, I promise we'll get to the good part soon."
"It's gonna be hard to beat Ilchulbong, I can tell you that," Susie commented as they got out of the car. They walked under a stone archway and past the ticket booth, where they could see a few buildings scattered about. Mike and Melody walked straight past them, at which point the paths started to ascend. There were three possible paths that led up the hill to wherever they were going, a stone staircase that led straight up and two regular paths that seemed to wind to the left and right.
"Interesting layout," Mike muttered. "Which way do we go?"
"The stairs will probably lead us right to where we want to go," Charlie pointed out. Nobody had anything to argue against that, so Mike and Melody started walking up the staircase with the ghosts following behind. As they did so, they noticed that the two other paths seemed to diverge more to the left and right, adding credence to what Charlie had said earlier. Apart from a pavilion to their left early in the climb, the only things worth noting were a few hills scattered about in the fields.
"Real impressive so far," Fritz drawled.
"Be patient, Fritz," Mike scolded. "We're almost there."
"I think we're almost at the end," Liz reported. "I can see a fence up there."
"Thank God," her father muttered as they completed the last few steps up the stairs. "I've already had enough of climbing from Ilchulbong earlier." He shook off his exhaustion and strode towards the fence, eager to see his reward for his second bout of exercise. Melody and the ghosts followed him, equally curious.
What they saw blew them away for the second time that day.
In front of them was a massive crater, one that was both far larger and deeper than the one at the peak of Ilchulbong. Unlike the one they had seen before, which had been mostly empty safe for grass and a couple of trees at the borders, the entirety of this particular crater was completely covered in dense forest, a representation of nature having gone rampant. Mountains stood tall and proudly behind the opposite edge of the crater, completing the image of a natural monument untouched by civilization.
"Damn," Melody whistled. "Ilchulbong might've had the exercise and the sunrise view, but when it comes to the crater itself Sangumburi wins hands-down."
"I…don't think we're going to be able to play tag in this one," Gabe commented as peered down into the massive crater.
"Yeah, way too many trees in the way," Susie agreed.
"View's still awesome, though!" Jeremy praised.
"Ready to head back?" Melody asked, and everyone made varying noises of agreement. Since there wasn't anything beyond a general view to enjoy this time around, there wasn't much point in lingering.
"I saw two other paths," Cassidy pointed out. "Does anybody want to race?"
"Heck yeah, I'm down!" Fritz exclaimed. "Whoever makes it back to the start wins!"
"Ready! Set! Go!" Liz called down, and the ghosts sped off back the way they had come. Mike and Melody both glanced at each other, shrugged, and decided to take an alternate, longer route that circled around back to the beginning. When they arrived, they could see all the kids already there. Fritz's look of triumph on his face suggested that he had been the victor in their race.
With the adults both thoroughly tired and now hungry, Melody drove back to the Jeju Shilla as quickly as possible. Once they had arrived, Mike and Melody wasted no time showering and changing into more formal attire. Afterwards, they (and the kids through possessing Mike) enjoyed yet another delightful meal together at the Cheonjee, enjoying a more traditional Korean meal.
"Kinda ironic how you guys are eating at the Korean restaurant LAST in a vacation on a Korean island, isn't it?" Charlie couldn't help but remark in a deadpan tone.
The two adults shrugged. "Whatever works," Mike replied as they finished their meal. Having solved their hunger but not their exhaustion, they decided to enjoy a refreshing nap which the ghosts joined in (since waking up at 3 AM in the morning wasn't any more conducive to their energy levels than it was to the adults'). When they woke up an hour later, all of them were feeling much better and were much readier to visit the last major tourist attraction that Mike and Melody had planned for their vacation.
"Is it going to be the glass castle that you wanted to show us yesterday?" Cassidy asked as they got into the car.
"Yep!" Melody cheerfully confirmed as they drove off, this time in the opposite direction to where they had gone during most of their journeys. "If I remember correctly, this might be the first and only modern, man-made attraction that we're going to be visiting on this island."
"Wasn't the Jeju Folk Village also one?" Susie interrupted, confused.
Jeremy rolled his eyes. "You're really gonna call that place modern?" he muttered.
"Fair enough."
"Kind of fitting that this is the last thing we do on Jeju," Mike remarked, "since this is the last thing we're doing on Jeju before moving on to the few days we spend in Seoul, which is as city as it gets. Not a bad way to transition."
"I'm gonna miss this island," Liz remarked a bit sadly.
Charlie gave her a light hug. "There's other cool places for us to see in the future," she said comfortingly.
"Disneyworld, maybe?" Cassidy asked hopefully.
Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her daughter's fixation with Disneyworld. "That one I'm trying to work out with the Marshalls," he explained. "Since they have school to deal with, it probably won't be until either the winter or next summer. Probably for the best, since those are the best times to visit Disneyworld anyway."
"Couldn't you just visit Disneyland?" Melody asked. "It's in California, isn't it? That's a lot closer to where we live than Disneyworld."
"Because Disneyworld is a larger and better Disneyland and there's no reason to sell ourselves short," Mike countered. "Especially since we have all the time in the world and money isn't ever a problem. That and it's also near other cool places like the Universal Studios Theme Park."
"Oh right, that's also there, isn't it? Good point," Melody conceded as she drove onward. After a few more minutes, they arrived at a parking lot outside of a triangular gateway. The ghosts immediately noticed the colorful glass star that adorned the gateway and the gigantic colored wineglass near the entrance – out of all the places they had been to so far, this one certainly had the showiest entrance.
"This looks like it's gonna be fun!" Gabe said happily as they got out of the car.
"Certainly looks promising, doesn't it?" Charlie asked as they approached the gateway. They passed under it and maneuvered towards a large rectangular building that proudly stood at the forefront of the palace. Half of the building was colored with orange and green glass panels, while the other half was colored in different shades of blue. Remembering the pictures that she had seen on the Internet, Melody suggested that they first visit the beautiful glass garden before doing anything else. The ghosts happily agreed with her suggestion and walked around the museum. As they got a closer look at the garden, their jaws dropped in awe and wonder for the third time that day.
What lay before them could only be described as a harmonic blend of nature and glasswork. Natural trees and gardens had been combined with decorative and elegant glass structures to emphasize the beauty of both. Unrestricted by physical boundaries, Liz curiously approached a bed of colorful flowers, only to discover to her shock that the flowers made of glass rather than being natural. A large pink and white glass heart statue had been erected a few feet deeper into the garden, and when Mike and Melody took a picture in front of it. Susie and Cassidy couldn't help but giggle at the sight. There were other wonders to see as well, such as several trees whose color or shape singled them out from their natural counterparts, as well as ornate parlour table with seats, glassware, and even foods all made of differently colored and shaped glass. By far some of the most unique constructs was a mini-"garden" where glass pumpkins of various shapes and colors had been mixed in with glass leaves, as well as a "river" where carefully crafted salmon were given the appearance of "swimming" up a stream. The craftsmanship of it all was simply unbelievable, and proof to the family that not all the wonders of Jeju Island or the world had to be created by Mother Nature.
"I'll never be able to look at glass the same way ever again," Gabe commented once they had completed their tour of the glass castle gardens.
"I know, right?" Cassidy agreed. "Every time I see a glass anything I'll think about what I saw here and compared to this it'll look so boring!"
"Then we better make the most of our time here," Mike replied as he looked up a map. His eyes widened and he whistled. "Damn, there's a lot to do here! A museum inside that big building where you can learn how to blow glass, a mirror maze and mirror room, a glass pyramid, a glass bridge, a jewelry tunnel, holy crap, there's just no end to it all!" He put away the map. "Since there's a lot to do here, how about you guys split up and explore whatever you want to do. That way, you won't have to wait for someone else before you see what you want. When you guys are ready to go, mentally contact me and we'll meet back in front of the museum. Sound good?"
"Yeah, dad!" the ghosts all exclaimed. Immediately, the ghosts began breaking off into pairs in the same vein as they had done at the Grand Canyon and separated, eager to see one particular attraction or another. Within seconds, Mike and Melody were alone, Charlie having decided to visit a special exhibition that had apparently been imported straight from Italy.
"You seem almost relieved that the kids are gone," Melody noted.
"I love my kids to death, no pun intended, but sometimes I need my alone-time just like everyone else," Mike replied. "Parenting is hard."
"From what I've seen, I'd give you an A+," Melody complimented. "You seem to know the differences between your ghosts and regular kids and handled it like a champ."
Mike smiled warmly at her. "Thanks, Mel," he answered gratefully. "It took a while for me to figure everything out, but it was completely worth it."
"The way they look up to you and seeing how close you guys are to each other, I'd say it is," Melody agreed as she took out her own map and looked it up. "So how do you want to spend your alone-time now that the kids are out doing whatever?"
"There's a magical forest in the back that's got its own set of wonders," Mike answered. "Want to check that out first?"
"I'm down," Melody cheerfully agreed. As the two adults set off towards the forest and the glass wonders that lay within, Mike reflected on all the fun that he, his close friend, and his kids had enjoyed over the past few days. Even though their vacation wasn't quite done yet and they still had the capital of South Korea to see, Mike knew that there couldn't have been a better way to wrap up their ventures in Jeju Island.
And if he knew his kids as well as he thought he did, he had a feeling they would agree.
/
A/N: And that's the final part of the kids' vacation in Jeju Island for you. The next chapter will be in Seoul itself, but funnily enough since I didn't really "explore" a lot of it there won't be as much for me to write about. It'll probably only be one chapter, MAYBE two. I don't want to keep this going on for too long, since there are other things that I need to write about (including that really big arc I mentioned that's up next).
My next few weeks are getting increasingly busy, so the chances that I may not be able to upload in at least a week are fairly high. Just so you guys are aware.
Anyways, that's all I have to say for now. Hope you guys enjoyed!
