Pages of the Past (1)
Pages of the Past (1)
"As you can see that the Little Home Hospital caught fire after its CEO, Kang Danny blew up the furnace," one of the reporters stated. "It was believed that Kang Danny had been arrested for the murder of his illegitimate son while abusing his other son and escaped custody after killing two on-duty policemen. He rushed here to kill his family by holding them hostage but when they escaped, he blew up the furnace to kill himself along with the other patients here in a strange act of murder-suicide. But thanks to the fast thinking of the police, the patients had been evacuated early and no one was hurt in the explosion."
Doyoung had given her statement to the police and everyone who were present at the scene were dazed and confused. Their CEO's wife had talked to them and told them that no one would believe that Danny was being pulled away by an unseen force. All the CCTV footage had been utterly destroyed so they decided to stick to her story.
The children were sent off to Mina's hospital where they were being cared for while Gayoon led her team to aid the firefighters. Danny's body was never found but upon checking the furnace, the forensic team found skin and blood stuck to the metal surface and remnants of Danny's shirt were also discovered. The rest of his body had burnt literally to ashes. The Poltergeist had utterly destroyed the place.
Everything was chaotic and messed up. Shinjin had taken Minho and Gayoon aside to give them a warning about the place.
"This place can never be used again," he said sternly. "The poltergeist is still here and if anyone comes nearby, they'll also get consumed by its hatred. There's nothing we can do. It's way too powerful for me to exorcise. In fact, exorcising it can also be life threatening to us. It's best to keep it off limits."
Minho did not reply but simply nodded. His eyes flickered towards Junho, who stood a little further away, unable to face his son. Gayoon noticed the tension between them and the revelation that Junho was Minho's father put her in a dilemma.
"Minho…" she began but he shook his head.
"Don't worry about us," he quietly assured her. "This is between us. You should go and handle the crime scene."
She patted his arm. "You should hear him out first," she requested. "I know I shouldn't be meddling here and I'm not going to. I just want you to talk to him once and see if there's something more to your past."
Minho's jawline tightened but he knew that she was right. Truthfully, ever since he discovered his own strange ability to transport between worlds, he had been a little more suspicious about his mother's death.
"The gates of hell will open again…"
He recalled his memory which he had repressed for many years. Was it related to his mother's death? Was his father hiding something from them?
Moreover, after hearing Gayoon gush about how her godfather had raised her, he could not help but give Junho the benefit of doubt. Somewhere in his heart, he was still angry at his father for abandoning them but this was not the time for anger.
It was the time for the truth.
"We'll be okay," he told Gayoon. "You go ahead and help the firefighters."
Gayoon nodded and glanced at Junho before returning to the crime scene. Minho sighed and headed towards his father who braced himself to face his son's wrath.
"If you want to throw me in jail, then you can do so," he said, trying to suppress the nervousness in his voice. "But I'm not going to give up-"
"Fancy a drink?"
Junho blinked several times. If Minho had not moved his lips to ask the question, he would have never believed that it was his son who spoke.
"There's a small bar up ahead," Minho went on. "Let's go and talk there."
Without another word, he led the way. Junho hesitated first but followed his son to the bar across the street. They entered the dark place which was a little smoky. It was small but posh bar with a reddish ambience. There were not many customers so Minho sat at the sangria station while Junho took the seat next to him. A bartender came up to them.
"Vodka on the rocks," Minho ordered. "And you?"
"Same," Junho mumbled. The bartender complied and made their drinks. He placed them in front of the father-son duo and moved on to other customers.
Minho took a long sip and put his drink down. Junho fidgeted with his, waiting for Minho to talk.
"That night," Minho spoke up after a while. "I heard a voice when I was rushing towards your room. It was sucha low voice that it was almost like a whisper of the wind."
Junho did not reply but let his son ramble. "It said, 'The gates of hell will open again,'" Minho revealed. "What did it mean? I believe you might have an answer."
He waited for his father to speak. Junho sighed and took a sip from his own drink.
"Did you really kill mom?? Minho finally asked.
"I stabbed her," Junho began. "But I'm not the murderer."
He looked up to face his son for the first time in many years. Gayoon was right. The more he hid, the farther he was going away from his family. This was his only chance to explain what really happened that night.
"Your mother and I loved each other very much," he continued. "Never in a million years would we cheat on each other. But after we found out about your powers, I began to piece together the puzzles which had been missing for so many years. Your mother hid it from me but she had that ability too. You got it from her. The two bloodlines which carried the powers of a Seer and Transporter have diverged a long time ago and would have kept on being separate if it hadn't been for you and Gayoon. Once Gayoon gave birth to Jina, the two bloodlines merged."
"But long before your birth, your mother had run into another Seer. Someone who became her lifelong friend. That was Gayoon's mother."
"I was unaware of their abilities," Junho stated. "For me, it was always my business and my family. When I fell in love with Suna, her kind nature and wits won over my parents. We didn't hav any problem in getting married. And after a few years, you were born…"
He reminisced the happy days when he would hear Suna's laughter echo throughout the house and his childish bickering with Minho over whom Suna loved the most. Those were the days.
"But Gayoon's mother, Yeeun, was a very powerful Seer," he said. "She sensed that something was approaching them. Something sinister which would destroy all of our lives. Suna was pregnant with Mina that time so she did not want to worry her. But she tried to warn me. Told me to use the protection charms but I scoffed at her. I didn't believe her that time. It was my biggest regret and I still punish myself over that."
He took a long pause, not wanting to remember those days. But Minho was relentless. His father owed them the truth.
"What happened next?" he demanded. "You have to tell me."
His father took a deep breath and began to narrate.
"It all started a few days after Mina's birth," he recounted. "Suna's health had weakened a lot because the labor was traumatic for her…"