Money Lover's Repentance (6)
Money Lover's Repentance (6)
He wanted to curse himself for hurting Gayoon over the past month and was determined to do everything he could to make her believe that he was truly sorry. Kanji had emailed him the files on Gayoon's high school years and he had read through them on their way back home. The contents were very disturbing.
From a young age, Gayoon was treated as an outcast by her peers. She used to be called the 'cursed one' because she used to make ominous claims about spirits. There were many instances when the children bullied her to the point that they locked her up in a washroom for one whole night. When she was found the next day, she was unconscious for days and when she woke up, she said that a pale man with decaying flesh had been trying to enter the stall she was locked in but she managed to ward him off with salt.
All her claims were treated as the delusions of a disturbed child but after finding out about her abilities, Minho knew that she was telling the truth. But there was one part of her past which greatly worried him.
It was about a boy named Park Seungjo. There was an incident about this boy where he was bullied by a bunch of older kids but the prank went horribly wrong, resulting in his death. The school covered it up as an accidental death and let the students go scot free. But soon, one by one the bullies began to die in mysterious ways. Gayoon had tried to tell everyone that Seungjo did it but her pleas went unheard.
And then a few weeks after the incident, Gayoon took an early graduation and left her school to become a surrogate for Minho. Was this incident related to her decision? He wondered.
The more he found out about her, the more he realized that she truly had no other choice when it came to giving up her abilities. Jina just happened to be a collateral damage, caught in the midst of some kind of twisted karmic game.
Gayoon looked up to see that Minho had a strange expression on his face. She was still very angry at his petty behavior and was about to walk past him when he spoke up.
If you have some time tomorrow," he began. "Will you go somewhere with me?"
"Where?" she frowned.
"A place," he simply replied.
"You're not off the hook," she said bluntly. "And after today's behavior I-"
She faltered off, noticing the seriousness in his eyes. He was not demanding her to accompany him but it seemed like his request was extremely important to him.
"Are you going to make me pose as your secretary again?" she sighed. "Coz I can't help you earn money."
"Believe it or not, it's not about money," Minho shrugged. "I'll wait for you tomorrow at 8 AM."
Before Gayoon could reply, he left the room. "What is it with him?" she pouted.
Then again, she had an entire week to torment him which greatly excited her. Thinking of all the ways she was about to make him go broke, she happily went to the bathroom to change. Once she freshened up, she climbed onto Jina's bed and lay beside her sleeping daughter. Jina stirred and hugged her mother while Gayoon put her arms around her, patting her softly on the back.
Her mind was still thinking of Minho's request. Where did he want to take her? And why?
Guess I'll know tomorrow, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
.....
The next morning, Gayoon descended the stairs to find that Minho had already finished his breakfast and was about to leave. Jina was still sleeping upstairs since it was a weekend and Gayoon did not wake her up.
"Where are we going?" she asked him as she sat at the table to have a piece of toast.
"To one of my properties," he replied. "An old age home located outside the city."
"Why?"
"You'll see," he said in a cryptic tone. Gayoon frowned but nodded and quickly finished her breakfast before following him outside. Driver Jang was standing there, thinking that Minho would take him along but the latter shook his head and took the car keys from him.
"Let's go," he said, opening the car door for her. Gayoon was still confused but got into the car. Minho got into the driver's seat and revved up the engine. Soon, they rode off towards the streets, leaving the mansion behind.
"Now will you tell me why we are going to this old age home?" she groaned. "Are you going to rob some poor old man of his property?"
"What?" Minho scowled. "No! I love money but I won't go to that extent."
Gayoon gave him an 'are-you-kidding' look to which Minho reluctantly admitted, "Okay, I might do that but only if the old bloke willingly sells me his property. I wouldn't go and snatch it out of his hands!"
"Then where are we going?" she demanded. Minho took a while to think. He was not planning to bring her along but after reading her file last night, he thought that it was time for them to be more honest with each other's past. If she could embrace his darkness, he must make the effort to accept her one too.
"To visit someone," he admitted. "Someone from my past."
"Who?" Gayoon asked.
"Jongin's mother," he revealed. "Mimi."
Gayoon's eyes widened in shock? Mimi? The first victim of CCK's to have survived?
"You're taking me to visit her? Why?"
"You'll see," he muttered. Gayoon did not ask anymore questions and kept her eyes on the road. Minho was being secretive and she was sure he was up to something. Was this another grand scheme to make sure that she would forgive him?
She could only wait and watch.
After an hour, they pulled up in front of an old age home. Gayoon stepped out of the car to take a look at the place. It consisted of several cottages in the midst of a large, green landscape. As they entered through the gates, she could see that a lot of thought and care had been put into the architecture of the facility. The cottages were kept plain and simple with off-white colored walls while the garden area consisted of several outdoor activities.
There was a long jogging trail along the borders of the facility while a tennis field was situated at one side. The grass was trimmed and watered while the flower bed had vibrant flowers of different colors. At the very opposite end was a clinic where the sickly elderlies were treated. Each of the residents of the place also seemed to have their personal attendants as none of them were left unattended as they strolled through the garden or chatted with each other.
"Mimi lives here?" Gayoon asked. "Why is she here? Why isn't she with Jongin?"
Minho did not reply but motioned her to follow him. She obliged and he led her to the clinic. Some of the staff stood up to greet Minho. He bowed back as he led Gayoon to a private ward. She entered the room to find a frail old woman in her sixties, lying on the bed.
The woman looked much older than her actual age and was conscious but seemed not to recognize anyone. Drool was dripping from her mouth and half of her face was paralyzed. Her hair had turned completely white and she was babbling incoherently.
"What happened to her?" Gayoon asked in shock.
"Trauma," Minho replied in a grim tone. "She might have escaped CCK's lair but she could not escape the memories. Even though she mustered the courage to save us, she could not save herself from the subsequent consequences."
"Every night, she used to dream of that monster," he went on, his voice barely a whisper. "The black shadow we saw became a recurring nightmare for her. She tried to hold on to her sanity until her sons grew up but finally, she succumbed to her darkness and suffered a fatal stroke. The doctors managed to save her but she's beyond repair. The damage is permanent and she'll never regain her senses again. Right now, she's nothing but a living corpse."
Gayoon could not help but pity the woman who had to endure years of hardship. The woman who had escaped CCK could not leave behind the trauma which took over her life. She glanced at Minho and there was a visible guilt on his face. He was also feeling responsible for Mimi's state because that night, she had taken the painful step of trying to rescue him and his loved ones. That might have also traumatized her.
"Why did you bring me to meet her?" she finally asked, her voice heavy with grief and pity.
"Because at this moment, only you can understand her pain," he said. "And…"
He turned to face her, their eyes directly looking into one another. "Now that you saw with your own eyes what trauma can do to a person, I want you to tell me everything."
He took a step towards her, not breaking their eye contact.
"Jeon Gayoon," he began. "Tell me about the things you used to see. Tell me the trauma you had to go through. Who was your CCK and why did he force you to make a decision which would only fill you with regret?"
Gayoon bit her lip in worry. Her hands were shaking as the memories of those terrible days came back to her. How no one believed her when she tried to warn them of the spirits. And the torment she had to go through in the hands of both the dead and the living. No one ever believed her and after a while, she stopped telling them anything, quietly tolerating the torture on her own.
As if reading her mind, Minho declared, "I believe you, Jeon Gayoon. So tell me everything. No matter what you say, I will believe you and this time, I'll not let you down."