World of the Dead (2)
World of the Dead (2)
"What the hell happened?" he demanded.
Shinjin took a deep breath before explaining what they had witnessed, while Jina speechless. Her parents had disappeared in front of her very eyes and it was too much to fathom for her young mind. She was distressed but had no idea how to express her thoughts.
"The World of the Dead?" Junho frowned. "I thought that was just a myth!"
In his years as an exorcist, he had heard this term sporadically but never delved too deep into it. All he knew was that sometimes, after a person died, they were either sent to the final afterlife for reincarnation or into a realm called the World of the Dead to roam around as nameless spirits, guarded by creatures called the reapers. But he had never given it much thought and assumed that it was one of those places they would never be able to explore since once dead, a person can never come back.
"But they're not dead," Shinjin said. "Gayoon was taken in there but Minho...we don't know how he entered the place! Even I couldn't see which portal Gayoon was being taken through, yet somehow, he saw the portal and so did Jina! How did Park Seungjo open that portal anyway?"
Junho glanced at his granddaughter who was still in shock. He recalled the words of the water spirit which told him that Park Seungjo was being controlled by another more powerful spirit. Was it possible that the mastermind was the mysterious entity which was manipulating the events and had opened the portal?
"Park Seungjo is being controlled by another spirit," Junho said thoughtfully. "It's possible that he's the one who opened the portal."
"Even if he did, then how come Minho and Jina saw it?" Shinjin asked. "Minho doesn't have any such powers! No one has ever seen the portal to that world much less enter it!"
But Junho's brian was working fast. The other spirit was searching for two bloodlines. One which could communicate with ghosts but the other one had vanished because their abilities were unknown. Is it possible that while one bloodline communicates with the dead, the other one acts as the gateway to different worlds?
"Maybe…" he began. "Maybe, Minho and Jin belong to the other bloodline. The one which had supposedly vanished."
Shinjin mulled over those words. "That might also explain why Minho saw it," he nodded. "But that would mean that Minho must have inherited this ability as well! But why didn't he use it all these years?"
"He was unaware of it," Junho claimed. "I'm sure of it! And, he did not get it from my side of the family but from Suna's side! Gayoon's mother Yeeun and Suna were friends as well. That would explain how they knew each other. But why didn't Gayoon's grandmother tell me of this?"
"Maybe Suna herself didn't know," Shinjin suggested. "Or she wanted to erase that part of herself like Gayoon did. It's not a very good gift to have, dealing with spirits and the underworld. Unlike Gayoon, Suna had the option to never use her powers again and live a normal life. Even if she passed it on to her children, she simply chose not to tell them."
But was it that easy to hide powers like that? Junho wondered.
"We don't have time," Junho said. "We'll have to open the portal again! If we don't get them back, they might die and get trapped in there!"
"But how are we going to open the portal?" Shinjin asked. "We don't even know how!"
"Let's ask a passing spirit!" Junho said. "They might know more than us."
"Good idea," Shinjin agreed. "I'll get ready for a seance."
Junho was about to say something when a tiny voice asked, "Are they going to die?"
The men looked at the little girl. Her emotions were a mess and her doey eyes were almost teary but she tried hard not to cry. Junho's heart ached seeing her distraught state. He wanted to console his granddaughter but false promises would not work on her. He stooped down and patted her shoulder.
"We'll bring them back," he promised. "But for that, you need to stay strong. You can do that for them, right?"
Jina silently nodded. Shinjin left the two alone and hurried to fetch the materials for a seance. Junho hugged his granddaughter, silently vowing to bring her parents back to her. Jina was somewhat comforted by the warm hug from the old man.
Just then, a pair of heavy footsteps ascended the stairs. Jaewan came rushing only to see a familiar face. Junho let go of his granddaughter and stood up to face Jaewan, who was giving him a cold stare.
"You," Junho stated. "You're still around."
"I am," Jaewan said. "Where's Gayoon?"
"Park Seungjo took her and Minho to another dimension," Junho said.
The mention of Seungjo's name shocked Jaewan. "Park Seungjo?" he echoed. "He's back-"
"We don't have time to explain!" Junho snapped. "We'll have to find them before it's too late!"
The more they wasted time in talking, the more danger Gayoon and Minho were in. Junho was trying hard not to panic but with every passing second, those two were inching closer to death. Park Seungjo had allied himself with a very powerful enemy and if the portal was not re-opened, Jina would lose both her parents.
Just be safe, he prayed.
….
The ground was cold beneath her while the air was becoming heavier and heavier. She could not recall where she was but the place looked familiar. Her muscles would not move and her energy was drained. The place was too constricted and her breath was getting fainter. Her mind was too dazed and she was confused.
Gayoon did not know where she was and she was scared. She wanted to move but something about the place was weakening her. Her limbs were not tied up but the energy of that place was enough to keep her rooted to her spot. The place was hypnotizing her, slowly deteriorating her soul.
"Gayooniee…"
It was a chilling voice. She was supposed to run away from it. The fear in her heart increased upon hearing that word, sickening her to the very core. But her body betrayed her as it refused to move. She could not control herself and even though she wanted to run, she did not know how to escape.
"You betrayed me, Gayoonie," Seungjo whispered. He was hovering over her, watching her pain. He wanted to do nothing more than to touch her and be with her forever but as long as she was alive, it was impossible for them to be together. She must die so that he could have her for himself. Once she was dead and trapped in this world, he would have his way with her because she would become a mindless and nameless doll for him. They would be trapped in their own world and nothing could separate them.
"Do you remember our amazing moments together, Gayoonie?" he asked. "Our love. Do you remember it at all?"
Love…
Yes. She remembered. Her heart clenched in agony when the faces of a little girl and handsome man flashed in front of her eyes. Even in that cold world, their images comforted her and seeing their smiling faces made her temporarily forget her state.
"We used to love each other so much," Seungjo claimed. "You loved me and yet, you betrayed me! Why Gayoonie? Why?"
Yes, she loved him. That man in her mind who was standing in front of her. For a moment, she was under a hibiscus tree. A flower bloomed happily above them when she felt his soft lips touching hers, making her feel alive again.
"We were supposed to have so many babies together," Seungjo went on. "So many boys…"
The little girl's smile was etched into her memory and even though her lips would not move, she smiled inwardly. The girl with the same eyes as her, running happily around the house. She recalled the first night at a mansion when the little girl was sandwiched on the bed between her parents as they slept. Gayoon wanted to reach out and touch her cheeks but her hands were paralyzed.
"Remember our love, Gayoonie?" Seungjo asked in a menacing tone.
Yes, she remembered this monster. She knew what he did and what he was. Her head was replaying the horrors he had done and thus, began his mind game. It was hard to tell what he was going to do but she was about to face her worst fear.
Minho...she called out weakly as her mind entered into a loop of her past once again.