World of the Dead (16)
World of the Dead (16)
I'LL GIVE SNU SNU IF WE MAKE IT TO 500 PRIVILEGE READERS BY 30TH JAN
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The light flickered on the ceiling, giving off a feeble brightness in the midst of that dark corridor which lay ahead of her. She was confused and dazed as she tried to recall where she was. Everything was a haze and her vision was blurry.
"Hello?" Gayoon called out. The place looked familiar to her but her head could not recall where she was. The doors lined up on both her sides. She tried to open one but it was locked. So was the next. And the next one. And the one beside it.
One by one, she tried to open all the doors but all of them were locked. She was panicking. The light was almost off and darkness was creeping in. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest as she tried to find a way out.
"Anyone here?" she called out again only to be met by an ominous silence. The corridor was quiet and yet, she felt as if someone was watching her every move. How did she end up there? Why was she there? What was going on?
She slowly walked ahead, touching the walls as she went in order to support herself in the darkness. The air around her was turning colder to the point that her breath was becoming frosty, creating small puffs of fog as she exhaled.
I have to get out of here! She thought. I have to!
Quickly gaining pace, Gayoon was half walking and half running as the fear within her gained prominence. The place was scaring her and she did not want to stay there for a minute longer. There was no sense of time nor space in that corridor and she just wanted to find the exit as soon as possible.
She ran until there was another room in front of her. Was it locked?
Grabbing the knob, she slowly turned it around…
"What are you doing?"
She suddenly found herself in the school's garden. Startled by the rapid change in scene, Gayoon saw Jaewan was sitting right next to her.
"H-how did I get here?" she stammered. She was in a corridor. How did she reach the school grounds?
"What are you talking about?" Jaewan frowned. "You've been with me the whole time! We're preparing for exams, remember?"
Did I doze off? Gayoon wondered. But she felt awake. Then how did she change places so quickly?
She looked around and sure enough, the other students were cramming for the exams. They either had their noses in their books or chatted with friends. It was a sunny day and they were enjoying the bright sunlight while trying to complete their studies.
Gayoon was bewildered by the change in scene. Was she really in the corridor or at the garden? She had no idea.
"What are you thinking of?" Jaewan asked again. "Why are you looking so lost?"
"I'm just feeling a little under the weather," Gayoon lied and quickly took out a book to pretend to study.
"Are you alright?" Jaewan asked, his voice full of concern.
"Of course I am!" Gayoon claimed. "I'm fine, really! Let's focus on exams."
"Alright, Gayoonie."
"Yeah and-"
Gayoon froze mid sentence. Gayoonie?
"What did you just call me, Jaewan?" she demanded. There was a rising panic in her voice as if she was unable to believe what she had just heard.
"Gayoonie," Jaewan said quietly, his lips curving into a smile. Gayoon began to back off against the bench they were sitting on. She glanced around again.
The students were now watching her with dark eyes. Their stares pored into her, judging her every move as she backed away. She felt like a zoo animal being put on display as they kept their gazes on her, silently tormenting her. Jaewan's pupils began to blacken as he leaned closer to her. His face was beginning to distort and change into a familiar, nerdy figure.
"Stay away from me!" Gayoon yelled but Jaewan's appearance had changed completely. In his stead was Seungjo, leering at her. Gayoon yelped and fell off the bench. Several hands grabbed her wrists and legs, stopping her movements. She struggled and screamed but no one was letting her go. No one was going to help her and no matter how much she tried, they would not spare her.
Seungjo was towering above her. His cold hand touched her face. Gayoon spat at him and tried to kick away her captors but they held her in place. The cool hand would not leave her and it was now tracing her neck.
"We're meant to be together, Gayoonie," Seungjo said. "We belong with each other."
Gayoon writhed in disgust as his hand began to go lower towards her shirt. She knew what he intended to do and she must stop him with all her might. But at that moment, she felt powerless against the silent people who held her down for him.
"Now you'll be mine," Seungjo whispered and leaned closer.
No! She thought. But the monster was coming nearer and nearer to the point that she could smell his onion like breath on her face…
"NOOOOOOOO!"
Gayoon woke up screaming loudly. She was sweating profusely and for a moment, she thought she was back in the corridor. The room was dark and it took her several minutes to realize that she was in her own room. Breathing heavily, Gayoon tried to fight off the fear but it just would not go away.
It was all a dream, she told herseld. A dream and nothing more!
Slowly, her breathing evened out and her head began to clear up. If an alive Park Seungjo was a monster, then a dead Seungjo was the incarnation of the devil himself.
Why would he not leave them even in death? What did any of them do to deserve such a rotten fate?
Gayoon buried her head in her hands, trying to fight off the images of the disgusting dream she had. Her ability to see ghosts was always a pain but with Seungjo coming back from the dead, she wanted to truly get rid of it.
The ghost was planning to do something dangerous and she knew that he was not going to back off. Even though her own house was protected with charms, what about other places? What would happen at school? Or some other place she visited? There was no doubt that Park Seungjo was going to tail her everywhere.
No, there was no doubt about it. Park Seungjo was not going to let her live in peace. It was not fun for him because he was a predator who wanted to enjoy his prey. Just like he was enjoying his object of desire at that very moment.
As if in a trance, Gayoon looked at her window. Behind the curtained window pane, was the silhouette of a pale figure. He could not see her face but he was watching her from there, waiting for the moment he could enter her home. He had been there for the past few nights, watching her sleep. No matter how many times Gayoon threw salt at him, Seungjo always came back. If it was not her bedroom window, then he would see her through some other hole or window.
Gayoon had painted all the windows of the house black but he would still tail her as if he knew her movements like the back of his hand. She could feel him hovering all around the house, following her from window to window. She was too scared to even take baths in fear of being watched by him. It sickened her to even think that a demon like that was stalking her.
"Gayoonie…"
She lay back on her bed, pulling the blanket over her in the hopes that the wretched voice would stop calling her.
"Gayoonie…"
Gayoon shut her ears and tried to block the sound away. But it was not going to leave her. Seungjo was cackling from outside, enjoying the effect he had on her. All love stories started with hatred. He knew that his Gayoon was only being shy. She loved him and he loved her. There was no one who would separate them.
No one.
….
Junwan was watching the man who sat in front of him, wary of his antics. His biggest headache had strutted into the police station in a dapper suit, looking sleek and elegant. Minho put his sunglasses into his pocket and crossed his legs seeming like a king sitting on his throne.
"What's the update?" Minho demanded.
"Hwang Minho, I told you that I'm trying to find him," Junwan reasoned. "Why are you not believing me?"
Minho sat back and studied the police officer with his chocolate brown eyes. Even though Minho was in his late twenties, he had established himself as the richest man in the country. With a net worth of over ten billion dollars, Hwang Minho was ruthless when it came to business and his shrewd mind knew how to make money even in the unlikeliest situations.
"Coz you failed to catch Hwang Junho for the past eighteen years," Minho countered in a smooth tone. "And here I thought that the police department is there to help the citizens of a country."
"We have other jobs to do!"
"Clearly," Minho scoffed. His eyes fell on the plateful of donuts and latte cup in front of Junwan. "I can see how busy you are with those donuts."
"We've been up all night trying to find a killer," Junwan gritted. "A high school kid was murdered and the parents are charging at us!"
"You couldn't find the killer of an open and shut case for eighteen years and you expect to find the killer of a kid. I pity the parents for believing that you can catch the murderer."
Junwan tried to keep his cool but Hwang Minho had always infuriated him through those belittling remarks. They had a complicated relationship from the start and the only reason Minho kept on pressing him to catch Hwang Junho was due to the fact that Junwan was the leading officer in Kim Suna's murder case and hence, was legally barred from charging Minho any money for his services.
"Find him," Minho ordered as he got up to leave. "No more excuses, Junwan."
Junwan scowled as he watched Minho leave, silently cursing the money lover for being a pain in the neck.
"Greedy bastard!" he gritted.
Minho walked out of the station and got into his car's driver's seat. Gripping the wheel with his fingers, he was fuming with a cold vengeance.
"I will find you," he swore. "Hwang Junho."