World of the Dead (33)
World of the Dead (33)
DO SUPPORT ME SO THAT I CAN WIN!
.....
Gayoon was running through the streets in a disheveled state. It was the wee hours of morning and the sun had only risen but the call she received from Minjung's mother had made her forget all about sleep. She did not even bother to dress up and only hastily brushed her teeth before taking off.
She headed straight for the police station where Minjung's mother Hyomin and her father Josef were present. With them was one of the officers who was listening to them.
"Our daughter is missing!" Hyomin was insisting. Gayoon had just entered the precinct in her t-shirt and pajamas. She did not care what she looked like but was worried about Minjung. Hyomin had called her in the morning to tell her that Minjung was missing. Upon hearing those words, Gayoon knew that Seungjo must have hurt her somehow but the ghost was nowhere in sight.
"I understand your feelings but this letter clearly says that she ran away!" the police officer said, brandishing the letter in front of them.
"Ran away?" Josef echoed angrily. "Our daughter would never do that!"
"This is written by her, is it not?" the officer questioned. He then read from the letter.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm sorry but I can't stay here anymore. I need to leave. Don't ask me where I'm going and don't look for me. I'm going far away and will never return. Please forgive me.
Love,
Minjung."
"She would never do that!" Gayoon retorted. "I'm sure she's in trouble!"
"The girl is an adult," the officer pointed out. "It's common for people her age to run away from homes. We've asked around and since it was late at night, no one saw her leaving. A taxi cab was seen in the area but its trace disappeared around the corner at the market-"
"Our school is there!" Gayoon exclaimed. "She might have gone there!"
"The school guard said they didn't see her," the officer said. "Our patrolmen went there and they saw no one. The cameras are broken but the school grounds were empty and there was no sing of Minjung."
Gayoon was now troubled. Did Seungjo possess her like he did with Yoo?
"You will come to me, Gayoonie…"
His words were resonating in her mind, trapping her within. He had promised that he would make her go to him. Was this why he used Minjung? He knew that Gayoon would go to find her and he was probably holding her captive at that very moment.
"Our daughter would never run away!" Josef whispered.
"You said your daughter has been depressed," the officer stated. "Is she being abused in any way at home? Many times, the children run away due to the trauma they suffer in the hands of their parents-"
"ARE YOU ACCUSING US OF TORTURING OUR DAUGHTER?" Josef yelled. All the other police officers paused their work to see the commotion.
"We raised her with a lot of love and care!" Hyomin piped in, feeling infuriated. "And you're making such baseless accusations!"
"I'm speaking from experience," the officer argued back. "Your daughter ran away and you don't know why she might have done that. Didn't you tell me that she was depressed? Do you know the reason?"
"She won't tell us!" Hyomin shouted.
"What about her?" the officer pointed at Gayoon. "Does she know where Minjung is? Or why she's been depressed?"
Hyomin and Josef turned to look at Gayoon, who tried to hide her fear.
"She was depressed because of her boyfriend who was sent to jail on false charges," Gayoon gritted. "That is all I know."
"But she's been depressed way before that!" Hyomin said. "Gayoon, is there anything you know?"
That your daughter was raped by a psycho and also killed him in self-defense, she added in her mind. And now that psycho has turned into a ghost who is haunting the two of us.
Aloud she said, "No. I don't."
With Minjung not around, she did not want to be the one to tell everyone about what happened to her. What if she returned and had to face the brunt of the questioning? Gayoon had no idea what state she was in and her heart was uneasy. She did not want to think the worst and until there was a clue of Minjung's whereabouts,
"Please, find my daughter!" Josef begged. The officer sighed. He knew these sorts of cases very well where the children ran away from homes after facing severe depression and heartbreak. From the testimony of the parents and the letter, Minjung seemed to be on the path of self-destructive behavior.
"Alright," he shrugged. He was not going to waste too much time on the case but as a public servant, he would have to give the minimum efforts. "I'll see what I can do."
The parents were not satisfied with the answer but they had no choice. They stood up and bowed curtly before leaving. Gayoon silently followed them, unable to say anything. She never hated herself so much before and she wanted to tell the truth to the police. But Seungjo was dead and they would never believe her claims that a ghost was behind Minjung's disappearance.
Once outside, Hyomin completely collapsed on the ground, looking distraught while Josef consoled her.
"My daughter…" she sobbed. "Bring her back! Where is she? What is she doing? I…"
She cried hard against her husband's chest while Gayoon could only watch helplessly. She was fighting hard to fight back her own tears. Clenching her fists, she decided that enough was enough.
It was time to face Seungjo. Head on.
…
Minho was in his hotel room, looking over some files. He made over three million dollars in investment that day but it was not enough. All through the week, he had been working almost non-stop, living on coffee and instant noodles. He did not care much for cooking and ate the bare minimum while churning out millions of dollars. If only he could make an extra seven million…
His phone rang up. It was his assistant, Jongin.
"Yes, Jongin," Minho said on the mouthpiece.
"Sir, tonight you have to visit the school property," Jongin informed him.
Minho racked his brain to remember whether he made any such commitment and recalled that he did promise the school's principal that he would check out the property that night.
"Alright," Minho shrugged. "Get the car ready. I'll visit it on my way back from the dinner meeting with the Japanese delegates."
"Alright sir."
Minho hung up the phone and continued to work on the files. He checked the time. It was only 12 PM and he had exactly six hours left for the dinner meeting.
I must make the extra seven million within this time, he decided.