World of the Dead (35)
World of the Dead (35)
…...
*Present*
She had lost all sense of time and space. There was nothing ahead except for a pitch black tunnel, clouding her eyesight. She tried to move her body but it felt as if someone had sucked out all her energy, rendering her useless.
But in the darkness, a face popped up in front of her. He had a handsome face with beautiful brown eyes. Despite the stoic look, he had a warmth in his eyes which comforted her. Even in the darkness, he shone like the sun which brightened up the place.
As if gaining a newfound strength, she held up her hand to reach out towards him. He was saying something but she could not make out what he was saying.
"Gayoon…"
The deep voice echoed in her ears. He was calling her and she must reach him.
"Don't go…"
He was begging her, calling for her. Gayoon's mind was muddled but she knew that she must wake up.
Something was not right. This was not their place. She did not belong there. Someone was waiting for her and she wanted to go to him. This was not where she should be.
"Wake up… for Jina's sake. Wake up."
Jina? Why was that name familiar?
Her heart suddenly ached and she was in tremendous pain as life was slipping away from her. She could not die but the willpower was leaving her. She no longer had the strength to carry on.
Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm hands holding hers. The deep voice spoke again, this time bending closer.
"Jeon Gayoon, if there is someone I've loved more than life, it's you and Jina. So I forbid you from leaving. You can't leave. Not again. I won't let you."
Love… love…
The pain in her heart lessened upon hearing that word. She did not know why but it felt as if she had been waiting to hear those words. The magic of that one word was beginning to make the darkness fade. She could not leave. He would not let her.
….
"Is she alive?" Minho asked. He tried to hide his desperation but there was no use. His cool demeanor was breaking and the vulnerability within was beginning to seep through the cracks.
The girl stooped down, studying the unconscious woman.
"She's barely alive," she muttered. "We'll have to get her out of here. Quickly!"
They had finally managed to create a portal which led them to 12A. It took Minho a few tries but he had successfully opened the portal and to their horror, Gayoon was lying on the ground, barely alive.
"She's in a memory loop," the girl informed him. "It's Seungjo's twisted way of torturing her before she dies. His last torture on her before trapping her here with him."
She looked around and frowned. The ghost was nowhere around which struck her as odd.
"This is our chance to get her out of here-"
But Minho cut through her.
"I will get her out of here," he said. "But there's something I need to do first."
"Do it after getting out of here!"
She was confused by his words but he was determined. Minho knew that there was only one way to get rid of Park Seungjo and if he did not do it then, the ghost would come after Gayoon again.
The girl was about to argue when the door to the classroom flew open. A fog was beginning to set in, impairing their vision. Minho put Gayoon in the girl's care.
"Stay with her!" he yelled.
"Wait!" the girl shouted but he had darted forward. She bit her lip and stayed near the unconscious detective who was stirring.
"Are you alright?" she asked but her question was replied with a grunt. Gayoon was still under the effects of the memory loop but it seemed she was fighting hard.
"Fight it," the girl coaxed. "You have someone who loves you. Fight for him…"
The girl was surprised when she heard Minho utter those words. She recalled how white his face had become when he saw Gayoon in that condition and without thinking, he leapt forward to talk to her.
The guy had finally figured out that he was in love.
The girl did not know much about human emotions but she knew that at that moment, Minho must have felt his heart being ripped out of his chest.
"You're lucky, detective," the girl murmured, stroking Gayoon's hair. "He loves you."
She glanced at Minho who was still standing a few feet away, staring at the door from where the fog was entering. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen.
She followed his gaze. In the midst of the cold silence, they heard the soft thumping of footsteps approaching towards 12A. It was faint but every step held a menace which was undeniable. Whoever was heading their way held a heart full of rage and obsession. The girl could not help but feel fearful.
Something was about to happen.
"Come out of hiding," Minho said in a calm tone. He might have regained his composure, but the girl sensed lava bubbling beneath his calmness which was about to explode and devour the poor being which would be in his way.
"You must be him."
Seungjo's cold voice came from the door. He had finally come into sight, glaring at Minho with pure contempt.
"You're the baby daddy," Seungjo said with contempt. Some other guy had touched his Gayoonie and it was unacceptable to him.
"I'm her boyfriend," Minho corrected him. "And we do have a child together."
He deliberately provoked Seungjo to make him react. Minho wanted to torment that ghost as much as possible before he used his trump card. There was no fire in that world but he knew where he could get some.
All he had to do was concentrate while keep the ghost busy.
"You're not affected by this world!" Seungjo exclaimed. "That's not possible!"
"Well, if I can waste a few seconds of my life talking to you instead of earning a million dollars, then I'd say anything is possible in this world," Minho shrugged.
Both Seungjo and the girl stared at him. What?
"I love Gayoon!" Seungjo spat. "You can't take her."
"Love?" Minho scoffed. "Define love."
"Love is to be always together!" Seungjo claimed. "I loved her like no other man! I've killed for her! I had so many plans-"
"Gayoon earns exactly twelve thousand dollars per month," Minho cut through. "Her personal shopping cost is around a thousand dollars and she spends at least three thousand on food. She keeps five thousand away for Jina's college fund and pays utility bills for her granny. The other two thousand, she saves for emergencies. That's how much you'll need to earn in order to sustain her lifestyle."
Seungjo was speechless. What was this strange man talking about?
"And how much did you earn when you were alive?" Minho wondered. "Your mother gave you a generous amount of two hundred dollars per month. I spend that much on my hourly gas bill. And you really thought you could support Detective Jeon Gayoon?"
Minho stared at him in disgust. Not only was he a perverted demon but a dumb one too. He had expected Gayoon's stalker to have at least some brains but this guy was dumber than a rock.
"What do you know of love?" Seungjo claimed. "You're only seeing the money! It's all about the-"
"Heart?" Minho asked, raising an eyebrow. "What use is the heart if you can't even share the costs to build a home? Space in your heart might be free but if you can't pay for the roof above her head then you're worthless."
He scoffed at the idiot's obsession. The guy really expected that Gayoon would remain a trophy for him to use? Keep her from working and having a life of her own? Was he seriously that dumb?
No one could put Jeon Gayoon in a cage!
Behind them, the girl was impressed by Minho's dissection of Seungjo's pride. He was not showing off his own wealth.
He was showing Seungjo's lack of it.
"Doesn't matter!" Seungjo yelled. "I'm dead and soon, she'll be dead too!"
"Too bad this building belongs to me and I won't let you stay here rent free," Minho stated.
Seungjo was angered by the money lover who was boasting about his wealth.
"I guess I'll just kill you first!" Seungjo yelled and leapt forward.
Minho was calm as the stupid ghost jumped forward. He put his hand in his pocket and brought out the button.
Upon seeing it, Seungjo was shocked and before he could reach out, Minho flipped the button in the air and drew a circle in the air.
Red sparks erupted and a skeletal figure emerged out of the circle, facing Seungjo's petrified self. The button was now falling back and the skeletal figure slashed its scythe in the air.
There was a loud scream of agony as the button was sliced into half, the scythe burning both the parts. Seungjo screamed as his body began to burn. The reaper, hearing his screams, leapt forward and slashed at the ghost mercilessly.
Minho and the girl were still, the latter holding Gayoon's mouth, as they witnessed the reaper destroying Seungjo. The sight was horrific and gruesome but they did not dare to move.
Finally, the reaper stopped slashing. Picking up its scythe, it looked ahead, blindly moving in a straight line until it left the room.
Minho and the girl waited until the sound of the reaper's shackles was gone. Once the silence fell on them, Minho dared to step towards the annihilated ghost.
Seungjo could not die again but he was completely sliced into pieces. His limbs were cut apart and his eyes stared into space. His half cut lips were moving but no sound came out of them.
"He's a Mindless now," the girl whispered. "It's over."