Pages of the Past (12)
Pages of the Past (12)
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Minho woke up in the middle of the night, feeling very thirsty. Mina's cot lay next to him and she was sound asleep. Tiptoeing quietly across the room, he went downstairs to pour himself a glass of water.
The house was very dark at that time of the night. His father had given the servants time off while he took care of Suna. But the quiet mansion felt ominous to the young boy who felt a little scared. Even the slightest sound made him jump as he made his way towards the kitchen.
Suddenly, he heard something shattering on the ground. Jumping in fright, he spun around to see who it was but the sound came from his parents' bedroom.
"Mom…"
He rushed towards the bedroom but slipped and fell. For a brief moment, he froze on the floor as if held by an invisible force. He was not sure why he felt the irrational fear in his heart. Something was not right and his instincts told him to go to his parents' room but his body was too scared. A cold air gushed by, chilling his spine. A low voice whispered in his ears as if it had just noticed him.
"The gates of hell are opening…"
Goosebumps rose along Minho's arms and he was rooted to his spot. Was it his fear or his imagination, he did not know but he thought that he heard a low cackle. As soon as the air passed by, his body loosened up and he was able to move again. He rushed towards Junho and Suna's room with all his might.
"Mom!" he yelled as he barged in. The sight that met his eyes was worse than anything he had ever encountered.
His father stood over his mother's lifeless form with an inscrutable expression on his face. He looked at his son dead in the eye, his voice devoid of any emotions.
Junho was not shocked by his son's appearance but the boy was now silently accusing him. Minho looked at his hands which were stained with Suna's blood, still carrying the knife which killed her.
"Why…" Minho whispered but Junho had no answer to his son's questions. He had killed his mother and that was the truth.
"I'm sorry son…" Junho said. Before Minho could react, he ran past him. His eye had caught a glimpse of a white orb which was flying away from them. Minho was frozen in his spot, left to deal with his mother's corpse while Junho ran off to chase the thing which had destroyed his family.
He did not look back, his sight on the orb which taunted him. It was laughing and giggling, challenging him to catch it. Never in his life had Junho felt such a rage. That thing which dared to kill his wife was now trying to escape but he was not going to let it go.
He reached out to catch it but to his shock, it slipped right through his fingers.
"You can't catch me!" it taunted him. "You're merely a human! You can't stop me, Hwang Junho…"
But Junho chased it out of the gates barefoot, determined to punish it. That thing wanted to open hell right? Then Junho would send it to hell!
He rushed through the empty road, still chasing the orb but it was flying off into the sky, well out of his reach. Junho did not know where he was running off to but it was too late. The orb had disappeared and was gone.
"AGH!" he yelled in frustration and agony. "AHHHHHHHH!"
His screams of helplessness echoed throughout the desolated alleys. He fell to the ground, crying over his dead wife whom he had to kill. His heart was a mess and his thoughts in disarray. Their children...what was going to happen to their family now? Who would hold them together? Junho was lost and in shock by the events. The past two days had drained him of all energy and he just wanted the torment to end.
Lights flashed at Junho, rushing towards him. Thinking it to be a trick of the orb, he did not move but the large lights stopped short of him. It took him a while to realize that the lights were from a car.
Yeeun emerged from the car followed by an old woman who might be her mother.
"Brother Junho!" she gasped at his state. There was blood all over his hands and shirt. He still carried the knife in his hands. The old woman was also shocked at the man's appearance.
"Did he…" she began but could not bring herself to finish the question. Yeeun was crying while Junho remained in shock but there was little time to waste. They heard the distant wailing of sirens which meant that the police were near.
"We have to take him!" Yeeun told her mother. "Away from the cops! They'll never believe him and will put him in jail!"
Shujin nodded and together, they forced Junho to stand to his feet before shoving him into the car's backseat. Yeeun revved up the engine and drove as fast as she could, away from the neighborhood. She did not stop until they reached home.
Junho was still in a catatonic state so the mother and daughter had to heave him together to bring him inside. They dumped him on the couch but he was unresponsive.
"We'll have to hide him here until that spirit is caught!" Yeeun said. "There's a chance he might never be able to meet his family again…"
The mention of his family seemed to have snapped Junho out of his catatonia.
"Minho...Mina!" he exclaimed. He got to his feet and was about to run towards the door but Yeeun and Shujin held him back.
"No, brother Junho!" Yeeun scolded him. "If you go now, you'll be arrested!"
"I...have...to go!" he insisted, trying to push them away but the mother-daughter duo was holding onto him with their might.
"This isn't gonna work!" Shujin declared. She hit a critical point on his head with the side of her palm and Junho fainted. Yeeun was shocked at her mother's actions but the latter merely shrugged.
"He was being a pighead so I had to resort to this," she said. "Place him on the couch. Or better, just tie him up."
"Mom!"
"He might try to run away!"
Yeeun shook her head and together, they placed him back on the couch. Being a very tall and muscular man, it was difficult for both of them to carry him but somehow, they managed it. Gasping for breath, Shujin told her daughter, "You go and rest. I'll make sure he doesn't run off."
Yeeun nodded. She had been ignoring the sadness in her heart but now, she must face it. She went upstairs and locked the door behind her. She tried hard not to cry but it was impossible to stop the tears. Her best friend had been killed and she was unable to do anything. If only she had been able to answer the phone earlier. Or not have left that day. Or maybe she could have called a shaman as soon as she found out. If only…
There were so many red flags but everyone ignored them, including her. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she slumped on the floor, crying hard. Her womb was also moving in an uneasy manner.
"Are you sad too?" Yeeun asked. It was as if her daughter felt her sadness. But Yeeun could only cry helplessly that night. She recalled all the moments she spent with her friend, the happy times they had together. Suna was always the cheerful one, as bright as the sun. Whenever Yeeun was sad or depressed due to her ability, Suna would cheer her up and be by her side.
Unlike Yeeun, Suna had the choice to use her ability whenever she wanted. She only used it to help souls move to the other side or to bring information for other souls whether their loved ones were in the World of the Dead. But after meeting Junho, she stopped using her abilities in an attempt to live a normal life.
Sometimes, Yeeun envied her friend for having that much control over her abilities. She could not help it and perhaps, Suna knew it as well. But that did not dampen their friendship. In fact, their differences made them stronger.
But now she was gone and Yeeun was left alone. But she knew that she was not suffering as much as Junho. He had to kill his wife to protect her. It was a choice no one should make. He went through something worse than hell that night. Not only did he lose his wife but was now a killer in the eyes of his family.
For once, she hoped that she could see a ghost. Suna's ghost. Did she come back?
"If you're out there, can you show yourself?" Yeeun wondered out loud.
Silence. No pale figure popped up. It was then when it finally hit her.
Suna was gone.