Pages of the Past (13)
Pages of the Past (13)
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*Present*
"When I woke up the next day, Yeeun and her mother showed me the news clips of how I was being held responsible for Suna's murder," Junho said. "I couldn't return to normal society and the two of you were taken in by Lawyer Lee. And who would have believed me? All evidence pointed at me that I mistreated Suna whereas it was the entity."
Minho was quiet all this time, listening to his father. Surprisingly, he did not feel any hate nor was he resentful towards the man anymore. He was seeing his father in a new light. The distance between them could not be bridged that easily but at least they were trying to be more honest with each other.
"But at times, I couldn't help myself," Junho went on. "Sometimes, I used to sneak out to check up on you. I heard that you were attending an academy out of town so one day I went to check on you. This was a couple of years after Suna's death. When I asked the guard about you, he revealed that you were taken to the hospital…"
"It was you."
Minho finally realized. That voice he heard at the hospital after he was beaten up by those teachers. Junho was the man who sang to him!
"It was," Junho revealed. "I went there to check up on you and I overheard the doctors talking about the teachers who had beaten you up because you were sneaking off to call Mina…"
Minho was not sure how to react to it. He had spent so many years hating this man and now, it was impossible to feel that way anymore. A strange feeling crept up in his heart which was a mixture of gratefulness and guilt. He did not dare to meet Junho's eyes but downed his drink.
"So all these years, you were staying with Gayoon's family while searching for the thing that killed mom," he said in a hoarse voice. "Did you ever find it?"
Junho stared at his half empty glass. There was a secret he had hidden from everyone including Gayoon. Did he have the strength to reveal it?
"There's another secret which you should know," he said in a grim tone. "Something even Gayoon doesn't know."
Minho stiffened upon hearing those words. The way Junho was putting it, he felt as if it was not the end of the story.
"That entity is not an ordinary ghost," Junho explained. "I doubt it's even the spirit of a dead person. I have been trying to chase it for years, researching its origin. If you hadn't opened the gate to the other world, I wouldn't have known what sort of 'hell' it was talking about. It led me to do some digging and I found out that spirits and poltergeists aren't the only type of creatures which roam the Earth. There are other entities which we're not aware of. Monsters, guardian angels etcetera. We just don't see them out in the open like ghosts and spirits are."
Minho subconsciously knew that. After his brush with grim reapers, he had been wondering if there were other sort of creatures too which went unnoticed.
"I did meet this entity in another place," Junho revealed. "It doesn't only go from one Transporter to next in the hopes of opening the gates. It also needs a stable body, a body to return to. While it's away, the vessel it uses remains protected by a servant. The servant is usually an ally who worships this entity and follows all the commands it gives."
"You see, after Suna's death, I became obsessed with finding it. I stayed locked for weeks to practice exorcism rituals and how to fight it off. I wanted to destroy it so that I could return to my family. It was the sole reason for my living. I managed to track down the exorcist, Shinjin, and told him about my troubles. He confirmed the fact because he was also looking for that thing. Shinjin also told me that he had tracked the entity down at a place south of the city. It had its vessel there and if his tip was correct, the creature was going to change its vessel that night. I had to go."
Minh noticed that Junho was now gripped with guilt and sadness which alarmed him. "What happened that night?" he whispered.
…..
*Flashback*
Yeeun was carrying a tray of food to Junho's apartment upstairs. She had been feeling uneasy for the past week. Her due date had passed ten days ago and the baby was still not ready to be born. The feeling of carrying the baby was now very uncomfortable and her movements were very slow. It took all ounce of her energy to climb the stairs but she must take care of Junho for Suna's sake.
His behavior was worrisome. Ever since that night, Junho was fixated with revenge, thinking of nothing else. He was obsessed with finding that entity and stayed shut in his room all day and night to practice various spells to ward off ghosts. While Yeeun understood his desire for revenge, it was his obsession which alarmed her.
I have to talk to him, she decided. As soon as she reached his apartment, Junho bustled out of it. He looked very excited for some reason.
"Yeeun, I was just coming to you!" he exclaimed, locking the door behind him.
"What happened, brother Junho?" she asked. "Are you alright?"
"I found it," he revealed. "I found that monster! Shinjin tracked it to a house south of the city. We're going there now!"
He found the entity? She wondered in confusion.
"You can see the spirits, right?" Junho stated. "Come with me. You can help us confirm the location of the spirit and even its appearance. So that if it escapes the body, we can capture it with your help."
"I…"
"Come on!"
Junho looked so excited that Yeeun did not have the heart to refuse him. Ignoring her uneasiness, she nodded and followed him to the car. He started the engine with his spare key and they drove off.
Half an hour later, they stopped in front of an apartment building. Yeeun frowned upon seeing that the entity was using a public space for its vessel.
"It's possessing someone in here?" she asked.
"Yes," Junho replied. "A young man in his twenties who lives here with his girlfriend. The girl is actually the servant who protects the body while the entity is gone to complete its task."
Another car pulled up in front of them and stopped in front of them. Shinjin came out of it, holding a large bag.
"Ah the Seer is here!" he exclaimed. Yeeun was not sure who the funnily dressed man was but Junho seemed to know him.
"I'm Shinjin," he introduced himself. "Junho told me about your abilities. We'll need your help in distracting the servant."
"Are you an exorcist?" She asked curiously.
"Yes," he said, pulling out another heavy bag. "I've been chasing this thing for a long time. Years ago, it possessed a young woman and tried to kill her husband. I tried to exorcise it out of the woman but turns out, the man was the one who was possessed. It killed the wife and when it saw that its goal wasn't successful, it fled. Since then, I've been tracking it."
He gave one bag to Junho and said, "I've bribed the guard already. He'll let us in. The apartment number is 609. Yeeun will help us in capturing the servant. Now listen to my plan."
He explained the plan to them. Junho nodded while Yeeun was apprehensive.
"I don't know about this…" she said with uncertainty but Junho shook his head. He was determined to capture the entity at all cost.
"Don't worry," he said. "We're here. As soon as we capture the servant, you can return to the car. We'll do the rest."
He patted her head to assure her. Yeeun bit her lip but she also wanted to see the entity being punished for what it did to her friend. She nodded and said, "Let's do it."
All of them nodded and headed towards the apartment. It was late at night so most of the residents were asleep. They stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to the 6th floor. The trio were silent during the elevator ride, nervously awaiting the lift to stop at the designated floor. Yeeun could feel her heart thumping and there were many ways this thing could go horribly wrong.
But it was probably their only shot at catching the wily entity which changed bodies quite frequently. They might not even be able to track down the next vessel.
The elevator stopped at the sixth floor and they stepped out. Junho and Shinjin took their positions behind a pillar while Yeeun walked towards the apartment number 609. She clutched her stomach, letting her uneasiness show on her face and rang the doorbell.
A woman in her early twenties opened the door. Yeeun was breathing heavily, causing the woman to be alarmed. In the midst of her acting, Yeeun felt a cold presence somewhere in the house, perhaps sleeping.
"Are you alright?" she gasped.
"N-no," Yeeun panted, still clutching her stomach. "My husband is out for some work and my water broke. C-Can you drive me to the hospital?"
She held up her car keys for the woman. The latter was a little confused as if she did not know whether to do it or not. But seeing Yeeun's distress, she said, "Okay. I'll drive you there."
The woman picked up the house keys, stepped out of the house and locked the door behind her. She was half carrying Yeeun towards the lift when Junho jumped out from behind the pillar and pressed a cloth on the woman's mouth.
"Mfph!" She tried to struggle but the chloroform was too strong and she was knocked out within seconds.
"Hide her behind the wall," Junho instructed. "And take the keys."
Yeeun yanked the keys and threw it to him. Shinjin hid the woman behind a wall before following Junho to the main door. They unlocked the door and entered. Yeeun was about to go inside as well when she felt a strange sensation in her womb. She looked down and was shocked to see liquid flowing down her legs.
Her water broke.