13.

The room was quiet. In fact, silence was all we observed as we took to the living room; everyone except Dongyoung and I standing, appearing restless and apprehensive.

Then again, their reactions were akin to my own. As eager as I was to find answers, the more we lingered in silence; gauging each other, waiting patiently for one of them to breach the topic again; the more I began doubting my decision to know.

It was only when Taeil appeared from the kitchen that the group stirred in the slightest.

'Here,' he said gently, offering me a steaming mug.

I nodded, grateful for his hospitality yet again, but when I made to reach for it, my hands trembled so violently that he pulled it away just as quickly. They had been shaking ever since I felt the adrenalin wear off, and uncertain of what to do with them, I quickly threw them back into my lap, clenching them tightly to stop the quaking.

He opted for placing it on the coffee table at my knees; my silent thanks received as he moved to join the rest of the household, scattered about the room. Dongyoung was the first to speak the moment they were all present and more or less settled.

'Forests and woods alike were believed to be sacred ground since ancient times in Gwangsu. The rural tribes of this land in particular regarded forests highly because they believed nature is the only thing in which a perfect balance exists.'

I took in his words with a frown, not fully understanding where he was going with this context, but paid full attention nonetheless. Even the others seemed absorbed in Dongyoung's words, listening intently despite my predictions of this being something they were already familiar with.

'These sacred grounds were believed to be inhabited by spirits, entities, whatever you prefer to call them. The tribes who lived here both feared and respected these 'protectors', who were later described and depicted as reindeer, bears, eagles... and wolves.'

Even the mention of the word gave rise to a series of goose bumps on my arms. I was grateful for the cotton sleeves of my shirt having concealed the reaction; my features composed to my own surprise as I continued to stare at Dongyoung, not daring to interrupt him.

With eyes fixated on the mug Taeil had set down moments ago, Dongyoung continued, 'according to the native historic texts at the town library, wolves were said to be the first to have found this very land. The fact that they still dwell in the forest to this day isn't farfetched. Because of these animal's longevity, the natives believed the wolves were their ancestors, and that they carried that lineage. I, for one, share the bloodline.'

So it was true. My claims were true. Not that I bought into the native story he retold, but more so because it best explained the otherwise ludicrous notion of wolves and their existence in this town. What I had seen wasn't just a figment of my imagination. However, Dongyoung's words quickly triggered another train of thoughts as I took in the information; my eyebrows furrowing at the slightest suggestion.

'This is a historic landmark...?'

'The house: no,' he answered, moving to meet my eyes. 'The land: yes. As part of the lineage, I’m the current heir. The natives who owned it lived in harmony with the forest and their ancestors; the wolves; for a long time. But that harmony has recently been... upset.'

The silence that followed was so thick, it was palpable. There was a lot about Dongyoung's story that made little sense to me. Native tribes, sacred land, spirits... it all seemed like a fiction fanatic's dream. Perhaps on any other occasion I would have entertained them as such. But just how sombre every one of them appeared – how attentive they'd been throughout the sitting – assured me this was far from a joke.

'What do you mean...?' the question rose as timidly as I regarded them. 'What do you mean by the harmony being upset?'

'There's a balance in nature,' Johnny quipped from his perch beside the burning fireplace; his eyes hard and lips pursed, unlike what I recalled of him the first time we'd met.

'It's like yin and yang. When there's too much of one, there's bound to be repercussions. And one of those repercussions was what happened to you that night.'

I stared at him long and hard, feeling my mouth go dry at even the mention of the tragedy. 'The wolf.'

'There's been a string of unusual activity for a long time now in the forest,' Dongyoung continued, garnering my attention once more, looking serious.

'Precisely what it is, it's hard to determine. All we can tell is that it's far from the balance of harmony and discord only nature is capable of, that it's something much more sinister to have actually pushed a wolf; a private, secluded creature; to show itself. But one thing's for sure... and that's the fact that either you or your late friend had some involvement in it, Song Saerin.'

The last of it struck me deeply. It opened up wounds I was foolish enough to believe I could forcefully keep closed. It prodded at the memories of Hansol and I, traipsing into the woods at midnight after the party, totally oblivious to the laws of nature and balance that would soon be what ended us. Too drunk on love and trust to reconsider our recklessness as we trudged into the unknown, upon so-called 'sacred' land.

I could only assume my involvement was as thoughtless as Hansol's. We were, after all, naïve. High on adrenalin at the thought of uncovering the mystery of his big surprise.

The thought gave rise to the lump in my throat again. I couldn't tell if any of them noticed the cracks in my already meagre composure, but Taeil was the one to speak next; his voice soothing as opposed to Dongyoung's hard tone, which was most likely what kept the seams of my self-control from undoing.

'I think we should stop here for now.'

I made to oppose the suggestion, but noting the hard look Taeil offered me silenced me just as quickly. He continued, as if reading my thoughts, 'we can always do this another day.'