>_____<;;

“Ok,” Victoria spoke the next morning while they were eating lunch in the kitchen, “so I looked up the directory last night. I located 8 men who have the name Byun Tae Won.”

“In all of Seoul?” Chorong asked with full. “I thought there would be more.”

“Chew your food first,” Namjoo ordered.

“Well there might be more whose names were in the directory,” Victoria explained, “but we’ll go with these first.” She handed her sisters slips of papers. “I’ll look for 3, Namjoo will look for 3, and Chorong 2.”

“2?” Chorong repeated.

“Since you’re going on a date,” Victoria said. “Better to be there early than late. Impression counts.”

“I told you it’s not a date!” Chorong tilted her head up and Namjoo backed away from the food she was spitting out.

“Cover your mouth!” Victoria grabbed a napkin and pressed it over her sister’s lips. “Namjoo, your area is closer to downtown.”

“The poor side, right,” Namjoo said.

“You’re sending Namjoo there?” Chorong asked as if shocked. “There are so many stairs to climb and so many confusing homes that don’t even have number plates.”

“You want to deal with rude city people?” Victoria challenged. “People in the city are much more rude than those over there. Plus, it’s easier for Luhan to appear if something goes wrong.”

“You can’t always use him, you know,” Chorong said.

“Well we will this round,” Victoria stated. “What I say goes.”

Chorong rolled her eyes.

“Got it? Good,” Victoria patted Chorong’s shoulder, “and have fun with your date.”

>_____<;;

“Date, it’s not a date,” Chorong repeated to herself as she walked down the sidewalk.

The rows of preciously built houses shone in front of her in their bold yellow, blue, and green hues. Chorong first thought of how expensive those homes must be before she looked at the piece of paper she’d been handed.

“Aish…this is embarrassing,” she muttered to herself.

Clearing she stepped forward to ring a doorbell by the freshly white painted gates and waited. While waiting for a response she peered up the brick walk leading to the front door and admired the work done for the home.

“Yes? Who’s there?” a female voice chirped.

“Is there a Byun Tae Won there?” Chorong started nervously.

“He’s not in right now, can I take a message?”

“Um…” Chorong debated whether to ask the next question or not, but decided to shoot it anyway. “I was just wondering if 14 years ago he was involved in some kind of suicide incident.”

“Who are you? Is this a prank?”

Chorong leaned back from the voice speaker.

“Oops, wrong person,” she muttered before turning around to dash around the corner of the block.

Embarrassed, Chorong hopped into her car and quickly drove off before looking for the next house. Like the first, the second Byun Tae Won wasn’t the one who had discovered their mom. He was actually some kind of high school student grumpy to have been interrupted in the middle of his gaming session. After setting eyes on him Chorong immediately apologized for having called him out. The guy must have only been some 2 or 3 years old when her mother died.

With no luck she returned to her car and called Victoria.

“Any luck?” Victoria questioned.

“Nope.” Chorong flatly answered.

“If you’re done, why don’t you head off?”

“It’s only 2:30.”

“Being half an hour early is better than late,” Victoria said. “Plus, if you get there early you can find out about what the musical is about.”

“Mmm…great…” Chorong muttered before hanging up.

To waste some time she drove around the city, bought herself a cold slushy and sat in the parking lot finishing it, and finally made her way to the auditorium. When she stepped out into the parking lot to view the building lit up with gold lights even though it was practically the middle of the day, she saw that everyone attending the musical was somewhat formally dressed. Feeling out of place, Chorong shied away from the group while heading toward the building.

The wide hall draped with polished brown tiles was magnificent against the fresh brown doors and their brass handles. Chorong poked her head in to look at the attendees before turning around to lean against the glass of the building. To be honest she felt sort of embarrassed for being there. Maybe she should have had the guts to decline the kind offer to come.

“Hey,” Suho’s voice perked up in her ears when she let out a sigh.

Her head shot up in surprise and to be polite Chorong shot him a welcoming smile. “Oh…hi.”

“Why didn’t you go in yet?”

“Oh…well…” Chorong looked into the lot before laughing and threw her hand out, “the breeze is nice.”

Suho glanced at her amused before they walked in together with Chorong wanting to face-palm herself. If she could get any more stupid she hoped a hole would show up and she’d fall into it and disappear.

Chorong grew visibly nervous when they found their seats in the auditorium. While her eyes ran over the large crowd around them she suddenly grasped her hands.

“I’m excited. I heard it’s really good,” Suho exclaimed from beside her.

Chorong shot him a smile before tightening her fingers around each other. A bag of popcorn might help ease the anxiousness she was feeling. When the lights dimmed Chorong suddenly felt a sense of calm override her.

For the next two hours she watched the love triangle come into shape before her eyes and the love, loyalty, and betrayal that later ensued. Chorong suddenly forgot about the crowd around her and the partner sitting beside her. Her consciousness glued itself to the artists performing in front of her and when the last act enclosed Chorong felt tears slide out of her eyes.

Two lovers, Aida and Radames, were buried alive together after Amneris who was to wed Radames begs her father to allow them to die together. As they were deprived of light and air, Radames promised to search through a hundred lifetimes in order to find her.

Even when the curtains closed and reopened for all the artists to gather on stage for recognition and there was a standing ovation, Chorong remained glued in her seat; tears pouring out her eyes. She felt numb, chilled, and it felt as if a hundred arrows of pain had stung her in the heart.

At least the two lovers had the chance to die together, but Woohyun had left her behind and perhaps that was what she was reminded of most. Chorong would never be able to get over his death in her arms. She missed him, she really missed him.

“Chorong?” she felt a hand land on her shoulder and was reminded that Suho was still there.

Embarrassed she wiped her face of the tears, but even if she did her heart was so sore and ached so heavily. She wanted to cry more because she missed Woohyun so dearly and it just hurt so much.

Letting out her signature awkward laugh she stood up, “The musical was good, don’t you think?”

“Oh…yea,” Suho nodded before bringing a smile onto his face.

Chorong turned away from him unsure of how her face looked and made her way out of the auditorium only to come upon the commotion outside. When she glanced up she saw the rain pouring like a flash flood outside.

“Oh wow…it was just bright and sunny earlier,” Suho commented coming up to her side.

The tears in her eyes evaporated and a sudden kind of anguish crushed her from inside.

“Where did this rain come from!”

“It wasn’t forecasted for today.”

“What am I going to do? I’m going to get drenched if I walk out.”

Something pounded at Chorong from the back of her head. A storm had ensued when she had called for it in the Joseon Dynasty. Was it possible that the same had happened because she had tapped into her emotions?

Chorong tried to think of the sun and the rain calmed a little, but it was still pouring. She shook her head and blinked her eyes. She couldn’t stop it. Her heart was hurting and she couldn’t put a stop to it. Gloom crushed her. The rain would fall for as long as she ached.

Her attention span returned to reality when she felt herself slightly bump into Suho. When she looked up she saw that he had his jacket over their heads, his other arm somewhat around her.

“Where’s your car?” he asked. “I was thinking we could have gone for something to eat, but I remember I left my dog outside. I’ll run you to your car.”

She was a little dumbfounded by the suggestion, but awed by his kindness which she didn’t want to turn down.

“Somewhat on the east side,” Chorong replied and turned to see him smile.

“Ok, lets go.”

>_____<;;

When Victoria ran into the lot to get her car she cautiously glanced around in hopes that Changmin was nowhere near. A sigh of utmost relief escaped her when she got into the car, but when she started the engine she paused when she saw a note stuck under her windshield wipers.

After retrieving the note Victoria felt a of disgust flow through her.

I’m not sure what went on the other night, but lets meet up to talk it out. – Changmin

No. Victoria shook her head. There was no need for a meet up or a talk, she was through with having to see that face of his. Victoria hit her chest at the urge to puke and started her car before driving off.

Upon her arrival to a Dry Cleaner small and fair in size, Victoria carefully pushed the glass door open to peer in. Behind the tiny counter there were rows of racks with clothes carefully wrapped up in plastic to keep them clean. There was a smell in the air that told her someone busy ironing.

The tiny building looked a little run down with the faded walls and dirty tiles that had some kind of indistinguishable liquid on them. But at least the place smelled like some kind of super clean Laundromat. Victoria peered down at the business cards on the counter and ran her eyes over the various advertisements taped to it before she rung the bell for assistance.

From the back someone walked through two dark blue flaps before smiling at her. This person had the looks of kindness embedded onto his face and his eyes shifted into tiny moons when he smiled. Visible smile lines appeared on his aging face before he walked to the other side of the counter.

“You didn’t wait long, did you?” he asked. “What can I do for you?”

She watched him reach for a clipboard on the other side of the counter and set it on the tabletop. He must have thought she had come to pick up something.

“Byun Tae Won?” Victoria asked with a small frown.

The way he lifted his head up to look at her told her she had nailed it.

“Yes, that’s me, how did you know?” he looked a little suspicious.

“Hi,” Victoria began, “I was wondering if you were the one who discovered a woman at the top of crest hill 14 years ago.”

Victoria mentally crossed her fingers and hoped she had the right man. Her hopes suddenly sprang up.

Byun Tae Won nodded, “Ah…yes, that was me.”

Victoria let out a sigh of relief, proud and happy before safely continuing, “I’m her daughter.” Surprise lit up his eyes and she went on, “I think there was some kind of foul play behind her death. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?”

From the way Byun Tae Won eagerly shook his head and invited her to take a seat at the back where he had been busy ironing sets of clothes, Victoria assumed he wasn’t one to be suspicious of.

“Do you want anything to drink? I only have water and juice,” he offered.

“No thanks,” Victoria kindly refused the offer and took the seat offered to her.

“Go ahead, ask me anything you want.” He said. “She was so young, it was so pitiful. I’m so sorry it happened.”

Victoria smiled, “When you found her, how was she?”

“Actually, I didn’t see her up close. I just saw a body and blood and immediately knew something was wrong, so I called the cop. I never went near the body.”

“Do you have any idea why the cops said it was suicide?” Victoria questioned then she suddenly asked, “Was there a knife on site?”

“A knife?” he repeated then shook his head. “I didn’t see any kind of weapon. When the police arrived, I was questioned and told to leave.”

So there had been no knife see by Byun Tae Won, but there had been a picture of one in the files.

“Who told you to leave? The one in charge?”

“Yes, it should have been him.”

“Do you remember his name?” Victoria waited in silence for him to remember, but he shook his head. In another try after her hopes surged up she said, “Was it something like Lee Shin Il?”

“Oh…yes, his name sounds familiar.”

Victoria felt heavy doom loom over her.

>_____<;;

“They could’ve let me borrow a car at least,” Namjoo mumbled as she got out of the cab.

When the cab left her she turned to glance around the run down side of the poorer side of town. There were about a dozen staircases that mounted the way up to the buildings hidden from view and there were other ones surrounding on her left side. A couple who entered the lot glanced at her strangely before entering their car to drive off.

Namjoo turned to watch their car disappear down the street before that familiar man she’d seen the other day suddenly appeared. She recognized his tan coat and those ugly boots he wore. Running her eyes over him she saw that he was short, but thin and didn’t look too old; somewhere in his late 30’s. He was mouthing something to her again, but she couldn’t hear him.

Once more her consciousness disappeared and her attention set itself on him. The blocks of buildings and the staircase dissolved.

“You’re not coming?” he asked. “Come here. I know you want to come.”

Namjoo couldn’t speak and she was being drawn into his voice continuously.

“You want to find the answers to everything, don’t you? Come here and I’ll show you all that you want.” He smiled and Namjoo felt her feet move forward.

>_____<;;

“Namjoo?” Luhan called out, but she didn’t turn.

He slightly leaned to the side to see what she was staring at, but he couldn’t see anything or anyone. Luhan watched her continue to walk forward to the voice that he couldn’t hear and felt his heart leap when she slowly approached the road.

“Wait, Namjoo, no, don’t go,” he took a couple steps forward to grab her arm, but she seemed immune to his touch.

Namjoo just stood there blankly without turning around to him. What was going on?

Luhan peered toward the road once again and determined someone was trying to call Namjoo out while working to kill her in the process. Cars were heading up the road a few seconds away and would be there when Namjoo stepped out. It wasn’t going to happen, he wouldn’t let it.

Releasing her arm from his hold he slipped his arm around her shoulders before forcefully pivoting her away from the street.

“Listen to me,” he said into her ear, “you’re hearing things. He’s going to hurt you if you go out there. Namjoo, fight it.”

She barely responded till a minute later when a raindrop fell on them. Whatever it was that had been there vanished and Luhan’s eyes darted toward the street in time to see the cars drive by. And when he turned back to her, Namjoo twisted her neck back and their eyes met.

That feeling he’d feared crept into him and he almost gave in to the urge to continue hugging her.

***And a very Happy Birthday to Kim Namjoo!! ^^

***Chorong's second powers are developing! Now all Vic needs to do is tap into her emotions to get her powers triggered.