>_____<;;

“So that must mean the dead student’s name is Jin Hyuk,” Chorong stated a few seconds later after Victoria had finished cleaning up the broken glass.

“Or he could be the one who killed the dead student, we wouldn’t know,” Namjoo pointed out then turned to Victoria. “Do you know this guy?”

“No, but I’ve seen him around.”

“He must have come to you because you’re one of the Protectors, or perhaps because of your gem,” Chorong suggested.

Victoria narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. “Anyway, I’ve figured out what we need to do tomorrow.”

“Already?” Namjoo asked in disbelief.

“We need to start cracking on this so I can rid of this paranoia. It’s killing me, seriously,” Victoria grunted. “Everywhere I went today, I swear, I felt like I was being followed. He’s probably here right now.”

Chorong shuddered in her chair and moved nearer to the wall and away from Victoria. Hugging herself she pleased, “Please, Victoria. As if we need any more ghosts in our lives.”

“Forget it, we’re always having uninvited guests.” Victoria mumbled. “Back on topic, tomorrow I go to school, check out the dorms; one of you two will go to the police station and tell Changmin to hold off marking this case as suicide; the other one will ask around campus for whatever information.”

Her two sisters shot her looks of disbelief.

“Did I hear the name, Changmin?” Chorong widened her eyes. “Whoa! Wait a sec, did you two meet today?”

“That is not the point right now!”

“Oh! They did!” Namjoo raised her voice and pointed at Victoria before laughing.

“Guys!” Victoria slammed her hand against the kitchen table, but her sisters didn’t seem any bit intimidated. “Chorong, you get campus. Namjoo, you go to the police station.”

“That’s fine by me. I just have to ask about Jin Hyuk, right?” Chorong asked.

“We’ll have to verify his identity first,” Victoria corrected. “Namjoo will head to the police station first thing in the morning and call us, then we’ll continue from there.”

“First thing in the morning!?” Namjoo whined.

“Your sore butts deserve it,” Victoria said. “Now that that’s done, I want a shower.”

Chorong turned to watch Victoria go before turning to Namjoo.

“Victoria must be really paranoid,” Chorong commented.

“Thirty bucks for she gets together with the criminal investigator,” Namjoo smirked.

“Deal!” Chorong slapped her hand into her sister’s and they both laughed.

>_____<;;

Namjoo was woken up early by Victoria and given Chorong’s keys after a quick breakfast of toast and orange juice. Not even spared 5 minutes to pretty herself up she was urged through the door and to the police station. Victoria really wasn’t cutting her any slack.

“Ugh…what am I supposed to say to him? This is embarrassing,” Namjoo whined.

“You should’ve thought of that yesterday,” Victoria retorted before pushing her through the front door. “We’ll be waiting for your call, so be quick.”

Rolling her eyes at her sister annoyed she got into Chorong’s car and drove off all the while trying to rehearse what she’d say to Changmin. Telling him to hold off on the case would make her look strange and suspicious, because she had no real reason to give. That crime investigator would continue to ask her questions until she didn’t know what to say anymore. Unless she told him the student’s ghost had come to Victoria and asked for her to tell the truth.

Namjoo narrowed her eyes and groaned when she finally reached the lot of the Police Department. She really hoped this would work out as well as she wanted it to.

Alighting from the car she started toward the doors and slowly made her way down the hallway. At this point she was just literally dragging her feet. The nearer she got to the offices, the more nervous she felt. Really, what would she say to Changmin?

When she poked her head around the corner she saw him sitting at his desk looking through files and files inside manila folders. His desk was filled up with so many papers that she wasn’t sure how he even organized his things. Where were his pencils, where was the name plate on his desk, where was his phone? Changmin looked so messy Namjoo thought that if he were to get together with Victoria they probably wouldn’t survive long. Victoria, as she knew, was a neat freak and had to be organized at all times. She was even perky about organizing the color of her socks and making sure the same brand socks were together in one pile and another brand in another.

Thinking about it gave Namjoo a headache that she’d zoomed out of the world only to return when someone slightly bumped into her.

“Sorry, Miss,” he apologized before moving on and that was when Changmin looked up from where he had his nose hidden.

“Ah…hi,” Namjoo turned toward him and took a step closer to his desk awkwardly.

“Oh…hey, is there something you need me to help you with?” Changmin asked.

“Actually…um…” Namjoo twisted her lips up nervously and played with her fingers before looking around to check if anyone was listening in on them. When she decided that no one was giving a care she closed in on the desk and said, “Yea, it’s about the student that died yesterday.”

Changmin’s eyebrows rose up and he studied her for a second, “Why?”

“Um…” Namjoo managed then asked, “his name’s Jin Hyuk, right?”

“Yes,” he nodded as if it were a common fact.

“And you think it’s suicide?”

Changmin stared at her bleakly before repeating, “Yes.”

“Are you sure…about that?” Namjoo pressed on while really wanting to mentally stab herself.

Changmin continued staring at her with those eyes that said he was suspicious, but still remained silent. Namjoo felt quiet hands wrap themselves around her tiny throat when he leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms.

“Why are you so interested in this?” Changmin wondered. “Is it something to do with your sister?”

Or maybe he knew something about Victoria…

“No,” Namjoo flatly denied. “Just…I think it’s unfair. Have you already fully investigated why he fell? Do you have all the evidence that suggested why he would attempt suicide?”

“What’s your point? Unless you’re a friend or relative of his I can’t release to you any personal information about this,” Changmin warned in a friendly manner.

Namjoo linked her fingers together, “Just…can you hold back on putting the suicide sticker on this case? I’m pretty sure it’s not suicide.”

Changmin eyed her with a slight frown, but didn’t show anything on his face. Namjoo finally thought he was a really scary person to be with and felt all the more sorry for Victoria if she was attracted to him.

“We’ll see about that,” Changmin said almost coldly with only a nod.

Namjoo smiled intimidated by him and started to back away from the desk with a goodbye bow, but stopped when he called out to her.

“Are you looking for a job at the moment? I know you just graduated from college,” Changmin said.    

“What?”

“Did your sister mention anything to you about a job offer?”

Namjoo glanced up at the ceiling and searched her memory before saying, “No.”

Changmin slightly pressed his lips together and pulled out a pen from one of his drawers before scribbling something onto a piece of paper, ripped it off, and handed it to her. “Here, my friend’s looking for an intern to do his secretarial work. He’ll pay you good. If you’re interested, call him, and tell him Changmin recommended you.”

Namjoo peered down at the name and number. “Oh…thanks…”

With another bow she quickly turned around to walk out wondering what kind of impression Changmin was trying to pull on her. Then without paying any more attention as she trudged out of the Police Department she called Chorong to report to her.

After hanging up Namjoo got into the car and shrieked when she heard a, “Hey.”

Immediately turning to her right she spotted Luhan in the passenger’s seat and twisted to look out the windshield.

“What the heck! How’d you get in here?” Namjoo interrogated instantly. “Wait, forget that. There are cameras recording.”

Namjoo swung her hand out to point to the little black rectangles on the top of the Police Department building.

“It’s fine. It’s an angle they can’t see from.”

Namjoo narrowed her eyes at him and glanced around the parking lot then turned back to him, “Why are you suddenly appearing now?”

“Just…making sure everything’s ok.”

A slight frown crossed her face, “That’s all I hear from you. Is there something you’re not saying?”

His eyes wavered somewhat before he said, “When you were with your sisters, it wasn’t just a ghost that was with Victoria.”

“What?” Namjoo’s mind raced. “Then…they’re in trouble.”

“Yea…”

Namjoo ran her eyes over him and felt slightly ambiguous when she remembered the kiss the other day, however; more concerned over her sister’s welfare she turned away to pull the seatbelt over her and drove off.

>_____<;;

Changmin watched Namjoo disappear from sight before turning to look at the file in front of him. The autopsy report that had been conducted on Jin Hyuk’s body had been done fairly quickly just last night and had come in early in the morning. It all suggested that he’d been ridden of air, perhaps by a hand, before he was thrown over the building. And there was evidence of a fractured nose before he’d hit the ground. Obviously, it was a homicide.

His mind was suddenly ticking about why Namjoo had come in to ask him to lay off labeling the death as suicide. Did they know something? Or perhaps, he should start wondering why Victoria and her sisters were so strange.

>_____<;;

Almost 15 minutes had passed after Namjoo’s phone call and not a single person said they knew Jin Hyuk. A few others said they’d heard about him and the suicide and how awfully sorry they were to hear about it, but their answers weren’t of much help. Chorong was pretty much at a dead end.

While Victoria was in class and waiting for it to end, she had been standing outside relentlessly without rest. Not like there was any bench nearby to offer her a seat anyway, so she didn’t really know what she should complain about. Chorong walked around campus and strolled from path to path sizing out those who looked like they knew Jin Hyuk and pulling them over to ask questions.

All in all, Chorong was like a reporter desperate for answers. In a pretty sure way, she knew she looked pathetic and ridiculous. In the meantime she kept sending various text messages to Victoria, who didn’t bother to reply. Chorong had to wonder if her older sister had turned her phone off on purpose or if she was just ignoring her – as if that would be much of a surprise.

Chorong continuously sighed and walked all the way to the architecture building where the yellow tape from yesterday morning’s investigation had been cleaned up. She couldn’t see any sign of crime activity anywhere. It looked just like the concrete before the granite stairs, as normal as ever. When Chorong tilted her head up she saw the high wall framed with thick white concrete at the top and thought that if anybody wanted to jump they’d have to at least pull their leg over first.

That was when she felt her heart lurch in her chest. Someone was looking down at her, but when she squinted her eyes for a better look the figure quickly backed away from sight. Chorong was about to make her way into the building, but was forced to a stop when her phone rang.  

“Something’s with Victoria and it’s not a ghost,” Namjoo blabbered without informing Chorong on any background information.

“What…you said what?”

“Where are you? I’m on campus.”

“I’m in front of the Architecture Hall,” Chorong explained. “If you’re coming, hurry. I think I spotted someone on the roof.”

Chorong resorted to pacing in front of the building restlessly while waiting for Namjoo to show up. The students that continuously walked by all shot her glances before entering or exiting the building. Chorong wished she’d worn a disguise to prevent them from recognizing her face. She was embarrassed from receiving all their curious glances. Students should have better things to worry about, she thought.

She finally turned when she heard footsteps running toward her and saw Namjoo running with Luhan. Her brows curled up at the sight of him and she wasn’t sure if it was the correct time to ask why they were together or to start worrying about what they had at hand first.

“Did Victoria come out yet?” Namjoo questioned immediately.

“No,” Chorong shook her head and shot Luhan a look. “You two…came together.”

“Not exactly, he warned me about it,” Namjoo explained before saying, “what do we do? Should we go find Victoria and pull her out of class?”

“Wait,” Chorong stopped her then turned to Luhan, “what thing is with Victoria if Jin Hyuk’s ghost isn’t with her?”

“No, his ghost is with her,” Luhan shook his head and they all silenced when a crew of students chatting loudly walked by.

“Lets move over here,” Chorong led them to the corner of the stairs away from noise and interruption. “Ok, so there’s a ghost and something else. What?”

“There’s a Soul Eater that’s following his spirit,” Luhan explained.

“Will Victoria be in danger?” Namjoo asked.

“Perhaps, yea,” Luhan nodded. “If his spirit wants Victoria’s help, he’ll cling onto her, and if the Soul Eater gets him, it’ll get Victoria too.”

Chorong’s lips parted. It sounded scary. They were going up something they couldn’t see and they wouldn’t know what would happen if what they couldn’t see went into action.

“Then what do we do?” Chorong questioned.

“Find the perpetrator so Jin Hyuk’s spirit will be able to move on,” Luhan explained. “It’s a cycle of death. If dead souls can’t move on, they remain ghosts repeatedly hunted by Soul Eaters.”

“How much time do we have?” asked Namjoo.

 “There’s no limit. If Jin Hyuk can’t escape the Soul Eater, then it’s over.”

Chorong felt her insides grow weak with fear. Great, this was just great. If they couldn’t do things right then Victoria could die. Within this time frame how would they be able to find Jin Hyuk’s killer when there were thousands of students walking around?

Her mind was racing too much and she could feel herself become panicky. She wasn’t a great think under all this pressure.

“One of us should go to Dormitory E, since Victoria might not be able to stop there now,” Namjoo suggested, “and the other will go find Victoria and help her fight off the Soul Eater if it attacks.” Then she turned to Luhan, “We can attack the Soul Eater too, can’t we?”

For a second she spotted millions of worries in her sister’s fearful eyes and wondered to herself why she was being such a cowardice. Why should her younger sister be carrying the heavier load?   

“I’ll go to Dormitory E,” Chorong offered. “You and Luhan go get Victoria. If it’s possible, Luhan might be able to see the Soul Eater.”

“Ok,” Namjoo nodded. “We’ll catch up to you after.”

Chorong nodded and watched them enter the Architecture Hall before departing toward Dormitory E. 

***Woohoo! Another ordeal at hand! This time it'll be a little more exciting than usual now that they're racing against time to find Victoria and Jin Hyuk's killer before it's too late. 

***And Changmin's suspicions toward the sisters will get worse later. Will he be a bad guy or a good guy? 

***And I'm proud to announce that I'm on chapter 39 and Namjoo has finally stepped back into the past! HanJoo's story will be revealed shortly!