CHAPTER 3

FLAMING EYES

Sulli opened her eyes in an odd room…it is dark except for a candle light…who is still using candle light when there is electricity? The room looked old…from the shadows…it seems like it has all these old design on the furniture.

Sulli tried to focus her attention on the chair…

It is so familiar…the design…though old…looks like it came from… Goryeo Dynasty…

Sulli’s head started aching again.

She tried to sit up…how long was she unconscious? Did Jiyoung already leave? What time is it?

Sulli tried to stand up. Her legs were a bit shaky but she was able to walk to the door by holding on to the wall.

So Mr. Smiley left her in the room…

She has to leave now…Her Uncle will be worried.

Sulli opened the door and walked out of the room…even the hallway is just lighted by candles…

Are these men saving money for the future? Don’t they have any electricity? It’s easy to get an electric line isn’t it?

Sulli walked slowly using the wall as her anchor. It’s dark…and there’s not even a sound except for the creaking of her feet in each of her step.

And then for the first time…Sulli understood what Vic and Jiyoung felt like…

Sulli felt her heart beating fast…

Fear.

This place pulls out fear from the depths of her heart and makes her mind think of all things that can be scarier than the creaking sound.

“I need to stop imagining things.” Sulli whispered to herself. But those words echoed sending shivers up Sulli’s arm down her spine.

Sulli closed her eyes.

She is not a person who easily gets frightened…no matter how many ghost stories…she’s the type to still enter a haunted house just to check it out…that’s why She loves Antiques no matter what people say…

But this time…she can’t pretend to not feel anything when fear is almost choking her.

Sulli saw the door…can it be a room…please make it the way out of this dark place…

Sulli slowly reached the door and turned the knob…she can feel air in almost reaching …she’s so frightened that she felt her hand shaking as the door opened.

Sulli braced herself as she saw more candlelight…this time…the room is filled with them…it’s no longer dark…

Sulli entered the room…

Could this be…the shop?

Sulli wasn’t able to look at the shop earlier when it was filled with people…but now…there’s not a single soul.

“Can it be so late?” thought Sulli

Sulli took a few steps towards the door.

The shop is bigger than what she expected…it felt so hard to reach the door without a wall to lean on to.

And then something caught Sulli’s attention.

It’s a celadon (ceramics) incensed burner. She has seen this in some of her research in the past…but she has never seen an actual one before…

Sulli stopped walking and went towards the table where the incensed burner is standing.

The design is so detailed…

“This is really old…” thought Sulli. “Goryeo Dynasty is what…700 to 1000 years ago?”

“So this incensed burner is…that old?!” said Sulli whispering to herself.

“That one is not for sale.” A voice said making Sulli scream in horror.

Sulli suddenly felt warm hands covering which made her try to scream more but her voice could not get out.

“You’re in our place. We should be the one screaming at the sight of a stranger lurking inside our house isn’t it?” asked the man

Sulli stopped screaming though her heart is still racing…

The man dropped his hand.

Slowly, Sulli faced her back to see who the man was.

In the candlelight, his skin is shining beautifully…like gold touching his skin…His eyes looked like fire is in it as the ca