Chapter 5: Haunt

It was a damp Tuesday morning when Naeun had walked to the nearest mart to shop for some groceries like usual.

Naeun sauntered past the bread aisle of the mart, grabbing some baguettes and pain aux chocolat. As she went to grab a copy of Le Monde, another newspaper caught her eye.

She gasped when she saw the picture of the couple on front page.

The lady was dressed in a white satin dress that cinched at her waist but what really stood out was the large blue sapphire diamond on her ring finger; she blushed and was looking down at her Louboutin's shyly. Her other hand wrapped around a man's arm. He was still tall, dark and handsome. Wearing a sharp suit of dark navy wool. His face, a perfect picture of calm but it was a facade for all the burdening thoughts he had.

He was still the same.
The man she knew too well.


 

“He's engaged.” Naeun murmured as she dropped the morning newspapers onto the coffee table in front of Eunji who was sipping her chamomile tea peacefully.

“Who is?”

“Kai” Naeun said shortly as she plopped into another chair next to Eunji.

Eunji's eyes widened as she choked on a her tea.

“What?!?!?” she sputtered.

“Read it on page 9. I'm going to make coffee” Naeun ignored her and headed for the kitchenette. Eunji quickly grabbed todays copy of the Korean Herald and scanned through page 9.

“Stepson to the richest man in Korea, Kim Jongin has called for a press conference yesterday to officially announce his engagement to the internationally acclaimed model. and actress Jung Soojung. After months of rumours surrounding the pair's relationship, they confirmed they were dating last May. Prices of the Vaiason Corp have increased by-”

“Spare me the news of that dreaded company” Naeun cut off Eunji when she was reading the news.

“I'm sorry. Bla bla bla bla bla… the wedding will be held in September 2015” abruptly apologised before continuing to read.

A silence stretched inbetween the two friends whilst Naeun sipped her café au lait  and Eunji was still processing the new information that she just read.

“That bastard” Eunji scoffed, her face the one of utter disgust. She threw the paper back onto the coffee table carelessly.

“Language Eunji”

“You can't be seriously okay with this?”

“I have no right to not be okay with this” Naeun said whilst taking another sip of her coffee.

“But what he did to you... What they did to you!”

“Is in the past Eunji. I'm leaving now. The kids are coming in earlier today” Naeun grabbed her bag and headed for the door. Not even glancing at the her house mate.

Eunji felt a stab if guilt. She knew better than to let her frustrations come out like that.

“Naeun ah I'm sorry… I didn't mean to bring it up” Eunji called after her but she was already slamming the door shut.

She swallowed another pill when she vividly remember how he used to smile.

How he use to laugh.

The mere image piercing her heart and shaking her so much that she had to grip the bannister as she climbed down the stairs.

When she finally felt sane and steady, she shook her head.

She would never go back to Seoul ever again.

Her last lesson to teach were a group of much older people who worked. They were painting a vase of blood red roses in the style of cubism. Dvořák played softly in the background whilst Naeun surveyed from painting to painting; sometimes giving advice on the brush angle and the highlighting.

An old grandfather clocked chimed alerting her that it was already midnight. She had unearthed it at the flea market last month and it had served well in timing her classes to a T.

She beamed before clapping her hands twice.

“Okay class, that's all for today. Thank you”

The men tipped their heads and murmured their thanks to her and then she was smothered by the women who kissed her cheeks and engulfed her in the scent of Chanel no.5. Naeun waved them goodbye and when she saw the last of her student leave with the end of her silk scarf trailing behind her, only then did the teacher let out a sigh \as relief washed over her.

But before she could leave she had a dozen menial tasks to do. She cleaned up the pallets and brushes thoroughly, then carefully stored the artwork away in a large room at the back of her studio. She took the clay pots out of the kilns so that the kids could finish painting them tomorrow and lastly she cleared the stools and easels.

After finishing all that she sat for a second at her desk and gulped the entire contents of her water bottle to steady her heartbeat for awhile, before mentally mapping out her lesson plans for tomorrow.

The pitter patter of rain began to sound in her ears and Naeun began to dread the journey to the other side if the city in the pouring rain.

She quickly packed her belongings and locked up the studio making sure the grill was tightly secure before walking off into the cold streets of Paris.The rain was heavier now so she pulled her hood up and quickly ducked under the canopies. There were only a few people walking on the street as the wind billowed and the storm raged. A loud bang of thunder made her jump slightly as she was walking and she unintentionally touched her wrist. She shook her head. 

The thunder grew louder as she practically sprinted to the metro. Why was it so far a away?

A strike of lightning, and something else flashed before her eyes.

That face.
The crystal vase of orange lilies toppling at her bedside table and the glass breaking into smithereens.
The thunder resonating like a cracking whip.
The lightning visible through the veil of curtains.
 

The déjà vu came back like a tidal wave and nausea swept her.

Bile raised in her stomach.

A migraine pounded in her head.

The wind was swirling harshly around her.

She staggered for awhile when she bumped into someone.

She seriously had to stop doing that. She might end up becoming a total ditz.

“Naeun?” that annoyingly familiar voice rang in her ears. He put his hand on her shoulder and she shivered at the touch.

Dang it. She was going to make a fool of herself in front of the one guy she actually thought was hot.

“Naeun are you okay?”

No no no no no no! This can't be happening! He couldn't witness this! her conscience screamed at her.

And when the shock finally kicked in she couldn't breath and was not able to comprehend her surroundings.

Of lighting and wind and of clashes of thunder.

With the rain that comes and goes, falling however it likes.

Everything became a huge messy blur.

She couldn't even remember him.

She wasn't even conscious when Kim Myungsoo caught her in his arms.

“She herself is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her ancestors sometimes come and peer out of the windows of her eyes and that is very frightening. She has the mysterious solitude of ambiguous states; she hovers in a no-man’s land between life and death, sleeping and waking.”

― Angela Carter

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a/n : 

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