Beginning of a tragedy

Night stands still, cloudless sky covers the space with the vague moonlight and few twinkling stars. The whole town sunk in deep silence, there’s no traces of people or even some wild animals which often lived and hunted at night. Once in a while, the hissing wind blew dry leaves on the wet streets, breaking the shivering silence temporarily and then everything came back to hibernate again.

Suddenly, a small tottering shadow appeared from the distant. Covered by a black torn overcoat, that figure groping in the darkness under the dim candlelight shining from some windows across the streets. He kept walking silently without noticing anything around. His footsteps gradually were far away from the town center, reaching to an isolated hill with dense wood covering all the surroundings. The darkness seemed to gulp down that emaciated shadow into nihility.

He absorbed in something unclearly until he stopped in fron of a tomb wrapping in green moss and some tiny white flowers. He didn’t say anything but just standing there, looking fixedly to those words scarved on the white grave. In the dark, no one can identify exactly whether he cried or not but he seemed to wipe out his eyes and whispered something unclearly … Those spoken words were floating in the wind, sending the plaintive grief up to the heaven or down in the hell. No one could give the best answer for it.

“Young Master! Time has come … You have been waiting for so long … I surely bring him back to you .. Waif for me …Not so long … Be patient”

His trembling voice rouse up, along with that was his artlessly laughter resounding in the quiet night. Just the sound of howling wind and vultures echoing back. He raised his eyes to see upon the sky where the dim moonlight was shining ilusorily through branches of tree. Suddenly, there’s a strange noise from the distance. He hurried running to the place where that sound came from… He kept running without noticing the sharp thorns from some wild bushes cutting off his leg, resulting in many bloody scarves. But he didn’t feel hurt, he rushed by all his strength and finally stopped in front of an old castle. And he saw a group of strangers who were trying to climb over the faded white fence to break into the internal garden. He didn’t say anything but sniggered crazily at the sight in front of his vision. His eyes continued to trail along those guys until their sneaky shadow disappeared behind the main door of the castle.

“Those stupid rascals … ing you”

He crossed his hands without doing anything, it seemed that he’s waiting for something happen. He walked back and forth so many times deliberately for more than 20 minutes until he heard a hoarse screaming coming out from that ancient castle. Following those panic sounds, three guys rushed out like skyrocket with pale and frightened faces as if they had just seen ghost. And indeed that’s what they believed now

“Ahhh …. Ghost, ghost ….. Help me!!! Help me!!”

They seemed so panic that they didn’t care anything else but running away from this place as soon as possible. They stumbled and fell so many times, their eyes glued into the window with white curtain in the second-floor with an invisible fear sinking all over their hearts. They cried and shouted like crazy, even one guy seemed to go insane, he hugged his head tightly with both hands and all his body shook a lot as if he got a high fever. The quiet night became a chaotic so fast in just some minutes. Suddenly, up above the sky, the utter cries of deathly vultures roused up like a fatal song which signalized that they had smelled the attracting scent of prey. He saw all of that fearful scene with emotionless feeling. He’s walking slowly to that white large open door, gliding lightly as if he was flying. The dark covered surrounding space but he walked so confidently as if he came here thousand of times before. On the dust floor are many waning candle pieces and broken glasses. Moonlight shadow brighted up its vague illusory upon everything, strong winds beat hard in the window, making those white curtains flapping and shined up the inside space.

An enframed large picture with many blood-stained was lying alone in the cold floor. The dim light could not shine up to see clearly but we also realised the line of drawing about a young guy and a piano. Suddenly, a thunder flasing through the sky in the middle of a quiet night, enlightened a motionless body who was lying beside the picture with wide open eyes as if he saw something very frightened before he fall down. The old man saw that scene and that pitiful thief with a scorful and satisfying showing in his face.

“That’s the denouement for those who dare to wake up the prince”

--- -----

Seoul, 7 a.m

“Chansung ah”

Chansung turned round and saw the janitor of his apartment building was reaching him with a smile on his face. He hadn’t met this righteous old man for a long time because of tight schedule and many urgent cases. He smiled back and

“Long time no see you”

“You must have been busy these days, son!”,

“Yahh, I’ve been following a very complicated case so I don’t have time to drop in my house. How are you, Uncle Park?”

“I’m fine. Thanks. By the way, I have this one for you”

 He patted Chansung’s back gently and gave him a small box which was covered by an old newspaper. Chan knitted his eyebrows when he received that box, no name and address of the sender, just a small sentence written by purple ink in the back

“ During the days, I’m over it.

Dung the night, I still cry”

Chansung felt so strange when he read that sentence. A familiar feeling flashing his mind, he could make sure one thing that he had never seen those words before but why? Why his heart beat so fast? Why an electricity current seems to run along his body and made him dazed a little? Why his head hurt a lot like that? He whined and shook his head many times to get rid of that but suddenly, a shadow lashing in front of his eyes like a delusion. A shadow of a young man with brown hair and deep wet eyes. He opened wide his mouth and rubbed his eyes so many times to see clearly what was in front of his vision. He was sunk in hypnotizing for a long time until the old janitor shook his shoulder and gave him a shocking glance

“Chansung ahh, are you ok?”

Chan seemed to wake up from a long dream. He stammered for a while before his soul came back with his body. He sat down on the ground and pointed his finger to the place where he saw that vague shadow. Sweats trailed along his pale face. Uncle Park was surprised so much at his strange behaviour

“Are you ok, son? Stand up now and I’ll take you to the hospital”

“Do you see anything?” Chan didn’t hear anything but glued his eyes into that position where he saw that sihouette.

“No, nothing’s there. Do you have daydreaming?”, still a shocking answer replied his question

“I saw something .. someone, standing there and smiled at me”

“Chan ahh… Maybe you’re so exhausted from your hard training” , the janitor sympathized with him although his eyes still showed the curiosity, even fear. He hold Chan’s hands and helped him to stand up. But Chan shook his head so many times and tried his best to let his mind easy for a time. Being a detective of criminal affair deparment for almost 4 years, Chan had never believed in ghost or supernatural things but this time has brought a totally strange and puzzled emotion for him. He inhaled a deep breath and looked back to the old janitor and faked a strained smile to calm his nerves

“I’m ok, don’t worry! Maybe I’m dazzled for being awaken so many nights”

“Can you go up to your room alone?”, the janitor looked worried

“I can go by myself, I just need to rest a little”, Chan tapped his back sweetly to assure him. He’s about to leave but as remembering something, he turned back and asked

“By the way, do you know who the sender of this box is?”, Chan looked at the box in his hand with doubtful eyes. When everything’s back to normal again, he became cool-headed as usual. The instinct of a detective rose up in his heart and awoke all senses, he opened that box curiously and finally saw what was inside. A small and beautiful musical box made by pine wood and had a comfortable scent, he switched the spring and listened to the melodious sound from a small statue of a young boy who was sitting in front of a piano. That sound seemed so familiar and tormenting, “Nocturne” of Chopin. Both Chan and the janitor was sunk in the deep music until Chan found an rolling paper which was stuffed below the small slot of the box. He hesitated for a while but at last, he decided to open it, a poem written in red ink.

“From dusk till dawn

I’ve been waiting for you

Come back when you hear this song

When the night covers the space

See you where everything begins

And it will be the place to end our tragedy”

The janitor peeked over Chan’s shoulder to see that poem, suddenly he whispered something unclearly

“Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul”

“What are you saying?”, Chan turned round and shook his shoulders strongly

“You know the sender, right?”, he continued to ask repeatedly

“No, no. I’m hurt, let out my shoulder” , he tried to get out of Chan’s reach

“Don’t you know him? The author of this poem … He’s still famous until now.. Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul”

“Those words belonged to him? I mean … the guy that you’ve just mentioned”, Chan shocked a little

“Yes, I’m a fan of him for a long time .. Let me think … How long? May be nearly 50 years already”

“Where is he now?” Chan crossed his hands, being deep in his own thought and waiting for an answer that he seemed to guess already

“He died for a long time ago because of a strange reason … Up to now, police has still been in investigation but everthing was put to a nonplus.”, the janitor kept talking as if he was telling a detective story

“Some guessed he was assasinated because of his property, some said that he was alive and that death was fake … many rumours was spreading everywhere but I don’t believe in anything of them…”

Chan knitted his eyebrows : “Why? How about your guessing?”

The janitor kept calm and saw through the window, looking upon to the far-way horizon where beautiful sun was ready to rise up

“He used to be famous for his talent. He had many paitings and poems. You know those precious paintings have been kept in national art museum and was guarded very carefelly. Who can own all of them will become a millionaire because of their enormous prices”

“Why do you know that so thorougly?”, Chan looked at the janitor discreetly

“Don’t look at me like that, son. My mother used to be his servant so she told me all”, the old man smiled sweetly at Chan’s confusion

“Really?”

“My mother said he suicided because of a personal reason. And I believed in my mother’s words. Everything she said is always true”

“When did he die?”

“50 years ago when I was just a little kid. He died at a very young age, maybe at that time he’s just 28,29 years old, the same age with you now”

Chan kept silent for a moment until he came back with the package in his hand. Many questions surged out in his mind like there was a mist covering his brain and stopped it from discovering anything unusual. He wondered the reason why he received this musical box with a very strange message. The janitor walked and stood beside him

“Can you guess any possibility about the origin of this package?”

“I really don’t know.”, Chan sighed.

Suddenly his phone stirred and rang a lot, the voice of his companion, Ok taecyeon resounding through the phone

“There’s two new urgent cases. Art museum has just informed us about a theft last night. Another is a murder in Gyeongjoo town. We have to investigate both of them at the same time”

“Why, Teacyeonnie? I think property theft belongs to Department 2’s responsibility”, Chan was surprised a little

“Exactly but this case is an exception because we’ve found a misterious link between these two cases”, Taecyeon’s voice was still calm but being the companion for a long time, Chan could realise the strongly critical state this time

“Tell me more clearly”, Chan gradually lost his calmness

“A precious picture was stolen from the art museum yesterday, it belonged to Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, a very famous painter who died 50 years ago. More importantly, local police has found out a dead body in an haunted old castle in Gyeongjoo last night. No injuries, no traces of attacking or suicide”

“I still don’t find the relationship between those cases”, Chan tried to hide his nervousness though his heart seemed to explode when he heard that name

“The castle where we found the victim is Nichkhun Horvejkul’s house, where he spent all his life and …..” Taecyeon paused and that silence made Chan’s heart beat faster and faster but he decided not to say anything

“They also found out a blood-stained picture beside, the one which was stolen from the museum … We’ve working hard now to find out the identification of that unlucky person”

“Do you know the name of that painting?”

“Let me see… Ah, Nocturne if I am not mistaken…. The picture which draw a young man sitting in front of a piano”

“Where are you now?  I want to see you as soon as possible, I have something to talk with you”

“I’m in the office…”, Taecyeon felt a little surprised at Chan’s hasty actions. More than that, he realised there was something wrong with his buddy’s feeling.

“Ok, see you soon …”, Chan breathed hard when his phone was off and he turned back to see the janitor who was concentrating on his conversation for a while

“I have to come to my office but I have many things to ask you later if you don’t mind”

“Of course, I’ll try my best to help you, son!”, the janitor looked at Chan with an incomprehensible smile. It made Chan startle and shiver a little but time didn’t allow him to think so much.

Chan nodded his head to greet the old man while he rushed out of his building, still holding the package tightly in his hand., leaving the janitor behind. The old man walked slowly to the front door, his eyes still followed Chan until his car disappeared from the parking lot.

“Everything was just a beginning, son!” 

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From author:

Sorry my readers and especially the organizers of 2pmfestival. I was planning to post this story on Nichkhun's birthday following the promise with the regulation of 2pmfestival. Unluckily, my draft was disappered due to the failure of my lappy so that  I had to start from the scratch and wrote again. Until this day, I've just completed the first chapter but I'll post chap 2 in two days 

I've tried my best to keep the same plot but surely it will have many differences with my planning first story. 

Besides that, this time I decide to write more chapters based on my overacting imagination these days

Once again, I want to show my deep and sincere sorry to YuYuan and 2PM2PM2PM who are always dedicated to create this intersting event for us to join and share the love with 2PM. I'm very happy to see the success of this event. Wish you and all my beloved readers the best things

Thanks so much and hope all of you will understand and forgive me TT_____TT