After Chen and Min Jee dropped Luhan off at the café (they would have dropped him off at his house but something about secrecy that kept him from giving them his address), Min Jee and Chen split ways with their own tasks ahead of them. Chen would try to contact his grandfather who would be quite hard to reach since he was a busy man, and while he was his grandson—that didn’t exactly mean much because he would have to wait hours on the phone just to pull through to his secretary. Min Jee on the other hand, delegated to herself to do some reading of the journal and to look over the photos that her grandmother had.

However the only one that made any sense to her was the picture of the door, the one where Luhan accidentally spilled water on, because now she knew what the symbols that appeared meant. It was the same ones that were on the box, and the ones that kept appearing before her, and so she knew that if she ever found that door, it would be one more step to solving whatever mystery she had stumbled upon.

The photo of the paper with numbers though, was something she couldn’t make sense of no matter how many different combinations she tried—dates, years, times, even resorting to different codes  but nothing could give her any idea what it was about. The photos of turned heads of people were even worse, and she wondered even more how that could possibly have any connection to anything.

Min Jee sighed, realizing it was worthless to focus on them when she knew she wouldn’t have the substantial information to understand just yet. Looking at the journal however, she knew that she would have a better bet. As she read upon the last passage, her memory was jogged of the disembodied entries and the last entry she read before she was cut off with a phone call:

August 2, 1965

It’s been two weeks now, and I’ve spotted them behind me but luckily I’ve always been one step ahead. I’m fatigued and there’s nothing I can do but run. I still haven’t found her but there have been whispers from what I hear—that she’s been spotted in several places, never for more than a day, and that she’s everywhere. I’m so close…but so far.

August 15, 1965

I realized something, why do I try so hard to find her when it’s obvious that she doesn’t want to be found. I’ve known her for years but the fact she didn’t even say anything to me the night she left has hurt me more than the times she stayed and said hurtful things. After all these years…does she not trust me? Did she give up? I have so many questions, and as of now they’re the only reasons I push through, because I want answers, from her.

September 1, 1965

I found her.

After that entry, there were several blank pages that followed it, before Min Jee found writing near the middle of the journal. The writing though was different, more erratic and messy, barely legible from what she could make out. There were even ink blotches, and torn pages as if to show how the writer was distressed.

            October 10, 1965

It was worthless to even try. She has given up and I can no longer go on. The days are shortening for us and it’s only a matter of time, it’s frightening, even more so than those that are chasing me. I cannot do it without her, and I am useless on my own. I do not know how long before the end comes, and when it does, what will happen?

After that, the journal entries stopped, and as Min Jee leafed through it, what was left was pages and pages of the symbols drawn everywhere in heavy black ink. Within them there are words of the mysterious language once again and Min Jee could only stare at them, not understanding what they could possibly mean. But from previous translations of the language, she could only assume that it would be something bad.

Based on what Luhan had told Min Jee about how she and Chen were more closely intertwined with the secrets of the box than that could only mean what Chen’s grandfather went through what the both of them were just beginning to experience. The journal entries only seemed to further that assumption as she believed it was written by him and the urgency left in his entries only left her feeling the urge to pick up the phone and dial him up.

Instead however, she dialed Chen.

“So how did it go with your grandfather?” Min Jee asked, flipping through the journal idly.

“Not even a ‘hello’, how rude.” Chen commented back merrily.

Min Jee rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn’t see it, “Hi, so did you contact him?”

“Hey! And as much as I tried to get through, no—apparently he’s quite ‘busy’ right now, as quoted from his secretary Sungmin. You know he’s much nicer than his previous one, and while we’re actually close no matter how much I got him to talk; he wouldn’t admit what granddad was doing.”

Min Jee could just tell from his tone that Chen was more than annoyed, frustrated even which was only further proven as he continued to ramble on.

“You would think he would make time to talk to his only grandson—”

“Isn’t there Baekhyun?”

“—favourite grandson. I conclude that he’s hiding something and that he is actively avoiding the lot of us.”

“That’s a huge assumption Chen.” Min Jee commented.

“But I know I’m right, and do you know how I’m right?” Chen asked, before he continued without giving Min Jee the chance to answer the question, “I can’t contact Baekhyun either.”

“Didn’t he go with your grandfather, maybe they’re just too busy right now?”

“It would make sense if Kyungsoo answered his phone but he didn’t.” Chen said with conviction, “Usually he would always answer because it’s his obligation to even though he finds me annoying, and the fact he wouldn’t pick up, there’s something suspicious going on.”

Min Jee raised her eyebrow at Chen’s statement, it wasn’t as if she didn’t believe him because she didn’t know their family dynamics but she wondered if the lack of contact could be something too.

“Can you continue trying?” Min Jee requested, “I want to try talking to Luhan some more.”

Chen agreed quickly, “I will, let me know if you find out anything more okay?”

“Sure.”

To make sense of it all though, would be another story.

*

*

*

“I should have known you would appear again.” Luhan commented, as he came to Min Jee who was seated at one of the tables in the café. Filling up a cup of water for her, Luhan slid into the seat in front of her. “So what is it?”

“Won’t you get in trouble for sitting around?” Min Jee said.

Luhan just shrugged his shoulders, “I bring in a steady flow of costumers so the boss doesn’t mind what I do, so long as I show up for the day if I’m being completely honest.”

Min Jee nodded, impressed, it made sense though, with his looks and gentle smile he could lure in even the coldest of people. Too bad, his fabulous hair was holding in so many secrets, like the fact he was part of some sort of cult—or at least what Min Jee thought was a c