“Ahhh!!!” Hyunmin screamed in fear. The thing also jolted in shock when he heard her scream and quickly pulled her near to his body.

“Hey. Hey. What are you doing out here? Did I scare you? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Hyunmin sighed in relief when she realised that the thing was actually her own husband, Jongup. She circled her arms around Jongup’s torso and buried her face into his chest, trying to chase away her fear.

Jongup, who was aware with his wife condition, slowly leaded her to the house and went straight to the bed without forgetting to lock the back door. He laid her down carefully on the mattress and pulled the blanket up to her chest. He was about to stand up when Hyunmin grabbed his hand. Jongup looked at his wife and he noticed his wife pleading eyes. “I’m just going to switch off the light. Don’t worry.”

Slowly Hyunmin released her grip, letting her husband go to do what he wanted. Jongup walked towards the main switch and off the light. He then lay down next to his wife, pulling her into his embrace with guilty feeling all over him. ‘Aish, I shouldn’t do that. She’s shaking because of me,’ he mentally scolded himself while his hand softly patting Hyunmin’s back in order to help her to back to sleep.

After a few moments, a soft snore was heard, signalling Jongup that his wife already fell asleep. He took a look at Hyunmin’s face and slowly tucked her hair behind her ear. “What are you doing out there Hyunminnie?” he mumbled before closing his eyes and joined his wife into a dreamland.

..........

The next morning, Hyunmin woke up and a smile crept on her face when she realised that she was currently in her husband warm hold. Slowly she moved Jongup’s grip and quickly sneak out from the bed, go straight away to the kitchen.

She opened up the fridge and took out some ingredients for breakfast and brought it to the sink. Hyunmin was cutting the sausages into a smaller size when she suddenly heard a cracking sound. She quickly turned to her right side where the sound came and she froze when the back door opened by itself.

“Morning!”

Hyunmin once again jumped in shock due to her husband’s greeting. Jongup raised an eyebrow but quickly washed away the negative thought and walked straight to the fridge and took out a bottle of mineral water.

He then saw the wide open back door and asked, “You opened the door? Don’t you scare if a racoon suddenly comes in?”

Hyunmin shook her head. “Jongup, did you lock the door last night?”

Jongup looked at his wife weirdly. “Of course I did. Why?”

Hyunmin quickly shook her head. “Nothing, I’m just asking,” she said, facing back the sink. Jongup shrugged and took a seat on the chair at the island table.

Hyunmin washed at the ingredients and put it aside before started cook it. She’s about to move to the cabinets to get some spices when she saw something in the woods through the kitchen’s window. She small her eyes, hoping she can see the thing clearly. Soon she realised that thing was actually her own neighbour, the old man. ‘What is he doing there?’

“Honey…” she called her husband. Jongup hummed, answering her. “Hmm…”

“Is there anyone live in the woods?”

Jongup titled his head a little before shook it. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Nothing, I’m just asking,” she said, getting back to her work. While doing her works, Hyunmin sometimes glanced at the window and watched the old man. ‘It’s looks like he was looking for something.’

“You want me to come with you?” Jongup asked. Hyunmin shook her head. “Nope. It’s just for awhile. Wait here,” she said, getting out from the car and get into the conveniences shop to buy some more stuffs such as detergent, soap and some groceries since Jongup forgot to buy it the other day.

After finished putting all the wanted stuffs in the basket, Hyunmin went to the cashier to pay the items. She put the basket on the cashier table, giving the girl a small smile. “This is all?” the girl asked, earning a nod from Hyunmin.

While waiting for the girl to scan all the items, Hyunmin’s eyes were busy looking around and then, her gaze stop on something behind the girl and carefully and silently reading the words. After done reading it, a frown formed on her face.

“Are you new here?” the cashier asked, scanning the groceries. Hyunmin moved her gaze from the thing to the cashier. Hyunmin smiled light and shook her head.

“Oh no. I’m just here for awhile. Honeymoon,” she replied, shyly smiling before pointed out at the thing that caught her attention which is actually a missing person flyer. “How long she had been missing?” she asked.

The girl glanced a little to the spot that Hyunmin had been pointing before turned to ‘O’ shape.

“About a year ago. Police already closed the case but I just let the flyer there. Just in case if someone actually found her.”

Hyunmin nodded slowly. “How old is she?”

“Hmm, around your age I guess. She’s really pretty but rarely mixed up with people around here. But some people said that she actually has a boyfriend is who living in Seoul. In Gangnam area if I’m not mistaken,” she said, putting the items into the paper bags.

“Have you met the guy before?”

The girl shook her head. “I wish. Hahaha. People said the guy always comes here together with his friends at one of the vacation houses and some people also said that…” the girl stopped there and looked around before leaned closer to Hyunmin and continued, “….that she went missing after she had this kind of secret dating with her boyfriend.”

Hyunmin’s eyes widen and the girl chuckled seeing her reaction. “But nah, the police said he innocent since he had an alibi the night she went missing.”

Hyunmin sighed in relief before letting out a shy chuckle. She took a breath. “What’s the total?”

“14000 Won.”

Hyunmin took out some money from her purse and paid the items. “Thank you shopping with us.”

Hyunmin nodded her head, giving the girl a sweet smile before picked up the paper bags slowly. Once she turned around, Jongup already waiting for near the entrance. “Need help?” he asked, smirking a little. Hyunmin rolled her eyes. “Obviously duh.” Jongup chuckled and he walked towards his wife and helped her carried some paper bags before opened the shop door for Hyunmin.

Once they arrived at the car, Jongup opened back door seat and placed all the bags at the back seat while Hyunmin already buckled her seatbelt at the passenger seat. After done placing the bags, Jongup got into the driver seat, buckling the seatbelt and started driving to their house.

..........

Hyunmin was being busy in the kitchen, cooking a special lunch for her and Jongup while Jongup was taking a rest in their shared bedroom after helping Hyunmin cleaned up the dishes.

After done cooking, she placed the food nicely on the dining table. But somehow a sigh escaped from her. “Aish, this is too many.”

She stared at the food. There’s chicken grill, mix salad with salsa sauce, black pepper beef, steam fish, rice and kimchi.

She pressed her lips thin before she smiled. “Maybe I should give it to next door uncle. I can at least say hey too.”

Hyunmin quickly went to the kitchen cabinets and started searching for some empty food container or lunch box.

“Yes! Here you are,” she exclaimed happily and took out a few containers and washed it before filled it with the delicious foods. She’s then put the containers into the bags before leave to the next door.

With smile plastered on her face, Hyunmin walked to the neighbour’s house and once she arrived at the front door and politely she knocked it.

“Hello, anybody home?”

A few seconds later, the door was opened from inside and the figure of the old man appeared at her sense. “Hello,” Hyunmin greeted, bowing. The old man watched her from head to toe.

“What are you doing here?” he asked firmly. Hyunmin gulped a little but the smile still appeared on her face. She’s then gave the bag full of foods to the old man.

“I cooked lunch and some are for you,” she explained with her sweet voice. The old man glanced at the bag before moved back to her.

“Thank you but no. I don’t want it. You may leave,” he stated, closing the door but Hyunmin blocked it using her hand. The old man looked at her, fuming. Hyunmin smiled faintly at the elder.

“I’ll leave but please take this,” she said, handing the bag to elder before bowing and leaved the house. The old man stared at the bag before sent Hyunmin away with his gaze. A sigh escaped from him before closing the door and brought the bag to his kitchen.

.........

Hyunmin walked towards her house while her mind flying away, thinking about the old man. “It just me or he somehow actually really hate me. But why? I never meet him before.”

Sheesh…sheeshhh…

Hyunmin stopped her track when she heard the sound. She turned around and spotted nobody.

Sheeshh…shessshhh….

The sound again.

Hyunmin gulped before her eyes being busy looking around, searching for the source. Her gaze then stopped at something. Hyunmin raised an eyebrow. “Why so many people love to go into the woods?” she mumbled while she slowly walking towards the thing that she saw.

The closer she got to the thing, a more clear sound was heard. ‘She’s crying?’

Hyunmin bit her lower lip. “Miss, are you okay?” she asked, walking towards the girl. The distance between her and the girl was like 35 feet away. The girl didn’t stopped causing Hyunmin to feel worry.

“Miss…” she called again. Hyunmin brought herself closer and closer but when she was just 3 meters away, the girl no longer crying. She kept on staring at the ground and back facing Hyunmin causing Hyunmin can’t see her face.

It was like 5 steps away from the girl when Hyunmin stopped with her eyes widen in shock. Although, she still can’t see the girl’s face but that was not the problem. The thing that made Hyunmin to freeze in shock was that the girl in front of her was now and suddenly be covering by mud. The mud somehow become more and more causing the girl figure can’t be seen.

“Miss!” she shouted and tried to pull the girl’s hand but somehow her body was jolted back. Then she felt a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked up and blinked before panicking.

“Jongup…. The girl,” she said, pointing at the girl but her jaw hung wide. She’s gone….

Jongup frowned. “What girl? Who are you talking to?”

Hyunmin shook her head. I was talking to a girl and she was there, covered with mud,” she stated with confident.

Jongup chuckled. “Covered with mud? Maybe she was playing at the muddy place in the woods. There’s one in there. We can go there if you want. Daddy built a tree house for us before.”

Hyunmin looked at her husband blank. ‘He didn’t see her? Where did she go?’

“Hyunmin…” Jongup called her name after sensing that his wife a little space out.

Hyunmin blinked a few times. “Huh?”

“Do you hear me?” he asked,titling his head a little. Hyunmin quickly nodded. “Yeah. That will be amazing. I can’t wait to go there.”

Jongup nodded his head before laced their finger together. “I’m hungry,” he said, pouting cutely. Hyunmin chuckled. “Okay, let’s go and eat our lunch.”

Jongup already jumped into a dreamland after both of them spent their time together; checking out some old albums that were available in the house while Hyunmin was currently having some relaxing time in the bath tub.

She leaned her head to the wall of the tub, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm bubble strawberry scented water with an earphone was pluck on, playing songs.

The bathroom was silence and there’s only sound of water droplets dropping from the close pipe. Hyunmin was too busy enjoying herself with the music without even realised that her body slowly be dragged down into the water.

At first, the movement was kind of slow but within a minute, Hyunmin’s body was fully been pull into the water causing her to yelp in shock. She tried to get back to the surface but failed.

The close pipe now somehow was been turned and started to flow out water but the water became dark and darker until the pipe became stuck before it letting out muddy water and finally mud. The pleasure warm water now turned to suffocates water, mixing up with mud, soil, sand, dead leaves and some small pieces of dead branch.

Hyunmin tried so hard to get into the surface but once she made it, she only managed to take a short breath before been pressing down into the muddy water. Hyunmin’s body now covered with mud exactly just like the girl that she met at noon.

‘Somebody help me. Jongup!’ she’s mentally praying for her husband to come and rescue her. Hyunmin tried to look at the person who doing this to her but she can’t. ‘Stop it please,’ she mentally begged.

Suddenly, Hyunmin felt her body was been pulled out from the water and a warm surface was against her body. Hyunmin took a very deep breath and mentally thanking to the person who had been pulling her out from the muddy water.

“Shhh… It’s okay. I’m here,” Jongup whispered. Hyunmin sighed in relief, hugging her husband tightly. She closed her eyes, trying to catch a breath while Jongup’s left hand was busy trying to grab his wife dry towel.

Hyunmin just let her husband placed towel around her and also letting him dragging her out from the bathroom. Jongup seated his wife on the bed before went to the closet to take Hyunmin’s pyjama.

Hyunmin closed her eyes, trying to not think about what was just happened because everything is so insane. The muddy water in the tub no longer muddy but still remain as clear just like the first time she got into the water. She opened her eyes and looked down but her eyes widen when there’s a pair of feet in front of her and the feet was full with mud. Slowly she raised her head before froze when the same muddy unknown girl was standing in front of her. The girl leaned herself closer towards Hyunmin and whispered something.

“He killed me……”

Tadah! Another update from me ^^

so.... what do you think? 

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