Chapter 8|Back Being A Soul

Your ordinary lifestyle began as usual, but this morning was strangely different. As you quietly made your way past your master’s bedroom, you saw a familiar figure. You curiously peered through the small opening of the window. Your eyes widen as you saw your step-mother and your master sitting by the table, they were talking about something that you couldn’t quite hear. Opening the door a bit wider you heard every word extremely clear.

“Aren’t you guilty for framing your husband? And letting him die innocently?” your master asked taking a sip of the fresh morning tea.

“There is nothing as ‘guilty’ in my dictionary. Well, when are you going to pay me?” your step mother replied with a cold smirk.

“Pay you? For what?”

“Don’t act dumb! You were the one you told me to frame my husband!”

“Quiet down!”

“Are you going to give me the money or not?”

“I’ll give you every cent and even more, if you do just one more thing for me,”

“What is it?”

Then you couldn’t hear anything else, peaking in you saw your master whispering something to your mother’s ear as she had a blank expression on her face. You were wondering what it was.”

Staring at your reflection, you felt your head aching in agony, holding your head, you kneel on the ground, it was killing you. A nurse who happens to walk by headed towards you and helped you, “Miss, are you okay?” she sweetly asked. You couldn’t answer with the agony so you just shook your head. “Are you here to visit someone?” she asked.

You then pointed to your father’s room and the nurse nodded and helped you inside. As soon as the nurse helped you in, your father got up from his bed and also helped you too. “Sir, she is here to visit you, I found her outside your room,” the nurse politely spoke, turning back to me she smiled, “I’ll go get you pain killers if you want I’ll ask a doctor to check on you.” You just shook your head, suddenly the headache was getting worst you couldn’t even see properly, your vision was blurred.

“Who are you? Why are did you come to visit me?” you heard your father spoke.

“I- I am a friend of your daughter. I came to visit you,” you replied looking up at him with your drowsy eyes, “Is your heart better?”

“No, I have another surgery in two days,” he frowned slightly.

“I hope you get well soon,”

“Thank you,”

Your eyes were no longer able to stay open, they suddenly closed on them own and you found the view you last saw was as your step mother was calling you and supporting you up as you fell hard to the ground.

It was late, after finishing the chores, you went to sleep. Making your way to your room, you suddenly were curiously about what you saw that morning. Opening the door you stepped inside and closed it behind you as you headed to the small table to fetch a candle, you suddenly felt a hand covering your mouth as a cold sharp object was leaned against your neck. The candle lit up, you then managed to see who it was. Your eyes widened as you saw your step mother smirked through the flickering lighted room. “Umma, what are you doing?” you asked in fright.

“I’m sorry, darling. But I have to kill you with my own hands, that way I’ll have a life with fortune. Please achieve my last wish,” she whispered in your ear, her cold bitter voice caused chills to travel down your spine. “Umma please don’t,” you cried, but it was too late, she then stabbed you from behind at your chest. The pain killed your nerves instantly. You held onto your heart as you panted in pain. She then cupped her hands over your face and smiled, “Please forgive me, this is the best for you.”

You then managed to grab a ceramic plate from the table and smashed it on her head, quickly running out of the door, you saw some men running towards you surrounding. You rapidly turned around and ran out from the back gate. Your legs were tired but the louder you heard the dogs your heard pounded harder. Unexpectedly you tripped over a piece of wood, looking up you saw the moon changing colour to a revolting crimson red, and in the background you saw an ancient sign, carved with 3 words; ‘The Devil’s Labyrinth’. Without a second thought you immediately ran inside as the men’s voice got closer.

In shock you woke up, sitting up you found yourself on the ground, it was cold and hard. Running your hair through your hair you realised that the headache was gone. Looking beside you, you found your body lying beside you, in the palm of your hand, you were clenching something tight. “Did I leave the body?” you asked yourself. Curiously you moved to your body and placed your hand under the nose, there was not breathing. You terrifyingly moved back and covered your hands over your mouth. “What happened?” you asked yourself.

Leaning back in you touch the hand clenched tight. Although you were back being a soul, you still managed to touch your own body. Slowly opening it, you found a white blank jigsaw puzzle piece. Holding it up you stared at it for a while. Standing up you noticed that at the door, your father’s body was there lying died. Running up to him you found that he was really dead, but although you felt sad you didn’t cry. Looking back at the puzzle piece you realised that it belonged to your father. “So umma from 800 years ago was now appa?” you questioned yourself, “How did I get out of the body?”

“That’s because your mother was the person who killed you 800 years ago,” a familiar voice coldly spoke, turning around you saw SungYeol behind you sitting comfortably on the chair as his eyes gaze at you.