(VI)

“What’s with the accusation?”

Seulgi asks through her phone in between her cheek and shoulder. Her hands are occupied with her laptop and book as she moves to sit on the chair outside her guardhouse. She places her laptop and book on the small table before taking a hold of her phone. “I’m seriously still alive, Seungwan.”

She can practically hear her best friend yelling in frenzy and mentally notes that Seungwan is really out there to be her second mother. The resemblance between them in the term of nagging is so scarily on point. “I’m sorry for not contacting you right away, okay? This past week was really hectic, I almost fell straight off the hill at some point, you know?”

Seulgi swiftly detaches herself from her phone as Seungwan blares in panic through the speaker. “Calm down.”

However, her assurance falls into a deaf ear as Seungwan hasn’t even lowered the volume she uses. Her best friend then demands an absolute explanation regarding her prior accident.

“Okay so, it happened when I was in the middle of observing. I guess, I got too immersed in my task that I didn’t really aware of my surroundings. I blindly walked through a shallow path that led to a narrow slide of the hill and the rest was history. I thanked God because my guide was happened to be around and helped me just in time.”

She says to her best friend while slouching in her seat. “I didn’t get any serious injury either, only some scratches here and there when I tripped over the bush. And thankfully, I didn’t sprain any muscle. That would be so much hassle.” She ends elaborating and sighs. “Let’s stop talking about me and update me your situation.”

“So…” She merely smiles after hearing Seungwan groan. “How have you been there? Find the muse yet?”

“...”

“If I don’t know you any better, I would say that you miss me a lot.” Seulgi cackles when she hears her best friend screaming, “DAMN!! I ING MISS YOU BIRDWOMAN!” from the other line.

The tall woman gets up from her seat and begins descending down the stairs. She stares up and sees the moon emitting a soft glow that bathes the entire place. She bets the view will be a lot more beautiful when the winter is around, the moon will be in its full shape surrounded by a pitch black night sky as the white snow slowly falls down.

“Look up, did you see it Seungwan?” Seulgi suddenly asks and almost face-palms when the other woman responds with. “I’m alone here please don’t scare me.”

“I’m nowhere near scaring you.”

“...”

“Damn it. Go outside and ing look up. It’s beautiful.”

“...”

“What I meant to say was you didn’t have to miss me. We basically stare in the same sky and breathe the same air. Yes, I’m trying to be romantic.” Seulgi breaks into a small laugh as she paces around the lawn. Seungwan is so going to slap her when she comes back later. “Hope you include those lines in your book and please credit me if you do.”

Her smile vanishes when she hears the long howling sound in the deep of the forest, cutting off their conversation into an eerie silence. It brings the strange memory during her observation back with a force. It might look like a casual accident, but Seulgi swears that it somewhat relates to her supernatural ability to see them.

—

“I’ll check the path ahead for a moment,” her guide says, gesturing towards the other direction. “It won’t be that long, just a quick sweep and I’ll be here. If anything happens please buzz me straight away.”

Seulgi puts her binoculars down and roams her eyes around.  She nods and thumbs up. “Okay, Mr. Han.”

The said man then walks a bit further before disappearing behind the thick bushes. Now that she is alone, she is determined to do her best in immersing herself during the observation.

The past few days are awful.

She can’t seem to focus and piece herself together.

At first, she thought that it was due to her tired body wanting a rest that she began having hallucinations.

However, it doesn’t seem to stop and only worsen in each passing day.

The unnecessary things take a toll on her and Seulgi can’t help herself from blaming it to Irene.

If she doesn’t meet her, she might probably not suffer this predicament.

Her sense begins to pick up the sudden stillness as she shakes herself out of her momentary stupor.

The sound of twigs being stepped on brings Seulgi in a full alert. She turns at the source of the sound and waits in silence as she sees the bushes shaking.

It’s not Mr. Han, that’s for sure.

Seulgi takes out her pocket knife and looks around for any sight of a place to hide. She will try to contact her guide in some way, but for now, hiding is the best bet. The buzzing sound might give away her whereabouts to whatever is that across her place. She is about to make a stealthy way towards her chosen place, but the abrupt roar piercing in the direction of the bush has made her jump in surprise.

Seulgi loses the grip on her weapon at the ambush. She finds herself tumbling backward as the weight of something knocks the air out of her, making her lose her own balance. She nearly loses her conscious as whatever it is that attacks her, is forcefully tackling her on the ground. Her eyes widening when she looks up to see a scarily humongous bear is growling above her.

Its eyes are blazing red in color, rapidly darting to match hers. Then it stops moving, making Seulgi freeze in place when its sharp claw grazing the space beside her head.

And then she hears it say, hissing in a guttural sound. “Stay away.”

Seulgi is sure she has at least shrieked once out of reflex, but nothing comes off .

It screams against her face, making her ears hurt badly. The sight of its sharp teeth chattering together is enough to make her swallow with fear. Now as the situation she’s facing slowly settling in, she wonders whether it’s really her last day on the earth.

The color of her face is drained.

As if she’s finally back to her sense to fight for her life, Seulgi then starts moving her hands, only realizing that it doesn’t being held down. And despite being knocked off, the beast is not hurting her in the slightest, miss the shattering scream and all is good. If not, she would probably die due to the fracture.

The beast peels itself from her and Seulgi quickly rolls to the side, restoring her fallen weapon back. She pushes herself off the ground and aims it in its direction. She doesn’t want to take any chance.

But it no longer seems to be interested in her. The bear then crawls back to its original place and leaves her sight. Seulgi stares in a complete disbelief, trying to make any sense out of her earlier encounter.

“Did it speak to me?”

She takes a small step back and for the second time, feeling her head spin as she falls down at the unexpected hollow ground. She is able to grasp the root of this big tree within her arm’s reach amidst the struggling to stop herself from rolling down fully.

“Ms. Kang?”

Her ears are still ringing when she hears someone calling for her. And to what she thinks as the third calling, Seulgi is finally able to confirm her guide’s voice.

“Here!” She croaks a reply, huffing out a breath. “Down here!”

And it doesn’t take long for him to show up and help her.

—

The blackness of the forest is gnawing. Only then Seulgi realizes that the lawn where she stays rooted is leading to the entrance of the said place. That encounter has made her have this slight fear of going around alone. She backs away and quietly strides towards her former seat on the porch.

“Seungwan,” Seulgi slowly calls, feeling dry as she tries to sort everything that had happened in these past days. “I-I’m not sure how this is even possible. I swear to God that I’m going to really, really, lose my mind.” She emphasizes, taking a deep breath. “But you were absolutely right about me having a six sense.”

Seulgi whispers and looks around, she doesn’t want anyone to eavesdrop. “I used to see and talk to them. You remember Jongin? The one I badly wanted to introduce you to, but haven’t had any chance?”

In which Seungwan replies with a firm yes.

“He was one of them.”

Seulgi says in a soft voice. “That’s why.”

Seungwan goes into a full silence and Seulgi can feel the tension doubling as she brings the dreaded topic to the surface. “I told you that I didn’t see them anymore by the time I was in the middle school, right?”

“...”

The sitting figure nearly winches as she hears her own words up in the air. “I think I regained my ability back now.”

—

“Remember when I was in the six grade and had a sudden fever? Where I was unconscious for nearly five constructive days?” Seulgi starts. “Like it was not normal. I was fine before and the next thing I knew, I got myself bedridden in the hospital with a fever that wasn’t going down from forty. I was burning like hell. The doctors in the hospital I was admitted didn’t have any idea about the cause of my sickness even after sending me away to undergo several examinations.”

“And before you asking, I found this out from my grandma’s diary she had back then when I visited her house five years ago.” She fiddles with her phone as her mind wondering back.

“My grandma knew about my ability and she had been trying to convince my parents that my sickness was not something that could be cured by doctors. It had something to do with those wandering souls that were trying to take over my body.”

Seulgi exhales as she recalls the written note. “Apparently they wanted the second chance to live and found me as the weakest among any human because of the ability I possessed.”

“Saying that it might be dangerous if it took any longer time, my grandma was insisting to get me treated back at home. My parents were so against it before, but eventually complied when the doctors seemed to give up.”

“I woke up with body drenching in sweats after my grandma and her friend did some kind of ritual to save me all night long. Both my parents were hugging me tightly as if they would lose me the moment they let go. Back then I didn’t understand, but I think I know what their looks meant as it finally makes sense to me now.”

Seungwan is listening quietly and Seulgi takes her time to form her words. “I-I was about to die.”

“The consequence of it, however, was making me lose that ability.” Seulgi groans, placing a hand on her head, feeling it throb. “And now… it seems that I, unfortunately, am getting it back.”

“...”

“Seungwan,” she tries to reason out again. “I stumbled upon a huge brown bear in the forest and it tackled me down, screaming stay away in human language right across my face.” 

A headache is coming and she doesn’t understand this situation either. “What kind of sorcery is this?”

Hope you enjoy it so far! ^^