Chapter Thirteen - Guardian Angel

Eighteen years ago…


“Hyoyeon come back here right now! You have to help with dinner!”

Like a bolt from a crossbow the little figure of a six year old girl dashed through the hallway. Before anything else could be said the front door was flung open wide swinging against the outer wall and with bare feet the girl dashed into the courtyard, her shoes in her hands, across the sand and grass into the nearby forest and shrubbery. She quickly slipped on her sneakers and then continued running in to the forest.

Behind her somewhere far she could hear her mother shout her name, threatening her with a spanking from her dad once he got home if she didn’t return to help her at once. She let out a playful laugh as she continued running into the woods that surrounded their house. They would never catch her if she so wanted.

Her family had moved out of the city to the outskirts close to the mountains as his father’s new business and factory was set up out of the city and needed his constant attention. Hyoyeon had not liked the idea of moving to this new place at all and she protested in every way possible against her parents in everything they did. She had to leave her friends from pre-school behind, her friends from her neighbourhood, the comfortable city life that she liked and now was stuck in this god-forsaken mountainside house surrounded by trees as far as one could see. Horrible.

Although she disliked living so far out of the city in the middle of the countryside and at the foot of a mountain, she would spend a lot of her time out in the forest alone. Since she had no siblings nor any friends in the area as she had not started school yet, she spent all her time alone. She would use this time to explore the forest, going slightly further in every time, finding more areas, slowly getting familiar with the place.

The land that her father had bought for his factory was massive. Encompassing a total area of fifty hectares, it had a flatland farming area that was used for the factory which sat within a valley, had an extremely large portion of forest that then continued further into the country and a slice of the mountain side. Their house was a couple of hundred metres into the forest, from which the endless green blanket continued for kilometres ahead.

So far she had mainly explored the surrounding forest and had left the mountain side alone, but lately the mountain had been calling to her and she felt like she was being pulled towards the rising cliffs and hillside of the mountain. The urge to venture up the mountain, despite her father’s strict rules forbidding her to climb the mountainside alone, was so strong that each time she went to explore the forest; she would carefully go higher up every time.

This time once again she ran through the thick brush trying to get as far away as possible from their house. Stupid parents. Stupid countryside. Stupid forest. Stupid house. Why did they have to come to this stupid place? Her mind kept on repeating the same questions as she continued running further in and higher up the mountainside without thinking where she was going. Her mind was preoccupied with cursing her life and luck that once she realized that she was far enough from her house, she didn’t know where she was. She was too far. She had gotten lost.

“Stupid forest! Stupid mountain! Stupid… stupid… me,” Hyoyeon slumped onto the forest floor, perching herself on a small rock. The thick branches of the trees and the leaves provided lots of cover, so much that the sun couldn’t penetrate through and instead the surrounding areas were set in a dark green glow and the air was a couple of degrees cooler.

Looking around her all she could see was more trees and green, and higher up the mountain the light faded darker as the trees got thicker. She could see some rock and hill further up the mountain and thought it best to walk up there to try if she could see where along the mountain she was and so get her bearings straight.

Lounging up the hill she noticed that the tip of the rock she had seen earlier penetrated the tree cover rising high enough above so that the sun could be seen. Climbing up the rock she crawled to the tip of it and poked her head through the top branches of the pine trees that grew at the foot of the rock. From the top with her little head breaking through the foliage she could see the whole of the valley that her father had bought.

The large lengths of field and land that spread to the west were glazed in yellow wheat; a portion of it was used for the brewery, the hulking mass of the factory a dark brown and gray blemish on an otherwise pristine coat of yellow. She followed the fields all the way to the other side of the valley to the next ridge of mountains; she had never been anywhere near that side. At the edge of it towards the east began the forest, their house and its surrounding gardens a speck of light green, her oasis in this desert of dark green. She continued to look further east and saw how the forest seemed to stretch on forever, until somewhere in the horizon it stopped and the sea came forth to greet the land. Her father had promised her they would go to the sea and beaches once he had everything up and running perfectly at the factory.

Looking back at her house she got excited. She was no longer lost and knew which way to go. A few minutes ago she had been cursing it but in the end it was the only place she could call home, where her family was waiting for her.

Invigorated, she backed up along the rock careful not to tip over from the side. She got low enough to stand and taking support from the branches, nimbly skipped along the rock to solid ground. As soon as her feet landed she quickly made her way down the hillside. She was going to get a proper scolding from her parents but now all she wanted was to get back home as fast as possible. She was hungry as well.

With the tasty meal in her mind and a rising sensation of relief caressing her, her leg gave way as it sank into the ground. She screamed in surprise when the sunlight disappeared as she fell into a black hole and total darkness engulfed her.

Hyoyeon opened her eyes with painful effort and dragged herself to sit upright. The sudden movement caused her head to ache, blood quickly rushing out of her head and she felt queasy. She felt her forehead where a decent bump and scar had formed. The blood that had at first trickled from it had already formed into a scab and being told thousands of times by her parents not to scratch them, she left it alone.

The place was mostly dark, and only a small patch on the solid dirt floor was illuminated with a faint orange glow. She tried to move but quickly fell back down screaming having probably sprained her ankle. Tears from the ache quickly formed and in the dark she began to cry relentlessly.

“Daddy! Daddy please! I want home!”

“Are you okay?”

“H- huh?” Hyoyeon’s attention was brought towards the direction of the sound, the first outburst of tears quickly receding as she realized that she was not alone. “Wh-who is it?”

She tried to peer into the direction whence the sound had come from but the place that Hyoyeon was trapped in was pitch black, other than the small patch of light that radiated from the hole that she had fallen in from.

Something shifted in the darkness, the sand and dust that had gathered on the stone slab floor that Hyoyeon was sitting on grinding as the thing shifted its way slowly across. The sound echoed eerily in the dark and Hyoyeon pushed herself back against the wall, her eyes round staring in the direction of the sound until it finally reached the small patch of light. It was a girl.

The fear and tension that had gathered in Hyoyeon was released in a big sigh of air out of her lungs, causing her to cry as relief hit her. It was just another girl.

“Are you hurt?” The girl stopped at the edge of the patch of light. Her hair was cut into a bowl cut, and looked black as charcoal. She was wrapped in white linen with long hanging sleeves and had a crimson sash around her waist from which Hyoyeon could barely see a red pouch with little yellow prints hanging on it. Her eyes seemed to glow in the orange tinted sunlight, as if they had a hint of red in them. She looked slightly older than herself, probably by a couple of years.

“I think I hurt my ankle, I can’t move it. I also hit my head. It hurts so much,” another tear escaped Hyoyeon but she quickly wiped it away and tried to show a brave face in front of the other girl. She didn’t like to look like a weakling in front of others, always trying to outdo everyone in everything, even boys.

“I saw you fall. You’ve been sleeping for many hours. It’s already sunset,” The girl shifted only slightly towards Hyoyeon who looked up at the hole and the fading sunlight.

“Daddy is going to be so angry. I hope he finds me quickly…” Hyoyeon’s face turned into a deeper frown and tears were about to start streaming but her attention was once again stolen by the girl.

“Are your parents looking for you? Or did they put you here?”

Hyoyeon looked back at the girl whose head was leaning to her right looking at her questioningly.

“I ran away because I got angry. But they will be looking for me for sure. They won’t stop until they find me.”

“That’s really nice…” The girl dipped her head down and began drawing circles into the sand. “My parents left me here.”

“That’s horrible! How could they put you here?!” Hyoyeon shifted closer to the other girl and now sat on the opposite end of the patch of light.

“It’s only for a couple of days so I learn to behave again. They left me food and water so it’s fine. Really.”

Hyoyeon peered past the girl into the darkness where she had pointed. She could faintly see the outline of some pottery but couldn’t really make anything out. The thought of being left here by her own parents sounded impossible and outrageous and she couldn’t believe how this girl’s parents could have done so. She felt embarrassed at herself for running away from her house when she had a perfectly working and loving home and family, something this girl seemed to lack.

“I did some wrong things so it is a punishment. Just like your daddy will be angry at you for running away and you might get a punishment,” the girl continued, a careful smile on her lips, ”I never wanted to make them sad…”

Hyoyeon shifted closer and carefully patted the girl on the shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m sure they will forgive you. That is what parents do.”

The girl smiled back at Hyoyeon and it was then that they heard some noise from above.

“Did you hear that?” Hyoyeon looked up at the hole above.

“Yeah, it seems like someone is out there.”

“Hyoyeon!”

“That’s daddy!” Hyoyeon’s mouth spread into a huge smile and she placed her hands at . “Daddy! Daddy! In here!”

Soon a head popped into view at the top of the hole. It was Hyoyeon’s father.

“Hyoyeon?! Hyoyeon! Are you okay?! Why are you there?! Do you know how much you’ve made us worry?”

“I know daddy I’m sorry,” Hyoyeon’s tears were returning from relief and she was reminded of the pain in her ankle. “My leg hurts, I can’t walk.”

“Okay, wait just a moment darling I’ll come down there to get you.”

Her father threw his leg around and into the hole, carefully making his descent.

“So you are leaving already?” The girl asked Hyoyeon. She turned around to look at her and realized that she couldn’t leave her in here all alone.

“You can come with us,” Hyoyeon reached her hand out to the girl who looked at her with surprised eyes, a smile spreading on her dry lips. A shrewd smile.

“Really? You are willingly, of your own mind and consciousness, asking me to come with you?”

“Of course! I can’t leave you here! Daddy can carry us both, he is strong!”

The girl looked at the descending figure of Hyoyeon’s father and then back at Hyoyeon.

“Will you help untie this ribbon and knot? I can’t get it off myself.”

“Oh, sure.”

Hyoyeon reached over behind the girl. She grabbed hold of Hyoyeon’s left hand and leaned in on her, while Hyoyeon with her right hand pulled on a scarlet red ribbon that was tied to the girl’s sash. As she pulled the ribbon, something fell out from the girls sash and hit the solid rock floor. It was a small oval clay object that broke into multiple pieces upon impact. The girl smiled as Hyoyeon pulled away from her and looked into her eyes.

“Thank you.”

Hyoyeon smiled back, her eyes disappearing into slits.

“You’re welcome.”

Hyoyeon’s dad arrived at the bottom of the hole and quickly turned around and dashed to Hyoyeon.

“Hyoyeon are you alright? How is your leg? Oh darling never run away like that again okay? We were so worried!” She was embraced fully by her father into a tight hug, carefully caressing her hair and looking her in the eyes and at the bump on her head.

“I’m okay daddy. I’m sorry,” Hyoyeon said with tears b at the corners of her eyes.

“Let’s get going shall we, come on jump on my back.”

“Ah daddy, we need to take her with us,” Hyoyeon turned around to find nobody sitting behind her. Only now she realized that there was no hand holding hers and the girl was nowhere to be seen.

“Who are you talking about?”

“There was a girl in here! She, she was here with me until you came! I swear!”

Hyoyeon’s father peered deeper into the chasm and looked at her girl worryingly. The bump on the head and the fall must have shocked her and to not feel alone in the dark she must have imagined someone with her.

“I don’t see anyone. But maybe it was an angel to keep you company so you wouldn’t feel alone,” Hyoyeon’s dad smiled. “Now come on let’s get going. Your mother is worried sick.”

Hyoyeon glanced once more where the girl had been. Had she been visited by an angel? She looked on the ground and still saw the shattered pieces of clay. Maybe it had been an angel.

She climbed on her father’s back and he climbed out of the hole, carrying her back all the way to their house. Hyoyeon didn’t get any punishment but a proper scolding, a scolding filled with worry and love. For the rest of the evening, the dinner, bath and the night Hyoyeon kept thinking about the girl.

The girl never left her thoughts, not when she watched the news with her parents, when they made her put on her pyjamas, when she finally was brushing her teeth in the bathroom just before bed time. She could see her approach her, talk to her, ask her questions about herself and her family. She asked questions about the time, dates, the city and what life was like. She asked if Hyoyeon was her friend. If she would like to help her. Hyoyeon said yes.

“Then all you need to say is, ‘I’ll help you Lee Minyoung.”

“I’ll help you, Lee Minyoung.”

The girl smiled, Hyoyeon felt herself disappearing and before she knew it her existence had vanished.

Hyoyeon no longer felt the burden of her body. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting on what appeared to be grass. But the fine tips of the grass did not tickle her legs or her fingers as she traced them along the surface, instead the ground rippled as if she was sitting on a lake. She looked around and an open lakeside landscape spread in front of her, yet it was distorted. The same ripple like effect, a fog almost, interfered with the view and everything seemed to be floating. It was as if she was inside a bubble.

“Hi Hyoyeon.”

She turned to look around where she saw her once again, the girl from the hole, the one who had told her she was Lee Minyoung.

“He-hello,” Hyoyeon quickly looked away from the gaze of Minyoung, something about it causing her to have a stomach ache. “What is this place?”

“This is my dream.”

“Huh? Your dream? So I’m dreaming?” Hyoyeon turned fully around now and crossed her legs. Minyoung had reached her and sat down facing her, a small smile on her lips. It was an attempt at a reassuring smile, assuring that everything was alright. Yet her eyes were as blank as they had always been. They were neither smiling nor angry; they merely existed messaging of the void and emptiness that was inside Minyoung. It made Hyoyeon nervous.

“Yes. You are dreaming in my dream. You said you wanted to help so I invited you over. How do you like my dream?” Minyoung leaned her head to the side, like puppy’s do when they are confused of their owner’s request. Hyoyeon carefully nodded still looking around her; everything that she saw seemed to be out of her reach. Nothing was tangible, she couldn’t touch it, taste it, smell it. The only thing that seemed to work was looking at her surroundings but even that made her dizzy.

“Why are we… here?”

“You said you would help me. I’ve been so lonely for so long and I don’t know what the world is like out there. I need to borrow you.”

“Borrow me?” Hyoyeon turned back to look at Minyoung whose smile had now changed and it was as if she was begging her. Her eyes dipping down, mouth curled, a puppy at the side of the table begging for food scraps.

“Yes. So for a while I’ll take the lead and be you in your body while you can dream and sleep for a long time and then we switch back after a while. I just want to see what the world is like. I promise you’ll get it back.”

“I…” Hyoyeon felt her skin crawl, like thousands of tiny spiders were running about up her arm under her skin, making her body twitch and she could feel the malice and intent from Minyoung radiate and overwhelm her. No matter how much she smiled and acted innocent, behind that smile, Hyoyeon could see something. The eyes, they held terrifying things in them. Something horrible that Hyoyeon knew she could not allow to get out. “No. I don’t want to.”

The faint smile that Minyoung had held so far immediately dropped turning blank, with little interest to fake or keep up the charade.

“I wasn’t asking. I tried to be nice, I was going to give you some nice dreams to see, but now I’m bored.”

Minyoung stood up, her eyes beginning to grow darker, burning with red. The surroundings were getting distorted, corrupted and Hyoyeon backed off crawling to distance herself from Minyoung. She turned to look at Hyoyeon a sinister grin on her face. The smile of the devil. Minyoung jumped up clapping her hands in excitement.

“I know what I’ll do! I’ll leave you in your house that is burning and you can watch your parent’s burn for eternity. Screaming, melting, their eyes popping from their sockets, their skin form blisters and pores. Watch as they try to crawl towards you half melted, their throats no longer producing any distinguishable sounds other than screams and gurgle of agony as blood fills their lungs and the hot air burns them from the inside. Ooooh what a delight!”

Minyoung walked towards Hyoyeon who struggled to crawl further away from her. Fear ran its course through her body and tears were already streaming down her face. She couldn’t make a sound, her vocal chords wound tight and her hands kept on slipping on the non-existent surface as she tried to get further away. Minyoung slowly approached her all the while smiling, finally reaching Hyoyeon whose muscles had all stopped functioning and she sat still, unable to move.

Minyoung’s smile spread wider, her eyes now blood red. “Sweet dreams.”

Hyoyeon closed her eyes and with a touch on her forehead she felt herself disappear and everything around her felt hot. Beneath her she felt a solid wood laminate floor and she opened her eyes. She was in her room and everything around her was burning. Her door was open and at the end of the corridor she saw her mother. Hyoyeon screamed.

She screamed for what felt for eternity. She screamed from fear, from her burning skin as the room slowly engulfed her room over and over again. She screamed to cover the sounds of her parents who in agony called out to her with their painful blood filled screams. She screamed through everything with her eyes closed. And every time she felt go dry and crack from the heat and shouting, she would continue to scream even if no sound would come out.

Curled up in the middle of her room, endless loops of the same hell repeating around her, her mind was crumbling. She was getting tired of repeating, tired of being scared and soon felt like she should just stay there, let it all take her in if it would give her peace. For one last time she screamed so bled, so her skin boiled, her hair caught fire when something embraced her and everything turned soft, warm, comfortable.

“I’m sorry it has taken this long to help you. Don’t worry, you are safe now,” a soft soothing voice spoke, and she could feel the vibrations of the speakers voice reverberate through her body relaxing and calming her in an instant.

Hyoyeon carefully opened her eyes and looked up at a smiling face. A woman, whose clean and pure features seemed unreal, her skin gleamed with its milky white texture and probably was soft like a cotton candy. A real angel. She was still in her room but it was no longer burning nor were her parents in the house anymore.

“What are you doing?! Get out! OUT! OUT!”

The house disappeared into nothingness and she turned around in the woman’s embrace to look at  Minyoung who was far from the girl she had originally met. Her skin was gray, dry and cracking, bleeding from the cracks. Her eyes still the same red, her hair had wildly grown longer and tangled in all directions, filled with dirt and stuck together from clotted blood. Her cute clothes were tattered and torn, some of it drenched in red. More blood.

“This is the real Minyoung. This is her true identity. She is not friendly at all,” the woman spoke softly. Hyoyeon looked at Minyoung scared of what was to come, but she would not move. It seemed as if she didn’t dare to come closer to her, to the woman that was holding her.

“Minyoung, I believe you possess something that belongs to this girl. Please give it back kindly.”

“No!”

The woman stood up, slowly letting Hyoyeon sit back on the ground. She began walking towards Minyoung, who was taking steps backwards.

“You have no options.”

“Stay away!”

In an instant the woman was standing next to Minyoung and took hold of her. The moment she touched her Minyoung turned back into what she had been before. Her skin turned normal, the scars healing, the clothes repaired and no stains or cuts were present. Her hair was once again a clean bowl cut.

“Hyoyeon, come here it’s safe now,” the woman waved to her. Hyoyeon was still scared and shocked and just shook her head. She didn’t want to be close to her at all.

“You can’t banish me from her body anymore you know,” Minyoung said, a small smile creeping on her lips. “This time I’ve tied myself to the body, if you get rid of me it will die.”

“I know,” the woman answered, her expression not changing at all.

“So you can’t give it back to her!”

“I can.”

Without realizing it Hyoyeon found herself standing in front of Minyoung whose smile had once again faded.

“Touch her forehead, Hyoyeon. It’s safe and you can see your parents soon.”

The woman’s warm smile returned. Hyoyeon began to lift her arm which was shaking wildly from fear of Minyoung. Being at such a close proximity alone even if she could no longer do anything to her was too much. Just the thought of her was horrifying.

The woman carefully took hold of Hyoyeon’s hand and guided it towards Minyoung’s head.

“I’ll be back you know. I’ll wait and never stop. I’ll be back and when I get back, you’ll be the first to die,” Minyoung smiled at the woman, “and your daughter. I’ll gut her in front of you and you can watch her die as I slowl-”

“Enough.” The woman smiled, Hyoyeon touched Minyoung’s head, and once again everything seemed to be dark. But only for a second as Hyoyeon could see light lightly penetrate her eyelids and from a distance hear her parents talk with someone. The voice was that of the woman from before.

“She should be fine now but I would like to keep an eye on her. She should come visit here at least once a week if possible.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! How can we repay you?”

“I require nothing. Just make sure that this shrine won’t be taken down, that way I can keep your daughter safe. And besides, my daughter has no friends to play with. Her gaining a friend is more than enough for me.”

Hyoyeon carefully opened her eyes and found herself in a dimly lit room with light pouring in from the slide door in the far left corner of the room. She looked to her left where a girl with a blank face was staring at her. She had her arms supporting her chin as she laid on her stomach next to Hyoyeon looking at her all the while kicking her legs back and forth behind her. She had very clean and smooth features, pure, similar to the woman from her dream. She was the angel’s daughter.

“You’re awake.”

Hyoyeon blinked a couple of times and then nodded.

“Mom said that we can play together. Want to play?”

Slightly confused by the girl next to her, Hyoyeon nodded a second time.

“Great! I’ve been so bored all alone here,” a smile spread on the girl’s lips, a kind and warm smile, “my name is Jessica. Let’s be friends okay?”


----


When Hyoyeon finished talking everyone had long finished their dinner. The group sat quietly around the table taking in all that had been said. Hyoyeon had kept all of this in her, still had the evil thing in her, an entity that she had to battle every single day just so that she could live like a normal person. Jessica had forgotten how hard it was on Hyoyeon and now she felt horrible. Yoona and Seohyun could barely believe something like that could ever happen.

As the story slowly sank in, Seohyun wanted to know more about Lee Minyoung itself. Although it was late she saw this as a good opportunity to know more, especially if they were going to be working together.

“So… who or what is Lee Minyoung exactly?”

Hyoyeon was exhausted already and she merely lifted her head a little before letting it sink on her knees once more. Jessica looked at her friend with worry, she would have to explain.

“She is… or was a girl who had similar gifts as Yoona and Sooyoung a very long time ago. But back then anything like that would have been classified as witchcraft unless it happened within a temple where it could be kept out of normal folk’s sight. So she was hunted, tortured, and murdered by her village. That is as much as my ancestors were able to gather from her.

“The exact details of all the events have been lost because when my ancestors, the first priests and priestesses who built this shrine arrived to this area, nobody was left alive in the valley. She had by that time become a malevolent spirit, a demon by her own right. She had slaughtered everyone in here as revenge. She had become something beyond releasing or redemption so all that could be done was to seal her.

“This shrine was built after she was sealed away into the mountain. Ever since then my family has been keeping this shrine up and running to keep her sealed away in the mountain. As much as I would love to tell you about Lee Minyoung, nobody knows. Not even us who kept guard over her. She was sealed until Hyoyeon stumbled across her. Ever since then instead of keeping her sealed cave in check, we have had to look after Hyoyeon.”

Jessica looked over at Hyoyeon who kept quite but seemed to have calmed down after telling her story. She felt lighter, relieved like some of the weight had been shifted off her shoulders. Now the burden of Minyoung was not only on her shoulders but her new friends could carry part of the weight. They would be more understanding of her.

“So will it stay in Hyoyeon forever?”

Jessica shook her head and broke into a small smile, “Not forever. Until we figure how to get rid of it. And we will find a way I know it. My mother is searching for a way, which is why I was left with the duties of taking care of the shrine at such a young age. I’m the youngest shrine maiden or priest to ever hold this shrine.”

Sooyoung stood up and started to clear the table, taking the plates from everyone and Seohyun quickly got up as well to help her.

“It’s getting late, we should continue this matter tomorrow,” Sooyoung said as she took the last of the plates in her hands. “I’ll call my acquaintance and ask if it is okay for her to visit tomorrow.”

“That would be wonderful. What about you Yoona?”

“I think it would be the safest if she stays here. Nobody can invade her dreams when she is in this shrine and we can keep an eye on her should anything happen,” Sooyoung said whilst placing the plates into the sink.

“Will you be okay here, Yoona?” Seohyun questioned her friend and walked over to her. It had only been a few hours since she had accepted that Yoona really was in Sunny’s body and this knowledge had raised her worry for her even more.

Yoona looked over at Seohyun and smiled. Her mind was now at ease after hearing Hyoyeon’s story and she didn’t feel threatened to stay at the shrine. Sooyoung was nice and Jessica seemed to be quite a warm caring person as well.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Hyoyeon stood up from her chair the rest of them following suite.

“Alright Seohyun let’s get going then.”

As everyone began to make their way out of the kitchen, Jessica hurried over to Hyoyeon and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Hyoyeon I… I’m sorry. And I am really happy to see you. I really am.”

Hyoyeon turned around to face Jessica who no longer avoided her gaze. They still needed to talk more but the worst feelings of abandonment and annoyance towards Hyoyeon had faded and she was beginning to accept that she herself might have been in the wrong as well.

“I know. Don’t worry, I know.”

The others had already made their way out to the porch and Jessica took hold of Hyoyeon’s hand to lead her out. With a cheeky grin on her face Jessica shoved Hyoyeon slightly on the shoulder.

“So, you thought I was an angel’s daughter huh? You left that bit out before.”

“I did. I still do. You’ve always been my guardian angel,” Hyoyeon met Jessica’s eyes whose usually calm and cool exterior showed extreme signs of heat.

“You better get going now. Go on,” Jessica shoved Hyoyeon out the door where the rest were waiting for her.

“See you tomorrow.”

Sooyoung walked with Seohyun and Hyoyeon up to the ancient stone stairs that lead to the parking lot, seeing them off, before returning.

“I’ll show you your room. You must be tired so you can go ahead and sleep, we’ll clean up.”

Jessica showed Yoona the bedroom of the shrine. It was the same room that was behind the kitchen where Sooyoung had been sleeping for a month. Jessica, with the help of Yoona, changed the bed sheets quickly while Sooyoung took care of the kitchen.

With bed sheets changed Yoona crashed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly. Jessica backed up out of the room and the moment she shut the door to the bedroom Sooyoung walked up to her.

“I know how we can get Sunny tonight,” Sooyoung pulled Jessica out of the kitchen to the porch so Yoona would not hear anything. This was crucial.

Jessica eyed Sooyoung. She knew that whatever it was that she was about to tell her, it was going to be highly risky. And although she still had to resolve her issues regarding Hyoyeon and Sunny, she knew how dear Sunny was to Hyoyeon, and that if she truly was Hyoyeon’s friend she would help find Sunny.

“Let’s hear it then.”

“Allow Yoona to dream tonight.”

“Are you crazy!”

“Shhhhh, we don’t want to wake her up now.”

Jessica grimaced at Sooyoung whose face was now spread into a cheeky grin. Lowering her voice Jessica protested.

“Are you crazy? We know that Saebyuk creature is out there looking for her. If she goes dreaming they’ll find her and we don’t even know why.”

“They won’t get her. Saebyuk is reasonable enough to make an exchange; they really don’t need Sunny for anything else. They just want Yoona and the easiest way for Saebyuk to get her is an exchange. Yoona for Sunny.”

Jessica’s face deepened into a darker expression.

“I see where you are going with this. It’s risky.”

Sooyoung threw her arm around Jessica’s shoulders and pulled her in for a playful hug giving her a wink in the process.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. But now I need to make that phone call.”

“Where did you meet this science researcher person in the first place?” Jessica looked at her as Sooyoung dialled in the number.

“In my dream.”