When they brought the unconscious Jongdae back to his room, they ran into Mama Kim who had just woken up. All colour drained from her face when she saw the tattered and exhausted state they were in. Mark had immediately excused himself, knowing that it was a family matter and he would be intruding. Thus tugged Baekhyun and pulled him away, the two of them returning to Naesae.

Mama Kim wordlessly opened the door to Jongdae’s bedroom and waited for Chinsun and Jongin to settle him in bed before signalling the two youngsters to follow her downstairs. Chinsun had done most of the talking, and during the whole time Mama Kim bit harshly on her lips, holding back tears of pain and fear that threatened to drop from her ageing eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin rasped in a thick voice. “It’s all my fault. I should have taken better care of him.”

“We should have taken better care of him,” Chinsun interjected, reaching for Jongin’s hand under the table. “We shouldn’t have let this happen.”

With their eyes cast downwards, neither dared face the emotions welling in Mama Kim’s face, neither dared to acknowledge the shame and guilt that was currently eating them alive. Chinsun’s ears perked, catching the sound of Mama Kim’s chair scraping against the ground. Gentle footsteps followed and Chinsun tensed when she felt Mama Kim standing right behind them.

The tears that Chinsun and Jongin had refused to let out however poured out like water from a broken faucet when they felt Mama Kim caressing their head in soothing motions before wrapping her hands around their head and pulling them towards herself, holding them in a firm embrace.

“You’ve done more than enough,” Mama Kim whispered in a trembling voice. “He’s still alive and that’s all that matters.”

Chinsun let out a loud sob. Next to her Jongin too was shaking from his muffled cries. Chinsun wondered in that moment; when was the last time she had heard or even seen Jongin so vulnerable and baring his feelings without holding back? Was it during kindergarten when he was being tormented by a prankster spirit? Was it in elementary school when he broke his father’s watch? Or was it when he found out that he would never be able to see his parents again — those nights where he would lock himself in the bathroom to face his feelings all by himself?

“Let it all out,” Mama Kim hummed while patting their heads. “Let it all out and then I’ll fix your hair Chinsun. I bet Jongin’s the one who cut it for you. Only he could be this clumsy with his hands.”

Choking on her saliva, Chinsun giggled into Mama Kim’s stomach, bumping heads with Jongin in the process who glared at her indignantly though he could not refute Mama Kim’s statement.

・・・

Although the exorcism was successful, it put a heavy strain on Jongdae’s body. He remained unconscious for the following days and it completely disrupted the every day life of the Kim family and everyone associated. 

Mark had stuck around and offered to help out at the funeral home since Mama Kim remained unmoving from Jongdae’s bedside and Jongin could not possibly handle everything by himself — not in his current emotional state where he desperately tried to fill up the gaping hole in his heart with work and more work. Chinsun knew him too well and thus had specifically requested Mark to keep a close eye on him. Mark had actually taken on a double-guard job, staying at Baekhyun’s to guard him due to his encounter with the egg ghost at the church.

Meanwhile, Chinsun resumed her days sitting behind the counter of Naesae, guarding the shop and its books.  However the spark in her eyes had dimmed and the longer Jongdae remained unconscious, the lesser her vitality glowed. Baekhyun went back and forth between Naesae and the Kim Funeral Home, fulfilling the role of mood-maker and energy pill while also making sure that everyone ate and looked after themselves.

Baekhyun had just finished dusting the bookshelves but remained hidden behind a shelf as he spied on Chinsun, taking in her melancholic state, wondering what he could possibly do to cheer her up. The door swung open in that moment, and a petite woman marched in, her eyes landing straight on the girl sitting behind the counter.

“Aunt?”

Chinsun’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden visitor. Stumbling out of her chair, she dashed over towards the older woman and threw herself into her open arms. The moment she came in contact with her aunt, Chinsun broke out in tears again, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Her aunt held Chinsun tightly while whispering words of comfort and apologies to the devastated girl.

Baekhyun poked his head out, not daring to disrupt their family reunion. Until this moment, he had not realised how much Chinsun had to grow up faster than others her age and now that her aunt was back, she could finally shed he