A sign of the times.

Reluctant to think about it more, she checked the time and realized she was running late. Rushing, she opened the front door to leave-

"Hello, old friend." 

♦ ♦ ♦

WHERE IS JEONG YUNHO?

Ara stared at the question she had written in bold on her board of mass creation, brows furrowed with her pen twirling around her fingers. It had taken her around a week to research about the entire case about Adamas' lost heir, connecting the dots - and of course, some ghostly interrogation. She spent some time with the ancient ghosts, ones that never moved on for reasons unknown (perhaps time had tamed them, made them much more approachable), visiting places Jeong Yunho had been while he was alive. 

"Ehh the memory's fuzzy, as all memories become with time," one chatty ghost had recalled, the obvious spear protruding from his side - probably from war decades, perhaps centuries ago. "Exactly eight years ago you say...in fact I do recall one such boy, runty wandering the streets for some time," he scratched his chin.

Ara had been slightly disappointed. "Really? That's all?"

"At least that's what them other ghosts say, you can't expect me to remember every lost ghost I see!"

That could have been any ghost, and ghosts certainly didn't age. Heck, that particular ghost boy might have moved on. And so Ara was at a dead end again, she should have expected it - ghosts weren't always the best of help. Then she investigated the last place Jeong Yunho had been before his last hours - his school.

Or more accurately she had broke into it.

Apparently due to the accident, the school had closed shortly after (she knew rich people overreacted with stuff like this, but a school closing down indefinitely was another level of extreme). Her lockpicking skills acquired over the years had helped her greatly, she entered the grounds in no time. The school pool where it all happened had been stripped bare, dried to the core and moss gathered at the bottom. 

It took some time, a lot of bending down to have a closer look at the gravel while struggling with the flashlight - until something twinkled when the light hit it. It was covered in dirt and years of neglect, but there was no mistaking it for anything else - a ring coated in gold.

Now why were you there? 

Now Ara wondered to herself as she examined the ring again in their apartment, this time paying a closer look at the ring (and after a few times of cleaning it). It had runes etched onto its surface and placed at the top was a green gem that was sure to have cost a fortune. Ara narrowed her eyes deep in thought, so how did it end up in the pool? In fact, she was so focused that she didn't even notice Jongho and Hongjoong come in.

"What are you looking at?" she jumped when Jongho snuck up next to her, holding up what looked like another one of Hongjoong's mannequins. It struck her and quickly, she put down her board and kicked it under the bed - it made Jongho give her an odd look, but he said nothing. 

Hongjoong didn't seem to notice anything, "Er, Jongho you can put it over there, next to the window,"

"Oh ok," Jongho answered. "By the way Ara, I brought you guys lunch." And he settled the plastic bag of lunchboxes on the table. 

"Thanks," Ara took each one out, and immediately recognized it as food from 'The Cauldron' in Aurora Square. There was ramen, rice sets and the Soup Special. She pushed the last one slightly away, remembering the last time she tried it and ended up feeling oddly giddy for days. "Um, I didn't know you two had a date without me."

"We didn't," Jongho answered. "I was already downstairs when your brother arrived, clearly struggling with his stuff 'cause he's cute that way."

Hongjoong heard that. "You're lucky you're my sister's friend, and that you bought us lunch so you live, for now."

Jongho chuckled, "Wow, intimidating."

They all sat at the table, munching away at the food Jongho had brought. Hongjoong seemed to be enjoying the Soup Special, perhaps a bit too much. "This tastes amazing!" he exclaimed. "I won't be mad if you bring me just this everytime you buy lunch, Jjong."

"Er yeah, sure thing."

Then Ara took out the ring again after finishing her ramen before the other two guys, it was no longer a surprise. "Hey Jjong, what do you make of this?" she showed him the ring. 

He frowned, "I guess it's pretty?"

Ara rolled her eyes, "Anything else? Anything different?" 

Jongho sipped on his soda, squinted his eyes and then he got the message, "Ahh it does seem different, we should get it checked out with my gramps."

"What is it?" Hongjoong interjected, his eyes on the ring in Ara's hand. "Hey!" Ara snapped when he snatched it from her hand. "It looks expensive, design's pretty  intricate. See this?" he pointed at the etched runes. "There's a pattern, I think...wow, there's even finer flowers carved onto it. Can I have it?" he grinned crookedly.

Ara took it back from him, "No." 

Hongjoong crossed his arms. "Ok then where did you get it? Not from the thrift store?" He raised his eyebrow.

"Of course it's from the store, I just really really like it," She got up and stretched. "Jongho and I have some errands to attend to, so I'll see you tonight."

"Don't get into trouble!" Hongjoong yelled, mouth full with food.

When they were out the building and on the way to Aurora Square, Jongho eyed Ara suspiciously. "Okay, now can you tell me where exactly did you get that ring?" he questioned, arms crossed. "If you don't tell, we're not seeing Gramps."

Ara shrugged innocently, "I may or may not have found it at a deserted pool in the middle of night..."

"You what?"

"But it's okay, the school was abandoned years ago after the accident-"

"Ara!" Jongho said crossly. "I thought I told you to stay away from the whole ghost thing, I shouldn't have told you anything!"

"If you didn't tell me I would still have did it anyway, Jjong," she defended herself. It was true, she had set her mind on this thing and usually that meant she was planning on completing this quest. Half of it was due to the prize that awaited, the other half was entirely her own habit of wanting to know more. "You're talking to me, someone who's entire life has been tangled with ghost business."

Jongho sighed. "But this ring can mean anything, probably nothing!" Ara added. "So now we can go ask your gramps about this and get it over with."

She could see he was still not entirely convinced. "You heard what my brother said, the ring doesn't look like some cheap toy - so why was it at a bottom of an abandoned school pool? The very place this weird heir to some company disappeared?"

"A cursed ring probably," Jongho muttered. "My Gramps won't like seeing you with such a thing, he's a shaman I've seen plenty of things he works to uncurse and rings are nothing unusual."

"But Jongho-"

"So we shouldn't be seeing him for this," he continued slowly, if not exasperatedly. "I know someone who will help out, without charging money. And promise me we're just asking questions, nothing else okay?"

Ara brought her hand to her heart, "You have my word."

"You know, Ara, sometimes I wonder what goes on in that head of yours."

After so long, Yunho began to dream.

It started out as always, with him attemtping to sleep despite being a ghost. One of the many things that made him different because unlike other ghosts, he would get tired. But this was the first time drifting into sleep, did he dream.

He saw a dark, open space illuminated by dim greenish light, bouncing off the lapis walls. There was coldness in the air, something that reminded Yunho of standing near a watefall. The imagery was brief, lasting seconds before it disappeared-

And Yunho woke up. 

The picture was so clear, this time it was something he had never seen before. For once his heart that should have been still, beat fast against his chest. He obviously couldn't make any sense of the dream yet, but it was something and that was all that mattered. After so long, they had a clue. Rapidly, he got up from the bed, passed the doorway and tumbled into the kitchen - startling Jocelyn.

"Oh my goodness, honey!" she cried, clutching her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Jocelyn," he replied meekly.

"You seem energetic, did you have a good night's rest?"

"Even better, I had a dream!" Yunho grinned from ear to ear, but Jocelyn raised an eyebrow. 

"Y-you did?" she breathed. "What did you see then?"

Yunho shook his head, "I don't really know actually, I was in a room and there wasn't an exit. I didn't get to see more because I woke up after that."

"Oh honey," Jocelyn's eyes softened. "It could have been anything, it could mean nothing."

But Yunho didn't look fazed. "No, this is different. Something felt different, I know it," and he tried searching for the same hope in Jocelyn's eyes, it didn't seem to connect with her. "You believe don't you?" his voice was weary. "If this is a clue to what happened to me, maybe..."

"Of course I believe that we'll find a way, honey," she replied gently. "I just don't want you to keep your hopes so high over a dream like that, I don't want you to feel dejected, that's all."

"I won't," Yunho assured her, his eyes set. Jocelyn rarely seen this gaze of his, the one that switched from his innocent child-like wonder to that of a more mature boy. Jocelyn pursed her lips, then beckoned towards his hands. 

"Give me your hands," she said and he did obediently. "How bout this? We'll discuss more about this dream of yours after I come back from work and then we'll figure it out from there. That sound okay honey?"

Yunho's face changed into a smile, back to his child-like demeanor. He nodded, in his mind he knew what he wanted to do next. "Take your time, don't think I'm rushing you." And with that, he left his seat and darted out the house, because he was itching to find Ara and Jongho, he had to tell them the truth. There was no other way if he kept hiding his situation and he and Jocelyn couldn't possibly figure out anything themselves when they had no connections. 

He didn't wish to burden Jocelyn, so he would figure this out on his own first. He didn't even hear what she said on the way out.

Jocelyn was about to head to work.

She had played it off with him, when he told her of the dream. Of an empty windowless room and she told him it could mean nothing at all. She hoped he had believed her - when in fact it did mean something. 

A sign of the times.

Reluctant to think about it more, she checked the time and realized she was running late. Rushing, she opened the front door to leave-

"Hello, old friend." 

Jocelyn froze in place, but quickly recovered and slammed the door shut. Locking it, she ran and reached for the secrets she had kept for so long. Too soon, her mind panicked, there was no where else to run. Her heartbeat thumped, a wave of worry overtaking her. 

Yunho.

The living room exploded.