Gyuri lay in bed like that without sleep until the sun began climbing the sky and the storm had quieted. When night finally gave away and light began to shine through her window Gyuri placed her amulet onto her table and unlocked her bedroom door. Stepping into the hallway felt like walking into an abandoned school building. It was really like she was the only one there. Silencing cold penetrated the walls and not even the sound of the rain dripping of the roof pounded on the windows. The only descriptive word for all of it was: creepy.

Gyuri felt one more scare when she reached the bottom of the staircase. Yoona was lying on the couch with wide eyes staring at whatever it was she was staring at. Taeyeon sat on the couch next to her with eyes searching the room. Whatever had brought them down so early?

“What are you two doing?” Gyuri asked pausing in front of the wide arc only gaping at them with wonder and curiosity.

Taeyeon almost jumped at the sound of her voice and Gyuri felt taken aback. Combing her hand through her hair Taeyeon re-positioned herself and glanced at Yoona.

“Oh…you’re up?” Taeyeon asked as if it were something new.

“Why?” Gyuri questioned. “What are you two doing?”

Taeyeon just shook her head, “When the others wake up, would you mind telling them that Yoona and I will be out?”

Gyuri just stared at them and slowly nodded. As she entered the kitchen minutes later she thought she heard the front door close. Where was Taeyeon and Yoona planning to go so early in the morning?

With breakfast almost completed she heard the others yawning as they walked toward the kitchen. It had become a sort of routine for them to wake up after she had begun preparing breakfast. When they had first arrived at the mansion Gyuri had not planned on getting her hands dirty, but in the end she had accepted it as part of her daily routine and as a responsibility to feed the others. Even though most of them weren’t close to each other, it felt as if they were one whole big family at the kitchen table.

“What a night,” Junsu commented while stretching. “The storm lasted quite a while.”

Jang Hyuk had already walked pass him making his way toward the chairs, “How was your night, Gyuri?”

“Perfectly fine,” Gyuri replied.

“Good to hear,” Jang Hyuk replied, “maybe that’s why you woke up so early.”

“I barely slept, what are you talking about?” Gyuri told.

“You barely slept?” Jang Hyuk repeated.

“Paranoid?” Junsu asked.

Gyuri glanced at him curious about why he’d said that.

“I just mean I had a hard time sleeping as well,” Junsu explained, “it felt like someone was watching me all night. It was…an uncomfortable feeling.”

“You had that feeling too?” Jang Hyuk asked surprised. “Dude! I felt like someone had their eyes on me all night long! I kept having goosebumps crawl up and down my arms. Freaky!”

“Did you by any chance…see anyone?” Gyuri asked suddenly absorbed into the conversation.

“Who?” the two guys asked in unison.

Gyuri quickly excused herself with a shrug, “Never mind.”

“Well I guess everybody did have a strange night yesterday,” Jang Hyuk added.

“I blame it on the storm,” Junsu said.

Returning back to the stove Gyuri guessed that everyone must have experienced some sort of supernatural event last night. It might have explained Yoona and Taeyeon’s behavior from earlier. But why was everyone experiencing something like it? And who, specifically, was doing this?

;;;;;

Taeyeon paused before the gateway hesitating about whether she should really enter or not. If the monk knew she was still meeting up with Changmin the monk would probably already dislike her. But what would happen if she ran into Changmin once she stepped into the yard? And worse, what if his mother spotted them?

“What’s wrong?” Yoona asked. “Why aren’t you going in? You said you were going to show me the monk, weren’t you?”

Yoona had just recalled early in the morning that there had been a monk nearby, who Leeteuk’s mother had suggested for them to go to if any of them had trouble. And Taeyeon had blabber mouthed that she’d show Yoona the way there. Was she just using this as a chance to steal a glimpse of Changmin, if she happened to see him? Or was she really going with a pure heart?

Taeyeon felt nervous with the thought of having to meet the monk again. What if he said something else to her?

“Unnie,” Yoona called again.

“Uh…” Taeyeon sounded before finally pushing herself to take a step forward.

There was no barking from Dark, nor did he come running out to greet them. She wondered where he was.

“Who are you looking for?” Yoona wondered. “Changmin?”

Taeyeon quickly spun around with a warning expression filling her face.

“What?” Yoona asked confused.

“I didn’t come to see him,” Taeyeon half lied. “Come on.”

Turning back around Taeyeon led the way to the back. The image of the monk’s house appeared in her mind and in fast motion the Buddha statue he had in his house appeared in her mind. She recalled the moment she’d stepped into his house, when the monk offered her a drink, and when she’d begun asking him about why things were happening as they were. That day was so clear to her…when she’d first went to the monk. He didn’t help her, he only told her to stay away from Changmin. Would he help Yoona?

“This house?” Yoona gazed at the long house before her. “It’s so…white.”

“The color white projects cleanliness, purity, and neutrality.” Taeyeon explained.

Yoona turned to gape at her in awe wondering why Taeyeon knew such close details about symbols.

“I learned that those three things are important to the area around here,” Taeyeon continued.

Yoona turned to glance toward the main large building, which was Changmin’s home. She assumed Taeyeon, was in fact, indirectly speaking about Changmin.

“It’s nice to have some visitors,” a voice took Yoona’s attention away from Changmin’s home. “What can I help you two with today?”

“Oh…hello,” Yoona greeted.

The monk seemed to smile at them pleasantly and Taeyeon wondered that if he was really happy to see her or if he was just putting up a front because of Yoona.

“I have some things I wanted to talk about,” Yoona explained quickly so as not to let their conversation drift off to some other subject, “so I asked Taeyeon to bring me.”

“Ah…I see,” the monk nodded walking toward them. “The thunderstorm last night was pretty heavy. I hope you kids did not have to bear with any unfortunate events.”

Taeyeon knew what he meant by that, but Yoona seemed puzzled. Maybe the monk would say the same things to Yoona that he’d said to her. About that someone who did not welcome their presence.

“Go on in,” the monk invited opening the unlocked door. “Please take your shoes off and take a seat inside. I’ll be with you shortly.”

Yoona glanced at Taeyeon with curiousity before heading into the monk’s home. Half closing the door after Yoona the monk turned to look at Taeyeon with the kind of look an old grandpa would give his grandchild before starting a lecture. Taeyeon did not even have to wonder about what was wrong. It was probably the fact that he knew she and Changmin had met up. She wondered then if his mother knew anything about it.

“I thought I have made myself very clear,” he said without even clarifying himself.

Taeyeon did not speak. She wanted to know what he’d say to her before going on about her side of the story, which she probably didn’t even have.

“I’ll be very frank since I believe that there is no approximate reason to keep you in the dark.” the monk told. “Changmin’s mother is keeping him locked up the house for one specific reason.”

Taeyeon was pretty sure she knew what the reason was.

“Do you know or not know about it?”

Taeyeon still kept sealed shut.

“Will you quit being stubborn and answer me.”

“I know.” Taeyeon finally spoke.

The monk waited for her to go on this time.

“It’s exactly the same thing you’ve told me.” Taeyeon replied very shortly, which she sort of hoped would annoy the monk and it seemed like he was annoyed with her attitude.

“If you knew and you knew that you’d bring about trouble, why’d you meet up with him?”

“Do you keep an eye on us at all times?” Taeyeon asked almost arrogantly but held herself back from becoming feisty as the monk was as old as her uncle.

“I am not as shameless as to follow even my own nephew around,” the monk clarified his innocence, “as a matter of fact, I’ve warned him about not coming to you before I’ve warned you about this.”

“What’s so wrong with us meeting?” Taeyeon wondered. “It’s not like we live in status here and it’s not like we’ve wronged each other.” Taeyeon felt her courage climb up a notch. “Tell me why you want to keep us apart so bad. Give me a clear explanation and stop trying to hide everything away from me because even if you hide it from me I’m bound to find out anyway. This thing, whoever it is or whoever it is from, is already appearing to me and my friends and I will find out why he or she does not welcome us here. And until I find out an honest truth and a solid reason about why I should not meet up with Changmin will I stop meeting him.”

The angry expression on the monk’s face clearly let Taeyeon know that he was furious with her, however, she did not back up. But the monk seemed to calm down a moment later and the way he looked at her ever so triumphantly made Taeyeon feel as if she had said something she probably should not have. It made her feel like swallowing down the words she had just spat out at him so rebelliously.  

“You’re right. I guess all our fates are already entwined and I’m just trying to untangle Changmin from the knots to free him from the supposed trouble you’ll bring to us all.” the monk nodded. “And I guess you will find out about this solid reason you’re talking about.”

The monk turned around to head back into the house but Taeyeon stopped him, “Wait.”

He turned around patiently.

“Who is this person who thinks we’re unpleasant?”

“You did say you’ll find out even if I didn’t tell you, did you not?” he challenged.

Taeyeon hated how he opposed her.

“I don’t know everything, so I cannot tell you about whatever it is you want to know. I only know that there are a few factors around this area, which contribute to my knowledge of what misfortunes will come.” he started. “You’re going to be the middle of it all,” the monk switched the subject as he turned to look straight into her eyes. “And when you’re in the middle you’ll know.”