The woman’s eyes turned cold as she stared back toward Taeyeon.

“Who are you? Who are you to ask? Why do you want to know?”

Taeyeon did not let the sudden strong aura that was pouring out of the woman get to her. Taeyeon did not want to back down. Especially when she was there in the house.

“You’re not going to beat around the bush are you?” Taeyeon questioned. “Once you told me to go ahead with the questions you’ve already claimed to answer what I want to know truthfully. Go on, answer me, Mrs. Shim.”

“She’s no one…that concerns you.”

“But she concerns both Leeteuk and Changmin, doesn’t she?”

Her face twisted into a tight scrunch with her old wrinkles appearing outlining her face.

“Why don’t you want to share with me what you know about her? Is this something forbidden? That even…Leeteuk…who’d been her best friend here…can’t know about?”

“Where are you going? Why are you mocking me?”

“I’m not. I’m asking because I want to know,” Taeyeon continued, “I believe your answers to my questions would help mend the future between Leeteuk and your son. And maybe…it’d help mend your relationship with Leeteuk’s mother.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Shouldn’t you know?”

“This is enough, young lady!!!”

“It’s not enough! I’m barely to where I need to be right now,” Taeyeon spat back, “ever since I arrived here I’ve been plagued with someone watching my back at all moments! Strange things happen so much that I can’t even put it into detail anymore. Even all my friends are going through some sort of trauma over there at that mansion. And it can only lead me to think that there is something unsettled here. Something you’re hiding. You and Changmin’s uncle. The moment you told me to back off from coming to this area I knew it and I want to know…what happened here when Changmin and Leeteuk were just 7 year old boys. And what kind of relationship did that girl, who’s been ripped out of the picture, have with them both. Tell me. I want to hear it.”

“This is not child’s play.”

“Do I look like a child to you?”

The woman only stared back at her with hard eyes.

“Are you doing this for yourself? Or for Leeteuk? Or for Changmin?”

Taeyeon felt her head spin. She had no clue.

“Well then…” the woman started. “From where do you want to start? Even my own son is not aware of this.”

“All I want to hear is the truth about their childhood…”

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” question Changmin’s mother.

It was a tough challenge. And Taeyeon felt as if she should run out of the house at that moment. The woman’s tone of voice was making her suffocate. It made her think twice about the story she wanted to hear so bad.

“You might cry your eyes out, or you might want to drown yourself in the waters,” Changmin’s mother said. “Or you’ll want to run away on two feet. Now, are you still up for it?”

Taeyeon stared back without moving from her spot. What kind of a story would it be? How far back would she travel back in time with Changmin’s mother?

“Tell me, I want to hear it.”

“Park Woo Young, Leeteuk’s father, and I grew up together in Busan. I’ve known him ever since we were just babies. From primary school to junior high all the way up to college we were together. I didn’t think we’d ever change. Then in high school we met Leeteuk’s mother, Lee Soo Ae. They became high school sweethearts, I was left out.

“Three of us met Kim Jung Soo in high school and from then on the four of us were always together. Always, we always got mistaken as couples who were always out on double dates. I let the comments slide by but I was hurt. I couldn’t keep my eyes off Woo Young.

“One day I told Soo Ae off and got Woo Young drunk. I purposely slept with him that night. He was furious the next morning and never talked to me again. My greed only climbed up higher. I did everything I could to separate the two and out of the blue I found Jung Soo in my bed. I wasn’t pregnant…but Woo Young’s mother discovered us that morning. I was ashamed…”

Taeyeon didn’t know what to say or even if she had any comments during that moment she wasn’t sure whether it was respectful to voice them out. Instead when Changmin’s mother looked up at her Taeyeon flinched.

“I caused it, but I don’t feel sorry. Soo Ae and Woo Young got married one summer. I followed them here and got married myself. Soo Ae and I gave birth to Changmin and Leeteuk around the same time and because Soo Ae had convinced Woo Young to stop ignoring me I moved in without guilt next door. Soo Ae…still had no clue about what had happened between Woo Young and I that night when we were still teenagers. And till now…she still has no clue about it.

“Jung Soo and his wife also had a daughter. They came up regularly during the summer with invites from Soo Ae and stayed nearby in a blue watch house by the creek. What no one knew then was…Woo Young and I had started a relationship. 

“And how did the kids get dragged in? Jung Soo’s daughter saw us one night and I gave her a beating that night when we were alone. Leeteuk caught me red handed and reported it to Jung Soo, who confronted me the next morning. Everyone heard, everyone witnessed our fight that morning. But what angered me was…Woo Young didn’t stand up for me. I despised him and Soo Ae even more.

“I was never welcome to step even a feet near the mansion. Woo Young cut off contact. Then that last day before Jung Soo would head back to Seoul we went on a boating trip, all of us were present. A fight between us broke out.

“Our affair became the moment of truth that morning. My husband confronted me and Woo Young, who denied it. And I got angry. Of course, he was scared of losing his wife, that was why he’d denied it. I understood, but it angered me. He could never be honest about me. I didn’t mean it, I really didn’t when I said it. Just before the boat blew up I swore that if I brought the truth to my grave then I would make sure our children were never happy. And who knew that when the ship blew up I cursed Jung Soo’s daughter to her death.

“My only chance of saving myself, in order to preserve Leeteuk’s happiness, I made Changmin the scapegoat. No one said anything. Out of grief Jung Soo and his wife left and never came back. Woo Young and Soo Ae…whether they knew my intentions or not, did not say anything.

“Why make Changmin the scapegoat, you might ask. I’m his mother, I sinned, as my son he’ll also bring my sins with him to his grave. As my son he’ll never be able to achieve the kind of happiness Leeteuk will. And until I die I will make sure Soo Ae and Woo Young never find out that the motor accident was just an accident.”

“But that’s not fair! Just because Changmin’s your son…” Taeyeon shouted.

The woman’s stare shut her up.

Taeyeon pressed on, “Leeteuk still has the chance to recover his memories…”

The woman’s stare shut her up again.

Leeteuk…couldn’t remember. His memory…was already forever blocked.

“But what about all these things that happen in this area! How are you to explain that?! Did your husband just meaninglessly turn your house white for no apparent reason?!” Taeyeon continued then stopped.

No. She didn’t need anyone to tell her why the house had turned white. Changmin’s father was just trying to save his wife from falling into a hole. He wanted to banish all the bad…by using white to project cleanliness, purity, and neutrality. And maybe all those strange things that had occurred…were really just other spirits…no…it wasn’t it. The monk had clearly said someone did not like them there. And Taeyeon still had an unanswered question.

“The name…the name of that girl. What’s her name,” Taeyeon said pointing to the picture.

“Who?”

“The girl you removed! The girl that died!”

The old woman’s eyes widened for once and she jumped up from where she was sitting. Within seconds Taeyeon found herself face to face with her.

“What’s forbidden here, do you want to know what’s forbidden here?” she questioned, her voice a low whisper that sent chills down Taeyeon’s spin. “Her name.”

Taeyeon felt herself shake, her heart thud, her eyes widen. Was it…real? Did Changmin’s mother mean it?

“If you speak of her, I swear if you speak of this nameless person…I’ll make sure you leave this town with your heart dead,” Changmin’s mother coldly threatened.

Taeyeon’s mouth went dry.

The door opened and someone shouted, “We’re home!”

Taeyeon spun around to see a tall old man whose head was balding white and Changmin. They stared back at her just as she stared back them. Taeyeon had no words to say. Her brain had shut down. In that instant she rushed out feeling nauseous.

;;;;;

Leeteuk opened his eyes with what seemed like just seconds after he closed his eyes to find his surroundings different. He didn’t recognize anything he saw. He couldn’t feel the earth beneath him but a soft cushion. The walls around him were new-white and a fresh red oval carpet sat on the ground before him underneath a brown oval table. A small cubed TV sat on a wooden support table about 20 feet away from him. He could tell immediately that the place was a small one.

Sitting up Leeteuk glanced around discovering a large square window to his right. The sun sparkled against the ugly clear creek that flowed by. A creek…he could remember playing by a creek somewhere far in his memory.   

Getting up he headed for the door to the right of the TV reaching for the knob.

“Please don’t go,” a voice entered his ears.

Leeteuk spun around to find the girl in a long white dress standing 10 feet from him. How had she entered so quietly?

“Shin Ae?”

She smiled tenderly. Leeteuk felt his heart flutter and his stomach fill with butterflies.

“I mean…can’t you stay with me?”

Leeteuk glanced around taking his surroundings in once more, “Where is this place?”

“I used to stay here,” she explained. “I found you lying on the grass so I brought you here.”

“You…brought me here?” Leeteuk repeated astounded. “Did someone help you?”

Were her choice of words absurd or was there something really off with what was happening? How could such a thing woman be able to carry him from the waters to this…place?

“I already explained, why don’t you believe me?”

“Uh…I mean…” Leeteuk half turned away afraid he’d hurt her feelings somehow.

When he turned back to look at her he found her smiling at him as if nothing, nothing were wrong at all.

“I can’t cook…but there are some goodies I found in the kitchen.”

Leeteuk followed Shin Ae through the square dining room with just a plain table in the middle of the room and dead flowers sitting atop. The kitchen was filled with cupboards and a counter running from the wall to the other wall. Shin Ae reached for a box of cookies and handed them to Leeteuk.

“Uh…thanks.” he thanked.

Before he reached inside for the cookies something shook him from inside. Observing the box Leeteuk noticed one thing. No companies made boxes with cookies…nowadays cookies were bought in plastics. Then it caught him. The expiration date. The cookies were 8 years over due.

“Shin Ae…” he called.

She turned around to look at him expectantly. What was he to do?

“Want to go for a swim?” she asked.

;;;;;

Taeyeon rushed through the yard and down the street as fast as her short legs would carry her. Until she reached the mansion did she realize that she was too out of breath to even mutter a word. She had never panted so hard before in her life. Where were the others? Why was no one around?

The living room was empty. No one was in the kitchen either.

“You might cry your eyes out, or you might want to drown yourself in the waters,” Changmin’s mother said. “Or you’ll want to run away on two feet.”

Why were she thinking of those words? She wasn’t crying. The story didn’t seem at all that sad…but shocking…why would she want to drown herself or want to run away? What did Changmin’s mother mean by those scary words?

“Unni?”

Taeyeon spun around to see Yoona and Siwon staring back at her, a bucket in both their hands. Taeyeon still felt brain dead.

“Where were you? We went fishing with Seungho a while ago. You should have gone with us!” Yoona exclaimed.

“Yea, you missed out on quite a lot,” Siwon added.

“What’s forbidden here, do you want to know what’s forbidden here?” she questioned, her voice a low whisper that sent chills down Taeyeon’s spin. “Her name.”

If the girl that had died had an unrequited relationship with Leeteuk, but Changmin had loved her…as children had they been in a triangle relationship? The monk and Changmin’s mother had feared so much that she would cause him hurt…they were afraid that Changmin would be brought into danger if Taeyeon connected him with Leeteuk. Leeteuk, who had been the center of the triangle. It made sense considering Changmin was her son…but that girl had been in love with Leeteuk. If someone were to die after an unrequited relationship wouldn’t that person go after the person they loved instead of the other person that had just loved them? In other words…between Changmin and Leeteuk…who was the one with the highest possibility of being in danger?

Taeyeon felt her heart stop. Changmin’s mother and uncle had it all wrong all along. Leeteuk was the one being haunted.

***Changmin's mother is not a happy camper, we know that and now we know of the past linking all the adults into this.

***Anybody want to guess why Changmin's mother said, “You might cry your eyes out, or you might want to drown yourself in the waters, or you’ll want to run away on two feet.”?

***Uh-oh! Taeyeon finds out Leeteuk is in danger ^^ stayed tuned folks! :)