;;;;;

“Oppa, where are you going?” Yoona asked following Siwon down the road.

Siwon, just a few steps ahead, glanced right and left.

“Which side do they live on again?”

“Who are you talking about?” Yoona wondered.

“Changmin.”

“What?!!” Yoona stopped in her tracks. “Oppa!”

Siwon didn’t stop in his steps.

“Oppa!” Yoona shouted again.

This time Siwon stopped and turned around.

“Why would you go there in the first place?!” Yoona demanded to know. “I thought you said we shouldn’t go there?”

“We shouldn’t bother them is what I said,” Siwon corrected. “This time is a must.”

Siwon turned around and began walking but Yoona hurried after him pulling him back by the arm to stop him.

“And why is this time a must?” Yoona questioned. “What makes this different from you saying we shouldn’t bother them? You’re doing exactly what you said we shouldn’t do.”

“Im Yoona,” Siwon lowered his voice to a more serious tone. “Don’t think that I don’t know you’ve been there by yourself before.”

“Oppa,” Yoona called again.

“To the left, right?” Siwon asked trailing down to his left.

Yoona followed him. “Oppa…don’t say anything that would get them upset with you.”

“Do you think I don’t know any better?” Siwon questioned.

“Not exactly what I said,” Yoona replied.

Siwon glanced into the empty yard then to the shed just ahead. Once again he ran his determination over in his mind. He hadn’t ran there recklessly without a goal in mind. He just wanted to know…what they were facing and why both Taeyeon and Leeteuk always seemed to be getting in trouble.

He walked on in without bothering to think that he may be unwelcome there. Down the trail he paused when he recognized the tall young man that had been with Taeyeon every so often. This man that was Leeteuk’s love rival.

Changmin looked at them surprised. He hadn’t expected to see any of them then he wondered if something was wrong with Taeyeon.

Yoona glanced at both the men before her hoping that it wouldn’t turn into a serious brawl but become just a talk between the two. Siwon wasn’t a reckless person, he wasn’t someone to do something foolish, he was the responsible type and always thought for others. For some reason Yoona doubted his intentions for going there.

“Changmin?” Siwon raised his eyebrow as if wondering if the man standing in front of him was actually Changmin.

“Uh…yea. Is there something wrong?” Changmin was curious with worry.

“You grew up here?”

Changmin and Yoona glanced at each other.

“I did.”

Siwon turned to look around, “Have you ever had any paranormal activity around here?”

“Excuse me?”

“Is this town haunted?” Siwon turned back to him.

Changmin stared back at him hard. He figured it was no use asking why Siwon wanted to know. He assumed that there were things going on at the mansion.

“There are things that go on around here.” Changmin told.

“Is there something left in this town that is connected to both you and Leeteuk?” Siwon asked.

Changmin just stared at him.

“Oppa…” Yoona whispered from behind his shoulder. “We shouldn’t be talking about this.”

Siwon turned his head over his shoulder, “Do you know about this?”

“I…” Yoona paused.

Siwon turned away from her and back to Changmin, “Something’s there. It’s done it to Yoona and everyone else over there. And for some reason I feel that you’re a part of it.”

“Oppa, he doesn’t know anything,” Yoona whispered again. “Leave him alone.”

A thought entered Changmin’s mind for a moment. Changmin ran flashbacks over in his mind and slowly caught on.  

“No way…” he muttered.

Siwon and Yoona had their eyes on him waiting for something to happen.

“You know…” Siwon started.

“I don’t.” Changmin’s voice was heavy.

Apparently he wasn’t very good at hiding the despair he felt.

“What’s wrong?” Yoona wondered finally appearing by Siwon’s side.

“Nothing. I would like you two to leave now.” Changmin told taking a step forward intending to walk away but Siwon blocked his path.

“You remembered something.” Siwon stated staring at Changmin, whose eyes averted from place to place, hopelessly avoiding his gaze.

“Oppa!” Yoona shouted, however, keeping her voice low.

“Let me see Taeyeon first. Whatever happens next…I’ll tell you what I know.” Changmin lowered his face to the ground.  

;;;;;

“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.”

Changmin’s mother stared at her.

Taeyeon found herself speechless.

Blurred images appeared before her. A girl with a one piece white dress stood by the window. Her long hair flowered over her shoulders as if it were the river passing by, it looked just as beautiful. In all this Taeyeon did not miss to see her saddened eyes asking for someone, longing for someone. The scene quickly dissipated to an ugly rerun of everything that had happened in that mansion. Taeyeon’s face fell against the surface of the water painfully before she was held down in the pool, the time when she’d seen everything move by itself and heard unexplainable footsteps upstairs, waking up to nightmares, the night when the mansion had a blackout, when Yoona wasn’t herself, and then she was back in Changmin’s house listening to his mother’s story.

Taeyeon opened her eyes with a loud gasp escaping . She was heaving too heavily and her neck was drenched with sticky sweat that made her feel unbearably uncomfortable. She glanced around the room and finally heard the knock at the door.

“Unni!” it was Yoona.

Struggling to get up Taeyeon staggered toward the door finally managing to unlock it.

“Unni, are you ok?”

“I just had a dream…” Taeyeon said. “What time is it?”

“It’s only been an hour since you’ve gone to sleep,” Yoona explained, “I’m sorry for waking you.”

“Oh…” Taeyeon reached her hand up to feel her head, “I thought it was morning already.”

Seeing the guilty expression of having to bother her Taeyeon wondered what was wrong.

“What’s going on?” Taeyeon questioned feeling cold all over.

When she was led downstairs she was almost shocked to see Changmin standing with Siwon at the bottom of the stairs. It looked like something had happened between the two of them. Taeyeon couldn’t pin point it out.

“Changmin?” Taeyeon called.

Changmin turned to look at her pale face then managed a smile, which made her feel numb. Did he find out what she’d talked to his mother about? She felt her heart race guiltily, painfully.

“Can I talk to you?”

Taeyeon felt awful to have to face him this way. Panic struck her for a moment until the voice at the back of her head reminded her that maybe Changmin just wanted to talk and maybe he didn’t know anything.

Before leaving Changmin glanced at Siwon.

Taeyeon followed Changmin down the road toward the garden of tall flowers. While heading down the path she recalled hearing Leeteuk talking to no one. Had he really been talking to anyone at all then?

She watched as Changmin sat down on the grass in a sad but disturbed manner. He turned to look at her and smiled patting the spot next to him.

“What are you standing there for?” he asked.

Getting the notion that he wanted to tell her something that could be serious Taeyeon made her way over to him and sat down by his side. It struck her that she was sitting closer to him than she had to Leeteuk just moments ago.

“I heard you’re sick,” Changmin greeted. “Sorry, for calling you out, if you’re not feeling well we could go talk somewhere closer to the mansion.”

“No need. I’m not that weak,” Taeyeon smiled at him. “Here is just fine.”

“Is Leeteuk feeling better, too?”

“Huh?”

He’d asked about Leeteuk. How did that sound? Peculiarly strange…Did he really not know anything about what his mother had told her?

“Is it so strange with me asking about him?” Changmin wondered with a smile on his face.

Was his smile real…or fake?

“It’s just I’m not used to hearing you ask about him.”

“Yes. I guess it is strange.” Changmin added gazing at the ground.

They were quiet. Neither of them knew what to say. What had happened between them days ago didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

“Your parents…how did they treat you while you were growing up?” Taeyeon felt the need to know.

Had he been happy like Leeteuk had, but felt he’d been missing something? Or had he been lonely?

“My parents?” Changmin repeated exactly like Leeteuk had repeated each section of her questions. “My mother…was always there. Like I said before she was overprotective so I couldn’t do anything on my own. My father made up for it, though. He gave me the affection I lacked from my mother…but whenever we were together, seeing them felt unreal. It didn’t feel like they were honest or sincere with each other. For them, being together was an act.”

And he only had Dark while growing up. He’d told her his mother had bought Dark to keep him company. Opposite of Leeteuk, Changmin was lonely.  

“I’m sorry,” she said and she meant it.

“Why?” he questioned. “Don’t be. It’s just how things are.”

“But you’ve endured it for too long. You weren’t meant to live like this. You don’t need to live like this because of your mom. You’re also a victim.” Taeyeon heard her thoughts go out to him. She sort of wished she was able to tell him…but the courage to tell him everything…was no where. Just like with Leeteuk she didn’t know how to break it.

It felt even more terrible to know he’d grown up that way.

“Why were you at my house earlier? What did my mom tell you?” Changmin wondered.

His mother hadn’t said anything…of course she wouldn’t have said anything. Taeyeon sort of felt like giving a shout of relief. But just like his mother…she was keeping everything a secret from them. But she was different, she wasn’t like his mother. She wanted to protect them and find someway to unite them. But how could she unite them without telling them the truth…some truth about their past?

“Are you ok?” Changmin asked again.

At first she had wanted to fix everything for him and she still did but with Leeteuk, who was just as innocent, involved she didn’t know how to do anything. She had no desire to hurt both of them or hurt one in order to save the other from despair. How would she be able to help the both of them?

“I’m sorry. I just want to let you know I’m really sorry.” Taeyeon turned toward him with her head lowered.

There was nothing else she could say anymore.

“Why are you apologizing? You haven’t done any wrong.” Changmin told. “But you make me feel worse when you’re apologizing.”

Taeyeon remained silent.

“Could you give me a hug?” he asked.

There was no reason for rejecting him. It was comforting. During that moment it was comforting to be leaning against him. And she realized after a minute that the hug wasn’t for his comfort but for hers. When he put his hand atop her head it felt like he knew every reason behind why she was sad.