Chae Won was surprisingly enjoying the party for the first time since the death of her husband. She felt safe…secured knowing that Joong Ki was around.

“This party is spectacular!” Chae Won said with a smile.

“Yeah, very beautiful but not as beautiful as you”, Joong Ki said as he looked intentently on her. Chae Won looked away…a deep blush on her face.

“Ahh…thank you…I really wanna thank you for coming here with me. It really means a lot to me to have a friend attend this event with me”, Chae Won said her sincerity written all over her face.

“I’ll always be here whenever you’ll need me, darling. I’ll always be here”, Joong Ki said as he caressed Chae Won’s face before he kissed the back of her hand.

“You don’t really know me, Joong Ki”, Chae Won said her fingers gently touched Joong Ki’s lips.

“I may not know what happened to you in the past but my heart knows you. My heart always knows you”, Joong Ki replied.

“Thank you…thanks a lot for being patient with me”, Chae Won said.

“I love you and my love for you knows no boundaries”, Joong Ki replied.

They continued to watch the program for the party and the people chatting with each other. They were holding hands feeling each other…taking in the moment. The band then played their first song for the night…their slow version of ‘Wherever You Will Go’ by The Calling.

“May I have this dance?” Joong Ki asked as he extended his hand in invitation.

“I might step on your toes”, Chae Won shyly said.

“You might step on my toes all night”, Joong Ki bantered back with his charming smile.

Chae Won smiled and gave her hand to him and they went to the dance floor. Couples were already filling the dance floor causing them to step much closer together. The music played…

So lately, I've been wonderin
Who will be there to take my place
When I'm gone, you'll need love
To light the shadows on your face
If a great wave should fall
It would fall upon us all
And between the sand and stone
Could you make it on your own

[Chorus:]
If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go

And maybe, I'll find out
The way to make it back someday
To watch you, to guide you
Through the darkest of your days
If a great wave should fall
It would fall upon us all
Well I hope there's someone out there
Who can bring me back to you

[Chorus]

Runaway with my heart
Runaway with my hope
Runaway with my love

I know now, just quite how
My life and love might still go on
In your heart and your mind
I'll stay with you for all of time

[Chorus]

If I could turn back time
I'll go wherever you will go
If I could make you mine
I'll go wherever you will go

“I wish that this moment will never end…that you’ll stay in my arms forever for the rest of my life”, Joong Ki said as he pulled Chae Won closer to him.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry”, Chae Won said as she raised her face and looked at Joong Ki with tears misting her eyes.

“Why? Why are you saying sorry?” Joong Ki worriedly said.

“I should have waited for you to come back years ago. I should’ve waited for you then I would’ve been happier”, Chae Won said remembering all those times she wished she could turn back the time to be with Joong Ki.

“You loved your husband and he loved you, right?” Joong Ki commented.

Chae Won did not say anything…she just pulled Joong Ki closer to her…feeling his warmth and his presence and somehow she felt relieved and for the first time in her life she felt less guarded…less afraid.

“Give me a chance, Chae Won. Give me a chance and I’ll make you happy…I’ll love you in every way and you won’t know the meaning of sadness anymore”, Joong Ki said as he raised Chae Won’s face and kissed her eyes and her scar.

“I love you, too, I tried so hard to push you away but I realized that I could never hide what I feel for you. I love you so much and I hope you’ll always love me as I do you”, Chae Won admitted in her soft voice filled with emotion.

“Thank you for trusting me…thank you for loving me you won’t regret your decision”, Joong Ki said.

Chae Won stood on her tip toes and she kissed him. Her eyes closed as she touched her lips to him feeling the softness of his lips…the warmth of his breath. Joong Ki also closed his eyes and deepened their kiss. He kissed her in a most passionate way.

“I’ll always love you”, Joong Ki whispered to Chae Won’s ear after their kiss.

They went to the balcony of the venue after their dance. They looked at the well manicured garden while they were in each other’s arms. Joong Ki even took off his coat and draped it over Chae Won’s back.

“I’ll just get us something to drink, darling”, Joong Ki said as he gave her a peck on his cheek before he left.

Chae Won nodded and felt happiness overflowing in her heart. She felt safe and secured and she even enhaled the perfume that clung to the folds of Joong Ki’s coat warming her body. Her eyes were still closed when she felt someone’s presence behind her.

“Joong Ki, darling, that’s fast…the…” Chae Won was not able to finish her words because she came face to face with the person she thought she would never see again in her life.

“Chae Won, dear wife”, the man said.

Standing in front of her was Jung Il Woo, the husband she killed…the husband she left to burn in that vacation house at Aomori, Japan.

“I….I….I…” Chae Won turned pale…she was trembling…her knees were shaking.

“Il Woo, dear wife, don’t tell me you already forgot my name?” Il Woo said as he approached her.

“D…Don’t come near me…” Chae Won said as she moved to the side trying to find a way to not let Il Woo corner her at the railings of the balcony.

“Why are you trembling, wife? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Il Woo said in his gentle voice…the voice that gave Chae Won nightmares.

“You’re not real…you’re already dead. It’s just a dream…I’m having a nightmare again”, Chae Won said as she pinched herself.

“You’re not dreaming, wife, let me prove it to you”, Il Woo said as he approached her and managed to corner her.

“Do I look like a dream, wife?” Il Woo said as his hand rose up and touched Chae Won’s face caressing her scar.

“I marked you well that night, wife, a perfect mark for my imperfect wife”, Il Woo said as he put his face on the side of her face breathing on her smell and Chae Won flinched with revulsion.

“You never changed your perfume…you still smell of floral vanilla”, Il Woo said as he pulled her closer.

“Let me go!” Chae Won said in her controlled anger as she struggled to free herself but Il Woo strongly pinned her body at the railings.

“Is that the way to treat your husband who came back from the dead?” Il Woo asked mockingly as he kissed Chae Won’s neck and exposed shoulder.

“Let me go! You’re not my husband, you gutter scum! Let me go now because if Joong Ki caught you here…he’ll surely kill you!” Chae Won said bravely.

“Really? So you’re with Joong Ki now? You’re a very naughty girl, Chae Won, you need to be punished for that. Anyway, does Joong Ki know that you murdered me?” Il Woo asked.

“You’re alive so most probably you survived what I did with you”, Chae Won bantered.

“Yeah…I came back, wife. I came back because I was lonely…I was burnt alone in that house so I want to take you with me”, Il Woo said.

“I don’t wanna go anywhere with you”, Chae Won said in anger.

“You will, wife, you will. I’ll take you with me…I’ll kill you, too, the way you did when you left me to burn in that house. I’ll kill you, wife; but, before that I’ll torture you first until you wish you’re dead…hehehe”, Il Woo said in a low voice…in a whisper and soft sinister laugh against Chae Won’s ear.

“Stay away from me”, Chae Won said.

“You’re terribly cold, wife, you’re terribly frightened I can smell your fear. I can hear the loud beating of your heart. Your knees are trembling and your body is shaking. I can smell your fear and your revulsion…I love your fear, Chae Won. I love seeing your fear…” Il Woo said as he suddenly grabbed Chae Won’s face and kissed her briefly but harshly.

“I’ll come back again, wife”, Il Woo said as he let go of Chae Won.

Chae Won fell on her knees…she was trembling…she was so frightened. Il Woo was alive? It was not possible because she managed to retrive his body…his burnt body and the forensic confirmed that it was Il Woo who died in that fire.

“No….no…he can’t be alive. I made sure that he died that night…I made sure he was burnt in that fire”, Chae Won said as she grabbed her purse and tried to extract a bottle of valium from it. She needed to calm her nerves…she could practically hear her heartbeat thudding wild in her chest. She opened the cap of the bottle but she was not able to hold it tightly in her trembling hands and the tablets fell on the floor.

“!” Chae Won said as she got one from the floor.

“Chae Won, darling, I’m sorry the line for the punch is quite long…” Joong Ki came carrying two glasses of punch when he saw Chae Won sitting on the floor trembling…tablets scattered in front of her as she was crying.

“Bloody hell! What happened here, darling?” Joong Ki asked as he put the punch nearby and went to Chae Won.

Chae Won saw the punch nearby and grabbed it…she then grabbed two tablets from those at the floor and popped them in and drank the punch.

“What happened here and what is this?” Joong Ki asked as he picked the bottle and saw that it was valium.

“It was nothing, Joong Ki, it was just the attack of the nerves”, Chae Won replied as she tried to get the bottle from Joong Ki.

“Why are you drinking this kind of medicine? Are you hiding something from me?” Joong Ki asked worriedly.

Chae Won tried to snatch the bottle from Joong Ki’s hand but he had a tight grip on it.

“I won’t let this go until you tell me what bothers you. I left you here well and happy only to return and I find you sitting on the floor…crying and drinking valium. Tell me what happened”, Joong Ki said in a firm voice.

“I want to go home, Joong Ki”, Chae Won said as she started to put the spilled tablets in her hands and since Joong Ki was still holding the bottle, she decided to drop the tablets in her purse. She stood but her knees buckled and she would have fell if not for Joong Ki who held her.

“Chae Won, tell me what is it?” Joong Ki worriedly said.

“I’m not feeling well…I need to go home now”, Chae Won said unable to look at Joong Ki’s face.

“Okay, we’ll go home now. Let’s go”, Joong Ki said as he gave the bottle to Chae Won and he assisted her in getting out of the venue. They did not talk while they were on their way to ChaeShin Palace.

“What happened whie I was getting the punch, Chae Won?” Joong Ki asked…they were parked in front of the stairs leading to the front door of the ChaeShin Palace.

“No…Nothing…it was just an attack of the nerves. I told you that already, Joong Ki”, Chae Won said as she was about to go out from the passenger seat when Joong Ki pulled her and embraced her.

“I’ll find out sooner or later, darling. You can’t hide your problems like this from me. I love you and whatever happens I’ll be here for you. You must know that”, Joong Ki said gently.

“I’ll be going inside and rest now, Joong Ki, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night”, Chae Won said as she went out of the passenger seat and went up the stairs leading to the front door.

“You’re hiding something from me, Chae Won; and, I intend to find it out, my love”, Joong Ki told himself as he maneuvered his car and drove to the direction going to Song Mansion.

“Good evening, Madam”, the butler greeted Chae Won politely.

“Good evening. Please, lock all the doors…the windows…check the security of the palace before you go to sleep”, Chae Won told the butler as she went upstairs.

Chae Won saw Shinhye inside her room. Shinhye was lying on her bed looking at the ceiling.

“Shinhye, dearest…” Chae Won called.

“Chae Won, is it possible for someone who’s dead to come back?” Shinhye asked not looking at her sister.

“What do you mean by that, Shinhye?” Chae Won said her voice sounded hoarse and trembling.

“She’s back…Aunt Si Yeon is back”, Shinhye said as she maneuvered on the bed and sat cross legs.

“W…W…When? Ho…How?” Chae Won asked nervously.

“She called me after I arrived here from the amusement park. She called and told me she’s here to destroy me…and Yonghwa and Ga In”, Shinhye said as she combed her finger through her hair in distress.

“Are you sure it’s her?” Chae Won asked.

“Yes, the voice….the way she talked…and she knew the secret that only you and me kept”, Shinhye replied.

“Min Young…your doctor also knows about the secret”, Chae Won commented.

“Min Young won’t do such a thing. She doesn’t have the motive to do that to me”, Shinhye said. “Anyway, how’s the party? Why did you go home too early?” Shinhye asked.

“I guess you’re aunt is not the only one who came back from the grave”, Chae Won said.

“Who else returned from the grave?” Shinhye asked.

“My husband returned from the grave, Shinhye”, Chae Won replied.

“No…no…it can’t be. We retrived his burnt body…the forensic confirmed that it was him who died in there…how come…how…?” Shinhye asked as she too paled.

“I don’t know what happen…bloody hell! I thought I could already start my new life with Joong Ki but now Il Woo’s back. Heavens! What are we going to do?”Chae Won said as she put her hands on her head pulling her hair as though the pain might wake her up from the bad dream.

“There’s only one thing to know if they are real. We have to make sure they really came back from the dead or if there is someone who is playing the joke on us”, Shinhye said.

“We need to open up their graves and if they weren’t there…we have to make sure that we can put them right back where they should be”, Chae Won said.

“We have to be cautious now or we’ll going to be the ones to end up in the graves we dug for them”, Shinhye concluded as she and Chae Wn embraced drawing strength from each other.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the other part of Seoul, the woman who just terrorized Shinhye was playing darts. The dart board had Shinhye’s pictures on it.

“You’re going to pay for what you did, Shinhye! You’re going to pay!” she shouted as she let go of another dart hitting Shinhye’s picture. She let go of another and another in her anger. She was about to let go of another dart when someone held her wrist.

“You’re getting too emotional again, sweet”, it was Il Woo.

“You’re here. How’s your wife?” she asked.

“Afraid…trembling…going crazy when I left her. She was practically pinching herself so she would wake up”, Il Woo replied.

“How about Shinhye?” Il Woo asked as he poured some wine from the decanter and drank.

“She was terrified, too. I can practically smell her fear even from the phone…hehehe”, the woman chuckled.

“It’s only the start of their nightmare”, Il Woo declared.

“Yeah, we’re going to make them so crazy…they’d lose their grip on sanity”, the woman agreed.

“Yeah…to destroying Chae Won and Shinhye”, Il Woo’s sister said as she entered the door of the small apartment.

“To destroying their lives”, they chorusly said as they made a toast and drank their wine.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Shinhye was already asleep that night but her sleep was restless…her dreams were again filled by the event that happened years ago. She moaned in her sleep…

“No…no!” Shinhye said as she woke up and looked at her surroundings. She sat on her bed and she cried. She decided to go to her sister’s room and she found Chae Won under the shower.

“Chae Won”, Shinhye called.

Chae Won was under the shower…she was still wearing the gown she wore during the party. Tears and water mixed as she was crying silently…her shoulders were shaking. Shinhye went and embrace her sister until both of them were already wet.

“Can we not be free from them?” Chae Won whispered.

“I don’t know, Chae Won. Heavens! What are we to do now?” Shinhye asked as they both cried for their lost youth…their lost innocence and the future with the person they loved which was becoming farther and farther….

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