The judge’s order had gone through and, at one o’clock that afternoon, the bones of Woo Yewon’s murdered child had been delivered in a small wooden box. They had even included the bone dust that had been DNA tested, since Baekhyun didn’t want to take any chances of any part of the child remaining.

The rest of the remaining Kim family were gathered in the back garden, where they had agreed to burn the bones. Before being dismissed, the gardeners had dug a big pit, lined with rocks, in which to do the deed. Junhyung, Minseok, Jongdae, Jongin, and Junmyeon had already gathered there, so Baekhyun joined them.

“Are we ready?” he asked, holding the box of bones in his arms.

Wordlessly, the others nodded. It was time.

Baekhyun climbed down into the deep hole, not caring about how dirty he was getting, and settled the box gently into the very center. Then, with Jongin’s helping hand, he climbed back out of the hole.

Junhyung took the bottle of lighter fluid and upended it over the box, making sure to cover every inch of wood.

Baekhyun pulled the matches out of his pocket and lit one, his hand trembling.

It went out almost immediately.

“Try again,” Jongin urged.

Baekhyun nodded and lit a second match. It, too, was extinguished almost immediately.

The wind began to pick up. Where the evening had been quiet and calm just a moment before, the wind was now whipping at their hair and clothes. Baekhyun had to clench his fist around the pack of matches just to keep it from being torn out of his hands.

“What the hell is going on?” Jongdae shouted above the now-roaring wind. “The weather forecast said it would be a clear night!”

“It’s the spirit,” Junmyeon shouted. “It doesn’t want us to finish this!”

“Look out!” Minseok suddenly shouted, diving for Jongdae. He pushed his cousin out of the way just in time to avoid being impaled by a tree branch.

Jongdae gaped at the place where he had been standing just seconds before, his chest heaving. “T-thanks…” he managed to get out.

“Don’t mention it,” Minseok said curtly, getting to his feet and hauling Jongdae up after him.

Baekhyun lit another match, sheltering it between his cupped hands. It stayed lit for a few seconds, but then it went out too.

“There’s no way I can light the match up here and get it down there into the hole,” Baekhyun shouted, holding up his arm to shield his face from the violent wind. “I’m going to have to go down there!”

Junmyeon grabbed his arm. “You can’t!” he exclaimed. “There’s so much lighter fluid that you’ll burn alive!”

“I don’t have any other choice!” Baekhyun yelled, jerking his arm away. “This has to end! Now!”

Ducking away from his cousin, he slipped back down into the hole, clutching the matches tightly in his hand. Shielded a bit from the raging wind, he lit another one and tossed it onto the box.

It caught fire immediately, the lighter fluid flaming up in oranges and reds and yellows. Baekhyun felt hands at his arms and back, dragging him up and away from the flames at his feet and legs.

They all collapsed on the ground in a heap, the wind roaring more than ever around them. It seemed the wind itself was shrieking, crying shrilly. The trees overhead shook and creaked and screamed.

And then the voice died out. Instantly the wind calmed, leaving the night as still and silent as it had been before they’d started.

“How do we know it’s really over?” Jongin asked. It was the following morning, and the remaining five Kim family members were eating breakfast in the kitchen. It was a simple meal that Baekhyun had cooked, as none of the staff members had been invited back onto the grounds yet.

Baekhyun shrugged, chewing on a mouthful of rice. “We don’t,” he admitted. “I’m going to see the fortune teller as soon as we finish eating. She knew when I was cursed, so maybe she’ll be able to tell if I’m still cursed.”

So once he had eaten, he left the house. There were no drivers around since they’d been evacuated, so he called for a taxi and waited by the front gate to be picked up. The ride into the city was silent, quiet. Baekhyun was lost in his thoughts.

After all these months – centuries, really – of having the curse hanging over his and his ancestors’ heads, was it really all over? Were they finally free? He couldn’t even wrap his mind around it.

He spotted the fortuneteller in her usual spot on the side of a busy road in the business district, so he instructed his driver to pull the car over even though there wasn’t really a space. Without waiting for the car to come to a full stop, he flung open the door and climbed out.

The fortuneteller spotted him almost immediately – even in a sea of businessmen, Baekhyun’s expensive suit stood out. “Young Master,” she crowed by way of greeting, but then something in her face changed. Her gnarled face split into a wide grin, revealing rows of gums missing teeth. “You come seeking answers.”

Baekhyun knelt down so he was on her level. “Yes, what do you see? Is the curse gone?”

The woman’s smile widened further. “I see no doom upon you, young master. Your future is clear.”

Baekhyun felt relief, true relief, wash over him for the first time in a year. He was free. They all were.

He thanked the fortuneteller profusely, but his mind was now on Chanyeol and nothing else.

Vaulting back into the car, he instructed the driver to return him to Westfield Estate as quickly as possible. As the car wound its way through the traffic-choked streets of Seoul, Baekhyun imagined a million different scenarios for when he was reunited with Chanyeol, each one more elaborate and ridiculous than the last.

When the car pulled up in front of the estate’s main gate, however, thoughts of Chanyeol were pushed to the back of his mind. There was a woman standing there, looking up at the manor with a wistful sort of look on her face. She was older, perhaps late forties or early fifties, but it was impossible not to see the family resemblance in her face.

Baekhyun slowly got out of the car and the woman turned to look at him.

“Kim Narae?” he asked hesitantly.

The woman nodded, tucking her long hair behind her pierced ear. “You must be the new head of the house. Kim Baekhyun, right?”

“Byun, actually,” Baekhyun corrected automatically. “I use my father’s surname.”

Kim Narae chuckled, a bit sadly. “Well, you’d be the first then.”

There was an awkward pause, then Baekhyun said, “What are you doing here? I thought you left a long time ago.”

“I did,” she agreed, turning to look up at the main house again. “But…I wanted to see Junmyeon…”

Baekhyun felt an uncharacteristic surge of anger. “You want to see him now? After you abandoned him all those years ago? Do you know what he’s had to go through since you left him here all alone?”

The woman turned back to him, and she looked even sadder than before. “I can see how it must seem like that. For all intents and purposes, I suppose I did abandon him. But it’s not what you think. I did it for him.”

“Yes, abandoning him to Madame’s wrath must’ve been for him,” Baekhyun replied sarcastically.

She gave him a small smile. “It was better than the alternative,” she said softly. “You see, I almost killed him. When he was about six months old. I loved him very much, more than anything. But I tried to kill him. I don’t remember it, any of it. Apparently I was smothering him with a pillow when a maid came in and saw. It took twelve staff members to wrench me away from him; he very nearly died. And I couldn’t remember anything. When I came to, I was locked in a room by myself. And it felt like I wasn’t myself. The urge to kill my son was still there. I was terrified. So I left. I checked myself into a mental health facility. I’ve been there ever since.”

Baekhyun was speechless. “You’ve been there all these years? But then why are you here now?”

“Because it’s gone,” Narae said, looking back up at the house with a sigh. “The urge to kill him. It’s gone.” She looked him directly in the eye. “The curse has been lifted, hasn’t it?”

He nodded. “Yes. We worked together and were able to end it. It’s gone forever now.”

She surprised him by pulling him in for a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Because of you, I can finally see my son again.”

When she pulled back, her eyes were damp.

“Is he at the main house?” she asked, dabbing at her tears with her sleeve. “May I go and see him?”

“Of course,” Baekhyun answered immediately. “I’m sure he wants to see you too.”

With another smile and one last squeeze of his hand, she was through the gate and walking up to the main house.

Part of Baekhyun wanted to follow. He cared deeply for Junmyeon, and he wanted to see his cousin’s happiness when he was finally reunited with his mother. On the other hand, he was sure that this would be a private moment that he shouldn’t intrude upon. He also really, really wanted to see Chanyeol.

The staff had been instructed to return to the estate that morning, so they had been trickling back ever since dawn, slowly resuming their duties. Baekhyun knew that Yixing had already returned; he only hoped that Chanyeol was back too.

After watching Kim Narae disappear through the front doors into the main house, he turned towards the stables. As he rounded the greenhouses and the paddock came into view, he could see that the horses had been returned. His heart skipped a couple of beats. If the horses were back, surely Chanyeol was too.

He broke into a run, his dress shoes slipping on the damp grass. He fell once, getting mud on the knee of his slacks, but he was up and running again in seconds. All he could think of now was getting to Chanyeol.

The barn doors were closed when he got there, so he grabbed the handle and rolled them open with a great deal of effort. And there was Chanyeol at the far end of the stable, a coarse-bristled brush in his hand as he tended to one of the chestnut mares.

He glanced up at the loud noise of the door being slid open, his attention diverted. “Baek?” he said, an eyebrow quirking up hopefully.

Baekhyun flung himself into Chanyeol’s unsuspecting arms, drawing him down to press their lips together firmly. He finally pulled back after what seemed like an eternity of fireworks – only because he was going to pass out from lack of breath if he didn’t – and chuckled. “Can I buy you a drink?” he teased.

Chanyeol grinned broadly, kissing him again. “I thought you’d never ask.”

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!