Dark Secrets

Chapter 14: It's Something Bigger Than Myself (1 of 2)

I was worried for nothing yesterday that I’ll be late on my first class and Pluto might make a scene again just like he did last Monday but he didn’t show up.

Not that I’m expecting him to come but what Alessia told me bothers me a bit.

“A sweet scent like chocolate but the aroma isn’t strong enough for a romance …” I mumbled to myself while drawing circles at the last page of my notebook.

“Are you daydreaming?” Pluto’s face suddenly appeared at my left side that I almost fall from my chair. “Careful.” he put his hand on my right shoulder to support my balance. “You can’t be injured.”

“W-What are you doing here?!” stuttering as I stare the side of his handsome face while he’s looking at my scribbles.

“Bringing you brunch.” he put a meal box on my desk. “How long do you want to lean on my hand? Aren’t you going to sit properly?”

“Ah.” I sit back on my chair as he moves back to stand behind me.

“I woke up late yesterday so I missed to bring you breakfast.” he said as he sits on the desk behind me.

“Why do you have to explain? I didn’t ask you to bring me breakfast or brunch anyway.” looking back at him.

“Because I thought you waited for me to come yesterday. Did you?”

“Hmpf … Why would I?” I laughed at him as I raised my eyebrow.

“Tch.” he smirks at me. “I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow, baby. I don’t want you to be mad at me, so I’ll make it up to you.” patting my head gently. “Finish your brunch.” stand up and walk off the room.

“What the hell is wrong with this guy??!” I muttered as I watches him make his way out at the backdoor of the classroom.

I still don’t understand why someone like him would pick me among the girls who are chasing after him.

I mean they’re way better than me and he can get any girl he likes with his good looks and name but why is he picking on me?!

He lied about our relationship so he’s definitely plotting something against me, it’s impossible that he likes me.

The next morning, he really did come before my first class start and delivered breakfast like he said he would.

“Can we talk?” I give him a serious look after he put a meal box on my desk. “We really should talk about this.”

“I would like to spend more time with you too but Professor Lee is already here unless you want to skip his class.” Pluto grinning at me.

“Mr. Nevaeh, you’re here again.” Professor Lee greeted him.

“I made up with Desa, I failed to come here on Monday so I brought brunch to her yesterday and breakfast today.” he walks toward the front door. “I guess we’re good now because she wants to spend time with me, she’s not mad at me anymore, right, baby?” turns to me.

“Haha.” forcing a smile on my face. (I think I’m gonna kill this guy.)

There’s nothing I can do about him but to get along with his play since everyone believes him and if I make him a liar it’ll just bounce back to me because of his reputation, words from a nobody like me against the words of a King, in the end I’ll be the one who’ll suffer.

“What are you guys doing here??!” surprised to see Ashton and his friends. “And you also bring someone with you, President.”

“I knew it! I feel cold since we left the campus this afternoon.” Ashton uttered. “She’s at my right, isn’t she?”

“Uh-huh. Staring at you.” looking at the spirit of a young woman beside Ashton. “Now she looks at me.”

“What does she want?! Why is she following me?” Ashton trying to keep his cool although he’s trembling in fear.

“Did you pick a red packet at campus earlier?” I see a red thread tied on Ashton’s left ring finger, just the same with the woman.

“How did you know about that?!” Ashton frowns at me. “I-I threw it when I saw what’s inside.”

“Hair and a ring.” Calum uttered. “It’s too late when President realized what it means.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who’s tied up in a relationship now.” Michael said as he pretended to look around.

“Will you help us??” Luke anxiously asked.

“I only heard about ghost marriage before from Halmeoni while I’m in the temple but I’m not sure how this works.” I replied.

“Take me to your Halmeoni then.” Ashton said sternly. “She’s a shaman, right? Can we go now??”

“You guys made a background check on me, right? You didn’t know that my Halmeoni doesn’t want me near her?” scratching my head.

“The report doesn’t say what relationship you have with your family.” Luke said. “But maybe she can make some exceptions?”

“Maybe she can help me too!” Michael exclaimed.

“Uhm …” hesitating to say yes to them. “Fine, give me a few minutes to change.” I entered the house and locked the door since they’re all men outside and there’s no separate room for me to get change.

It’s almost Saturday midnight when they came at my place, I just got off from work and I could really use some sleep because Caracciolo had a lot of customers on Friday night.

“Sorry, to come at you this late.” Luke driving the car to Suncheon.

“What else can I do? It’s an emergency.” helping him to drink his coffee since his hands are on the steering wheel.

“Does wearing that sunglass really helps for you not to see them?”

“If I remove this, I’ll be freaking out from time to time because we’re on the road during a night sky. We might get into accident because of me and I don’t want that to happen.” I replied to him.

“You have a point. It must be hard for you to travel at night. How do you get home at night anyway??” he asked curiously.

“Before I was wearing sunglass when reached the train station and people must thought that I was blind without a stick to guide me on my way so I just pretend that I am but people found out eventually that I wasn’t blind and called me an attention seeker.” reminiscing the past. “Currently, I rarely wear this because I often see Diso-sunbae, he’s accompanying me so I don’t pay much attention to my surroundings just like when you’re with me last time on a rainy day.”

“Ah, right, Diso lives at Chang-dong.” Luke nodded. “He’s going home at late night now huh, being a 5th year med student must be hard.”

“Very likely, he told me that he stays in the campus until it closed and continue studying at the bench in the train station, he always gets lost in time while reading that’s why he typically ends up catching the last train with me.” I responded.

“I see. Good for you then, at least Diso is with you until he reached his station, but what about after that?” Luke asked again to keep our conversation going for us not to be sleepy.

“Sometimes he walks me home if I’m still being pestered by a spirit, they actually give up easily when you keep ignoring them and I already mastered that skill so I can go home on my own if they’re not that stubborn.” giving him another sip of his coffee.

“I didn’t know that Diso can be that warm, he’s usually cold to everyone except for his older brother and Pluto.” he said.

“Really?? I think he’s friendly. He approached me first before I met you all at SOS HQ, he’s been nice to me since then.” taking a sip at my coffee. “Uhm … go left … that’s a short-cut.”

“Friendly?? Are we talking about the same Diso here?!” he laughed.

“Well I don’t know about you guys but he’s like that to me, maybe because I’m a girl and his hoobae?” I presumed the reason.

“Then what about Alessia who’s also a girl and his hoobae? He’s not like that towards her.” shaking his head.

“I don’t know, I’m not him so I can’t answer your question.” I sensed a presence around the area. “Hey, whatever you see on the road just keep on going straight. If you stop, we’ll have an accident.”

“I never get used to this kind of horror, it’s easier said than done.”

“You should know how to differentiate what’s real from illusion.” I suddenly feel cold. “Any minute now, just go straight ahead.”

“If you say …” he didn’t continue what he’s about to say. “S-She’s not real right?!” trying to be calm as he continues to drive.

“Thank you.” I thanked the young woman’s spirit beside Ashton.

“I only did what you told me to do, why are you thanking me for?”

“Not you, but Ashton’s fiancée. She kept us safe for now because they’re not married yet, that road spirit brings accidents.” I said.

“That’s why I didn’t hesitate to go on.” he uttered.

“He needs Ashton to be alive for their marriage.” I look back at the 3 sleeping at the backseat before I turn to Luke. “It’s alright, no one will ever get used to it, no matter how many times you’ve seen or experienced them, they never failed to give you a scare.”

“Phew.” sighing in relieve. “Those 3 idiots don’t have a clue what we’ve been through while they’re sleeping comfortably.”

We arrived at the hillside by 4am and climbed the stairs to the temple for 10 minutes until we finally arrived at the front gate.

“Sweetie!” Mom welcome me with a warm embrace. “You’re Halmeoni sensed that you’re here as soon as you took a first step on the stairs.” she looks at the guys I bring with me. “Who are they?”

“The guys who left the beers and meats at my place.” I replied.

“Do you boys speak in Korean?” Mom asked them in English because obviously they’re not locals.

“Yes, all of us has been migrated here in Korea since high school, specially Ashton here, since 10th grade, and he’s the one who …”

“Needs help.” Mom continued what Luke is trying to say. “We got the same client last week too, why does foreigners are being victim of ghost marriage these days?”

“You mean there are several cases like this too, Mom?” I asked.

“Uh-huh, he’s not the first and probably not the last.” Mom said as she shakes her head. “Come on in boys, I’ll take you to my mother.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Ha.” the boys followed my mother inside.

“Mom, please take care of them, you know Halmeoni doesn’t want to see me. I’ll just go to my old room and sleep, I haven’t sleep yet.”

“Sure, sweetie. Go ahead, I’ll take care of your friends.” Mom said.

“Luke, don’t leave without me, alright?” I remind him to drive me back to Seoul later.

“You’re not coming with us?” Luke asked.

I just shake my head to him in response and go on my way to the old room I used before when my family migrated here in Korea.

It was the same like before and nothing has changed since I left.

“Mom or dad probably clean this room once a week.” I muttered as I lay the mattress down on the floor. “I could finally get to sleep.”

Dad woke me up for lunch time and I just remembered that it’s Saturday today, I missed the dance practice and I’ll be absent at my social welfare class too even if we hit the road by now.

“Dad where’s your telephone?” wiping my temples as I stepped out from my room. “I need to make a phone call.”

“At the top of the drawer.” Dad replied before he went back outside where the boys and Mom are gathering around the table.

I went to my parents’ room where the telephone is. Dad is a doctor so a telephone in the house is a must. There wasn’t a telephone or any electronics at all until we came because the people living in this temple are very traditional like they’re still in ancient times.

“Hello, manager. This is Desa Ha, sorry to notify you this late for my leave today. I’m currently here at Suncheon, in my grandmother’s house, there’s an urgent matter I had to attend to.”

“Do you need any assistance?” manager replied on the line.

“No, it’ll be taken care of, thank you for asking, manager.” I replied.

“Alright, just let me know if I can be of any help, Desa.” manager response kindly to me. “Call me if you still can’t make it on Monday.”

“I’ll be there on Monday, manager. Thank you again for your understanding. That will be all, I won’t take too much of your time.”

“Don’t hesitate to ask for help, alright?” she said.

“Yes, manager. Thank you. Bye.” I hanged up the phone after she said bye to me too. “She must think that it’s a family matter.”

After the phone call, I look around my parents’ room for a while and saw the newspapers with markings on the classified ads.

“Dad is probably looking for a job in Seoul.” I noticed that most of the newspapers have highlights on hospital jobs.

Dad graduated medicine in a third-rate med school in the province that’s why he was a provincial doctor since then but he took an exam in Canada and he passed the licensure exam there too so he can practice medicine here and in Canada, he can make it to the capital.

... To be Continued ...