Eternal Beloved

Chapter 8

“Drop it, it’s not your god damn business. Leave.” Deming hisses, leaking venom into his every word. Despite the decent distance separating them, Deming’s threat reached her loud and clear as the huntress left immediately with a perplexed expression.

Through the little things she knew of him, Yu Qi knows he is being out of his character.

“I need you to stay away from my family members. You have no idea how far they will go.” Deming said in a low voice through gritted teeth. He lost all the mischievous glint that he often carries in his eyes, replaced by inexplicable anger.

“By family members, do you include yourself?” she asks teasingly, trying to lighten up the mood, which fails miserably. He only stood there, staring at her for the longest minute.

“If you are smart, you will,” he whispered quietly under his breath that she’s confused whether he’s speaking to her or to himself.

“Are we really going to discuss my intelligence or are you going to tell me whether it’s customary for your family to hate all the shadow spirit around,” she asked, remembering the spiteful look the huntress gave her.

“It’s not the whole shadow spirit thing. You’ll know the reason eventually.”

“That’s a no then,” she muttered, already expecting the reply.

Silence falls on them as Deming lead her to another room that turns out to be his office. The room reminds her of those offices that used by college dean with most wall space taken by huge mahogany shelves that house a huge collection of books of numerous genres.  

A huge desk situated in the middle of the room weighed down by the scattered files, some labelled with small sticky notes with the word ‘urgent’ scribble on them. Wordlessly, Deming gets down to his work.

Out of thing to be done and chicken out by the idea of asking permission to leave the room from a very brooding Deming, Yu Qi decided to settle with one of the books from the shelves. She was sorting through the shelves when her eyes caught on the small patch of the wall that was different from the others. Instead of bookshelves, this part of the wall is covered by frames of all sizes. Some of them are the size of portraits while the others are the size of a polaroid frame.

Closer inspection reveals that most of the pictures are the portrait of breathtaking landscape, some being the familiar picturesque of Mount Fuji, while others are pictures of some hidden meadow, blanketed by wild tulips.

However, her eyes focused on the portrait of a family of three, a happier version of Deming laughing in the arm of a man, who could pass as his bigger and burlier twin. A beautiful woman in her mid-twenties is hugging the bigger man’s waist, her dark eyes framed by thick lashes is an exact copy of Deming’s. Instantaneously she recognised them as his parent though an outsider might mistake them as his siblings. The date below indicates the picture was taken over fourteen years ago.

He look happy and contented in the arms of his parents, not the angry Deming at the mention of his family. She started to wonder if the list of people that she should avoid, listed and stamp with approval by Deming includes these two.

“She did a good job of taking the picture, the wind is crazy that day. We barely able to open our eyes but somehow the picture turns out fine.” Deming said from his seat, as he skims through the documents. His tone is lighter now, the frowned between his brows is gone. That was quick.

“She?” she questioned, totally focusing on the wrong things again, as she raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

“The one who took the picture,” he explained, giving her a you-are-being-silly look.

Given the focus on the picture, she wonders if it’s the right time to inquire of her thought from earlier.

“Will your parent hate me too?”

“Mom will drive you crazy of course,” he said in a serious tone before cracking into a boyish grin. “She has the tendency to stick like a piece of gum to the person that she actually likes. Though I doubt you’ll meet her any time soon. The last time she called me, she’s in Egypt. Something about resolving the feud between some excavator’s spirit and the Pharaoh’s. Not so sure what she’s actually talking about.”

They broke into laughter. She glances back toward the portrait, tracing the eccentric features on the woman’s expression. Her eyes fall on Deming’s father and immediately got caught by him.

“Dad’s gone.” was all that he said. It surprises her a bit though she’s fully aware that they are immortal but that doesn’t mean they are insusceptible to death. They could easily be killed in a hunt that goes wrong. Maybe that’s the deal of them being immortal in the first place.

“When?”

“Around ten years ago,” he answered in a definitive tone. She got the message loud and clear. He’s rather not talking about the detail. Taking his cue, her eyes roam to another portrait, a picture of him in sepia, dressing in a suit. His hair was shorter and his eyes were hidden behind a pair of huge glasses but she has to admit, he still looks good.

“Your ‘grandfather’ is looking a lot like you.” Her words got him looking up with a confused look before he saw who she’s referring to.

“Good looks run in the genetic.” he quipped as he saunters over, standing next to her.

“I’m saying you look alike, nothing about good looks. Is it really okay displaying your old picture in public like this? The similarities are too uncanny to call you and him two different persons.”

“Really, I thought I’m way hotter than he is.”

“You are him, jerk.” she rolled her eyes, annoyed by his smug expression.

“People won’t believe themselves even they have a suspicion. They’ll say it some eye trick, the lighting just to rationalize it. Besides I think it only sensible to give this kind of homage to the co-founder of this company. I saw a lot of people doing this drama.” She can’t tell which one confused her more, either his logic or the fact that he copied these kinds of stuff from drama. 

“So this company was built back in the forties?” she gauges based on his dressing in the picture.

“Our family have always own properties across the country given the fact that we have to move around a lot. People would realizes that we never age as time passes. During the war, let just say, I help out a friend with something and I received a lot in return.” he paused, gauging her reactions. When he saw none, he continued.

“Out of boredom, father and I started this business, never thought it works out better than we expected, though after the first ten years I have to pass the management to someone else, who happens to be Yuan’s paternal grandfather and his family have been serving us since then.”

“So how old are you, biologically speaking,” she asked suddenly, starting to count backwards to the year he establishes this organisation. That’s eighty years ago. He should be older than that.

“I was born in 1928,” he said with a smirk.

Ninety-two years old.

“Wow, you’re quite a geezer.” she thought without realizing she’s saying it out loud.

He held his chest as if the words hurt him, a deep laughter rumble in his throat.“Ouch, that’s hurt. You’re not that young yourself, okay.”

“Hah, at least I’m younger than you by a good seven decades… I think,” she said, not quite confident by her own words. At least she looks twenty.

He examine her face for a moment before cracking a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“You really remember nothing, don’t you?”

“More like nothing but my name. One day, I just woke up, not even knowing that I’m a goner. Somehow I knew that I’ve always been able to see spirits, so I didn’t even realize it until a spirit point it out for me.”

“And you’ve been hunting evil spirits ever since? Why?” he asked, genuinely inquiring, not one of those rhetorical questions that makes her question herself also.

“That’s a big word. I’m not a hunter like you, just thought it this way. You’re a cop, I’m more of a private detective. I used my ability for private causes, most of the time to keep your kind away. The last thing I need is an inquiring hunter like you, who most likely did not share your enthusiasm to make me their shadow as much as they want to exorcist me.” And it calms her to do something that feels familiar, though there’s no way she’s telling him that.