Scars of the Dead - End of Part One
Scars of the Dead - End of Part One
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"That man disgusts me," Minho said in a cold tone. The Kang's had left a few minutes ago and he was with Gayoon at the patio upstairs. Mina also returned to her apartment in the city because she had an early morning surgery while Jina was in her room with the ghosts, citing some 'top secret mission'.
"The wife genuinely did not know anything," Gayoon sighed. "But if my theory is right, Shinho is his illegitimate child. Which is why his DNA is not in the family registry. His birth must have been covered up."
"When will the dental results come out?" Minho asked. "Kang Danny might try to run away if he gets a whiff of what we're doing."
"Hopefully soon," she said. "We were reckless today. Kang Danny is not a smart cookie but he has the resources to hide his crimes. He won't stay put if we go after him directly."
"He must have made some mistake!" Minho said in frustration. "If only there was some way to break into his house and head over to that cellar!"
"That's illegal!"
"Let's send the ghosts!" Minho suggested.
"That's immoral!"
She gave him a sharp look which made him shut up. Seeing him like that made her sigh.
"Why are you so invested in this though?" she asked curiously. "I know you pity Shinho for the state he's in but aren't you taking it a little too personally?"
Minho did not reply but took a sip from the wine glas she was holding. "He reminds me of me," he admitted. "He ended up having the fate which I was dangerously close to having. If someone had not saved me, I'd have died as well."
"Your Uncle Jason?" Gayoon asked.
"Well… not just him."
He fiddled with the glass in his hand. It was a memory he had suppressed a long time ago but after his stint at the World of the Dead, these repressed moments were coming back to him. He did not even know that such a thing had existed but the memory popped out of nowhere.
"One night, when the abuse from the teachers went out of hand," he recalled. "I had to be hospitalized. One of the teachers had broken my rib. Uncle Jason and his family were called in and they saw what my state was. The teacher who abused me had ran away and even the Jang's couldn't find him."
"That night, when I was at the hospital, there was no one else other than two guards outside. Once they fell asleep, someone snuck into my room. I was too dazed and confused but I heard someone...singing."
"Singing?" Gayoon echoed.
"It was a guy," he said. "He was singing itsy bitsy spider. I don't know who he was and his voice was terrible. But...it felt good to have someone by my side that night. My whole chest was hurting so even his tone deaf song was comforting."
Itsy bitsy spider? Gayoon wondered, frowning. Her ahjusshi also used to sing this song to her when she was a toddler. And he was tone deaf…
Before she could say anything, Jina emerged out of her room. She was carrying a bunch of chocolates in her hands.
"Mom, dad," she said. "I need you two to follow me."
They glanced at each other. "RWhere?" Gayoon asked. "Why? What happened?"
"Just follow me!" Jina insisted. "I want to do something!"
"Jina-" Minho began but she pulled the sleeves of her parents. "Come on!" she begged. "This is important!"
They were perplexed as they followed Jina back to her room. Upon entering it, they were surprised. She had placed three trays against a wall, each of them having a framed note with names. One had Yumi's name, the other one was Casper's and the third one was Shinho's. She also put unlit candles around the trays. Jina hopped over and placed the chocolate on small tables which were placed in front of the trays.
"What is this?" Minho frowned.
"This is a shrine!" Jina exclaimed. "The old man taught me how to make one!"
"A shrine?" Gayoon asked. Jina nodded enthusiastically.
"Shinho said he likes chocolates but he couldn't have any while he was alive!" she revealed. "His father wouldn't give him any. So I called up your old man and asked him if a ghost can eat. He said that they can if we offer them!"
"But where are the ghosts?" Gayoon asked. She could not feel their presence in the room.
"They're waiting for us to summon them," Jina explained. "They're up on the roof! I told them to make some kinda dramatic entry!"
Gayoon was unsure of what Jina was up to. She had never tried to offer any food to a ghost but she knew that ahjusshi often gave offerings to his late wife. Even though his wife never came back as a spirit, he would still offer her favorite chicken dumpling soup every year on her birthday. He offered it in the hope that she would appear and drink it but sadly, the bowl always remained full.
But to her surprise, Minho took off his shoes and sat in front of the shrines. He took a matchbox from the side and lit a stick. He then lit the candles and motioned them to sit beside him.
"Let's offer them food," he said with a smile. "I may not know a lot about ghosts but the ones we have are not that bad."
He smiled and Jina rejoiced while Gayoon also smiled back. They sat beside him and clasped their hands together.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Gayoon hissed.
"I offer food to my mother's spirit every year," Minho revealed. "I know the procedure. The monks at the temple taught me."
Gayoon did not probe any further. It was common practice to offer food to the deceased in the hopes that their souls would be satisfied. Many people followed the rituals and while Gayoon had never experienced the ghosts accepting the offerings, she had heard stories from Shinjin and Junho about how some ghosts did empty the food bowls. Unfortunately, those kinds of incidents also scared the living relatives since they never actually expected the dead people to actually turn up and eat.
Minho took the lead in mourning the departed for whom they were praying for. He bowed in front of the shrine three times. Gayoon and Jina followed suit, repeating his actions.
"Thank you for your good deeds," he chanted. "May your wish be granted in your next life. Please accept this humble offering from us."
As soon as he said those words, the candles were blown out by a cold wind. The windows flew open and the presence of three invisible figures were felt in the room. Even Minho could tell that they were standing behind them, watching the family curiously. He did not open his eyes but felt some movement around him and heard the unwrapping of paper.
"They're eating!" Gayoon gasped. She saw as the chocolate bars were being lifted and unwrapped as the ghosts took bites out of them. Jina was also watching in awe as Casper's face lit up in happiness. Yumi, too, could not believe that she was tasting food after such a long time. Even though she was not a fan of sweets, she was relishing every moment with tears in her eyes.
But nothing could beat Shinho's happiness. The little boy was overwhelmed by the gesture but did not eat the chocolates right away. He took one chocolate and placed it in front of Minho, whose eyes were still closed. He then placed one in front of Jina and then in front of Gayoon.
He then proceeded to take a bite out of his chocolate, beaming with joy.
"He's happy!" Jina exclaimed. "All of them are! Dad, won't you look?"
"No," Minho replied, not opening his eyes. "Since I'm performing the ceremony, I'll have to keep my eyes closed until they are done eating. Otherwise, their meals won't be blessed."
Jina was about to say something but Gayoon stopped her. "Let him finish the ritual," she gently said. "We don't want to leave it incomplete, do we?"
The little girl pouted and sighed. But seeing the ghosts enjoy their meal made her happy. Casper was silent but the look of happiness on his face was immeasurable.
"You know, I used to think that life was unfair to us when we were killed so brutally," Yumi sadly mused. "Who knew that I would return as a ghost and on top of that, eat chocolates with people who were strangers to me when I was alive?"
Casper nodded in agreement. He wanted to say a lot of things but Jina understood his gratefulness. Shinho looked at Minho and stroked his cheek.
"Being dead isn't so bad," he said. "No one beats me anymore. I'm not hurting anywhere. I got to eat this chocolate and made a new friend. I also met Bunny Uncle!"
Minho could not hear what Shinho said but felt something cold touching his cheek and smiled. Jina leaned over to hug him while the other ghosts also hugged them.
Gayoon was watching the strange yet heartwarming scene with a smile on her lips. But then her smile was slightly faltering. Seeing Jina's close bond with the ghosts was soothing yet, an uncertain future also lay ahead.
The ghosts did not belong to their world and would one day have to depart for their own world after their wishes were fulfilled. That day might come anytime. Could be minutes, days, months or years but it would surely arrive.
But once it came, could Jina's innocent heart handle the separation?
It was a question which had no answer and Gayoon was afraid that the consequences would not be a happy one.
Seeing Jina laughing with the ghosts was making her heart ache. Could that laughter last forever? She wondered.