Roori
"Don't listen to their voices, go ahead and search."
I quicken my pace and walk down the long corridor lined with several doors.
This place has a sinister look, like an old school or an abandoned clinic.
Some doors are open, others are ajar, and a few lean to one side, as if waiting for something.
Or someone.
That has been forgotten.
Dad.
His voice is guiding me, I hear it clearly in my mind.
"Go up to the first floor."
I turn left, where a gloomy iron and marble staircase awaits me.
I pause to reflect.
There is no light, only shadows.
Old fears return to haunt me.
How many times, under the stairs, a small niche where we hid our bicycles to prevent the hungry Kim cousins from stealing them, have I hidden to escape their harassment?
"Rooorriiii."
Ha-Rin's voice, shrill and unpleasant, tormented me.
She walked down this same corridor, jingling the keys on a padlock, to force me to leave. When she did this, she had most often stolen something from me, hiding it in the cellar or the gardener's shed so she could retrieve it.
And in those places, her horrible brothers hid, pulling my hair, pushing me, tearing my clothes. Many times they forced me to eat grass or other things, laughing in amusement. Or they prodded me with needles and small, sharp knives.
Many times my screams and cries attracted Ava or Min-Jun, but other times...
I sigh.
I was alone, at the mercy of bored kids who enjoyed making me suffer.
"Roorriiii!"
I still hear that damned voice, but it doesn't seem to come from my mind.
Cold sweat grips my back, choking my throat.
I can't make a single movement.
Not even speak.
A hand claws at my shoulder and I feel my legs going weak.
"Roori."
The voice is close, and so is a face.
I can't make out the features.
I can't recognize his voice.
I open my mouth to breathe and two arms wrap around me.
A body holds me close.
This scent...
The fog of terror suddenly breaks and I recognize Min-Jun.
A sob escapes me and I lean into his arm.
"Baby, what happened?"
His voice in my ear is a caress and I burst into tears.
"Roori, what's wrong?"
I don't answer and I hold him tightly.
His hands caress my back and my hair, trying to console me somehow.
But the shadows of what has been won't let me go.
Years and years of sessions, psychotherapy, medications, and hypnosis have left their mark, and I thought I'd left the shadows behind, but...
Why did Grandpa want me here?
Why did he separate me from Ava?
Why is he forcing me to chase after Dad's ghost, reopening old wounds I didn't think I had anymore?
"Roori."
I sniff and separate from him.
I take a deep breath and look up at his.
"It's the past coming back, Min. It's taking its toll, and I don't know if I can pay it."
He stares at me for a long time, silently.
He reaches out and wipes a tear from my cheek.
"I can't heal what's been, but I promise to protect you from what's now. Do you believe me?"
An involuntary smile spreads across my face.
Yes, I know.
You would have done it then, too, if I hadn't left.
And you will do it today, too, with all your heart.
But who will save you, Min, from all the horror of this place?
Who will save your heart when it's your turn to face your ghosts.
But I say nothing.
I just smile and wipe away my tears.