A/N:
Thank you for all your kind words!
Honak- traditional korean house.
Pyung sang- the traditional korean multipurpose wooden platform. Square shaped, and about 4 square meters in area.
Creeping fear- a term used in Lockwood and co. A sense of inexplicable dread often experienced in the build up-to a manifestation. Not mentioned in word, anywhere in this chapter, but you'll know that it is it, once it happens.
Enjoy!
Chapter eight: The whispering forest.
Part II
She had once heard from Master, that there existed massive dark globes at the centres of galaxies, swallowing anything and everything that dared to come near.
Even the light.
Yet, it wasn't one of them—the forest—as Ga Eul thought it would be.
Regardless of the canopies, overgrown tree branches had managed to weave, the forest, was lit—in somewhat wondrous way.
The moon, with all her might, was forcing her rays through those tiny little holes on that fabric, boldly demanding them in, despite the resistance. Yet that light, while travelling down, never met the ground. Instead, it glowed on the fog, making it look like white satin, carpeted over the tree roots. And the trees, twisted and bruised, looked like souls from hell, crying and reaching out for dear life...
Out-lined with eeriness, the forest stood in other-worldly beauty.
"Watch that step!" Yi Jeong warned, yet Ga Eul almost tripped off.
It was a tree root, she assumed(the fog had it covered).
Yi Jeong offered his hand.
After a few seconds, struggling alone, to regain her balance, she glanced at his outstretched arm.
"Gumao. Sunbae." She thanked. The offer had been refused though.
The mysterious hurabeujji–the volunteered guide, in this unexpected journey—was slowly moving forward, taking heavy steps, and every now and then, stabbing the ground from his long stick, creating a dark hole on the whitish mist.
They picked up their duffel bags and hurried behind him, kicking the mist and hopping over the roots.
"Hurabeujji, the rest house... is it still far away?" Ga Eul asked. They had been following him for quite some time by then.
"Ani... almost there." The hurabeujji replied, who had managed not to trip even once, despite being blind.
"New to these neighbourhoods?"
" We are from Seoul." Yi Jeong answered while aiding Ga Eul over another root.
" I see..." the man nodded. " Here for your honeymoon?"
" No!" they both cried out in unison.
"Too bad" He muttered, and went silent again.
Another few minutes passed in mystical silence, only interrupted by a hooting owl or the humming crickets, switching on and off. The couple followed the stranger aiding each other(and reluctantly accepting it) on those uneven grounds.
The old man stopped abruptly. He cleared his throat, and announced.
"We are here."
...
At the entrance—as in most traditional hanoks—stood a pair of wooden doors, bleached with age(Yi Jeong assumed it was originally black), partly decayed at the end, and half opened, in a queer gesture of welcome. And each one of them, having a very large talisman pasted on it.
Speaking of talisman...
The boundary wall had layers and layers of them, one pasted over a battered another, plastering its every inch. And silver ornaments of all kinds (rings, pendants, bracelets, and etc.) suspended from the end of its each tile.
The whitish fog, pounded against it, just as the waves back in Jeju, crashing against the rock beds.
Ghost fog.
The couple gulped in realisation.
A stone statue of a cat, eyes widened and staring back into the forest, stood at the middle of the entrance, sending a shiver of fright for anyone, who dared to look into its eyes.
"Are you two coming in or not?!" the hurabeujji cried out, already entering the premise.
Both Yi Jeong and Ga Eul took a turn to glance at the path they had come. Of course, it was too late to turn around.
At least the fog didn't get inside. (That's a good thing, isn't it?)
"Ughmm..." the hurabeujji cleared his throat, almost annoyed.
And the couple, left with no other choice, followed after him.
...
...
The hanok was semi rectangular in shape, hollowed in the middle where a pyung sang sat in well preserved symmetry. On its portico, facing the entrance, was a woman, around the same age as the hurabeujji himself, snoring aloud.
"Yeobo!" The old man cried out. "we have guests..."
The woman yawned, and shifted in her sleep, despite her husband's loud calling.
Yi Jeong stared at the candle, half burnt, and standing on a saucer, besides the woman.
"You don't have electricity in here?" He asked, now even more annoyed. What kind of a rest house would have no electricity?
"Not yet." The man answered, in a bitter tone. "We had made a request for the authorities... months ago..."
Yi Jeong sighed. Supposed that night couldn't get any worse.
"Yeobo!" The man cried out even louder.
And the woman gave a flinch, ultimately, waking up. She stared at the couple for a few moments there, before standing up and heading to her small reception table.
After a few moments searching in her drawers, she tossed a pair of keys onto the table.
Yi Jeong cleared his throat. "Um... actually we want two separate rooms."
The hurabeujji answered on behalf of his wife. "There's only one room left. The rest house is fully booked..." He unloaded his Jige. "it's the holidays after all..."
Ga Eul looked around. There came no light from any other room. Perhaps the other guests were already asleep.
But isn't it too early to sleep?
They both let out a sigh.
The huramoni already had her lead towards their room. And hesitantly though, the couple followed.
...
...
They were lead into a small room, thatched roofed and matted floored. On their left was a mini cabinet, and on the right was a window, facing that spooky entrance. At the middle, lied a single mattress(in the size of a double bed) with two pillows and a seemingly cosy cover accompanying it. All in all, a candle stood on a brass holder lighting up the room.
Ga Eul found herself staring at the mattress.
"Ughmm..." The huramoni cleared her throat.
"The bathroom..." She slid open the doors at the front of the bedding.
It was the tiniest bathroom any of them had ever seen, dimmly lit by a single candle standing on one of the soap trays. The basin, the toilet, the shower and (somehow) a bathtub were all compressed into that little space.
"Do the tap lines work?" Yi Jeong asked in a sour tone.
Dismissing him, the woman went to the window and pulled it shut. "The night will grow colder..." She remarked.
Yi Jeong sighed, irritated to be left unanswered.
Ga Eul went to the basin and switched on the tap. A cry went out, as the freezing water touched her skin.
"I'll put the boilers on..." Huramoni said, marching back to the door.
"And have a happy honeymoon!"
"We are not_"
Door slid shut.
"_here for our honeymoon..."
...
Ga Eul went silent, reflecting the same expression Yi Jeong himself had, barely a minute ago.
"I guess she has hearing issues..." she said, more to herself.
"Looks like she does." Yi Jeong sighed, tossing his keys onto the little cabinet.
They both looked up. A little while passed in awkward silence, as they found themselves locked up in each other's gaze.
There they were again... alone... together... in a confined space.
...
Yi Jeong coughed. In-part of a pretence, and in-part... for real.
It was becoming a bit hard for him to breath.
Ga Eul swiftly headed to the window, and pushed them wide open. "What exactly was that huramoni talking about? (Nervously chuckles.) It's sweating inside...phew!" She fanned herself with her palm.
Outside the window, not too much into the forest, stood a withered tree—old and crooked bark, with skinny branches springing out from it here and there. More interestingly, the ghost fog seemed to be arousing from its feet.
The ghost fog that had the whole forest covered.
A chill ran down her spine, and a slight depression strained her mind.
It felt strange.
As if something terrible had happened there... As if she had forgotten something... Or as if... she had forgotten someone...
Ga Eul found herself falling, until she was interrupted by the growling of her own stomach.
She shook her head. The feelings of nostalgia faded away.
And someone smirked.
Ga Eul turned around.
"Hope you have that packet of chocolate chip cookies with you..." Yi Jeong smirked again. "I know you always had it with you..."
"Sunbae... We are not going to have cookies for dinner... are we?"
Given the credit for the circumstances, they had very little for breakfast. And relatively better, yet far less than her usual meal, they had for lunch. Cookies for dinner—what a silly thing to say?
And besides, she was in no mood to share it with him.
"What else should we eat then?" Yi Jeong turned to her with a genuine expression of confusion His face stiffened. "No. No...we are certainly not. I mean... look at this place! Can you really trust their food?"
Ga Eul had her arms crossed, in a gesture that was very much likely saying, "This is all your fault Sunbae!"
For which, Yi Jeong was taken aback.
"Agh!" he scowled. "Arahsso then..." And went to the door, sighing.
...
...
...
But when he returned to the room. He found no Ga Eul in there. Instead a neatly folded set of pyjamas, was laid on the mattress.
Sound of splashing water was heard, while someone was merrily humming a tune.
Ga Eul was having a shower.
Yi Jeong let out an exhale. He felt so good to see her returning back to her normal self.
Suddenly, the splashing stopped. And the door slid open.
And immediately slid shut.
Ah... of course. She had left her cloths outside...
Yi Jeong was truly and honestly trying to be a gentleman, when he had gathered her pyjamas to hand them over to her.
Until, something lacy and red, slipped out from the folded layers of cloth, midway to the bathroom.
He looked down, and the colour reflected on his cheeks.
–to be continued.
