A/N:

I was originally planning to post this on Saturday, but I was able to finish it soon, so I am posting this today.

The suit Yi Jeong is wearing in the last two scenes is the same one he wore in the F4 After story.

The last two scenes were, in fact, highly inspired by a certain scene from Lockwood and Co.

Warning: The following chapter has some reference to suicide.


Chapter twelve : Reunions.

: Gu Dae Seong Sports Complex, Shinhwa High School Premises.

The restrooms were always dark. But even outside, the lights have started to fade. Nam Jeoung Hui, a junior from class B, had just finished his swimming training for the day. He was refreshing himself, when a chill started spreading in the air.

"What? They've switched off the heaters already ?" He reached out for the switches on the wall and fidgeted them on and off. Orange lights came in and out. The crispness in the air briefly subsided. He decided to keep the lights on.

Water splashed onto the basin, and then on his hands, and then on his face, as he washed out the weariness of the day. He looked up at his face on the mirror. Dark circles were growing evidently under his eyes.

"Guerae." He told himself. "You've been through a lot. It's all right to give in for once." And splashed another handful on his face. Droplets of water slithered down his sharp jawline and one dangled on the tip of his nose.

The water felt colder on his face. In fact, much much colder than when he first touched. Jeoung Hui sighed. He felt nothing strange about it.

But just when he stretched out to grab his towel, the lights above him started to flicker. The buzz of electricity hummed softly in his ears. Outside the restroom, along the corridor, the tube lights went off, silently, one after another. Unpleasant feelings started stirring in his stomach. An inexplicable dread, crept into him and settled within.

Someone was watching him.

He glanced behind. No one. Yet their stare was weighing on him.

His heart began to race. His limbs started to tremble. Get out of here. Now! An alarm rang in his head. He quickly grabbed the towel and rubbed his face clean. He switched off the tap and turned around to leave.

But when he reached for the door, it was already locked. Yet again, there was none.

Nam Jeong Hui froze on his spot. Shocked. He stared at the blocked exit. The flickering lights finally went out. A dim bluish glow took over the restroom. His mind began to race. He needed an escape. He tried banging on the door. No luck. Screaming out for help. No luck. There was probably no one around. It was already late.

A thin layer of fog carpeted the floor around him. It spiralled up and coiled around his ankles. The coldness intensified and the frost bit into his skin. His fingers went numb, and his throat went dry.

Water . He needed water. And he needed to get out.

As soon as possible.

But cold air whirled around him luring him to kneel. A mood stole over him. A feeling of despair or hopelessness might it had been, if he truly had the energy to care about it. Drop by drop, a deep rooted guilt trickled down his cheeks in the form of tears. All that he cared appeared to be useless. All that he achieved became worthless. Nothing mattered. At least not any of him. Silence and stillness was all he aspired; all that he deserved. His head dropped down, defeated. He felt tired. Worn out. Exhausted. And utterly paralysed, in both thoughts and movement.

It was then the delicate voice whispered in his ear.

Oppa... It said.

It's okay... You can let go now...

For what he felt as the last time for his life, Nam Jeoung Hui looked up at the mirror to see himself.

There, on the mirror, he wasn't alone. It showed a girl, with pale skin and long dark hair, standing besides him, dressed in Shinhwa high uniform. She had placed a bony hand on his shoulder. Mud was crusted in layers on her long claws.

Jeoung Hui struggled to glance behind. But again, there was none.

He looked up at the mirror. The girl grinned. Her claws dug deep, into his flesh. But when he reached for his shoulder, there was again, nothing.

Only the icy coldness and inexplicable pain.

Missed me ?...

Oppa...

The girl bended low and touched his other hand. For a split second there he saw her real form: skin half rotted, clenching onto her skull. Clumps of clay hanging onto her hair. And worms dangling out from her ragged uniform.

But it was only for a split second.

Everything went black, after the mirror cracked.

...

...

...

'Someone has been here before us.' Gyeoul sniffed the air. She had squatted down on the marble counter top, besides the ceramic wash basin, though her feet were more likely in the marble than on it. Her long dress, which she had worn to her usual preference, (red gown, skin-tight and split open at her outer thighs allowing most of her lower body to stay exposed) went through the surface, disappeared, and reappeared under the counter top. Her other light glowed dim compared to any artificial light illuminating the room, and drew her silhouette in fading black lines.

"Someone else ? You mean, a demon?" Yi Jeong asked, somewhat disturbed by her actions and posture.

'Neh. Sunbae.' She grinned, probably reading his mind.

"So, if it was a um... demon," Yi Jeong looked away, distracting himself from the semi naked one in front of him. "So you're telling he committed suicide, while being possessed ? Can demons influence humans to that extent?" He asked.

Gyeoul smiled benevolently to that one . 'Can we?' She questioned him in return . 'Sunbae, what do you think?' And put down her legs, leaning in and settling herself in to a more 'comfortable' seat.

But of course, it still did very little help for Yi Jeong. Perhaps her dress wasn't that skin-tight after all. At least not above her hips. The straps of her dress had already slipped off her shoulders, and it would be a matter of time until_

"Aish." Yi Jeong sighed.

Concentrate on her face! For the heaven's sake! He reminded himself.

But it was hard to concentrate on anything at all. Yi Jeong blamed the heaviness in the air for that as he took an inhale. And rubbed his temples. And scratched his nose bridge. Whatever that would help him to refocus.

It was the second suicidal case involving Shinhwa(Not including Lee Min Ah's) that had recently occurred in-line. The public was growing impatient and the government has gotten interested. And everything has caused Shinhwa's reputation to rapidly decline, dragging their share prices along to the grave. Which, obviously, had a devastating effect on Gu Junpyo. And Yi Jeong didn't want his friend to end up bankrupt. Or at least, suffer a seizure due to the immense stress. So, the F4 had agreed to involve. Woo Bin and JiHu had already gotten their hands on the facts: the history of the two boys and the people involving them. For Yi Jeong's part, he had volunteered to investigate through other sources.

It wasn't an easy task though, and pity him, the demon was only making it worse. Gyeoul enjoyed playing with his mind. But Yi Jeong didn't have time for that. The boys' restroom was now a crime scene, where yellow strips with bold letters spelling 'crime' fenced the door. His every movement was monitored through the CCTV cameras by the detectives in-charge. Even as an F4 member, even just for a look, it was hard to get in. If any of that wasn't enough, the bits of glass still scattered across the room and the maroon substance still sticking to the grooves should have reminded him of the seriousness of the case.

Yi Jeong bended down and picked up the tiniest bit of glass. It was from the now-cracked mirror, at which, Nam Jeoung Hui—the victim—had blankly stared into, moments before he took the terrible decision. Sure there were memories in there; some psychic energy trapped inside; though Yi Jeong couldn't read it himself. But he had known a girl who could do that better than anyone else. Only if he could meet her another once would he_

'_Sunbae could always ask him for help?' Gyeoul interrupted . 'What was his name again? Ah. Yes. Woo Bin sunbae!' She spoke up, in a cheery Ga Eul-ish way.

Yi Jeong dropped the glass bit, and turned back to leave. A psychically charged crime scene was not the best place to let go of his frustrations. Plus the detective was probably leaning into the screen right now, hearing him talking to himself.

But Gyeoul wasn't anywhere near giving up.

'Unless her every word was true.' She continued. 'Sunbae... Sunbae could have stopped her. But you didn't. I wonder why? Could it be that ... Ah. No way!' The demon scoffed. That 'Ga Eul-ish' scoff. Which was used by its original owner when heard of unbelievable things. Where she stares at the culprit, with a half gaped mouth, and then look away, muttering 'maldo-andwae'.

Yi Jeong closed his eyes. This was it. Her trick. He shouldn't have brought up that subject in the first place.

He needed to calm down. Or else he might as well buy a basket of bloody popcorn for the officers in the security room.

'...Ahrasso... Just forget it.' Gyeoul let it pass as soon as he opened his eyes. '...and give her a call, for goodness's sake... She might be waiting for it!...' She said in a lecturing tone.

(Damn those identical features, Yi Jeong gritted his teeth.)

'Plus! I can choose before whom to appear...'

"Mwo?" Yi Jeong raised an eyebrow.

Gyeoul chuckled. 'I'll do Sunbae a favour, and appear invisible for her... She might not enjoy seeing me around you...' She added in a bubbly voice.

It was Yi Jeong's turn to scoff. "How thoughtful." He replied sarcastically.

'Anything for uri Sunbae...' The demon smiled.

Yi Jeong sighed. This was driving him crazy. And crazy will he be when the word gets out, published in gossip columns, how So Yi Jeong the renowned Casanova had one-sided conversations on ridiculous demons, inside a boys' restroom.

But still there were a few more things needed to be clarified. Perhaps he should go for his last resort.

Yi Jeong disposed his every thought and cleared his mind. So that there would be nothing for Gyeoul to peek into. He then looked up straight, into her blood-red eyes.

A demon, you said?...

He thought, slowly, word by word.

'Mm hmm...' Gyeoul nodded. Her huskiest breath echoed more loudly in his mind than any sound ever did in his ears.

And what does he want?...

He thought again.

' She...'

"Huh?" That slipped out.

Gyeoul smiled, but this time in a more stiffened way. 'Sunbae...' She began. 'There's one... and only one reason for a demon to exist...'

The cracked mirror gave out a glint through her translucent figure as she leaned back, and crossed her legs.

'Revenge.'

She pinned the hollowed answer to the same trail of his thoughts.

...

...

...

"There must have been a girl, probably someone close. May be a girlfriend. And presumably one that's dead." Yi Jeong said in quick words, entering the F4's lounge. He glanced at the awe-struck faces of the other F3 and smiled before taking a seat besides Woo Bin. "Guess she had some unfinished business with them." He added, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Don't tell me." Gu Junpyo blinked in disbelief. "You seduced a ghost?"

Woo Bin grinned. "Perhaps he demonstrated his five-second-kill on her... Jeez... no girl could resist that!" He received a friendly slap on his shoulder for that as a smile cracked around the table.

"Tsk. Nonsense. What I was doing was helping you with a lead." Yi Jeong took a sip from his tea not daring a glance at Gyeoul. "Um. And, did any of you get to see the footage?" He quickly asked, diverting the subject.

"Neh." Woo Bin nodded. "Just as detective Jeong had said. Nothing special. You're sure you wanna see it?" He asked.

"Mm." Yi Jeong nodded.

With hesitance, Woo Bin reached out to the laptop and replayed the video.

There, from a higher angular perspective, it showed how the boy refreshed himself, and slightly out of phase, hurried to the exit. How he rattled the handle urgently and attempted to open the door...

"It's locked." Woo Bin spoke up. "It's their major reason to call it murder." He said.

They watched how the boy banged on the door and then dropped helplessly down to the floor. He had remained still for sometime staring at his reflection on the mirror, before he stood up and_ Yi Jeong turned away instinctively. He couldn't bare to watch the latter part. Woo Bin quickly reached out and shut its screen down. A silence swallowed the F4's lounge.

"Tell him what you've found." Yoon JiHu broke the silence at the end.

"Uh. Yes." Woo Bin grabbed the clear file that was resting on the table. "There has been a girl, just as you told. In fact, it was Kim Mi Soo, if any of you could remember her." He glanced across the clueless duo, Yi Jeong and Junpyo. "She was Kim Dong Huan's daughter."

A spark lighted in Yi Jeong's eyes though Junpyo's expression barely changed. "Saejong Corporation fraud. Wasn't he among the directors who were charged?"

"Mm." Woo Bin nodded. "He was given a twenty year prison sentence, and his wife and daughter had left Seoul not long after that. Mi Soo ssi had quitted Shihwa and had enrolled in a rural school. They were not at their best during those last years." He handed a scanned copy of a hand-written letter. "These were her last words."

Yi Jeong skim-read through the letter which mostly consisted the glamour of her early life—all the parties she had attended, all the boys she had dated and how happy she was back then. All those happy memories at the end, converted into blatant comments about how her father had ruined her life. That's all. Nothing about a Nam Jeoung Hui nor a Park Tae Min. Yi Jeong tossed the file back onto the table.

"But they were her classmates." JiHu added at the end. "And she had followed the same method as they did."

Yi Jeong leaned back on the sofa. That wasn't enough. Her letter was clear evidence for police that the boys were not involved in the incident. Yi Jeong wondered how could they connect it to the current one.

"And how are you supposed to clear Shinhwa's reputation by using that?" The same question had somehow crossed Junpyo's head.

"We'll have to think about it." Yi Jeong answered.

"Think about it? How long will that take?"

"Yo, Junpyo." Woo Bin interrupted.

"What?!"

"We could have worked double-time if you had at least paid us a compensatory reward, half the amount you're paying those private detectives." Woo Bin said.

"Compensatory? For what?"

"Mm." Yi Jeong nodded. "I was considering that the other day. If the witch doesn't suspect us, why the hell are we helping him?"

"Neh." Woo Bin agreed. "I even had the slightest fear when accepting this case. Remember the time he trained us for the race with JiHu and Jandi? Ah!" He groaned. "I almost quitted swimming!"

The F3 broke into laughter as Junpyo—as always—remained clueless. They all knew he wanted help, but Junpyo needed to learn his manners. Making fun of his 'serious' comments, or sometimes, with his 'perfect' plans were their way of keeping his arrogance in an endurable level, and thus teaching him the 'lesson'.

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Woo Bin took a chit out of his pocket and handed it to Yi Jeong. "I've asked Mr. Lee to look for it, while researching for everything."

Yi Jeong placed his cup aside and took the little folded paper. "What is it?" He asked.

"We went to the porridge shop, the other day." Said JiHu.

"And Master said, you might like to meet her again." Woo Bin smiled.

...

...

Even after everyone else had left the lounge, Yi Jeong remained silent and stared at the little piece of paper. He couldn't comprehend what Master was up to. Or at least what he had wanted by asking them for the favour. Song Woo Bin and Yoon JiHu? Of all the people? What could have he told them?

That little devil! He cursed under his breath.

That was when the knock on the door had interrupted him.

"Sunbaenim." The boy quickly bowed. "M-May I come in?" He asked.

Yi Jeong nodded suspiciously and gestured at a seat. The flustered boy came in and took a seat in front of him. "Yi Jeong Sunbaenim." He hesitantly began. "I am Choi Do Yun. About Jeong Hui and Tae Min..." He struggled to continue. "We were best friends..."

"Mm. Go on." Yi Jeong did listen, but his focus was on something else.

Right beside the human boy in front of him, there sat another one. A small cloudy figure. His other light was so dim that Yi Jeong could barely recognize him at first. He went a hand to his pocket, to check whether the puzzle piece was still there. It was. Still wrapped inside the handkerchief. Dried lavender crunched on his pinch. So it wasn't the ghost from it. Who was it then? Yi Jeong made an unnoticeable gesture at Gyeoul, who was seated on the arm rest at his right.

The demon obeyed, and went to the ghost child. His little aura wriggled and fizzled at recognizing her presence. Gyeoul regarded him for a second, then went a clawed hand through his foggy heart. For the briefest moment, visions flashed through Yi Jeong's eyes. Shattering ceramics, swaying tube lights, a glint of fire and sprinkling water... Then it was gone.

"Who is he?" he asked.

"Eh?" The nervous boy looked up.

'A stray ghost.' Gyeoul replied. 'He has been banished from his source land by a powerful demon.'

"Mwo?"

"S-Sunbae-nim_" Yi Jeong signalled the boy to be silent.

Gyeoul pointed at the piece of paper squashed in his hands.

'May be for this once, Ga Eulyang will truly want to meet you...'

...

...

...

Baekga.

That useless demon!!

For once, Ga Eul had thought she could use his powers to an advantage. That was why she had suggested him to do something about Ms. Choi Eun Hye. Nothing much. Just something to buy her enough time before that mad woman flush all her remaining funds in to her own account.

It was just a few pots! For the heavens' sake... Didn't they've insurance for the business?!

Ga Eul groaned. Perhaps she could have just listened to the demon...

The demon!

On the other hand.

Of course he was boasting when he went on about how he could call and replace memories, hypnotize people, and control their thoughts. Manipulating the deepest desires? What rubbish! If so, why couldn't he return on time? It had already been two weeks. Couldn't he read her mind? Doesn't he know how frustrated she is to not know what Choi is up to? That's her deepest desire right now... Plus, for the heaven's sake! Couldn't he just come in without the bloody knocking?!

All these thoughts ran pass Ga Eul as she shuffled on her bed, too tired and too lazy to get up and answer the door. It was probably around ten in the morning, but she had been up till late the night before, trying to hand in her homework which was on due. And that was after working double shifts in the chicken restaurant. She had earned that well deserved rest. And she wanted it.

Knock knock.

But her visitor was persistent.

But again, is it really Baekga? When did he learn to be that polite ?

It's probably someone else.

Ga Eul kicked her blanket away, got down her feet and stuffed them in her pink fluffy slippers. She reached for her purple night robe— still half asleep—and put it on. If it was her land lady again—for whom she had explained in detail why she couldn't pay the rent during the first two weeks—she was planning to return her keys and throw the money on her face. (Or at least her piggy bank.)

Why the heck all these people are only concerned about their money ? Don't they give a thing about other people's lives?

She reached to the door, yawning, and scratching an itchy spot behind her neck. Mid-scratch and mid-yawn she opened the door.

And to her delight, it wasn't her land lady.

It was So Yi Jeong.

...

...

...

So Yi Jeong.

He was thinner than she remembered.

But So Yi Jeong?

Ga Eul blinked, and regarded the man standing at her doorstep. He wore a neatly tailored three piece suit—a white shirt over a light grey waist coat and a white suit coat over both of them. His tie was maroon, and patterned with the faintest dark lines. His trousers were black and perfectly fitting to his long slender legs. Not too tight and not too loose. His polished black shoes—as Ga Eul guessed— were probably designer ware. In fact, the only downside was the wool-knitted hand warmers he wore, which, didn't go well with the glamour of the rest. And which, as Ga Eul recognized, was gifted by her, on a new year, two years ago.

"Anyeong. Ga Eulyang." He smiled revealing his dimples. And if Ga Eul had been mistaken so far, she was confirmed now, that it was So Yi Jeong, standing at her doorstep.

So Yi Jeong.

Ga Eul tried to calm down her racing heart.

What was he doing here? How the hell did he get her address?

"Anyeongsaeyo" She too smiled. "Yi Jeong sunbae."

"Um.. Did I..." Yi Jeong checked his expensive wrist watch. "D-Did I wake you up?" He asked a bit anxiously.

"oh. No. I was going to get up anyway." Ga Eul laughed nervously. "Got a lot of work to do." She smiled again.

"Ah. Yes." Yi Jeong grinned.

An awkward silence passed as they both stared into their smiling faces. Chu Ga Eul, with her arms crossed over her chest, and So Yi Jeong, with his hands in his pockets.

Yi Jeong broke a chuckle at the end and briefly scratched his nose bridge. "So, shall I come in?" He asked, in his silky-smooth voice.

It was then that Ga Eul realised she was blocking the entrance. It might have not been a good idea to let him in, in the first place though she had to, given the circumstances. (She surely didn't want to get noticed with one of the richest chaebols in Korea. And in the worst case—by her land lady herself.)

"Sure. Come in, and have a seat." She stepped aside. Ga Eul caught a whiff of his cologne under the strong hints of lavender as Yi Jeong brushed against her, through the narrow door way.

He paused after a few steps inside. "This is where you live?" He asked.

Ga Eul closed the door and turned around. In awful clarity the status of her tiny apartment slowly sunk in. At their right was her bed. It's sheets ruffled, a pillow on floor and a laptop near the other one. At their left was her desk. Her assessments scattered, her table lamp on, and a half emptied packet of biscuits still lying near her pencil case. A few biscuits were on floor and a few half eaten trailed back to the dark blue cat bed. Ga Eul scanned around the room but Mr. Paws was nowhere to be found. Who knew where he was? The cat even had a habit to sleep inside her tiny cupboard...

Her cupboard! Ga Eul glanced at the small white cupboards above the mini fridge. Thank goodness! They were locked tight. No fabric was peeking out. Ga Eul sighed in relief. But she better find a way, to stuff her pink towel, draped over her study chair, somewhere inside the cupboards before_

"Ahem." Yi Jeong cleared his throat. "Ga Eulyang, are you alright?" He asked, a bit worried.

"Oh, yes I am." Ga Eul chuckled. "Sunbae, just have a seat while I um... tidy this up"

Yi Jeong smiled. He tossed the ruffled sheet a bit aside and took a seat on the edge of the bed, as Ga Eul hurriedly arranged her assessment sheets, put them in their file and placed it back on the rack above her desk. She picked up the spilled biscuits and threw them in the dust bin. She then concealed the packet and pushed to a hidden corner of her table, almost out of sight. All aligned and all in their place, Ga Eul turned around to face Yi Jeong, standing in front of her chair, blocking him from the sight of the damped towel.

Yi Jeong was seated on her bed, and had leisurely crossed his legs. His cool and calm demeanour glowed brighter than the morning sunlight flowing through the window at her left. Ga Eul stepped a step backwards and clutched tighter to her chair.

It was his ordinary appearance. Don't let his charms fool you... She reminded herself.

Finally, after studying her whole room, he looked up at her face. "Well, but Ga Eulyang's maintaining it nicely." He grinned.

Ga Eul smiled. "Thank you, Sunbae."

A silence passed, as they both wanted to say something but hesitated to begin a conversation. They both wanted the other to go ahead and put everything into words.

Ga Eul wanted to act normal, but it was hard. The longer the silence grew, more harder it became. It was almost impossible to try speaking with him as if nothing had happened. Something did happen. Between them. And that was why she left. It was just hard to pretend, as if nothing has changed, as if they were still colleagues, discussing about the latest haunting. Nothing more and nothing less. It was hard for her; for both of them, especially when they weren't just colleagues. They weren't even lovers. They weren't anything. Or they might have been something... Ga Eul gave up. She just wanted to vanish away, out from his sight.

Yi Jeong smiled understandingly. He had probably noticed her discomfort. "Has Ga Eulyang been doing alright? Have you started attending university?" He asked, silently agreeing to dismiss the subject.

"Neh." Ga Eul nodded.

Yi Jeong glanced at her table. "Visual arts, is it? I remember you liked sketching back then." He said.

"Neh. It helps me calm down."

"Mm. I know the feeling." Yi Jeong went his eyes around the room, searching for another subject. "So, um... are you working at another porridge shop?"

"A chicken restaurant."

"Oh." Yi Jeong nodded. " Does the boss treat you well? Like how Master did?"

Ga Eul knitted her eye brows. She didn't quite get what he meant by 'like how Master did'. There was something suspicious in the way he asked.

"Neh." She answered. "She treats me well."

There was a suspicious sigh of relief as well. And again,

"And what about your friends at the university ? Do they tre_"

"_ Sunbae." Ga Eul interrupted. "You can tell me now. What is it? What brought you here?" She asked straight away.

Yi Jeong was taken aback. He stared at her for a moment there, but regained his composure briefly after. He smiled to himself. Of course it was the Ga Eulyang he knew. There was no point beating round the bush with her.

"I'm sure it's something Ga Eulyang is already aware about." He began. "The Shinhwa school murder." He said.

"The Shinhwa school murder?" Ga Eul thought aloud. "Ah! Yes. I've heard people talking about it. I think it was on news too. Two boys trapped in the washroom and_"

"Yes. That's it." Yi Jeong smiled. He was happy to see her excited once again. "And what does Ga Eulyang think about it?" He asked.

"It didn't seem much of a murder to me." Ga Eul went on. " At least not by what I've heard... it seemed more like a_"

"_It's a demon."

"Mwo?"

Yi Jeong's smile broadened and it exposed his dimples. He leaned in, to what seemed like a well-practised pose to Ga Eul. Nevertheless it was working on her. The room felt more sunnier and somewhat warmer. Ga Eul felt her cheeks burning. They were surely taking a bright shade of pink. Her heart was pounding in her ears. It seemed as if she already knew what he was going to say next.

"A demon." Yi Jeong repeated. "And I want Ga Eulyang's help to solve this case."

This was it. Ga Eul was expecting it. In fact, she had even imagined various possible scenarios he would have asked her to return and how she may reject them all. But with So Yi Jeong's presence, in front of his beaming smile, that innocent face and the child-like expectant look... It was hard to say no. She knew her cheeks were blushing even more, and she knew she must answer him; reject his offer, as quickly as possible before she would fall back to his charms. But just as she opened her mouth to say 'no', the atmosphere was interrupted by a falling pot.

Yes. A pot. A small earthenware pot.

It fell onto the bed, bumped on the mattress and smashed on the floor. Yi Jeong jumped aside, saving himself from the near accident.

Ga Eul looked up. The culprit meowed sitting on the shelf above her bed.

"Mr. Paws!" She exclaimed.

"Mr. What?" Yi Jeong asked, shocked.

"Mr. Paws. My cat." Ga Eul answered reaching for the plump white cat on the shelf. "Forgive him for that. He probably mistook you for Baekga." She tried to make him get down, but the cat went on shoving more objects to the bed.

Yi Jeong scoffed. "He mistook me for a demon?" he asked, slightly offended.

"Yes. Probably." Ga Eul tried to grab the stubborn Mr. Paws, but gave up as he insisted on staying on the shelf. She let out an exhale and glared at the cat. "Sunbae does know that cats have brilliant vision, don't you? Especially at night. They could almost spot ghosts. Hasn't Sunbae heard about the stone statues of cats ? Some even believed them to chase bad spirits away..." She said with a hint of mischief. Ga Eul knew Yi Jeong took his looks too serious. If nothing else, he at least wanted to be handsome. Ga Eul knew she was hitting a nerve.

"Oh. Um.. yes. I remember that." Yi Jeong answered, a bit flustered. He hesitated to take back his seat on the bed, as the cat stared at him from above, with a threatening pot of cactus, right beside his paw.

Ga Eul sensed his uneasiness. "There, this chair here... No! Wait." She whipped her damped towel draped over it's back, revealing a forgotten lacy bra underneath it.

Yikes!

Before Yi Jeong could register her squeak Ga Eul took advantage of his shaken state and quickly stuffed it inside her night robe. "Here, sit here." She offered him the chair and took a seat on the bed herself.

There passed a considerable silence as they both struggled to regain their composures.

At the end, Ga Eul spoke up. "About the Shinhwa's demon..."She began. "Sunbae, I don't think I will be able to handle it. It'll be better if Sunbae could..." Ga Eul paused, as Yi Jeong seemed to be still distracted by something else.

He bended low, and picked up a small puzzle piece lying on the floor.

A thin layer of dew had coated over it. He looked up at Ga Eul. "Where did you find this?" He asked.

"Ah, that. I found it on the road. It was thrown away." Ga Eul answered, still unsure why he was so interested on it. "Does Sunbae know its owner?" She asked.

Yi Jeong took a white handkerchief out from his trouser pocket and unwrapped it revealing another almost identical piece. He looked up at Ga Eul who gasped with amaze, and put the two pieces together.

A faint bluish glow sparkled around their perimeters and the layer of dew disappeared from its surface. Ga Eul felt a lessened pressure in the room. A ghost who had resided there had left to its rightful place; the other side.

"I Guess, we still haven't lost it." Yi Jeong said at the end.

"Eh?" Ga Eul didn't know what he was referring to.

Yi Jeong grinned. "Ga Eulyang," He switched to his smooth seductive tone. "You and I, with both of us together, there's no case we can not solve." He placed the two connected puzzle pieces aside and leaned forward. "So what do you say? Are you in on this? Just this once. It'd be just for a look..."

His charms were pushed to the full blast levels. Never mind the countless rehearsals Ga Eul had in her head, she couldn't resist the So Yi Jeong effect. Of course, she couldn't say no.

–to be continued.