His Frozen Heart

Twenty One

Minji

My aunt's funeral is packed with people I don't know. They gave condolences and told me how great my aunty is as their friend. They all look at me with pity.

I stepped near my aunt's coffin and saw that they'd clean her up. No one will notice how brutal she was killed. No one saw her die but me.

I felt strange stares from everyone who expect me to be crying. My tears are all gone, I've already cried them all out. I also do not want them to see me crying. I don't want them to think my weak.

I look around to search for this person. I can feel him here at the funeral but he's hiding somewhere. I never spoke even a word to him since the night I blamed him for my aunt's death.

"Are you okay?" I heard someone asks. It was Woohyun. I stare at him for a second, fighting the urge to ask about Myungsoo. It's not that I'm mad at him, it's because I'm ashamed of myself for blaming him.

"I haven't seen him too since that night," he suddenly blurted out.

"Stop reading my mind!" I glared at him. "I hate it when someone reads my mind."

"Everything's going to be okay," he said and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You could say that," I whispered. "Nothing will be okay for as long as the ghoul doesn't get what he wants."

•••••••••

I returned to my aunt's house to search for that something the ghoul's been talking about. Walking past where everything happened breaks my heart with every step. Everything's been cleaned up. Myungsoo and Woohyun might have cleaned all the evidences of the ghoul. So that everybody will think that it was just a normal homicide. I don't know how they did it. The police had questioned me about the incident and I almost told then the truth.

I went in my room to get all of my things I left  in here. As I am getting my clothes which are hanged in my cabinet, my eyes fell to one of the boxes filled with stuff from above the cabinet. I stopped what I am doing and grabbed the box. I placed it on the floor and opened it. A lot of my childhood things are in here, even my pictures with my aunt. I grabbed one of the pictures and touch my aunt's face. This is my favorite picture with her, this is when uncle, aunt and I went to the carnival.

"I'm sorry, aunty," I softly said as I stare at the picture. Hot liquid roll down my cheeks and that is when I realized I am crying. "You can now be happy with uncle again." Light breeze of air went inside my room through my window and I know that it is my aunt, telling me that she's okay.

I wiped my tears and placed the picture back in the box. I was about to close it when something caught my eye. A very small glass container is at the very corner of the box and something's inside but I cannot distinguish what it is.

"What are you doing?"

I heard someone which made me jump and held my chest from too much shock. "Jesus, Woohyun! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"You shouldn't have come here alone," he said and half knelt beside me. "What are these?" He asks about the box. I placed everything back inside and closed it.

"Just my old stuff," I stood up and placed the box on my bed. I've decided to bring it with me. "Why are you here?"

"Just checking if the ghoul went back in here."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, I can give you a ride," he said and I knew he read my mind again.

"I told you not to read my mind, Woohyun!" I exclaimed.

"Oops, sorry. Habit of mine," he chuckles which made me chuckle too.