The Path I Choose To Take

Chapter 5: The Impostor's Nightmare

Their eyes suddenly glowed red. The students of Cheong Ah Arts Highschool cornered her, a black aura forming on their bodies. They are laughing at her. They're all laughing at her.

Eun Byul shook her head. "Anya! Anya!"

"Eun Byul!" an unfamiliar voice called, followed by someone touching her arm. The hallway disappeared in the struck of a lightning bolt and the face of her father swam into view. "Are you okay?"

Eun Byul looked around the room to see if they were still there. "My classmates. They were just here," she said worriedly, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "They are laughing at me."

"Eun Byul, it's alright. They're not here," Ha Yoon Chul assured her. Slowly, Eun Byul reclined her head on the pillow and faded into a dreamless, peaceful sleep. 

...

After the day ended_ and to Eun Byul that is getting to school first before a single student body shows up, warm up at the auditorium, ace your quizzes, be active on note-taking_ she carried the same unsettling heaviness from the pit of her stomach and the same half-drooping lids, only more aggravated by the fact that she has pushed herself to be busy as possible. In her room, she ended up dropping her bag and jumping to the alluring cozy fuzziness of the bed but it was short-lived for her mother came in, unannounced and nudged her at the legs in that old-fashioned disciplinary manner.

This is not new to Eun Byul, who knew best not to argue back and just begrudgingly comply. Languidly, she moved to her study table, the sight of books making her sick.

Opening the math book with listless energy, there was no familiarity on the equations, on the examples and the problems but the past...of Bae Ro Na, nearly falling to her death when she was cornered by everyone because they all knew she lived in Min Seol A's apartment.

Eun Byul shook her head and willed herself to focus on the numbers but nothing came out of it until she flipped the page and a note fell out. Picking it up, the note said, 'I'm so happy your grades improved. Glad to see you working hard. Keep it up. - Min Seol A'

There it was. The guilt mixed with selfishness, like a tug of war but she is the center of the rope and instead of one side winning, the rope instead snapped. She had sinned badly against Seol A. Seol A, who did nothing but be kind to her and helped her. Seol A, who could have been her friend had she stood up for Seok Kyung but no one is to betray the queen of mean. She wasn't mad at all about the entrance results or the fact that she forged her records. Fake UCLA student or not, she walked her talk and Eun Byul benefited from it. She nearly died from the fire and all Eun Byul did was leave her alone. When they left the junkyard, Eun Byul secretly texted a milktea owner near and asked to help the girl in the junkyard as she has her number because (it will be the death of her when Seok Kyung finds out), as weird of a habit as it was, milktea is a big hit with branches all over Seoul and beyond so it made sense to keep connections whom she can ask for help. The milktea owner told her that Seol A survived and gave her a free milktea and told her Eun Byul texted her to help her. Thanking the milktea owner, she wired the money to her and sent a box of new clothes to Seol A with a note asking her to keep quiet about this but it did nothing to rid the guilt because she hurt Seol A again...on the night of the Hera Palace Anniversary Party.

Anya! She shook her head and ripped the note and threw it at the trash. Suddenly, a voice said...'What are you doing?'

Turning her head, she saw Min Seol A standing with a look as if to say, 'I'm disappointed in you, Eun Byul.'

"AHHHHHHH!" she screamed and retreated at the corner of the room, closing her eyes. She did not want to see her face. Even if it bore no resemblance to the demons and monsters of horror movies.

"I said...what are you doing!" Seol A said, grabbing Eun Byul, no doubt wanting to torture her. She struggled to free herself but Seol A's hands were firm until she was forced to look at her in the eye, only to realize she is not Seol A but her mother.

"Min Seol A...I saw Min Seol A..."

"Min Seol A is dead already!"

"Mama, what if she haunts me!"

"Nonsense!" Seo Jin cut to the chase, pulling Eun Byul roughly by the shoulder so that the latter is forced to stand. "You must get rid of her. Out of your mind! She's already dead. Nothing can be done! How are you going to achieve anything with that weak mindset of yours!"

Before Eun Byul could say anything, her mother grabbed her and led her to the mechanical room where Seol A was being kept. Standing on the exact spot where Seol A has been tied up, her mother spun her until they were both on equal eye level. "Do you know the lyrics of Sempre Libera?" Eun Byul nodded but she regretted doing that now. "That's the song. Get rid of her by becoming better than her. So you will sing here until you no longer let her bother you with your mind," Seo Jin added but Eun Byul doesn't want to know this.

"Omaaaa!" she cried as her mother left her alone and locked the door. Shakily staring from behind, she saw Seol A's form again. Screaming, she ran to hid behind the tank and closed her eyes so she won't see her face.

Risking a peak, she saw Seol A was gone so she stood up to the spot where she died. The first parts were sang off-key because Eun Byul is still shaking but as she got to the chorus, she sang as though she was a soprano already.

"Il pensier! Il mio pensier! a-AHHHHHHHHHH! A-a-A-ahhhhhhh!"