Untold Secrets

Chapter Two

"Y-yes?" He stuttered, and cleared his throat once before trying again, "Yes, Michael?"

Still slightly amused, Michael forced himself to be serious and asked, "Have you heard any news regarding your grandmother? Is she doing well?"

"Oh, Grandma?" Namjoon said, "Grandpa called in a while ago, she's healthy, but unfortunately still unconscious."

Michael's stomach dropped at those words; Min was still unwell, then. "Um, what did the doctor say? She's not hurt or sick, is she?"

"Don't worry, hyung." Namjoon was quick to calm him, his Korean mixing a little into his English without realizing, "The doctor assured Grandpa that she was fine. She had a bit of a shock last night; from what, we don't know. But she should be awake soon." Seeing Michael's worried gaze, Namjoon smiled. "Perhaps you were too handsome for women to handle, hyung."

Michael felt a slight blush rising at the teasing; kids nowadays, he swore, were sweet-talkers. He chose to ignore it, "Are you sure? 'Cause I still feel guilty over what happened. It was my fault."

"Of course, I'm positive. It was none of your fault, Grandma just isn't as healthy anymore. So don't worry, OK?"

"Yes, OK. You're right." Michael forced the words out, still unsure.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I can show you the way to the doctor's house. We can go there at say, afternoon? Grandma should be awake by then."

"Yeah, that - that sounds good. More than good." Michael replied, smiling. Suddenly remembering, he asked, "Oh, do you also happen to know if the internet service is available here?"

"Um, yeah. The internet is only provided at our local library. There are computers there that you can use, if you'd like."

"No wireless?"

The teenager shook his head, "It's a small village after all."

"Right." Michael said, feeling awkward. "Well, thank you for your help, kid."

"You're welcome, and I'm not a kid."

Michael snorted, teasing, "That's what every kid says."

Namjoon didn't reply, instead going for a rice cake and rolling his eyes as he mouthed, 'old man'.

Michael liked him already.

-

After Michael showered and changed into a pair of khaki pants and a tank top, he and Daniel headed out to the library at the other side of the village. They left behind their laptops since they wouldn't be able to use them anyway, and brought pens and notebooks, along with their phones.

Upon arriving, Daniel stopped at the first step, mouth wide in surprise, "Wow. Not sure what's with this village and its weird obsession with haunted houses and spirits." Michael slapped his friend's arm, trying to warn him to watch his mouth. He looked around, noting with relief that no one was close enough to have heard them. "What? It's true, and don't you dare deny it."

He himself looked at the old, wooden building, worn by time. The  sign that stated "Library of Samjin" was losing some of its words. The signboard was also barely hanging on, looking like it might crash down anytime soon. There were spider webs at the roof, too, which freaked him out a little. The library looked more like a haunted house than anything.

"Well, OK you're right." Michael surrendered. "But we still need to do some research so it's not like we have a choice."

"I guess." Daniel said, before he began stepping into the building. The both of them signed up to use the computers. It was 10:30 a.m and they had an hour and a half to kill before Michael planned to visit Min.