They walked with the group of tourists and guide in funny, red, floral hat was showing the architecture of the village throwing into the story many facts about living in those times. Aeri and Young Saeng took up the rear and were talking.
'You look much better now.' She said, while smiling at his relaxed and pleased face. His eyes were slightly closed, as he was absorbing the sun rays and inhaling the fresh, mountain air.
'I do? Guess the stress went away...'
'You were so pale, reminding me Yejun. He's scared of dentists and every time we went there, he look exactly like you in the morning. As we walked out – exactly like you right now.' She was giggling, imaging as her brother always fights when he has to go to the doctor's office.
'Hahaha! Maybe I'm your relative?'
'Sorry, the intelligence runs in our blood. You wouldn't be qualified.'
'I still wonder how a fragile women like you has such a sharp tongue.'
She stuck out her tongue and she moved her hand upon it as she it was knife grinding, 'I'm sharpening it daily.'
When she did so, Young Saeng was laughing so hard, that he couldn't see where he walked. He almost tripped on the rock, but regained the balance. He really thought that he met absolutely amazing person. She was making him laugh, she was comforting him and she took care of him. He could not think about anything else right now. The past... The past felt heavy. Not sleazy, but ominously. Finding the truth right now would pull him out of this pleasurable peace. Maybe it was for good, that they didn't get any information.
Aeri, on the other side, was relived seeing him like this. He was relaxed. It was clear to her, that Young Saeng worried a lot. He constantly was thinking not about present, but past, even though he could not do anything in that matter. He tried to be happy and cheerful on the outside, but the thoughts inside were strong enough to have an influence on his behaviour.
The group walked into a large hall and that drew Aeri's attention. The guide said that it was the best preserved building of the whole village and was the home of general, head of the whole town. It could be called a small palace, build in Korean style, including dancheong. It included few buildings and a yard. The room they were in was empty beside a portrait of a man displayed in the centre. As soon as Young Saeng noticed it, he got goosebumps.
The guide proceeded to tell the story, since it was still unrevealed. 'As you can see the main palace stayed almost intact. It was the courtyard of the founder of this village, general Shim Dae Song. As the chronicle says, he served a long time under King's orders, before 1600. As the prize for all his accomplishments, he got the land where he and his underlings could settle for retirement. He came here and nestled down in. Unfortunately, he didn't live to see the village to bloom and that might've caused it's desolation. That's for the confirmed information.
As for the legend, as there is usually at least one, the story is more complicated. The General had one son, since of his old age he couldn't have another one. Myth says that Shim Dae Song wasn't the kindest person in the world. More opposite, he was a cruel man. It states that the ghosts of those, which faced his brutality had cursed his son, which, as soon, as he got older, killed his father. The curse was so strong, that it forbid the parricidal son from getting older and scared everyone in the area causing it's desolation. Indeed, the grave of father can be found in the graveyard behind the village, but son's – not. With this I have a task for you. Maybe we didn't found it yet? Now we're going to head to the cemetery. Look around and as for the person, which finds his grave, a prize awaits. Now, follow me.
Some tourist from the group stopped the guide, before they turned around and walked away. 'Excuse me, but what's the name of the son?'
'Oh right, it's Shim Woong Tae.'
When the story was being told, Young Saeng was feeling worse and worse. He got a huge headache and nausea. He tried to calm his shaky body, worried why he behaved like this. He got goosebumps and he could almost feel as whole world spins around.
As he heard the name Woong Tae, he immediately knew, that it was too much, he had to go outside. When the group went out to head to the graveyard, he followed them, just to turn around the corner to calm there for a second. He leaned back to the wall and closed his eyes. The general son's name was still ringing is his ears.
It took few seconds, but going out from that place certainly helped. He started to breath more calmly and he didn't want to puke anymore, but then he heard a voice. And everything came back.
'I can't believe it, you're already here!'
In front of Young Saeng stood a young men, wholly clothed in black, holding a bunch of flowers. He was tall and slim, but the contour of muscles could be seen from underneath the jacket he wore. His hair was combed and gelled, which made him look more mature. Probably, when it was down, he looked as barely twenty years old. He had fox eyes and a scar above left eye, cutting through the eyebrow. He smirked and a dimple near his mouth showed up.
The scary thing was that Young Saeng recognized that face. It was the second man from the photo, which was still in his pocket. He took it out with a shaky hands, only looking at the man, still not being in ability to procced what he sees. He didn't not say anything, just glued himself to the wall behind him.
Mysterious man ignored the behaviour of second person, he looked at his clothes and at bunch of flowers he held. 'You probably wonder why I have it with me? Well, today's the birthday of the first women that you ever killed, my friend!'
'K-k-killed?!' Young Saeng repeated, shocked and dropped the photo, which landed in front of newcomer, which finally looked at it. But the man beside the wall grabbed his head as the headache got worser and the ringing in his ears appeared.
'Oh, I remember that photo! So many things happened after that, do you remember? I would forgot, silly me!' He continued to talk and hit himself with the flowers. 'You don't remember. I will just say that we changed like 3 times after that, you know? And it got me thinking, that you, my buddy, might have some masochist inside of him, ha! Just like last time, I wandered alone for almost 25 years and I had to find you, not you me! Really, you like to suffer.'
Young Saeng squatted and started to shout as his symptoms are getting stronger. What this man was talking about? 25 years? It didn't make any sense. Weird man spoke again, seeing the state of other. 'Right, the headaches are the worst... But you know! Seeing you so soon searching for the past got me thinking that shortly those pains are going to disappear. I think it's not going to take more than a half of a year. See, I've comforted you. Be grateful!'
At this time Aeri run panting, finally founding her companion. She looked for him, since she noticed that he disappeared. 'Here you are! What's wrong?' She noticed him squatted beside the wall. After looking around she found black clothed man. 'Who are you?'
But the man was very audacious and ignored her, as he was ignoring Young Saeng's agony. 'No way! I'm taking my words back. It's going to take month. Hahaha! Such a good news for me!' He shouted, turning around on his heel and he walked away, swaying as his mood was much better.
Aeri wanted to go after him, but her friend held her hand. She tried to shush him, to calm him, by stroking his hair and back. He slowly calmed down, but it took some time, until he could at least answer a question constantly asked by her.
'Who was he? He seemed to know you! Do you recognize him?'
He picked himself up and on the wobbly legs got to the photo, lying on the ground. He grabbed it and pointed the second man. 'Here.'
She gasped and covered her mouth with hand. 'It can't be.'
'It's the same scar.' He hung his head low. 'I told you I didn't want to come here...'
***
They decided to hit the road back home and went out by back exit and drove away. Young Saeng was exhausted, but he has told Aeri everything that happened when he met this weird man.
'What do you mean killed?!' She screamed and almost hit the car beside, by sudden move of the driving wheel.
'Will you let me finish?' It wasn't the first time she interrupted, but first time she raised her voice, almost causing the accident on the road. He continued the story and ended it. '...and then you came looking for me.'
'Now may I say something?'
'Yes.'
'Did you said that he told you, quoting 'the first woman you killed'?'
'Yes.'
'You sure you didn't misunderstood?'
'This kind of word rings in your head for a long time, trust me.'
She was not believing it. 'What did he meant by saying this?'
'Isn't it obvious? I'm a murderer.'
Aeri looked at him with scolding eyes, but this time she didn't accidentally changed the lane. 'Don't tell me you believe him...'
'And you don't? He even said 'the first woman', so there must be another one...'
'Gosh, Young Saeng, what you are talking about?'
He was dead serious and he admitted miserably. 'I'm a killer.'
'And what, you're going to kill me now?' She laughed.
'I would never!'
'So what kind of murderer you are when I'm such an easy target, yet you don't won't to kill me.' She even joked.
'I don't want to be a killer!' He was fighting for his rights in his seat, while Aeri was in good mood.
'Then what makes you believe his words, hmm? Listen to yourself.'
But then Young Saeng dropped a bomb. 'What if I'm a hitman?'
'You?! I would rather believe in the possessed paintings, than you being a contract killer. Your poise and sophistication is of a bull in a china shop. And you cry recently every 5 minutes.'
'I didn't cry!' He even wiped his eyes to be sure. 'I'm not saying I am hitman, but I was. Why you don't believe it?'
'Maybe because I use brain? Police was checking on you. You're clear. Beside that man, I think he's mad man.'
'Why?'
'Well, didn't you said that he was there to visit someone's grave? At open-air museum in village that is almost 500 years old? As I checked before, when we waited, the area of museum is not inhabited today. Only graveyard is the ancient one. So you tell me, why he was visiting grave of someone, who died 500 years ago?'
'Weird... But the picture...'
'Yeah, that's harder to explain. But he clearly knew you. And by his attitude I'm pretty sure he's the one that caused your memory lost. He doesn't like you, he wants to mess with your head. The people on the photo might've not liked each other, so do their offspring.'
Young Saeng went quiet for a minute analysing the new theories. 'You create stories really quickly.'
'At least I try to explain it rationally. You probably believe that you're a half of millennium old vampire, right?'
He crossed his arms on his chest and looked away through the window. 'What I believe is not your concern.' To be sure he hissed at her.
'You might assume things, as your brain right now is a puzzle with all pieces missing. But trust me – the explanation usually is easy, just out of your reach. At least we know that someone knows you.'
'You seem to know a lot of things.'
'I just think before doing things. I analyse and I don't mix knowledge with emotions. And what you know, like 'know' know, without your guts telling you that?'
'You'll laugh.' He whispered.
She rolled her eyes. After today's incidents nothing could shock her anymore, at least she thought. 'I won't.'
'I think I know my name.'
'Why you didn't tell me earlier? What it is?'
'It's... Shim Woong Tae.' Aeri bit her lips and tried to turn her head away from Young Saeng's sight. 'I knew you're going to laugh!'
'I'm not laughing. I'm crying upon your stupidity.'
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