You're Fiction
Confessions - 03

Part 4: 20 Years Ago

Arriving at their destination, they normalize the roar of an exhausted heart, the journey multiplies as they turn back to the starting place, and are grateful that their return was not in vain, Jungshin recalls the accident and convinces Sinbi to ask Jungshin's grandfather. Which they are now right in front of his house.

Dirty, messy unkempt and dark. A simple house made of old-time cubicles with window design, layout and traditional style it looks creepy. Sinbi is starting to gamang, could there be life in it? What if they moved?

“You looking around?” bargaining Jungshin made Sinbi gulp in horror. He's a little parno on ghosts, but not scared. Their sudden arrival or their transparent form made him uneasy.

“It's late, do we have to go in? should we call grandpa's name?” asked Sinbi, covering up her fear.

“You're scared huh? Never been to a place like this, but it's interesting. If the place is taken care of like a hanok, you will make a colossal story, why fear?” guess Jungshin smiled amusedly at the misgivings of Sinbi, who was white made Jungshin able to see her beautiful fine veins. Even in the dark.

“Should? Isn't that disrespectful?” his eyes are round making sure, “Ah wait a minute, why are you talking banmal to me?” he screamed his lips.

“I think I'm older than you,” grin Jungshin.

“That's weird, all you remember is living in the year 97 and being born 77, also your name, but the others don't know. And don't talk banmal to me before I make sure you are old from me.” tell Sinbi to give a firm condemnation, trying like an elegant woman who actually collapsed in front of Jungshin who realized his efforts.

“Prack!!”

Both are surprised, Sinbi immediately hid behind Jungshin's body, honestly he was not in the mood to meet a ghost.

“Aargh,” moans someone raucous, his speech choked as if he was holding back pain, besides that his voice was already weakened compared to others due to age. Jungshin was worried, for some reason she suspected someone had just been injured, without hesitation she entered the yard of the house with Sinbi still holding her arm and turning her head tilted, just following and taking cover.

“You sure you want to enter?” still trying to hold back, Sinbi even continued to adopt the hands of Jungshin who nodded confidently.

It slowly opened the door that he thought something had happened inside. His face paled when he found a middle-aged man lying on the floor with a pot hitting his leg. Soon Jungshin lifted the pot and saw a line of wounds caused by the object on the grandfather's leg, who was still grimacing in pain. Jungshin painstakingly lifted the grandfather's body, sat him down, asked what else was sick and where the p3k drug was located. But not the answer he found.

“You who? Why are you here, and what is p3k? ah medicine box, where ya put it, I don't know. Maybe in the room, there, here, I don't know.” woke up, Jungshin glanced at Sinbi who also understood. He's the grandfather they're looking for, who the police say has Alzheimer's, but why he's in this cobwebs house all alone and looking shabby.

Be that as it may, Jungshin and Sinbi were stuck in that house to take care of grandfather instead of questioning him. Especially with his condition, they doubt that grandfather will give an answer to Jungshin to return to his year. They were in the house looking after and looking after the grandfather until he fell asleep.

Sinbi noticed Jungshin making natural lights out of the candles, although they found the switch, the lights were not on, it seemed like the electricity in this house had been turned off. After getting enough lighting, Jungshin approached Sinbi who was sitting next to grandfather.

“I will look for drinks and food, if you don't mind wait here.” the advice is gentle, for people who stray very far in different generations Sinbi admits Jungshin is too calm.

Sinbi clasped Jungshin's hand, shaking little. “I'm coming, he's sleeping and I don't like being alone in the dimly lit like this.”.

“Yakk, I told you not to talk banmal to me!” sewot Sinbi and hurry up following Jungshin's faster pace that is wider than him.

Carrying a makeshift torch, Jungshin began searching, opened drawers and cabinets, closed the urn, and found nothing. Sighing he glanced at Sinbi who was also sighing, he was really thirsty plus the sound of his stomach that just sounded, why the hell all the way there is no stall? And why did grandfather choose to live in this quiet house, at the corner closest to the road to the mountain. There's only this one building without any neighbors.

“We're back, all right?” bargain Jungshin who inevitably blame himself that has made Sinbi tired and hungry. Without passion Sinbi nodded.

Unable to go to sleep, Sinbi unpacked the contents of her bag, finding nothing but a cell phone, make up, wallet and a small note that she had to carry as a writer. Glancing at the phone, he opened the screen and thought of ordering food online, but unfortunately, there was no network on the mountain like this. Ah just frustrating, thought Sinbi who immediately laid herself on a simple mat they found, next to grandfather, was uncomfortable but this was better than her having to sleep in the room alone.

Sinbi was already asleep, but not with his body, which went back and forth to the left or right, curled up in the cold, tightened his coat without any more effect, he said, after all, the cold feels more sluggish than sleeping in the hostel. The wind here is very felt, especially with the building that does not have heating. Very carefully, Jungshin enveloped Sinbi with the coat she was wearing, which was certainly a gift from Sinbi. The girl bought him two sets of clothes because it was impossible to wear accident clothes.

Still cold and beginning to curl his teeth, Sinbi pulled Jungshin's coat over the top. Her sleep was really uncomfortable.

“What is he cold allergy?” jungshin piba thought. Wrestling with his thoughts, he finally decided to lie down next to Sinbi, and put his hand on Sinbi's waist, bringing her body closer to Sinbi by leaving a good distance. Giving a hug seemed to think this was a good choice for Sinbi to feel warm.

Tomorrow.

The eyes blinked a few times before opening completely, wriggling from his sleep and feeling a pain in his shoulders, it seemed like he was sleeping on a hard floor. Realizing that the atmosphere looked different from each morning, Sinbi glared and immediately sat down, finding Jungshin's coat detached from her, then going around combing through each room. Very clean, neat and odorless, besides that the sunlight precisely highlights itself with the sliding doors open. Why was he in such a good place, he was at the house of a run-down, unkempt grandfather.

Recalling the incident last night, Sinbi turned to the side that grandfather should have been sleeping there. Gawking strangely, Sinbi did not find it, even the folding mattress that grandfather used was also absent. Where he went, then Jungshin, he wasn't there either. This really frightened him, no candle was lit, and he faintly heard the sound of water. At once the electricity here died, even for drinking he found nothing.

Intrigued, Sinbi began to tread cautiously with almost inaudible foot pressure approaching a room where the water was lit. Just as he stopped in front of his door, the flames of water also stopped. The toilet door was open, not yet blurred Sinbi looked at someone who was only wearing a towel from his waist to his thighs. Both of them were screaming reflexes.

“Who are you? Why is it in my house! You're a thief, byeontae!” jungshin said, he frantically hid his half-naked body from the sight of Sinbi who could not speak. Feel speechles and shock at the accusation, which begins who said. Didn't they know each other, then why did Jungshin act like this.

“Yakk, get out of my house before I report you to the police! How dare to enter a man's house!” expelled threatened.

“You don't know me?” ask Sinbi. Spreading his gaze in all directions, there were family figurines there, a picture of Jungshin looking still small with her parents, Jungshin wearing a school uniform and a picnic photo with her friend. No dust, looks like a house that is always cared for and inhabited. Suddenly his eyes caught a charter that was in one of the figures on the table. Reading it at a glance, that it was the charter of winning the first champion of the music competition in school, Sinbi was dumbstruck, a small scream that was held in her throat. It was written there on February 14, 1997. As if being slapped hard, Sinbi was busy looking for something and found it, a calendar that showed years. October 1997?

“Yakk who are you, I told you to leave here!” amuk Jungshin, feeling his pride was suppressed by the arrival of Sinbi, because he saw his body that was still wet after bathing.

Instead of answering, Sinbi sat down, Jungshin was shocked. Found Sinbi looking down and banging her head in frustration.

“Yakk what are you doing? Trying to appear disheveled to accuse me of doing something to you!” yelling Jungshin stopped Sinbi's hand movements. Their eyes were glittering, “Aaakh,” Jungshin suddenly dizzy, at a glance he saw himself hugging Sinbi in the dark in a room.