After Dark (Prompts)

Spellbound - 15

"Yeo-ri-ssi! Thank you for coming all the way down here."

Ha Chae Yoon welcomed Kang Yeo-ri to her home. Im Cheol Ryung had been discharged but still needed a lot of rest and assistance in doing simple tasks, so the Inspector decided to run the business from home when she can.

Baek Jang-mi was also ordered to rest more, so their office was running on very few people on site, with Yeo-ri supervising the administrative tasks and going to the bosses' homes when needed. Today was one of those days that she needed to see the Inspector for some papers that needed to be signed.

"Hello, Ms. Yeo-ri!" Soo-hyun greeted her, with the family teacup maltese following him.

The little boy had always taken to Kang Yeo-ri the moment she joined the agency over a year ago and he always stared at her as if he knew her secret. Randomly, he would give her hugs just when she needed it, so Yeo-ri had to admit Im Soo-hyun was her favorite among her supervisors' children.

"Hi, Im Soo-hyun!" Yeo-ri greeted, shaking his hand like he prefers. He told her before that he shook hands with people after bowing because that's how his Appa does it and he wants to be like his Appa. "You're so tall now and you look more and more like your Appa."

Soo-hyun grinned. "Really, Ms. Yeo-ri?! You hear that, Eomma? Appa and I are twins! YEEEEEYYYY!"

Ha Chae Yoon chuckled. "You are. Now, how about you pick up your toys so that Ms. Yeo-ri won't trip on them. Can you also check if Appa is still sleeping?"

"Okay, Eomma!" Soo-hyun disappeared for a few seconds but then returned to hug Kang Yeo-ri tightly. "Auntie Hwa-ryung says thanks!"

Ha Chae Yoon and Kang Yeo-ri exchanged glances.

As they sat, Yeo-ri carefully started the conversation with the Inspector. "May I ask about the spirit of Hwa-ryung?"

Ha Chae Yoon nodded and gave Yeo-ri a brief background of Im Cheol Ryung and his life before Chae Yoon. "Life was tough for my husband, Yeo-ri, so you can see why I appreciate him so much that in spite of all that life gave him, he still turned out to be such a kind man and a really amazing father."

"But... having his wife appear to save him must have been tough on you?" Yeo-ri asked.

Ha Chae Yoon sighed. "I have to admit... hearing him call her name when he was unconscious was not the easiest but... it also does not feel right to be jealous of the ghost of his first wife who was the victim of a crime."

Ha Chae Yoon smiled at Kang Yeo-ri. "Don't worry about us. I don't doubt my husband's love for me. Anyway, how are you and Jung Ji-ho-ssi?"

Yeo-ri sighed and told the Inspector about the strange set up. "But I know that the longer this is going on, Ji-ho's patience is wearing thin. After all, Ma Jo-Goo has a more flexible schedule than Ji-ho does so Ma Jo-Goo is often around me. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is such a patient man, and I'm happy to catch up with my friend from the past, but I don't want this situation for much longer. I hate hurting Ji-ho."

Ha Chae Yoon nodded. "It really shouldn't go on like that. It's quite unfair to your boyfriend."

Yeo-ri sighed. "I know, Inspector. But I still have no idea why the spirit is trailing Ma Jo-Goo."

Soon, it was time for Yeo-ri to head back to the office. As Ha Chae Yoon closed the door, she was surprised to find Cheol Ryung standing and leaning on one of their walls for support. "Why are you up?! You still need to rest."

"I know, but we need to talk," he said. Sitting down on one of their dining chairs, he started, "I heard you talk about Hwa-ryung."

Ha Chae Yoon did not deny the conversation. "Like I told Yeo-ri, I understand why you called out to her. You were on Death's door. It was natural that she was the one you would see."