Before Her Very Eyes

Chapter 16

4 years ago...

"Who are you?" Arin asked the stranger whom she had followed. The stranger had taken her to her home and given her food to eat and a place to sleep.

"I'm a friend," the stranger said. "I'm here to help you, Arin."

The stranger seemed kind enough, and Arin found that she trusted her without hesitation or question. She just had this unexplainable aura to her.

"How did you know I needed I help?" Arin asked.

"I can sense it. For the same reason that I can sense that you'll get a phone call right about now."

Indeed, seconds later, Arin's phone began to vibrate. Arin narrowed her eyes at the stranger.

"I also know you're not going to answer it," the stranger added.

The caller was one of her relatives trying to get in touch with her after all the death, but Arin was rejecting every call that had come her way, because she couldn't talk to anyone she knew. Talking to them meant confronting what had happened, and Arin wasn't ready for that yet.

"How did you know this?"

"Magic, Arin. It's real."

"That's ridiculous."

"Listen to the voice inside your head, Arin. There's a voice, a voice that's not yours. I know you're pushing it away, but you need to listen to it. Only then will you understand what happened to your idol, your friend, and your mother."

-

The sight of the sorceress made Arin stumble backwards and her heart beat hard.

She was frightened. She no longer felt safe. The building, which had been her haven, was suddenly a target, and she was right there, exactly where her enemies were targeting.

Now against a wall, Arin slid down to the floor and brought her knees to her chest. She didn't ever want to get up.

She became acutely aware of how exposed she was. The windows were open. The door wasn't locked. And she was sitting against a wall. For all she knew, the sorceress could be right on the other side of the wall, riding her magic broom or whatever, concocting another way to make Arin miserable.

"Who is she?" the hacker asked, alarmed by her reaction.

Arin just wrapped her arms tighter around her legs and buried her face in her knees. It felt like everyone was out to get her now, even her nosy neighbor.

Since the insufferable day she was cursed, that woman's face had appeared in her worst nightmares. She would hear her chant the curse with the wicked look in her eyes, knowing she was dooming a girl to utter loneliness and desolation for the rest of her life.

That woman represented everything that Arin never wanted to remember: her curse, her mother, the color purple, the fact she had to bear living in such a miserable place under such a cruel boss.

Seeing that face again after all these years felt like she was suddenly confronted with something she had buried deep in her heart in order to cope and keep living.

"Look, if you tell me who she is, I can try to hack into her social media or something..."

The tenant's voice shook her out of her thoughts. She lifted her head and tried to get up. "I'm sorry. I'll leave," she managed.

She was still not in her right mind. As she got up she tripped again.

"You're very secretive," he told her, watching her struggle to get up. "Why can't you just tell me things?"

"You don't have to know everything," she snapped at him. She just wanted this conversation to be over so she could come up with her next course of action.

"I want to know," he replied. "Who is that woman and why did she make your face go all yellow?"

"None of your business," Arin answered.

"Why did she want you to see that flyer of Hyojung and staged this whole display of delinquincy for that? What does she want from you?"

Arin made her way to the door, wanting to just get out so he could stop asking questions she couldn't answer.

"What is Hyojung wanted for?" he continued, following her up the stairs. "I already looked up Hyojung's name in all the police records and couldn't find anything about her. I'm just so confused and a little clarity would help..."

Arin turned to him, eyes narrowed. Why was he searching for her name in police records? What was wrong with him?

"Stop meddling," Arin told him. "Just leave us alone."

Arin trudged over to the door, but he didn't give up. He kept following her, spewing countless questions in her direction.

"You told Jeonghan that the person who threw those flyers 'took something away from you,' but why? It's just a flyer, and it seems like it was only used to trash the lobby. What exactly did it take away from you?"

"Woozi, would you please stop!" she blurted without even realizing what she had done.

He finally fell silent.

She realized what she had done as soon as she said it. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror.

Please no, she pleaded in her head.

A few seconds of silence passed. Nothing.

Arin gulped and slowly lowered her arms, eyes scanning her neighbor from top to bottom. He was okay. He was intact. He wasn't gasping for air. His face wasn't turning purple. And Arin felt normal. No dark magic swirling around her to take his life.

When 30 seconds passed in silence, Arin let out an audible sigh of relief and put her hand on her heart.

Woozi looked startled, seemingly aware of the intensity of the long silence that preceded Arin's sigh. Otherwise, he would not have stayed quiet.

"Are... are you okay?" he asked her.

"Please, please, leave me alone," Arin requested. "For your own good..."

It was at this point that Woozi seemed to give up on getting information from her. He nodded submissively, and turned his back to her, walking away without another word.

"Wait..." Arin stopped him. She had to know.

He turned again.

"Did... did you feel anything when I called your name? Why did you go silent?"

"Oh. Well. It's just that..." he trailed off a moment. "I just loved the way it sounded. I thought you didn't remember my name, and I was surprised to hear it," he answered. "It's just that there's something... magical about hearing your name. You know what I mean?"

Magical?

Why would he put it like that?

"I... I'm going," she stammered, turning her back to him and rushing up the stairs again.

"Bye, Arin," he called after her.

He was right. Curse aside, there was something magical about hearing your name.