Immaculate Spirit 54 :

Outside of Seoul, there was a little and peaceful town called Gw.a.n.gju. Gw.a.n.gju vas the home of around three thousand people who had a very quiet life in there. But on the outskirt of the town there was a little house who was quite infamous here in Gw.a.n.gju. That broken down old house had the reputation to harbor evil spirit. Just walking in front of that home could be a bad omen and so even the people leaving near here would avoid it. This inhabited house could make even the stronger man in the town shiver in fear and he would run before even pa.s.sing the gateway.

The first mistake people made about this house was that it was not inhabited. Even if the main floor seem abandoned, there was activity in the cellar. The second mistake they made was this house did not harbor any ghost or evil spirit but something far more dangerous than that.

In the cellar dimly lit by a few candle disposed around the room, a man could be seen strapped in a chair. He was around forty years old with black hair and a strong jaw who demonstrated that he was a very strong willed individual. The once expensive suit that he wore had been torn at multiple area making him look like a beggar. He was in a very sorry state at the moment as he was bleeding for multiple wound on his body. He was even missing severals toes that had been cut off and all of his fingernails had been torn off. Despite the intensive torture that he experienced, that man jaw was still locked, proof that he was still holding the information that his torturer wanted.

At that moment a man with black clothes appears in the light. He was wearing a hood and a face mask making him impossible to recognize. He would be considered short by many people considering that he was around 5"5" but the dangerous and murderous aura around him would make him appear taller in the eyes of people. Behind his shoulder, the handle of a saber could be seen and there was a gun and a knife on his belt.

Even his weapons were black as well as his eyes that could be seen behind his hood. The man seem to be an incarnation of darkness as he appears from the shadow without even a sound.

"I will ask again. Where are they?". He ask in a chilling tone.

"Go f**k yourself!" The man say in a exhausted voice.

The man look unbothered by the insult and just lift a finger. The next moment, a saber seem to materialize from the darkness and cut off another toes.

"ARRGHHHHHHHH"

"You know we are going to find them eventually, so spare you some pain and just tell us, it's for the better."

"Never!"

The saber come out of the darkness again but this time it cut off his right tomb making him yell even louder, blood starting to form a pool beneath him.

"Hee-Joon stop being so stubborn. Tell me what i want to know or we would have to get your pretty girlfriend and put her through everything that we did to you."

"I don't have a girlfriend." Hee-Joon said weakly, his head lower.

"What about Sun-Hi living in Seoul and working as a hairdresser?"

Hearing that, he could not help to lift his head up in surprise, his already pale face getting even paler.

"Please don't hurt her, she know nothing about this and she is innocent! Don't harm her, i would do everything that you want." He beg for the first time since being tortured here.

"We won't if you tell us what we want to know. For the last time, where are they?"

Hee-Joon lamented in his heart.

'I'm sorry my friend, i delayed them as long as i could but i can't let anything happen to my sweet Sun-Hi. She is innocent and do not deserved to be hurt. I hope you would forgive me in the afterlife.'

"They are in America." He said in defeat.

"Where? I want the name of a city!"

"New-York. They are in New York."

"Good, if you lied to us we will kill your cute girlfriend and everyone you ever consider friends in this life."

"I know. I know who you are and who employed you. You will go to h.e.l.l for this." He cursed.

"That's why you are a dead man." The man said.

The next second in a fluid and well practiced manner, he unsheathed his saber and thrust it into the heart of Hee-Joon who died instantly, the light leaving his eyes. In a second movement, he retracted the saber and cut off his head. The next instant, three other persons wearing similar attire came out of the shadow. Wiping his b.l.o.o.d.y saber on the clothes of their dead prisoner, the man in charge look at one of his brothers.

"You are going to stay here and clean everything, after that get his girlfriend and find out everything she knows and then kill her. We can't leave loose ends. You two, you are coming with me, we will go to New York and we are going to get them in Korea. Our employer insist to kill them himself."

They nodded, acknowledging his order and back out into the darkness. Second later, the candle were cut down and the obscurity filled the room. The infamous house became silent again, not a living soul could be found inside or outside but the people living near here shiver in their sleep, feeling an inexplicable coldness in the air.

*****

At the same time, New York. 19/08/2012. 13:00.

Nathaniel was sitting behind his piano on their penthouse apartment busy looking threw his musical score. The college would start in two weeks and he needed to get his alb.u.m ready before that because he would likely not have the time after the school start.

True to their word, his grandparents leave him the piano and they decided to keep it in the living room. He wanted to move it into his room at first to not bother his mothers but they firmly disagreed. They loved watching him play and sing. They were still surprised and a little resentful to hear that he have an amazing voice like that, knowing that he never sing when he was younger because his voice was not 'good enough' for him. Mary could not help but to bitterly shake her head about it. If his voice was not good enough, she would have to fired almost 60% or her singer.

"When the movie is scheduled to be in theater by the way Maggie?" Nathaniel ask.

Maggie come earlier today since she had doc.u.ments to sign and they wanted to have a meeting to talk about everything that was happening. She was sitting in the couch not that far of the piano, a cup of tea on the coffee table, and a stack of doc.u.ment beside it.

"December 12th. The premier would be the ninth."

"What about the tv apparition to advertise the movie?"

"They accepted your demand. You would do only the one in NY and only if they don't interfere with mandatory cla.s.s."

"Good. Thanks Maggie." He knew very well they accepted only because of Maggie.

"Don't worry about it. I still received a request from a show in LA. Ellen want you back, she said they would adapt their scheduled to accomodate you, she knows that you were accepted in Columbia and don't want to burden you. I hear that your first interview was a success in term of audience viewership and the commentary on Youtube are really good."

"Ok, we will organize that when i have my cla.s.s schedule but for Ellen we will go." Nathaniel said.

He was not surprised that Ellen knew about Columbia as she was following him on twitter. He had configured twitter to received alert only if the person following him had 1 million follower or more. After missing the follow on a couple of important people, he had realized that his idea to block all alert was not ideal. He did not want to appears arrogant or impolite to fellow singer.

"I knew that you would say that." She smile, noting down something on her agenda.

"When do i have to post my new single?"

"October 24th. The trailer would be release at that time."

"Good, i would program it tonight. Anything else?"

"One thing, i receive a few demand for you to pa.s.s an audition in LA. Small production."

"Not interested. I don't have the time at the moment so don't bring the topic again please. We will talk about it next year, okay?" Nathaniel said truthfully. He had still some subject where he needed to get back his r.e.t.a.r.d and in addition finishing his alb.u.m, his days were booked until the college start.

"Alright, i would get the word out." Maggie nod. She was glad that he did not pick the offer. One of the danger of this job was burnout and Nathaniel was still sixteen. Even if he did accept, she would not have agreed. She was testing him and she was happy that he pa.s.s.

"Thanks Maggie." Nathaniel smile with grat.i.tude.

Life was good at the moment, he was going to entire the college he always dream to go in. His alb.u.m was coming along nicely and he would soon be up to pair for College. Even if it was tiring, he was doing what he wanted and was happy about it.

But he could feel it in his bones, a storm was coming.

Looking at the cloudy sky outside of the window, he hope he was wrong.