Supernatural Investigation 101: Chronicles Of Nakashima Wakana

 At Nakashima Natsumi's apartment, Wakana glances at the drawings made by her younger sister. Though her sister hasn't coloured pictures yet, the images are nearly similar to her memories of that place. 

"It is nearly the same." Wakana traces the lines on the paper. "Sayuri, you are good at this."

"It would have been exactly the same if I was good enough." Sayuri heaves a loud sigh. "Wakana, do you think that we will be able to find this place?"

Wakana knits her brows. In her memory, Choi Minho should be around ten or eleven. Then, that incident must have happened a long time ago. This place might not exist now. 

"It's fine." Natsumi picks up one of the drawings. "This house might not be there anymore, but the mountain will be there. Wakana, note down anything that you remember about the surrounding -- the flowers, trees, weather, and anything else that stands out. I know a few people who are good at finding places."

"It was quite foggy." Wakana scratches her head. She blinks her eyes. "Oh, right!"

"What do you remember?" Sayuri asks curiously.

"It slipped my mind just now." Wakana puckers her lips. Damn that man! She can't remember it because of him for sure. Maybe she has become so dumb because he kept screwing up with her memories. 

"You got my hope up!" Sayuri clicks her tongue, resuming with filling the colours in the drawing. "Describe what you saw."

Nakashima Natsumi looks at the pictures of mountains on the internet. Choi Minho. Choi Minjae. Those are common names. It would be difficult to find people with these names. But Choi Minho's appearance is rather different. Looking for a place like this is akin to finding a needle in a haystack. 

After Sayuri is done, Wakana gives her an approving nod. "This is exactly how it looks."

"You are not telling me this to make me happy, are you?" Sayuri frowns at her. 

"I am being honest." Wakana picks up the final painting. She stares at it for a long time. It's a traditional Korean house. It feels like something is missing. What is it? Why can't she remember it? Closing her eyes, she tries to recall. "The nameplate."

"There was a nameplate?" Natsumi asks with a loud voice.

"On the house, yes." Wakana squints her eyes as if she's trying to focus her gaze in the memory. "It was written in Korean for sure, but I knew the meaning of those words."

Wakana frowns deeply. Something isn't right about that memory. Choi Minho was beside her the whole time in the memory. The girl, who lost her eyes, was also a different person. Usually, she sees the memories from the eyes of the person who is the owner of the memories. 

It wasn't Choi Minho's memory. Was it Choi Minjae's memory? How did she see it? She hasn't met Choi Minjae yet. 

"Wakana, what's wrong?" Natsumi shakes Wakana's arm. "Did you remember anything else?"

"I don't remember the Korean letters." Wakana mumbles softly, "That house had a name. The meaning of those words was important to Choi Minjae. It was barely a thought… A bitter thought about home not being home." 

Choi Minjae's feelings are still lingering in her heart. How could she see someone else's memories like this? Did she touch something that belonged to Choi Minjae? She continues with a confused voice, "Those words meant 'shining lamp in the mist'. It was something about hope in the hours of darkness." Choi Minjae didn't feel like that. It was only a passing thought. At that moment, he knew that he couldn't stop himself. 

But why did she see that memory? It doesn't make sense. She should have seen it from Choi Minho's eyes. Why was she inside Choi Minjae's memories?

Was it the lighter? She shakes her head. The lighter was a gift from his sister-in-law. No, she would have seen the memory earlier if the lighter belonged to Choi Minjae. 

"That would make this tad bit easier," Natsumi notes down the words in her notebook, "Both of you should go home now. I have work to do."

Sayuri stretches her arms and yawns, "I feel tired. Can I sleep here tonight?"

"No." Natsumi glares at her. "Go back to your place."

"I don't want to." Sayuri leans back, shutting her eyes close. "I don't feel like moving tonight."

"You are going to sleep on the couch." Natsumi scowls at her. Sayuri is always like this when she has a lot of work to do. 

"Elder Sister, you should take care of your youngest one." Sayuri tilts her face. The corners of her lips curl down, looking at Natsumi with puppy eyes.

Why do these two never grow up? Natsumi exhales, feeling tired. "Do whatever you want."

"I am getting pampered tonight." Sayuri lies down, resting her head in Wakana's l.a.p. "It's been such a long time since I have slept like this."

Wakana narrows her eyes. Did that man do something to her? Till now, she's been able to see memories of people with a touch. As long as she touched anything with a strong memory, she would be able to see it. Sometimes, she would even see the memories of objects like an ancient sword or some locations where some tragedy had happened. Compared to people, non-animated objects are weak. 

She recounts everything that had happened on that day -- the trip to Okuyama Mansion, conversation with Ms Okuyama, the kiss outside the mansion, coming back to the hotel in the taxi, Choi Minho's odd behaviour, and going to her room. She might have touched something that belonged to Choi Minjae. What could it be?

"Wakana?" Sayuri waves her hand in front of Wakana's face. "You are gone to dreamland again."

"Oh, I…" Wakana blinks her eyes rapidly. "I was just thinking about something."

Natsumi creases her forehead. Ever since Wakana came here today, she seems to fall in a daze frequently. Her behaviour seems odd. "Don't think too much. You are putting unnecessary pressure on your one-dimensional brain."

"Maybe I am." Wakana sighs. "I am going home. Sei must be waiting for me."

"I miss the days when my sister was single." Sayuri wraps her arms around Wakana's waist. "Can't you stay here with us, Wakana? Stay here and pamper your younger sister."

"You are only twelve minutes younger than me." Wakana pats her sister's head. "You are too old to w.h.i.n.e."

"I am never old." Sayuri glares at her. "I am forever young."

"That's an obsession." Natsumi smacks Sayuri's head. "You are twenty-five. I can see strands of white hair."

"No way!" Sayuri sits up, looking at them with widened eyes. "I dyed them yesterday. How could there be any white hair?"

"You really have white hair?" Wakana c.o.c.ks her head with a smile.

"Work is ageing me." Sayuri plops on the couch, curling up into a fetal position. She speaks with a mourning tone, "I saw one white hair a few days ago. What will become of me if all of my hair turns white before Elder Sister does?"

It's only one hair. Wakana and Natsumi shake their heads at her. This girl is acting like the world is over.

"Noone pities me." Sayuri cries out loud. "One hair means a lot. I am a fashion designer. If I don't look pretty, what would become of me?"

"You aren't a model." Natsumi flickers Sayuri's forehead with a calm expression. "Even if you become ugly, people will still buy your dresses because your dresses are beautiful."

"Tch! Of course, my dresses are beautiful." Sayuri glowers at Natsumi. "But you are bad, Elder Sister. I only needed you to lend me your shoulder to cry. I don't want to stay with you. I am going back to my place now."

Natsumi rolls her eyes. "Sure."

"So heartless." Sayuri grabs Wakana's hand. "Wakana, Let's go. Elder Sister wants us to leave because she is going to call her man to do l.a.p dance on him."

"Ahem!" Wakana coughs, trying hard to hold back her laughter. 

"Sayuri!" Natsumi shouts. Her eyes turn cold. She cracks her knuckles. "Do you want to get beaten up?"

"Nope." Sayuri drags Wakana with her. They leave the apartment. In the car, Sayuri doesn't say anything for a long moment. 

"Sayuri, I don't stay at my old apartment anymore." Wakana gestures to her to take a right turn. "Sei's place is on Z1 Road."

"You already moved in with him?" Sayuri asks her with an astonished look. "Both of you don't waste time, do you?"

Blushing, Wakana nods. "I moved in today."

"As long as you are happy." She murmurs, "How are you going to talk to Father?"

"I will go back to the village with Sei soon." Wakana leans toward the window, watching the passing buildings. "There is something I must do before."

"Choi Minho?" 

"Yes." 

Sayuri bites her inner cheek, keeping her eyes on the road. She grips the steering wheel hard. They are already on B1 road. 

"Sayuri, it's that building." Wakana points at an apartment building. Sayuri pushes the brake, stopping the car in front of the apartment building. 

"Come with me, Sayuri," Wakana says to her. "Sei should be at home. You should meet him."

Sayuri glances at the building with a complicated gaze. "Can you not go to him today, Wakana?"

Wakana stares at her. Her sister's face is pale. Sayuri is avoiding her gaze. Phone's vibrations are loud, but Sayuri isn't picking it up. Wakana smells the smell of cold sweat trickling down on Sayuri's pallid skin. The sound of Sayuri's heavy heartbeat is loud and clear. 

"I know that this is not the right time," Sayuri tells her with a trembling voice. "But I need your help, Wakana."