Dark Secrets

Chapter 2: Trying Hard Not to Fall (2 of 2)

“I know it’s hard to believe, even I can’t believe it too, Mom.” I said.

“You mean well sweetie but never risk your life again to help ghosts.” Dad uttered. “What you did to help Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian is dangerous, what if Guy went home that day?!”

“But he didn’t, also I know that Mr. and Mrs. Sebastian will protect me, they’re good cops only they have a bad grandson.” I replied.

“My poor baby, it’s Mommy’s fault that you have that curse, you shouldn’t marry me Yoo Ahn, now our child is suffering.” Mom suddenly burst out crying. “I should’ve been alone.”

“Don’t say that Honey, I never regret marrying you, we’ll figure this out alright? We’ll give Desa a normal life as possible.” Dad said.

Mom is from a family of shamans while Dad is from a family of doctors, they somehow ended up together because of a supernatural phenomenon in their life, so now they have me as their only child.

Because it’s in my blood that I have those weird dreams and see ghosts, I eventually accepted that I’m no ordinary girl but I have to live a normal life no matter what.

Seeing dead people, I never get used to it but they keep on bothering me from time to time.

Every day, I’m trying my best to act normal and ignored these beings that can’t be seen by ordinary people but most of the time I end up helping them to get cross to the afterlife.

6 years later, I’m listening to the music on the radio while waiting for midnight to come, I don’t know why Im so excited to turn 14.

My favorite song is playing and I’m also singing along when suddenly the music becomes static noise and the lights in my room blinking non-stop, I should be running but I stay still in my bed.

A bare man abruptly falls from the ceiling, while looking straight to my eyes he closes our gap as if he’s about to kiss me but then …

“Happy Birthday, Desa.” he whispered to my ears with deep voice.

“Wh-Who are you??” feeling the weight of his muscular body on top of me. “You’re not a ghost. What are you??”

“Your guardian angel.” he uttered as he gets off from me. “I’ve been watching you since you were born and now you can finally see me.”

“Yeah, I can see you completely.” looking at him from head to toe but I have my attention on his erected part between his legs.

“You like what you see, Desa?” smirks. “You’re only 14 but you know where to look at when you see a bare man in front of you.”

“Would you mind covering that part?” looking away. “Do angels are really naked and not even partly covered??”

“This is my birthday gift to a teenage girl like you, don’t you like it?” chuckles. “Should I show you my true form then?”

“I think I prefer your true form than a bare man standing in front of me.” turning my head to him. “Y-You …” stuttering as I see his true form. “This is not what I expected an angel look like.”

“I’m the most handsome angel … of death.” he said with a sly smile.

“Are you taking me now??” pulling myself together as I glance at his atrocious look. “Is it my time to die?”

“No, you still have decades to live. I’m not lying when I told you that I’m your guardian angel. But this is my real present to you.”

He tossed a key to me that looks exactly the key I dreamed of when I was 8, only the colour is bronze and not gold.

“What does this key open?” glancing back at him.

“A door, but only if that key turns to gold.” he answered.

“Then do you want me to melt some gold to paint this key??” I asked.

“That won’t work but a clever idea.” levitating towards me. “The key will only turn to gold when the human holding it reveals a deepest and darkest secret.”

“Why the hell would I ask for someone’s deepest and darkest secret? I don’t even know what’s being locked up behind the door that I need to open so, I’m not doing it.” tossed back to key to him.

“You have a point, right, you’re a teenager and at the rebellious stage of your life. Then let me make it simple to you.” he snapped his finger and my bedroom door opens.

“Dad??!” looking at my Dad who’s walking straight towards the wall.

“I’m giving you a motivation.” he pushed my Dad to the wall.

“Dad!!” look through the window if Dad falls outside but he isn’t. “Where’s my Dad?! What did you do to him?!!” glaring at death angel.

“I locked him up.” closing a black door on the wall. “I’m giving you until your 16th birthday to open this door, when this has been locked up, nobody will return back again therefrom.” tossed the key to me again. “The more time you take the farther Daddy walks.”

He vanished in thin air, and I tried to pull the door as hard as I could but it’s no use, I can see it clearly but it’s not really there.

I just keep on staring at the door until morning, thinking on how impossible the mission is to make someone confess their secret.

“Desa.” Mom comes in to my room. “What are you doing on the floor, sweetie? Have you seen your Dad?”

“Mmm. He’s being locked up behind that door.” pointing at the door on the wall. “Can you see that black door over there, Mom?”

“What are you talking about??” Mom looking at me in puzzlement. “Are you sure you’re wide awake??”

“I haven’t slept a wink yet.” climbing into my bed. “An angel of death showed up at midnight and gave me this key.” showing to Mom the bronze key. “In order to release Dad from that door, this key have to be golden, to do that a human holding this must reveal a deepest and darkest secret.” staring at the key in my hand.

“Look, Desa, I know that you have an ability to see dead people but don’t take me for a fool.” Mom frowning at me. “If you really saw an angel of death, you won’t be alive by now. Yes, you have an ancient bronze key in your hand, but turning it into gold by revealing a deepest and darkest secret while holding it? That’s ridiculous!”

“Tell me about it. I’m going to sleep for now, I can’t think straight without sleep. I need to figure out how to release Dad.” lay down on my bed. “Maybe it’s just a dream and when I wake up, Dad’s here.”

I woke up at 2pm and it’s not a dream, I still see the door on the wall and the bronze key on my bedside table.

“I believe you now.” Mom barged in to my room. “Your Dad is neither in the office or around the neighbourhood, his car key and wallet is here. Why the hell would an angel of death locked up your father and why does he want deepest and darkest secrets of humans?! Its not making any sense at all!”

“I don’t know Mom. But I think it’s my fault that Dad is being locked up in that door. That angel told me that he’ll give me a motivation because I refused to do what he wants. I’m sorry, Mom.”

“No, sweetie, it’s not your fault. Your right to refused whoever that is, asking such thing for you to do.” Mom sits on my bed. “We’ll figure this out, have you tried doing it yourself?” holds the bronze key.

“I confessed all my secrets to key but it never turns to gold.” I said.

“Then it’s my turn.” holding the key like a microphone. “I’m supposed to be a shaman but I turn my back against my family because I’m ashamed being one of them.”

“Mom, look! A small part of that key turns to silver!” staring at the silver colour on the key.

“It’s all bronze earlier, right?!” Mom looking closely at the key.

“Yes. But is that the reason you don’t want to go back to Korea and just stay here in Canada?” glancing at Mom’s face.

“Not even your father knows about this secret, what he knows is that we’re staying here because I want to relive the memory of Lily in this house, although that’s true but it’s not the main reason.”

“Mom.” embracing her in my arms. “It’s alright if you want to stay here, let’s stay here as long as you want and never go back to Korea.”

“Oh sweetie, I know we’re running away, I chose happiness over my obligation to my family, but look what’s happening to our family now.”

“We can make it through Mom, we always find a way.” looking at the key. “Let’s do this thing to free Dad.”

Mom and I tried our best to make everyone we know confessed their deepest and darkest secret but none of those people’s secret made the key golden.

Mom works for a bakery to provide for us since Dad isn’t around while I work part-time for a movie theatre to help Mom.

It’s been over a year and I only have a month and ten days before my 16th birthday, definitely we’re running out of time.

I’m on my way home that night from the movie theatre when I bumped to a drunk young man who stepped out from the bar.

The key fell to the ground, which I know I keep it safe inside my bag, I’m about to pick it up but the young man got the key for me.

He was looking at the key in his hand when I noticed that the colour changed to almost golden.

“What an odd looking key.” he uttered. “Where did you get this?”

“I like collecting antiques like my Aunt Lily.” staring at the key.

“Well this key is sure ancient, maybe I’m too drunk, I saw it silver before I picked it up from the ground but now it’s almost gold.”

“It’s actually a magic key.” (I need to make this man confessed of his deepest and darkest secret.) “You see, if you tell to that key a secret it’ll turn to real gold.”

“Really??” smiling like a fool. “But if I tell this key a secret then it would be no longer a secret anymore.” trying to stand straight.

“Don’t you want to see that key turns to gold??” playing him.

“Hahaha. I want to see if you’re telling the truth. I know what gold looks like so you can’t fool me.” walk towards the bench and take a sit. “Hmm … secret huh? I’m not allowed to drink yet but I’m drunk.”

“No, not that kind of secret, wait, are you still a minor??!” I asked.

“I’m 18, a senior high school student from Korea, 20 years old is the legal age over there so I flew here to Canada to have fun.” he said.

“I see. So, you’re Korean huh?” looking at him.

He’s a sun-kissed boy, because of the beautiful golden colour of his skin, that’s why I never thought he’s Korean.

At first glance, he looks like a handsome Japanese young man, but when he told me that he’s Korean, I suddenly miss the place where I was born and lived for almost 7 years of my existence.

“Hey, tell to the key a deepest and darkest secret then it’ll turn to gold.” waking him up.

“Deepest and darkest secret??” opens his eyes. “I personally don’t have one but my family does. Haha. My older sister and oldest brother had an affair and they got a child whom my older sister put to the orphanage, no one knows except for our family.”

Although the deepest and darkest secret he revealed wasn’t about him but his family, the key completely transformed into gold.

“I don’t care about your secret, I don’t know you anyway, but you … you just saved my family!” take the golden key from him.

“Oh, it really turns to gold. Haha.” lay down on the bench.

“Taxi!” hails a cab immediately.

I’m already inside the cab when the driver reminds me of the young man sleeping on the bench, because he helped me with the key, I just brought him home with me instead of letting him sleep on the street, I know how dangerous the street is at night.

“Who’s that man you’re bringing home, Ms. Desa Ha?!!” Mom nags at me as soon as she opens the door for me.

“I don’t know, but he made the key golden.” carrying the stranger inside our house. “Will you help me? He’s quite heavy.”

“Really?! This handsome young man made the key golden?!!” Mom exclaimed as she helps me to put the stranger on the sofa.

“Let’s just leave him here. I’m going to unlock the door now.” rushing upstairs to my bedroom.

I put the key in the hole and turn it to unlock the door, then Dad suddenly came out like he got pushed out.

“Dad!!” I hug him immediately. “I miss you Dad!”

“Honey!” Mom kiss my Dad lips. “You’re finally back!”

“Huh?? What happened?!” Dad looking at us in puzzlement.

“You’ve been locked up somewhere for over a year, Honey.” Mom said.

While Mom is filling Dad in, I saw the door vanishing slowly along with the golden key in the hole.

I still don’t know why would that angel of death gave me such mission, it doesn’t really make sense at all.

The next day, I totally forgot about the stranger we let in to our home, I just got reminded when I saw him at the dining room having breakfast with my parents.

“You’re finally up.” Mom doing some signals for me.

“Good Morning, stranger!” greeting the man. “Did you sleep well?”

-End of Chapter 2-