Listen : Whispers (Chapter 9)
Title: Listen : Whispers
Chapter: [9/?]
Characters: Kyuhyun, Heechul, Yesung, Siwon, Donghae, Hangeng, Eunhyuk other SJ members might join in soon
Pairings: KyuChul, YeWook, past!HanChul, KyuSung_friendship, SiChul_friendship, Kihae and more to come soon
Rating: R
Genre: AU, Supernatural, Drama, Angst
Type: Multi-Chapter
Word Count : 2,511
Warning : Character death, ghostly apparitions?, mature language
Disclaimer : I own many things, but unfortunately Super Junior isn't one of them.
Summary:
After the whole ‘ghost’ incident with Heechul, Kyuhyun thought he would be free from all of the craziness and go back to his normal life as a university student. But when he starts to hear whispers again, nothing is as he expects...especially when so much more is at stake this time.
Listen (Part 1) - in Masterlist
Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8
Chapter 9
“I’m here with you no matter what happens later, okay?”
Yesung gave Ryeowook a little squeeze on the shoulders. He could still feel them shuddering slightly through the thick layers of warm clothing. The smaller-framed man had a dazed look etched on his face, always looking as if trying to remember the reason why he was there at the innermost part of the basement of the local hospital, and then slumping backwards on his own shoulders feverishly the next moment when he remembered. Yesung took the pursing of lips as a sign of reassurance that the boy understood what he said as he walked with him towards the end of the dimly-lit corridor where Room 011 was, as directed by the officer-in-charge.
“R-Ryeowook...oppa”
A petite girl with shoulder-length brown hair sitting on the bench opposite Room 011 had called out the younger boy’s name, soft voice a little bit hoarse (perhaps from crying) and hesitant. As they approached her, Yesung had to blink twice to take in the striking resemblance she had with Ryeowook. She had the same brown eyes, sharp chin and small face, but only with a feminine touch; it was as if Ryeowook had become a girl. Without a doubt Yesung was sure that the girl must be Beige, Ryeowook’s stepsister from his father. Excitement bubbled in him at the perfectly wrong timing and he shoved it down mentally, gulping as he went.
Ryeowook gave her a glance and nodded slowly as he pursed his lips, walking past her nonchalantly in the corridor and stopping before the end of the hallway. The air was thick with tension as Yesung cleared his throat a little too loudly, trying to break the tenacious silence.
“Hello…you must be Beige. I’m Jongwoon, Ryeowook’s err, friend. You can call me Yesung.” He extended a hand politely towards the girl whose eyes were trained anxiously on Ryeowook instead. “H-hello.” She nodded back and said nothing more, taking his hand obligingly but her eyes still on her stepbrother’s faraway back. Yesung stepped aside sheepishly and waited as she got up and walked over to where Ryeowook had seemingly taken interest in the white-washed walls.
“Oppa…I’m really glad you came…” she paused hesitantly. “ You should go in and see our father now; the doctor said he can’t hang in there much longer. He’s only been waiting for you…” Beige said apprehensively as she approached his back, fingers reaching out to him but withdrawing on second thought.
“He’s not my father, if I had the choice. I’m not here for him,” Ryeowook’s voice was cold.
A lone tear threatened to fall but she swallowed it back. “But you don’t…he’s still our father. I know what he did to your mother was wrong, but his life is already about to end like this…with so much pain and regret. Can’t you just forgive him, please?” she pleaded, but still he hadn’t turn back to take a look at her.
“You don’t know what he did to my mother, Beige. You will never even have the slightest clue.” Ryeowook finally turned around, voice low in a whisper. Yesung watched worriedly from where he stood and wondered if he should step in and help out with the situation but thought better of it.
“But he never did it. Appa told me he never killed your mother…it was an accident!” she cried, clinging on to his arm suddenly.
“That’s what he told you, of course. It’s a lie, can’t you tell? Why would he tell you the truth when he’s never capable of anything but lies and hurt? He’s so lucky to have you as his daughter who still defends him despite all the things he’s done.” Ryeowook gave a soft broken laugh, shaking his head slightly. She let go of his arm, her own hands hanging lax by her sides with her head bowed as he walked away.
“Can you do it for me then, oppa? I’m still your sister, right? Please see him one last time…” she said quietly.
For a brief moment time seemed to have stopped between them as the words whispered rang in his ears. Ryeowook shook his head once more, heaving a sigh. “Can’t you see I’m already here?” He then walked back slowly to where Yesung was standing.
“Is everything alright?” he asked worriedly. Ryeowook gave a nod and mustered a small smile. “Beige looks a lot like me, don’t you think? She’s my good little sister,” he said, beckoning Beige to come over. The girl wiped her tear-stricken face with a smile identical to Ryeowook’s, shuffling over gently.
“Thanks, officer-nim.”
Yesung turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, startled by it. It was Kim Heechul, but sporting a different hairstyle from what Yesung could remember from their last meeting. Ryeowook’s face which now looked a little more serene than before gave a small look of surprise before breaking into a small smile. “H-Heechul-hyung…”
“You alright, Wookie?” Heechul had reached out a hand and patted Ryeowook’s shoulder lightly, his expression a strange mixture of nonchalance and concern, putting a curled up hand to stop a cough. Yesung wondered why the man needed sunshades when they were down at the basement of the hospital. However, the man with an air of arrogance from before had vanished, and suddenly all Yesung could see was a hyung who was there to support his dongsaeng. He smiled at the man, but was given no heed other than a glance and a small nod. Ryeowook nodded back. “Hyung, thanks for coming…This is Jongwoon, or Yesung. I think you guys have met before?”
Yesung had never felt so naked in his life when Heechul gave him a thorough scan from almost top to bottom. After seemingly satisfied at what he had analyzed, he nodded. “Of course. Cho Kyuhyun’s apartment mate, right?” Yesung wasn’t sure when he caught a glint in the man’s eyes through the sunshades. “Y-yes…”
“Ah. That must be Beige.” Heechul jerked his head at the girl standing behind them timidly. She nodded apprehensively, obviously intimidated by his demeanour. “Yes…Thank you for coming, hyung…” Ryeowook said softly, eyes moist from tears lingering within. “This means a lot to me…”
Heechul waved it away casually. “Siwon wanted to come, but he got caught up with something important at the church or university or something. I wasn’t listening when he was rambling on the phone.” Heechul swallowed with a straight face.
Heechul scratched his head slightly. “You know, Siwonnie,I think you shouldn’t go. Well, in case the old man really dies. You know when you’re around, spirits can’t-“
“-Crossover. Because before that they’ve been already repelled by me, which makes it harder for them to leave later. Right.” Siwon gritted his teeth as he wrapped himself tighter in his gray bathrobe. “Right.” Heechul could only nod back in agreement.
“What about you, hyung? Don’t tell me you’re calling that Cho Kyuhyun to accompany you.”
Heechul growled softly. “Aish. I can take care of myself.”
He continued, shaking his head. “I couldn’t contact Donghae, but I guess he should be coming soon. Aish, that boy’s been so irresponsible lately.” Heechul said before shaking his head at the door, wondering for real where his little brother had gone. Recently it was always so hard to reach that boy. Heechul knows that he works in a supermarket in the fish section, yes, but it surely didn’t mean that the boy’s phone was kept in a freezer. His behaviour and actions were fishy (no description could be more apt) as well of late.
“Shouldn’t you be inside, Wookie?”
Ryeowook smiled apprehensively and gave a nod to them, all the while wondering why his heart beat had been so calm. “Thanks for coming, all of you. I guess I should be.”He sucked in one last breath, standing in front of Room 011. The officer-in-charge gets the signal and walks over, fumbling with a bunch of keys hanging from his pocket.
“Don’t be too long.”
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Heechul slumped down on the bench in front of Room 011 and had to remind himself why he had decided to come to the hospital again. After all, it wasn’t as if there was anything much he could do. And not to mention the fact that he was feeling nauseas from the both the smell of medicine and bad energy that wafted all around him, both of which, of course was unavoidable considering where he was.
He glanced around before licking his chapped lips and somehow caught the frizzy-haired boy Yesung’s eye, to which the other quickly gave a small smile and looked away, as if scared that Heechul might began to shoot fire from his eyes or something. But as he tried to swallow yet another wave of nausea, he observed how the other seemed so restless and refused to take a seat even when asked by Beige, Heechul knew how much this guy cares for Ryeowook. And that knowledge alone makes Heechul feel like he should have just continued his sleep in his own bed or perhaps finish off some of his ever-mounting work at home.
Heechul knew he wasn’t really needed there, despite what Ryeowook might say; Yesung seemed like someone that Ryeowook could depend on from now on and to fill in every single hole that was left by his tragic past.
It wasn’t even after Beige had asked for leave after a few minutes to go to the cafeteria to get some hot drinks that the frizzy-haired boy with red spectacles would finally sit down. Heechul peered up from his phone and shook his head, the additional factor of lack of good sleep from yesterday night’s events (damn you, Siwon, yet again) had made his head feel like it was detached from his body as well. He cleared his throat just loud enough to catch the boy’s attention.
“Yes?” Jongwoon said in surprise, pausing midway from his usual route, hands clasping and unclasping subconsciously. Heechul pinched the bridge of his nose wearily and sighed. “I would really appreciate it if you would stop pacing up and down like that in front of me. You’re acting as if Ryeowook’s your wife and he’s in there delivering your first child. Just sit down, won’t you?” He rolled his eyes while patting the seat beside him, trying to sound his best in case the other refused.
“Uh-thanks.” Yesung gulped and shuffled from where he was to sit down next to the man, wondering how to break the awkward silence in the air. “Uh-Kyuhyun talks about you a lot.” Heechul narrowed his eyes and turned to the boy who nodded back in assurance. “Bad things, I supposed. Almost nothing good comes out from that idiotic mouth.”
Yesung cocked his head in confusion. “Ah, well, not exactly. But sometimes he tells me stories of what you guys do, you know. I find them really interesting, Heechul-ssi…I know Kyuhyun is really quite in awe of you, although he always seem to express otherwise. He’s a really good kid actually…”
Heechul rolled his eyes again and scoffed, shaking his head slightly. “Aish, really. That kid is-argh!“
His sentence was cut short when suddenly a wave of nausea flooded over him, gagging him. For a moment it felt like someone had deliberately switched the lights off as he struggled to close his gaping mouth. It felt worse than before as his stomach threatened to empty itself right there. When his sight began to blur back into focus again, Heechul noticed black clouds of shadow gathering and seeping through from under the slit of Room 011 slowly. Yesung didn’t seem to pay any attention to it. That’s when he lets out a shaky sigh as his heart jolted weakly; Ryeowook’s father was as good as gone.
“A-are you alright? You look really sick.” That Yesung was peering at him with eyes that were apparently widened with concern but still seemed so small. All he could muster was a subtle shake of head as his cold hand clutched the side of the wall. Damn it, why did he have to come so close?
“Are you sure you’re alright? You could leave first you know, I can-“
“Shut up! Aish! I’m leaving first.” Heechul clutched his head as he got up from the bench. His head had begun to pound really badly. He had forgotten how it was to have a ghost stare right at him for some time now and it was undoubtedly following him to the end of the corridor. The dark clump of shadow that had seeped from below the door had slowly settled itself into vague shapes and then finally formed the outline of a man, now hovering less than 5 inches away from his face. He tried quickening his steps but it was still following him. He wondered why he hadn’t anticipated that this would happen when he first decided to pop in the hospital.
“I’m dead, right? And you can see me, correct? That’s why you’re walking so fast. I’m old; I can’t keep up that much now.”
Heechul bit the insides of his cheeks hard and squeezed his eyes tightly as he stopped in his tracks, making sure he was out of earshot and that Yesung couldn’t see him in the dimly-lit corridor. He steadied himself by leaning against the wall, holding out a hand to stop the other from hovering so near. “What do you want?”
“I am Ryeowook’s father.” The eyes were glassy and as Heechul looked on at the blurry gaunt figure, he could make out multiple wounds on the old and loose wrinkly skin. Needles and tubings that seemed to float around were still connected to the wrists and mouth, making the voice fuzzy and slightly nasal-sounding. Heechul shuddered as he felt the hairs on his back stand.
“I know.” Heechul’s voice dropped into a low whisper.” You deserved it. After everything you’ve done to him and his mother.”
The figure began to shake violently as Heechul doubled over from yet another wave of bad energy that sent his head spinning. It was getting harder and harder to breathe as the room felt like it was getting smaller and smaller. The space between them was getting dangerously too close for comfort.
“It’s not like that. You have to tell him the truth! I just want him to know the truth! Tell him the truth, please!” The light above them flickered slightly, resonating with the increasing tone of voice.
“Go away!” Heechul growled angrily at the figure as he tried to edge away and continue to the exit, but somehow he could feel an invisible force pulling him and causing him to stumble backwards. Then it felt like he was being sucked into a whirlpool, going round and round and round in the absence of gravity. The hospital corridor and everything else had melted into a sickening twirl of dull colours so he clamped his eyes tightly shut. When he finally felt it stop, he was no longer at the hospital.
Heechul groaned and stamped his feet on the ground once it felt solid, knowing very well he wouldn't be heard by anyone else but himself. He really wasn't in the mood to do anything else that day, let alone being whisked away to somewhere he didn't want to be in the first place.
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A.N : Hey everyone, thanks a lot for the support so far, and even more to those who have left some comments here! I hope everyone reading this is still enjoying the story, and I really hope to get some feedback on the story thus far. What are your thoughts on the development of the story? What do you like/dislike about this story? What would you like to see more? etc.it'd be nice to hear your thoughts on this! XD thank you all! silent readers, let me know you're here!