The Whispers That Refuse to Be Ignored
Junhee frowned at the faint, mimicking voice. He wanted to ignore it with all his might, but the voice was stubbornly persistent. It refused to let him go. With a sharp sigh, he finally forced his eyes open. The monitor screen was still blank. He hadn't managed to type a single word.
"Honey, you're home?" Junhee said. But no voice answered. "Honey?" He called out again, then stepped into the living room. It was empty. He tilted his head, puzzled. He could have sworn he'd heard his wife's voice... A strange unease settled over him. No, it was more than unease. It was an eerie sense of dread.
What time is it? And where's our daughter? Why hasn't my wife come back yet? Questions crashed over him like waves. Then the phone rang. Startled, he scrambled around looking for his cell phone before spotting it on the sofa and snatching it up.
"Honey..." It was his wife, Soyeon's voice. Irritation flared up instantly. "Where the hell have you been at this hour? And where's Sohee?" he snapped. But there was no reply. Just... "Honey..." The same words, repeated over and over.
It was odd. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. "Soyeon? What's going on? Where are you? Where's Sohee?" When he asked again, Soyeon suddenly said, "It's cold... I'm so cold..."
His confusion only grew. "Can you... come pick me up?" The moment she said that, a creeping discomfort washed over him. He glanced around the dark living room, then dragged a hand down his face. The sense of foreboding was getting stronger.
"Yeah, where are you?" But she wouldn't give him a straight answer. She just kept saying she was cold and asking him to come get her. "Look, how am I supposed to pick you up if I don't know where you are?" Junhee snapped again. His gaze naturally drifted toward the veranda. He was about to pull a cigarette from his pocket and light it, as he always did.
"What? You're outside? Just come up." Shockingly, Soyeon was standing outside. And she was holding their daughter's hand. But they weren't moving. She just kept repeating through the phone that she was cold. From that moment on, Junhee couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
"S-Soyeon? Is that really you? What's going on? What the hell happened?" "Honey..." Even in hindsight, the reply sounded off. It was like something was imitating his wife's voice. Junhee's expression grew more anxious. His eyes turned to his wife and daughter standing outside, staring back at him. A strange terror began to rear its head.
"H-Honey, why don't you just come up? Wouldn't that be easier?" "Can you come pick me up... I'm too tired..." "It's right in front of you, isn't it? Why... why can't you come up? Just..." "It's cold... Honey... I'm so cold... Please, come pick me up?" She repeated the same words again.
Junhee was now certain. What had been unease and suspicion was rapidly turning into pure fear. Just to be sure, he checked the phone screen. Unknown caller. That was strange too. Why would his wife call him with her number blocked? He swallowed hard, staring at his wife and daughter standing motionless in front of the apartment building.
"You... Are you really Soyeon? Who... who are you?" Junhee asked cautiously. That was when it happened. Suddenly, Soyeon began running. On all fours, like an animal. Junhee gasped in horror and collapsed onto the floor. Through the phone, the voice kept repeating, "Honey... It's cold..."
A scream tore from his throat as terror surged through him. Breathing hard, he staggered to his feet and looked outside. Soyeon was gone. Only Sohee stood there alone. He whipped his head around, searching for Soyeon, but she had vanished. His heart pounded violently. In the sudden, oppressive silence, anxiety and dread swelled endlessly.
His wide eyes trembled. The moment he turned toward the front door... Creak... The door opened by itself. And there stood Soyeon. No. Something that was imitating Soyeon. It lunged at Junhee, who was frozen in terror on the floor.
It wore her face. It spoke with her voice. But it was not her.
Junhee jolted awake with a scream, bolting upright. He gasped for air, eyes darting around the room. Thankfully, it was a familiar space. After the divorce from Soyeon, he'd sold their old house and moved into this cheap villa.
Junhee let out a heavy sigh and licked his dry lips. He reached for the phone on the nightstand. As expected, there were several texts. Most were spam, though a few were from his editor. Another message reminding him that the deadline absolutely could not be pushed. Junhee ignored it and checked the time. It was already past eleven in the morning.
Probably because he'd stayed up late writing again. Well... waking up in the middle of the day had become normal now. Back when he was married, he could never sleep past noon without feeling guilty. But after the divorce, this had become his routine. At least now there was no one left to scold him for it.
Still, no matter how much he slept, he felt exhausted. Maybe it was because of the strange dreams he'd been having lately. The nightmares kept him up at night, and even when he finally managed to fall asleep, he woke up feeling like he hadn't rested at all. Of course, his irregular lifestyle was probably the main culprit.
Junhee sighed again and, out of habit, dragged a hand down his face. The lack of sleep must have caught up with him, because a wave of dizziness hit. Staggering, he got up and walked into the living room. It was empty. The only piece of furniture was a cheap sofa. No TV. No dining table. Just emptiness. After all, all he really needed was his laptop. He had no desire to buy more furniture. His wallet was empty anyway.
Yawning widely, he headed to the kitchen. As always, brewing coffee was how he started his day. One of Junhee's few hobbies was hand-drip coffee. That was why, even though he had almost no furniture, he owned several high-end hand mills. Things he couldn't buy while married because of his wife's disapproving looks. Each one cost a pretty penny. The cheapest started at around a hundred dollars, and the one he used most now was closer to three hundred.
Different grinders brought out different flavors in the beans, so it was a necessary indulgence. His drip pot was expensive too, and he had multiple drippers and servers. They were what filled his otherwise barren kitchen.
He heated water in the drip pot to the right temperature, placed a filter in the dripper over the server, and began grinding the beans. The soft crunch, crunch of the grinder always helped wake him up. Once ground, he poured a little hot water over the filter to rinse it, then added the grounds. He started the scale's timer and brewed the coffee with the same precise ratio and pouring technique he always used.
Finishing the drip in under three minutes, Junhee savored the aroma. A satisfied smile crossed his face. It had been worth buying those expensive beans—nearly fifty dollars for a hundred grams. The fragrance and taste were on another level. Yawning again, he carried his cup to the sofa.
He flopped down and sat there blankly, sipping his coffee. Then the memory of last night's dream suddenly resurfaced. When had it started? These similar, bizarre nightmares... It hadn't been that long. Maybe four days ago. In the dreams, Soyeon and Sohee kept appearing. But no matter how he looked at them, he couldn't believe they were really his wife and daughter. It felt like something was imitating them. Even thinking about it now sent a chill down his spine.
He shivered and took another sip of coffee. Sitting like this made him feel strangely bored. Normally he would have been fully savoring the aroma and flavor, but the bad dreams made it impossible to focus. Eventually, Junhee stood up from the sofa again and retrieved his phone from the bedroom.
He hesitated for a long time. Should he call Soyeon? But he kept second-guessing himself. The last time they'd met, she still seemed angry with him. She probably still resented him. Well... he could understand how she felt. It was his fault, after all. He fully admitted that he hadn't been a good husband. That's why he tried not to bother her if he could help it... but the nightmares were too disturbing. And he was worried about Sohee, who had gone missing.
Maybe there was some new information. He could at least ask about that. After staring at Soyeon's number on the screen for what felt like forever, Junhee finally made up his mind and dialed.
His heart pounded wildly. What if she yelled at him again... He waited anxiously for her to pick up. Was she busy? Despite his hesitation, the call went unanswered.