Yaksha Chapter 4

Anri hesitantly climbed down from the bed, her jaw slack. Clenching her trembling hands tightly, she looked around the room and cautiously stepped toward the full-length mirror. Her eyes met those of an unfamiliar woman in the reflection.

 

“What the…”

 

Unconsciously rubbing her cheek, Anri stepped back. The woman in the mirror mimicked the same gesture.

 

“Wh… what’s going on?”

 

Muttering blankly, she examined the reflection closely. Her hair, which had barely reached her collarbone, now flowed down past her chest, and her once-pale face looked vibrant and healthy.

 

Anri looked around the room again. A nightgown that seemed to have been taken off not long ago was sprawled across the bed, and tattoo designs and sketchbooks were scattered messily on the desk.

 

On a hunch, she pinched her cheek hard. It stung. This wasn’t a dream.

 

She rummaged through the clutter on the desk and picked up a desk calendar. In a flurry, she checked the date.

 

It was early spring, exactly three years ago. Anri covered her mouth in shock at the unbelievable situation.

 

No way. That man definitely slashed my throat with a knife… Don’t tell me I’ve gone back to the past?

 

The realization hit her, and her legs gave out. She barely managed to steady herself by grabbing the desk. What on earth is happening…?

 

Anri dropped the calendar with a thud and turned toward the door. If this really was the past, then her brother might still be alive.

 

Just as she hurriedly reached for the doorknob, someone knocked softly on the door from outside. Anri took a deep breath and flung the door open.

 

“Whoa, you startled me.”

 

A man stepped back, clutching his chest in surprise. Anri’s eyes widened as soon as she saw his face.

 

It was An Yul, neatly dressed in beige slacks and a white shirt.

 

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to work? I heard you left your car in front of the shopping center, so I came to give you a ride…”

 

Without thinking, Anri wrapped her arms tightly around An Yul’s neck.

 

“Rina?”

 

His body stiffened awkwardly in surprise. Anri shut her eyes tight and buried her face in her brother’s shoulder.

 

Tears streamed down her cheeks. The image of An Yul lying in a pool of blood kept flashing in her mind, choking her up.

 

“Oppa…”

 

Could that other world have just been a long dream? Or was this place a fantasy born from a desperate wish? Dream or illusion—it didn’t matter.

 

She only wanted to stay a little longer in this place, where her brother was alive.

 

“Hey, hey. Hold on.”

 

An Yul frowned and gently pushed Anri away.

 

“We do get along decently as siblings, but this kind of hug is a bit much… What the—why are you crying?”

 

He looked flustered at the sight of Anri’s tears.

 

“Do you hate going to work that much? Come on, you’re the owner. Even if you don’t want to go, you still have to open the shop.”

 

He tried to lighten the mood with a lame joke and rubbed the tears from her eyes with the back of his hand. Anri glared at him, breathing heavily. His awkward joke snapped her out of her tears for a moment.

 

But only briefly. As the image of An Yul bleeding and collapsing resurfaced, her eyes welled up again. Seeing the tears welling in her eyes, An Yul clutched his head in frustration.

 

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy! Why are you crying?!”

 

“…I don’t know, you idiot!”

 

“Just come out for a second.”

 

An Yul gently pulled the hiccuping Anri out of the room.

 

“Calm down a bit, and sit down. Drink some water.”

 

Anri sniffled and followed him out of the room. Past the narrow hallway was a cozy kitchen with a round dining table.

 

She rubbed her teary eyes and looked around the house. Compared to the mansion in Singapore, it was a modest home, but all the furniture looked expensive.

 

“Here, water.”

 

An Yul sat her down on a dining chair and handed her a glass of water. Anri managed to take a sip.

 

“Today… what’s the date?”

 

She barely managed to speak through her hiccups, and a deep wrinkle formed between An Yul’s brows.

 

“It’s March 4.”

 

“March 4th, 20XX?”

 

“Yeah. March 4th, 20XX… Why are you suddenly asking that?”

 

It was exactly three years before the day she was murdered by Ryu’s subordinates. Anri wiped her tears and asked another question.

 

“Where… exactly are we?”

 

“Why do you keep acting like this? You’re scaring me.”

 

“I’m asking where this is.”

 

“Where else? This is our house.”

 

“This… is it really Singapore?”

 

Anri looked around the kitchen with mint-colored wallpaper and the cozy living room. Beyond the narrow balcony, the windows of a building across the way were densely packed. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like Singapore.

 

“Are you sick or something?”

 

An Yul’s expression hardened. He placed his cold palm on Anri’s forehead and murmured.

 

“No fever… You came home wasted last night, did it mess up your brain or something?”

 

“I asked if this is really Singapore.”

 

“Come on, don’t say nonsense. Singapore, seriously? This is Hong Kong.”

 

“Hong Kong…?”

 

Mouth agape, Anri turned her head to look past the balcony windows. The colorful buildings came into view. An Yul gently shook her arm.

 

“Why are you really like this, making people worry?”

 

“…Oppa. Do you know someone named ‘Ryu’ by any chance?”

 

“Ryu?”

 

An Yul’s eyes widened. Anri quickly nodded, tearing her gaze away from the building across the street.

 

“Yes. Ryu. That person tried to kill us.”

 

“…Wasn’t that just a crazy dream?”

 

“It wasn’t a dream. That bastard’s subordinates broke into our house and tried to—!”

 

Anri stopped speaking and let out a deep sigh. There was no use pressuring An Yul about an event that would occur three years in the future.

 

If someone called ‘Ryu’ had known her, then he had to be somewhere around here as well.

 

What kind of relationship had they had? A friend? A lover? Or just a simple grudge?

 

What kind of relationship was it, that she had betrayed Ryu, and in the end, had been killed by one of his subordinates?

 

Her head was a mess. It was already confusing enough to be suddenly thrown into a past she didn’t even remember—and now she had to find the person who would one day kill her and her brother?

 

“Say something. Is there anyone around us called ‘Ryu’?”

 

“…I don’t know.”

 

An Yul hesitated for a moment, then firmly shook his head.

 

“I’ve never heard the name ‘Ryu’ before.”

 

“Are you sure you really don’t know?”

 

“I said I don’t.”

 

He rolled his eyes and studied Anri’s expression, then added,

 

“Just in case, I’ll check if there’s anyone named Ryu among Mom’s acquaintances. Would that satisfy you?”

 

At the mention of their mother, her mind snapped into focus. Could it be that their mother was still alive at this point in time? Anri looked around the small house again and asked,

 

“But, Mom…?”

 

“Rina, stop it already.”

 

An Yul’s face hardened, and he tightly grabbed Anri’s hand.

 

“Mom passed away two years ago.”

 

“…Two years ago…?”

 

“Yeah. Don’t tell me… you’ve started seeing Mom’s spirit again?”

 

Anri stared blankly at him as he cautiously posed the question. Again? It sounded like she had seen their mother’s spirit before. Anri hesitated briefly, then lightly shook her head.

 

“No. I haven’t seen her.”

 

“Do you want to rest at home today? I’ll call the tattoo shop for you.”

 

Tattoo shop? Come to think of it, earlier he did say she had to go to work because she was the boss.

 

Anri blinked her wide eyes and slowly grasped the situation. The mystery of the dragon tattoo on her thigh was finally solved.

 

So the story about me being a regular college student was a lie.

 

A tattoo shop owner. In that case, all the tattoo equipment in the suitcase must have been hers. She became curious about why An Yul and Emma had so thoroughly hidden her former occupation.

 

Wait, then… did I already have the dragon tattoo at this time?

 

Anri slowly rolled up her loose pants and checked her right thigh. But the dragon tattoo that had been there was nowhere to be seen. An Yul peeked his head over by the dining table and asked,

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“…It’s nothing.”

 

Startled, Anri hurriedly pulled her pants back down. Avoiding An Yul’s gaze, she began organizing her thoughts. First, she needed to investigate the relationships surrounding her.

 

First, I should go to the tattoo shop.

 

The past that An Yul and Emma had so thoroughly hidden—there might be a clue about Ryu inside that tattoo shop. Anri slapped her swollen cheek and got up from her seat.

 

“I’ll head to work first.”

 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You’re really not looking good.”

 

“I’m fine. Like you said, it must’ve just been a crazy dream.”

 

“…Get ready and come out to the front of the mansion. I’ll drive you to the shop.”

 

An Yul tilted his head slightly and got up from his seat. As soon as he grabbed the car keys and stepped out the front door, Anri quickly turned around. Then she began to search the house thoroughly.