The Lying Truth (Prologue)

At the crossroads, a boy looked at the sky in sadness. The dark sky made his body transfixed. It had been a few days since the sun shone. There were only cold days. Then, it started raining again in the gloomy morning.

As the other people began to run, he kept walking in the middle of the rain. He wasn’t heeding the rain that started to soak him. The raindrops reminded him of the incident seven years ago. That incident turned his life into desperation and despair until this day.

Autumn in September, when the rain fell, the boy still looked for happiness. That boy was named Park Jinwoo.

On the summer holiday, August 4^th, 2016.

Dark clouds filled the sky that morning. At that time, Jinwoo and his family were returning home. Not much longer, the rain began to fall heavily. It made the roads slippery. Out of nowhere, the fog was coming in.

From the window, Jinwoo saw a woman jump into the Han River from the Mapo Bridge. Along with the storm coming, the rescue workers tried to save that woman with their duty ship on the river. At the same time, he heard the sound of honking, brakes, and banging all at once.

“Watch out!”

Jinwoo was aghast and hit his head. The light flashed in his eyes. He saw his parents were unconscious and full of wounds. He felt dizzy, but he tried to get out of the car to seek help. But the other vehicles that hit them were blocking the left side of their car.

Then, Jinwoo moved to another side. Unfortunately, the door couldn’t open. Jinwoo rolled down the window and saw the edge of the overpass. That situation was urging him to get out of the car intensified. He ventured out through the car window.

The wind blew hard, and the heavy rain draped over him. Han River was underneath him. He concentrated on not falling. However, there was a car light flashing from a distance. It beamed to him and took him down to the river.

Bang!

Instantly, Jinwoo snapped and lost focus. He fell into the river. In the blink of an eye, the stream of the river grew stronger and became a whirlpool. The heavy wind pushed him away more, as it were.

When his body touched the surface of the river, Jinwoo felt something pulling his leg. There were long fingers that were colder than the water. Those fingers grabbed him and pulled him into the river, sinking him.

Jinwoo saw someone—looked like— swimming toward him under the river. A woman with her eyes wide open, looking at him intently.

It was dark.

But he could hear a woman’s whisper in his ears.

Hshishlkhsi… sihshslk…

Later, he was unconscious.

The rescue workers who saw Jinwoo falling rushed to rescue him. Although the whirlpool swirled around him, they tried to save him anyway. Jinwoo was saved when the vortex disappeared abruptly. However, his clothes were torn, and he had a scratching wound on his face, which looked like someone had struck him recently.

***

One week passed, and Jinwoo’s consciousness slowly recovered. Jinwoo blinked and gazed around his surroundings. The bright lights were faintly visible, the colored walls were white, and there was a hospital scent. However, the room was terrifying to him.

Suddenly, a cold wind struck both Jinwoo’s cheeks. It gave him goosebumps all over his body. A tall, dark figure appeared in a dimly lit corner of the room. That figure pounded its head against the wall over and over. Jinwoo’s body froze stiff, and his eyes were wide open to see it.

Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!

Right next to Jinwoo was a woman with a long neck, a half-mangled face, and a wide open mouth. Slowly, the woman moved her hand, taking hold of his left foot. Jinwoo could only pull a blanket over his entire body. He was hoping for that woman to disappear. However, there was the hoarse laughter of women followed by whispering.

Can you see me? Ihihihihihihii…

His heart snapped. 

This isn’t real. I must be dreaming. 

That was all on his mind, full of fear. Jinwoo ventured to peek through the blankets. However, there were a lot of dark shadows standing around the bed. They were babbling unclearly.

Creak…

There was a sound of a door opening, followed by footsteps coming. It wasn’t the dark figures or a woman with a mangled face who came, but a boy around his age. Along with that boy’s coming, those dark figures were gone just like that.

“Wait… Ah… I’m sorry, I got lost. Excuse me,” that boy said politely.

That boy went out of Jinwoo’s room. Jinwoo saw that boy’s aura so bright, but he looked gloomy. Besides, they didn’t return to bother Jinwoo for a few days.

Until a few days passed. They came back and filled his room in the blink of an eye. They were everywhere. The corner of the room, the ceiling, even lay right next to Jinwoo. Their gazes were all very sharp, as if they couldn’t wait to hunt down prey.

Give your body to me!!

GIVE IT!!!

Jinwoo’s entire body froze. He was eager to run out of his room as fast as possible, but Jinwoo couldn’t move his legs.

Where are you going? Ihihihihihihi...

Jinwoo saw a scary figure with a half-shattered face holding his legs tightly. At the same time, Jinwoo felt there was long cold hair on his back and shoulders.

Want to see how I die? Ihihihihihihihi...

That whisper and laugh of that woman’ made Jinwoo even limper. Jinwoo’s heartbeat beats extremely fast. His breath was also short. He felt like he was about to sink into the water. Cold. Then, Jinwoo was unconscious.

……

Hey, do you hear me?

Jinwoo slowly opened both eyes. That boy came again.

“Sorry, I broke into your room again. I just worried when I heard screams from your room,” that boy explained.

Jinwoo hinted that it was okay.

“Thank you.”

Only that word could be thrown out of Jinwoo’s mouth. He was still startled by what he had experienced a moment ago.

“If you are okay, I’ll leave,” said that boy. “Feel free to talk to me.”

After that boy left, Jinwoo’s room was back to normal. He felt safe and calm for a while.

I owe him so much.

One week has already passed again. Jinwoo had no idea when he could go home. Even so, every day, he never felt lonely. Both his parents had always accompanied him. However, it was different as night came. The hospital felt more creepy. It was quiet, but it felt crowded. Jinwoo hated that.

Jinwoo woke up from his sleep of a sudden.

Why do you have to pee!?

Jinwoo was annoyed with himself. He couldn’t help but have to go to the bathroom, or he would wet his bed.

Jinwoo got out of his bed. He let out a long breath. Then, he started walking towards the bathroom in the same room.

A few seconds passed Jinwoo came out of the bathroom and saw the light passing through the door of his room. Jinwoo saw the dimly lit hospital corridor from the window of his bedroom door.

Creak.

Suddenly the door of his room opened. Spontaneously Jinwoo took a few steps back. However, his high curiosity made him walk out of the room.

Aaaaa!!!

A woman’s screams echoed from the end of the corridor. Jinwoo felt goosebumps and fear. Suddenly, everything was silent. He could hear his heartbeat.

In the darkness, Jinwoo could see the figure of a woman shuffling toward him. Her face was deathly pale as if covered with white powder. Her head seemed to be cracked by something. Suddenly, her entire face began to be filled with blood gushing out. That woman screamed while hitting firmly around the light switch.

Weird.

Jinwoo realized that not a single lamp had been on all this time. However, he could see what was there—especially that smiling face with blood flowing from both eyes. Without thinking much, Jinwoo went back into his room.

Thump.

Jinwoo’s heart stopped briefly as he saw his body lying on the bed before him. As he looked around, he realized they were there; it looked like they were trying to take him onto the bed. Jinwoo ran to his body, but they blocked him. He wanted to push them away with all his might. Then, he saw a half-mangled face woman already holding his body. At that moment, he saw a figure that was so bright, followed by a voice calling his name.

Park Jinwoo-ssi!

Suddenly, Jinwoo awoke and saw that boy standing before his bed. That boy stared at him in dismay. Jinwoo realized and turned his head, looking around him. They were no longer there. Strangely, there were bruises on his wrist, and it looked like someone was holding him tight.

“Are you okay?” asked that boy.

Jinwoo shook his head. He wasn’t okay at all.

“I’m scared….”

That boy came closer to Jinwoo right beside him. Jinwoo somehow felt safe when he was around in his room. That boy looked like he had a strong aura. He was bright.

“A woman with a half-mangled face was hospitalized here. She was dead a week ago,” that boy told Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was shocked after seeing that. But he realized he hadn’t told him anything.

“How did you know I met her?”

There was a moment of silence before they both heard a woman’s screaming outside the room, leaving an eerie atmosphere of semidarkness. That boy stared at Jinwoo again, beckoning it was her.

Bump! Bump!

They heard a banging sound along with a sudden change in the room. The atmosphere grew even tenser as the sound of banging became louder.

Bang!

The door was opened wide. The room wasn’t the same to him anymore. 

“It’s the door. She tried to come in,” said that boy.

Suddenly, the lights were off. Jinwoo opened his eyes to complete darkness. Jinwoo felt the boy holding his hand and pulling him out. 

“Follow me,” said that boy softly.

The door had already opened. So, both of them left the room. Before that, Jinwoo had seen something in the corner of his room near the door. Jinwoo saw that woman. Then he turned pale and quickly left the room. She watched him, smiling… and waving her hand for Jinwoo.

That boy seemed to ignore her presence. He yanked Jinwoo’s hand and quickly walked down a long corridor. Suddenly, the atmosphere grew even tenser as they heard someone grumble in a deep voice.

“Do you hear that?” asked Jinwoo to that boy.

“Never trust what they say,” said that boy.

Suddenly, that boy stopped for a while. He turned around and stared at Jinwoo.

“Sometimes, you’ll get confused about what you see.”

Jinwoo just nodded, and they continued walking.

They kept walking down the corridor, but it seemed to go on and on. Until they realized they were circling, so they stopped and found Jinwoo’s room on their left.

Huh…

Jinwoo turned around and faced his room. She was still there, greeting him with that creepy smile, grinning from ear to ear. She rushed to Jinwoo.

“You will die soon!!” said that half-mangled face woman right before Jinwoo’s face.

Jinwoo stilled as she was staring him intently. He realized that boy was gone. That boy no longer held his hand. Jinwoo tried to ignore her by looking around his surroundings. But…

“How dare you ignore me!!! You will die soon!! DIE!!!”

Jinwoo was violently thrown to the ground, and everything changed. He was on the street. The first thing that Jinwoo saw was her. That woman was about to cross the road, but a car crashed into her immediately. In the violence of the fall, her bone was cracked. She suffered excruciating pain in her legs. She tried to crawl. Unfortunately, another car hit her abruptly. She hit the sidewalk hard, and her blood splattered on it.

Jinwoo was trembling. Then, he remembered what that boy had said to him before. 

Sometimes, you’ll get confused about what you see.

Jinwoo closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Then, he opened his eyes.

Dark.

He was still in the same place as he had fallen before. No one was there, even that woman. But, Jinwoo felt something around him, and someone whispered to him.

Everything abruptly came to an end. I died…

He turned his head, and she was there—that woman.

The lights flickered suddenly, and then the corridor was blindingly bright.

AND YOU WILL DIE!!

Suddenly, someone pulled his body from behind when she wanted to drag Jinwoo’s legs. It was that boy who pulled him. And that woman couldn’t touch Jinwoo anymore. She was yelling continues as they kept away from her. Both of them moved from that corridor.

“Is that real!?” asked Jinwoo, shocked.

“You can’t believe what you see, right?” asked that boy back.

“What should I do if that happens again?”

That boy stared at the ceiling and then started to answer, "Although you try to ignore them, they already know you see them, realize they are here. So, it would be best if you faced it. But you must be ready. They can manipulate you.”

This time, Jinwoo was rendered speechless by that boy. He couldn’t think clearly. He didn’t want to be like this. He wanted his old life back.

“I see… So, what's your name? Why did you help me?” asked Jinwoo.

Then suddenly, a nurse saw and came to them in the middle of their talk.

“Do you need help with anything?” asked the nurse to them.

“I was about to find a nurse, and I met this boy sitting on the floor in the corridor,” explained that boy to the nurse.

“Why don’t you call from your room and wait there?” asked another nurse that came to them.

“I did. And no one came.”

The nurses stared at each other and looked to cover up something. Then, they escorted them to their rooms while explaining not to go around the corridor or other rooms late at night. The nurses gave no reasons other than that they might get lost.

On the next day, Jinwoo woke up without any disturbance. Both of Jinwoo's parents visited him. The doctor who took care of him came and checked his condition afterward. 

“Today, you can go home. Your condition is getting better. But don't forget to have your medicine,” explained the doctor to Jinwoo and his parents.

“Thank you for all the care you've given our son, Doctor,” thanked Jinwoo's mom.

“Don't you want to ask the doctor about that boy?” asked Jinwoo's dad to Jinwoo.

Jinwoo looked at the doctor and asked the name of the boy who had helped him all this time.

Choi Minhyuk.

“You have a similar ability to him. I understand you both. Besides, I'm Choi Minhyuk's uncle,” said the doctor to him.

Before Jinwoo left the hospital, he asked a nurse about Choi Minyuk. But Minhyuk already went home several minutes ago.

“I haven’t thanked him… I owe him,” said Jinwoo sadly.

He decided to go home with his parents. But in the middle of his way to the car, Jinwoo saw Minhyuk get out. A stray cat was about to cross the street and almost got hit by Minhyuk’s car. He saved the cat and put it in the hospital park.

Suddenly, Minhyuk saw Jinwoo. He waved and shouted something to Jinwoo.

Don’t give up on yourself!

That was the last time Jinwoo saw him in his childhood. But now, a new life awaited him—a new life from a new perspective.

Park Jinwoo, the boy who can see ghosts.