Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊


Chapter 2


Li Ann slept somewhat peacefully in her warm bed.
It had been two days since the news of the fatal accident.

The flashes of lightning stoke through the windows as the wind continuously howled. Chill filled the room and the only light visible was from the dark moon hovering above the thick clouds.

The night had been peaceful, but somebody’s touch was near.
Li Ann stirred in her bed, with her blanket twisted around her feet and waist. A cold finger slightly stoked her cheeks, causing her to turn her head.

She mingled her feet together for warmth as she pulled her blanket up. A voice ran through her mind, and the closer it gets to her head, the closer she can feel the presence of another person. She shivered as the form neared, inching its way towards her.

She opened her eyes and screamed.

“Li Ann!” her brother Dongwan shouted a few seconds later as he ran into her room looking around. He was panting with concern, but seeing her on her bed relieved him.

Li Ann realized she was still shaking and gasping for breath from the nightmare.
“It...it’s okay oppa, I’m okay,” Li Ann whispered as she finally calmed down.

“Bad dream again?” Dongwan asked with a sigh. Li Ann nodded and slowly got off the bed. She walked over to her brother where he welcomed her with a warm hug.

“It’s the same dream again,” Li Ann whispered.

“Ah, come on, let’s go get something to eat,”
Dongwan said cheerfully as he led her into the kitchen. Dongwan walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a tube of ice cream.

He then gathered two bowls and two spoons and handed a set to Li Ann. She sat silently at the counter and waited for him.

“So tell me about this dream?” Dongwan asked as he sat down and started scooping out he ice cream.

“I don’t know...it’s always the same, like a message almost, or a vision, I’m not sure, but I’ve had ever since I came back to Korea,” Li Ann replied with a sigh.

“Hmm...sounds cool,” Dongwan said cheerfully. Li Ann shot him a not-so-funny glare.

“It’s scary to me, I could almost see a resemblance in all my dreams you know, like a person calling to me, but I’m not sure,” Li Ann said as she poked her frozen scoop of ice cream.

“Yeah, but hopefully it’ll pass right?” Dongwan asked as he ate his ice cream. “Yeah...” Li An replied slowly.

“So what are you still doing up?”

“You screamed so I thought somebody had broken in,” Dongwan replied with a chuckle. Li Ann frowned.

“Well, I was talking to Calida.”

“Calida? You guys are still together?” Li Ann asked raising her eyebrow.

“Of course! We’re the bomb!” Dongwan said feeling proud.

“Oh please,” Li Ann mumbled as she got up to wash her bowl. Dongwan just continued to smile to himself thinking about his girlfriend Calida.

After Li Ann finished cleaning her bowl, she stacked it back up in the cupboard and patted Dongwan’s shoulder good night. When she reached her room, she slumped down on her bed, but she kept thinking about her dream.

What did it mean? And who was calling to her? It was all too complicated to make sense of it. The dream was hardly visible, everything was blurry, but she knew there must be a reason for all this. It was the same dream for countless nights ever since she’d arrived to Korea two weeks ago.

Li Ann glanced out the window and stared into the darkness for a few minutes. The sound of Dongwan closing his door snapped her back into reality. Li Ann snuggled back into bed and closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer in her head. Early the next morning, Li Ann prepared herself for her day.

Putting on her long sleeved white blouse and jeans, she tied her hair up into a low pony tail and applied a bit of blush to bring out her cheekbones. Dongwan greeted her in the kitchen for breakfast.

He’d cooked a wonderfully delicious and healthy breakfast for the both of them after he had his jog.

“You seem energetic today,” Li Ann commented as she drank her coffee.

“I am! I’m taking Calida to the museum today,” Dongwan grinned.

“You guys have to be the most boring couple on earth,” Li Ann said sarcastically.

“I wouldn’t want to be your child, you’ll bore me to death too.”

“Haha, yeah yeah, at least I have a life!” Dongwan snapped back.

Li Ann choked on her coffee. “Okay, life? I do have a life!” Li Ann defended.

“What? You call working with psycho people a life?” Dongwan teased.

“Oh, no, you mean, you call painting a life? Ha, funny.”

“Shut up Dongwan, or I’ll make sure you have a miserable life! I promise! I do not work with psycho people, I am a psychologist.” Li Ann shot back.

“Well– ” Before Dongwan could finish, a knock was heard from the door.

“Calida!” Dongwan jumped. He sprinted immediately for the door and opened it with a huge grin. To his surprise, nobody was there.

He frowned for a second, then suddenly Calida jumped out from the side of the door and screamed surprise. She jumped on him with both legs wrapped around his waist and kissed him. Dongwan carried her as he kissed her back.

“Guys, guys, please, get a room, for my poor virgin eyes,”

Li Ann said with all the sarcasm she could find as she walked past them. They fell down on the couch and started laughing.

“Hey Li Ann, I’ll take you to your workshop, it’s a bit cold out today,” Dongwan said finally as he stopped laughing.

“Hi Calida,” Li Ann greeted.

“Hey,” she replied as she got off the couch and pulled down her jacket.

“That’s okay oppa, I’ll manage,” Li Ann said as she started picking up her shoes.

“I said I’ll take you, it might rain again,” Dongwan said as he geared himself up. Thirty minutes later, Dongwan and Calida dropped Li Ann off at her little workshop that she usually take on the weekends; a painting class.

Li Ann loved modern arts and culture, a gift her mother carried. Calida and Dongwan waved her goodbye, then continued on to the museum. Li Ann entered her class, which was already filled with activities by her fellow colleagues.

Li Ann took out her painting piece from the cupboards and sat down at a stool. She clipped the painting onto the clipboard and stared at it.

“Hi Li Ann, good morning,” her friend Lily asked with a bright smile.

“Hey Lily, good morning,” Li Ann replied.
She stared back at her piece and examined it, holding a plain brush in her hands.

“Hey, have you heard of that tragic accident?” she heard Lily’s friend Amy whisper.

“Which one? Oh, you mean that, yeah, it’s pretty sad. That guy was popular when we were in high school, can’t believe he just died like that,” Lily replied.

The two was talking lowly to each other, and helplessly, Li Ann was eavesdropping on them. She inched in closer to hear better.

“I heard he was murdered!” Amy whispered loudly.

“Nah, they said it was just an accident. His car slipped off a bridge or something,” Lily shrugged.

“His poor wife, they’d only gotten married, now she’s gonna be all alone,” Amy said with a bit disappointment and sympathy.

“So what are you and Tae Jung doing?” Lily asked changing the subject. Li Ann leaned in back on her own private matter, but she wondered to herself about the short little conversation the two girls had just had.

Indeed it was a pity, and her heart went out to whoever the dead man’s wife must be. She could only wonder what the wife would do now. Li Ann could never imagine her life being torn like that. She cleared her mind of these thoughts and quickly chose a dab of light blue to finish her scenery in front of her.

[To be Cont ]