He's got the whole world in his hands | Jeongin

Chapter forty-nine

Home is where the heart is, at least, it's where it's supposed to be. Nari Park lived in a one story house on the opposite side of town from the church. Her entire life, Providence was all she knew. The family fortune was hers once her parents passed on. 

There was something about family business and generational wealth. Every time the topic came up, Minsi tuned it out. It's not like she had much say in all of it. She knew her mother was sitting on a large sum of money, but she didn't know how it all worked. Her grandparents had been dead for a while. 

Her mother hadn't worked much of a job after Minsi was born. Sometimes she worked part time at different local businesses, but that was it. There were things about interest and financial advisors. Her grandparents were people with a lot of influence in all the right places. 

From what she understood, it involved railroads and train companies. Stocks and bonds and whatnot. Interest and other financial involvements that she didn't understand and she didn't want to understand. The money wasn't hers and when her mother passed away, she wasn't sure if it'd even get to her. 

Stepping into the house, Minsi was sure she was going to come face to face with her mother. Nari was always lurking around. Surely, she'd rush into the entry when she heard the door open, but the sound of scuffling footsteps never arrived. Instead, Minsi was left with silence after she shut the front door. 

It was strange to be here right in the moment and just experience nothingness. She lived in this house for her entire life. The walls were soaked in memories. Even though they weren't perfect, this was still her childhood home. 

The scent of lavender tickled her nose. There was a faint ticking of a clock off in the distance. The old cuckoo clock had been around for years. At the start of every hour, a hand painted bird shot out of two wooden doors and began to sing a melody. 

She kicked off her shoes, shoved them into the shoe rack, and began to head back further into the house. Her eyes scanned the empty couch, the turned off TV, and the bare kitchen table. There wasn't a pot on the stove and simmering along a burner. The numbers on the stove were neon green. They showed exactly what time it was, but the temperature section was off. 

She frowned and spun around to head to her mother's bedroom. The soft pitter-patter of her socked feet seemed too loud. Surely, it would alert her mother, but no doors opened. The bathroom door was hanging wide open when she walked by. Down the hall, her old room was shut. 

She walked to her mother's shut door and let her knuckles wrap against it. "Mom?" She called out. She waited, but when a response never came, she knocked harder. Her mother had always been a heavy sleeper. Her hand pulled away and when no response came, she twisted the door knob. 

Pushing open the door, her mother's bed remained made perfectly. So she hadn't stopped the habit, even after Minsi moved out. Her dresser still remained in the corner of the room. Sheer white curtains hung over the rectangular window and let diminishing beams of sunlight in. 

"You must have forgotten to lock the front door," Minsi muttered. "Not the smartest thing to do in this town. Anyone could have walked inside and made themselves at home." 

Not wasting time, she spun around and headed back through the hall. To her surprise, she was itching to talk to Father Yang. She wanted to ask him a few questions about the ouija board. Maybe he'd be more open to it than her mother would be. Perhaps, he'd have the answers she was searching for. 

Ghosts, demons, or spirits? Could things really come through or was it mind tricks? Maybe he could help her understand what happened the other night. All she knew was that she began having nightmares about car accidents. Something about that conversation with the ouija board struck something within her and she didn't know what it was. 

Maybe she did open a door that should have remained closed, but maybe not. It's not like she was seeing ghosts. Cupboard doors weren't flying open and glass wasn't shattering. It was just an inner restlessness. Curiosity was brewing and she wanted to know the truth behind the dead boy. 

She was just about to turn into the living room when she gasped. A shriek fell from Nari's lips and she dropped the basket of laundry she was holding. "Oh my fucking God," Minsi placed a hand against her chest. "You just scared the fu-" 

"Language!" Nari snapped. "Don't use the lord's name in vain." She shut her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be on campus. Providence has classes for another week yet." 

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask if you had Father Yang's phone number. I wanted to talk to him about some stuff." 

Nari's eyes widened and she froze. Minsi's heart dropped to her stomach. Had she said the wrong thing? "Unless he doesn't want to talk to me because I-" 

Another shriek fell from Nari's mouth. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms tight around Minsi's body. "I knew he'd save you! I knew that if I kept praying, God would help you! God is good! Amen!" 

Minsi's body was tense in her mother's arms. With her own arms pinned down to her sides, she couldn't go anywhere. Nari rocked the two of them back and forth as she muttered another prayer beneath her breath. 

"Seriously, what are you doing?" 

"I'm so happy! Honey, I've been waiting for this day for a long, long time! You have no idea how good it feels to have you back and interested in church again!" She kissed Minsi's forehead before she pulled away. "Yeah, I have his number. I can call him right now." 

"Mom, I-" 

"We should go to church together like old times. I can make dinner afterwards and we can hang out. Maybe we can get ice cream from the parlor! Remember that? You used to love strawberry ice cream." 

Minsi's face softened at the words. It had been so long since the two went to get ice cream. She couldn't believe her mom still remembered. It had to be, at least, half a decade ago. She wanted to correct her, but she couldn't bring herself to. 

"What did you want to tell me?" Her mom's russet eyes met hers. 

"Nothing," she smiled, "nothing at all."