Jazz for Two: The Silent Beat

Episode 3: The Ghost's Call

Episode 3: "The Ghost's Call"

The old music hall was no longer just a place. It was a presence, pressing in on them from all sides, suffocating the air between them. The walls seemed to close in with each passing second, the weight of forgotten histories hanging like a fog that clung to their skin. The whispers that had once been soft and distant were now loud, urgent, like a chorus of voices, desperate for something they couldn't quite understand.

Ju Ha and Do Yoon walked in near silence, the cold air still biting at their exposed skin. Ju Ha's hand was tight around Do Yoon's wrist, pulling him forward with a sense of urgency. His face, usually so composed, was twisted with fear — a fear that Do Yoon hadn't seen before. This wasn't the same Ju Ha who played his guitar with effortless skill and charm. This was someone running from something, someone trying to escape an invisible force that clung to him.

And Do Yoon couldn't shake the feeling that it had something to do with him.

The hallway ahead seemed to stretch on endlessly, the door they had just passed now a distant memory. The air grew colder with every step they took. It wasn't just the chill of the night creeping in — it was a more intangible cold, one that sank deep into their bones.

"Hyung, what's going on?" Do Yoon asked, his voice tight with confusion and a rising sense of dread. "What's inside this place? Why is it like this?"

Ju Ha's grip tightened, and for a moment, it felt like the ground beneath them was trembling. The building itself was alive, pulsing with some malevolent energy.

"I can't explain it." Ju Ha's voice was hoarse, almost desperate. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes wide with something akin to panic. "It's like... it's like the building remembers. The walls remember."

"Remembers? What do you mean?" Do Yoon's mind was racing. There were so many questions, so many things that didn't make sense.

Before Ju Ha could answer, there was a loud bang behind them — the sound of a door slamming open. The force of it made the walls shudder, and Do Yoon flinched, his heart skipping a beat. The whispers grew louder again, more insistent, now tinged with something that sounded like screaming.

They turned in unison, eyes widening as the doorway at the end of the hallway was filled with shadows — not just any shadows, but something moving, something that looked like a shape, a figure emerging from the darkness.

Do Yoon's stomach dropped.

"Hyung, get down!" he shouted, grabbing Ju Ha by the shoulder and pulling him to the ground, just as the figure lunged forward.

The room around them shifted again, its walls now shaking. It felt as though the very foundation of the building was coming apart. Do Yoon could barely hear the sounds over his own panicked breath, but the closer the figure came, the louder the whispers became. The voices — they were screaming now, pleading for something.

"Leave this place!" Ju Ha gasped, his voice raw with panic. "You don't understand... they can't be freed... they won't let us leave!"

But Do Yoon wasn't listening. He was staring at the figure that had emerged from the shadows, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. It wasn't fully human. The outline of the figure seemed distorted, twisted — like someone who had been trapped for too long and now had something wrong with them.

The face was just barely visible, but Do Yoon's heart nearly stopped when he recognized it.

It was a student from the conservatory, someone he had seen around campus. A name floated at the back of his mind, but it wasn't important now. What was important was the way the student's body seemed to writhe, twitching in unnatural ways. His eyes were wide open, but they weren't looking at them — they were staring straight ahead, unfocused.

And worse, there was something off about the way his body moved. He was moving as if pulled by strings, as though something else was controlling him.

"What the hell is that?" Do Yoon asked, his voice barely more than a whisper, eyes wide with terror.

Ju Ha didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the figure, his face drained of color.

"That's one of them," Ju Ha whispered. His voice was barely audible, but the words cut through the air like a knife. "One of the lost souls who never left."

Before Do Yoon could respond, the ghost lurched forward, moving faster than they could react. With a snapping sound, its body seemed to twist unnaturally as it reached toward them. Do Yoon's heart raced as the figure's pale hand came closer — so close, he could almost feel the cold fingers brushing against his skin.

And then, just as suddenly, the figure froze.

There was a long, agonizing silence that seemed to stretch on forever. The figure stopped, its twisted form rigid and unmoving.

Ju Ha's face twisted in pain. "It's... it's the building. They're tied to it... to the walls. We can't leave until—"

The sound of guitar strings filled the silence.

It was faint at first, barely audible, but there it was — the unmistakable sound of Ju Ha's guitar, echoing from deep inside the building. A few stray notes at first, then a full, haunting melody.

Do Yoon turned to Ju Ha in confusion. "What's happening? The guitar... is that you?"

Ju Ha didn't answer. His eyes were wide now, filled with a mixture of fear and something else — something darker. His hands were trembling, his knuckles white from how tightly he was clutching the guitar strap across his back.

"We have to go," Ju Ha said again, his voice shaking. But this time, it wasn't a plea. It was a command, one that Do Yoon didn't dare to question. The air felt charged, like the room was on the verge of something terrible happening.

Without thinking, Do Yoon reached out, grabbing Ju Ha's arm, pulling him forward.

"Hyung, we need to get out of here."

But before they could take another step, the air shifted again.

There was a crack, followed by a loud roar — the building itself seemed to scream, and then everything went black.