Jazz for Two: The Silent Beat

Episode 5: Echoes of the Past

Episode 5: "Echoes of the Past"

The screeching of the guitar strings filled the empty hall, rising and falling in waves like a cry from the depths of the building's dark history. The sound was no longer just music. It was a calling — one that echoed through the walls, reverberating with the weight of every lost soul who had ever stepped foot in the old music hall. And as the melody swirled through the space, it brought with it a sense of inevitability.

Do Yoon stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest. The woman with hollow eyes had vanished as quickly as she had appeared, leaving only the sound of Ju Ha's guitar and the low hum of the whispers that still lingered in the air.

He looked around, trying to make sense of everything. His mind was reeling from the encounter — the ghostly woman, the song that had felt both foreign and intimately familiar, the sense that the building itself was alive, watching, waiting.

The guitar stopped abruptly, cutting through the air like a knife.

Ju Ha was standing in the center of the stage, his head bowed, his fingers still hovering over the strings. He didn't look up as Do Yoon approached, his face shrouded in darkness.

"Hyung..." Do Yoon's voice was shaky, and he took a hesitant step forward, unsure of what to say. "What happened? What's going on?"

Ju Ha's head slowly lifted, his eyes meeting Do Yoon's. They were wide, filled with a deep sorrow, and something else — something that terrified Do Yoon in a way he couldn't explain.

"I told you not to come," Ju Ha whispered. His voice was soft, almost a sigh, but it carried the weight of something much heavier. "This place... it's not safe. It's not just a building. It's a trap."

Do Yoon's chest tightened at the words, but before he could speak, Ju Ha raised a hand, his fingers trembling as they brushed against the neck of the guitar.

"I never wanted you to be involved," Ju Ha continued, his voice barely audible now. "But now you're here, and you can't leave. No one who comes here can ever leave."

"What are you talking about, hyung? Why? What is this place? What's happening to you?" Do Yoon's voice cracked with urgency, his fear growing as the words spilled out faster than he could process them.

Ju Ha closed his eyes briefly, as if struggling to hold back tears. When he spoke again, his voice was raw, trembling with an emotion that Do Yoon had never heard from him before.

"The music... it's not just for playing," Ju Ha said quietly. "It's for binding. The spirits, the ones who are trapped here — they... they can hear it. And they need it to stay here. To remember."

Do Yoon's heart skipped a beat. "Spirits?"

Ju Ha nodded slowly. "The lost souls of this building. They can't move on. They're bound to this place, tied to it by their own regrets. The only way they can be freed is through music — but it comes at a price. And once the music starts, there's no turning back."

Do Yoon took a step back, his mind reeling. "But... but that means—"

"The ghosts you saw..." Ju Ha's voice faltered. "They're not just shadows. They were students, like us. They died here. In this building. And they're not at rest. They're waiting."

The weight of Ju Ha's words sank deep into Do Yoon's chest. He had come to the old music hall searching for answers, but now, it seemed like he had only opened the door to a much darker truth.

"What happened?" Do Yoon whispered, almost afraid to ask. "How did they die? Why are they still here?"

Ju Ha's eyes darkened, and for a moment, it felt as if the very air around them grew colder.

"This building was once home to a great music conservatory," Ju Ha said, his voice distant, almost lost in the memory. "But it was shut down years ago, after a string of mysterious deaths. People said the building was cursed. That it was haunted. But no one knew the truth."

Ju Ha's gaze flickered toward the shadows at the back of the hall. The whispers grew louder again, almost as if the building itself was urging him to continue.

"The truth is, the students who died here didn't die of accidents or disease. They were murdered. But it wasn't by anyone from the outside. It was by the building itself. The spirits here are not just victims. They are bound by the curse of this place. They kill, over and over again. Each death feeding the building's power."

Do Yoon's throat tightened. "And you... you're playing the guitar to stop them? To keep them at bay?"

Ju Ha nodded, his face pale. "I didn't know it would go this far. At first, I thought I could use the music to keep them calm. To stop them from manifesting. But I was wrong. The more I played, the stronger they became. The more they wanted..."

He trailed off, his voice heavy with guilt.

"Wanted what?" Do Yoon asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"To be free," Ju Ha replied quietly. "The music was supposed to help them move on, but instead, it's kept them tied here, feeding on the sound. Every time I play, I give them more power. And now, it's too late."

The silence between them was suffocating. Do Yoon's mind was spinning, trying to process everything Ju Ha had said. But something gnawed at him — something didn't sit right.

"But why did you bring me here, hyung?" Do Yoon asked suddenly. His voice trembled with a mixture of fear and hurt. "Why did you let me follow you if you knew all this? If you knew it was dangerous? I... I don't understand."

Ju Ha's expression softened for a moment, and he closed the distance between them. His hand reached out, gently brushing Do Yoon's cheek. It was a simple gesture, but it felt like everything between them had changed in that instant.

"I didn't want to involve you," Ju Ha said softly, his voice breaking. "But I couldn't keep running. I couldn't keep it hidden anymore. I... I didn't want you to get hurt."

Do Yoon swallowed hard, his emotions a tangled mess inside him. But before he could respond, the guitar began to play again — this time, on its own.

The chords were wild, frenzied, dissonant. The music echoed through the hall with an urgency that made Do Yoon's skin crawl.

"I didn't start it this time," Ju Ha whispered, his voice tinged with fear. "It's them. The ghosts... they're calling."

Before they could react, the shadows began to move again.

Figures emerged from the dark corners of the hall — ghostly shapes with hollow eyes and outstretched hands. Their faces were a blur of agony, twisted in silent screams. And the music... it was growing louder, more insistent, as if the building itself was trying to swallow them whole.

"We can't stay here," Ju Ha said urgently, pulling Do Yoon toward the exit. "We have to leave. Now."

But Do Yoon hesitated, his gaze drifting toward the door at the far end of the hall. It was open now, revealing a dimly lit staircase that seemed to lead deeper into the bowels of the building — into the heart of the curse.

Ju Ha pulled at his arm, but Do Yoon didn't move.

"There's something down there," Do Yoon said quietly. "Something I need to see."