Demon in Disguise

Historical Museum

Chen drove them out of town, passed the many trees lining the perimeters into the quiet town half an hour away.

"What are we doing here Chen?" Qiang looks out at the people walking around, checking out the type of stores and diners that lined the streets.

"You'll see." He gives her a secretive smile and looks for the one place he loved most.

Qiang stays quiet, letting Chen concentrate.

 "Here it is." Chen smiles softly, driving into the parking lot. "This place brings back memories."

Qiang scrutinizes the big building in front of her. "Silver Moon Historical Museum.."

"My friends and I used to always come here. No matter how bad we were, we always respected this place." Chen glances at her, giving her a small smile. "Let's go inside."

Qiang stares at Chen, he had been good before.
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There was no one standing by the door to greet them as they pulled open the large double doors. The museum was spacious, five floors filled with many valuable artifacts.

"Wow.." Qiang carefully examines a piece of ancient vase from Mesopotamia. "This place is ancient."

The smell of the museum was dusty and cold, yet a feeling of comfortable ancientness. Qiang turns around to talk to Chen but realizes that he was not beside her. "Chen?" She turns a full circle seeking for her companion, where did he go. Walking around the first floor, she finds him standing next to an ancient looking man by a large painting of men going into battle on horseback.

Chen peers down at her as she stands next to him.

"You've brought a woman." The old man smiles.

"Nice to meet you, I am Zhou Qiang." She politely bows.

"Nice to meet you Miss Zhou, I am Bai JianYu, the director of this museum. You are enjoying my museum I hope?" His finely wrinkled face smiles kindly at her.

"Yes, your museum is very beautiful." Qiang really did love the museum, each artifact held so many secrets and stories.

The old man nods his head in satisfaction, "What brings you back here Kim JongDae?" He turns to Chen.

It sounded like a completely different language when he had spoken the words. Why did he call Chen such a foreign name? Qiang swallows in her question and keeps quiet.

Chen shrugs, "I just missed this place..." he peers at his surroundings.

The old man nods knowingly, "It has been five years. They still visit me."

Chen's head snaps back at Mr. Bai when he had said this, quickly glancing down at Qiang to see if she knew what Mr. Bai was talking about.

Qiang knew of course but she did not show it, staring blankly at the director of the museum as if she was hearing this for the first time. Chen had fallen for her act, "Oh.. do they?" He answers stiffly.

Mr. Bai nods, "People change."

"I know." He replies shortly. Chen really did not feel like talking about the past right now.

"JuDa visits me multiple times a week, he is married now, with a child. Tai Wei is engaged and has a high paying job, he has moved to the States with his fiance."

Chen felt nauseous, blurry images of his memories with his friends pass quickly through his mind. He didn't want to remember.

"They've gotten over it Chen, why can't you?"

"It's not as easy as it looks Mr. Bai."

"Do you know how old I am? I have lived many years longer than you have, I know the most about getting over a past that I do not want to remember and to know. You will live peacefully once you have stopped living in the past."

Chen's heart began to beat really fast, he felt lightheaded and nostalgic. "I think it's about time we go now. Nice seeing you again Mr. Bai." He quickly gives the director a bow and walks out of the museum.

The car ride back was quiet, Chen kept his eyes glued to the streets gripping the steering wheel with his white knuckles. Qiang thought about what Mr. Bai had said, JuDa and Tai Wei, she remembered the names but not the associated face. They were friends of Chen's from a long time ago for sure, why Chen did not want to talk about them she did not know. Maybe more than doing bad things was the reason for Chen's disbandment. She glances at Chen's stoic face debating if she should say something. She opens her mouth and closes it, her eyes land on the radio and she cranks the volume up.

"Remembering all that happened in the past, I want to say sorry but I love you so much, please give me your trust once again, holding you in my embrace holding you tightly in my arms..."

The lyrics of the song flow out into the silence, Chen slowly gazes at the radio and then back to focusing on his driving, "I knew I shouldn't have gone to that museum. I.. didn't want to be reminded of the past but something told me to go there. Why did I go.." he makes a soft sigh of frustration.

"Why are you so scared of your past?" Qiang stares at the rain drops running down her window. "Maybe it's time to turn around and face it, maybe it's time for you to accept it instead of running away and trying to forget." She adds when he doesn't answer. He had closed off so suddenly it made her wonder what happened to make him react so coldly.

He sighs heavily, "Qiang, I want to tell you something..." He parks in her driveway keeping the ignition on. "I didn't leave my group because they were bad and I wanted to end it in my life." He begins. "Yeah we were dumb, rowdy kids but we weren't as bad as everybody thought. We saved stray dogs and cats, leaving them at the pound. We saved bullied kids and donated all that we could to the homeless in shelters and in the streets."

Qiang looks at him in bewilderment. So they were good kids holding the image of bad kids.

"There were seven of us. JuDa, Tai Wei, Li Jun, Liu Fang, Wan Yang, Han Ju and I. Four males and three females. Ju Da was manly and brave, he had a fierce soul one of a tiger; Tai Wei was a wild boy, free spirited and handsome always the joker in the group. Li Jun was well educated and intelligent, he was very fast on his feet and strong in the arms. Wan Yang was a gentle soul, she was tiny and loving her heart was caught by JuDa and the two began dating. Liu Fang had experienced many things in life making her wiser than most people her age. Han Ju..." Chen hesitated. "She was beautiful. Her soul was like fire, sometimes raging and sometimes a gentle caress. Her eyes held all the answers to my questions, she was strong and selfless and that was what I loved about her."

Qiang stares at him. She did not remember there being females. She kept quiet and listened to him speak.

He gives her a soft smile his pain and covered wounds were reopened, his soul poured out for Qiang to see. "She was my lover."