Haunted?

2. New neighbour

Past

"Kookie-yah! I said no running in the house!" Mrs. Jeon groaned for the nth time that day, watching her four year old son zoom across the living room out of excitement. 

But little Jungkook paid no attention to her. He was just too excited that someone new was moving into the house next to theirs and that someone of his size was there in the new house too. 

"No, no, no, no, no, NO, KOOKIE, DON'T GO OUT IN YOUR UNDIES! AT LEAST WEAR YOUR SHI-Oh my god, what am I gonna do with him?" she groaned and ran behind him with a shirt in her hand. 

"Ohh! Hello, kiddo! What's your name?" the lady who was moving in asked when she noticed a little kid running into their house. "Koo" Jungkook said, and pointed to his house. 

"Ohh, do you live in that house? Nice! Do you want to make friends with my so-" "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. He is just too excited that someone new is moving into this house. It had been abandoned for too long" Mrs. Jeon said once she reached Jungkook. 

"Ohh, not a problem, Mrs....?" the lady trailed off. 

"Jeon. Jeon Jihyo" Mrs. Jeon said. "Ohh, nice to meet you. I'm Kim Nayeon" Mrs. Kim said. "Nice to meet you too. Please ask me if you need anything. We live right next to you" Mrs. Jeon said, pointing to their house. 

"Ohh, your garden looks beautiful. I have to come someday just for your garden" Mrs. Kim said. "Sure, you are always welcome" Mrs. Jeon said. 

"I'll take this brat home" she said, forcing the shirt she brought with her on Jungkook's head. "He is not a problem here. At least, he can keep my son distracted. He is bothering all the movers inside" Mrs. Kim said. 

"Ohh. I can take him with me, if you want" Mrs. Jeon offered. "Ohh, are you sure? He is really very naughty and can be a handful" Mrs. Kim said. "He can't be naughtier than my Kookie here, can he?" Mrs. Jeon asked. 

Mrs. Kim laughed. "Ohh, Kookie looks like an angel compared to my son" she said. "It's okay, Mrs. Kim. Just send him with me. You can come and take him back when you are done with the moving" Mrs. Jeon said. "Ohh, that would be great. Thank you soo much, Mrs. Jeon" Mrs. Kim thanked her. 

"Please. Call me Jihyo" Mrs. Jeon said. "Then call me Nayeon" Mrs. Kim smiled. "Sure, Nayeon. Call your son" Jihyo said. Nayeon chuckled and turned towards the house. "Taetae!!" she called out. "Taehyung-ah!! There is someone waiting for you!" she called again when Taehyung didn't respond. 

Within seconds, a kid who looked about a head taller than Jungkook ran out of the house with a toy car in his hand. 

"Tae, Say hi to....." Nayeon looked at Jihyo, realizing that she never asked for the kid's actual name. "Jungkook" Jihyo said, smiling at the cute little kid in front of her. "Hi" Taehyung waved, grinning widely at Jungkook. 

"Kookie, say hi to Taehyung" Jihyo said. "Hi" Jungkook waved, almost bouncing on his feet out of excitement. 

"Okay, let's go to our house and play, okay? Will you come with us, Tae?" Jihyo asked, bending down to place a hand on Taehyung's shoulder. "Yes" Taehyung nodded vigorously, his eyes lighting up with excitement. 

Jihyo gave her phone number to Nayeon. "Call me if you need anything. Call me even if you don't need anything. I need to save your number" she said, pointing towards the house, where she had left her phone. 

Nayeon chuckled again. "Sure" she said and watched as Jihyo herded the two kids into her house. 

"Kookie, show Tae your toys. No running inside the hou-" she trailed off when she realized the two boys were already gone. She sighed and walked to Jungkook's room. She knocked on the open door to get their attention. 

"No running inside the hou-" she trailed off again when Jungkook ran past her into the kitchen, followed by Taehyung. 

"Boys..." she groaned. But neither of them cared. She watched as Jungkook opened the fridge and took out a couple of cookies. He gave one of them to Taehyung, who happily ate it. 

"It iss nish, Ajeomma!" Taehyung exclaimed, turning to face Jihyo. "Thank you, Taehyung" she said, surprised that Taehyung could talk so clearly. She thought the two kids were of the same age. 

"How old are you, Taehyung?" she asked. "Siksh" Taehyung said, holding up five fingers and struggling to hold up another finger while holding the cookie firmly. 

"I get it, it's okay" she chuckled at him, putting his hand down so that he could be comfortable. "Kookie is only four years old. So both of you have to be careful, okay?" she said. "Othaie" he said. 

"You are Kookie's hyung" she said, watching as Taehyung straightened his back up ridiculously and nodded his head vigorously. He ran off behind Jungkook, once again ignoring Jihyo when she tried to tell them not to run inside the house. 

"Taehyung!" Nayeon called from outside after a couple of hours. "Ohh, hi! Come in!" Jihyo exclaimed. Nayeon walked in and immediately said, "Boys, don't run inside the house!" 

But they ignored her as well. 

"I tried it too many times and just left them. They are rubbing off each others' naughtiness, I guess" Jihyo said, laughing at her own statement. Nayeon laughed as well. "Happens, I guess" she said. 

"Do you want to have some juice? I'll give some to the boys too" Jihyo said. "Sure" Nayeon said, sitting down on the couch. "Boys! Come and drink some juice!" Jihyo hollered. Before she could walk into the kitchen, she found two little figures standing in front of her, looking up at her with happy puppy eyes. 

She pinched their cheeks and chuckled before going to the kitchen to pour four glasses of juice. 

"They got along really well" she said as she handed a glass to Nayeon. "That's nice to know. Are there any other kids in this lane?" she asked. 

"Not exactly. All old couples and high schoolers. There is just one kid who is in primary school right now. He is nine years old" Jihyo said. "Ohh, nice. Where do they live?" Nayeon asked. 

"The opposite house. That ridiculously huge villa" Jihyo said, pointing to the huge villa opposite to their house through the window in their living room. 

"Ohh, that is really huge" Nayeon exclaimed. "Yeah. That small house beside it was actually a part of the compound. They separated its compound wall last year" Jihyo said, pointing to the small, cute house beside the huge villa. 

"That small house looks really cute. I'm sure Taehyung is gonna love it" Nayeon said. "Kookie already does. He plays ball over there most of the time. He loves the garden and the building colours over there. Thank god, that halmeoni doesn't mind these kids" Jihyo said. 

"Nice, nice. So what is the primary kid's name?" Nayeon asked. 

"Dae Shin. Seo Dae Shin" Jihyo said. 

************************

Okay, guys. I just wanna say two things. 

One - The book is gonna be like this. One past, one present.....
Two - Most of the past incidents have something to do with the present. And some of them have clues related to the present.