The NamSeok Mysteries

One

Namjoon was enjoying a train ride into the countryside, signalling the start of his week-long holiday. While most people chose to go abroad for their annual holiday, he preferred to stay closer to home.

He stuck his head out of his carriage window and deeply inhaled the crisp country air. "Ahhh," he said as he exhaled fully. Immediately after, however, he crinkled his nose when he got a whiff of the more potent smell of the country courtesy of grazing cattle nearby. He sat back in his seat and smiled. He was happy to take in all that nature had to offer, olfactory offences included.

It was a complete change of scenery from what he was forced to see daily, on account of him working for the government as a code breaker, or cryptanalyst, as it said on his employee badge. His daily view was usually four grey walls lined with lots of computer screens. It wasn't as glamorous as it was made out to be in the movies, he thought. Alan Turing's life had certainly been more exciting than his. And Namjoon was happy to explain the difference between a cryptanalyst and a cryptographer to anyone who would listen, but sadly he was currently alone in this carriage. And with only his stop left now, there wasn't much chance of him having company for the rest of his journey.

Soon he heard the announcement that the train was approaching its destination and he swiftly collected his solitary suitcase, ready to disembark before the other passengers. When the train doors opened, he virtually jumped out and fast-walked to the exit. He ignored the line of taxis outside the station, opting instead to walk to the B&B. "Thirty minutes of fresh country air is just I need," he thought. The weather was pleasant and he thoroughly enjoyed the typical rural sights as he walked through the cobbled streets. By the time he arrived at his lodgings it was around 4pm, and as soon as he'd checked in, the owner gently persuaded him into having some tea and coffee cake in the dining room. This was unplanned diversion from his carefully planned itinerary, but the homemade cake was worth it. He'd just have to forego his twenty minute nap and head straight to his first sight-seeing destination; the oldest church with a haunting history.

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Hoseok was poring over his notes from his afternoon sermon. Although he'd injected his usual vigour and enthusiasm into his speech, he still caught sight of at least a dozen drooping heads in the congregation. It couldn't possibly have been his delivery that was the issue, but rather the content, hence the close scrutiny of his notes. After a few minutes, he sat back, defeated, and said out loud, "Well I'm completely flummoxed! I see nothing wrong with these words, I mean they came straight from the Holy book, how can anyone find that boring! And it definitely wasn't me, I'm hilarious! Well that's what Mummy tells me.....and Jimin......wonder what that kid is up to these days, Jin mentioned something about getting new wings."

Shaking his head, he stood up and put his thick overcoat on, deciding to take a stroll around the church grounds for inspiration. More specifically, he liked to walk through the tombstones, reading names and the inscribed messages. For some reason, doing that gave him solace and the 'quiet time' he needed to gather his thoughts. He sometimes like to imagine what the deceased's backstory might have been before they, erm, were buried six feet under.
He picked up a torch, quick-stepped out of the vestry and immediately found himself in the now dark graveyard. The sun had already set and he flicked the torch switch on, aiming the thin beam on the ground ahead. He didn't need the light to see his way around; he already knew the graveyard like the back of his hand. He only needed the torch to avoid stepping on any rodents (dead or alive). The moon was hidden behind passing clouds, giving the whole area that eerie atmosphere that one usually saw in movies.

Hoseok had barely walked a hundred yards when he heard a noise from the nearby mausoleum. Whilst he expected all kinds of noises at this time of night and in the countryside, he certainly didn't expect to hear any sound from a site full of tombed bodies. He stood a few metres away from the mausoleum, debating whether he should go in and check it. He generally wasn't the bravest of souls, but it was fine as most of the time, he was usually in company. But the nights were the hardest, and it took almost a year of therapy to rid him of his fear of dark spaces. Him walking through a graveyard alone was a major achievement. His thoughts as he stood outside the tomb, went as such....

'It's probably a bird that's flown in.......but the doors and windows are sealed.......what if it's a grave robber.......it's not actually a grave is it......maybe I just imagined the noise....'

And then, as if in answer, another rumbling sound came from the tomb which made Hoseok jump. Taking a long and deliberate deep breath in, he aimed the torch at the door and walked towards it. He saw that it was slightly ajar, which surprised him. Without opening it any wider, he slid inside, pointing the torch down again. He walked down the corridor and further down, the moonlight showed the silhouette of a man crouching down. Mustering all his courage, Hoseok said, "Hey you there, what are you doing? Get up from there! There's nothing to steal here!"

The man slowly stood up, holding his hands up, imagining Hoseok to be armed and dangerous. "I'm not stealing anything," he said, "I only came in to have a look at the tomb. This body looks like it doesn't belong here. It looks like this person's been killed."