The Love That Remains

[Eight Year Ago]

The words by the God of marriage never leave his mind. Next day, he goes to the Fang main house. He follows Lan Hui Yao to the sitting room where Fang Qi is waiting for him. The same annoying lady ghost, who had once 'disturbed' his time with Fang Aisa and dragged her away from him, is sitting beside Fang Qi and banging her head on the table in frustration. Fang Qi is completely ignoring her existence.

She lifts her head and peeks at him. "The pig is here again."

Sung Jun doesn't have any patience for her. He snaps and draws a seal in the air. In the next instant, the lady ghost is tied by an invisible net. She can't break free no matter what she does.

"You can see me?" Her eyes widen in shock and horror. "You are a shaman?"

She recalls the words that she said that day and deeply regrets. Sung Jun doesn't reply to her questions.

"Don't kill me." The lady ghost shouts wildly when she sees him drawing another seal in the air. "I know who killed Fang Aisa. Please don't kill me."

He pauses halfway. The lady ghost takes this as a good sign and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Speak the truth."

Fang Qi, who cannot see any ghosts anymore, understands that there is one with them. It must be that same lady ghost who has been haunting the Fang family for decades.

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"I heard from other ghosts." The lady ghost bows her head when she notices Sung Jun's cold looks. "After her accident at the school, all ghosts knew about her awakening abilities. When she returned home, her mother sent people after her to take her away."

"Her mother has taken her away?" There is hope in his voice. Maybe she is alive. She was abducted. They must find her as soon as possible.

"No." The lady ghost also notices the hope in Sung Jun's eyes. "Before her people could, she met a god."

Sung Jun frowns. A god approached her?

"She was seen meeting with a god...a powerful god." The lady ghost's voice is low. "Her mother's people couldn't approach her. The ghosts were also afraid. They saw her meeting him at the children's playground. Next day, they saw her meeting him again near her house."

He clenches his fingers. Is it a god who harmed her?

"They couldn't hear what they talked about. Fang Aisa disappeared for hours with the god before she reappeared. They followed her to the bridge and saw her jumping into the river."

The hope in his eyes dies again. So, she really died.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" He asks her slowly, but nobody can mistake the chills in the room.

"I didn't know you could see ghosts." The lady ghost kowtows on the floor. "I tried to tell Fang Qi, but he cannot see us anymore. His curse is gone since the day she died."

Sung Jun releases her from the bindings. She doesn't take a second and runs away from them, afraid that the pig...shaman will change his mind and send her to the afterlife.

He turns to Fang Qi and questions mildly, "Your curse is gone?"

Fang Qi nods and looks dejected. "She sent me a message that she would take the curse along with her. I didn't understand her meaning at that time...I wish I could tell her...I would rather see her live."

Sung Jun doesn't offer any word of sympathy. It's not a secret that Fang Aisa and Fang Qi never saw each other eye to eye. She was raised by her grandmother because her father didn't want her.

Only a few people know that it's a lie to keep her safe.

"Why did you put up spirit shield around her house?"

Fang Qi doesn't answer his question. His shoulders are slouched down. He looks like he aged a lot in the last months.

"She is my wife now." Sung Jun shows him the red marriage certificate. "Even if she is dead, she is my wife. I want to know everything about her."

The council hid the information about Fang Aisa. Her family background is extraordinary. If Sung Jun belongs to a family of the powerful shaman, Fang Aisa is a descendant of a dark sorcerer. In reality, she should be registered formally as a member of the supernatural community just like her father. There is not a single information about her like someone deliberately hid it. It couldn't be done without his father's approval.

Kyubok had told him that he attacked Fang Aisa because he had mistaken her to be a demon. Her aura was dark as the death itself as if she was dead for a long time. Fang Aisa never met a life and death situation. But the aura of death around her was real.

Kyubok had visited her house later to check if she was influenced by a dark ghost in committing suicide. He found that Fang Aisa's house had a spirit shield, preventing any supernatural creature like a demon or ghosts to enter. The spirit shield is provided by the council only at hefty prices.

The god of time has turned back time. When the gods break the law, they suffer and have to go through trials and punishments.

Fang Aisa already knew him when they met. She also spoke of their past lives. Her behavior was odd. There was hate in her eyes. She hated him. She loved him. She confused him all the time.

Now he knows that Fang Aisa's mother is not an ordinary person. Fang Aisa has also met a god before she died.

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Fang Qi doesn't take a look. He sighs and says, "Your father knows this?"

Sung Jung shrugs. "Not yet."

"My daughter is dead."

Sung Jun doesn't reply. A look of understanding is exchanged between them. Fang Qi makes a decision after seeing the determination in his eyes.

"I will tell you everything."