Page 120 of Perfect Happiness

“It’s the smell of an abandoned home.”

Mother put her bag on the kitchen table and turned on the overhead fan.She also pulled out a lighter from the drawer and lit the scented candle lying on the table.

“It gets like this if the doors have been shut for too long.It will pass after a while.Don’t worry.”

Aha...Stepfather mouthed as he took off his shoes and stepped inside.

“Should I put the groceries in the fridge?”

“Just put them on the kitchen counter.I’ll put them away myself.”

Mother opened the door to the living room and lit the scented candle that was lying on the table next to the sofa.She then opened the door to the master bedroom and disappeared inside.Stepfather went into the kitchen and put the groceries down—not on the kitchen counter like Mother told him to, but on the kitchen table.As he did this, his eyes followed Mother into the master bedroom.He looked dazed, like someone under a spell.

“Mother, I’m going to put my bag upstairs.”Jiyoo shouted out to Mother.

“Take off your coat and hang it up before you come downstairs,” Mother replied from the master bedroom.

Dragging her suitcase along, Jiyoo started for the stairs.But just as she reached the foot of the stairs, she heard a loud thud from above.This was accompanied by what sounded to Jiyoo like the call of a loon.Jiyoo looked up at the ceiling before turning to look at Stepfather.He was also staring up at the ceiling.Before long, Mother was standing at the door to the living room.

“What’s that sound?”Stepfather muttered to himself.

“The call of a loon—” Jiyoo replied as if muttering to herself.

“It’s the roof,” Mother said, correcting Jiyoo.

But just as she was finishing saying this, another thud came from above.And then another howling, even louder and longer than the first time.But this time, it didn’t sound like a loon.

“That doesn’t sound like a creaky roof to me.Should I go check it out?”Stepfather asked as he looked at Mother.

“There’s nothing to check out.You don’t know this house like I do.It always makes strange sounds when the wind blows.Old houses always do that.”

Jiyoo thought this was strange.The roof had never creaked like that before.She had stayed here during windstorms.On those days, the only sound the house made was the rattling of windows.The howling at first sounded just like the loon from her dream, the one crying in the attic.

“Jiyoo—” It was Mother.“Do you want to show Father around?You can go to the Half Moon Marsh.”

“Right now?”Jiyoo asked without thinking.Mother’s suggestion surprised her almost as much as the sound coming from upstairs.Why would Mother want her to go to the wetlands when it was snowing so hard?And hadn’t she told her just a second ago to go upstairs and put away her coat?

Mother pointed to the front door with her chin, as if to say,Hurry up.Jiyoo suddenly remembered that Mother had suggested the exact same thing when Father came to the cabin.Jiyoo couldn’t help herself from asking the same question she had asked then.

“What about you, Mother?”

Mother gave her the same answer.

“Mother is going to prepare dinner.And clean.You spend some time with your father.”

“What about my bag?Shouldn’t I put it upstairs first?”

But it was the roof and not Mother who answered Jiyoo.There were two successive thuds, the second one quieter than the first.

“This house is falling apart,” Stepfather muttered to himself.

Mother looked at Jiyoo.There was a menacing look in her eyes.She was scolding Jiyoo for not obeying her immediately.

“Just leave your bag.I’ll take it up for you.”

Jiyoo put her suitcase down and headed for the front door.

“Follow me,” she said to Stepfather.But he didn’t budge.He was clearly distracted by the sound coming from the attic.