《Echoes of Lost life》


 Kim Hana

    It was a windy night, with lightning flashing across the gray sky covering the Moonlight. The glass windows vibrated, and the once melodic glass bell chime had turned into a dissonant, nightmarish sound.


    None of this, however, seemed to affect the woman standing by the window in her room on the upper floor of the house. As the lightning flashed again, her expression changed¡ªher eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember something important. Her figure dimmed in the weak light, her shadow lengthening before slowly returning to its normal position. At that moment, she parted her lips and whispered, "What terrible weather."


    She moved away from the window, her bare feet echoing faintly on the wooden floor in the quiet room. Slowly, she reached her makeshift bed, a couple of sheets spread on the floor, with a stack of books on top of it. All the books had different titles, but they served the same purpose.


    "The first steps in crime analysis are to¡­" she murmured to herself, trying to recall what she had studied so far.


    Suddenly, she heard a few noises from outside, which soon turned into the sound of two¡­ no, three people chatting. A faint smile appeared on her face as the lamp flickered, then restored its brightness. The woman, Hana, sighed and rested her hand on her chest, saying, "Finally¡­ they fixed it."


    But just as she said that the light in the room went out again, making her curse loudly. She spread her hands over the bed sheets, searching for her phone. Not finding it, Hana cursed once more, but this time, her heart began to race unnaturally, and her breathing quickened.


    "P-please, where¡­ are you?" she whispered desperately, her voice trembling with fear. Unable to find her phone, Hana got up, breathing shakily, and ran to where the door was, gripping the handle tightly. She didn''t understand why her body was reacting this way; she didn''t even remember having a fear of the dark. All she knew at that moment was that she needed to find some light.


    Feeling the door handle shake, Hana''s sister, Jenna, opened the door, only to see Hana''s wide eyes and heavy breathing.


    "H-Hana? What''s wrong?" Jenna asked.


    Hana collapsed weakly into her sister''s arms, whispering "lights" over and over like a broken record. Seeing her sister''s state, the man standing beside Jenna¡ªher husband, Ryo¡ªtook out his phone and turned on the flashlight.


    "Take a deep breath. You''re okay now," Jenna said, placing her palm on Hana''s cheek cold cheeks. Looking into her sister''s brown eyes, Hana''s heartbeat slowly began to regulate. With a deep breath, her blurred vision cleared, and so did her mind.


    "Are you alright?" Ryo asked with concern.


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    Hana nodded in response, and Jenna helped her stand up again before embracing her, assuring her that everything was okay and that no one was going to hurt her. Hana didn''t know how to react to her sister''s touch or the emotion in her voice, which trembled as if she were trying to hide something.


    But Hana wasn''t ignorant of what had happened to her five years ago. Though it had been a long time, the scars on her body and the people around her were constant reminders. She remembered waking up in a hospital room, her body covered in burn marks and wounds. What disturbed her most was that she couldn''t remember how it had happened or why she was missing three years of her memory.


    It was strange¡­ everything in the town and the people around her seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.


    " yuto see sleepy, can you take him to bed ?" Jenna told her husband, Ryo, while she stayed in Hana''s room for the night. As Ryo handed his phone to Jenna, at the moment Jenna heard her sister chuckle darkly, saying, "Babysitting me now? I''m fine. I just couldn''t find my phone, so I panicked."


    Rolling her eyes, Jenna pulled Hana into the pitch-dark room. When another lightning flashed, Jenna jumped in fear. Blinking a few times, Hana giggled at her sister''s reaction. Pretending nothing had happened, Jenna and Hana lay down on the sheets, back-to-back, close enough to feel each other''s body heat. They remained silent.


    "Hana? Are you awake?"


    Although Hana was almost dozing off, she answered her sister''s question.


    "Hmm, yeah¡­"


    There was a brief silence before Jenna rested her head on the palm of her hand and said, "Actually¡­ there''s something I want to talk about."


    Groaning at the worried tone in her sister''s voice, Hana knew what was coming. Shifting away slightly, she replied, "It''s 2 a.m., Jenna. I''m sure¡­"


    "It''s about Miss Yuna, your psychiatrist."


    Although Hana didn''t like how Jenna cut her off, she still answered plainly, "What about her?"


    "She told me about your application to work."


    "That she approved¡­ I told you I''m fine. I don''t know why you think I''m lying," Hana said with a shrug, not understanding why they were having this conversation now. Just talking about it irritated her.


    "But¡­ today¡­"


    "You can''t be serious, Jenna! Are you saying I''m not mentally stable enough to work?" Hana yelled, clenching her fists half laying, anger boiling within her. Seeing this, Jenna yelled back.


    "What?! No¡­ I''m just worried about you."


    "Maybe you should focus all of your worries on our sick mother''s condition¡­ Isn''t that why we came here in the first place?"


    "You¡­"


    Suddenly, the light came back on, making both of them cover their eyes in pain. Rubbing her eyes, Jenna''s expression turned gloomy.


    "I''m sorry¡­ it''s just, I miss the time when you told me everything about your life¡­ Now¡­ we barely talk¡­" Lowering herself back down, Hana lay silently without comforting her sister or saying a word, leaving Jenna in a dilemma.


    Gradually, the room fell silent again, the only difference being the strong light coming from the bulb. With her surroundings becoming clear, Hana closed her eyes and fell asleep. That night, she had a strange dream of an unfamiliar girl wearing shrine maiden clothes standing far away. Slowly, the girl pointed at the mountain behind the shrine, which Hana had seen before. the maiden opened her mouth and said something. Strangely, Hana couldn''t hear what she said. Then her dream collapsed into nothingness.


    The next morning, when the sun rose, Hana found herself being shaken awake by her sister''s son, Yuto, telling her to get up. Nodding at him, Hana dragged herself to wash up and get dressed because today would be her first day at work. Honestly, she felt kind of lucky to have found this job.


    "Never thought I''d be working directly with the police," she murmured. Looking in the mirror one more time, she was satisfied with her outfit¡ªa black suit paired with a small brown bag. Although Hana was excited to be a part of something new and fresh, unlike her unknown past¡­ sometimes, deep inside her heart, fear took over¡­ knowing that she might meet or learn something about those forgotten memories.


    At that moment, Hana vowed to herself to remain unchained by them.


    Before exiting her room, her eyes fell on an odd, half-broken Japanese-style fox mask lying in the corner of the room''s window.


    "I don''t remember seeing this mask," she thought, turning to take a closer look. Just then, she heard Yuto''s voice calling out that they were going to be late. Shrugging, she decided to check it out later when she returned.


    In hurried steps, Hana shut the room door and moved downstairs, unaware of the sound of something shattering inside her room.

 d茅j脿 vu

    When they all piled into Ryo''s small truck, the engine rumbled to life, and soon they were cruising along the newly paved roads of Harushima Town. The town was known for its distinct yet beautiful contrasts¡ªweather that swung from the soft, salty breezes of its western beaches to the thick, heavy mists clinging to the uphill mountains in the south. Its architecture mirrored this duality, blending traditional Japanese houses with the clean lines of modern homes, like city dwellings transplanted to a place with more stories to tell.


    As the truck turned right onto the main road that stitched both sides of the town together, Hana rolled down the window. The cool, fresh air rushed in, lifting her hair and making Yuto, perched on her lap, squeal with delight. His small giggles were infectious, and before she knew it, Hana was laughing too. Jenna, seated beside them, couldn''t help but smile at the sight¡ªa rare softness breaking through the usual tension in her face.


    *How nice this is,* she thought.


    "So, Hana," Ryo began, his tone teasing but with a hint of genuine curiosity, "are you really going to be working side by side with those detectives, like in the movies?" His eyes stayed on the road, but Jenna noticed Yuto trying to stick his face further out of the window, savoring the wind. She reached over and lightly tapped his back, pulling him back by his jacket. Hana chuckled before answering.


    "Of course not. Mostly, I''ll just be creating profiles of criminals'' mental states to help them catch them early," she replied, her tone calm but with a touch of pride.


    "Oh, so nothing dangerous... That''s good," Ryo nodded, but his voice was laced with something between relief and sarcasm. Hana then noticed Yuto quietly glaring up at her, his young eyes sharp and questioning.


    "What is it, Yuto?" she asked.


    "Mom said you do what Aunt Yuna does... but... Aunt Yuna doesn''t work with the police," he said, his voice small but clear, piercing through the adult conversation.


    Caught off guard by his observation, Hana paused for a moment, then softened her voice. "Actually, I said I took Yuna as my role model. During our sessions, I felt like I could let all the mess in my mind flow out, and I thought¡ªthis is what I want to do. Help people in a way that''s similar, but different. That''s how I describe it. Oh, remember when you wanted to be a doctor so you could help Grandma get better?"


    Yuto nodded slowly, his eyes wide and still filled with questions.


    "But," Hana continued, "you could also be a driver, a baker, a pilot¡ªanything you want¡ªand still make money to help."


    Ryo and Jenna exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised in disbelief at Hana''s unexpectedly practical, if not slightly offbeat, answer.


    "What?" Hana asked, feigning innocence.


    "Remind me never to leave you alone with my son," Ryo muttered, his tone half-joking but his lips tight with disapproval.


    "Does Yuna know?" Jenna asked, steering the conversation in another direction, her voice low.


    "What?... No, it''d be awkward to say it out loud."


    "I think she''d like it," Jenna mused aloud.


    ''I doubt that,'' Hana thought, her lips tightening.


    The truck finally reached the southern side of town, where the air seemed heavier, filled with the scent of pine and history. Here, the traditional houses huddled closer together, casting long shadows under the looming mountains.


    "Show me the map again," Ryo said, pulling Hana from her thoughts.


    She took out her phone and pointed to where they needed to go. Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of a gray building where a line of young police officers stood, saluting a raised flag with nervous energy.


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    "They look like they''re newly graduated," Ryo observed lazily.


    "How did you know that?" Hana asked.


    "Well, can''t you see those officers at the entrance laughing and pointing at them?" he replied, shrugging as if the answer were obvious.


    Jenna scoffed at his simple logic, but Ryo just shrugged again, his expression innocent. She gave Yuto a quick kiss on the cheek, placed her hand on the door handle, and stepped down onto the pavement.


    As she adjusted her pants, she heard Ryo and Jenna wish her good luck and remind her to finish before the sun dipped below the horizon so she could catch the last bus.


    "Alright,... drive safely," she waved them off.


    Hana took a deep breath and approached the gray building with "Police Station" emblazoned in large, bold letters. Just as she was about to enter, her steps slowed. An eerie sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu washed over her, making her heart skip a beat. Her eyes darted up to the looming mountain behind the station, and she shivered.


    *Wasn''t this mountain... the same one from my dream?* she wondered, her stomach tightening. The unsettling thought clung to her like a shadow, but there was no one around to share it with, no one to confirm her fears. For now, she pushed it aside, crossed the street, and walked through the glass doors of the police station.


    Inside, the station was a chaotic mess of noise and tension. People were shouting, a few were handcuffed and being dragged away, while others hurled curses at each other.


    "He pulled me by the hair, then touched me, officer!" a woman wearing a skin-tight, off-shoulder dress shrieked, pointing dramatically at the man beside her.


    "What? That''s a lie, officer! I only told her to cover up more," the man barked back, slamming his palm on his thigh.


    Behind the desk, an officer sighed deeply, rubbing the space between his eyebrows, clearly regretting his career choices. "So... you came here to file a complaint about him pulling your hair?" he asked, his tone barely masking his exasperation.


    The woman nodded with confidence, oblivious to the officer''s irritation. Hana bit her lip, inching away from the brewing drama.


    The officer''s patience snapped as he typed furiously into his computer. "On the 24th of March, you complained about a co-worker harassing you, which turned out to be your boyfriend. Then you filed a complaint against the officer questioning you, which we rejected for lack of evidence. And now you''re here to file another complaint... against your brother-in-law for assaulting you?"


    A collective gasp swept through the station. The room fell into a hushed murmur.


    "I don''t see why you''re bringing all of this up. I''m here because this man is harassing me!" the woman insisted, ignoring the judgmental stares from everyone around her. The officer''s patience had worn thin; when he asked for evidence, the woman erupted into a fit of rage and stormed out of the building, tears streaming down her face.


    "They just love attention, don''t they?" the officer murmured, rolling his eyes.


    "How disgusting," Hana whispered under her breath.


    Amused, the officer chuckled but stopped when he noticed Hana standing there, holding a letter.


    "...Not another one," he muttered, clearly unimpressed.


    Clutching the letter tighter, Hana forced a polite smile, undeterred by his rude demeanor. "I''m here for my CA program."


    "C... what program? Do we even have something like that?" he mumbled, taking the letter lazily. "Look, this isn''t the kind of place for women like you. You''ll probably quit after a few days."


    "I''m a psychology student, officer," she replied, her tone firm but calm.


    "Psychology? Are you sure you''re in the right place?... Wait... Detective Nathan Hemirgi... oh, that psycho. Now it makes sense..." The officer''s demeanor shifted to one of mild relief. "Take the elevator to the second floor. Finally, someone who''ll keep him busy," he muttered to himself.


    ''What an asshole,'' Hana thought but nodded and headed for the elevator. When she stepped out on the second floor, she found herself in a quieter waiting area with rows of chairs along the walls. A woman at a desk was speaking into a phone, surrounded by piles of papers.


    The woman glanced up as Hana approached, then told the person on the phone to hold on. "Hello, how can I help you?"


    "I''m here for the new criminal analysis program with Detective Nathan Hemirgi."


    "Oh... Just a moment, please." She put the phone down, spoke briefly to someone on the line, and then motioned for Hana to follow her to a door on the left.


    "It''s unusual for him to waste his time on someone," the receptionist said, a bit too casually, as she twisted the door handle. Her words carried an edge, like she was hinting at something.


    "If you''re that curious, shouldn''t you ask him?" Hana shot back.


    "Maybe I will."


    Hana almost rolled her eyes. *Great. Another one.* She began to question if coming here was a good idea.


    The door opened to a room where three people sat behind desks. Unlike the chaos downstairs, this place was quiet. The only sound was the rhythmic tapping of keys. One woman, in her late twenties with a bob haircut, glanced up, her gaze briefly meeting Hana''s.


    The receptionist stopped in front of a small gray desk where a man was lounging in his chair, a book titled "How to Cook Asian Cuisine: Dummies Edition" covering his face. Hana''s eyes went to the nameplate: "Detective Nathan Hemirgi."


    "Detective Nathan, Miss Hana is here," the receptionist announced


    His slender fingers gracefully sliding the cover down to reveal his face. Hana''s eyes widened, not because of his striking features but because of his eyes¡ªan intense forest green. Under the harsh fluorescent lights of the room, his eyes seemed to shift, becoming two shades lighter, a hue that hinted at mixed heritage. She suddenly realized he wasn''t fully Asian.


    Nathan leaned forward, stretching in his chair with a lazy yawn, his movement slow and deliberate. He nodded at the receptionist, who, for reasons Hana couldn''t quite place, seemed to blush under his gaze.


    "Please, take a seat, Hana," Nathan said, his voice measured and unremarkable, yet carrying an underlying note of authority. The receptionist quickly bowed and hurried out, leaving Hana and Nathan in a sudden, charged silence.


    For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Hana could sense the weight of his gaze assessing her, as if he were peeling back layers to see what she was really made of. She fought the urge to look away, keeping her expression neutral, though her heart began to beat a bit faster. She wasn''t sure if it was from the unsettling d¨¦j¨¤ vu of the mountain outside or the intensity radiating from the man before her.


    Nathan finally broke the silence. "You look like you''re having second thoughts." His lips curved slightly, but it wasn''t quite a smile. "Don''t worry; everyone does when they first get here."


    Hana straightened her posture, forcing herself to breathe evenly. "I''m not most people, Detective."


    Nathan''s eyes flickered with amusement¡ªor was it curiosity? "We''ll see about that."


    The tension in the room was palpable, the air heavy with unspoken challenges. Hana knew then that whatever this experience would be, it wouldn''t be simple, and she wasn''t sure if that excited or terrified her.