Paranormal Investigators - Chapter 16: Inheritance

[swallowtt]

            "I've gathered all of you in the office because a new case just came in," Yunho informed his team. 

            "What kind of a case, boss?" Yoochun queried.

            "Mrs. Ruan wants us to investigate their house.  Her husband had been acting strangely ever since they moved into the mansion he inherited from his aunt, who recently passed away.  She thinks that he might be possessed."

            "Possessed?" Junsu asked, looking a bit disturbed.

            "Further investigation is needed to unveil whether it is a spiritual possession or various other causes.  We will be flying to Taiwan the day after tomorrow, so everyone should go pack and be ready to leave by then."

            "Right," his team answered in unison.

            "Since there won't be a private jet to pick us up this time, we're only going to take a few major equipment such as the video and audio recorder, the cameras and the microphones.  We could use our laptops as the monitors.  Any questions?"

            "I have one question," Changmin stated.  "I can't really understand Mandarin.  I only know simple greetings like 'ni hao' and 'xie xie' which are hello and thank you."

            "I know 'wo ai ni'," Yoochun provided as he looked over at Junsu.

            "I don't even have to understand the language to figure out what you just said," Changmin grumbled. 

            "Is that so?"  Yoochun lifted an eyebrow in question.  "What did I say?"

            "I'm not going to say it to you."

            "That's because you don't know."

            "I do know, you flirt."

            "No, you don't," Yoochun continued to tease him. 

            "Aish!  You said 'I love you'," Changmin blurted out.

            "Sorry, my heart already belongs to Junsu.  Should I call Dongwook hyung for you?"

            "Yah!  No one calls him for me.  I could do that myself."

            "Stop teasing him, Yoochun," Yunho ordered.

            "Well, the kid called me a flirt."

            "You are a flirt, Yoochun," Junsu reminded.

            "You're the reason I am one, Junsu."   

            "Yunho hyung, I'm going to my room to download all the data from our gadgets and make space for the new case," Changmin informed.

            "Alright."

            "I'm going to go pack," Junsu announced. 

            "I'll help you," Yoochun offered.

            "I could pack my own things."

            "When you're done, could you help me pack mine?" Yoochun requested.

            Junsu gave Yoochun a look and then answered.  "Fine, you big baby." 

            The two headed upstairs behind Changmin who pouted at the sight of Yunho and Jaejoong smiling at each other.  "There's no love for me," he mumbled to himself.

            "I'll call Dongwook hyung so that you could get some love," Yoochun taunted greasily.

            "Yoochun hyung, I told you that I could call him myself," Changmin repeated.

            "I'm trying to be helpful because you look lonely."

            "I'm not...lonely."

            "Oh, really?"

            "E-Even if I am, I could handle myself."

            "I'm sure you could." 

            "That's not what I meant, you pervert.  You pay attention to your own love life.  I'm going to go get the gadgets ready for the new case."

            "Well, I'm three rooms away if you need me."

            "I would rather go to the room next to mine.  Never mind."  Changmin hurried into his room and shut the door.

            "It appears that there is a love triangle going on here." Yoochun voiced.

            "I don't think it's a love triangle," Junsu uttered.  "Jaejoong hyung appears to like Yunho hyung.  He doesn't see Changmin in the same way.  Poor Changmin."

            "I feel his pain."  Yoochun gazed at Junsu and the lad quickly went to his room to start gathering his clothes into the luggage.

***

            Changmin handed his team their gadgets the day before their flight and updated them on the new sensor which was able to detect a spiritual possession.  Everyone was packed and prepared to leave the following morning.  Their plane arrived in Taiwan two and a half hours later.  Mrs. Ruan picked them up at the airport and surprisingly, she turned out to be much younger than they expected.  The five were impressed by her fluent Korean as well as relieved that they didn't need a translator.  She took them to her favorite restaurant for lunch to introduce them to some Taiwanese food, while giving the investigators details about her husband's condition.

            "My husband, Ethan inherited the mansion from his aunt.  Her spouse died many years ago and she didn't have any children.  Ethan was her only living relative, so he was left with her house.  Ever since we moved in, his entire personality changed.  He talks to me like I'm a child and addresses me as Ya Tou, which means little girl in Mandarin.  He refuses to share the same bed with me and moved into the room across the hall.  He won't step foot out of the property, as though there is a barrier keeping him inside.  He dresses differently, combs his hair differently and walks differently.  He even smokes cigars from a pipe, and Ethan isn't a smoker.  I think a ghost living in the house took over his body.  Please help me get my husband back."

            "We'll do our best, Mrs. Ruan," Yunho assured.

            "You could call me Ariel."

            "Ariel-sshi."

***

            Ariel drove them home afterwards and they decided to go in to take a look before unloading their belongings from her vehicle.  With their gadgets on their wrists, the team walked in through the double-door entrance with her.  The place was enormous with a traditional interior design.  A large red rug covered the marble floor and at each corner of that entry area stood a giant vase filled with bamboo shoots and peach blossoms.  The walls were decorated with Chinese watercolor paintings; some set in massive golden frames while others hung from scrolls.  The furniture were all made of wooden carvings and the seats had fabric cushioning on them.

            "It's like walking into a picture from a history book," Yoochun commented.

            "How many people are living here, Ariel-sshi?" Changmin asked as he checked the temperature readings on his gadget.

            "Only Ethan and I live here at the moment.  I'm planning on hiring helpers to keep the place orderly."

            "Another big house with too little occupants," Changmin muttered.  "The temperature drop is tremendous."

            "Jaejoong, do you see anything?"

            "Nothing yet, Yunho."

            "I don't sense anything evil," Yunho provided.

            "Nor do I," Yoochun added.

            "Ya Tou, you're finally home," a male voice interrupted them.  "Where have you been the entire afternoon?"

            "Ethan, come over here."  Ariel spoke to her husband in Mandarin.  "I want you to meet a few of my friends.  They are going to stay here with us to do some studies."

            "What kind of studies?" Ethan was curious.

            "They are fascinated by the house and want to take some pictures.  It's nothing much," she made up.

            "Oh, alright.  Just as long as they are careful."

            "They will be," Ariel promised and introduced each of them to Ethan.

            Junsu's eyes widened when he shook Ethan's hand.