Engaged Soul

Jaejin slipped on a pair of baggy jeans, his hair still dripping wet from the shower.

“Oppa!”

“What?”

“Jiwonie called.”

Jaejin nodded to himself and hurried to dry his hair. “What did he say?”

“Wondering if you wanna go chill.”

“Hmm...”

“Oppa!”

“What?” Jaejin shouted, annoyed. Eunjoo can be so aggravating.

“Come look at this.”

“Later!”

“No, now!”

“Eunjoo...I’m butt naked and wet!”

“Never mind.”

Jaejin took his towel and rubbed his hair with it, the water dripping onto his shoulder. He quickly dried the water off his body and hung his towel up to dry. He returned to his room and slipped on a t-shirt, feeling the cool cotton rub against his warm skin. “What is it?”

Eunjoo looked up from the journal. “Look at her. Don’t she look like...”

Jaejin waited for his sister to finish her question but realized she wasn’t going to, he took the journal from her. He glanced at the yellow picture, the corners of it wrinkled and tucked in. He stared hard at it to get a clearer view of the girl’s face, a sudden blow to his mind. He sucked in a gulp of air, the coolness of it filling his mouth.

“You too, huh?” his sister spoke.

“Where’d you find this?” Jaejin flipped through the contents of the journal, the dates of it going back to 1904.

“In your room. I thought it was another sketch book when this picture fell out, then I realized it ain’t. It’s someone’s diary.”

“But...Yoonmi...she didn’t...Lemme put it this way - ”

“How’d you get it?” Eunjoo asked abruptly.

“Huh?”

“How’d you get this? I mean, it couldn’t have just popped out of nowhere.”

“I’ve never even seen this. Not ever in my whole life.”

Eunjoo looked at her brother skeptically.

“I dunno how it got there.”

“It was on your desk.”

“What?”

“When you were taking your shower. I found it there.”

“Did you read it?”

“Was getting to. The pages are so delicate and crispy. I’m afraid to touch it. I thought it would just crumple once I touch it.”

Jaejin turned to the first page of the journal. The name screaming at him. “Oh, my God.” He stared a moment longer and felt the book slip from his hands, tumbling to the floor.

“Oppa! What’s wrong?”

With trembling hands, Jaejin pointed at the brown leather book. “It-It’s...”

Eunjoo jumped out of her chair to pick up the book. She cradled the book in her arms and held it for a while before opening it.

“Eunjoo...that-that - ”

“What?”

Jaejin swallowed hard.

Eunjoo flipped open the cover, not waiting for her brother to tell her.

“That’s Pang Yoonmi’s journal. From 1904.”