Chapter 31
The Phantom Without Shape
The lonely man locks himself in his room, doesn't answer the phone, avoids the news, shuts the door, hangs his head low, and sits motionless in the darkness.
For thirty years, his invisible friend has been by his side. In the past, the whole world went against him, and now his descendants are shunning him, but his only confidant doesn't abandon him. His best friend quietly "talks" to him in the gloomy darkness. He murmurs to himself and asks the "person" who understands him best:
- How can I find the things I have discarded?
JK hears a voice in his ear:
"Humph, you are really miserable!"
JK is not angry about this sarcasm. He needs "someone" to wake him up. Even though that person is just a voice echoing in his mind, he still listens to his invisible friend's advice:
"Tsk, the proud hero JK is as weak as a woman! How disappointing!"
JK smiles bitterly:
- Men only cry for their family!
The invisible person chuckles like crazy:
"Too fragile, don't play tricks on me anymore, it tickles my ears!"
Have you never had a heart?
The invisible person laughs at this melancholy feeling:
"Heart? Ridiculous, my heart has been dead for thirty years! I don't even have a shape, let alone that mass of slimy flesh!"
JK raises his lifeless eyes, as if facing the invisible person:
- My heart died for love, but it can't stop beating for affection! You don't care about affection, you are just a phantom of the past! A phantom without a shape. You are the most miserable person! - JK laughs madly at the bitter tears unfamiliar to him - Miserable to the point of pity!
The invisible person smirks:
"I am the pitiful one, and you are the one who lost everything! Who is more miserable?"
JK suddenly gets angry:
I did lose everything for "who"!? Damn bastard!
The invisible person laughs out loud:
"Tiger, panther, full of murderous aura! This is the proud hero JK! Hehe... calm down, don't hit yourself in the face, it's not fun at all!"
JK gets tired and drives away his confidant:
- I don't want to listen to your nonsense anymore. Get out!
The Invisible person taunts:
"Too bad! Tsk, I was just about to propose a plan, and you raised your voice at me again. Sit alone, autistic!"
JK frantically calls the invisible person and asks for advice. The confidant laughs heh heh:
"You are so pathetic you're muddle-headed already!"
JK interrupts immediately:
Bullshit, speak up!
The invisible person whispers to JK, and he firmly refuses:
- They are my flesh and blood, not a stranger. You still incited me to play that game. Get out, lunatic!
The invisible person is disappointed and sighs:
"Aren't you an expert at bending others to your will? There is no other way, don't hesitate like a woman. I am tired of you being so depressed like a sick chicken. If you procrastinate, big things are just illusory dreams. I am tired of you, be autistic to death!"
The sound disappears as if it had never existed. JK has not been able to see the invisible person, but whenever he has gotten angry, his confidant has left him alone to chew on his chaotic mood. JK has never been perplexed by anything, but now he finds himself in a dilemma because of 'family affection'.
That method is a light to lead the way out of the darkness. The old guy is always circling in that loop. JK wants to find a way out on the thorny road to prove his sincerity. If he can't touch the hearts of his relatives, his soul will be at peace in front of his descendants.
That heart will prove he is human, not a demon.
***
November 7, morning
The reporter yawns and stretches lazily to greet the morning sunshine. These days, except for Sam, who has been a notable character grabbing headlines on the front pages of global newspapers, the media has not been able to hunt for good prey. The members of the track and field team have not been hot enough to get as many views and likes as entertainment stars.
Cooking up news about people who are greedy for fame and fortune will only waste paper and ink, consume film, drain batteries, and burn 5G data to fool kids with too much free time into putting their idols on their heads to worship every day. Gradually, fans are tired of watching their idols come to the hospital for photos and interviews without needing to meet Hoang Kim.
The vultures lazily wander in the cemetery, and a 'rotten corpse' falls from the sky. The corpse stinks more than anything foul, yet from its filth exudes a noble fragrance. Wherever the fragrance of flowers spreads, all other smells there are immediately lost, only the elegant gentleman's fragrance is left, more elegant than the friendly Miss. People look up and inhale the flower fragrance wrapped around the corpse.
Every time the corpse moves, the vultures flap their wings and fly wildly. The crowd of onlookers watches the corpse; it smiles softly at the flock waiting to peck and tear.
The smile wearing a mask conceals the majestic and proud demeanor and buries the soulless appearance. No longer in pain to the point of despair, the radiant mask is ready to receive the greatest joy in life. The vultures fuss:
"Sir, are you here to visit Hoang Kim, dear sir!"
"I see you are very fun! Oh no, happiness is more accurate, what are you so happy about!?"
"Can you tell us, dear sir?"
The corpse pretending to be dead grabs the vulture by the neck and happily announces:
- Yes, thank you for all your care!
The dead body is facing the place where the vultures are most concentrated:
- Hello dear audiences across the country, I am JK, today I am not a media mogul or here to visit a patient, at this fateful moment, I am the happiest person in the world! - Hot tears flow from the corners of the red eyes, and the joy depicted on the mask is more real than genuine emotion - There is no greater joy than the joy of union, there is no greater happiness than family happiness, thirty years of anxious waiting, I have found the lost offspring...
Silence.
A moment of silence fills the air, and then a tumultuous and noisy discussion breaks out. From the media and enthusiastic fans at the scene to the audience across the country, everyone is having a fever about the news that shocks the world. The vultures immediately jump to dissect the dead body:
"Sir, what is this about?"
"We have never heard of your lost offspring. Can you be more specific, sir?"
"What kind of people are your descendants? Entertainment stars, national athletes, singers or movie stars?"
Everyone is silent waiting for the answer. JK laughs at the default thinking path: father and grandfather are powerful, so the descendants are assumed to be famous as well.
- My descendants are just ordinary people.
JK waves goodbye and goes to Luu Ly's room. A tiny person casts a huge shadow that looms over the space. JK halts at the door, irritation spreading like cracks across his face, then he dons a mask of affection and shakes hands with the one blocking his way. JK smiles slightly and glances at the other person who is trying to prevent the anger on a purple-black face twisted crazily.
The enemy does not move, the old guy doesn't want to cause trouble where emotions are needed. If he angers the young buffalo guy, the joy of reunion will turn into a battlefield. JK ignores the hostile attitude. The old guy strides over and hears a voice like a demon:
"I want to smash your face! - The enemy crushes something as small as a mosquito before JK's eyes - but not today!"
JK realizes that the object is a camera chip used to secretly record the Hoang Kim family. He smiles amiably and replies:
"Unfortunately, the one who's in pain is not me!"
JK does not dare to provoke the madman, but the majestic and proud old guy cannot let the young buffalo threaten him.
The other party clenches his fists, restrains the anger that shakes his whole body, and gnashes his teeth until they bleed. The young buffalo guy swallows the hot blood that is about to overflow from his mouth, unwillingly steps aside and lets the devil visit the angel.
Angel is sad that her mother and older sister are absent for such a long time again. She looks up at JK with tears in her eyes, and the little girl squints in doubt:
- Oh, you are JK!?
JK sees that there are only the female doctor and Luu Ly in the room. The old guy raises his lips slightly and smiles evilly, for his former lover is wise but weak. In the end, the crazy mother and the tiger-panther guy son have to swallow their hatred. He is the last one to laugh and feel happiness about the pain of his enemies. That smile blooms brightly beside the pure angel.
- No, I'm not JK, I'm your maternal grandfather!
The angel looks at the devil with round eyes. The female doctor is startled. JK says amiably:
- Please leave the room for a while. I want to talk to my granddaughter privately!
The female doctor hesitates:
- I'm sorry, but I have to take care of Luu Ly in case she suddenly gets sick.
JK is gentle and polite:
- I have been waiting for thirty years. I want to be alone with the dearest person. You can wait outside the room; Luu Ly is sick, and I am the one most worried! Please!
Sam stands outside the door, wishing he could send the devil to hell. Guards are forced to let the devil stay with the angel. If he makes trouble, the angel's wings will break, and his family will be banished to hell forever. Sam does not respond to the female doctor's greetings. He raises his foot and blocks the almost closed door.
The doctor doesn't understand what is going on. Yesterday, Hoang Kim's mother came to receive her relatives, and it is the media tycoon's turn to visit his descendants. A poor family full of orphans and widows suddenly has these world-famous big figures appear as their father, mother, grandpa, and grandma.
She sits down on the chair and squints at Sam, who seems to be trying to suppress his anger. He is furious, his blood is boiling, and his crazy mood is burning, listening to JK perform a family emotional drama:
- Your maternal grandmother used to be my wife, and we were divorced thirty years ago.
Luu Ly asks innocently:
- Oh, why do you break up?
JK smiles gently:
- Both families objected, so we had to break up. Her family forced her to get married, and my parents forced me to take a wife. Your grandmother and I have our own families, and we can't be together again! - The grandfather pats his granddaughter's head - Okay, don't talk about sad stories! You must be happy to overcome your disease!
Luu Ly talks to her relative with a carefree smile. JK has listened attentively, from her childish stories to the sadness of her parents no longer being happy. When talking about her parents, Luu Ly becomes unhappy and bursts into tears.
JK comforts and coaxes her until his granddaughter stops crying. She told him that her father often beat her mother. The little girl suddenly laughs, then suddenly cries, reducing her sadness, and then laughs happily to her grandfather.
- I hate my dad! But my dad goes to work far away, and he asks my mother to tell me that he will make a lot of money to pay off my family's debts and my hospital bills!
After thirty years of joy, anger, love, and hate, JK has never felt at peace. At this moment, her innocent smile and clear eyes make the evil ghost's soul feel serene. But he can't yet apologize to his descendants.
Once his wish is not fulfilled, the devil will not be able to purify his unclean soul. The old guy will be just a distorted phantom without a shape.