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"It didn't feel like dying."

Taeyeon shifted on the chair cushion and smiled a little when it squeaked, blinking her eyes as she stared at the lone slice of cake on the plate in front of her. It was chocolate flavored with a piece of strawberry sitting on the top.

"It was just quiet... and really calm," she continued, wetting her lips as she furrowed her eyebrows, eyes staring blankly on the table.

"People always thought dying was scary, but it wasn't. It was dark at first but then it became bright. And I never thought I was dead. I felt more like... lost."

When Taeyeon looked up, her face scrunched at the slight pain that shot from her neck up to her head, suddenly aware of the healed stitches on her nape that stretched until the back of her left ear. It felt uncomfortable but she was getting used to it bit by bit.

"I think the scariest thing was having people tell you that you were dead, that you already died. Seeing them look at you like you weren't supposed to be alive is..."

Taeyeon paused. The journalist in front of her continued to write on her small notepad, mirroring her furrowed eyebrows. She could hear the furious scribbling as she waited for her to finish.

Their eyes finally met and Taeyeon continued. "It's... disheartening."

She continued to talk about the things she remembered—the accident, the confusion and panic she felt when she woke up on a cold metal bed, and in pain.

A few more words and the final period was added. Standing abruptly, the journalist shook her hand briefly before bidding her a quick goodbye, walking out the door without giving her a second look.

Taeyeon sighed. She was getting tired.

-----

They said death could make you realize a lot of things, and at some point it was true—but for Taeyeon everything just stayed as it is.

A few months ago she woke up in a hospital morgue, laying on a cold metal bed covered in a white sheet that smelled heavily of alcohol and rust. Her head throbbed and she instantly felt the absence of her hair the moment she touched the skin at the back of her ear. She sat up with difficulty, confused as to why all her limbs were sore. But before she could remember anything, the sound of a metal tray hitting the floor caught her attention, and she found herself face to face with a girl in scrubs, the latter looking like she had seen a ghost.

Her story ran in the local newspapers and TV news for a while. 'A miracle,' a lot of them said, retelling the story of a woman who came back to life after being dead for an hour.

A day never went by without her receiving a call for an interview, and even when she was still recovering, she accommodated them all.

But then it all died down eventually, and now she was back to living her dull, quiet life.

-----

Every once in a while she would still get calls from journalists, but unlike the first few times, she had finally learned to reject them.

'There's nothing else to tell,' she would say, 'Everything I could remember I already told everyone.'

Some backed off instantly, but some were really persistent, like the one she had just met at the small cafe near her office. It's always the budding reporters, she thought, probably looking for that one great story.

Taeyeon chuckled to herself. There was nothing great about her.

Nothing had really changed; she was back to her old life. She was still the same boring 8-5 employee who owned a black puppy and had zero social life.

Except probably now she had newly grown, healthier hair.

"Excuse me..."

The tap on her shoulder made her remember where she was. She gripped on the bus' safety pole tightly, blinking her thoughts away before turning around.

A wave of familiarity hit Taeyeon when she was greeted by a cheerful smile.

"Oh my god, hi! It is you!"

"Hello," she managed to greet back, a bit surprised. It was the girl in the morgue, Taeyeon remembered, the first person she saw when she woke up.

"You look really great!" The girl exclaimed, looking at her from head to toe. "The last time I saw you, you were—"

"Dead?"

The girl giggled. "Nooooo," she drawled, "Bald. And ."

Taeyeon chuckled, embarrassed. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the scar on her skin. "I have hair now. And clothes."

"Yeah, I can see that," the girl smiled as she touched the sleeve of Taeyeon's jacket before pulling lightly on the tips of her short blonde hair. "I like your hair. It suits you."

"T-Thanks. Anything other than bald, I guess."

The girl giggled again and Taeyeon couldn't help but smile.

"I didn't think you'd recognize me. With the hair and all."

The girl's eyes lit up as her jaw dropped a little. "Are you kidding me?" She said, disbelief written all over her pretty face. "You left such a huge impression on me, I don't think I'll ever forget you."

Taeyeon grimaced at the memory of the girl almost fainting when she got up from the metal bed to approach her.

"I'm really sorry about that. I must have given you the shock of your life."

"Yeah, it's not everyday that I get to see someone come back after being gone for that long. Don't apologize though, I'm glad you're okay. How are you?"

"Well," Taeyeon gestured towards herself, "Alive."

The girl's eyebrow cocked in mock accusation. "Are you sure?"

She grinned as she nodded.

"I'm happy that you are. Not everyone gets a second chance."

The bus suddenly stopped and Taeyeon felt a slight squeeze on her arm.

"Well, this is my stop. It's nice talking to you. See you around, Zombie Girl!"

With a smile and a cheerful wave, she watched the girl in scrubs step off the bus while the people poured in.

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