I had heard the rumors about the house at the end of the street. Rumors of a haunted abandoned house that stood alone on the hill just down the street were all anyone could talk about especially when Halloween came around.

This Halloween came and went by in a blur as I watched people attempt to walk near the haunted house only to run away in fear as soon as they walked up to the door.

Here I currently was, standing on the porch of this haunted house knocking as if someone would let me in. The house had been severely run down due to no maintenance and when I found myself letting out a disappointing sigh, the door slowly opened as if it had been expecting me.

My heart began pounding in my chest, and I knew this probably wasn’t the best idea but my feet began moving on their own and soon I found myself standing in the entrance.

I looked around and saw not a single person only furniture covered up by stained white sheets and dusty floors with only my shoeprints.

The floor creaked with every step I made as I slowly made my way up the stairs. The sound of a person at the end of the hallway had me tensing up in fear as I bit my lip and slowly made my way down the hall.

A faint glow from under the door had me slowly opening it in curiosity as I poked my head inside the small room.

I let out a small gasp as I saw a young male standing in the room with his back facing towards me.

“E-excuse me.” I whispered as I watched the male tense up for a moment before he relaxed and turned to face me with a look of shock and surprise on his face.

“You can see me?” The young male asked in surprise.

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be able to?” I asked him in confusion.

“Because I’m a ghost. You’re the first person in years that’s been able to see me.” The male replied.

“Are you sure? You seem very real to me.” I mumbled.

“Of course I’m sure. You’re weird. Why aren’t you running away from me in fear like all the others?” He asked me in a saddened voice.

“Well my family is heavily into the paranormal scene so these kinds of things don’t really bother me.” I replied with a shrug.

“Interesting. Can I ask you what your name is?” The male questioned.

“I’m Daehyun. Jung Daehyun.” I stated as I extended my hand out for him to take.

“Nice to meet you, Daehyun. I’m Yoo Youngjae.” The male stated as he stretched out his hand for me.

Youngjae’s hand felt cold in my own and it was true that I could feel no sign of real life from him.

“Can I ask you how you died? I’m sorry if that’s too personal.” I whispered as I bit my lip shyly.

“It’s okay. You’re the first person I’ve been able to talk to in years so I don’t mind sharing my life story if that’s what you’d like. It’s been about four years now since I died. My parents, myself, and my brother were headed to my brother’s basketball game when a drunk driver slammed into our car right into my side. We were all rushed to the hospital. My family survived the accident with only a few broken bones but the impact killed me almost instantly. The doctor said I was already more fragile to begin with and there were no chances of survival for me. When I first opened my eyes I was staring at my family crying in my bedroom. I tried calling out to them but they didn’t hear me and when I tried to touch them that’s when I realized I didn’t survive the crash. The pain of losing me was too great so they abandoned this house and left all of their belongings behind including all of my stuff. They’ve never been back to this house since then. I don’t know what happened to them or how they’re doing. I can’t leave this house.” Youngjae stated sadly as he stared at the floor.

“What do you mean you can’t leave this house?” I questioned.

“The house won’t let me leave. Every-time I try to walk out the door it’s like some unknown force puts up an invisible wall and blocks me from leaving this house.” Youngjae informed me.

“That’s interesting. I’ve never heard of that happening before. I’ll have to ask my parents about that if it’s okay with you.” I asked Youngjae.

“Sure. You can bring them over if you want to. If they can help me even a little bit then I’d really appreciate it.” Youngjae smiled briefly.

“Of course. My parents are experts in this sort of thing so if they can’t help then nobody can. I’ll try to bring them over tomorrow.” I stated happily.

“That would be great. Thank you, Daehyun.” Youngjae replied as he smiled at me.

I felt my heart do this weird little thump in my chest as I stared at Youngjae. His smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’ll explain everything to my parents tonight and bring them over tomorrow since it’s Saturday.” I explained.

“That would be great. Have a good night Daehyun.” Youngjae replied.

“You too, Youngjae. We’ll find a way. I’m sure of it.” I whispered as I walked away from him.

I hope you can save me, Daehyun.

Just as I promised, I brought my parents to meet Youngjae the next day.

“Oh Daehyun! You didn’t tell me that Youngjae is so cute and adorable. We have a cute little ghost here.” My mom stated as she cooed at Youngjae and pinched his cheeks.

I heard an annoyed yet happy groan coming from Youngjae as he put up with the annoyance of my mom.

“Mom. I don’t think it’s very nice to annoy ghosts.” I reminded her as she cast a dirty glare at me.

“Youngjae may be a ghost but that doesn’t mean he still can’t get a mother’s love. He’s been alone for years in this house so he needs lots of love and motherly affection.” My mother scolded me in a soft tone.

“It’s no problem Mrs. Jung. Your son has done more than enough for me already.” Youngjae chimed in as he looked at me.

“Of course he has. He’s a good son.” My father spoke as he continued to look around the house before he walked over to my mother and whispered something to her.

“Youngjae, would you mind trying to walk out of the door for us.” My mother stated as Youngjae nodded.

My parents walked out of the house and into the yard as they watched Youngjae try to exit. From my view it looked as if an invisible wall had indeed prevented him from moving any further.

I watched my parents mumble to one another before they entered the house once more.

“This is very specific. The barrier of sorts won’t let you walk out onto the front porch. I suppose you didn’t spend much time outside when you were alive?” My father questioned.

“No sir. I spent my time indoors here or at the local library studying.” Youngjae replied.

“I see. Would you mind giving us a brief history of yourself?” My father asked Youngjae.

“Sure. Well I lived a quiet life. Didn’t socialize very much except with my family. I mostly kept to myself and spent each day studying. I had very few friends and I always stayed indoors. I did visit the coffee shop down the street when I went to the library for studying. I had the top scores in the entire school and right before I passed on I had taken an entrance exam for the top university here.” Youngjae briefly explained.

“Did you ever find out if you were accepted into that university, Youngjae?” My mother quickly asked.

“No mam. My parents were going to open the letter but couldn’t bear to do it so they kept it hidden away in their room.” Youngjae sighed.

“Is the letter still there?”

“No. My parents took it with them when they left this house.” Youngjae frowned.

“I see. Well now we know why you can’t leave this house. You need to see that letter in order to have closure and be able to move on to where you need to go.” My father nodded as he rubbed his chin in thought.

“That actually makes sense, Youngjae. You never knew if you got accepted and since you studied a lot you need an answer to know if that hard work paid off or it.” I said happily as I looked at a smiling Youngjae.

“This could actually work. I’ll finally be able to be free, Daehyun.” Youngjae said happily as he smiled at me.

“If this works then you know what will happen, Daehyun.” My father reminded me in a soft voice.

“What do you mean Mr. Jung?” Youngjae asked.

“He means that you won’t be able to see Daehyun anymore. You’ll be able to move on to where you need to go and you two won’t see each other. There’s also a chance that all three of us will forget you ever existed. If we came across your name in an old magazine or yearbook then we won’t even recognize you. Each case is different but these are the risks you take. If you are ready to leave this world then we’ll help you Youngjae but you need to really think hard about this first. I can tell that you and my son have already formed a bond with each other and it would be a shame to see it end so soon.” My mother said as she walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder.

“You’re right. I’m not one to be selfish so may I ask for these next two weeks. After these two weeks I’ll make my peace and then leave this world. I don’t want to go now that I have a friend. That would be selfish on my part.” Youngjae explained as his eyes moved towards my direction.

“A wise choice. You two can spend as much time together as you’d like and we’ll search for your family and that letter. Hopefully your parents will understand the situation and agree to help us.” My father stated.

“They should be. My mom is a er for these kinds of things and my father is stubborn but he’ll come around with some convincing.” Youngjae stated.

“We’ll make it work. We know how to handle these kinds of situations.” My mother stated.

“Exactly. Well it’s time for us to leave now. Daehyun, come home whenever you want to. You don’t have a curfew for these next two weeks so stay here as long as you’d like. Just make sure to come home every now and then.” My father said as he took my mother’s hand in his and walked out of the house.

Youngjae just looked at me with a smile on his face.

“I really like your parents. They are so cool.” Youngjae exclaimed.

“I know. They’re the coolest people I know. So what do you want to do now?” I asked him.

“I’m not sure. I can’t really do much as a ghost since nobody can see me.” Youngjae pouted.

“We can scare some people. Want to flap the curtains to scare people?” I questioned with a snicker.

“Let’s do it!” Youngjae shouted happily.

Eight days had already passed by much faster than I had imagined and in this short amount of time youngjae and I had become the best of friends.

“I’ve never had my first kiss before.” Youngjae whispered as we sat across from each other in the floor of his bedroom.

“Really? I had mine when I was seven. This girl with pigtails just walked up to me and kissed me on the lips and then ran off giggling. I didn’t know her and I never saw her again.” I replied.

“Girls are weird.” Youngjae stated.

“Yeah. Tell me about it. There’s this girl in my class that likes me but every-time she approaches me she ends up running away.” I mumbled.

“Wow. She must be really shy then.”

“I guess so but I don’t like her that way. I don’t really like any of the girls at my school.” I stated as I shyly bit my lip.

“Oh? Who do you like then?” Youngjae asked me curiously.

“I’m not really sure. I haven’t really liked anyone before so I don’t really know what it feels like.” I shrugged.

“Wow! You’ve never liked anyone before? I liked this girl in my class since first grade but she never noticed me. She only liked rich boys and I wasn’t the person she wanted.” Youngjae sighed.

“So what does it feel like then when you like someone?”

“Well your heart thumps weirdly and your palms get sweaty. Your mouth feels all dry and you get super nervous around the person. You also get all of your words mixed up when you do talk to the person.”

“Really? Wow! That sounds terrible. Why would you want to like a person then?” I questioned him.

“Because of the way they might treat you. The person could always be there checking up on you to make sure you’re okay. They could take care of you if you’re sick or hurt. They could give you love and compliments. They could cook for you and buy you presents. They could tell you how much they love you. They could spoil you and treat you right. They could be cute and adorable with you. That’s why you want to like someone.”

“That sounds nice but what if the person turns out to be awful?”

“Then why would you want to be with someone like that?”

“Good point. Now it makes me want to like someone.” I chuckled.

“Good luck with that. It would take a miracle for you to like someone at this rate.” Youngjae teased me.

“Jae, that’s not funny!” I yelled out as I playfully punched him in the arm.

Youngjae just laughed as he continued to look at me with his chocolate colored eyes and before I knew it I found myself drawing closer towards him.

I closed my eyes slowly as I felt our lips pressed against one another. His lips felt cold against my warm ones and I felt his cold touch press to my cheek as our lips moved against each other in sync.

I was the first one to pull away as I opened my eyes and looked into Youngjae’s.

“This is bad.” I whispered.

“Was I that bad?” Youngjae frowned.

“No! You were amazing. Better than I could have dreamed. I just meant that you’re leaving in less than a week and we’ll never see each other again.” I sighed as I fell backwards and felt the carpet rub against my back.

“I know. I don’t want to leave you now or all of this after everything that’s happened but I feel like I have to. I don’t think I was meant to be here this long anyway. I can’t leave you now but I know I have to.” Youngjae whispered as he fell back beside me and looked me in my eyes.

“Do you think I’ll remember you after you’re gone?”

“I really hope so.”

“I think I will. I mean after what just happened there’s no way I’ll ever forget you now. If I do happen to forget you then will you give me something to remember you by?” I asked him.

“Okay. I’m not sure what to give you though.” Youngjae whispered into the night air.

“Well I know you’ll think of something. Just give it to me before you leave.” I whispered back as I took hold of his hand and threaded our fingers together.

“I wish we could’ve met when I was alive. When I do leave could you do me a favor?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“Could you look after my family for me when I leave? I just want to make sure that they’ll be alright when I’m really gone, and I also want you to move on with your life and become successful. You should go to university Daehyun and major in music. Your voice shouldn’t be wasted.”

“Okay. This is my promise to you my Yoo Youngjae. I will live my life to the fullest and follow my dreams. I will also look after your family to the best of my abilities. This is my promise to you.” I stated as if I were quoting a page from a book.

Youngjae smiled and squeezed my hand in silence as he continued to look at me.

The butterflies in my stomach didn’t go away as we continued to look at each other.

The dreaded day for Youngjae to leave this world had finally come, and I could do nothing but stare at my own two feet in silence.

“Sorry we’re late boys but we have some very interesting news to share with the both of you.” My mother stated happily as she walked through the door with my father.

“What is it?” I questioned as I looked at my parents.

“Well we did some research and it turns out that Youngjae isn’t a ghost. He’s in a void right now. It turns out that his body has been in a coma for several years due to the accident and his spirit rests here since it’s his childhood home.” My father explained as he pulled out an envelope from his coat.

“So I’m not actually dead then? But my parents said I was dead when they came home. Why would they lie then?” Youngjae questioned as he looked at us in confusion.

“Due to the extent of the accident and your coma they felt as if you would never wake up. When we spoke with your parents it seemed they had given up hope on your return. These things can happen sometimes when a person enters a coma, but the person must have something preventing them from returning or moving on in order to roam around as a spirit. However, the chance of us not remembering you after your leave will still remain.”

“Do you think I’ll wake up from my coma when I read my letter?” Youngjae hesitantly asked.

“Perhaps but that choice is up to you. If you wish to return to our world then you will. We left you a note on the table beside your body at the local hospital so you’ll know what to do if you wake up. I wish you well Youngjae and I hope you will return to us one day soon.” My father spoke as he reached out to shake Youngjae’s hand before handing him the envelope.

“My darling Youngjae you will always be welcome in our home and our hearts. I hope to see you again here very soon. Make sure you take care of yourself when you wake up.” My mother whispered as she gave him a brief hug.

Youngjae turned to look at me and I merely nodded in response as he opened up the letter and carefully read over it.

“What does it say, Jae?” I asked in curiosity.

“It says that I’ve been accepted. I made it in.” Youngjae replied in shock as he smiled at me.

My parents expressed their happiness as I pulled Youngjae into a tight embrace.

“I’m so proud of you, Jae. I love you.” I whispered in his ear as I lightly kissed his cheek.

In that moment I could feel a strange kind of warmth emitting from Youngjae and as I pulled away from him I could see his body becoming transparent and slowly begin to fade away.

Youngjae smiled at me and tried to say something but I couldn’t hear his voice. A slight look of panic crossed his face as he reached into his jacket and quickly handed me a letter.

I looked over at my parents who stood side by side holding hands and watching with tears in their eyes as Youngjae slowly began to fade away.

When I turned to look away from my parents I was greeted by nothing but an empty space. I glanced over at my parents and saw them wiping tears from their eyes.

Why had my parents been crying in the first place and why were we in that abandoned house at the end of the street?

I lifted up my hand to see a letter addressed to me with no sender written on it. I quickly tore open the envelope and pulled out what looked like a letter.

Dear Daehyun,

I’m really bad at these kinds of things so I want to apologize now. I want to thank you for these past two weeks. Those were the best two weeks of my life, and I wouldn’t trade that time for anything. I’m sorry I have to leave you behind. I know that you and I will see each other again one day even if it’s in your dreams. I hope you don’t forget about me and even if you do then I hope this letter will remind you. I’m sorry I can’t stay but I’ve already been here longer than I should have. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you behind.

I love you, and I’ve been in love with you since the very first day you stepped into this abandoned house that I used to call my home.

Forever yours,

Yoo Youngjae

A/N: I always try to make my stories short, but they always seem to get longer each time I write. There will be a sequel to this story so be on the look out for that. Comments and subscribers will alwys be welcome here. Thank you! ^_^