Chapter 2

Somehow Jinhye got through that night and was found by the librarian the next morning who was deeply concerned about locking the young girl inside the library all night.

As she made her way home, she couldn’t stop thinking about the voice that comforted her last night, after answering if he was a ghost or not he began to converse with her normally and not even going back onto the topic of ghosts. His voice was very soothing and crisp that for some reason had her placed into a trance like state that left her mind to drop into darkness and fall asleep.

Ten years have passed since that day and Jinhye still remembers it like it only happened yesterday. To be honest she hadn’t gone back to meet the person again as she held a trauma against the library and never wanted to enter it again. What’s more is that the library closed down 2 years ago, so now it just an abandoned building with a potential ghost haunting it.

Jinhyes curiosity never stopped however, she would always read stories online about the paranormal and watch all the paranormal investigation shows. She wanted answers as to what and who that person was that night, and through her research she probably wouldn’t know unless she went and asked herself. She spent the years gaining courage, she had worked all those years to come to the term that there are ghostly entities living in this world and the man in the library was going to be her first investigation.

That night, she packed her bag with necessities, there was no way she was stepping into that library again without having food, water, a torch and a phone. She wanted to be prepared this time. Once she had everything ready she began to head out of her apartment and walk down the street in the dead of night.

As soon she made it to the entrance of the old abandoned library, she took a deep breath and looked through the windows to see nothing but pitch blackness. No matter how you put it, the dark is scary and people who fear it are not afraid just because they can’t see, it’s the fear of the unknown that could be waiting for you in the darkness. Maybe I should go home… what if all of this is probably not even real and just a figment of my imagination due to my sanity completely spazzing out. No! Jinnie! You have spent way to long pondering on the what if’s, it’s time to put your mind at rest and find out the truth once and for all.

With one final deep breath, she cuts though the chain enclosing the door with bolt cutters and heads inside. Her first few steps inside immediately brought back memories of that night, to the point where she could remember where exactly she was taking refuge.

Turning on her torch, the light beams straight ahead of her and she can see what is left of the rundown building. All the books are gone, leaving the skeletons of the bookshelves to fill the space. As she made her way back to the farthest place in the library, she again felt the coolness seep through her clothing. It was getting colder again.  I wonder if he would still be here? I wonder if he would still remember me like I do him.

Jinhye walked forward a few more steps before she came across the familiar wall and secluded corner. This is it.

She basically sat up camp when she sat along the wall, she pulled out a lamp as well as a jumper to keep her warm and just sat there. She didn’t know what she was doing, or what she should do. Everything was very surreal at the moment for her and she began to question why she would put herself through this ordeal again.

“H-hello? Is anybody there” she asked the darkness. This was all she could think of doing.

“Are you there?” she asked one more time, but failed to get a response.

I knew it, he didn’t exist. He was just something my brain made up to calm me down. I feel so stupid.

Dejected and torn Jinhye broke down crying, this time not because she was scared, but because she wasted 10 years of her life believing that the voice in the library existed. The amount of times people called her crazy for believing in such entities was too much to count. Her own family wanted her to see a psychologist because they thought she was messed up in the brain. But Jinhye never took it to heart because she was certain everything was real. Now…she doesn’t know what to think. Ghosts aren’t real?

“Why is it that you are always crying?” came a voice.

Startled, Jinhye jumped up and looked round to see where the voice had come from.

“Hello?” she responded, not knowing if her mind was playing tricks on her.

“Hello Jinhye, it’s been a while” he said. His voice was still smooth and crisp, he really was real and she was over the moon about it.

“I can’t believe you real, it’s been 10 years and your existence still bugged me until today” she spoke.

“Is that so? So it’s been 10 years? I never really know how much time passes in this joint, how old are you now Jinhye?” he asked curiously.

“I turned 21 earlier this year” she replied.

“So now that you know I’m real, what are you going to do about it?” he asked. His question left her stumped. What was she going to do now? She never planned this far ahead.

“I don’t know, maybe find out more about you? I never really got to say goodbye last time”

“Well if you must know, my name is Kim Jongin. I don’t know when or how I came to be like this, my guess is that I died but I don’t know how. My last memory is back in the 60’s, I was conducting an experiment and the next thing I know is that I’m stuck here in this library”

“Wow, the 60’s? that must make you an old grandpa by now” Jinhye jokingly questioned.

“Yeah I guess that does... but I’m still stuck in my 22-year-old form” he informs. Jinhyes eyes widen upon realising how young this person was.

“22? You are quite young to be a scientist, what were you experimenting? You must have mixed the wrong chemicals up or something to end up like this?”

“I was more of a quantum physicist, I was actually ahead of my time, I won numerous awards for my research by the time I was 20” he explained.

“So you’re somewhat of a famous scientist from back in the day? Maybe I could google you or something and see what comes up?”

“What exactly is google, the amount of times I’ve heard that term but don’t know the meaning baffles me”.

“Oh well it’s kind of like a digital encyclopaedia that the modern world uses and we can access with the use of computers other digital devices” she explained.

“The world has really evolved since the last time I saw it, I can’t believe I’ve missed so much technological advancements” he spoke dejectedly.

Hearing his sullen tone, Jinhye began to feel quite sorry for the man in the library, he has been stuck here for 50 or so years, and had been alone all that time.

“Why can’t you go out of the library?”

“Oh I’ve tried plenty of times to get out of here, but I just can’t, I’m locked in here by an invisible barricade”.

“Could this library perhaps been you place of death? Because in movies and stories, it’s always found that a ghosts haunts the site in which they lost their life”.

“That could be a possibility I guess” he responds. Then in that moment there was silence, Jinhye had ran out of things to say, what else was she supposed to say to a ghost?

“Jinhye?” he calls out of know where.

“Yes?”

“Do you mind if I could manifest in front of you?” he asks unsurely.

She had to think about his question before answering. Manifest? As in appearing in front of her?

“U-um I guess you could? You don’t look scary looking right?”

“Why? Would it be bad if I was?”

“No of course not, I just don’t have any experience with seeing things out of the ordinary, so it would be nice to have a warning of what you look like” she says. Oh gosh, I hope I don’t sound like I’m a bad person, judging on looks and what not.

“Okay, well here goes nothing” Jongin exclaimed.

Jinhye kept her eyes open, looking for the slightest change in the area in front of her. A few moments later, almost like magic, a mixture of light and dark blue smoke appeared to be slowly floating in front of her. What made the spectacle even more beautiful was the star like speckles that reflected off the blue smoke that was gradually reforming into the shape of a human body. As each second passed, Jongin’s body was increasingly revealed until the process stopped and left Kim Jongin standing in front of Jinhye.

Jinhye could not help but stare at what she was witnessing, the blue clouds of sparkly smoke just turned into one of the most handsome 22-year-old guys she’s seen in a long while.

When Jongin noticed the shocked look upon Jinhyes face, he couldn’t help but smirk. He didn’t know what was affecting her more but he knew it had to be either him turning human or the fact that he was quite above average looking in the looks department.

“W-wow, you look… normal?” she said.  Jongin chuckled at her statement and walked a step forward.

“Now that I look more closely, you have grown into a beautiful young lady Jinhye. You certainly are not the small little girl I remember from before” he joked, earning a small blush from the girl herself.

“You too… you’re much different to what I expected you be; you could easily pass for a top kpop idol these days”

“What’s a kpop idol?”

“Umm it’s a singer or performer that entertains people all over the world through their music and performance skills”

“Oh, so celebrities of some sort” he asked in confirmation. Jinhye only nodded her head and let out an awkward cough as she realised that she indirectly complimented him on his looks. How embarrassing. He would think I’m weird.

“Well Jinhye, it’s been quite a night. I’m pretty sure its early morning hours right now. Maybe its best that you go home to get some rest’.

“Oh yes, yes that’s probably a good idea” she said as she began to gather her belongings. Once she was set, she began to walk ahead passing right beside Jongin. He just started at her with his deep dark brown eyes that could turn any girl into chocolate.

“U-um did you want to walk me out or did you want to stay here?” she questioned curiously, still unable to tear her eyes away from Jongin.

“It would be a pleasure to walk you out” he responded as he started to walk beside her.

I can’t believe what is happening right now, the voice I have dreamt of all my teenage years is no other than the voice of a 22-year-old ghost whose looks are above average and has deep alluring eyes.

“This is your stop” Jongin announced as he opened the front door of the library effortlessly.

“Thank you Jongin, I hope to see you again sometime, its actually quite decent hanging out with you”.

“As it is with me Jinhye, you’re the only person who knows I exist and the fact that you are not afraid… it means a lot to me”

“Well I’ll see ya later then?”

“Yes have a good evening Jinhye”

And with that she walks out the door, down the street. Looking back once to see if Jongin was at the window but he was already gone. 

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I honestly don;t know the plot to this story, I'm just making up stuff as I go,
Sorry for any spelling/grammar errors. I don't proof read