In the middle of May something strange happened to me. It was a sunny day but sometimes the white fluffy clouds would cover the sun and the whole shop would be covered in greyness. I was wiping the counter of the café I work at and feeling strangely excited for no reason. I wasn´t expecting anything or anyone, yet when another cloud interrupted warm sunrays, I instinctively raised my head. At that moment a couple entered the quiet Sunday café.

“Good afternoon,” I greeted with a smile but was surprised by the strange nervousness at the pit of my stomach. Soon I understood why.

When I arrived to the small secluded table in the corner to take the order, my stare lingered on the man. He was surely older than me but not old at all. His skin was clean and white, his clothes eccentric but strangely fitting. He was handsome but the most fascinating was his aura, I was almost shivering and even stuttered. He ordered only Americano, the woman that came with him wanted cappuccino and a chocolate cake. She was much older and I guessed she was the handsome man´s mother. I returned back behind the counter in shivers.

“What´s with me?” I rubbed my blonde dyed hair and took a deep breath. I prepared the order and the next time I was standing by the small table, I tried to act a little cooler.

“At first I didn´t understand the dream but then that strange thing with my late husband´s cane happened and I decided to visit you,” the woman said and I realised from her polite speech that they weren´t relatives. I bowed and quickly left, not really wanting to eavesdrop.

But no matter how much I tried to ignore the strange man, I ended up watching him. His gestures were elegant, he was talkative but he rarely smiled. I haven´t seen him smile and it bothered me, I wanted to see it. I had no idea why. But my chance arrived when the old woman left alone and the mysterious man stayed on his place, writing something down to a diary. I gathered some courage and with a plate in my hand, approached him.

“What´s this?” He looked up at me with a raised eyebrow, my heartbeat quickened, my palms sweating. I was slowly getting the idea what was going on with me.

“Service,” I answered with a bright smile and put the plate with a vanilla cupcake on his table. Everybody loves vanilla, right?

“Thank you then,” the man was obviously trying to be polite, not really impressed. Hyukjae, of course you don´t make a grown up man ecstatic with a cupcake, so childish. I nodded disappointed and embarrassed. I was about to leave, and go cry under the counter or something, when the man chuckled.

“Don´t be so dejected, look,” I watched the man that took a huge bite of the white dessert. “Mmm,” he added a little artificially. Still it made me smile.

“I didn´t want to disturb your,” I glanced at the black notebook on his lap, “work.”

“It´s alright, the interview is over, I´m only putting down some thoughts,” he told me and I became very interested. I didn´t expect him to want to talk to me.

“Interview? You´re a journalist, Mr.?” I hopelessly threw the bait, thinking he would tell me his name. I was almost trembling from nervousness, why does his voice sound so deep and charming?

“Kim Heechul, that´s what you wanted to really know, right?” He snorted at me and I seriously wanted to dig up a hole, if only it wouldn´t damage the café. “Do you want my number too?”

“I´m sorry,” I immediately reacted to his harsh cold voice and bowed deeply. I knew I was being impolite and it must have been uncomfortable for him to be hit on by a guy. I don´t know what I was thinking, seriously. I escaped with shame and wiped my tears, I acted carelessly.

I thought that Kim Heechul would quickly pay and leave but to my chagrin he stayed. I continued my work but he was still there, smirking at me whenever I would pass his table. It was driving me insane and I even considered exchanging the place with the cook, until the man finally decides to leave. But time was passing and he was sitting there quietly, his cup already empty. Nothing could be done, I had to gather some courage and go see him again.

“Would you like another cup?” I asked with as much professionalism as I could muster.

“I´m not a journalist,” Kim Heechul said instead, not even looking at me. I was confused and only after a while remembered, that it was me who asked him about his profession earlier. It´s been a while since I was so out of myself. “I´m an investigator.”

“Uh, from the police?” I asked because I didn´t know what else to say. I think he felt guilty for being harsh on me and tried to lighten the mood a little. I understood his politeness and smiled at him, let´s get over this smoothly and forget quickly, Hyukjae.

“I don´t think police has any department that takes care of supernatural apparitions,” Kim Heechul said seriously and finally looked up at me. “Because I´m a ghost investigator.”

“I see,” I stared at him wide eyed. What to say, he was a weirdo.

“You think I´m crazy, right?” He laughed looking at my face. I panicked.

“No, of course not!” I was waving with my arms comically. “It´s just that I´ve never met anyone like you, it´s really interesting!”

“You think so?” Kim Heechul examined me thoroughly. “Do you want to hear more?”

“Yes!” I answered a little too fast. I would lie, if I said that it didn´t sound interesting. How often do you meet a person like that? Still, I was more interested in Heechul himself, I couldn´t take my eyes off.

“That lady came to me,” he began, “because she thinks her deceased husband appeared before her to show her, where is his last will,” the handsome man was speaking again in that low tone.

“And what did you figure out?” I wondered looking at the half eaten cupcake. Kim Heechul noticed right away on what were my eyes focused, he smiled a little.

“Nothing, it´s too early to make any judgments, I need to properly investigate. Maybe it´s not even any unnatural phenomena whatsoever, I have to be professional,” he told me and then forced the rest of the cupcake into his mouth. I was baffled, why is he doing this?

“So you take cases from people, investigate and then solve them? Have you met any ghost recently?” I had many more questions prepared, I just wanted to listen to his voice. I was scared that once I interrupt the conversation, it will be all over. He finished the cake and coffee, he could go away anytime and I would be left only with some sleepless nights. “Like a ghost?” I threw another bait that I hoped wouldn´t fail so horribly as the previous one.

“Calm down, Hyukjae,” I was surprised by my name appearing suddenly. I know, it was written on the little name card on my white shirt but people didn´t usually address me by my name, it was making my heart go wild once again. “But there was actually this one ghost I saw.”

“Please, tell me,” this time I was already genuinely curious. Standing there awkwardly, perhaps ignoring a customer or two.

“I was investigating once a rooftop flat here in Seoul. A girl had jumped from the building some years ago and the current owner claimed it was hunted. I had to evaluate the place for the estate agency,” Heechul´s eyes were strangely shining and his voice was a little bit louder than before. “I spent a night there and had a dream. Someone told me that there will be a knock on the door. After that I have to close my eyes and count to one hundred, if I open my eyes too early, I will die.”

“No way,” I breathed for myself. This was seriously creepy.

“And really, around midnight someone knocked on the door and I went to open. There was nobody but I closed my eyes and counted. It got really chilly all of a sudden and I felt someone stare at me, so I opened my eyes in the middle of counting. There she was, the dead girl! Standing in front of me!”

“What?” I jumped up startled but then I quickly realised that the story sounded familiar. “Everyone knows about this, it´s an urban legend,” I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest.

“You got me,” Heechul sighed, “I have to bring something better the next time.”

Then he pulled a note from his wallet and paid. He took his black notebook and nodded at me, then he finally left. I felt suddenly sad, it´s over. Maybe I shouldn´t have frowned, maybe I should have played along with him. But wait, didn´t he say the next time?

Hello? How´s the new HeeHyuk? I think I put too many things in the first chapter, it´s a little crampled but I think it will be fun. I wanted to make things a little creepy but as always they will turn out sweet. :D Is it just me or do also find sometimes funny how the featured story has only one chapter, around 300 votes but only 100 comments? I prefer you guys talking to me than giving me thumbs up. By the way, have you read the fanaccount of Hyukjae´s fellow soldier? So nice. Thank you very much and have a nice day! - PandaHero