It was Wednesday afternoon and I was in a horrible mood. I felt betrayed for no reason and was aware of the fact, which was making me feel even more down. The reason for my bad mood wasn´t the cloudy weather outside, less tips than usually or one of the coffee machines breaking down. Those were annoying but felt like nothing compared to the fact that Kim Heechul didn´t come to show his face today. It was only two hours before closing up and I lost all my hope. Plopped on the counter, I was looking out on the sky and waiting for the rain to fall down. I managed to watch for three minutes before I bumped my head against the wood of the counter and closed my eyes.

“Bad day?” Somebody asked me. I was about to answer ´very´ but then I took note of the customer´s voice. I jumped up as if they dropped a bucket of cold water on me.

“Not at all!” I found myself telling hastily to the ghost investigator, throwing in the game a wide toothy smile unknowingly.

“I see,” Heechul chuckled, “just Americano,” he told me and went to sit on his usual place. He was wearing a dark red suit with white tee beneath, his hair was tied up in a short ponytail and he was carrying a heavy bag. Definitely eye-catching.

For the last time I glanced at his firm backside before I returned to my work. I prepared the hot black drink for the investigator and was about to bring it to him when I was, as always, stopped by the ubiquitous cake display. Maybe I should try a little different taste this time, he should like coffee taste, right?  I grabbed a little yellow and brown dessert and rushed to the ghost investigator with a grin on my face. I felt like I came with something good.

“What´s this?” Heechul sighed, looking at the cupcake.

“Tiramisu flavour!” I answered excited and put the treats on the small wooden table. “Tiramisu´s an Italian dessert made with coffee.” I felt proud but Heechul only snorted.

“Thanks, Hyukjae,” he said nevertheless. “Have you ever heard of a Roman empire?”

“Yeah, that´s what they called ancient Italy, right? Why?” I asked but my was already plastered on the seat in front of Heechul. I could smell a ghost story coming.

“Once there was a senator, Pliny the Younger was his name, who recorded a ghost story!” Kim Heechul was in his scary mode again. I was liking it, it was sending shivers down my spine, feeling sick but wanting more. Possibly it could have been the man himself making me feel like that, though. “Do you want to hear it?”

“Of course, please, tell me,” I pleaded eagerly. I blushed when I realised that my eagerness was giving the investigator light pleasure.

“Once there was an expensive villa. The owners were rich people but they had a sad fate,” Heechul began looking into my eyes with a devilish glint in his dark eyes. “They couldn´t sleep for nights and days because of an apparition in their house. It began with a quiet sound of iron hitting the marble floor. Later the noise got louder and cleared, it sounded as chains´ rattling as it was getting slowly near. And when it got close enough, the sound was gained a picture. An old man with long beard and empty eyes, bad teeth and scratched skin, dressed in torn clothes and heavy chains was looking at the living with jealousy and anger.”

“That´s horrible!” I couldn´t even blink as shivers ran down my spine.

“The owners slowly went mad, seeing and hearing things even during the day. Their health worsened and in the end they left the world, their villa to be sold for a cheap prize,” Heechul shook his head and sipped from his coffee, on purpose making me all curious.

“And then?” I bit my lower lip. Heechul cleared his throat after gulping dryly.

“Then a buyer appeared, philosopher named Athenodorus,” the investigator continued the story. I was amazed by his knowledges, hearing that European name, I would rather think it was a dinosaur instead.

“He was intelligent and not even a bit afraid. Staying in the villa over night, he pretended the scary dead man rattling with chains above his head wasn´t as important as his work. He was writing and only when he finished what he wanted to put down on the list, he stood up and lazily followed the ghost outside. Suddenly the ghost disappeared!” Heechul grinned. “At the exact same place the ghost disappeared at night, they found beneath the floor bones tied up by rusty chains.”

“Did the ghost appear again after that?” I asked genuinely curious.

“They took off the chains and buried the bones properly again, after that the ghost vanished,” the investigator answered.

“That´s incredible, I would be so scared. Aren´t you scared of ghosts?” I then fell into an unexpected worry about the man I almost didn´t know.

“Not really and I have this,” he moved his head to the side a little and I looked that way.

“What´s all this for?” I asked when I noticed bunch of small books stacked next to the Americano. I felt comfortable enough next to the investigator now, I didn´t even feel ashamed to invade his personal space and take his precious time.

“My protection,” Heechul answered, not even a little bit disturbed by my nosiness. “Before you start hunting for ghosts, you have to put yourself in a positive mood, good mind-set is the basic. That´s the power that protects me from evil.”

“And those books?” I began scanning them with my eyes more precisely. There was a bible, poems, Slam dunk manhwa and many other books that didn´t go together with the rest.

“I´m not a believer, Hyukjae. Most people pray to God before they start hunting. I do sometimes too but I realised that there are different positive mantras that are as efficient as prayers. I want to pick a good one for tomorrow,” Heechul explained.

“You´re going tomorrow already?” I widened my eyes.

“It´s a day visit only,” Heechul was obviously amused by my care. “I´m going to check for holes, trees, doors and objects that could give me a hard time at night.”

“I see,” I breathed out. I wasn´t mentally prepared yet to let Heechul go ghost hunting. Not after the rattling ghost story.

“Maybe I could use something from Latin since we were talking about Rome?” Heechul was thinking. I wanted to help him out but the only Latin I knew I learnt when I sang in the church choir. Things like Ave Maria wouldn´t be of any help to that pagan.

“Carpe diem or in vino veritas,” Heechul chuckled for himself while looking out of the window. I thought his profile was really nice. Defined with straight nose and ridiculously red lips. I didn´t even notice I was spacing out.

“Hyukjae?” He asked without taking his eyes off the window. I didn´t stop watching him either.

“Hm?” I hummed mesmerized.

“I hear rattling,” he said. I felt shivers down my spine again at that sentence. The cold breeze grabbed me by my white shirt and let me know of the rain that began falling outside. “The door rattling,” he specified. Ah, a customer. I sighed, this man is chillier than the cold.

Hello! I´m sorry for the slow updates, I´m currently at work but I sometimes manage to put down a few words for you. Rest assured that I will finish the story, we´re half way through already. Let me know, if you are curious or want me to add something specific in the story. Thank you and take care, guys! - PandaHero