Yooa's POV

_________________________

I opened my eyes when i couldn't ignore the chirping birds anymore, who reminded me that the day had begun. It sounded like they were mocking me for still lying in my bed when it was probably only 6 A.M. Checking the time, i was only ten minutes off. I yawned and stretched my arms out hitting something next to me on my big bed. Oh right, Jongin didn't leave again. I felt a pang of bad conscience. 'You shouldn't let a boy sleep next to you. Your Mum would scold you. If you had one, that is.' Jongin stirred, throwing his legs around and yawning loudly. Well, there went my bad conscience. It's not like anything would ever happen with this slob.

"Yah, Jongin, wake up. I need to get ready for classes and you probably have something to do, too, right?"

"Nope...," he slurred. "You know I'm a lazy er."

Well, no arguing with that, I chuckled, putting a pillow under his head, before getting up and taking a quick shower. I was in my last year of university, studying to become a biologist. The only thing left was my thesis, but i still attended some classes on campus to refresh my knowledge. Mostly because of my internship at HanCom, a big Pharma company, that had hired me on the spot before me even getting my degree. It already paid well and I would earn even more once I was finished in three months. I stepped out of the shower, wiping the mirror to see my face. It looked sad today. I still felt strange in this life sometimes. Like it wasn't my own. And I wondered who I really was. Would I have studied Biology if I didn't die? What would my Mum say, if she saw me now. She would be proud, right? But she must be devestated, because her little girl died. I wonder if there's a gravestone for me somewhere...

I shuddered, shook my head and slapped my cheeks. No more whining, i reminded myself. Whining wouldn't help either. But I decided to go to the Library again later, to look at the police records from three years ago again. I doubted I would find out anything new, I had looked at them at least three times, but at least it felt like I was doing something. I wouldn't be staying here forever, at some point I would probably go to Heaven. At least that's what Jongin says. If we do a good Job we can go to Heaven. I wonder about that. And I don't want to without knowing what happened three years ago.

I slipped my clothes on, went out of the bathroom and packed my bag. Jongin was still slumping around in bed, although kind of awake now. He peeled one eye open.

"Make me breakfast," he mumbled, already knowing the answer, so I only sent him a bemused look.

"Don't you dare lounge around here, when I come back after work, you hear me?," I called, while almost out of the door. I didn't hear his answer, but already knew, that he would probably not listen and make himself comfortable either the whole day, or just in time before I get back in the evening.

I got out my earphones, put them in and some music before getting into the bus. It was a nice day, still a little bit cold this early, but it already smelled of summer. At the next station, an elderly lady got in, and I got up to offer her my seat. 

"Thank you my dear, that's very considerate of you. My joints have been aching the whole week, I must be getting old," she mused and I smiled back politely. When she pulled back her sleeve to look at her watch, I saw the thin black ring around her arm. My face darkened.

The signal of death. An ability I had gotten after I woke up three years ago. Being able to see when someone was going to die. 

I dug around my backpack for the book. The damned book, "Soul Guide 101". I opened it on no page in particular. It was empty anyway. Until i pointed the back to the old woman in front of me. Black letters swirled around the yellowed pages until i could decipher words.

Shin Sunhye

Born 21 September 1941

Date of Death: 03 May 2016

Heart Failure

I looked at my watch. It was the 2nd of May. One day. She looked so healthy and buoyant. I shouldn't have looked. It was always the same. I shouldn't look, but I always do.

My stop was announced, and I hesitated a moment.

"Have a good day, Madam!" I smiled widely at the old lady, and she looked at me with surprise. Then she broke out into a warm smile, nodding at me. "You too, young lady!"

I turned around and felt my eyes burn. 'People die, Yooa. Get over it!'

__________________________

I pushed through my class at university, thankful that it was only one. Before heading to work I stopped by the library, going straight to the section with old newspaper articles, more precisely the ones from 2013, the year of my death. Jongin said he didn't know how long it took to become a Soul Guide, or how much time was between our death and our "Rebirth". Which meant I could have also died in 2012 or 2011. Or maybe even earlier. Maybe I would actually be 30 right now. I had mostly looked for accidents or death announcements a few months before I woke up. Today I wanted to check in the nearer days, starting from the day itself.

Two hours later i sank back into the chair, letting out a frustrated sigh. Nothing. Again. Of course. I closed all of the tabs, full of articles about car crashes, suicides and even earthquakes. It was depressing to say the least.
Maybe I wasn't meant to find out about my Death, maybe it was better not to know. I looked at my watch. Half an hour until I had to work and I still needed to get to the other side of town, so finding out about my past would have to wait for another time.

I packed up things and hurried out of the library, grabbing a Taxi, checking my phone for the first time since leaving university. Two new messages from Jongin (one of them being a selfie of him in front of my fridge, eating my favourite yogurt!) and one from my friend Hayoung, who suggested to go out for drinks in the evening. I answered the message, saying we should meet at our favourite Bar in Apgujeong at eight. She replied within seconds with an emoji and I chuckled. Hayoung and me had met in University, where we shared some courses, since she studied Chemistry. She had quickly become an important person for me to confide in, although I never told her about my...special situation. She thought my parents were dead and I always told her I disliked talking about the time before university.

I got out in front of the big office building of HanCom, getting out my company card and sliding it through the slot next to the door, while politely nodding my head at the security guard inside. It was still early, so I took my time changing into my lab coat and putting away my things.

"Oh, Yooa, you're here already, good timing!," I heard my boss say, who was sticking his head through the door. Qucikly bowing I greeted him.

"Since you're the maknae here at the lab I thought you'd be the best at showing the new guy around here. You know, you young kids get along quickly, don't you?" He gave me a fatherly smile and I nodded awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. I hated being called 'kid', although I had gotten used to it, since I was by far the youngest at work. The one nearest in age was Choi Yoojung, who was 33 and on maternity leave right now.

"This is Zhang Yixing, he just finished his studies in China and we scouted him directly from university. He'll be working here from now on, for the time being he'll fill Miss Choi's spot until she's back from leave, afterwards we'll assign him to his own project. Until then, can you take care of him, Yooa? Thanks, you're a darling!"

As quickly as he had talked, my boss was gone again. I stood there, blinking for a few times before turning to the young man in front of, who was looking at me equally as confused. Then he broke into a shy smile.

"Hello! As the boss already said, I'm Zhang Yixing. Most people in Korea call me Lay though. You're Yooa, right?" He said with his mellow voice and a slight chinese accent while reaching out his hand. I shook it, nodding, not really having found my voice again.

"Yes...umm, I guess I should show you around the lab?" It wasn't meant to sound like a question and I chided myself for not being professional. One of the things I like about working at the Laboratory was, that I didn't have to talk much. I wasn't an antisocial person, not at all, but I lacked confidence around all the experts around me and I always felt inferior. I took a deep breath, telling myself to make a good impression. Socialising was a big thing in the employment world after all.

It turned out I didn't have to be so nervous. Yixing, or rather Lay, as he told me to call him, was very nice to be around. He made me feel at ease and not at all inferior. He asked lots of things, mostly about me and the company. I showed him the most important spots like the cafeteria, the tea room (where I snuck myself some coffee, gotta get that caffeine) and the break room. Last but not least I finally showed him the Lab and the conference room, where we had all the meetings for our project.

He looked around and was very interested in everything, never once letting an awkward silence appear.

"Your korean is really good, by the way, how did you manage to learn the language while cramming for biology?" I said with a small laugh. I was speaking from experience. Between work and studying for the normal courses there wasn't much time for any other activities.

"I was lucky and got a scholarship, so I didn't have to work and had enough time. And since I had my eyes on this company for a while, I needed to study korean anyway," he said and shrugged.

"Well, look at you, Mr. smarty-pants," I taunted and he laughed, shaking his head.

We spent the last hours of today's workday looking through documents on the current project and me showing him what parts he would take over. Time flew, and before I knew it, my phone rang, with Hayoung on the other side, reminding me to get off work. That girl really knew me too well. It happened way too often that I forgot the time and overworked. I thanked her and told her to wait for me at the Bar. Hayoung asked if it was okay for three classmates from her course to come, too, and I agreed, telling her to call Jongin too. He hated to be left out of drinking. 

"Lay, I need to go, worktime has been over since 15 minutes and I'm meeting some friends out later. You can go too now, I think. When you come to work on Monday morning, I won't be there, since I only work in the afternoons, but I'm sure the others will help you, if there are any problems." 

"Uhh, yeah, sure...," he awkwardly said, rubbing his neck. "It's friday evening after all..."

I turned to look at him, trying to read his face. "Umm, do you want to join us? I'm sure you don't know many people here yet, since you haven't been here for long," I asked, smiling. He lit up, before clearing his throat. "Sure, if that's not a bother for you..."

"Not at all, it'll be fun!"

We grabbed a Taxi to bring us to Apgujeong and we chatted about more private things this time. It was getting chilly outside, so Lay put on his cardigan. I saw a brief flash of something black on his upper arm, which disappeared as fast as it came, before he pulled the fabric over it.

"Do you have a tattoo?," I asked, curious. He didn't look like the type.

"Huh? No, I don't."

Weird. I must have imagined it. Wouldn't be the first time I saw things others wouldn't see.