You awoke with a start, your head jerking up from the open book that, just seconds ago, had been your pillow. You blinked slowly, still sleepy, wiping at the corners of your mouth with your thumb. Your little desk lamp was the only light illuminating the immediate area; in the darkness you weren’t sure where you were. Your eyes fell to the book in front of you, surrounded by scattered papers that contained your notes from class. Pieces began to fall into place; you were at the library studying for your exam that was in two days.

If one could call sleeping studying. You were pretty sure you had read about three paragraphs before passing out on your book. You glanced around the empty library. It was already night time outside, so only the street lamps through the windows lit up the inside of the room you were in. It was dead silent, but you knew something had made you jump awake. You looked around again, but you were one hundred percent alone in study alcove you were occupying.

A glance at your watch showed that the library was closing in ten minutes and the subways were going to stop running in forty. With an exclamation of profanity, you jumped up from your seat, slamming your book shut and shoving it and your notes into your bag unceremoniously. You were too far away to walk, and you couldn’t really afford a late night cab ride home. You had to catch the subway.

You were zipping up your coat when you stepped out of the exit from the library. The bitter cold wind whipped at you, making your hair dance crazily around your head. You pulled out your hat, pink with a big puff ball on top, and slammed it on your head, pulling it down over your ears. You wrapped your long striped scarf around your neck and face a few times so that only your eyes peeked out, and you began the trudge toward the subway entrance.

You didn’t mind winter, but you hated when it was just cold. A little snow would be nice, something to make the cold worth it. With a shake of your head, you looked up at the black sky just in time for a single snowflake to fall into your eye. You made a startled sound, somewhere between an “ack” and a gurgle, but then burst into giggles as another snowflake landed on your forehead, tickling as it melted. The first snow of the season and you were outside to appreciate it. What a lucky day for you.

Still grinning, you headed down the long stairwell into the subway. It was a weekday, and late, but there were still people wandering down the hallway, most hurrying to catch their train or connection. You slapped your card on the scanner and walked through the turnstile, heading down more stairs. Hopefully you didn’t have to wait too long for your train. You hated waiting on the stuffy platforms.

There were a few other people waiting for the same train you were, but you were able to stand and wait for a car without anyone crowding you. You pulled out your phone and checked the few texts from your friend that you had received while asleep. You texted her back before changing to look at Facebook when you heard the announcement for your train coming. “Excellent,” you mumbled into your scarf, turning off your phone screen and putting it in your pocket.

As the train wooshed by, you could see most cars were close to empty. It was late on a weeknight; most people were probably home and getting ready for bed already. On a normal night you would be asleep already since you had to get up so early to go to school. The doors in front of you opened and you let the one guy off that was waiting before getting onto the nearly desrted car. You sat down in one of the many open seats and attempted to not look around.

While riding the subway was a necessary thing, it was also a scary thing for you. Because of the Shades.

Almost as though it was out of your control, your eyes drifted across the car, looking at each person in turn. There was an old lady sitting down aways from you, nodding off, clutching at her bag in the seat next to her every time she woke back up. There was a middle aged man in a business suit standing near one of the doors, even though there were plenty of seats, flipping through his phone. Sitting across from you and down a few seats was a guy, age unknown, because he had a stocking cap pulled on and his head was resting on his crossed arms which were resting on his knees. You wondered briefly if he were sick or drunk, but your eyes kept traveling toward the end of the train where the last occupant was.

As soon as you eyes landed on him, you looked away, fixing your gaze on the window opposite you. You weren’t sure why but almost every time you rode the subway, there was always a Shade on your car. It felt inevitable at this point.

You didn’t know what they were, you just chose to call them Shades. They were human in shape and size, but other than that, they were not human. You didn’t know if they were ghosts, or demons, or monsters, but they weren’t people. They never had a defined form, sometimes you couldn’t tell if they were male or female, just that they were bipedal with arms and a head. They were mostly pitch black smoke, and they faded in and out of focus the longer you looked at them. A few times you had seen one that was more human looking, looking like an actual man or woman, only they were covered with a purple, blurred filter. However, most of the time, they were just a dark smoke, in the shape of a person.

You were the only one who could see them, as far as you knew. They were ignored by people; people even walked THROUGH them without a shiver. You also learned at a very young age to not let the Shades know you could see them. The few times one caught you staring at it, they got angry and attempted to attacked you. Even though it seemed like they couldn’t touch you, an angry black smoke monster coming at you was enough to scare the crap out of you and teach you to pretend they weren’t there.

Whatever they were, they were usually lone entities. You couldn’t recall seeing more than one at once in any given place. However, they seemed to frequent the same spaces. You saw a lot of them on the subways, near the Han River, in Hongdae at peak hours, and the few times you visited Namsan Tower. That’s where you saw them the most, but they could be anywhere at any given moment. Shades were creepy, and you knew they weren’t on Earth for any good reason. You didn’t know why you could see them, but you wished you couldn’t. You would be so much more happy if you were ignorant.

The guy across from you shifted, drawing your attention for a fraction of a second. He sat up so you could see his face. Your heart skipped a beat at how attractive he was. His looks distracted you momentarily from the Shade at the end of the car, until his eyes locked on yours from across the way. You froze; your instinct was to look away and pretend you never noticed him. However, his dark eyes were a hypnotizing, and you felt like you just wanted to stare at his face all day.

His expression changed slightly after your eyes met. He went from indifferent to a hint of confusion. Maybe he was surprised that you weren’t looking away immediately. Maybe he was startled that you were boldly meeting his gaze with a steady one of your own. Regardless, his eyes squinted as the two of you stared at each other, like he was trying to figure something out.

Then the Shade moved, drawing your attention to it for a second. You saw that it was more formed than most Shades you encountered; you could almost make out a male, human face in the head area. As fast as you could, you looked away; the cute guy forgotten when your heart suddenly dipped with fear. The Shade was making it’s way down the aisle as the subway slid to a stop at its current destination. You still had three stops left before it was your station, but you thought about getting off and waiting for the next train.

You didn’t need to glance at your phone to know that was a stupid idea. You’d be lucky if there was time for another train, and chances were you’d just end up with another Shade on that train. Instead, you closed your eyes, held your breath, and hoped the thing just kept moving on to the next car.

You could feel it move past you. Even though it didn’t seem to occupy physical space, you still felt the air cool stir and move past your spot on the train. When you couldn’t possibly hold your breath any longer, you exhaled, opening your eyes, praying the Shade was gone.

It wasn’t. It was doing something you could only describe as leering at the man standing with his phone. It was odd to see the man in the suit oblivious to the dark cloud next to him. He adjusted his position so he was facing the door, apparently ready to get off at the next stop. The Shade hovered around him, shifting from side to side, just behind the man, but never quite touching him. You’d never seen a Shade physically touch someone on purpose, just the occasional person walking through them on accident. This particular Shade seemed excited about this particular man, shimmering in and out of focus more quickly than usual.

The train slowed to a stop, and the man exited, his eyes still glued to his phone. The Shade followed him, right on his heels, so close you wondered if the man could feel the air was cooler behind him. The doors slid shut and the train was off, leaving you with the briefest of glances at the man walking away, still shadowed by the Shade.

You remembered the guy across from you a few seconds later because you could feel his stare boring into the side of your head. You wanted to ignore him, if only because you weren’t sure how to address the situation, but you found your gaze locking with his once again.

Your breath caught at how handsome he truly was. You weren’t one for pretty boys, but there was something about him that was just gorgeous. He wasn’t even a pretty boy, perse, it just seemed all his features were perfection to you. All except his frown.

You wondered if you should smile at him. Maybe a little wave with your hand would cheer him up. However, his eyes narrowed as he looked at you, scrutinizing you in detail and making you shift in your seat, uncomfortable at the intenseness of his gaze. You felt your eyes drift down to your lap, the need to be small and insignificant suddenly welling up inside of you. You didn’t want him to look at you any more.

The train was slowing as your stop was announced, and you were grateful for the excuse to stand up and move away from him. Cute or not, you didn’t like the way he stared at you a few moments ago. It was like he was trying to see inside to your soul; it made you uncomfortable. As you waited by the door, you locked eyes with the old woman, seeing her purple polka dot scarf and bright red wool hat before meeting her eyes with your own. She smiled cheerily at you, a much needed expression after the nightmare this subway ride was turning out to be. You smiled back automatically, just before the doors opened.

You stepped onto the platform, headed for the escalator that would take you up the stairs. You heard his footsteps behind you. You didn’t know how you knew it was him, but you were sure they belonged to the guy that had been in the car with you.

You pretended to look at your phone as you rode the escalator. There was no way to turn around and check if it was him without being obvious. Of course, he could have just needed to get off at the same stop as you. Just because he was behind you, didn’t mean he was following you. Absently flipping through your phone apps, you tapped your card on the scanner and headed toward the exit to your apartment.

It wasn’t until you were up the stairs and crunching through the few centimeters of snow that were on the ground that you stopped dead in your tracks. The footsteps behind you stopped as well. Flakes were falling gently, steadily, dotting the air like stars. Cool air whipped by you; you could feel your nose already red with chill. You pushed your scarf down from your face as you turned to face him, tired of the charade.

“What are you doing?” You demanded as you turned. You jumped at how close he actually was; maybe a few feet away from you. Confusion crossed his face when your eyes locked, but then he quickly changed to indifference.

“Walking,” he replied, taking one step closer to you.

“You’re following me,” you challenged.

He gave you a look of derision. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he mumbled. He jammed his hands in his jacket pockets and made like he was going to walk around you.

You weren’t sure why, but you reached out and grabbed his arm before he could get by. He turned a sharp gaze on your hand, but you were already letting go, turning to face him.

“What do you want? You’ve been giving me weird looks since the subway. It’s not a coincidence that you’re going the same way I am. I don’t believe it,” you crossed your arms, frowning.

He wasn’t much taller than you, maybe an inch or two, but it still felt as though he were looking down at you from way above. He crossed his arms as well, his frown matching yours. “You were the only other person in the car with me. Of course I looked at you. It’s not my fault you have the same stop I do.” He leaned in closer, putting his face a few centimeters from yours. “So, once again, don’t flatter yourself.”

You could feel his breath dance across your cheeks, warmer than the snowy air surrounding the two of you. He smelled like mint and vanilla, delicious and intoxicating all in one moment. He was close enough that you could trip and fall onto his lips. The thought crossed your mind, but he was standing up straight before you could follow through with any sort of plan.

Simultaneously, the two of you turned and began walking the same direction, now side by side. The silence was awkward; you tried to concentrate on pretty snow falling around you, rather than the pretty guy walking next to you. Did he really live in the same direction you did? Were you neighbors all this time, but never knew it? It was completely possible, but highly unlikely. You didn’t believe in such coincidences.

All thoughts were halted, however, when the two of you froze at the same time. In front of you was a Shade, and a big one at that. Most were under six foot tall; this one looked like it would clock in at 6 foot three or four. It was wide, and shuttered back and forth between looking like a smoke bomb and a purple shaded guy that was super, super angry. You couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping your lips, or the involuntary step back you took at seeing the face.

The guy next to you watched you react, but then his attention was immediately on the Shade. You watched the side of his face as his jaw clenched while he stared it down. You were in shock from seeing the thing appear, but you were more surprised that he could apparently see it as well. You had never met someone that could see Shades, but the way he was glaring at it convinced you he was seeing what you were seeing. And he wasn’t surprised.

He slid a step sideways, holding out his arm in front of you, putting himself between you and the Shade. “You can see it?” he asked, his voice surprisingly calm for the situation at hand.

You nodded, but realized he couldn’t see you, so you replied. “Yes, I can see it.”

“Okay, then,” he said, still in the soft, calm voice. “It’s not very happy that we are looking at it, but I don’t think it will attack. We’re not what it’s waiting for,” he said, taking a cautious step backward, which forced you to do the same.

“What?” you choked out, confused by everything. How did he know it wouldn’t attack? How did he know what it was waiting for?

He threw a look over his shoulder briefly at you, before locking his gaze back on the Shade. “Just trust me, okay?”

You had zero reason to trust him, but you also had little other choice. The two of you backed away, both sets of eyes locked on the Shade as it writhed back and forth, alternately sending up bursts of smoke and angry, silent shouts.

“They can’t make noise,” you murmured, realizing then and there that you had never heard one make a sound. Watching this one try to shout, with no voice coming out, made you put two and two together.

“Not until they possess someone,” he replied, stepping backward and onto your boot. He didn’t stumble, but you did, grabbing his arm before you fell on your . He was strong enough that your sudden weight on his arm didn’t cause him to falter, but your little mishap sent the Shade into a frenzy.  “Oh, ,” he said, turning and shielding you with his body just as you felt the cool rush of air that wasn’t the wind brush over the top of the two of you.

The guy immediately stood and looked around the vicinity. He shoved you close to a tree with his left hand. In his right hand there was a…sword. That hadn’t been there before, you were sure of it. Where did he get a sword? Why did he have a sword?

You didn’t have time to ask, he was telling you to stay put by the tree as he took a few steps toward the Shade. The inky black smoke was turning back to face the two of you. Even though it was night time, there was no mistaking where it was. It’s darkness was darker than the night sky, a blackness that devoured all light and color around it. It descended on the guy again, fury apparent in it’s speed and demeanor.

It must not have seen the sword, or if it had, it wasn’t scared of it. That was to its detriment, however, because the guy swiped with his sword at the last second, slicing the smoke in two sections with a blinding white flash, causing the Shade to poof into a shower of black flakes. One second it was charging him, the next second it was gone, with just one strike from the sword.

As  your brain processed, you felt your jaw go slack at what you just witnessed. Not only could that guy see Shades, he had a magic sword that could kill Shades. You had thought you lived in a bizarre world when you could see the smokey monsters. Now that you witnessed that other people could see them, and they could be killed, the world just got a whole lot stranger. When it was just you seeing the Shades, you could write it off as you going a little crazy. You always thought that maybe you just had an overactive imagination and they were things that you summoned in your head to distract you from life.

But now…now this was a level of reality you weren’t sure you were ready to accept. Shades weren’t just in your head. They were real. And they could be killed.

“You killed it,” you voiced your last thought out loud.

He walked back over to you, the sword not in his hand any more. You didn’t see where he put it, but you knew it had to be there somewhere.

“Yep,” he replied, jamming his hands back into his coat pockets as he stopped toe to toe with you.

“With a sword,” you said, not believing the words that were coming out of your mouth.

“Yep,” he repeated, his expression blank.

You tilted your head as you looked at him. “What the ?”

“Language,” he tsked, shaking his head.

“Normally I don’t use those words,” you conceded. “But seriously. I thought I was the only one who could see those things. Now I know you can. And you can kill them.”

“With a sword,” he added for you.

“Yeah,” you nodded. “A sword.” After a moment, when he didn’t offer any more words, you repeated. “What the ?”

He grinned, the first smile you had seen on him, and it looked good. It was a genuine smile, it warmed you, making your heart skip a beat when his eyes met yours, before everything returned back to grim, normalcy.

“I could say the same thing,” he said.

“What? Why?” you asked.

“Because, you’re not supposed to be able to see them,” he took a step closer, bringing his face close to yours again, his breath on your lips reminding you of mint chocolate chip ice cream. “But you’re not supposed to be able to see me, either.”