Ghost
(gohst)
noun
The soul of a dead person, a disembodied spirit imagined, usually as a vague, shadowy or evanescent form, as wandering among or haunting living persons.

Min woke up feeling refreshed, because she finally managed to get a good rest after not being able to sleep for the past week. She stretched her body while lying on the bed, letting out a loud contented groan.

She peeled her eyes open and sat up, walking towards the bathroom to wash up. Today, she would go back to school.

“Where were you last night?” It was seven in the morning, and Joonmyeon was sitting down on the couch when Sehun walked into the shared penthouse. Joonmyeon placed the book he was reading aside as he continued interrogating the younger man.  

Seeing that he wasn’t going to reply, Joonmyeon stood up, assuming his silence for an answer. “Did you visit her?”

Sehun was looking down, scratching his neck.

“You know that we can’t keep ignoring her, right?  We can’t keep pretending that this never happened.” He leaned against the counter, the ends of his lips frowning.

Taking a deep breath, he released the words that were burdening his shoulders. “Deep down inside, we all know it is really her.”

Kobi had trailed behind Sehun slowly, hiding himself behind the man’s leg. He slowly emerged from his spot, walking in front of Sehun.

“The stupid human is right. It is really Min Kyung.”

Joonmyeon whipped his head to the sound of the new intruder. Deep lines appeared on his forehead as he scrunched his eyebrows together.

“Ko..Kobi?” The name rolled off his mouth in a apprehensive manner, as if he was afraid that the Imp would fly away if he said something wrong.

“How wonderful! You even remembered my name,” Kobi tone was oozing with sarcasm as he took grumpy steps towards Joonmyeon, who crossed his arms in a defensive stance.

“Do you think the others would recognize me too? It’s been a few years after all.” Kobi was now trying to climb onto the couch, missing his footing once or twice. 

Joonmyeon almost looked offended when Kobi had successfully climbed up the couch to sit down comfortably. His jaw was slightly agape as he turned around the face Sehun.

“How did you manage to find him?” Joonmyeon was pointing an accusatory finger at Kobi.

Sehun smiled, the sight of an astonished Joonmyeon looking rather ridiculous to him. “Oh Joonie, I didn’t find Kobi, he found me.”

“So,” Xiumin paused. “If what you’re saying is true…” he trailed off.

“How long has she been alive then?” Luhan completed the sentence for him.

The both of them were sprawled on the carpet, looking up at the photos lined up on the wall. There were mostly old pictures of the boys when they lived a carefree life, with only a few pictures during the past 100 years. In the middle of it all, there one was one photo with all sixteen of them, taken a day before the war. The edges were torn and the colour was fading.

“We don’t know that either. We don’t know a lot of things, like how she managed  to come back or why she never bothered to contact us.” Joonmyeon slumped further down into the couch. “Unfortunately, we don’t hold the answers to these questions. She does.”

“Or maybe, she doesn’t. She didn’t even recognize Sehun when he bumped into her that day!” Baekhyun argued back, his index finger in the air while his face lit up like a light bulb.

“And maybe that’s why she hasn't contacted us either.” Tao nodded his head in agreement.

Kai bit on his lip. “Maybe she’s a ghost?”

“Don’t be stupid, Kai. Everyone was watching her reaction when she dropped her Ipad that day.” Lay gave a judgemental look in Kai’s direction.

“Then what happened to her?” Silence ensued immediately as Kris asked the question. Nobody knew the answer, or rather, didn’t want to hear the answer either. He cracked his knuckles to break the tension in the room.

They were gathered at Sehun’s and Joonmyeon’s penthouse after the latter requested for an emergency meeting.  Everyone was there, except for Jongdae and Chanyeol. Sehun sighed, knowing the reason why the both of them wanted to avoid this topic.

“I see her, you know. I see her, in my dreams.” His hands in his pockets, Jongdae was standing near the ledge, facing the river. They were both at the dilapidated clock tower, on the highest level where it overlooked the entire city. The white walls were stained brown, architecture of the building were furnished in the late 1980s, following a victorian style. The antique metal railings matched the stony grounds, giving a vintage semblance.

The clock chimed rhythmically in the background, indicating that it was noon.