Chapter 1 (Final)

Co-existence, this is what we are living in this world. If you thought that the world is only filled with humans, animals, plants, then you are absolutely wrong. In this vast universe, there are plenty of “things” coexisting together. Why “things”? Because I can’t really” categorise them, you know like vampires, zombies,spirits and souls. Not exactly dead but not quite living either, irony right?

Oh, did I introduce myself yet? I’m Seohyun, I’m one of those “things” and this is our story.

Seohyun POV

Well, this is where we live. It’s a manufacturing plant as they call it. No idea what exactly it manufactures, it all looks the same to me, like some computer parts. I’m familiar with computers cause Master brought me there a few times. They are super active when awake but behave like dead logs when they are asleep, extreme personality right? Anyway, that’s not where I live, I live in the palace with my unnies. They are extremely nice and funny people, dorks as the humans would sometimes describe. When I first came here two years back, they welcome me and taught me what they know. Although playful but they are extremely well-loved by the humans here. They called us the 9-colored rainbow, violet, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple.

Violet is Jessica Unnie

Pink is Tiffany Unnie

Red is Yoona Unnie

Orange is Yuri Unnie

Yellow is Sunny Unnie

Green is Hyoyeon Unnie

Blue is Sooyoung Unnie

Purple is Taeyeon Unnie

And I’m the indigo!

Usually, we would be in the palace for the day unless master want us to be somewhere else. For example over there at the back, that’s Master Choi.

No one POV

Mr Choi is standing by the machine, checking and doing some minor maintenance. Everything seems normal until you are nearer to him…

Mr Choi: Yes.. we went to the newest buffet in town..What? It was nice..no I can’t bring you there..omg Sooyoung stop it...No I mean it.. This is important.. I can’t…

Seohyun POV

It seems like a normal conversation right? The only weird part is, there wasn’t any human next to him..Well he was actually talking to Sooyoung unnie, the shikshin of us. Can’t blame her for pestering him. Oh, you can’t see her unless she decides to reveal herself to you. It works like this for all of us. That’s why we all have a master, the other human calls them boss though. 

Ahh.. this reminds me of the first time we reveal to my master. Master Kim is a super shy but smart lady. That day, she was staying back after a long day. She went to the restroom and that’s where we decided to “come out and have fun”, quoted from Hyoyeon unnie. Being the shikshin, Sooyoung unnie went to the pantry first. Following behind her is shikshin number two, Yoona unnie. Hyoyeon unnie and Yuri unnie were by the football table, while Taeyeon unnie and Sunny unnie were engaging in their match. Jessica unnie and Tiffany unnie just sat beside them discussing about the fashion on the magazines. I was just exploring around until I heard footsteps approaching us.

“Master Kim is coming back, what should we do?”

Immediately that sets everyone into a frenzy mode, they all rush to put things back in their place and stay still but because of the rush, the room look super messy. 

Master Kim walks back with a frown, like she was trying to remember if the place got messier compared to a few minutes before. But she shrugs it off. As she makes her way to rest on the sofa, we saw Sooyoung unnie making her way to the coffee table as well. Trying to grab the snack that she had left there. Everyone of us were trying to get her attention and stop her from proceeding but of course it was unsuccessful. Nothing else matters in her eyes when there is food. You must be thinking, why should we stop her? Well that is because the only way to the coffee table is to walk on the fluffiest carpet in this place. We don’t have an allergy to carpet, just that with its fluffiness, it will reveal our movement to the human. What would they think when they suddenly see dents on the carpet moving around, they would be shocked to death, not to mention a floating snack packaging? 

5...4...3...2...1

There it goes, if Master Kim hasn’t notice the dent on the fluffy carpet then a bright yellow packaging of “ChipsMore” floating in the air would surely caught her attention. The minute Sooyoung unnie grab the packaging, Master Kim’s eyes flew wide open, any bigger I think her eyeballs would be rolling out. Horror, shock, fear flashes all at once. It was also at this point, Hyoyeon unnie, Yuri unnie and Yoona unnie decided to join the “fun”, one starts grabbing things and throwing at each other while another moves to the light switches and creates a “disco” effect. The rest of us were dumbfounded by the scene while Master Kim was screaming her head off, split between dodging the items thrown by Yuri unnie and looking for a safe place to hide. The first person to come around was Tiffany unnie.

“Yuri-ah! Stop messing around! Can’t you see that she's very scared now! That’s enough!”

Clink! Clank! Bang!

Despite her megaboom voice, the chodings are not listening. All of a sudden, a rubber ball came flying over and hits Tiffany unnie, right on her back and she stumbled a little.

“YAH!”

“YAH! KWON YUL! THAT’S ENOUGH!”

“KWON SEOBANG!”

“KWON YURI STOP!”

Oops, I think Yuri unnie is the most unlucky one this time. She successfully activated four hell mode. HellFany, HellTae, HellSica and HellMasterKwon. I hope she survives, if not Yoona unnie won’t have her “Appa” to play with anymore.

“Miss Kim, are you alright?” Master Kwon was the first to approach her. Well, if we did, she would probably faint right?

“Mr Kwon, what is happening in here. Things suddenly went crazy and started floating around.” Master Kim asked fearfully.

“Oh, about that… well let me introduce them to you. It must be your first time meeting them.” Master Kwon replied.

“Th..them?? You mean there are still other people besides us?”

“Erm..well.. We don’t really term them as people.. But they do look like us..you want to meet them?” Master Kwon asked while signaling us not to reveal yet.

“Okay… where do I go? Are.. they in the meeting room?”

“Oh no...no.. they are just right here with us.” Upon hearing Master Kwon words, we start to reveal ourselves slowly to Master Kim. When she first saw Taeyeon unnie, immediately she hides behind Master Kwon.

“Hi… I would like to apologise for the little trauma you gone through earlier.” Taeyeon unnie said on our behalf. 

“Wh..who a.are..y..yo..you..all..?”

“Oh, we are what people called as souls.” Tiffany unnie help to explain.

“So..what..were you all doing earlier..?”

“Erm.. well.. We had not reveal ourselves to you before...so when Sooyoung over there start grabbing the chips, a few others thought it was time to do so.. Just that they went overboard with it.”

“Miss Kim, you see..in this world it is a co-existence between many different parties. It’s not just only filled with humans. It is more than that. When we first moved here two years ago, we encountered them. They aren’t evil or trying to harm you, maybe just a tad too playful for some of them. And because we are on such good terms with them, some of us become their “master”. It’s not like slavery kind, just that we have strong communication with that one soul. For example, Yuri calls me master.”

“So there are 9 of them here, and there’s 9 of you in the office that knows them?”

“Well, the whole office knows who they are.. But not everyone can communicate with them. Right now, there is only 8 of us who can.”

“Oh.. so who is the last one?”

All of us were just staring at her. That’s when Master Kim realised, she is the 9th person. 

“I..I mean.. Who is the one without a partner now?” she asked and I quietly raise my hand.

“Well nice to meet you… officially..” she offers a handshake.

And that was how I met my Master Kim.

After knowing about us, Mr Kwon also introduce Master Kim to the other 7 people. From then, they bond together and even start having frequent gatherings in the office, which includes us as well, just like now!

“Appa..Appa..Yoong wants to eat” Yoona unnie started playing around in her child-like voice again. Oh, I think I mentioned before her Appa is Yuri unnie and her Umma is Jesscia unnie. YulSic, one of the royalship in the house! Who’s the other one you ask?

Of course it’s none other than the Taeny! Taeyeon Appa and Tiffany Umma, and together they have Seobaby! Both of them took me under their care when I first came here, just like how parents would treat their kid. So they are my Appa and Umma and we are the Kim family.

Boom! Splash! Clink! 

Suddenly we heard noises coming from outside. Being closest to the door, Sunny unnie when to check.

“It’s Mike! He is outside and he seems to be splashing something on the door! OMG! He is locking the gate with a chain!”

Upon hearing this, Taeyeon unnie, Yuri unnie, Sooyoung unnie and Hyoyeon unnie went out to check. Not long after they came back with solemn faces.

“It’s kerosene. He is trying to burn down this place! We need you all to leave now!” Yuri unnie said. 

Mike was one of the company’s higher ups. We seldom interact or reveal to him. He has always been cocky and hitting on pretty ladies. So Taeyeon has warned all of us to stay away from him, especially her Fany. Few weeks ago, we heard he was fired on the spot. His misappropriate actions were picked up by Taeyeon’s unnie master and was reported. After a thorough investigation, he was caught embezzling the company’s money. After he left abruptly, no one has seen him until now.

No one POV

“Follow me! I know there is another exit here where you all can leave.” Sooyoung said.

“But what about you all?” We can’t just leave you here!” Mr Choi voiced out.

“We have never left this place before and I’m not sure if we can leave. I don’t think he can hurt us?” Jessica unnie said.

“He is trying to burn down this place! What if all of you get hurt? I can’t live with this, knowing that he came here for me in the first place!” Taeyeon’s master said.

“It’s not your fault,Ms Oh”

“How about this? The hidden exit is at the back, you help us bring our jars to the back. If there is any danger, we will escape from the windows.” Taeyeon proposed.

“Okay, we will do that”

“Sooyoung, Yuri, lead them to the back door. I will go and distract him to buy us some time” Taeyeon said.

“Tae! Let me come with you!” Tiffany request.

“No Fany! It's too dangerous for you to follow me!”

“Then why are you going alone?”

“I can’t let you join me! It will break my heart if he hurt you!”

“The same goes for me! Can’t you see!!”

“Please Fany.. go with them! I promise I will make it back to you, my rightful place beside you..”

“Tae...no..” Tiffany said with tears spilling out.

“Go..i love you..” Taeyeon said, giving a kiss on Tiffany’s forehead.

“I love you TaeTae, please come back”

With Sooyoung in the lead, they all left to get the jars and went towards the exit. Taeyeon turn and went back to find Mike. She needs to distract him so that they have enough time to escape. She can’t let them get into any harm, especially her Fany.

After a long walk across the office to the back, they reached the back exit. One by one, their master place the jars near the windows. After a tearful goodbye, they went out from the back door. After making sure their master had escaped to safety zone. The eight of them gathers and wait at the back for Taeyeon to rejoin them. Suddenly, they heard police sirens followed by more splashing and sounds of pushing and hitting. Like people getting into a scuffle.

BBOOMM! A loud sound of an explosion can be heard.

“TaeTae!!!” Tiffany cried and tried to run back to where she split up with Taeyeon earlier.

“NO! Don’t go Fany! It’s dangerous!” Sunny and Yoona hold her back.

“I have to!! Tae’s is in more danger than me!!”

BOOMM! BBOOMM! BOOOMM! 

“TAE!!!”

Fire were spreading fast towards the back. They can all feel the heat from it. Tiffany is crying and wanting to get to Taeyeon with Sunny and Yoona holding on to her. Seohyun, Hyoyeon and Jessica were using their powers to hold off the fire from spreading too fast inside. Yuri and Sooyoung were searching for hideouts where they could be safe while waiting for Taeyeon.

“Girls… we need to escape soon! I can’t hold out the fire any longer…” Jessica said 

“Sica! Are you alright?” Yuri immediately rush to her beloved.

“Quick, we need to get to the window!”

“No.. I can’t leave Tae alone.. You girls leave now!”

“Unnie!!”

“Tiff, come on! Let’s go, Tae won’t want you to get hurt”

“Fany!”

No matter what the rest said, Tiffany just look towards the direction where she last saw Taeyeon. Her eyes were void of emotions, empty.. Like a part of her is gone.

“uu..Umma...please.. Let’s go..now...please..” Seohyun sobs and tried to drag Tiffany to safety.

“No.. seobaby.. I..i..ca..can’t…”

“Umma…i..i ..don’t wan.t..to lo...lose..you too...There is nob..ody in the.. world that wo..wouuld care for me like you two.. If I... have alre..ady lost appa… I don't want to lose my umma tooo...please...don’t abandon me.. Alone.. I..can’t…”

“I..ii…”

They managed to drag Tiffany to the window. Everyone was getting ready to jump, they don’t know if they will survive this but that was all the option they had. Before getting ready, Tiffany e last time to check, hoping against all odds that Taeyeon would be walking towards her.

“Why did you leave me alone ...you didn’t keep your promise...” Tiffany said before taking her position.

An outstretched hand covered in soot appears beside her from the room next door.

“I heard a beautiful lady calling for me…”

BBOOMMMMM!

The force of the explosion caused nine jars to fly out of the window and landed on the ground. The contents were spilled onto the floor like a nine-colored rainbow. The nine of them gathered, joining their hands, forming a circle around it. They felt weaker by the seconds.

“Knowing all of you was the best thing that happen to me, I don’t know what is in for us but I hope, I would always find my rightful place which is beside you.” Taeyeon said before they all starts to fade away one by one…

Jeonju,In the hospital, on the TV

Good evening, today is 9 Mar 1989. The final hearing for suspect Mike has been passed down today. He was responsible for the fire outbreak last year in Gwangju....

“Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Kim, you have a beautiful daughter.”

”Dear, let’s name her Taeyeon..” Mrs Kim said with tears.