“Such a tiring day to be bothered by such ridiculous things! Well, it’s late and they’re kinda hilarious actually.” Hyukjae rolled his eyes as he got into the cab. 

He can’t believe the moment he landed, he was welcomed by such scenes. A ghost that trailed behind a girl’s back, a demon called incubus, which was transparent, floated and followed his owner, he even saw a child ghost hanging on one of the airport gates. 

‘But why such a Europe demon, like an incubus, is in Seoul, though?’ Hyukjae thought.

It was Hyukjae's first time in Korea, and he didn't want it to be ruined by seeing various kinds of ghosts. He still couldn't understand why he had to see all of that immediately upon arriving. Well, he indeed inherited a sixth sense from his deceased grandmother, according to his family. Sometimes, Hyukjae was grateful. However, at times, he cursed it when the timing was off.

"Enough, enough! Don't dwell on it!" Hyukjae muttered in his mother language as he remembered the child ghost at the airport gate earlier. It was absurd and highly amusing to Hyukjae, but he had to forget about it.

“Boy? Are you okay?” asked the taxi driver as he eyed Hyukjae weirdly.

Hyukjae blinked his eyes twice. He tried to make out what the driver said, but he was too engrossed in his mind and couldn’t help but smile sheepishly. “Excuse me?”

The taxi driver let a breath out and asked in Korean again, “Are you okay?”

“Ah… yes, I’m okay. Don’t worry, Sir.” Gladly, Hyukjae took his time in Seattle to study Korean. He had planned solo travelling for a long time, and he didn’t want to get lost in Korea just because he couldn’t speak the language. 

Actually, Korea wasn’t the place that Hyukjae want to visit for his first solo travelling trip. But the moment he saw various dishes that looked bloody red on Youtube, he decided that he should travel here. He wants to try the spiciness that Korean cuisine offers. He wasn’t that good when it comes to spicy foods cause he was born in Seattle and his family wasn’t all hype about spiciness, but he was positive that he could eat them. Even more, he was astonished when he found out that Koreans had many ramyeon and he couldn’t wait to slurp those noodles like those mukbangers. That was why, he decided to learn the language and came here all the way alone.

As he was preoccupied with his thoughts, Hyukjae did not realize that he had already reached his destination, the hotel he had reserved in advance. “Boy, we’re here.”

Hyukjae jolted and quickly handed a sum of money to the driver before stepping out of the cab and thanking him. Dragging his suitcase, he swiftly entered the hotel lobby and made his way toward the reception desk. Without any hesitation, Hyukjae immediately said, "Under the name Lee Hyukjae."

The receptionist gave him a look but he simply smiled at him as an apology. The receptionist only nodded as he saw how tired Hyukjae was. The process was swift as the wind, Hyukjae got his key room and he headed to his room quickly. Having sat down for hours, even though he got some sleep on the airplane, it wasn’t enough. Hyukjae only hopes that he won’t see or meet any ghosts in his room. But it seemed that luck wasn’t at his side this time because the moment he entered the elevator, there was a girl ghost stuck in the ceiling.

‘This might be terrifying for others but it’s so funny for me,’ was Hyukjae thought as he punch the push button. ‘Imagine his losing his balance and he falls to the floor, ouch, it must be embarrassing hahaha.’

Hyukjae ignored the ghost and pretended to be oblivious as he just stand there quietly until he reached his floor. Thank god, the ghost seemed didn’t follow him as he came out from the elevator. The ghost might didn’t realize that Hyukjae knew his existence. Thus, Hyukjae entered his room and rested peacefully there as he saw no ghost anywhere near her. And the night got deeper as he sleep soundly right after he was out of his clothes.

*****

As the new day dawned, Hyukjae embraced it with excitement. He walked out of the hotel with light steps, he had the list of restaurants that he wants visit on his mind. Nevertheless, he still wrote it on his note on the phone. 

Fishing out his phone, he started to find a way to go to one of the local restaurants, which was not too far from his location. Taking a stroll through Seoul's bustling streets with a spring in his step, Hyukjae set his sights on an authentic bibimbap restaurant. The place wasn’t big, but it was cozy. It was the place that he had in mind.

Without thinking twice, he stepped into the place and was greeted with the aroma of sizzling vegetables and savory sauces that filled the air. Hyukjae didn’t have his breakfast yet, so he felt awfully hungry now. Even the aroma was enough to make him drool. His excitement was evident as he took a seat at the table near the window.

“Ma’am, a bowl of bibimbap, please!” said Hyukjae in Korean with a faint strange accent, but the owner understood him.

A smile spread across the owner's face as he nodded and headed into the kitchen. Soon after, Hyukjae was presented with a beautifully presented bowl of colorful bibimbap. A bowl of fluffy white rice was topped with crisp vegetables, marinated beef, a perfectly fried egg, and sauce to make it complete. Picking up his chopsticks, he mixed everything together. Then, started to savor his first meal.

“Wow, this is so good!” Hyukjae exclaimed as he couldn’t stop munching. He was so pleased with his breakfast and almost failed to notice someone had been watching him intently all this time. 

“Bibimbap is always good whenever you eat it,” said the stranger who now seat in front of Hyukjae in a flash. But he ignored him as if he didn’t know his existence. He kept munching and ignored him until the last bite.

The stranger frowned. He was sure that he could see him, but he wondered why he pretended not to. He was pondering as if he choose the wrong time since they were both still in public and it would be strange for to him talk to the air. Well, he might didn’t know if the person in front of him wasn’t completely human, and he ignored him because they were just strangers, that was what the man thought. But he didn’t know better.

“Well, yeah, keep ignoring me until you—” He didn’t finish his sentence as he saw Hyukjae get up from his seat and head toward the cashier to pay. “He should notice me though as he near his death!” 

The stranger got up as well, and he strode to Hyukjae, he was about to yell at him when he finished his payment, then dashed out. He couldn’t believe Hyukjae, he was beyond surprised at how well that boy managed to pretend to not see him. He couldn’t let this happen, he needed to finish his task quickly. So, he followed Hyukjae’s steps.

Meanwhile, Hyukjae grumbled in his mind. He knew that the stranger had followed him, but he wasn’t sure what that stranger wanted. Also, it was his first time encountering such a ghost. Hyukjae thought, ‘What kind of creature is he? I don’t think he is a ghost cause he didn’t look like all the ghosts that I had met, but he is definitely not a human. Then, what? If he’s not a ghost, then what he is? Why he is in all black though, even having that stick on his hand. It’s weird.’

As Hyukjae walked without paying attention to where he was going, he smelled the tantalizing smell of kimchi and sizzling barbecue. Suddenly, his st