CHAPTER ONE: Goodbye

Jessica Jung strode down the busy streets of Seoul, passers-by grazing past her without looking back. The blonde girl looked around the city. It was still the same as ever. It was a new day again, a new beginning. She looked up at the white, puffy clouds swimming in the beautiful blue sky and at the morning sun that smiled down on her, giving off a bright, radiant light. She stopped to look at the tall buildings in the city, but resumed her brisk walking as she tried to find her way through the crowd of busy people. It was a Monday, after all.

 Jessica made her way to the bus stop, as usual and she would wait for the first bus to her school, Seoul High. She stopped at the front of the school gates and looked up at the big golden letters spelling out the school’s name arched on top of the gates. The blonde girl stopped by her locker and punched in the code before grabbing her books and slamming the door shut.

“Sica!” Her best friends, Tiffany and Yuri called out as they approached her, waving their hands.

“Good Morning.” Jessica greeted them with a warm smile and joined them in their walk.

“So, what’s up?” Yuri asked them both.

 Tiffany had lots to say. She began with a tale of how her Saturday night at the movies went. It went on for a few minutes, but she finished her story.

“How about you, Sica?” Yuri asked, turning to the girl on her right.

“Nothing much,” Jessica replied.

“Aigo~ You have to get some thrill in your life, you know”, Tiffany told her friend jokingly. Jessica forced a smile. “Oh come on, Jess. You can’t enjoy your life if you live like you’re a dead person.” Tiffany said as she punched Jessica’s shoulder lightly. Jessica sighed. “It’s been a month,” she said.

Yuri and Tiffany knew exactly what she was talking about. They looked at each other, worry showing evidently on their pretty faces.

“Sica-yah, It’s time to move on.” Yuri said as she placed a hand on Jessica’s shoulder.

“She’s right, you know.” Tiffany added. Jessica heaved a sigh.

“I know.” She replied. “I just miss her.”

Bu really, she thought, how do you let go of someone who’s been a part of your life for as long as you can remember?

-Flashback-

“Yah! Unnie! Where do you think you’re going?” A 10-year old girl said, pointing a finger at her older sister who was trying to sneak out the door.

“Oh, come on Krystal. It’s Friday night. I have life too, you know.”

“Oh, so you’re just going to leave me alone, unnie?” Krystal replied and folded her arms. Her sister sighed.

“What do you want?” Jessica said, causing a smile to form on her sister’s face.

“Take me with you.” She said.

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“I’ll tell Yuri-unnie that you were the one who ate the chocolates Minho-oppa gave her for Valentines.” She said, wearing a satisfied smirk on her face.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jessica said and looked at Krystal, narrowing her eyes.

“I would,” she replied. The older girl looked the younger in the eyes, and sighed.

“Fine, get your sweater,” she said in defeat.

“Yes!” Krystal Jung exclaimed and ran upstairs to grab a sweater before leaving the house with her older sister.

“Come,” Jessica said and took her sister’s hand. They walked down the streets and passed by a few shops.

“I want that, unnie!” Krystal said, pointing at a little doll in in a pink dress. The doll had blonde hair and small, blue eyes. Krystal looked at it and pouted. “I want that!”

“You’re 10 and you want something like that?” Jessica asked.

“It’s cute, okay?”

“Fine. Let’s go get it.”

Jessica and Krystal went into the store and Jessica bought the doll for her sister. Krystal smiled and thanked her older sister, holding the doll tightly in her arms.

“Yah. Take care of that! It’s expensive.” Krystal nodded and took her unnie’s hand once again.

“We have to cross the street here.” Jessica said taking her sister’s hands. “Now, wait for the green man to light up, so we can walk.”

“I know that!” Krystal shouted.  Jessica laughed.

“Sure you do.”

The light turned green, signalling that they could cross the road now. Krystal took Jessica’s hand and held it tightly. With the older girl’s “Go” signal, the two began crossing the road. When they were in the middle, Krystal dropped her doll.

“Ah!” Krystal let go of her sister’s hand to get the toy. She looked up to see a big truck speeding in her direction.

“Krystal! Run!” Jessica screamed. Her younger sister didn’t move. Instead, she stood there, holding the doll’s hand tightly.

“Krystal!” Jessica ran to her sister and tried to push her out of the way.

CRASH

But it was too late. The Jung sisters were both hit by huge vehicle, and they lay there in the middle of the road, lying down motionless on the pavement surrounded by a pool of red liquid.

BLOOD.

“Unnie...” Krystal said. She was in her sister’s arms. “Don’t leave me, okay?” She said as she hugged her sister tighter, a tear escaping from her eye.

Jessica couldn’t move, yet she could picture her ten-year-old sister lying there, helpless. She held the little girl as far as tight could get in her current situation. Her eyes were fixed at the little doll she had bought for her sister. Her hands were on her little sister’s chest.

“Don’t worry okay? Unnie will never leave you.”

Jessica’s body jerked upward as the paramedics tried to revive her. Her eyes remained closed, her body remained still.

“Come on!” he shouted as he tried to bring her back. He electrocuted her one more time and glanced over at the heart rate meter’s monitor. The flat line turned into a crooked, bumpy one. She was alive.

“Thank God.”

He smiled as Jessica’s eyes fluttered open. She took in her surroundings and looked around.

“Krystal?” she said. But her little sister’s voice couldn’t be heard.

“KRYSTAL?” she repeated, a little louder. She looked around once more, and her eyes darted to the bed beside hers. The body of a girl was lying there, the smile on her face making her look so alive, but the pale of her skin and the absence of stable breaths making her look so lifeless.  A familiar blonde-haired doll in a pink dress rested on top of the little girl’s blanket. “KRYSTAL?!” She screamed and tried to sit up. “KRYSTAL, IS THAT YOU? ANSWER ME!”

“Miss, calm down,” the paramedic said as he tried to get her to lie back down. “It’s not safe for you to stand yet.”

“SHUT UP!” she screamed. “THAT’S MY SISTER! THAT’S MY KRYSTAL OVER THERE! LET ME SEE HER!” She shouted with tears in her eyes.

“KRYSTAL!”

“Unnie...” A voice said weakly.

“Krystal?” she said as she took her sister’s hand. “Krystal, unnie is here.” She smiled. Krystal smiled back and squeezed her sister’s hand.

“I love you unnie.”

And her heart stopped beating.

A week later, Krystal’s funeral was held. A lot of people came. Krystal’s friends and Jessica’s friends attended the service. Their relatives and schoolmates were also present.

Tiffany hugged Jessica, who was crying. She was the most affected by this tragedy. Yuri came by their side too, as soon as she was done offering her prayers. They stood by Jessica’s side as she cried, clutching the doll in her hands.

“..in glory everlasting, through Jesus Christ, our lord. Amen...” The priest said and Jessica came forward to drop the doll in.

“Take care of this okay? It was expensive...” she said and looked at her sister’s beautiful face one more time.

“Say hello to mom and dad for me, okay?” she forced a smile as more tears gushed out of her eyes. She hung her head low, feeling everyone’s pitying stares burning through the back of her neck.

“I love...you...”

Jessica went to school as usual. After Krystal had gone, she somehow became different. She was no longer the hyper Jessica everyone knew. She became the Ice Princess, and everyone except for Tiffany and Yuri seemed to grow more distant as the days passed by.

She visited her sister and talked to her every day after school. She would tell her about how the day went, and what she accomplished. She would tell her everything, even though her sister couldn’t actually hear her.

-Flashback End-

“Ms. Jung!” her teacher shouted and hit her desk with a ruler Jessica winced and looked up, confused.

“PAY ATTENTION,” she said firmly.

“Sorry…” Jessica said and turned her attention back to the lesson.

Jessica finished her story about how she got told off again for spacing out, she offered fresh flowers and was about to head home from the cemetery, when she heard a voice call out to her.

“Jessica-unnie...” The mysterious whisperer said. She looked around, but no one was there. The voice kept calling her name, and Jessica decided to follow the sound.

It led her to the forest at the back of the cemetery, a deserted place that no one ever dared to set foot on, for some reason. Jessica hesitated to enter, her eyes shifting back and forth between the trees and flowers surrounding her. “How could something so beautiful be so scary at the same time?” she thought as she was about to step back, but the voice spoke once again.

“Where are you going? Don’t leave yet.”

“Wh- who are you?” Jessica said as she searched for the owner of the voice. She looked behind her, then she took quick glances to her right and to her left, but she found no one. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked down.

It was the doll, the doll with the pink dress, bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair.

It was Krystal’s doll.

Jessica took a few steps back and prepared herself to run, but she couldn’t move. The cold wind brushed against her fair skin and her blonde hair danced in circles as she stood there frozen. She wanted to go away, wishing she hadn’t followed the sound, but it was too late. She found her body moving on its own. It was moving forward without her wanting to, against her will. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.

“Yah! What’s with the face?” A girl’s voice said jokingly and laughed. Jessica opened her eyes and found herself in a flower garden. The different types and colors of flowers painted the rainbow, a beautiful sight. Jessica took in her surroundings and smiled at the beauty around her.

‘How pretty!’ She thought.

Then the image of a girl caught her eye. The girl looked a lot like Jessica, except that she had long, wavy, black hair. She looked like a 14-year old version of Jessica’s deceased sister. The girl smiled at Jessica and said, “Long time no see, sis.”

Jessica thought for a moment and looked at the girl closely. Then it struck her. “Krystal?” she said, surprised.

“Bingo!” Krystal said and laughed, circling her sister as she surveyed the blonde girl before her. She

giggled as she sat down on a rock. “It took you long enough to find out. Miss me?”

Jessica moved closer to Krystal and extended her hand. She slapped Krystal on the cheek and the younger girl jumped back.

“What the hell was that for?” She said, rubbing her cheek.  Jessica put her hand over , which was wide open, in shock.

“You didn’t miss me?” Krystal frowned and folded her arms on her chest. Jessica ran to her sister and hugged her. “Of course I did!” she said.

“Unnie, your reaction is becoming slower.” She said and hugged her sister back.

“Well yes…I was surprised I could touch you.” Jessica replied. “But Krys, aren’t you…” She trailed off with a bit of hesitation in her voice.

“Dead?” Krystal replied. “Yeah, I am. But I can’t enter heaven yet.”

“Who said you were going to heaven?” Jessica replied and laughed.

“Yah! I was a good girl!” Krystal countered.

“Yeah, whatever you say.” Jessica chuckled. “But, how can I touch you? Let alone see you…”

“Oh that,” Krystal said. “I was surprised too. Leeteuk-oppa said I have powers now.”

“So, you’re making me see you?” Jessica said.

“No. But I did lure you here.” Krystal laughed. “Leeteuk-oppa said I can talk to people when whisper in their ear. But only certain people can hear me when I talk normally, like now. I don’t know how you can see me, though.” She scratched her head.

“Oh…” Jessica said. “Come home with me then!” She suggested.

“I can’t.” Krystal frowned. “I can only stay within this cemetery where I’m buried. But I don’t go there. I stay here in the forest, it’s quiet. I go there when you come though.”

“So, you can hear my stories?” Jessica laughed and her sister nodded.

The sisters laughed and told stories for a while. Krystal told Jessica about the gates of heaven, and how you needed to pass a test to enter. She didn’t reveal her mission, however, insisting that it was top secret. Jessica told Krystal about her life and how much she missed her. They spent their time together there, catching up on things. But it was time for Jessica to go.

“I’ll come back!” Jessica shouted as she waved to her sister.

“Promise?” Krystal shouted back.

“Promise!” Jessica smiled and waved one last time.

“See you tomorrow, unnie!” Krystal smiled.

“See you! I love you!” Jessica made a heart shape with her hands before stepping back. Krystal did the same. Jessica turned around and smiled as Krystal’s image disappeared into the sunset.

‘Aigo, unnie. You’ll be meeting someone real soon.’ Krystal laughed to herself. ‘And you have to help him complete his mission, okay? He’s one of the best guys out there, so I want him to be really happy. It’s sad that his life came to an end.’ She sighed.

‘Just try your best not to fall in love with him.’

Comments are Loved. ;)

--author. 

EDIT: November 23, 2013.