“See you tomorrow unni,” Yoona said as she was halfway out the door. “Sure you don’t need any help closing up?”

“Nah, I’m good,” Jessica assured her. “I’ll finish cleaning then I’ll lock up. Walk home safely Yoongie.”

“Of course. Bye!”

Jessica listened as the door shut and began wiping tables. It was just about 3-4 minutes until it was 8:00 PM. Jessica slowly cleaned off the table top, just moving her arm in a counter-clock wise motion very slowly.

Oh god, it’s almost 8. He’s gonna be here…talking to me? Maybe he isn’t real. Maybe I made a deal with some sort of strange mirage.

Jessica dropped the damp rag on the table and heaved a sigh.

“Hey there!” the mysterious boy waved as Jessica turned around. Jessica’s heart almost leaped into .

“Oh my gosh!” Jessica said with both hands covering her heart as if to keep it from exploding within her chest. “Y-you’re here…already?”

“Punctuality is a virtue,” the boy replied with a smile. Jessica still couldn’t understand why he seemed so joyful whenever he talked to her. “Besides, I had nothing better to do,” he admitted. “I guess I should properly introduce myself this time. My name is Lee Donghae. I’m 23 and it’s nice to meet you.” His genuine and sincere character confused Jessica and so she was unsure how to respond.

“And you are…?”

“Oh um, I’m Jessica, Jung Jessica.”

“Why don’t we sit down?” he suggested and Jessica nodded her head.

He put out one of his hands hoping for a handshake but Jessica just stared at his hand as if she were thrown off guard.

“I promise, I don’t bite,” Donghae . Reluctantly she reached for his hand and amazingly she felt his hand again. He was as warm as she was – he must be real.

“This is…strange,” Jessica blurted while her hand laid uncomfortably in his.

“I understand if you’re really confused and maybe even scared. But don’t be okay?” he tired to comfort her a bit.

“But none of this is making any sense to me,” Jessica said as she stole her hand back. “You appear out of nowhere and disappear into thin air. Others don’t notice your presence yet I hear you speaking to me very clearly. You seem completely unreal yet I feel the warmth of your hand as if you were any other person. Care to explain?” Jessica’s voice was firm and curious. She wanted a clear explanation and Donghae just shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s it? Is that really all you can do?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have much of an explanation. But…no,” he regretted.

“What, what is it?”

“Well I was going to tell you something, but you wouldn’t believe me,” he explained.

“Tell me, what?”

“Nothing, it’s just…too much,” he said as he shook his head.

“If it’s the truth I’d like to hear it. Please tell me, what’s going on? Who are you exactly?” Jessica’s eyes looked weary, desperate for an answer. As he looked into her eyes he felt a pang of guilt and heaved a great sigh.

“Okay, but please keep an open mind?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Ok well…I’m…I’m a ghost.”

Jessica stared at him incredulously. “Come again?”

“You promised to keep an open mind,” he reminded her.

“A ghost? What kind of explanation is that? Don’t play games with me,” she demanded.

“I’m not! Why would I lie about that? Obviously I’m confused too!”

“But a ghost…it’s just unreasonable,” Jessica said looking down.

“Don’t you believe me?” he asked, nudging his head at her.

“It’s sort of hard to believe someone I’ve just met – especially when they say something like that.”

“So you don’t believe me,” he sounded defeated.

“I guess not,” she apologized.

“I can prove it,” he suddenly said, standing up from the table.

“Wh-what? And how are you going to do that?”

“You see that wall?” he asked, pointing to the opposite side of the room.

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’m going to run into it,” he said plainly.

“What?! Don’t do that!” she told him, standing up as well.

“Why not?” he said as he began stretching a bit. He started to slowly jog in place, “it’ll prove that I’m a ghost. So you should be begging me to do it.”

Donghae begins to prepare himself to run into the wall and as he’s about to launch himself, Jessica puts her hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t! Are you insane? You’ll get hurt.”

His rosy lips let out a slight giggle as he took her hand off his shoulder. “Just trust me?”

“But—“

“Just trust me. You have to learn how to trust,” he advised her. He turned his face to the wall he planned on running into and he finally released himself. He took one step and immediately started increasing his speed.

Oh no! Jessica thought, covering her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Jessica uncovered her sight and unexpectedly, she noticed that Donghae was nowhere to be seen. She walked up to the wall and started knocking on it, feeling around with her hands.

“This doesn’t make sense. That’s impossible,” Jessica said as she continued to stare at the wall in astonishment.

“Impossible?” Jessica jumped and turned her attention to Donghae who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, right next to her.

“How did you…”

“Cool trick huh?” he bragged. “Do you believe me now?”

Jessica took in a deep breath and slowly nodded her head. “I guess I have no choice,” she pointed out. The two of them sat back down at a table, keeping their eyes on each other.

“Look, I know it’s strange, but I really am a ghost.”

“I’ll believe you for now, but it still doesn’t explain why I’m the only person who can see you,” she complained a bit, still trying to discover some sort of logical solution to her complicated riddle.

“You got me on that one,” Donghae acknowledged, slowly leaning back against the seat. “I’ve been walking these streets alone recently. Not a single person could see me. But when I realized that you,” he said looking into her eyes, “just you, could see me, I grew excited. Look, I’m sorry for following you around the other day. I wasn’t trying to be creepy. I needed to talk to you because I don’t understand the predicament we’re in either.”

Jessica started to feel a bit sorry for him, maybe even a little guilty for the way she treated him.

“I’m sorry for…for mistreating you I guess. But you can’t blame me right? People look at me like I belong to an insane asylum when I start talking to you.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But obviously we share some sort of connection, right? I mean, if you’re the only person who can see me…well, it must mean something,” Donghae said.

“True, but, if we’re supposedly connected, then how would it be so? We’ve never met before and I haven’t seen you around.”

“Same for me.”

“Hmm,” the two were both in deep thought. They both leaned on their elbows on the table with a hand cupping their resting chins. They sat in silence trying to think of where they my have met one another before the incidents began.

“Wait a minute,” Jessica finally broke the silence. “Donghae…if you’re a ghost…wouldn’t that mean that you’re—“

“Oh shoot!” Donghae exclaimed as he looked at his wrist watch.
”What is it?” Jessica asked worriedly. “Is something wrong?”

“Crap, it’s just that visiting hours end at 9 and it’s already 8:30. Noona will be leaving soon,” Donghae said.

“Visiting hours? What are you talking about Donghae?”

“Can we meet again? Maybe tomorrow?”

“Um, well I have work first,” Jessica tried to think.

“Oh wait, I just remembered Jungshin’s little performance,” he mumbled to himself. “I’ll meet you in a few days alright? I’ll come by when you’re off work,” he said as he began rushing out the door.

“Donghae, where are you going? What are you talking about?”

“Just wait for me okay? I’ll see you as soon as possible.” And just like that he vanished out the entrance. Jessica ran for the door and once she was outside she began looking around.

“Donghae? Donghae are you there?” she called to him, but no one answered. Jessica began to scratch her head with a puzzled expression.

Where could he possibly be running off to? He’s a ghost, right? Jessica thought to herself as she was walking home.

I can’t believe I really know a ghost. And only I can see him, hear him,  even feel the touch of his hand. Jessica raised her hand to her face and inspected it fully.

It’s strange, he says he’s a ghost, yet his hand feels as warm as a living, breathing human being.

--

A few days have passed since Jessica had her first real encounter with the mystery-boy – finally named, Donghae. Each day at work the words “I’m a ghost” just replay in her mind, over and over again. Her mind is still processing the fact that she has truly been acquainted with a spirit from the other side. As she works each day, she tries to concentrate on what she’s doing but she waits for Donghae to appear again.

She isn’t sure what she’s feeling, but she feels like she wants to talk to him. But it’s not that she just wants to talk to him, but it’s like she needs to, she has to.

Her mind keeps telling her that, just as he has been doing, he’ll appear whenever he wants to. Just ignore it, he’ll be back eventually.

But her heart is a bit different. Somewhere, deep in the bottom of her heart, she feels the need, the necessity to meet him again. She has to talk to him, because something between them, something completely intangible, makes her gravitate to him.

Unfortunately for Jessica, Yoona is no fool. Yoona knows when Jessica is zoning out. She is fully aware when Jessica’s mental presence lingers into some other world and is always too curious to keep shut.

She has been noticing how Jessica has been constantly looking out the window as she walks around the café and constantly turns around here and there as if she were looking for someone.

While Jessica walked toward the counter, she was gazing around, looking around her and out the windows again and Yoona stood right in front of her.

“Oh,” Jessica seemed a bit surprised. “Hey Yoona.”

“I’m surprised you even noticed me,” Yoona derided. “You’re working here, but your mind is elsewhere. Are you expecting someone?”

“What?..um..no, why do you ask?”

“Is there something you need to talk about? Is it Siwon?”

“No, no it’s nothing like that,” Jessica tried to convince her.

“Or is this about that ‘boy’ you said you’ve been seeing?” Jessica blushed and Yoona let out a small giggle, “Eomeona,” Yoona gasped, childishly covering with her hand. “Unni isn’t seeing other boys is she? What would Siwon oppa think?”

Jessica shoved her against her shoulder. “Oh please,” she chided.

“No really unni, are you okay?”

“Ugh,” Jessica groaned. “I’m fine, Yoona. Just get back to work, stop dawdling!” she insisted, turning Yoona around and pushing her against her backside.

“Alright, but if I find out you’re lying you’ll get punished for sure,” she threatened.

“Whatever mother,” Jessica said. “Shouldn’t this be the other way around?”

“Well one of us has to be the mature one right?”

“Just get working.”

Even Yoona can see that I’m waiting for him. Well, I should be anticipating his next arrival right? I mean, he said he would come back to talk to me. Why am I so anxious to see him? Why am I being so impatient? Am I really missing him?

Jessica’s eyebrows furrowed in thought.

No. He’ll be back eventually. I’ll just ignore it.

---

[A/N]

Okay, so since I've been having some free time, I've been having a lot of fun writing more (:

I'm working on chapter 5 right now! i hope you guys are still staying updated! Please leave comments! I'd love to know what you're thinking s you're reading! It's always interesting !

Be back asap !!

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