2013.

It was past two in the morning on a Tuesday in Seoul. While the rest of the city was fast asleep in bed under their comforters on this chilly night, Choi Siwon was sitting in a pitch-dark office in front of his lit computer screen. He had dismissed his subordinates earlier on in the evening when they had tied up the loose ends on their latest case and submitted the reports to the department of justice to prosecute the suspect. They deserved a break after working endless days and nights for the past month to solve this tricky case.

But Choi Siwon was not one who would take a breather even though his body was going into overdrive. He thrived on his career which was his sole motivation for survival. After all, there was nothing left in this world for him after his mother passed away when he was fifteen. He never had a dad or another next of kin so he was basically all alone in this world after she cruelly left before him.

It had been his dream since he was a kid to serve as a policeman, bringing justice to the community and keeping their city a safe place for all. It gave him a purpose in life. It made him feel important, appreciated and wanted. These were things he never quite felt from his mother who was hardly at home because she had to be out working to make a living. He didn’t blame her because he knew she worked hard to put him through school. But the lack of love in his life had made him into the cold person he is today.

As the leader of the cold case department, Siwon would fiercely chase up on any leads on cold cases provided by the other departments and attempt to bring the criminals to justice. But most importantly, he loves the sense of satisfaction when he see the relieved tears flow down the victims’ loved ones faces when they know that justice had been served. He would also feel answerable to the victims who had their life cruelly taken away without their perpetrator having to face any punishment for it.

Being surrounded by the worst criminals of mankind and death everyday made Siwon a cynical man. Thus he never loved anyone or allowed anybody to love him. Countless women would love to be with him, for he was the perfect man on the outside. But inside, he was an empty soul.

Siwon always wondered where he will go after his death. He wouldn’t hesitate to admit that this was something he thought about often. After all, there was nothing he had to leave behind if he was to die. He imagined the world of the afterlife to be a much simpler place than the living earth. Perhaps he could finally be reunited with his mother in a beautiful place beyond imagination without having to share her with her possessive, time-consuming job.

Siwon rubbed his eyes which were red and sore from his lack of sleep. A quick brush over his chin alerted him to the hair that had grown on it after three days of staying in the office without time for personal grooming. He decided that he should allow himself to take a quick nap before he dived into the countless cold case files with new leads that were pending his attention. He placed his hand over the mouse and attempted to shut down the computer. But the mouse would not move.

“Damn, what’s wrong with this thing?” He mumbled to himself and in the process, realizing how horrible his breath smelt.

The computer screened froze and Siwon’s attempts to make any movement on it were futile. Just as he was about to switch the power off, a case file appeared on the screen.

“What the hell…”

November 1 2008. Police received a call from a janitor at Cheongdam College in the morning at 8:32am, who had discovered a dead body lying on the field. Upon police arrival to the crime scene, the victim Kwon Yuri aged 21 was declared dead. COD was a stab wound to the back which penetrated the lungs. The murder weapon was not located during investigation. Crime scene evidence and transcripts of interrogations are located in storage room 12, row 5 column number 3. Due to the lack of obvious motive and suspects, police has classified this case as an unsolved murder. Case file was stored in the cold case database on July 13 2009.

Just as Siwon’s eyes had hastily scanned through the brief information, a photograph of the victim flashed on the screen which made Siwon jumped back in fright. But he was soon calmed down by the sweet, cheerful smile she had in that photograph which was taken in what seemed like her home.

“Something must be wrong with my computer.” He commented without giving the situation much thought and attempted to close the windows on his screen. But the mouse would not work again.

The screen turned black and bright pink words began appearing on it, one by one.

ARE YOU AFRAID? I’M SORRY, I DON’T MEAN TO FRIGHTEN YOU. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, DETECTIVE CHOI. I’M KWON YURI.

Siwon was taken aback and started to lose his patience.

“Ok whoever you are playing this prank on me, it’s not funny.”

IT’S NOT A PRANK. I NEED YOUR HELP. THAT’S WHY I HAVE COME.

His eyes scanned around the office but he saw nobody. The place was just as it was before this mysterious incident took place. He started to get a little afraid. His gut feeling told him something wasn’t right.

I WAS MURDERED AND I DIED NOT KNOWING WHO KILLED ME. PLEASE HELP ME.

If this was really Yuri as she claimed to be and was hijacking his computer in the middle of the night, Siwon knew that he was dealing with the supernatural. It scared the hell out of him for a moment. He reached into his drawer and drew out his revolver, holding it close to his body.

I DON’T WANT TO HARM YOU, NEITHER CAN I. I JUST WANT YOUR HELP. I’VE BEEN WAITING 5 YEARS FOR THIS. PLEASE, I BEG YOU.

His heart softened and he let his guard down a wee bit. What a foolish man he had been. He was a living being. Why should he be afraid of the dead or whatever this invisible thing was? It can’t harm him. He placed his revolver back in the drawer and closed it shut. 

CAN I APPEAR TO YOU? I PROMISE I WOULDN’T SCARE YOU.

Siwon hesitated for a moment. He shook his head and laughed. This could not be happening.  

“I must be hallucinating or dreaming.”

The screen flashed back to photographs of Yuri in her happier days. Photographs of her with her family, touring exotic places, hanging out in clubs with her friends…

His heart grew soft. He closed his eyes and mumbled a soft yes.

He cautiously opened his eyes and found himself staring at the beautiful young woman he had just seen on the screen. She was seated opposite him from the desk with sad eyes and a weary smile on her face. She looked normal, just like a living human.

He reached out his hand in a slow motion and attempted to feel her cheek.

“Siwon.”

She called his name in a serene manner which made him draw back his hand in shock.

“You’re a ghost?”

She nodded.

“I’m dead.”

Siwon calmed his nerves by rolling his fists tightly into balls. He would have laughed if anyone told him he would meet a ghost and have a conversation with it. But here he was, talking to a dead girl as though it was a normal thing to do.

“I need your help, Siwon.  I want you to find my killer. Please. It’s the only thing stopping me from going into the afterlife. I’ve been helping a soul collector for the past 5 years to have this chance to take form and appear in front of a human being. I chose you because I know you can get the job done. I have faith in you.”

“So… you’re just like a normal human being?”

She looked down at the table and smiled. “I wish I could be. You’re the only one who can see and hear me because I chose you. I would only be around for ten days then I’ll be leaving for the afterlife realm regardless of my wishes.”

Yuri placed her hands on her cheeks and ran her long, slender fingers down her cheeks. “I hope I still look as beautiful as I was. I didn’t want to scare you.”

Siwon would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. But thankfully she looked nothing like those ghosts he had seen in horror movies with their scarred faces and creepy eyes. In fact, she looked beautiful. She must have been a beauty when she was still alive. Siwon couldn’t imagine how someone could be so cruel to take the life away from such a young, lovely girl who had her whole life ahead of her. He felt sorry for her as he watched her face sunk from his lack of response.

“Yuri, I’ll help you. But ten days is a short time. I’ll try my absolute best. I promise you, I’ll continue investigating this case even if you’re gone by then. I’ll give an answer to your family.”

Her face lit up and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled as she looked into the windows of his soul. Her hands reached out and placed them over his which he had now casually placed on his table. He could feel her touch.

“You don’t mind me calling you Siwon? I would have been the same age as you if I had not passed away.” She asked in a polite and pleasant tone.

He shook his head and smiled. “It doesn’t matter what you call me.”

He didn’t see the need to bother with formalities with a dead person.

“I think you should go home to get some rest. You look dreadful.”

His cold laughter engulfed the silence in the room. He must look really horrible if even a ghost thought so.

“Where are you going to be? Where can I find you tomorrow?” He asked.

It was her turn to laugh.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find you tomorrow.”

And with that she dissipated into the air without a trace.