“Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. You will come with me.” Forcefully, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along.

“Who are you?! What kind of ghost are you? Leave me alone,” she moaned exasperatedly, but he did not respond.

-

After a few minutes, Key suddenly disappeared. Krystal looked at her wrist, curious why he just disappeared like that. She scanned the area to find signs of him, but found nothing. Then, she realised where she was. She was standing in the middle of an empty basketball court.

Slowly, a basketball was rolling towards her, bringing along her memories with Minho as well.

FLASHBACK

“Well, when you’re upset, you need to find something to keep your mind off the thing that’s upsetting you. Life goes on, we can’t let the past hold us back. Once we forget about the unhappy things, then we can move on,” Minho smiled warmly, but Krystal just pouted at him.

“Why do you sound so old? What is this, Minho’s words of wisdom?” she teased half-heartedly. “What can I do to keep my mind off it?”

“Come with me,” he spoke enthusiastically before dragging her along by the wrist until they arrived at a deserted basketball court. 

Minho seized a basketball from the ground swiftly before throwing it towards her. Krystal caught it safely in her hands, but she didn’t understand what he was trying to do.

“Let’s play a game. You and me,” he suggested. Just like that, the two of them played for two hours straight. It wasn’t anything special, but she was happy when she was with him.

END FLASHBACK

The memory lingered with her for so many years, yet in reality, the person who played basketball with her was not Minho, but Key.

Suddenly, out of no where, a ball was thrown towards her. Luckily, she caught it just in time. She stared at the object as if she was captivated by it. It was as if history was repeating itself. The feeling of security had returned. It actually felt as if Minho had returned as well.

“Would you like to play with me?” a voice asked. Once she took her eyes off the basketball, she saw Minho before her eyes, grinning deviously at her. Forgetting everything that occurred within the week, she smiled innocently as she nodded her head. After a few moments, she realised that the person in front of her was not Minho, but Key.

The smile suddenly faded as if it never existed to begin with. She didn’t want to play anymore, but Key had already snatched the ball and scored a point by throwing the ball into the hoop. She stood there dumbstruck, until her competitiveness took over.

She felt as if she went back in time to her teenage years. It felt as if she was playing with Minho again. She was happy. She felt less troubled and in some way, she felt forgiven as well. She laughed and giggled like a kid whilst she played with Key. Yet somehow, the image of Minho kept flashing before her eyes.

-

The two of them played until Krystal was exhausted. She sat down, panting away to catch her breath back.

“I-I l-lose ok? H-how c-can I b-beat a-a ghost? It’s r-ridiculous,” she complained whilst she hung her head wearily.

Spinning the basketball on the tip of his finger, he smirked cheekily. “Well, the almighty Key can’t lose to a girl,” he sung triumphantly. That phrased startled her. Krystal glanced up at him with curiosity painted all over her eyes.

“Where have I heard that before? Do we know each other?”

Instantly, he dropped the basketball, allowing it to bounce repeatedly on the ground.

“Maybe,” he replied as he shrugged his shoulders whilst his eyes rolled around.

“You’re a really strange person,” she chuckled mockingly. “I-I mean…ghost. Thank you so much. I feel a lot better now. Even though I know the miserable feeling will return to me soon, I really appreciate you playing with me. Let’s start over. I’m Jung Krystal. Shall we be friends?” She extended her hand out in a friendly manner.

“Sure, I’m Key,” he giggled a little. “Just remember to be strong.”

“Minho oppa always told me I was a strong girl. In some ways, I agreed with him, but now, being strong is really difficult. It’s really painful. It hurts, it hurts a lot.” Before she could let her tears loose again, Key pulled her into a hug, whispering the words which gave her comfort.

“When you’re incapable of being strong yourself, you need someone strong with you, so they can give you their strength. Suffering alone is useless. By suffering alone, you’re hurting the people around you even more. If you want to cry, then cry. If you want to scream, scream. Hiding your feelings doesn’t mean you’re strong.” He her back with one hand whilst he pressured her head gently to his shoulder with the other. His words caused her to cling onto him like she was clinging onto her life.

Her cries echoed around the court, dancing into the twilight. The stars shone brightly, twinkling in sympathy as they watched them. The tender breeze surrounded them with its arms, trying to comfort them as much as possible. The leaves rustled, singing a song dedicated to them, as if it was nature’s way to express how sympathetic it felt towards the couple.

When Krystal finally stopped crying, they headed back to Jessica’s house. Before Krystal was about to sleep, Key could hear the distant chimes ringing, signalling him that it was time to go. He glanced at Krystal and a smile climbed onto his face. He saw something in her eyes, something which told him that she was happy. It was finally his time to let go.

“Krystal, I think after today, you might not be able to see me anymore. The spirit guards are calling for me. Very soon, I will have to leave,” he sighed despondently.

“I got it. I will always remember you and your kindness. It’s weird. We’ve only met each other today, but I’ve already regarded you as a very good friend. It’s a shame you have to leave though. I’ll miss you.” She gave him her genuine smile before hugging him again. “How long do you think you can stay for?”

“I’m guessing 10 minutes at most,” he uttered drearily as he really didn’t want to leave her so soon.

“That fast?” she gasped involuntarily. “Guess it can’t be helped. I wish you the best of luck, my friend. Is there anything I can do for you in the next 10 minutes? You’ve helped me a lot, but I haven’t done anything for you,” she scratched her head sheepishly. Yet his request was not one she expected.

“Can I…have a kiss?” he requested, but immediately wished he hadn’t as hesitation flowed through her eyes. “Hey, I was only kidding with you. Don’t take it too seriously.” He tried to joke it off, but it was obvious that she didn’t see it as a joke.

Just when he wasn’t expecting it, she pressed her lips against his. Both of them had their eyes closed and just enjoyed the kiss. She didn’t know why she was willing to kiss him so easily, but something felt right when she was with him. Even when they kissed, it felt as if they were meant to be together like that. Their moments together were special, different, and incomparable to other relationships. There was something between them which she just couldn’t place her finger on it.

When ten minutes were up, she could see his outline disappearing. She moved backwards to watch as his spirit dissolved into tiny orange particles.

“Take care…” he gave her one of his encouraging smile before he left for good. However, there was another sentence linking on from that which Krystal couldn’t really hear. She wondered what he wanted to tell her, but simply shrugged it off to go to sleep.

The next day, when her eyes opened, she felt something in her hands. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she observed the object she was holding. Her eyes widened once she noticed it was the diary she’d lost yesterday. So was yesterday just a dream?

Quickly, she flicked through the pages, just to find that it wasn’t empty but filled with entries. She scanned through the diary until she reached the last page, where it wrote: You were like the breeze to me. Just when I thought I was able to grab hold of you, I had no choice but to let go. Just like how the air filled up our atmosphere, you filled up my life. I love you, and I’ll love you until the day I die. You have every right to hate me, but please understand that I only want you to be happy.

FLASHBACK

“Kim Kibum! I hate you! I hate you I hate you I hate you!” she cried recklessly as she banged her fists against the floor. “How can you leave me like this? Why didn’t you tell me? You idiot! Why must you do this to me?! I should’ve been with you when you were sick! I should’ve known. Why? Why? Why?!” She clutched onto her head as it was pounding loudly. Her nostrils flared as they were trying to take in as much air as possible to keep her breathing. The announcement of Key’s death just took her breath away, leaving behind a living corpse.

“Krystal, he only did that because he loved you. He knew you would react like that, so...” Before Minho could continue, Krystal just cut him off with her high-pitched scream.

-

A couple of weeks after Key’s death, Krystal couldn’t resist to write her feelings down, praying her thoughts would somehow reach him.

---

These tears still try to crawl to you in the middle of the night. They want your attention, they want you to notice what you’ve made me become. If you see them, would you feel guilty and come back to me? I’m foolish for thinking that, aren’t I?

I just want to be with you, is that so wrong?

-

When Minho accidently read what she wrote, he had no choice but to send her to the psychologist like Key ordered.

END FLASHBACK

“Why? Kibum? Minho, I…” She didn’t even know what to think, she was speechless and confused. Her memories were like a piece of jigsaw puzzle, pieces of memories were just placed in a random order, causing everything to seem disjointed. “Kibum, Key. Kim Kibum, almighty Key?” she uttered to herself as more memories roamed her pathetic brain.

Hastily, she ran out of her room with the diary in her hands, looking for her brother-in-law.

“Oppa!” she gasped once she saw him and ran towards him. “This,” she handed the diary to him to show him what she meant, hoping that he would understand because she couldn’t put her words in the correct order to form a sentence. Heechul simply stared at her before taking a good look at the object which she was holding.

“Where did you get this?!” Heechul’s eyes widened with bewilderment, taking the diary off of her. “You didn’t read it, right?”

“Who does this diary belong to?” she asked in a panicking manner.

“Krystal, do you know something?”

“Oppa!” she raised her voice since she was getting more and more impatient. “Please, tell me.” Heechul swallowed hard before diverting his gaze away from her.

“This diary belongs to…my younger brother, Kim Kibum who died six years ago.” He lifted his head up so his tears would fall back into his eyelids. He could feel his nose sting when he mentioned that name again. A faint shade of red surfaced around the rim of his eyes, making Krystal slightly guilty for bringing the subject up.

Finally, the words which Krystal couldn’t hear last night was echoing in her ears. She could hear them clearly now, each and every one of them. So clear, it was as if Key was right beside her, saying those words again.

‘Take care, I love you, and I’ll continue to love you until I’m completely gone.’ – Those were the words he said last night. If only she remembered, if only she knew. Just the thought of it aggravated her even more.

“How long were you guys planning on lying to me? Why are you guys like that?! Why?!” she yelled whilst more tears plunged towards the motionless ground. The truth was so unbearable to accept that she could feel her knees weakening. Once again, she curled into a ball, shielding herself from the world, trying to protect herself from reality’s abuse.

“We only did it because we promised him. It was his last wish, how can we possibly not abide?” Even the strong brother-in-law broke down in a matter of seconds. He tried to control his emotions, but his tears just wouldn’t stop falling. He didn’t want to cry, so he swallowed the sounds he would’ve produced, suffocating his fragile heart. “He was my brother, my younger brother. Even now I wonder why it wasn’t me who died instead of him. I was older, more rebellious; my future wasn’t that bright either. Before he died, I promised him 3 things. To look after our mum, to become a better person and the last thing was to watch out for you. As such a pathetic brother, how can I say ‘no’ to him?” his croaky voice showed how much he grieved for his brother. He breathed to calm his overwhelming emotions, yet Krystal could still see that he was shaking all over.

“KRYSTAL!” Jessica shouted once she found her. When she noticed that the two of them were crying, her eyes softened with sympathy. “Did I enter at the wrong time?” Quickly, Krystal wiped her tears way. She stood up with a weak smile before approaching her.

“Unnie, why are you so excited?”

---

In the hospital, Key’s eyes opened wearily. Never had he felt so tired and exhausted before. Was it because he was interacting with a human? He stretched his limps out and yawned, until he realised how long his arms and legs were. Then, he noticed faces staring down at him, and a continuous beeping noise was playing in the background.

“Oh my, Miss Park, please inform his family immediately! Quick!” the man ordered. “How are you feeling?” He turned his gaze towards Key.

“A bit tired. Where am I?” he asked in a drowsy manner.

“That’s normal. You’re in the hospital Mr Choi. Two or three days ago, we announced that you’ve died, but last night, when people were trying to carry you out to prepare for your funeral, they realised that your skin was warm. Luckily we’ve realised it soon. I’m sure your family and friends would be overwhelmed by the news. Congratulations Mr Choi. I’ll leave you to rest some more. Just push the button over here if you need anything,” the doctor explained before exiting with the nurses, leaving Key dumbfounded by the situation.

Why was the doctor talking to him? Could he see him too? But why did he call him ‘Mr Choi’? The name sounded awfully familiar to him. Then, it hit him. He remembered the significance of the surname ‘Choi’ – it belonged to his best friend.

He stood up with his aching body just to discover a shadow was attached to his feet. Ghosts didn’t have shadows, so what was going on? A mirror was hung on the side, so he immediately went to see his reflection, causing his eyes to widen in horror.

Tears sprung to his eyelids as he saw the body of his best friend, Minho. He was inside his body.

“Minho, what were you thinking?” he cried whilst looking at the reflection, finally realising Minho’s intentions. That was his gift. He gave Key his own body. His heart felt as if it was being gnawed by rats. Guilt, burden and distress poured over his new body, pushing him down to the floor.

“Take this back. Take this gift back! Come back, Minho. Come back and take this gift back, please,” he sincerely pleaded, yet his plea was not heard. He bit his bottom lip to stop himself from crying out loud. His fingers traced the outline of his reflection. When he saw his friend again, he wanted to reach for him. It was unreal to him that he was in Minho’s body.

Key continued to stare at the mirror whilst memories of him with Minho flowed like a movie in his mind. More tears fell, creating puddles onto the marble floor.

“Minho, I promise you, I’ll look after your family. I would care and love them as if they were my own. I promise. I promise,” he breathed under his breath the pledge of a lifetime.

-

Soon, all Minho’s family and friends arrived in the hospital to see him, thanking him for being alive. In a matter of minutes, he was drowned by their tears, hugs and kisses. Their actions showed how much they loved Minho, yet Key was still unsure whether he deserved to take such greatness from his friend. It had been so long since he last felt that kind of affection from anyone, the feeling which naturally pasted a smile between his cheeks, as if it had the power to lift him up onto cloud nine.

When Krystal arrived, she stood at the far corner and gave him a mere smile before turning away again.

Key noticed her presence and automatically ran after her, ignoring the calls from his ‘new’ family. When she realised that he was chasing her, she began to run as well. They ran from street to street, passing countless buildings and people who didn’t acknowledge their story. Key was determined not to let her go again. If he let her go, then how could he forgive himself after everything Minho had planned?

After awhile, Krystal finally stopped to face him with her teary eyes. Key remained at a fixed distance, giving her some space.

“Oppa, let’s forget about the wedding. Let’s never see each other again. I can’t do it anymore. When you died, I kept thinking it was because of the misfortune I brought. I can’t bear the thought of you dying again.”

Key finally approached her, closing the gap between them and held her in his arms. He could feel that she was about to push him away, but then her body relaxed and he knew that she was crying again on his shoulder.

“Even if I die again, I won’t let you go,” he swallowed whilst he held her tighter in his grasp.

“K-Key? Is that…you?” She felt it, it was the same feeling she had when Key was around. The aura Key and Minho gave were different. Confusion was written all over her face as she couldn’t believe that she called Minho, Key. Surprisingly, her presumption wasn’t as stupid as she thought.

“Yeah, oppa is right here. But the Kim Kibum you knew died six years ago. I’m Choi Minho now, because I’m in his body.” He broke the hug to caress her cheeks which were stained with her tears. Krystal stared at him in shock. She covered with her hands to muffle her sobbing before she flung her arms around his neck.

“Oppa, it’s really you?” she asked just so reality could sink into her mind, delighted by the fact that Key was back in her life again. “But, where’s Minho oppa?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know why he left me with his body,” he sighed depressingly as he tried to remain calm, but tears still gathered around the rim of his eyes, threatening to fall. “The show must go on, right? Let’s go back and continue it. We need to sort Minho’s family out, and then we can get married.”

“I want to marry you but…it doesn’t feel right.”

“I thought of the same thing, but then I would feel even guiltier if I don’t marry you. He gave his body up so we can be together. Suddenly, I feel like I’ve just become a sinner,” he laughed feebly whilst he clenched his fists as he recalled Minho’s last words.

---

Two months later, everything was settled. The two of them finally got the family’s consent to marry. Whilst they were unpacking their belongings for their new house, Krystal brought the subject onto Minho again.

“So, if Minho oppa reincarnates is there any chance that he’ll reincarnate to someone we know?” she asked whilst she wiped the table.

“Most likely. Spirits often go to people they knew from their previous life. Maybe it’s something to do with fate?”

Krystal suddenly paused as she pointed towards Key.

“I read your diary!” she proclaimed. “It’s weird. You wrote that I was like your breeze. But I used to think that you were like my breeze. Of course, I thought the same of Minho oppa because he replaced you. Yet, now that I think about it, Minho oppa is more like our breeze. We can’t grab hold of him, yet he still watches over us,” she thought with a smile.

“Breeze, huh? A fatal one, definitely,” Key added as he heaved a sigh. “It’s strange that I’m in his body. Every time I look into the mirror, I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“It doesn’t stop you from looking though. I swear you use the mirror a lot more than I do,” she giggled whilst she snuck up behind him to give him a back hug. “He is a breeze who left behind a fatal damage which we can never forget. He left us a gift, his blessings. His actions may give us discomfort and it may haunt us, but I’m really thankful. Like you said before, we can’t put his gift to waste,” she murmured gravely until her mobile rang. Once she answered it, she was instantly blown away by her sister’s screams.

“KRYSTAL! I’M AN IDIOT!” Jessica yelled over the phone.

“What is it unnie? What did you do?” she asked with her ‘unsurprised’ tone.

“I’m 2 months into pregnancy,” she announced dimwittedly, causing Krystal’s eyes to widen in shock.

“TWO MONTHS INTO PREGNANCY?!” she gasped, whilst Key just laughed like an idiot at the side.

“Minho,” he chuckled quietly. “That punk is finally coming back to us.”

THANK YOU NOTE:

Thank you to all subscribers, commenters and silent readers. But most importantly I'll like to thank Phebs unnie for designing such beautiful posters for this fanfic, as well as Purple, the webmistress of AAC (Artsy Asian Crew) for holding this Annual Challenge so me and Phebs unnie could join. 

All comments and subscriptions were highly appreciated ^___^ Thank you *bows*

Hope you all enjoyed the fanfic, and I am proud to announce it as COMPLETED! :D