2015, in the air flying over China

Joel was in a giddy mood

‘This is it’ she typed on her computer and waited for Teukie-nim to read it

“Isn’t it wonderful? I’ll finally be home again and be able to see Myeong-ah” Joel felt the slight breeze as those words were said to only her

“I mean I’m happy to be here but I’m scared. I don’t wanna lose you Teukie-nim” Joel wrote calling Su Ryeon by her nickname

“If you don’t finish this assignment ,you know what will happen” Su Ryeon warned worried “ I don’t want you to die like that; besides he needs me”

“sigh, I guess that’s true” Joel typed and turned to see her neighbor trying and failing at discreetly trying to read her messages.

The age old lie almost came out where she would lie about the texts being for a writing class. She then realized that she was in first class and that the had no right to be in her business. Joel scowled at the woman before yanking up her divider so the woman couldn’t be in her business

She could hear the woman’s indignant scoff but Joel just rolled her eyes.

Soon after she got up to use the bathroom again. She didn’t know what they had put in those drinks they gave out but they were doing a number on her bladder. As she scurried up she accidentally bumped into a tall and gorgeous Asian woman.

“Oh I’m sorry” Joel said quickly in English in such a rush to use the bathroom that she automatically spoke in English

The woman smiled but it didn’t really reach her eyes “ No problem I should’ve been watching where I was walking to”

Nodding thinking they were even Joel rushed to the bathroom

After doing her business she came back down to sit down she noticed that the woman she had bumped into was the nosy one that had sat right next to her.

Never before had Joel been in first class but after helping her last Other, the Other’s family had given her money, At first Joel had refused but when they finally said they would be insulted if she didn’t accept it she had accepted it and a small amount and their offer to put her into first class instead of economy.

“Yah Vicky” the nosy woman from before said to her companion in Korean. Even as the dividers separated them “ that’s the that from before”

At first Joel was going to give her a piece of her mind but then changed her mind wanting to see how fake the girl really was. She put down her divider and smiled at the woman “Hey I’m sorry about before I really don’t know what’s wrong with me” Joel said cheerfully to the woman

The woman smiled back and spoke with her accented voice “ No problem at all it wasn’t your fault. I was being nosy.”

when Joel turned around she heard “ Ugly ” in Korean as the companion laughed

Joel turned around and flashed her smile as she spoke again to the woman “ so are you korean or are you like just visiting ? I’m asking since I think I’ve heard those words before while watching dramas.”

“Yeah I’m actually Korean I was just on vacation in Europe and now it’s time to go home.” the woman said smirking

“oh that’s amazing i was just in Spain too but for business now I’m moving to Korea” Joel said with faux animation “I just hope I can learn the language I’m going to do an intensive study program for a year before i start working”

The two women chatted back and forth for a good ten minutes all the time the woman insulted her in Korean to her friend and laughed while Joel pretended not to understand. Joel wanted to get the whole facade over with until she noticed how dull the prettier girl’s eyes were and how she seemed to be insulting Joel but the insults like ugly and stupid fake were directed at herself

Joel looked around and saw some people were shaking their heads in annoyance while some others smirked but yet no one seemed to want to help the Joel .

Joel almost shook her head in disappointment until an older korean woman hissed at the two girls to stop

The lackie girl blushed but there was still a determined glint in her eyes. The prettier girl looked like she didn’t want to make remarks anymore and that was when Joel saw the spirit that was lurking strongly on her shoulder.

The spirit was horrifying to view. In her time of being a watcher, she’d gotten used to seeing these creatures but they still disgusted even the most hardened souls. They looked human but they were decomposing. Their eyes were sunken and their noses were falling apart. Their skin was a gnasty green gray pallor that was sickening and seemed to smell. The eyes were always the worst part, they were dead and seemed to follow you wherever you went . Had it not been for Joel’s experience with these demons she would’ve screamed in horror at the sight. The demon still made Joel queasy so she decided to stop the facade

“GwenChaNayo” Joel said in perfect Korean smiling at the woman “ I’m very thankful that you stood up for me I wondered if anyone would”

All three women looked at her in shock as the lackie spoke up in english “ I-I-I thought you no speak korean”

“it’s okay to talk to me in korean” Joel said smiling as she took on a Busan satoori “ I’m pretty good at understanding it”

the two girls looked shocked while the older woman cackled and smirked at the girls

“Now I wanted to see how far you would go with the insults and how far I would go when I revealed that I knew everything you were saying but I realized that this is the only way that that insecure spirit that you have can feed” When Joel said that she looked above the girl’s shoulder at the spirit and watched the spirit start in shock. It hadn’t expected her to see it.

“ Now ladies I really want to curse at you and disrespect you the way that you just disrespected me” Joel said calmly as she felt the plane start to descend “ but there is something more important that i need to do and being worried about your little petty nonsense will sidetrack me too much”

Joel just smiled then said softly “HaNa yah” calling for the girl “ you need me more than you know soon you’ll figure out why”

The prettier girl looked startled “ How do you know my name?”

Joel just smiled softly as she read the spirit and all that it had done to Ha Na and wanted to cry “ let’s just say that a not so little bird told me” Then she winked at the spirit that was trying to slink away pretty much telling the spirit that she was coming for it “HaNa yah when you need me just look for something that has to do with milk you said you’ve been in France and Spain right?”

Joel then sat back closing her eyes while she waited for the end of her trip all the while feeling Ha Na’s eyes on her

***