“I don’t want to come out,”

  “Can you just take a look already?”

  “No; I don’t trust you in this,”

  “You are not going to stay inside there all day, you know,”

  Finally, he gave up with a groan and came out of the music-box finally after fifteen minutes when Krystal finally took the bus to town after she had asked Jessica to drive her to bus station. Since she had to bring the music-box along with her in order for Jongin to come with her, she had to use one of her oversized handbags she rarely uses and loathed so much. But it didn’t matter for her today; she just wants to show Jongin what he’s been missing in his afterlife, at least.

  “I knew you’d come out,” said Krystal with a smug as Jongin’s feet were placed on the ground as he crossed his arms at her with a disapproving look. “More like forced to come out,” he simply said and Krystal just chuckled at him. “And would you please tell me why we’re in an alley with a dead end?” he had ask her as he looked around him, expecting tall glass skyscrapers and busy streets and instead, he found three red brick walls surrounding them except the entrance and the exit of the alley.

  “I didn’t want to stun you with the greatness of the town after I got you out of your hole of a home,” said Krystal as she wiggled the music-box in her hands as Jongin rolled her eyes at her. “And thankfully, I came in here because if I didn’t, I think the police would take me in if they saw me talking to a music-box,” she pointed out again and Jongin just gave her a lazy look. “You are so alike with Soojung, I just can’t believe that she’s probably not here,” suddenly said Jongin as he looked sadly on the ground.

  “Don’t say that; I promise you that she would be okay—I know it!” Krystal assured him as she placed a hand on his arm, telling him not to worry. He just gave her a small smile and nodded his head slowly. Krystal looked at him from head to toe and thanked the heavens that at least he had died in his formal attire instead of anything else like in his pajamas or anything; she looked at his sleek chrome dress shirt that has its flaps out of the dark grey pants he was wearing.

  Krystal then looked at her own outfit before she glad that she put it all together, for the least; a light grey baby-doll top that was covered with an argyle cardigan sweater that was in light pink and dark brown shorts with black tights underneath and a pair of flat-soled boots. She knew it wasn’t The Look for a date but it was almost winter and it’s cold already in autumn and that’s where the knitted scarf comes handy that’s kept in her bag.

  “Then can we go look for her now?” Jongin suddenly suggested, dragging Krystal out of her trance. “Um… no, I want to show you around first,” she said and Jongin just had to come along with her. Krystal took in her hand with Jongin’s and dragged him outside of the alley as he kept his eyes closed shut, not wanting to see the world. What if it’s all full with corruption and social pollution; what if it’s not what he expects it to be?

  “Open your eyes,” said Krystal with a soothing voice and Jongin just sighed since he had no other choice anyways. He slowly opened his left eye first and saw a few shops by the roadside and saw a few cars coming in; then he opened his right eye, only to see a gigantic place before him. He gaped his mouth as he looked up at the sky that reflects the blue, blue ocean and he liked it how the clouds stayed the same like before.

  He then flicked his eyes around him and was excited when he saw various shops with different purposes in them and just wanted to go to them one by one like—who wouldn’t want to go into a shop that sells imported Japanese stuff, right!? “I knew you’d like it,” said Krystal with a laugh when she saw his expression.”No, I don’t like it,” he said and that made Krystal frown at him in disappointment before Jongin grasped both of her shoulders.

  “I love it,” he said to her with a toothy smile and that lifted Krystal’s spirits up. “Okay! So, where do you want to go first?” she agreed as she looked around the shops surrounding them. She loved this town more than anything else and is just thankful that her family moves houses instead of towns because this is not a town to be missed. “I really think that Japanese parlour looks cool,” said Jongin as he pointed at a shop not a few blocks from them. “Okay?” Krystal  just said, weirded out by Jongin’s choice of shop.

  She then walked with him to the shop and while at it, Jongin looked around again, amazed with the things change in this town after he died. If only he was alive, he could actually relive everything here and be happy with Krystal and he was glad that they finally got a lead but he doesn’t know whether Zhang Yixing is a good person or a bad person. That he just has to wait for next Monday, where Krystal would also bring the music-box along with her to school to see if he recognizes Zhang Yixing.

  “Kangei!” sounded the automatic alarm whenever someone enters the shop. Jongin and Krystal looked around them and there was a variety of things stacked onto shelves all around the shop and there were also bookshelves that has translated mangas. That was the first thing that Jongin saw, and as soon as that he walked up to it and read the mangas’ book bind. He suddenly gasped when he saw one of his favourite mangas. “They still have Crayon Shin Chan right now?” he asked Krystal as he pulled one of the books out.

  Krystal rushed quickly to him and slid back the book in place. “You don’t want the shop’s staff to freak out when they see a floating comic book, do you?” she hissed at him and Jongin nodded quickly at her, thankful that she reminded him. “Can I… have some of them, please?” he asked her as he eyed the countless books on the shelf. Krystal exchange glances with the bookshelf and Jongin before she gave him a look and sighed.

  “Alright, 3 volumes only,” she said to him and Jongin smiled gleefully. “Thank you so much!” he thanked her and it was the least Krystal could do in order for him to enjoy his afterlife as well. She randomly picked three volumes of the ma