Chapter 12

Woohyun

" Sungmin!"

The blonde guy is the first thing I see when I enter the room... and the reason for my sudden halt.

" You..." I don't believe my eyes when he all of sudden gets up from his chair and hastily walks over to me. I take his extended hands in mine. " You can walk. But--"

" Don't ask. I don't know.", a smile plays around his lips. " I'm just happy to see you. For a moment I thought I'd go crazy. When I remembered..."

My grip around his hands tighten. " You remember what happened?"

" Yes. And I wish I didn't."

" Did we...?"

" Seems like it."

" That guy came to me-", I take a look around the room. " Where did he go?"

" No need to worry." he stumbles through the door, a pile of papers in his hand. I'm afraid he will loose his balance any minute but somehow he did it and takes a seat behind the desk seconds later.

" Please." he smiles friendly and motions to the two chairs in front of him.

I exchange a look with Sungmin before we reluctantly take a seat.

" So..."

His smile only grows wider. " No need to worry my friends."

" Friends?" Sungmin mutters under his breath and I elbow him.

Smiley guy doesn't seem to notice.

" My name is Donghae and I will be your guide from now on. I know, this whole situation is new to you but please listen to my words and I think you'll be able to understand all of it. Before that let's do the paperwork.. First of all the names... wait a second I have it here--"

" Woah woah woah."

"Yes?" he looks innocently at Sungmin when the blond intervenes.

" No Yes. And no friggin names or anything else. You're telling me right now, right here what's going on. In easy words, not complicated and not in a fifty pages monologue."

" Well... but due to the guidelines I first have to write down the personal information. I have it somewhere.", Donghae starts to rummage through his paper pile and only manages to rise Sungmins temper even more. " You know this is actually my first time..."

"FIRST TIME FOR WHAT?!"

"Sungmin."

I guess it's time for me to intervene.

I pull him back to his seat and bow slightly to Donghae in apology. " Don't listen to him, okay? He's just a bit... overstrained... like me. So... I don't want to put you under any pressure or anything, but... can you please just tell us what's going on because I tried to find a solution on my own but it seems impossible.", my hand clutches my shirt over my heart where I should feel a beat, but nothing. " Because the last thing I remember is looking forward to meet my boyfriend again and then... it's dark."

Sunggyu.

The urge to see him takes my breath away for a second.

Or for a bit more.

How much I would give to have him here now. He would know what to do. He always knows.

And here I am. Barely able to suppress my tears and clutching Sungmins hand only the more.

Donghaes keeps watching me. He looks sad when he reaches out for one of the papers on the table and I believe I saw Sunggyus name.

" Kim Sunggyu." he reads silently and his face turns only sadder.

I slowly lift my head, questioning.

" He's... not coping well with it."

" What is that?!" Sungmin yells in another fit. He is on his feet a second later and whips the paper out of Donghaes hand.

" Catatonic state? Forced to eat?", he reads out loud and smashes the paper back to the desk. " Is this some kind crazy joke?! And in a second the camera turns off and the audience applauses and we can go home? If it's like that I will kick everyones ! You hear me!?"

A moment of silence until Donghae opens a drawer of his desk and takes out three cups.

" Tea?"

" GO TO HELL WITH YOUR FRIGGIN TEA!"

"Sungmin..."

Donghae seems to be unfazed but his hands might shake just a little more. " If you don't mind I'd drink some. It became a bit fresh."

Out of another drawer he takes a tumbler and fills his cup with hot, dark tea. The one Sunggyu hates because it is too bitter. I slightly shake my head to get rid of the thoughts.

After he took a sip he turns back to us, seemingly collected again.

"First of all: Welcome in my small office."

He smiles again, but this time it's more forced then ever.

Well... a normal reaction in front of a furious Sungmin and me who more or less slumped down in my chair.

" I was assigned to you as your consultant in everything that's related to your current situation."

Current situation?

" Your current situation which people call death in the normal language use."

I wanted to stay cool, as much as Sungmin.

I knew it, deep down, as surreal as it sounds... I knew he would tell us just this thing.

That we're dead.

That we died and that is why there is no heartbeat in my chest. That this is the reason that I woke up in this place where you can only see a bright light outside the window and nothing else.

Nevertheless it presses the air out of my lungs.

How funny...

That I'm still breathing.

What if I try to hold it in?

One of those unnecessary thoughts that keep you from going crazy.

The next thing I recognize is me sitting in the ground, my chair that collides with the ground and the loud sound that echoes through the room.

" Sung...min...", I cry out with my shaking voice, my hand blindly searching for his. He grabs my hands and gets down next to me.

"We're dead..."
"Calm down."
"I can't..."

" You can. Just try it."

" No...."

 I choke on my own sob. My gaze wanders through the room frantically.

An escape.

It has to be somewhere.

I try to get on my feet and....
"NAM WOOHYUN!" The sound of his hand that collides with my cheek echoes through the room and the next second he grabs me by the collar.

 "No going hysterical. Okay? No screaming or crying or whatsoever until we know what's going on. Okay?! Do you really think I have the nerves to deal with you right now?!"
 

I stare at him through my wet eyelashes and am only able to nod.
" I'm right here, okay? And believe me this creeps the out of me just as much as it does to you. And I know I'm not Sunggyu, okay? How much I'd give for Kyuhyun to be here right now... but he's not. So lets try to do this together, okay?"
He never talked that much at once.
"Woohyun?"
"O-okay."

OOO

I calmed down a bit. If you can slumping down in your chair call calm down. But at least I don't have the urge to cry anymore.

It's more like... a dullness that covers my body. I can't help but admire Sungmin. He's sitting straight in his chair. Not like the mess I am. His gaze is directed on Donghae and our... consultants... cheeks show a slight pink colour. . His finger touches the edge of his cup again and again.

White, with purple flowers.

" You see, we calmed down. Back to the topic. We're dead, right?"

No.

I'm not going to break down again. I clench the arm of my chair.

" Yes."

" And... this is afterlife? No offense, but I expected paradise to be prettier. More tasteful furniture."

" But... the furniture..."

For a moment I can see Donghaes real features under his fake smile. He seems to be a nervous mess. I almost feel something like pity for him.

His mouth closes as fast as the words came out. He gets himself together and puts his hands  on the desk. " Call it some kind of pre-stage."

" It's getting better and better." Sungmin mumbles and plays with his blonde hair.

I stare at the hem of my shirt.

Pre- stage.

That means... not the real thing.

One deep breath and I'm able to lift my head. It is a mircale that he is able to hear my quietly spoken words.

" Does that mean... we have to go further? To the next stage?"

For a moment Donghae gives me all of his attention.

He opens his mouth, closes it again, looks at the paper in front of him. He ruffles through his hair. " Everything was easier in practise."

I realize how desperate I must look. Donghae can't cope with it and he accidentally throws his cup of tea to the ground.

" Damn...", he wants to gather the shards but stops. " You know, this really is my first case. And actually, everything I should do is written on here but you know what... screw that."

He screws the paper and throws it behind him. Then he props himself on his ellbows, his palms pressed against each  other.

" Now listen to me."

I straighten myself up in my chair, Sungmin lets his hair go for a moment. Donghaes voice turned a bit darker.

" You're dead. Nothing more, nothing less."

I can feel my breath getting faster again. When he notices he starts talking a bit faster.

" The place you are in right now is some kind of... let me call it the souls which can't go over due to problems gather here."

My throat turns drier the more. " That means... there was a problem with our deaths?"

" Right. The problem is that you were murdered."

I remember the moment... the short moment I wanted nothing more than to fall into the sleep that wasn't one...

" Murdered?", Sungmin asks, his eyes wide. " This is getting worse and worse."

" And here the actual problem starts. You know, there are certain rules. That means, souls go over to the other side when their time is over. Everyone's date is settled. Yours was shortened in an illegal way. And that's why you here. You have two options."

I hang on his every word.

Something inside of me rises.

Hope?

Sungmin leans closer to him. " And those are?"

" The first one would be to just go over to the other side, which would be irrevocable. Or, you choose the second option and go back."

" Go back?!", Sungmin is on his feet and Donghae shrinks back. " You mean, going back? Like... really going back?!"

" It's not that easy."

I bite my lip and actually I should have tasted blood by now.

" You need the statement of the murderer. Without it, you can't get your life back. "

That moment, my teeth pierces through the thin skin on my lip and I can taste the blood in my mouth.

" But how... how can we find that person...", I pause and my eyes widen in fear. " I can't remember... the last days..."

I turn to Sungmin but he just shakes his head. " Nothing. Just the moment. All memories of last week are gone..."

" Donghae... what...?"

He motions us to be quiet. " That's normal. Many who come to us suffer from a lack of memories."

Sungmin scoffs. " There are a lot?"

" More than you think."

Again he opens a drawer and pulls two papers out.

" Here are two consent forms. Please write down what you decided and we will take care of your wishes."

" Not that fast.", Sungmin points at the papers. " Before I fill out anything I need a few more infos."

" And those would be?"

" You send us back. That's pretty nice and all. But where's the rub in it? We just go back? Find the person who murdered us and that's it? We can live on like nothing happened? What about the people that think we're dead? Are you going to explain to them? Or do we just appear with a plopp and they have to deal with it? You have to at least answer those questions!""

Donghae puts the papers aside.

His gaze turns warm all of sudden. I think he would have taken our hands if it wasn't for Sungmins gaze. " We're not going to put you through something you can't manage. We will send you back if that is what you want. Then you're on your own. Of course, you don't have time forever. You don't belong to the human world right now... the next world will try to pull you back. If it takes two days, or three weeks or a month... I don't know. And of course you can treat the matter with family and friends the way you want it."

" What would you do?"

I meant to ask him for a while now.

" We keep observing your relatives and close persons. Every bit of information is necessary for us... and... they're not coping well with it. Not the least. And... since I know what it feels like... and if someone would have given me the chance... I would have gone back. As fast as I can..."

" Still I need to know anything.", Sungmin joins the conversation again. "Please, let us know what we need to know. And about that offer... a bit of tea would be nice now."