Leftover

When Junyoung was six, he was lied to for the first time.

It’d been lunchtime, and he’d brought along his mother’s homemade cookies. They were his favorite food in the world, and he rarely got to eat them anymore. He’d been so excited to eat them, so he showed them off to his classmates.

He couldn’t help it. He was just so proud of his mother and her cookies. He loved her that much.

But at lunchtime, he’d found that the cookies had been taken from his lunchbox. He’d cried and cried, loudly and without stopping, until his teacher came over, asking him what was wrong. He’d explained that he’d brought his mother’s homemade cookies, but they were missing.

The teacher, angered by the thievery, brought the class together and demanded that whoever took Junyoung’s cookies come forward and give them back if they still had them.

No one spoke up for a few moments, until one boy quietly asked if Junyoung was even sure that he’d brought them. The teacher quickly asked if that boy had been the one to take Junyoung’s cookies. The boy fidgeted, but said no.

He’s lying.

Something in Junyoung’s mind had told him so. He’d been so angry that he’d marched right over to the boy’s desk and took his bag, rummaging through it, ignoring the protests of the boy and his teacher. At the bottom of the bag, he found his mother’s homemade cookies, crushed under the weight of the boy’s own lunch, the sweet note she’d written him still inside the plastic bag.

The boy had gotten in trouble for lying, and Junyoung had been asked how he knew that the boy was lying.

He didn’t know.

He just knew.

It was the same way he knew something was off about his own body. The same way he knew that if he stayed near Haneul and the others, something bad would happen. The same way he knew that the only way to end things is to help from beyond the grave.

And so, he was stuck.

He was wandering, yelling into the void. He wondered if anyone was able to hear him, or if he was just stuck somewhere that was between life and death. He wondered if he’d even be able to help anyone from where he was.

And he wondered where he would go after all of it.

If Hyori had a point when she asked if Heaven would weigh his body and soul as one. He hoped not.

After all, his body had just committed mass murder.

He needed to set things right. Perhaps it was his own selfishness, but he wanted justice. He wanted for Hyori to pay for what she did to him, for the way she forced his hand and taunted him, gave him the choice to eat a bullet or be labeled a murderer for the rest of his life.

He still wasn’t sure if he’d made the right choice.

“They found Jiyeon’s body.”

Myungsoo looked up at Haneul, who looked almost dead. Her eyes had clouded over with an emotion he’d never seen on her face before. Her hands were curled into fists at her sides, and she seemed like she was shaking uncontrollably.

“They found her in a shallow grave near Junyoung’s house.” She took a deep breath, her shoulders remaining tense, despite her attempts to calm down. “They’re saying that she was his first victim.”

He could feel himself shaking in anger. “That’s insane. How would they even know each other? I mean, what the hell do they think Junyoung’s motive?!” he demanded, squeezing his eyes shut. “This… this can’t be real…”

Maybe if he closed his eyes, maybe if he pinched himself, he’d wake up. Maybe it would all be a dream. Maybe he’d wake up, and Junyoung, Jiyong, and Daesung would be alive. Maybe Hyungsoo would never have died. Maybe Haneul would be only a figure of his imagination. Maybe he’d made it all up.

Maybe this spirit, this evil ghost, wouldn’t be targeting the people he loved.

“I saw them digging up her body. They wheeled her out, and I think they’re calling in her family to identify her. Seunghyun is going to try to get a hold of her autopsy records, and Youngbae is trying to get close to her body so he can see if he can see her death.”

“You went to his house? Isn’t that dangerous?”

She sighed. “Of course. If they thought I had anything to do with the… the shooting, they’d have arrested me on the spot. Or at least detained me if they thought I could give them information.” Running a hand through her hair, she shifted, looking mildly uncomfortable. “It’d if I got caught lying to the cops. It’s not like they’d believe the whole truth, so either I’d be lying or crazy. Take your pick,” she murmured.

He frowned, crossing his arms as he looked away from her. “I’m tired of everyone being in danger. But, Haneul… how are you ending it?”

“What?”

“You said before that you were going to end it… how?”

The psychic moved once more, a frown on her face. “Look, Myungsoo… I get that you want to help. But Hyori’s last few victims have all been connected to me. Your part in this story is over. I think it’s time we part ways,” she ground out, like the words were hurting her to say.

For a moment, Myungsoo froze. His entire body began shaking – if it was hurt or anger, he wasn’t sure. All he knew is that she was lying.

“Don’t tell me that this doesn’t involve me. Haneul, we’re friends, and we’ve got to stick together. You promised me that you wouldn’t leave,” he protested, his voice quivering, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

She didn’t even look at him. “I didn’t promise you anything, Myungsoo. And we’re not friends. It’s time that this… whatever this is… ended. I did as your brother asked. I solved the mystery of your brother’s death, I made sure that your girlfriend wasn’t hurting you, and I helped you in a dark time. Your story is over.” Her hands were shaking, and he swore that he could see her fingernails digging into her palms, hard enough that her hands were turning red from the pressure.

“That’s not fair!”

“Life isn’t fair!” she shot back. “I was forced to team up with the man who got my brother and my mentor killed!”

Myungsoo felt like something had struck hi