Him

“That’s him. The one sitting in the middle, with the camera and the scarf.”

Haneul followed where Hyungsoo had gestured, sipping her coffee as she pulled her own scarf tighter around her neck. “He looks normal. You said that he would need to hear from you, but… he doesn’t seem depressed at all,” she noted quietly, whispering to the man that no one else could see or hear.

She looked closely at him, noticing he didn’t look angry or sad, the way most people did when they lost someone they loved. He was sitting with his friends across the café, his arm wrapped around a short, brunette girl whose hair was tied in two pigtails that made her look like she was twelve. He laughed and joked with the five other boys who sat around him at the table.

Hyungsoo scoffed, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes. “He’s a good actor, Haneul. Better than you’d believe.”

She shook her head subtly. “I doubt he’s acting.” She paused, watching the dark-haired boy as he placed a kiss on the brunette’s temple. “He seems… happy. At least, happier than most other people in his position.”

“Again, Haneul. He’s a good actor.”

The short-haired girl heaved a huge, loud sigh, settling deeper into her seat at a table in the back corner of the diner. A waiter, a teenage boy who was probably still in high school, came over, asking if she’d like to order food. He had to ask a few times, since she was still listening to Hyungsoo chatter about his brother even more.

Haneul looked up, finally seeing the waiter. He was very pretty, if pretty was a proper word to be used for a boy. He had long, blonde hair that was tied up in a ponytail. His long bangs fell into his face, his dark eyes barely peering down at her from behind his hair.

“Miss? Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

She blinked. “Oh, right. Um…” Looking at the paper menu, she scanned the list of foods for something that sounded good.

As if he sensed her dilemma, Hyungsoo leaned forward, unseen by the blond waiter. “We used to come here all the time, me and my brother. Personally, I liked this.” He pointed to the macaroni and cheese dish. “It’s simple, kind of childish, but it’s good.”

“I think I’ll get the macaroni and cheese,” Haneul said simply, smiling a tight-lipped smile. The waiter returned it, only his was more genuine, less like he was forcing it, as he wrote down her order. “Thank you.”

He smiled again before walking towards the kitchen. Haneul followed him with her gaze, only to lock eyes with a chef that no one else noticed.

“,” she swore, turning away as fast as she could.

Hyungsoo blinked. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, looking to her with concern written on his face.

Haneul ran a hand through her hair, breathing heavily. “I think there’s a ghost in the kitchens,” she admitted. “If she saw me, that means she knows that I can see her.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“Most of the time, when ghosts are trapped here, they aren’t here by choice. They’re trapped by something. I’ve seen fear or hopelessness, but a lot of times, it’s because they’ve forgotten to do something before they died or they left something important unsaid.” She sighed again, holding her head in her hands.

Looking sympathetic, Hyungsoo wrapped his hand around her wrist. She could feel a cold, ghostly touch where his hand had touched her. “When we die, we’re confused. We’re desperate,” he mumbled. “We see what we need to see, and only what we need to see. To us, you are what we need. Someone who can see us and understand that we’ve still got things to do.” He let his hand fall back to the table, trying to manage a smile.

“So, you can see us.”

Both Haneul and Hyungsoo jumped at the new voice.

They turned to see the chef. She was young-looking, probably the same age as the waiter. To Haneul, this ghost was still very beautiful. She had long, brown hair that fell to the small of her back. Her face was small, and there were no blemishes or anything of the sort adorning her skin.

The only thing that gave anything away was the thin, pink line that scarred her neck.

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you,” she apologized softly, fidgeting with her hands. “I… I just didn’t know where else to go.”

Haneul and Hyungsoo exchanged a look, with both of them looking back to the ghostly girl. “Is there… something I can help you with?” Haneul asked quietly.

The girl looked around, like she was concerned that someone else could see them. “My name is Ryu Hwayoung,” she began, words spilling quickly. “Last year, I died in my bathroom. Throat slit, see?” She pointed to the scar. “Everyone thinks I killed myself. Why they think this, I’m not sure…” She trailed off, not knowing what else to do or say.

“But… did you really kill yourself?” Haneul asked, her eyes n