CHAPTER TWO

word count: 3287

The moment I opened my eyes again, I suddenly found myself in a familiar place. How I got here, I had no idea. It's as if everything happened in a snap of a finger. I looked around the pastel-colored room, and books were neatly piled on the shelf. Everything looked clean---from the floor to the clothes folded on top of the table. There was even a cute Rilakumma lamp on the study table, next to some school stuff. Chanyeol would surely love that lamp. The huge teddy bear plushie sitting comfortably on the chair made me smile a tad bit. Polaroid pictures were also plastered all over a big corkboard hanging on the wall, along with a piece of paper with the words "I miss you much, Kim Minseok."

I'm in So Young's room, and there she was, sleeping soundly on her bed. I looked at the clock beside her bed, and it read 4:10AM.

I agreed with the deal, even though I was uncertain how it will turn out. I didn't know how to do it, but here I am. I know it's risky, but out of my love and concern for So Young, I engaged myself into it. I was then zapped into Earth in a span of milliseconds. It was so fast that I thought my body's going to disintegrate into pieces because of the faster-than-lightning speed. As soon as I realized I'm back on Earth, I felt queasy and uneasy, knowing the complication of the situation I've entered myself into. But there's no backing out now. I need to do this because I don't want to see So Young crying again.

It was the least I could do to save her.

I looked at So Young as she slept. She slept comfortably as she hugged one of her pillows. So Young loved pillows, in fact, she has four on her bed. She looked peaceful, yet I can feel her suffering. She's been battling her depression over my death, and I feel sorry that she had to go through that ordeal. I suddenly felt guilty; if only I had been more careful when I crossed the road, I wouldn't have been hit, and I would still be alive today. I heard some soft sounds, and asked myself if she has been sobbing in her sleep. "Minseok~", she whispered softly. I fixed her blanket and tucked the loose strands of her hair at the back of her ear. I felt my insides churning in excitement---I could actually touch her, as if I'm alive.

She suddenly moved. "Mi- Mi- Minseok?" So Young fumbled over her words as she half-opened her eyes. I thought she was scared, so I backed off a bit. "You're here~ Am- Am I d- dreaming?"

"No baby, you're not dreaming. It's me," I smiled as I leaned to touch her cheek.

"So what the angel said was true. I can really see you again." She held my hand as a tear fell from her eye, "I missed you, Minseok."

"Me too, baby. I missed you too. I'm here now."

"I'm so glad. Can you hug me?"

I watched her close her eyes again as I went closer and let her head rest on my chest. I hugged her tight and her hair as she went back to sleep. If I had a heartbeat, my heart would be beating like crazy now.

I was expecting So Young to freak out and scream like crazy the moment she opened her eyes a few hours later. It was really strange because her reaction was so normal, as if she was expecting me to return. I leaned against her cabinet and watched her dry her hair. "I had a dream last night. The Angel Michael appeared in front of me and told me I'll be able to see you again once I open my eyes. It was a brief meeting, but I can't explain what I felt when he said that. I was just so eager to wake up. And then when I opened my eyes, I saw you. It was really fast." So Young fixed her uniform in front of the mirror. "Hey, we should go to school together. We're both wearing our uniforms. I'm sure you missed going to school. But Michael said I am the only who could see you. If I tell Chanyeol and the others, they might think I'm crazy."

Her eyes lit up in excitement. "I've been wishing for this, Minseok. This has been my wish every night for the past four months. I guess wishes really do come true."

"You're not scared at all? Look, I'm dead. Can't you see? My heart is not beating anymore." All I got was a nod when I asked her again. She's scared of a cockroach and not of a ghost? The least I could think of is that she had gone delusional.

"But I can see you, and even touch you," she said as she pinched my cheeks. "Aww I missed those baozi cheeks," she chuckled. I missed seeing that eye-smile of hers.

Apparently, my girlfriend who would screech at the sight of a bug suddenly turned into a brave woman.

I followed So Young wherever she went. Excluding the bathroom of course. (She would always say, "No peeking! I know you can pass through walls and doors but please no peeking or else I'll hate you forever!") I became her guardian angel who always reminded her to pay attention when crossing the road or to be vigilant when she walks home at night after her classes from the institute. I attended her classes, and in a way, I got to study again---for free. I watched over So Young as days and weeks went by, ocassionally guiding her in her studies. Her classmates noticed that's she's slowly going back to her old self. She began talking to other people, and sometimes, they would catch her smiling and nodding at random times as if she was talking to someone.

"Minseok, do you know how many exoplanets are there?" So Young asked as she munched on a piece of apple while studying for her upcoming College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) in November. It's only March but I told her to prepare as early as now so that she'll have enough time to study. I asked her to make a timetable for such exams, to which she'll study a subject every Friday night. Her usually neat room is now a havoc, with a lot of textbooks on the floor sprawled open. As what everyone knows, the CSAT plays a major role in the Korean educational system. A student's score in the CSAT determines which university he or she can enter to. The results can either make or break one's future. If I were still alive, I would have aced the CSAT, I once heard Kyungsoo say the other day. I silently blushed even if there's no more blood rushing in my veins.

"There are about 1800 planets discovered as of this month---1779 planets in 1102 planetary systems including 460 multiple planetary systems," I answered in a heartbeat. Science has always been one of my favorite subjects, especially Astronomy. I remember discovering a telescope on the farthest part of the library in the After Turf. I was so fascinated because it's the biggest telescope that I saw. I learned that it belonged to Do Min Joon, who is one of my idols in the field of Astronomy. I secretly fanboyed when I got to talk to him once. Damn, I should have gotten a picture with him---if cameras were available in the After Turf.

I continued on, "Do you know that the Kepler mission space telescope has detected a few thousand candidate planets, of which about 11% may be false positives? And do you know that there are at least 100 billion planets in the Milky Way, with at least one planet on average per star? The Milky Way also contains possibly trillions of rogue planets, which are not bound to any star. The universe is so big, and there are so many galaxies which comprise the universe."

All I got was a "what" and a poker face from my girlfriend.

I watched So Young study for five hours. She changed her study positions every hour. She took down notes, highlighted important words in her book, tried solving math problems, and memorized a table full of English words. Finally, she sighed as she put down her pen and lied on the bed. "Jeez, all these exoplanet stuff so hard to understand. I wish I was as smart as you or Joonmyeon. Why didn't you appear sooner so that I can have someone to teach me in Science? It's my waterloo, and that's your expertise."

I smiled at her compliment, "You have to learn on your own, after all, it's your future that you're in charge of."

"I know, but what do exoplanets have to do with being a theater actress? Kyungsoo always complained of measuring the trajectory of something having nothing to do with his dream of being a hotelier."

"What? You want to me date Luhan? Are you crazy? You're my boyfriend, and you have returned. And now you're going to make me date your bestfriend?" So Young's voice screeched outside her room one day after she got home from school.

Yes, an epiphany came to me that So Young should settle for Luhan instead. In order for So Young's feelings for me cease, I have to make her fall in love with someone else. And that someone is Luhan. Chanyeol is a good option, but he's currently involved in a love triangle with Sehun and another girl from school, so yeah, he's out. Kyungsoo is too serious for So Young's carefree and outgoing attitude, so he's out of the game too. Joonmyeon is a certified playboy so no way; Baekhyun would have been a good choice but he's obsessed with his eyeliners, and Kris is definitely not So Young's style because he's too tall for her.

Besides, Luhan is my best friend. He knows So Young as much as I do because I tell him a lot of stories about So Young. They'd look perfect together.

"I'm already dead, so technically, you're allowed to date someone else again. My death terminates our relationship, just like how a widow or widower is allowed to marry again after the death of his or her spouse. You're the only one who can see me, So Young, and if you insist to everyone that you can talk to me like this, they'll say you're delusional."

"No way. I don't care what they say. There's no way I'd be dating your best friend. This is unbelievable. I can't believe I'm hearing this straight from you." But Luhan is very kind. Girls threw themselves at him.

"Luhan has liked you eversince," I lied.

"Stop this Minseok. You are hurting my feelings."

"But So Young-- listen to---"

"You're lying. Why are you telling this? Why the heck are you pushing me away?" I can see tears forming from the corner of her eyes. Oh no, please, don't cry.

I'm so sorry, So Young. I really need to do this for my soul to find peace. And for you to find peace again. "Because you need to move on. You're still young. You know I love you, but I cannot bear seeing you suffer like this. You should love again, and a guy as wonderful as Luhan deserves a nice girl like you. You need your life back. "

Which is true. She needed her life back. I don't want to see her spend the rest of her life alone. I know pushing her to do this will hurt me, but it's better for me to get hurt that for her to suffer from depression. After all, if you love someone, you should know when to let go. And now is the time for me let go of her because we're in different worlds now. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt, but it's the best thing to do.

"You already took mine when you died, Minseok. I don't think I can go back to the way I am before," she said as she slammed the door, leaving me behind.

I decided not to appear to So Young for a few days. I decided to give her the space that she needed. I knew I hurt her feelings but what I'm doing now is the best for her. It hurts me too, you see. The idea of giving away your girlfriend to another man is really sad, but hey, Luhan is my bestfriend. If there's another man I want her to end up with, I'd choose my bestfriend over everyone else. She may misunderstand me for now, but I am hoping she'll realize the meaning of all those things I said. I want her to realize that life doesn't end with my death. She doesn't have to make herself suffer for something that she didn't do. I wandered around the city, and took the chance to visit my family to see how they're doing. My parents still looked sad, but they're learning to move on. It hurts to see them that way, but that's the reality of life. You just have to learn how to move on.

"Minseok, are you here?" So Young called out. Like an obedient kid to his parents, I appeared right in front of her and discovered she's in the music room. That was my first time teleporting, and Jongdae was right, teleporting is cool. "Hey," I greeted her.

"Hey, uhm, where did you go during the past few days?" she asked awkwardly.

"Just frolicked around town. Checked what my family has been doing. Visited the place where I died. How are you? Feeling better?"

She suddenly bowed and buried her face on her hands, "Not good. I'm so sorry for scowling at you the other day. I knew I was being a selfish --"

"Hey, that's okay, sweetie. Don't call yourself a , you're not a dog. And don't worry, what happened last time was totally understandable. I anticipated that kind of reaction from you. Anyone would react that way to that kind of situation. I'm so sorry I shocked you," I immediately went to her side and held her hands.

"I'm so sorry, Minseok. I'm so sorry for thinking that way, I know you were just thinking of my own welfare, and yet, I judged you immediately."

"So are you going to do it?"

"For you, and for myself, I'll give it a try. I'm not sure if it'll be successful though, Luhan is too pretty for me."

A smile escaped from my lips, "Don't worry, it'll be worth it. Come on, sit properly. I'll give you a background of Luhan."

"Go talk to him." I nudged So Young as we walked in the hallway one Friday afternoon. She finally talked to me after a week, thinking about what I told her. Morever, she apologized for being so emotional last time. Well, it cannot be helped. I would freak out as well if my girlfriend told me to date someone else. She said it's so awkward but she'll give it a try.

It's White Day, and everyone's busy giving and receiving candies. I chuckled in delight while watching the once-suave guy Kris turn into a shy lad as he gave candies to Nina, the Filipina exchange student from the other class. Funny seeing him almost trip himself over on his way to Nina's classroom. Joonmyeon was as usual, the luxurious guy who's known to give lollipop bouqets to all the girls in his class during White Day. No wonder everyone wanted to be Joonmyeon's classmate. Sehun and Chanyeol were busy trying to win Hyemin's affection, while Kyungsoo and Jongin were busy betting as to who among between Sehun and Chanyeol will be able to ask Hyemin out, as she's the most popular girl in school who just broke up with Junsu, the famous soccer player.

We walked past the sea of hyped-up students. "I know, I know, can't you see I'm nervous?" So Young whispered as she held tightly held on to her science book.

"Oh come on, Luhan's my bestfriend. No need to be shy around him. The three of us spent time together before, remember?"

"But still.... jeez, I can't believe you're getting so nosy now, Minseok."

So Young stopped in front of her locker, and saw Luhan putting something in his own locker beside hers. "So Young? Is everything okay?" Luhan asked worringly. "You were.... talking to yourself."

"Oh, that? I was just practicing my lines for the upcoming school play." So Young scratched her head as her put her book in her locker, looking shy in front of Luhan. "And hey, welcome back." It was the first time I saw Luhan again since my funeral. So Young said he went back to China to fix some stuff in his family. I wanted to run into him and give him a very tight embrace, but of course, I can't do that. Luhan was my sidekick and alter-ego, and we shared a lot of interests that only the two of us can understand. He was the brother I never had. Of course, I also consider Chanyeol and the others as my brothers, but I was the closest to Luhan since we're of the same age.

"Yeah, thanks. It's really good to be back here. I can't afford to miss White Day in Korea. And speaking of, I got you some candies. I know you love these sour candies so I bought a lot in the airport." Luhan handed So Young a tin can full of candies.

"How did you know I loved sour candies?" So Young asked as she looked at the can. "Huwaaaaa~ it's a lot," she ogled at the sight of the sour stuff.

"I'm glad you liked it. Minseok hyung told me that you love these kinds of candies." I smiled because Luhan still remembers I told him that. Silence ensued thereafter. Luhan closed his eyes and silently mouthed "Aissh".

"Oh~ I'm so sorry, So Young. I shouldn't have mentioned Minseok hyung. That was so insensitive of me," Luhan scratched his hair apologetically.

So Young just smiled, and shyly waved her hands. "No, don't feel sorry. I'm sure Minseok is smiling now because you remembered it. Thanks for this, by the way. I have enough supply for a month!" So Young beamed, which made Luhan sigh in relief.

Kyungsoo caught up with the two of them so they decided to eat lunch at the cafeteria altogether. It was nice seeing her eat properly again. They talked about Kris' mishaps earlier, like stuttering in front of Nina when he asked her out. Good thing Nina saved his sorry by agreeing to go out with him.

"So... care to watch a movie tonight?" Luhan asked So Young as the two of them, no, the three of us walked back to the classroom. "Miracle in Cell No. 7 is the hottest movie in town, and my roommate Yixing seems disinterested, and I don't want to go alone, so I am asking you out now. Are you free tonight?" Such a smooth talker, Luhannie.

She looked at my direction, as if she's asking for my permission. I told her that it's okay. Finally, Luhan made a move. Things should go smoothly from that point.

"Yeah sure. What time tonight?" So Young smiled at my bestfriend, and it's one of the brightest I saw that day. But somehow deep inside me, it hurts.

[author's note]

OH MY GOD I'm back~ I'm so sorry for the super late update. TT_TT Please forgive me my lovely readers huhuhuhu. My writing muse actually went on a vacation, and I've been quite busy at work so yeah that's it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chappie. I know the ending was a cliffhanger, which means there'll be third chapter. I started writing it today so please watch out for it. ^^

Thank you so much for your kind understanding~ hearteu hearteu

Here's XiuHan gif for all ^^

xoxo