“Oh, that…” her voice slowly ceased as she broke her eye contact. Jaehwan waited patiently as he searched for her eyes, he noticed her change of facial expression but he didn’t think it was the wrong time to bring up the topic.

“Am I right? You were talking about the–,” he paused for a second and leaned closer. “–The ghost?” he whispered. He remembered her words to be watchful of his mouth.

She looked around before she landed her gaze on him, feeling hesitant. To be honest, she was wide awake after he left last night, thinking back every moment she had with Hongbin. The first moment he came across her life to the moment everything revealed.

She somehow felt it was unfair to Hongbin– she got to tell Jaehwan, or even Grandma about his existence but he didn’t have anyone. Anyone but her…

A half smile formed on her face as she met Jaehwan’s eyes, “I always felt as if I was under someone or something’s surveillance but I never see who was behind it so I can’t rule out it is him.”

An astonished look appeared on his face as he straightened his back, eyes still fixed on hers. “You think some of the villagers are one of them?” he asked, wanting to know if she had any guess.

She squinted as she thought hardly. “I don’t think so because sometime I felt it when I was safely at home.”

“It can be…” there was an excitement in his voice but he stopped and chose to remain quiet.

“I don’t see the perpetrator so I don’t want to point finger,” she calmly stated and picked up the snack and munching on them.

He slowly nodded, turning speechless.

“It’s in my head. Since I befriend you, maybe I was afraid that I was losing you,” she said without looking at him and her words caught his attention.

“You know how many laser glare I received after we met?” she chuckled, brightening up the mood. Her chuckles were contagious that Jaehwan couldn’t help but to blush and chuckles along.

“You’re really good with your words,” he complimented. “Thank you,” she mocked a male voice.

The rain had slowed down to a stop but Jooyoung didn’t plan to step outside since the rain must cause muddy ground. She liked it how it was, wrapped in her blanket, sitting and have a conversation with Jaehwan.

“So, how does it look like?” he suddenly pulled out his hands in front of both of them, attempting to stop her from saying anything. “Let me rephrase that,” he cleared his throat. “How does he look like? You keep referring it as him.”

The smile on her lips disappeared the moment he finished his sentence. She could feel it, he wouldn’t stop until she spilled out everything.

He saw the lost smile, and he made an apologetic puppy look. “You started it. You know you shouldn’t start a story and leave me hanging–”

“–When do you meet it? Does it look exactly like what you watch in movies? Does it fly? Does it wear white sheets?”

“Escaping soul,” she thought as she flashed back at their first met.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and answered his curiosity, “I met him not long after I came here. No. He doesn’t look like any in the movies.” She paused. Hongbin actually look normal, and even good-looking, complete with a pair of dimples.

She remembered the beautiful tattoo he owned and the moment he was trying to find the same tattoo on her.

“And I don’t see wings. So I don’t know if he can fly and no. He wears black,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Jaehwan narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, judging her at the same time. “Are you sure you saw a ghost?” There was a growing silence between them before he questioned her once again. “Were you trying to make a joke so that I get scared to ride back home last night?”

She shook her head instantly as soon as she heard his questions. “No. Really! I met one!”

“Then? Did you scream out loud?”

She shook her head.

“Did you piss in your pants?”

She still shook her head as a response.

“Did you pass out?”

He still received the same response.

“Then? Did you run for your life?”

She froze. He looked at her in puzzlement. She didn’t give the same annoying response to him but she made his eyebrows arched and her action caused him aching for explanation.

“You didn’t run as well?” he asked with a slightly higher pitch, getting frustrated. “Wow,” he sighed incredulously.

Did she run?

No.

Then.

Why didn’t she run? She made a conversation with herself in her head as she stared blankly, ignoring Jaehwan who was now talking to himself. She couldn’t make any words from him as her mind started to wander to the moment she first met Hongbin.

Everything flashed back in sequences. The moment she fell down from the collision. The moment she was dragged along with him. The moment he covered and the moment the moon light fell on him.

She had no reason to run away from him. Even after every weird thing he did on her and the surprise visits. Not even once she thought he was acting anything like a ghost to her, he was just like her, like everyone else in the village.

The only thing that made Hongbin different with the villagers is:

He was there when she was in need.

He was always there even when she wasn’t in trouble.

Even though she thought that the coincidence was too much, it wasn’t coincidence at all.

“I ran,” she finally spoke earning Jaehwan’s attention instantly.

“But I didn’t run for my life. I was running with him,” she thought.

“There you go! You met a ghost,” he clapped his hands. “That’s it. Now, tell me about this thing been following you.”

She held her stare at him and he returned her with a stare. The weight of the silence began to irritate her that she shifted in her seat to get rid of the sudden uneasiness. “Well, after the meeting, I always see it from the corners of my eye but when I turned to see it, there was nothing.”

She was lying but Jaehwan didn’t seem to suspect her.

“That’s why I thought he’s been following me. It happened for several times that I thought I’m going crazy but lately the sighting had disappeared. I don’t see him anymore.”

“You keep referring as ‘him’. What else I don’t know about this?” he questioned sceptically.

Instantly shaking her head, she forced her brain to work quickly to give him a digestible answer. “It doesn’t have a long hair covering its face. So, I assume it’s a guy.”

Jaehwan shot her a questionable look but he let it slide, not wanting to push her over the edge. “Okay, I’ll take it as it is. Since I never meet one, I would never know.” He shrugged and Jooyoung was feeling relieved to see his reaction.

The sudden sound from the front door made Jaehwan to jump in his seat. Jooyoung saw his shocked look and couldn’t help to laugh and hit him lightly. He was sighing in relief to see Grandma at the door.

The rain had stopped completely but the thick clouds prevented the sun to spread its ray to the ground. Jaehwan then stood up quickly.

“Oh Jaehwannie, you’re here?” Grandma spoke, genuinely surprised to see him.

Jaehwan nodded as he increased the gap between him and Jooyoung. Jooyoung noticed his movement but chose to pretend as if she didn’t see anything. Grandma’s eyes averted from Jaehwan’s face to Jooyoung’s before she flashed a smile to Jaehwan who was now standing awkwardly.

“Sit down, don’t bother me,” she laughed. Jaehwan laughed along but he thought it was disrespectful to sit, so he preferred standing. Moreover, he was sitting too long on the couch.

“I just remember,” Grandma shrieked, startling both of the younger fellows.

“Did you hear it? The oldest great-grandmother had passed away this morning?” Grandma’s expression turned sorrow, sad over the news.

Jooyoung averted her gaze from Grandma to Jaehwan who was now clearly had the same expression as Grandma’s. “Grandma Kim?” Jaehwan asked to ensure he was thinking of the same person.

Grandma nodded as she took a deep breath, “Ju An’s grandmother. I found out from the villagers when I was at Grandma Joo’s house. No wonder, it’s heavily raining.”

Jooyoung’s eyebrows narrowed to link the two but to not avail. She ended up on making her own theory, since Grandma Kim is the oldest grandmother in the village; perhaps the world is grieving for her leaving?

She had no idea who is the oldest grandmother of the village, hearing her name and her grandchild’s name didn’t help her. She didn’t know much of the villagers; she was busy of pushing the villagers out of her way that she felt she should go back to the city and live hidden in her room.

Everyone in the villagers knows each other, either related by blood or not. They lived as one whole family and news spread fast even with the lack of social media.

From the way Jaehwan reacted, he must had known and met the Grandma. She thought it was the best for her to stay muted from saying something that might sound disrespectful. “We have to pay a last visit, all of the villagers will come and do so,” Grandma said to Jooyoung and Jooyoung nodded.

Jaehwan moved to get his rain coat, “I guess I have to leave first.”

Grandma nodded and Jooyoung sent him with her eyes. She then looked at her grandmother, wondering if she should approach and ask about Grandma Kim more or just wait till the right time came but seeing how tired her grandmother looked, she held back.

---

“You’re coming to the 14th day ritual?” asked Jaehwan. A week had passed after she received the news about the oldest grandmother. At that period of time, Jooyoung had her list of questions answered by Grandma regarding the late Grandma Kim.

She was the oldest grandmother of village, passing 100 years old but her time had come, she left the world due to old age. Ju An is her great grandson, he is around her age but Jooyoung never met him since Jaehwan never really introduce his friends to her.

“14th day ritual?” she shot him a questionable look as she kicked the pebbles on her way. After the ghost talk, she decided to plant the story at the lowest part of her memory, not wanting to bring the topic up but she knew she couldn’t.

At least, she didn’t have to bring it up when she was with Jaehwan. Jaehwan also seemed like he forgot over it already. Moreover, she didn’t see Hongbin around anymore.

He must have left for real.

But sometime she couldn’t help but to bring herself to the lake to see him once again, but he was nowhere to be seen. He used to be there when she was looking for him…

Jaehwan nodded, “The banging stuff ritual. You will come right? You missed it last time at late uncle Yoon’s.”

Her head turned to him instantly, “How do you know?” She felt her heart skip a beat and now gradually increase in pace.

He laughed before he decided to reply. “I know. I was planning to hit you with my plastic bottle, but you weren’t in sight. I didn’t even see your grandmother.”

She smacked him, secretly relieved, “I’ll make sure I hit you first before you can lay your bottle on me.”

“You’ll come right? You don’t want to miss the fun,” he asked, there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

She didn’t reply right away but she nodded as a response for now, who knew, what she might doing at that evening.

“Oh yeah!” he showed his palms, gesturing her to give a Hi-five but she rejected and walked ahead, earning a whining Jaehwan behind her.

“This is it, I can meet him, he will be running that night,” she thought.

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A/N: I see increasing number of subbies! Hello new readers!!! And thank you @nowornever-- and @Ruby2000 for the comments! Your comments made my day ^-^ Keep the comments and subbies coming guys!