The taps in the window caused Jooyoung to stir in her sleep. The small yet endless tap finally managed to distract Jooyoung, enough to wake her up with a frown. She kicked her blanket away and opened her eyes slightly to the alarm clock on the nightstand –the time told that she wasn’t supposed to have any visitor at that time. It passed the middle of the night. Few more hours and the dawn would break.

Expecting no one but Hongbin, she still had her eyes closed but she knew that she wouldn’t break something while walking towards the window. Annoyed look stuck on her face as she pulled open the curtain, without looking who was on the window and swiftly opened the window.

“Shin Jooyoung,” called the familiar voice.

“What do you want, Hongbin? Why do you decide to show up now?” Jooyoung asked, still refusing to open her eyes. “I’m sleepy,” she yawned afterwards.

“Jooyoung, open your eyes, you’re sleep talking.”

“What do you want, Lee Hongbin?!” she raised her voice in annoyance and that was when she felt someone was shaking her hard as a hand griped on her wrist. Her eyes shot open and she was at dazed when the sight in front of her slowly getting clearer.

As her sight adjusted, Lee Jaehwan’s face greeted her.

“What’s going on? What kind of dream is this?” she thought as she stared vacantly at Jaehwan. Jaehwan was looking at her, clearly not fond of how she reacted. He needed explanation so that he could his sleep back.

“I’m coming in,” Jaehwan stated, not minding if she might push him away and closed the window. Jooyoung was too dazed to catch what was happening and she just stepped back to give him way. He almost fell backward but she quickly lend a quick help until she sure that he had both his feet stepped the floor of her room.

Once he settled, Jooyoung just realised that she had brought trouble in her room. He was eyeing her, waiting her to say something but she just stood beside him awkwardly, staring at the floor. “Shin Jooyoung,” he called.

“I’m sure you are wide awake to tell me about the owner of the name you just called me with,” Jaehwan spoke softly, hoping that she would look up and not get frightened or rebel. He admitted it, she got some temper issue.

She responded to his words by pulling him to sit on her bed, and she took a seat on the dresser’s chair. She then tucked her hair behind her ears and looked at him. There was an unreadable look on her eyes but he could feel that she was thinking hardly.

“What make you come all the way here? You can wait till tomorrow comes…” she spoke. Her voice sounded so soft in his ears and he softened to the sight of her staring at him, she looked slightly intimidated.

He exhaled audibly as he broke the eye contact and averted his eyes on the short hand of the clock on the night stand, he couldn’t recall the alarm clock being there but he could see that there were two hours to five in the morning. It wasn’t a proper visiting time.

“I can’t sleep,” he dropped his eyes on the floor. “I can’t sleep at all after what I’ve done to you.”

Jooyoung’s muscle loosened as she shifted comfortably in her seat, she was seating as if she was caught from dozing off in history class. What had she done to this great man in front of him? She rarely sees the smile and the twinkle in his eyes anymore. She thought she deserved a slap across her face. She was having a perfectly good sleep.

“Well, things happen,” Jooyoung shrugged, trying to act as if she wasn’t bothered. It was normal for a friend to get mad if he found out his friend doing something wrong. She understood that what he saw on the night was disturbing and it could actually haunt someone in their sleep. Why only now she realised all these? She deserved another slap on the other cheek.

She must have not thought thoroughly, or not thinking at all.

“I’m sorry on what I’ve done. I know I should be more understanding and not attacking you from the assumption I made,” he apologised, genuinely sorry.

She put on a half-smile as she shook her head, “Nah, I’m the one who should say the sorry first. I’m the bad guy here, okay? Don’t try to take that title from me.”

A smile could be seen in his face and the dark cloud she saw hovering above him just now disappeared, replaced by a beam of light shooting out from the back of his head. “Jaehwan’s back!” she heard the little voice in her head.

“Nice one,” he complimented as he felt the atmosphere lifted.

“You think you can sleep now?” she asked with a smile still hung on her lips. The smile still plastered on his face as he shook his head, “I’m not sleepy yet because I still have things in my mind.”

Her smile dropped all of sudden. Jaehwan saw the look on her face and quickly tried to calm her down before her panic dragged. “You know you can always talk to me…” he let the words out slowly, trying to convince her to tell everything he wanted to know.

“I know we’ve been kind of drifting apart from each other… But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you anymore or had completely erased you from my memory. I still care about you,” he added.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat before she darted her eyes towards the window. Her action brought a sense of Déjà vu rushed into him and he followed his gaze to the uncovered window. He forgot to close the curtain after shutting down the window. Was she bothered by the sight? He wondered if he should get up and closed the curtain.

She saw only dark space outside the window. Hongbin hadn’t showed up for the day and she tried to recall the day Hongbin warned her to not tell about his existence… but to no avail. Was this supposed to be a green light? She silently hoped that Hongbin was around so that he could monitor her talking.

“Jooyoung?” he called, fully concern. She looked as if she was going to explode if he poked her with his hand.

She looked at him with guilty flowing out from his eyes. “Promise me you won’t let Grandma know everything I’m going to tell you.”

He looked at her momentarily, before he made a small nod as he offered his pinkie finger. “I promise. I’ll struck by the lightning if I ever break this pro –”

Her pinkie quickly linked with his as she hushed him with a ‘shh!’. “Don’t say stupid things,” she said with furrowing eyebrows. He smiled as he shook both their hands, sealing the deal.

Pulling her hand back, Jooyoung then could be seen sitting anxiously. She was contemplating if she should tell Jaehwan a part of the story or just give him a complete true version of the story. Jaehwan gave her an assuring look as he nodded convincingly.

She glanced on the window for a final hope and took a deep breath before she opened up the story where she first met Hongbin…

There were various looks on Jaehwan’s face as the stories unfold. There was a time when Jooyoung was hesitant and looked anxious but Jaehwan wouldn’t miss to give her an encouragement look. Her hands moved in the air as stories rolled out of and her eyes fixed on him.

Jaehwan nodded at times and never once he gave her a judgemental look. He accepted everything she told him and he remained calm almost all the time until she reached the story of where he found her in the lake.

She explained every bit clearly as she observed every little detail his face made. She wouldn’t mind anymore if he wanted to call her crazy, she’d accepted it with all her heart. Who would believe her with the story? It sounded like perfectly rip from a fantasy book.

The story telling session ended and he broke the eye contact as he looked at the floor. Her eyes remained fixed on his face, searching for the doubting look or hidden smile. He probably laughing like a maniac next and called her crazy before barging to her Grandma’s room and broke his promise.

“It’s real?” he asked incredulously.

She looked at him in confused. Never once she changed the story to make it sounded realistic. Everything she poured out were the things she experienced and saw with her eyes.

“Escaping souls are real? I… I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say…” he then covered his face with both his palms before pulling his hands away and darted his eyes towards her. “So, what are you going to do? I’m so sorry. I’m a fool. I don’t know anything yet I…”

She shook her head, slightly relief. “Don’t be. I know it’s hard to accept. I would react the same way as you if I heard it from someone else.” She then exhaled audibly. “I don’t know… I think I’m going to help him to go the next phase. I don’t want Hongbin to be forever stuck in this world.”

Jaehwan nodded and looked around him, “Is he around here now?”

Her eyes wandered around and see no one other than Jaehwan. She then shook her head, “He’s not around. He hadn’t even showed up today that I thought he was the one that knock on the window.”

Jaehwan nodded understanding.

“I sound like a crazy girl, don’t I?” she asked.

Jaehwan was surprised to get the question but he shook his head eagerly, “I believe you.”

She smiled bitterly and took a look at the alarm clock to see that she had taken an hour to open up. “He must hate me, right?”

Jooyoung’s eyes moved to Jaehwan who was now playing with his own fingers. He looked up to meet her eyes, “I always get in the way.”

She turned speechless.

“I want to make an apology towards him.”

She just watched him silently, overwhelmed with mixes of feelings.

“Do you think I can do that before he goes? Do you think he will accept it and won’t come in my nightmare?”

She shook her head as a drop of fresh tear rolled down her cheek.

---

“Lee Sunmi!” yelled Hongbin as he ran towards the oak tree. As soon as he stopped in front of the tree, he looked up the branches to catch the figure he really needed at that moment. “Lee Sunmi! It’s me! Lee Hongbin!” he yelled again.

“Lee Hongbin,” she called back as she suddenly appeared behind him. He turned around, relieved to see the spirit of the oak tree. He had the urge to hug her right away but her mindreading game was strong. “You’re thinking of hugging me right now? Awww...”

“I need help,” he ignored as his fears managed to creep in her. She could sense the unusual fears and looked deeply in his eyes to see the blinding light that she winced in pain and looked away. Hongbin noticed that she was in pain and quickly helped her from falling.

She saw it.

…The light!

She saw the light!

His time had come…

“Lee Hongbin,” she called as she managed to stand properly again. Hongbin looked at her anxiously and she refused to look at him, but still facing him. “You shouldn’t be here anymore.”

“Wh-What…”

She turned around, away from him. “This is not your place anymore,” she stated, somehow felt sad over the separation that was coming so soon.

“Is th-that-that… the light you’re talking about?” he asked, shock. He remembered he ran away from it as fast as he could, feeling like the light would swallow him. He couldn’t see the face of the silhouette and the sound of her voice sound familiar, but he couldn’t pick the owner.

“You shouldn’t run away from it. You don’t want to trap in this loath world forever.”

“B-but. How? Why does the light come when I can’t even recall my memory? Why?!”

She stepped away from him slowly, “Perhaps you don’t really need your memory in the first place…? But you had done something that you wanted to do before you die?”

His eyes dropped on the ground as he flashed back everything the things he had done. What could possibly be the things he wanted to do in his past life?

“I don’t know… W-What should I…” he looked up to see an empty sight. Sunmi had left him without trace but she made a final farewell, he could clearly hear it in his ears. “Follow the light, Lee Hongbin… Follow the light… Goodbye…”

“Lee Sunmi!” he called again and looked around to see her once more before he finally left. His heart broke as he saw no one and believed that Sunmi couldn’t help him anymore.

He then turned around and walked away…

The light hadn’t show up to him but he could feel it, once he was fully ready to leave everything behind, the light would shine on him and called his name again.

---

Jaehwan parked his bicycle on the nearest tree and calmed down his nerves. He just heard a story that told him that ghosts are real… or should he said… the spirits? Well, he had believed that all the way from he was a young boy, but hearing it from someone he trusted made him feeling uncomfortable to a certain degree.

He then took a seat on the place where he found Jooyoung with her spirit friend.

Taking a deep breath while his eyes staring far on the lake, he then started a conversation with the unseen. “Lee Hongbin?” he called.

Lee Hongbin who happened to just went back from seeing Sunmi looked down on Jaehwan. Hongbin was staring vacantly once again on the tree’s branch besides Jaehwan’s seating. So Jaehwan knew his name now…?

He wasn’t surprised at all. Sooner or later, Jooyoung would tell Jaehwan the story. Hongbin didn’t even warn her to stop spreading the stories because he understood how hard it was for her to cope. She needed someone to be a listener… Especially after he left…

“I don’t know if you’re even here right now,” Jaehwan added. “But if you do… Please listen to me.”

Hongbin was intrigued that he jumped off from the tree and landed right in front of Jaehwan. Jaehwan looked distracted for a second as he blinked his eye from the impact. Hongbin moved closer, curious. “Why does he act as if he could see me?” Hongbin thought as he waved his hand in front of blank Jaehwan but Jaehwan remained calm, not blinking at all.

Perhaps, it was only Hongbin’s imagination.

“I heard everything from Jooyoung…” Jaehwan spoke. Hongbin sat comfortably in front of Jaehwan, expecting it. Hongbin searched Jaehwan’s eyes and he knew it would impossible for Jaehwan to connect his eyes with him.

“She’s a strong and brave girl,” Jaehwan continued and Hongbin watched silently, nodding.

“I’ve promised her that I would make an apology,” he said and Hongbin shrugged. Hongbin wasn’t actually expecting anything from him. He knew that Jaehwan acted as he did because he didn’t know what actually had happened.

“So, right here. Right now… I want to make an official apology. I believed you’re listening right now because I don’t want to make repetitive apologies. It will sound insincere over time.”

Hongbin sighed in disbelief.

“Are you even apologizing sincerely now? You sound like you’re complaining,” Hongbin said, knowing the fact that Jaehwan couldn’t hear him.

But then their eyes met…

Hongbin froze in his seat.

“Do I sound like I’m a whining little boy? I’m sorry,” he chuckled with eyes still fixed with Hongbin’s. Hongbin ran out of word and a new fear found inside him. Was he looking at me?

“Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart… I want to say sorry for what I’ve done…”

Hongbin still gawked at Jaehwan. He could move a little and tested if Jaehwan could actually see him or it was merely a coincidence. It felt strange. Jooyoung had seen him in the eyes but it started differently with her but with Jaehwan? It creeped him out!

“I’m sorry, Lee Hongbin. And I hope you find your way,” Jaehwan exhaled loudly. He sounded so tensed. “I promise I’ll take care of Jooyoung and you don’t have to worry about her. I’m sure you have seen how I am with her. I don’t have any ill intention towards her. I’m just a protective friend… just like you.”

Their eye contact broke as Jaehwan looked away. “I think that’s enough. I hope you don’t get mad at me and come to scare me in my sleep.” Jaehwan chuckled.

Hongbin felt a slight relieved as Jaehwan looked away. It was merely a coincidence. Nothing more, he believed… But he was so curious. What if Jaehwan could actually see him? Well, Hongbin never encounter moment like this with Jaehwan before simply because he didn’t want to get close to Jaehwan but he remembered, Jaehwan seemed not affected by his presence.

Even if Jaehwan could see him, he wouldn’t act as he did with Jooyoung, right? Because he could see the same soul… he believed.

To test, Hongbin moved his hand towards Jaehwan’s shoulder, to pat it gently.

Jaehwan looked so tense all of sudden and shook involuntary. “It’s cold here.”

Hongbin knew human could feel his coldness and slowly placed his hand on Jaehwan’s shoulder and to his surprised, his hand passed through. Hongbin couldn’t touch him but he saw Jaehwan moved forward instantly in pain and he quickly pulled his hand back.

“What happened?” Hongbin asked in panic.

“Argh. My stomach’s hurt!” Jaehwan yelled. “I’m hungry!” he added and Hongbin sighed in relieved. He thought he was the cause of Jaehwan’s pain.

“Fool,” Hongbin spoke. “Take care of Jooyoung for me. Don’t care about me. I know what to do with my life after this.”

And in a blink of eyes, Hongbin vanished from the lake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N; One more chapter left………………. Please subscribe and comment ^-^