Moonlight dissipates on the slightly opened window of her well–ventilated room with four dirty-white painted walls. Sitting on the bed under the window, she can see harmonious lights flickering on the city.

It looks so happy outside.

She closed her eyes slowly as she breathes out, almost like a sigh. She looked on the dull ceiling while clicking her tongue.

An idea popped on her mind.

“Sooyeon, it’s time for your medicines.” She didn’t even flinch a little. She never cares because for her, there is nothing to care about. Because she believes that she is already dead.

“Come on, drink this.” The nurse put the pill close to , urging her to take it. She just obeyed the latter and reluctantly took the pill, swallowing, but fails to relish it. She doesn’t give a damn on drinking it with water. Heck, she doesn’t care if she might choke. The nurse sneakily walked towards the door while glancing on the gray, octagonal watch.

It read 10:55. She unknowingly shook her head with her eyes half closed, almost dropping with her thick eyelashes. She once again looked at her patient while releasing an audible sigh.

The latter closed the door quietly bringing a loud but gentle bang. Sooyeon rolled her eyes. She lazily got up after a few minutes, to make sure that the middle-aged nurse is already out of sight.

Walking quietly downstairs and finally reaching the hospital lobby, she peeked at the sleeping guard who is unconsciously laying his head on the wall beside him-mouth slightly opened with a little drool. She got out of the hospital building immediately. 

Walking, on the still busy streets of Seoul while wearing a blue hospital dress, she doesn’t give a damn at the people looking at her with their ty eyes. She doesn’t even know that they see her.

She believes that they can’t see her. She assumed not.

Still walking slowly, she stopped on a mirrored store almost allured on the gold necklace with a half moon pendant. The moon always attracts her. She doesn’t even know why.

She recalls that one time, she also went into this store to look for some fancy jewelry with grotesque appearance and her eyes accidentally landed on this capricious necklace. She widened her glistening eyes.

But then she remembered she’s already dead and there’s no way she could buy the necklace anymore. Fighting the urge to cry, she ran. It’s almost heartbreaking for her to know that she’s completely nonsense.

She’s nothing.

Her senses became alarmed when she noticed that her surrounding became extremely quiet. The darkness is swallowing her whole being, and cold breeze suffocating her.

A cemetery.

She thought that maybe, this is where she belongs. She is destined to be there. She walked inside with heavy steps and it seems that there is no one around. She stopped under the hallow shade of a tree and there, she rest.

Her chatoyant eyes innocently looking on the scribbled names on top of the grass.

She can now rest. Finally.

No one will bother her here.

This is where she belong.

“Hey. Are you here to brood? Why here? Aren’t you scared?” she looked at the shorter girl confusingly. How come she is able to talk to her. She looked at the stranger coldly. The cold aura is electrocuting the stranger’s insides.

“You’re talking to a dead person.” The shorter one seemed shock because of this. Her ineffable and almost blank expression adds to the tension she’s feeling. She came closer, until they are only a few centimeters away to each other. Her beautiful eyes, pointed nose, down to her plump, pink lips. Then she purposely put a few strands of hair on the cold person’s ear.

“Can a living person talk to a dead person?”

“You’re not dead miss.” She stayed a little bit longer touching her ear, then she desultory caress the latter’s cheeks, down to her jaw line. She looks reserved. So demure.

“I’m already dead. You can’t understand”

“Can a living person touch a dead person?” She step back a little but not so distant to the other. She smiled with sympathy.

The stranger looked above smiling at the sky. The great heavens have help her find a new friend finally.  Someone that can keep her companied, even just for a while. But she doesn’t know how long it will last.

“Leave me alone.”  She stepped a little too far away from the shorter a little too fast and careless which made her stumble on her feet. The shorter quickly made her way towards her, holding her by the waist while pulling her closer. Her breath tickling the chin of the other girl. Staring at each other Sooyeon felt her face burning and her body just got electrocuted. The shorter’s hand seemed so cold. Maybe because of the weather. She thought. The thought of being so close to this stranger suddenly crossed her mind. She retracted her hand and dusted it as if it was dirtied by the shortie. The other just offered her hand again to Sooyeon but she abjured it. It was getting cloudy. The stars earlier was now left unseen. The full moon is slowly being covered by the clouds. The shorter looked at Sooyeon with dejected eyes almost like a sad look. She shook her head as if something’s bothering her mind. She saw how innocent Sooyeon looked. How she was so helpless. And just by looking at her, she can tell that she was troubled. Not only physically but emotionally. Her eyes at a first look may seem void, empty but when you look deeper within, you will discover a whole lot of emotions that maybe, only her can portray. And just by that the shorter was moved by her.

“It is nice meeting you, maomao.”  The shorter smiled. Half smirk-like smile and half bitter. She smiled shortly but it doesn’t reach her eyes. Her eyes are telling the opposite. Sooyeon raised her brow by the endearment the other one just gave. They aren’t even close. Not even a bit. And not exactly going to happen. The least thing she would want to do is to make friends especially to a creep like this one.

“You better come back to where you stay. It’s getting late.” Again she find the stranger annoying for intervening with her wants.

“And who are you to care miss?”  The stranger chuckled at her cute angry face making the other drop in annoyance. She stopped herself from laughing too much thinking that she might look stupid.

“Your nurse must be looking for you by this time.” The stranger’s slightly smiling face dropped as she just realized what she just said. She’s not even thinking.

“How’d you know I came from the hospital?” 

“Your dress. It’s obviously… obvious.” Sooyeon’s mouth formed an O-shape just before she roll her eyes. The shorter looked at her wristwatch. 11:05

“You know Sooyeon. You have to go back. They will worry.” By then, the stranger run outside the cemetery hurriedly making her way towards the entrance gate. The cold breeze of air was now filled with warm summer chill. She curiously looked at the stranger’s way but somehow she doesn’t know why she seemed so far away already in short time. She cannot see her anymore. Then again she remembered, if the season is summer, why is that stranger’s hands cold anyway?

She got back to the hospital just a few minutes. She was welcomed by a worried nurse and a shaking guard, afraid that he might be fired out of his job because of his stupidity. Her sister will kill them all if she found out that she is once again missing. Krsytal will never like that. Not at all.

But there is one person whose really worriedly waiting for her, along with the other staffs of the hospitals.

Her sister admitted her here not giving a single damn on the cost, telling the hospital staffs to take care of her sister in the best possible way. She herself can’t handle the numerous attempts of Sooyeon to commit suicide and since she’s been doing those acts repeatedly, she gave up and send her there.

One person actually filled her with love in here and that is the woman around her 20’s, Sooyoung. She cared for the girl and treated her like her sister since way back then, they were already friends. She’s only the one whom Sooyeon talk aside from Krystal since her mind was devastated.

“Jessica, where have you been? You don’t know how much I worry everytime this stupid guard wake up and found you missing.”  She shook the girl hoping that she will be awakened just a little by her stupid actions.

“Then stop worrying.” Left speechless. Se doesn’t know how to react. This is Jessica talking to her, and so she doesn’t know what to feel. Receiving this kind of answers from her almost seemed normal considering the countless times she have said it but for her, this is just too much. She’s far from the past Sooyeon she’ve known. The bubbly, outgoing Sooyeon she once enjoyed the company before.

“Just so you know, we’re not like you who doesn’t give a about everything including your own self. Some part of ours still care including Krystal.

But if you will keep on denying your existence and give up everyday, might as well let myself give up on you also for I am growing tired of you.”   The words hit her face like someone just splashed cold water with solid ice on her face. She thought about it for a while. Is her existence real? Or is it just some kind of illusion for as far as she know she’s already dead. Then the stranger’s words lingered on her mind once more.

‘Can a living person touch a dead person?’

‘You’re not dead miss.’

She once again thought about it for a while. What if all this time what she believed is wrong? What if she’s actually wasting her time believing that she actually should’ve been dead a long time ago?

‘You know Sooyeon. You have to go back. They will worry.’

The stranger’s words were replaying on her mind. She got her mind thinking about her with no good reason. And that is far from just strange. Very Strange. But then again there’s much more stranger than the actual stranger.

‘You know Sooyeon. You have to go back. They will worry.’

“How the did she know my name?”