The past four flights of stairs did not seem to deter Mary as she continued to march on while Kyuhyun is lugging behind in five to seven steps. Mary does not know if the newly-dead-but-hopefully-can-still-be-returned-alive man and Super Junior member has fully realized what has happened to him and what more will happen.

“So basically I’m in this state of un-death and I can still go back to my body and live and exist and wait until I die again which hopefully comes when I reach my nineties or hundreds and I have already ‘lived’ a life,” Kyuhyun gasped at the end of his succinct, and cynical, summary.

Mary nodded, and waited for him to catch up in their trek up to the twelfth floor. “And there’s no need for your cynicism. Feeling that way just shows you’re still too early your time for this side of the table. Trust me, I understand.”

But Kyuhyun ignored what Mary said. Mary knew this too. Every one, every entity in the realm of the ethers (as she calls it) feels and knows this realization too well, especially the newly-dead.

“Does everyone experience this? You know, being able to go back, choosing to live, instead of really dying? And can we slow down, how come you aren’t even gasping for air?”

Mary grinned. “That’s one of the perks of the realm of the ethers. And no, not everyone gets a choice. Most just follows and goes directly to afterlife. But for you, Kyuhyun-ssi, you should get to choose.”

“Can’t we just choose to take the elevator?” Kyuhyun quipped, visibly exhausted of the ascent.

“You’ll get used to it after a few floors. You’ll see. And no elevators. Elevators are forbidden. I don’t like elevators.”

“So which one is it?” Kyuhyun made a face. He cannot help but follow this bossy-pants of a death-reaper, or angel, or perhaps ghost who seems to know her way around the hospital and plus he feels so dead-beat from all the running and walking up the st