“Oh great! Nice trying to show everyone what a complete dork you are, Victoria!” Victoria half-cursed herself as picked up her books. She accidentally slipped and dropped all of her books. Victoria was a freshman in a university where in everyone seemed to know each other except for her. She’s a complete nobody.

      She was so upset. Her term paper was all over the place but no one bothered to help her. Someone even stepped on her papers without even apologizing. She was so humiliated. Then suddenly, the bell rang. Everybody was in a hurry to get to their respective classes. She was kneeling on the dirty ground trying to grab her things in a hurry when an extended arms took some of the papers and handed them to her. She slowly looked up and saw him.

      He helped Victoria stand up after picking all her things. Victoria was glad someone helped her. Now seeing him up close, something made her heart skip a beat. He was a total cutie! He was wearing a varsity jacket, which probably meant he was a member of the university’s basketball team. He had a warm smile.

      “Hi, I’m Onew.” It took a while before Victoria finally was able to extend her arm for a handshake. The grip was firm yet cold. He was probably in a hurry. Victoria told herself.

      “You’re new here right?” Onew asked.

      “Umm, is it that obvious?” Victoria asked, her face was all red.

      “Well, I know everyone here, or at least I’m familiar with most of their faces. I haven’t seen you before so that must mean that you’re new here,” Onew explained.

      “Umm, nice meeting you and thank you for helping me. But I have to go now, I’m gonna be late for my class. I guess you have to be in your next class as well.”

      “Oh yeah, right. Nice meeting you Victoria.” Then Onew went straight for the stairs in a hurry. Victoria was dumbfounded. She didn’t remember telling her name. Maybe she saw my name in one of my books. Victoria shrugged and went on to her next class. She can’t keep Onew out of her mind though.

      For the next two weeks, Victoria would see Onew in the most unexpected times. Whenever she’s in damsel-in-distress situation, Onew seemed to appear every time to help her. The last time, Victoria went home late from a dance rehearsal. She was afraid to wait for a taxi by herself because it was already dark. She was surprise to see Onew coming up from nowhere and accompany her until finally a ride home came.

      Weeks passed and Victoria suddenly couldn’t find Onew anymore. She was curious as to what happened to him. She asked around if anyone knows him, but surprisingly, not even a varsity player classmate was familiar with Onew.

      That’s strange. Onew was wearing that varsity jacket all the time, he must be a player. Maybe Onew is not his real name. Victoria was telling herself. She remembered that number 14 printed on Onew’s jacket. Victoria decided to go straight to the Athletics Office and ask the coach herself. She’s more to find her only friend.

      “Who are you looking for again?” the coach asked Victoria.

      “Onew. I don’t know his last name but I know that he wears the jersey number 14.” Victoria told the coach.

      For some reason, the coach became half angry and cold. “Miss Song, is this some kind of a joke? You see, you’re not being funny. I can send you to detention for this!”

      “What? No, sir! Why would I joke about Onew? I’m only asking about him. I haven’t seen him in a while, I was just worried,” Victoria explained to the coach.

      Then the coach stood up and reached for something on the upper shelves. It looks like an old photo album. He dropped it on the table sending dust to Victoria’s face. The poor girl cough, expecting an apology from the coach though it never happened. The coach flipped into the photographs, stopping on one page, then showed it to Victoria.

      “Is he the Onew that you are looking for?”

      Victoria immediately recognized the warm smile. “Yes! That’s him. That’s Onew!”

      “Are you nuts, Miss Song? That’s Lee Jinki. Star player and team captain of our varsity team in 1995. He died later that year on the school grounds. Some gangster stabbed him to death because of a girl they both fell in love with. Lee Jinki had been dead for a decade now. How could you have met him just weeks ago?” the coach’s voice grew darker sending shivers to Victoria’s spine. The coach might think that she’s a nuisance prankster. But she can’t believe what the coach had said. Onew can’t be dead! It’s impossible.

      She was still in shock as she read the accompanying school article about bringing justice to Onew’s untimely death. The killer was caught and was sent to prison the next year so it’s already a closed book. The school and the faculty apparently moved on. This story was confirmed by another faculty member whom Victoria asked. She was in shock. She left school early that day and headed home in hopes that she was just dreaming.

      She went straight to her room on the second floor, said a weak “Hi” to her mother. She said she had a bad headache and want to rest in her room. She cried so hard about the incident. She felt pity for Onew. How could a nice guy like him die in such a horrible way. Was he just a ghost? She fell asleep sleeping.

      She must have fallen asleep for a long time. When she opened her eyes, it was already dark. Must be 7 or 8 p.m. already, she thought. She felt the cold breezes of the night. She looked to check if her windows were closed. They were. Then she sensed that someone was with her inside the room. Victoria sat up on her bed. She saw a dark shadow lurking beside her cabinet.

      “Nicky! Stop playing inside my room and go out,” she called out thinking that her brother invaded again her room. The shadow didn’t answer back. Victoria got scared. That shadow was too tall for her small brother. “Who are you?” Victoria bravely asked. “Show yourself!”

      The shadow walked slowly from behind the darkness of her cabinet. It walked up to her window. The light outside illuminate the intruder. It was Onew!

      Victoria freaked out. She was about to scream but Onew motioned her not to. Victoria broke into tears. “You lied to me, you never told me about what had happened to you. Why are you here? Don’t bother me anymore!” Victoria told the ghost of Onew.

      Onew’s angelic face started to decompose to Victoria’s horror. It smiled and said, “You belong to me!” then with its feet not touching the ground, it went straight to Victoria trying to grab her. Victoria ran for the doors and screamed for help. Her mother had a hard time trying to calm her down.

      The next day, Victoria’s family brought a priest and held a mass for Onew’s soul to be at peace.

            Victoria started to have more and more friends. Sometimes she missed Onew’s company when she’s alone. He was a real sweet heart, Victoria’s dream boy. Just as long as he’s not dead though. 

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Happy Halloween!