2. 

'Soyeon!'

Min rides through the gate and shouts loudly from outside. From inside, Soyeon yells back.

‘I’m cooking!’

Min brings her bag inside and throws it on the floor. Then she lies down and starts to nag with the 3-years-older landlord:

‘Why didn’t you tell me that Dongwoon is in my class?’

‘How could I know!’ – Soyeon replies, tasting the boiling soup. – ‘I’m not close to him. But you met him, huh? How do you think?’

Min sits up and pours some water.

‘He’s ok. But he made other girls in school hate me!’

‘For what?’

‘For having lunch with me!’

‘Oh, you guys get to know quickly huh?’

‘He took the lead. I’m not fond of getting to know guys that soon. This morning, I got to know three persons and two of them are guys. The girl is the Manner Supervisor.’

‘How about Kim Myungsoo?’

Min startles at the question. Even that ‘old-lady’ knows him? Min drinks all the water and shrugs.

‘Yup. But how did you know him?’

‘I studied there.’ – Soyeon the chopsticks and frowns her eyebrows, maybe she puts too much chilli powder into the soup. – ‘How can I not know about my old school? And that boy is rather famous!’

‘Which one?’

‘Kim Myungsoo.’

‘Nope’ – Minh asks. – ‘I mean which Kim Myungsoo? The athletic or artistic?’

‘You know that too?’ – Soyeon appears surprised.

‘The Manner Supervisor told me so. She also said that she saw the art…ah, let’s say L’s ghost playing guitar. I did see a guy like that in music room but didn’t believe much in that ghost thing.’

‘Uhm’ – Soyeon suddenly sounds serious and in one second, Min catches a rather mysterious look from Soyeon. – I also heard about that but no one confirmed. Just rumour anyway.’

‘Hope so.’ – Min sighs and suddenly shrieks. – ‘Unnie, less chilli. You want to kill me, huh?’

 

3.

‘Min! Wake up! It’s nearly 7! Wake up!’

Soyeon’s yell all over from the kitchen startles Min and just like yesterday, Minh hurriedly prepares for school and leaves all Soyeon’s words aside.

‘You girl sleep like a pig!’

 

Then Min realizes a difficult situation which is she hasn’t ironed the uniform skirt while there’s only 5 minutes before her departure time. She shakes her head and takes out the pants from her wardrobe. As soon as Soyeon walks into the room to hand lunchbox, she screams:

‘What the hell are you wearing Min?’

‘I’m gonna be late.’

Min wears her bag and rushes out of the room, leaving Soyeon sigh the uncountable time:

‘She gotta be taught a lesson.’

It seems like if you encounter Manner Supervisor on the first day of the week, you cannot avoid them for the whole week. That explains Min’s being caught by a Manner Supervisor – not Minzy - even though she tries to hide her long hair under the baseball cap.

It results in that 5 points are deducted along with the punishment of garbage cleaning at the botanical garden during break time.

While Min is cleaning the falling leaves from the flower pots, somebody comes to her.

‘Hey Min!’

She looks up and finds Myungsoo standing in front of her. Human, the Myungsoo-human, not Myungsoo – ghost. Okay, Min just needs to call that ghost L. That one is not L, for sure, as his feet are on the ground and there is no vague spark around him. She straightens up.

‘Hi. You’re also punished, huh?’

‘What?’ – He questions.

‘Why are you here?’

‘Oh so you’re being punished?’

‘Yup, you don’t see that I’m cleaning the pots?’

‘But why? Ah…Ah… I see!’

Myungsoo takes a glance from Min’s head to toes and finally realizes why she is being punished. But his expression shows that it is the first time he has ever seen such a style from a girl. Min looks at Myungsoo and bursts out laughing.

‘What? First time seeing schoolgirl in pants?’

‘Ah uh…’ – Myungsoo scratches his head. – ‘I just feel…weird!’

‘Because you don’t know about me!’ – Min keeps on smiling and back with her work. But then she looks up and points at the nearby gate. – ‘ Do you believe that I can jump over this gate to skip the next class?’

‘You?’

‘Yup. Me.’

‘I don’t think so.’

Right after Myungsoo finishes his words, Min jumps on the gate and as quickly as she can, she is on the other side of the gate while Myungsoo looks at her with awe.

‘So, what do you think?’ – Min asks mischievously.

‘You are…really…’- Myungsoo hesitates.

‘Mischievous?’

‘Uh..Nope…But…you are really strange. Anyway, do you have time for lunch with me today?’

Min stops laughing. Not because she gets angry or so. But because of the sudden invitation from Myungsoo. Having a friend to understand her at this school is difficult, getting lunch invitation from one of the hot boys seems much more difficult. But Min has just got the second one. For her performance? However, after one minute of being frozen, Min nods:

‘Sure.’

******

‘Ya, why are you so good at jumping? Do it usually, huh?’

Myungsoo asks as soon as he puts his tray of food on the table. Lots of eyes are on them. First, it’s because of Myungsoo. And second, it’s also because of Myungsoo, going with a newcomer. And third, that newcomer, Min, is displaying an unacceptable uniform manner. But since Min has been punished and it’s said in school’s regulation that a student can only be punished once per day, they can do nothing about her.

She shrugs, answering.

‘I used to climb trees a lot.’

Yup, it doesn’t sound good to tell a story about that you used to climb trees to steal fruits and then got caught and got punished – punish again – to a newly acquainted guy. Yet he witnessed what she did, she has to forget the so-called first positive impression.

In contrast, Myungsoo seems to be interested.

‘I’m also like you. That’s why I was chosen to athletic team. Do you want to join?’

‘Nope’ – Minh waves her hand in denial. – ‘I’m not fond of sports.’

‘But you gotta participate in something to enrich your records?’ – Myungsoo continues questioning.

‘So what do you think I should pursue? I don’t like sports, I’m at art…Like I give up with anything called natural talent.’

‘You will find it out sooner or later. You still have 9 months left.’ – Myungsoo’s voice suddenly saddens. – ‘ But you’d better be hurried, don’t procrastinate and finally can’t do anything.’

‘What’s with you?’

Min asks. She feels a bit strange in his expression.

‘Does it have any relevance to the other Kim Myungsoo?’

‘You know my brother?’ – Myungsoo seems surprised.

‘Nope. I just heard about that… But forget it. I shouldn’t bring it up here.’

‘Uhm.’ – Myungsoo smiles shyly. –‘No problem. I’m used to people’s talking much about my brother.’

‘But if you guys are twins, how could you study in different grade? I think twins are always in the same class?’

‘Ah’ – Myungsoo takes a sip from his glass of orange juice. – ‘I was born at 0:02am January 1^st and my brother was born 5 minutes earlier, which was still December 31^st. That’s why even though we are twins, the year on birth certificates are different.’

The talk between them lasts til canteen becomes less crowding and the bell rings. Min has to admit that Myungsoo is kind of easy-going, he doesn’t mind speaking slowly for Min to understand or comparing himself with his brother. Still, Min feels something abnormal in Myungsoo’s words about his brother, not merely brothers’ stuffs. Anyway, it’s only a prediction. Min has just talked with Myungsoo once, so she can’t come to conclusion quickly.

​******

Min is sitting in her room when the light goes out all of the sudden. She tries to yell the landlord’s name.

‘Light goes out in my room!’

Soyeon replies from downstairs.

‘Go downstairs to study! I’ll tell Doojoon to fix it tomorrow. He’s late for home today.’

Min sighs. She doesn’t know whether Soyeon likes Doojoon so that electric devices in the house always have problem at least once again just to let Soyeon ask for Doojoon’s help. However, that tenant seems to prefer robots than girls and he doesn’t acknowledge that the landlord is going crazy with his mature appearance and characteristics.

Finally Min finishes all the Math homework. It’s reasonable that the teacher gives the most difficult exercises to the most excellent class in the school. Yet, nothing is impossible for Minh, no matter how hard it is. She has to spend nearly 2 hours to solve the hardest one which, according to the message she has received, has defeated Myungsoo.

Well, after the lunchtime talk, she got acquainted with Myungsoo, which means she has already known the two hot boys in the class.

Turning off the light in the living room, Min uses the flashlight in her phone to shine the way back to her house. The door is slightly open and Min sees a faint ray of light from inside. Suddenly, she feels goosebumped but she calms down, telling herself that it’s only moonlight shining through the window.

But it’s not the truth. As soon as Min pulls the door and walks in, she gets shocked and freezes at her place.

When seeing Myungsoo standing in front of her.

Not the Myungsoo that talked to Min this afternoon. Min is sure about that as the Myungsoo standing there is glowing!

Oh mom!

Min feels something blocks , preventing her from screaming. Min scrubs her eyes a few times to make sure she is having problem with her eyes but when she opens her eyes again, that glowing person is still there.

It’s Myungsoo. L. The one who died months ago.

That’s exactly him. Min can recognize the white scar on his face, which can help tell him and his younger brother apart. And he’s exactly the one that Min saw on her first day at school. But according to Soyeon and Minzy, he must be in the music room. So why here? Does she have any relevance to him?

L smiles – as shyly as his brother – seeing Min freezing.

‘Hi there!’

Damn it! Ghost can speak. Is she dreaming? Isn’t it that Min is studying and fall asleep and this is her dream?

Min pinches her cheek. , it hurts a lot. It’s not a dream. It’s reality. Min is standing here in her room and there’s a ghost here.

After a few seconds to calm down, Min stutters:

‘Who…who…are you?’

‘I’m the old owner of this room?’

What? Sorry, the old owner of this room? Min can’t understand. Is he the one lived in this room before Min moved in? It suddenly comes across her mind that on her first day of moving in, Soyeon insists on Min stay in the opposite room but Min, being stubborn as she always is, ignored Soyeon and choosed this room as it has a balcony. Back then, Min caught sight of the nervousness in Soyeon and even Doojoon – the tenant staying here for nearly one year.

So, they were worried because this room once belongs to a dead guy. And now it’s haunted by a good-looking ghost!

Min questions, the nerve is still clear in her voice.

‘You should be in the music room at school. Why here?’

‘You don’t want to let me back home?’

‘But it’s a girl’s room now. Please, go.’ – Min insists.

‘It’s cold at night in the music room.’ – L is still polite. –‘ It’s warmer here anyway. But don’t worry. I won’t violate your personal privacy!’

‘You can go to Doojoon’s room or the empty room out there!.’

L shakes his head slightly.

‘No. I have to find something before leaving.’

‘What kinda thing?’

‘A guitar.’

‘Where? In this room?’

‘According to my memory, yes. But I have been searching everywhere and couldn’t find it. No one can help me but you!’

 

‘You mean…Only I can see and talk to you?’

‘Yup.’ – L nods. – ‘Because you are a mediator.’

‘Mediator?’

Min’s eyes turns round. She has heard about that term. Mediator, the special persons that can bridge the real world and the spiritual world, those possessing a speciality of communicating with ghosts, sensing the existence of ghosts around them – it’s like they can see ghosts, hear, touch and even smell ghosts. But Min has never met a real mediator or expected the craziest thing so far in this world which is that Min is a mediator.

But if so, Min should sense other ghosts, not only L.

As if he understands, L continues.

‘You’re mediator at beginning level so you just can sense the ghosts that want to communicate with you. In this case, it’s me.’

‘Why do you want to contact me?’ – Min looks at him with a slight sign of disgust.

‘Ya. I’m one year older than you.’ – L raises his voice. – ‘Don’t you dare being impolite?’

‘Okay okay.’ – Min sits down on her bed and tries to avoid the ghost as far as possible. She is still scared of his sudden appearance. – ‘I know. But why do you want…?’

‘To contact you?’

‘Yup.’ – Min nods.

‘Because you are the only one responding me.’

‘Huh? What the hell is that? I think that you can contact anyone you like?’

‘Of course not. Just think, there have to be responses to make it a conversation, right? The other mediators didn’t accept me when I came to them. But you did.’

‘I’ – Min shakes her head and frowns. – ‘don’t remember replying you.’

 

‘When you stopped by the music room that morning.’ – L says. –‘that’s your acceptance. The other mediators, they heard my tunes but they ignored and even ran away but you are the only one to stop and look at me. Maybe it sounds insane but there’s much more insane in this world.’

Oh, so that’s why Minzy is not in Min’s situation right now as she was too scared to stop by.

‘Yup.’ – Min nods in confirmation. –‘Insane just like one night, I discover that my room is haunted by you. What a shame!’

‘Why a shame?’ – L smiles again. –‘I will inform you when I want to appear by turning off the light. If you don’t want to meet me, you can turn it on again within 5 minutes. Ok? I will respect your life. All I need is your help.’

Min swims among her thoughts. She is not sure if she should agree with that good-looking ghost. But if not, it would be difficult for him to free from suffering and then he would keep on haunting her to death.

Min nods.

‘Alright. Thanks a bunch.’ – L’s smile becomes brighter. Min can’t understand why he can smile that much and brightly while his brother finds it hard and awkward. – ‘ And your name is Min right? Which class at Hwa Yang High? I’m Myungsoo, you might’ve already known.’

‘Yup, I heard about right on my first day at school.’ – Min slightly exhales. – ‘I’m Min, class 3C.’

‘3C?’ – L exclaims. –‘It’s my brother’s class!’

‘Yes, that’s him.’