“It’s weird…” JaeJoong mumbled, stuffing a spoonful of cake in his mouth afterwards, he drank hastily from the paper cup and let out a soft, “Ahhh…. That’s good” in relief, he was feeling half full and was about to take another portion of the cake until he remembered the boy once more. “I wonder… what happened to… that…. Guy” He whispered discontinuously to himself, the spoon was resting on his lower lip and his eyes were quirked thoughtfully.

“Why that thoughtful face, JaeJoong??” TaeMin’s head popped out from under the table with that silly smile and all-bright eyes, JaeJoong clutched the cloth above his chest in utter shock, his arm knocked off the paper cup, thus making the juice spill all over his uniform. He stared at his mischievous friend with parted lips in disbelief, his eyebrows meeting together at the center, soon enough his shocked expression turned sour, and TaeMin found himself running away for dear life, or for his clean and dry uniform.

“You’re…… so….. DEAD!” JaeJoong jumped from his seat and began to follow his impish friend, he grabbed TaeMin by the collar, pulled him closer in an arm lock and ruffled the other male’s perfectly styled hair .

“Stop it! As in seriously stop! You’re ruining my hair!” the younger one struggled to free himself, shrieking and whimpering and all while trying to get the strong arm lock off of him, but to his dismay the older male is stronger.

Minho looked at the sight of JaeJoong and TaeMin fighting like children. He leaned against the door’s frame, then smiled at the two immature monkeys who’s ruining each other’s hairstyles.

++++++++++

“Can’t you guys walk any faster, the bus is already getting full every second you know…” Minho voiced out nonchalantly but his eyes were fixed at the bus ride, any minute now and they’ll be forced to stand on the iffy and cluttered bus until they’ve reach home.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” JaeJoong yelled a plea, he stares at the door that the paramedics rushed into. It intrigued him in every way, from the boy’s name, his face, his pained expression, it intrigued him to the point that his touching the tire marks, tracing the trails of the wheels of the stretcher the boy was in, he realized how crazy he must look right now so he fixed himself up, coughing in a fake manner to see if someone spotted him while doing something weird or rather embarrassing.

He stood up and was about to run towards Minho and TaeMin who’s impatiently waiting for him, but then he felt a strong pull on his bag pack , making the hair on his arms and legs raise from the shrill and unexplainable phenomenon. He brushed off the pointless thoughts in his mind, deciding to simply forget this moment and think of it as one of his hallucinations, he ran towards Minho and TaeMin while shouting, “Guys wait for me!”, but when he felt another tug on his bag pack, he pondered that it would be harder to forget this incident.

++++++++++++

At last he reached home, he kicked off his snow filled shoes and placed them neatly at the shoe rack, he made sure that it was a little far from the other shoes, just to be sure that the other’s won’t be wet when the snow liquefies into water. Seeing both of his parents waiting for him at the living room, he kissed both of them on the forehead with a greeting of ‘I’m back home’,  before running upstairs to his room. Locking the door, he slowly removed his slightly damped clothes, he tossed them in the laundry basket and lastly he headed towards the bathroom to take a quick warm bath.

Closing his eyes slowly as he felt the heated water land on his skin, he moaned in relief after such a long freezing day in school, running his fingertips over the damp skin and enjoying the heated water that’s emitting from the shower, he was enjoying the feeling when suddenly he heard someone whispering incoherent words to his ear, he jerked his head towards the direction to see where the whisper’s coming from, but clearly surprised when he saw no one else inside the shower room.

He looked around once again, just to make sure and after a while of searching he figured that his paranoia must be kicking in again, he grabbed a bathrobe and wrapped it around himself, not bothering to put on some clothes he jumped in his bed and slept with only the bathrobe around his body, ignoring the whispers that he keeps on hearing, “Just ignore it JaeJoong…” he said to himself, but his body was reciprocating the opposite since his back hair was crawling up in sheer fright.

He shut his eyes close and by a tinge of miracle he finally fell asleep, and thankfully the murmurs stopped too.

When he woke up he felt all warm and cozy, he didn’t remember putting on pajama’s which is why he suddenly jolted up after seeing his body fully clothed with his hamtaro pj’s, he brisk walked to his bathroom and washed his face, mumbling that maybe he sleep walked or he did put on clothes but didn’t remember how and when he did it. When he got over this morning incident, he changed into his uniform and took the brown scarf hanging on his accessory rack. He jogged downstairs and once again saw both Hangeng and Siwon smiling at him happily with that lively greeting of, “Good morning.”

“Good morning JaeJoong-ah” Hangeng greeted him once more and gestured at the dining, “Let’s eat shall we?”, JaeJoong nodded and followed suit, he smiled at both of his adopted parents and greeted them politely.

++++++++++++

It seemed that JaeJoong is born with bad luck, the bus left him yet again and with no other choice he was left to walk by foot on the way to school, he sighed lowly, puffy breaths coming from his parted lips again and he cursed the fact that he forgot to wear his earmuffs, surely he’ll catch a cold from this if not a fever.

He stopped walking, his slightly shaking thighs, whining loudly before forcing himself to walk again, “Come on Jae, you can do this!” he encouraged himself with a fist pump, but stopped once again when he almost tripped on a rock covered with snow, “Aigoo…” he cursed in irritation, kicking the rock someplace else before mopping again, “I swear I’ll turn into a jelly before I arrive the---“

 “A jelly? that’s funny!”  A voice suddenly whispered to him making him freeze on the spot.

“Who’s the-----there?!” JaeJoong shrieked, his body was still stiff from the shock of hearing ‘that’ voice.

"It's me" A distinct male voice whispered again. JaeJoong’s eyes widen when he heard the answer, thinking that maybe one of his classmate’s is playing tricks on him, he turned to the direction where he heard the voice and when he saw no one, or even nothing at all, he jumped and pulled his bag pack up while screaming incoherent sentences like, 'don't eat me I don't taste good!' and 'I didn't expect you to answer!'

He didn't dare to look back and just continued to run until he reached his school at 7:15 in the morning, collapsing as soon as he reach the school gate, making some of the junior and senior students run to him in panic, rushing him to the schools clinic.

+++++++++++++

Regaining back his consciousness, JaeJoong felt as if his body was nailed on the bed, his whole lower body feels so heavy that he can’t even move his toe, and every twitch in either his legs or thighs burns like crazy, he tried to move his knees but stopped midway when he felt that incontrollable sting and the fact that the soles of his feet hurts too made him want to curse out loud. Maybe he just over reacted to that voice, maybe the voice was just a strong figment of his imagination, and since he was a little paranoid being, his paranoia really must be consuming his sanity.

JaeJoong slowly lifted his lids, revealing the blurry imagines of the schools clinic, he moaned in pain afterwards, feeling the stings in his lower body again, and when he cursed out loud, he heard that voice again and this time it was more crystal clear than ever, “Hey.” He jumped on his position and cursed again when he felt the aftershock of the sting afterwards, he heard a soft chuckle, “You shouldn’t curse you know, it’s unpleasant to the ears…”, JaeJoong searched where the voice was coming from once more, this time while thinking that maybe his mind is not playing tricks on him, that maybe a ghost is following him, or maybe his father’s ghost is tracking him for being a bad son, or maybe even----

“Who a--are you?! Wha----what the hell do you want from me?!” JaeJoong tried to stop himself from stuttering, only to make himself stammer in his words more, the creepy feeling of talking to no one when there’s really someone there gives him the creeps, especially when he knows how much of a scaredy cat he truly is. For a moment the voice didn’t speak, until JaeJoong heard a sigh, Hearing the voice speaking again.

“Hi there…. Sorry to scare you…. It’s my fault that you collapsed and fell on the ground an-------“

“Good thing you know that it’s your fault!” He retorted disrespectfully and ignored the fact that he was sure that he looks crazy right now, he was pointing at his aching lower body, eyeing every direction that he can, thinking that maybe if he looked hard enough he’ll see the criminal behind all (most) of his misadventures. He pouted, darting his eyes everywhere that he can while spewing a, “Show yourself to me! After all I’ve been through, be a man and show yourself!”

“Please….. Do turn around for me.”

He hesitated at first, thinking that maybe the man was a serial killer, or maybe a dreadful ghost, an evil spirit, or worst, maybe Lucifer himself. He inhaled loudly, telling and forcing to be a man and face this, he hesitates for a few more second but the little voice in his head is screaming loudly to just go for it, and so he tried to do so. He took a tiny glimpse just right behind his shoulder, and his lips parting in awe when he saw the tall male standing right behind him who’s wearing a plaid grey hospital pajama’s. He was amazed by man’s long legs, his toned body that no shirt can fully hide, and that handsome face that made JaeJoong literally speechless, leaving him utterly amazed and bedazzled at the same time. His eyes were scanning the male from head to toe for a few more times before he can finally look the other male in his dark hazel eyes.

 “I’m Shim ChangMin and I’m your junior JaeJoong-ah” ChangMin bowed politely after introducing himself, and JaeJoong who’s still in his own world of shock and questions such as ‘is this real’ finally snapped out of his trance.

“I’m sorry… But can you repeat that again?”

ChangMin sighed, pouting a little before speaking again, “I’m ChangMin and I’m your junior, I moved to this school when I was 10 and… erm… you’re older than me, I guess…”

JaeJoong blinked a few more times before the words sink into him, why he didn’t see ChangMin before if the guy was studying in the same school with him, and the fact that ChangMin was his junior should’ve let them cross ways a few times or even more.  He pouted with those thoughts encircling his mind, he stopped pondering then, figuring that there’s more time to think about this later on, he reached out his hands, and pointed with his chin to ChangMin, “Help me up” JaeJoong commanded, reaching out even more.

“I…. I’m sorry…. But I can’t….” ChangMin whispered, he looked down and ignored JaeJoong’s request.

“Why can’t you? You look strong enough!” JaeJoong uttered frustratedly, this time using his ‘Hyung’ status so that the other would comply.

“Because I can’t.” ChangMin murmured, he looked directly to JaeJoong’s eyes with his brown orbs, making the slightly older male unconsciously lower his reach, “That’s stupid! Of course you can!”

 “Ju---just trust me when I say I can’t, alright?”

“No way! It’s your fault that I’m here while my legs feels like jelly, now help me up!”

“I just really can’t! Can’t you just get up yourself?!”

“No, if I can do you think I’ll be sitting here?!”

“Just…”

“Okay fine, then prove why you can’t help me up then!”

“Touch me….” ChangMin whispered with one raised eyebrow, leaning closer to JaeJoong, while the other male leans forward too, they’re only a few inches apart now, and so close that both their eyes are almost crossing, JaeJoong closed his eyes when they were only a few centimeters apart, moving even closer, and closer, only to find himself landing hard face first on the floor, passing through ChangMin’s head and body as if the other was nothing, not knowing what exactly happened, JaeJoong’s whole body landed on the floor, and he cursed extra louder when his thighs hit the cold floor harshly, he looked at ChangMin dangerously and shouted a loud, “Why did you avoid me? My lips hurt!”

“I did not… you passed through me….” ChangMin nonchalantly, looking at JaeJoong with his dead serious expression but the other male just laughed at him, disbelieving ChangMin’s words and looked at the other male irritatingly after.

“Yes you did!” JaeJoong growled, smacking ChangMin in the head and when his hand passed through the other’s head, his eyes widen as a platter, screaming his lungs out while pointing at ChangMin as if the other was a terrifying monster, “You…. You! A----- Ahh!!!” JaeJoong thanked God for the fact that the nurses were on lunch break, or else they would’ve brought him to the mental hospital from screaming loudly while pointing at ChangMin. He tried to stand up and run away, but failed only to remember that his legs were clearly not reliable as of now, realizing that he had no other option but to face ChangMin, he looked at the taller male in mixed emotions of sheer fright and confusion.

“What do you want from me?” He asked lowly, digging his nails on the tiles of the floor, surely ChangMin wouldn’t eat him, right?

“I don’t want anything from you…. It’s just that you’re the only one that I can talk to… You’re the only one who can see and hear me….. To keep me company until my soul returns to my body” ChangMin replied just as softly clenching his fists close to his chest, as if he was in pain.

“Back... in your bo---body?” one of JaeJoong’s eye twitched, he paused and looked at ChangMin until the one nodded, “So you’re not dead, But you’re a gho---ghost r----right?” JaeJoong stammered the last words out, one of his greatest first is to meet a ghost, but now….

“No… I’m not dead, I’m a soul that can’t get into his own body for some reasons that even I don’t know….and no I’m not a ghost.” ChangMin said calmly, only to be faced by a blinking JaeJoong with lips parted in shock and confusion.

“But how come I’m the only one you can talk to then?!” JaeJoong replied questioningly, pointing at himself accusingly this time.

ChangMin sighed and mumbled something under his breath ‘this is gonna be a long day’.