"Ara," Hongjoong looked at his sister sternly, which was something he did when he realized something important. "Is that ghost lady here with us?"

Naturally, Ara wanted to sound like she didn't care, "More like she's screaming her head off, since whoever murdered her didn't do a very good job at chopping off her head - and she's Italian."

♦ ♦ ♦

"For god's sake, will you shut up?"

Araminta Kim had had enough, all she wanted was to spend her morning in peace - but apparently the deceased angry Italian lady was allowing none of it. She had her headphones and Spotify playlist on full volume since the previous night when she went to bed, an anime girl-blindfold to block her view so she could wake up without seeing a ghost lady screaming into her face.

So much for precautions.

The woman stood by her bed, finger pointing at Ara as she yelled a string of gibberish that could only be identified as Italian, some curse words Ara did in fact know. It was a shock at first when they had just moved in, but the nasty gash across her neck no longer bothered Ara now. The woman continued to yell, and Ara covered her head with a pillow in frustration. 

"I KNOW WHAT 'VAFFANCULO' IS SO YOU TOO!" 

"Any louder and the other tenants will hear you!" the door to the studio apartment burst open, to her brother Hongjoong shuffling in as he struggled to carry whatever it was he was occupied with. He shot Ara a glare, "A little help would be nice?"

Ara stretched and yawned before getting out of bed, walking past the ghost lady who seemed to give up on the screaming again. Apparently, Hongjoong had been carrying a mannequin - the type people used in tailor shops which wasn't a surprise since he was a fashion student himself. While Ara was still dressed in her pyjammas, her brother had gotten ready since early in the morning; a denim jacket he had altered to his liking and dyed-red hair. Did he have that colour two days ago? Ara couldn't be sure. 

"Whatchu' got for breakfast?" she asked grogily as Hongjoong walked over to the tiny kitchen area of their home, opened the mini fridge they had and chucked in the newly-bought groceries - which consisted of ramen, cider and microwaved meal sets. 

"Whatever's left in the bag," he said without looking back as he was making himself coffee to drink. 

Ara searched remains and took out the last apple and a comb of bananas, sighing at the sight of it. "You didn't happen to buy something more appetising and shoved it down your throat before coming back here, now did you?"

Hongjoong gave her a look, "Fruits are delicious, plus when was the last time you ate something healthy?"

She snorted in response, "Says the person who bought convenient store food," she said sarcastically while was full. "When was the last time you slept for more than five hours?"

It was a genuine concern, she barely saw her brother sleep. He wasn't even at their apartment most of the time as he had been busy with applying for internships after graduating almost a year ago from college, majoring in fashion design. And now that he had gotten his placement at a company, his workload didn't seem to lessen either. 

"Sleep is for the weak," Hongjoong answered nonchalantly. "Too much to do so resting can wait, unlike some people who are still in their boxers and bunny slippers when it's already 10 a.m. in the morning."

Ara ignored his comment and continued, "What was the company you're working for again? Bella? Armani?"

"It's Bellamy and Co.,"

"No one cares about the 'Co' in it,"

"No one asked for your opinion,"

"Aren't they overworking you?" she asked. "I mean, you can at least have weekends off right? But nooooo, I barely see you on weekends too. Do they really pay interns that well for you guys to be working like slaves?"

Hongjoong rolled his eyes, "That's because I'm a responsible person who knows that sacrificing some time off my weekends is worth it for the extra coin, and if I do well - who knows? Maybe I'll earn a spot for permanent hiring by the end of this year."

"Fine, bow down to capitalism which is the root of all evil."

"If I don't bow down, I won't be able to pay our rent let alone taxes," her brother raised an eyebrow at her.

That was when she felt somewhat bad and looked down, her feet dangling off the table top where she sat. "I'm sorry I can't help much, or cook an actual meal for you everytime you come back past midnight..." she said sheepishly. She already felt bad about only managing to get hired at a thrift store that didn't pay well, nor were her school grades able to secure herself a better spot in university. If anything, she was even contemplating on whether she was qualified to apply for community college.

Her brother was a top student in school, and yet he wanted to do something he was passionate about. But with the cost of sacrificing so much time and energy hence he went back to square one?

"Hey," Ara felt Hongjoong nudge her side when he joined her at the table. The thick scent of black coffee in the air, his tentative eyes looking at her. "You know I'm joking about all that, you're not a burden at all. On the contrary, you bring back awesome clothes for me to work on and sell them off double the price. While the other interns are running about buying overpriced cloth for projects, I'm chilling because my convenient sibling already helped me out."

Ara chuckled, "Convenient? That's the best you can describe me?"

Hongjoong laughed too, "Take it or leave it, Araminta," he offered the remaining coffee in his mug, which Ara took willingly. "By the way, why were you shouting earlier? Don't tell me those things are bothering you again?" this time he was serious. Hongjoong was usually laid-back, but when it came to these things - never. Ara knew all too well, as this was another reason for her to feel bad.

They never stayed a place for too long, because cheaper rental areas usually had their reasons. And the reasons were that its past occupants weren't necessarily gone for good. Ara wanted to lie, but this was her brother who had protected her her entire life. "Ara, if it's bothering you then we can change-"

"Nonono," she stood up, determined. "Really Jjoong, it's fine. Believe me, a grumpy old lady is by far the least worrying of the bunch. Remember that one apartment that had three brothers? This, is one. I can handle it."

"Ara," Hongjoong looked at his sister sternly, which was something he did when he realized something. "Is that ghost lady here with us?"

Naturally, Ara wanted to sound like she didn't care, "More like she's screaming her head off, since whoever murdered her didn't do a very good job at chopping off her head - and she's Italian."

"Are you sure?" he asked again before looking around the room. "It's just one this time?"

She nodded again, "Just one."

"Alright if you say so," he sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Sometimes, I just wished I could see what you can so you don't have to deal with this alone."

Just then as if the speak of the devil, the ghost lady at the corner of the room started to scream again, in a mixture of foul-mouthed English and Italian

Gently, Ara laid her head on Hongjoong's shoulder in defeat. "Trust me, you do not want to see any of that."

Day 2803, I am still a ghost and I don't remember my name. Though I did grow taller by 1.5 inches.

Yunho stared at the crooked line he had made on the wall, the latest out of the thousand tallies for the past few years. Of course the most recent one was only visible to him, Jocelyn would probably be coming in later to help him mark it with a sharpie, like how she always did every single day. Just like that, Yunho sat across the wall in the bedroom. He never called it his bedroom, for at first he figured he shouldn't be claiming anything in the living as his since he was a ghost.

But the last few years have made him reconsider things.

He looked out the window of the bedroom, averting his attention from the little spider at the corner of the sill. The 10 a.m. morning sun peeking through the translucent curtains, hitting Yunho straight in the eyes - he squinted them as he peered into the street of busy city people. A man crashing into a lady, but both walked away as if nothing happened, cars honking, nothing was static. That was how the living moved, without stopping or else time left them behind. Yunho wasn't sure if he felt like it was blessing that he could spend his days without rushing, he had all the time in the world. 

But how lucky could a ghost be?

He stood up and left the room, disapparated outside as he walked through the walls of Jocelyn's shop-house. The street was just as noisy as he imagined, and he wasn't very keen that his five senses were still intact despite being a spirit. The stench of exhaust smoke, stale coffee and cinnamon rolls was a weird mix. Yunho stood at the very place he liked to be every morning, in front of the shop-house, in his black trousers and white shirtsleeves - and he began to ran. 

He let the wind hit his face, just so he could feel as alive as possible, the hollow of his heart pounding, confirming that he was more than a ghost. He wanted to feel more humane than ghostly, for he had spent the previous years thinking the opposite. The familiar twists and turns of the neigbourhood could be recalled by memory, the wet market to his left was probably where Jocelyn was doing her morning shopping; to the right and further north was Bonja Avenue, where people in suits went to work and kids went to school...as for downtown south-

Yunho stopped when he reached the end point of his usual morning jog, at the literal traffic sign that had a giant 'STOP' plastered up front. His eyes followed the crowd of pedestrians as they waited for the light to turn green, as if he was obligated to follow these rules as well. Yunho realized he had never ventured beyond this side of the neighbourhood, and something about today particularly compelled him to change his routine for once. Jocelyn wouldn't mind, he figured. Then again, it wasn't as if she had any authority over him anyway.

He let his instinct guide him into every unknown alleyway the further he strayed from the neighbourhood, and hopped onto a random bus as it arrived at the bus stop ahead. Sure he could always apparate to wherever he pleased, but there were certain things he enjoyed about being inherently human - even if it was usually seen as a hassle. There he stood inside the moving bus, observing every passenger as they tended their business. Most were on their phones, a few teenagers laughing at a joke, a random girl standing at the very end of the bus as she hummed to a song she was listening to. 

And of course no one noticed the dead man with them.

He was as dead as it got, lips cracked and blue clashing with the hot summer atmosphere, clothes torn and shabby - Yunho reckoned he used to be a junkie before...this. It looked as if he still hadn't completely grasped the fact that he was dead, Yunho knew how that felt. He saw the man move to each seat, cupping his hands at the passengers who clearly could not see him as he asked for money. Yunho wanted to tell him the truth, even if some other ghost might have told him before - that he was unfortunately un-alive. But Jocelyn's words stopped him. You are not like them, so you can't help them. Just walk away, nothing can get worse than already being dead.

He sighed, stuffed his hands into his pockets and stayed quiet. The bus was coming to a stop and people started to move, yet the man wasn't satisfied. He walked up to the girl with the earphones who was in the middle of leaving. "Please, I have nowhere to go...Please just a bit will do," the man whimpered, his hands shaking. 

The girl looked down, "Just shut up," Yunho swore she heard her say under her breath. He scratched his head as he saw her leave without skipping a beat, the ghost man once again ignored. Yunho shook his head at it all, maybe it was time he got off too.

This part of the city was definitely foreign to him, it looked even more busy than where he lived - if that was even possible. He stood in the middle of the hustle and bustle, and scanned his surroundings. It was livelier, louder, everything seemed more. The wide array of stores, selling all sorts of things, musicians performing on the streets, Yunho's head was spinning but in a good way.

Maybe he could explore a bit longer.

Ara's day at work started off with her kicking someone in the gut.

It didn't help with that weird junkie ghost asking her for meth on the bus, her morning had been ruined by the lady in the apartment - and now she had to face the very people she wanted nothing to do with from high school. She sat at the cashier, as a group of girls burst through the doors. Dressed in what looked like outdated Coachella clothes, sipping on Starbuck's teas - Ara rolled her eyes.

"Just why are you following us?" the girl with blonde streaks in her hair asked, rather annoyed. 

Ara shrugged, "The store doesn't have enough security cameras,"

The girl laughed, "Come on, do you really think any of us are gonna steal from a thrift store? You can't have forgotten all your friends from high school, Araminta,"

"Of course I didn't forget you, Carly," Ara flashed a smile. "Who could forget prom queen, though I don't think it even mattered after high school,"

"Oh by the way, what are you up to now?" she sounded sarcastic. "I didn't see you around the campus, most of our batchmates are there,"

"I don't think it's any of your concern, but please enjoy browsing our wide range of clothes," and with that Ara took a step back, for she didn't want to engage with them anymore. Just this once, she went back to the cashier while keeping an eye on Carly's clique. She really wanted to put bad blood behind, because she felt like she wanted to be an actual adult (besides wanting to prove Hongjoong wrong), but alas, these girls certainly wanted to remain as petty kids.

By the time they came to the counter to pay, another person had entered the store - Ara waved. Her good friend - if not only good friend, Jongho broke into a crooked grin. "Aye!" he waved back while he approached the counter with lunchboxes and sodas. 

Naturally, he immediately caught the other girls' attention as they stared at him. Ara cleared , "That will be ten dollars," she said abruptly, and shot a glance at Jongho who stood by the counter, fumbling with the jewellery on display. 

"Oh don't mind me!" he answers when the girls were still staring. "I'll just wait till you're done, then we can have lunch together." He said to Ara.

Then Carly gave them an odd look, "You and Mr Cutie here a thing?" She asked, almost incredulously before turning to Jongho again. 

Jongho flushed, "What? Nono, we're-"

Ara cut him off, "What about it, Carly?  Is there a problem with that?"

Carly crossed her arms before grabbing the clothes she bought off the counter, "Not at all, of course not. Oh well, guess I'll see you around - especially hope to see you." and to Ara's disgust, she winked at Jongho. But he seemed to not get it, because he was frowning. 

"You haven't paid for that yet," he said as he looked at one of the girls behind Carly. 

The girl shifted uncomfortably and laughed, "Um, what? I have no idea what you're-"

"The scarf you stuffed into your bag when no one was looking," he continued instantaneously.

"A-are you accusing me?"

Jongho shrugged, "It's the truth, I know when someone's lying."

Ara stepped forward, "Open up, or else we're calling the cops," and her hands reached for the other girl's bag but was shoved by Carly.

"Listen here you uneducated little bitc-"

Before Carly could finish the sentence, Ara took her by her arm and twisted it - doing exactly what she had been taught in boxing class, and kicked the other girl in the stomach. Carly crumpled to the ground and grimaced, her friends gasped in shock. Ara went back to the other girl, "You do know shoplifting is a crime right? Unless you want to end up like prom queen here, take out whatever you stole and go do your shopping somewhere else."

Hastily the girl tossed out the very scarf out her bag before joining the other girls who were scrambling out the store, with Carly shooting Ara a death glare, the type that said 'I'm going to sue you'. Ara replied with an indifferent expression, and felt free again when they were finally out the shop. 

Jongho whistled in bemusement as he passed her a can of cola, "Damn, all I wanted was a nice lunch and instead I get a whole action sequence in here?"

Ara sighed before taking a gulp, "Let's just hope they don't actually call the cops on me, but if I do you have to be my alibi okay?" 

"Oh trust me they won't call the cops, they're not gonna remember any of this anyway," he said.

Grinning wickedly, Ara punched her friend in the shoulder. "You cheeky little ! You messed up their heads with that faerie magic of yours, didn't you?"

He shrugged again, acting all innocent, "They kinda deserved it, plus, the girl was a really sloppy shoplifter,"

"No, it's because your faerie genes make it easy for you to tell if someone's lying,"

"That, and you're not very observant yourself,"

"Whatever, they don't pay me enough to care that much. I just hated them since high school," she picked at the food Jongho had bought with her chopsticks, taking out the pieces of vegetables. "Does your gramps know you're using magic?"

"Meh, he'll be fine as long as I don't do it to commit arson, or murder. I don't even think I'm strong enough to do that..."

While they chatted, none of them seemed to notice a boy entering the store and was wandering past the clothes racks when Ara looked up and examined his face. He was at least 6ft tall, with dark hair and delicate pale skin; dressed rather dapper in shirtsleeves and black trousers - unusual for the hot weather. Being so noticeable, why didn't she notice him ever come in?

"Psst," she nudged Jongho, who got annoyed at her interrupting his lunch. "See that guy over there?" she asked under her breath. 

"Yeah so?"

"He's pretty hot, isn't he? Though I'd recommend him something less formal for this weather, I think he was on the same bus as me earlier..."

"Do you do that to every customer here? Just rate their looks?"

"Just answer the question,"

Jongho sighed and looked at the boy, "I guess he's easy on the eyes, conventionally handsome,"

"Hey!" Ara hollered at the boy, who didn't seem to notice her at the counter. "Hey dude! Yes you, I'm talking to you!"

The boy stared and froze in his place, like a deer caught in headlights. "We're technically having lunch hour now but if you wanna buy something just come up to the counter to notify me, alright?"

But he still was not responding, mouth gaping open as if he had the biggest shock of his life. Huh maybe your fashion sense isn't the only outlandish thing about you, Ara thought. Not giving it much thought, she went back to picking at her food. "Weird guy, so much for being cute. And did you notice him come in? Jongho?"

This time it was Jongho who seemed to have his eyes fixated on the boy, who was still staring back at them. Ara frowned, "Hello?" she waved her hand in his face.

"A-Ara..." he stammered. "I don't think this guy's completely here,"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I might sound crazy but, I think he's a ghost."