Summer 2016

Soobin’s mood is like that of the sky – not that good.

She sighed for the 5^th time while rolling her eyes. She rolled down the window of the car and leaned on the sill, letting the wind brush her cheeks and blow her hair. She’s being sent to her grandma’s place in the countryside for the rest of the summer.

For her, it’s like sending her to a prison. Being a teenager who’s dependent on the internet, it will be hard for her to live without checking feeds from her various SNS accounts. Her grandmother lives away from civilization – that’s according to Soobin.

“Don’t make that face again. You’ll have a fun summer at your grandma’s place,” Mrs. Kang stated when she noticed that her daughter’s still pissed off because of the sudden change of plans.

The original plan was for the three of them, including her father, to have their summer vacation outside the country. Soobin’s been readying herself for it. She’s ready to unwind after the gruesome semester. Everything came crumbling down when her parents’ works suddenly collided with the schedule.

“I can just stay at home on my own,” Soobin replied, pouting.

“We can’t let you stay at home alone. There are many cases of robbery and even assault in the city. And look, you haven’t seen your grandma for a long time. It’s a good chance for you to talk to her.”

Soobin did not reply, instead, she stuffed her ears with her earphones before looking away. She could already smell the mountains and the fields. It’s somewhat comforting but she already misses her own room in the city and she’s sure that she’s going to miss the internet world for a while.

“Soobin, do you want to eat?” her mother asked, tapping her shoulder. Soobin removed one earphone and turned to her mother. “I’m not hungry,” she replied. Mrs. Kang sighed and looked at her.

“Come on, Soobin. You only ate a spoonful this morning. You should eat-”

“MOM!” Soobin screamed when she saw a speeding car towards them. She shut her eyes tightly, readying herself for the impact.

It did not come.

“Soobin,” she heard someone call while shaking her lightly. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw that they were able to avoid the car. She took a long, deep breath.

She thought she just saw death with her own two eyes.

Nothing really changed.

Even the little garden behind her grandma’s house is the same. She looked at her phone and frowned. She’s sure her phone will be useless there beside using it to listen to music and take pictures. She opened the window, welcoming the cold breeze. It’s really different there. The air and the surrounding’s different.

The trees looked like they’re dancing with the wind. She could see the houses down the mountain. Her grandma’s house is the only house up in the mountain. She smiled to herself as the wind grazed her cheeks. Maybe it’s not that bad to spend the summer there.

“Soobin, come down and have some watermelon,” her mother called and she quickly ran downstairs.

Her grandma couldn’t take her eyes off of her. She was just staring, smiling at her. “You really grew up well. You were so little back then. Do you remember the tree house your father made at the back?”

Soobin nodded right away. “Is it still there?” she asked. How would she forget those lovely days. City kids would never know how it feels to have your own tree house.

“Yes, it’s still there.”

Her eyes twinkled. When she was younger, she spent most of her time there. “Don’t you think you’re a little old for tree houses?” her mother commented.

“Just let the kid have fun. It’s not like she would come here that often,” her grandma said. After sitting there for 5 more minutes while eating, she rushed to her tree house and much to her delight, it’s still in good condition. She’s sure that her grandma told uncle Junho to fix it for her.

She climbed up and smiled to herself as she made it inside. Her eyes were caught by a small box under the small table which her father made for her. She quickly opened it and she found her treasures. They were different kinds of shiny rocks which she used to look for up in the mountains with her father.

She looked at her phone and she saw a bar of signal. As she moved, it disappeared. She can find signal somewhere – that’s her conclusion.

Holding her phone up, she moved around. The more that she gets to a higher elevation, she could see the bar coming back. She looked to her left - the entrance of the mountain that she used to climb. A light bulb inside her mind.

After a while, she found herself walking up the mountain.

A minute…5…10…15 minutes passed.

Huffing in irritation, Soobin grunted as she looked at her phone. She couldn't find a good spot for a signal. Giving up, she pocketed it before looking around. She could see her grandma's house just meters away. She's surrounded by the thick, big and tall trees. You see, she just climbed up a mountain in the hopes of getting a signal. As she was about to take a step, she saw some pretty flowers just beside a couple of trees from her right. 

With a smile on her face, she walked towards them. She's never seen such pretty flowers in the city before. As she was about to pick one, strong winds came and a high toned squeak left her lips.

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that," a voice called out. 

She fixed her hair before looking around. There was no one. "I must be hearing things," she muttered, shaking her head before crouching again. She really wanted to get one for her scrap book. 

"Baekhyun will not like it if you touch any flower in his garden."

Soobin stood and looked around once again. 

"Who are you? Is anyone there?" 

Another gush of wind came and she shut her eyes. When she opened them, there he was - standing in front of her, staring. Soobin swore he looked like an angel except that he has no wings. 

"W-Who are you?" she asked, stuttering. 

"My name's Sehun, the spirit of the wind."

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

“Puhahahahahahahahaha!”

Sehun raised a brow. Did he say something funny? Soobin was already in tears, laughing. “S-Spirit of t-the- hahahahahahaha – wind – hahahahaha – that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I’m telling the truth,” Sehun stated calmly.

“Yeah, right,” she chortled. “And I’m the spirit of wi-fi.”

“W-Wi-fi? What’s that?”

Soobin stared at him before laughing again. “You’re really funny.”

Sehun rolled his eyes. “You don’t believe me? Then I think you need to see for yourself,” he said before he held his hand in front of him. A small tornado-like thingy appeared on his hand and it started getting bigger. He blew and it disappeared.

“Now, do you believe me? I’m the spirit of the wind.”

“Hahaha. The wind- You – Wind- Haha-”

BLAG.

Sehun’s eyes were opened wide.

Soobin just fainted.

Where am I? Am I in heaven?

What just happened?

Ugh. My head’s spinning.

Soobin pushed herself up while shaking her head. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She’s never been to that part of the mountain. She never knew that there’s a pretty waterfall in that mountain. The water looked so welcoming and so refreshing.

“You’re finally up.”

Who said that?

She turned to her right and saw Sehun sitting on branch of a tree. After a while, he jumped and Soobin saw how the wind formed under his feet, acting like a cushion for less impact.

I must be seeing things.

Sehun’s jaw dropped.

“Just how many times are you going to faint?” he asked as he stared at Soobin who was lying flat on the grass. Sighing, he walked towards her and crouched. He stared at her face before a smile broke on his face.

“You grew up prettily, Kang Soobin,” he muttered before the wind brushed away the hair sticking on her face.

My head’s really killing me.

What did I just see?

“Seriously, you should stop fainting,” Sehun said when he saw Soobin slowly opening her eyes. She blinked at him before her sight finally became clear.

“Oh, spirit of the wind,” she chirped, not really sounding sane.

“If you faint again, I’ll throw you into the water.”

Soobin shook her head. She’s starting to come to her senses. “Where are we?” she finally managed to ask. “I’ve never been here before.”

“You’re at a favorite spot of mine,” he replied, smiling. Soobin really couldn’t help but be attracted by the pretty waterfall. An insane idea came to her mind – jumping down the waterfall. It’s really insane. She might get her head crack open in the process.

Is this a dream?

She suddenly slapped herself. The pain was freaking real.

“What are you doing?”

“This is not my dream, right?”

Sehun chuckled. “This is not a dream. It’s all real.”

“Then that also means that you’re real,” she muttered before turning to him. He narrowed his eyes. The glint on her eyes was suspicious. Sehun moved back, more of flew back, when Soobin was about to touch him.

“You should refrain from touching me,” Sehun stated, earning a quizzical look from Soobin.

“Why?”

“Because I’m a spirit.”

“And so?”

“I’ll disappear if you touch me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m a spirit.”

“And so?”

“I’m telling you, if you touch me, I’ll disappear. If any human touches me, I’ll disappear. That’s how things work for us spirits. And that’s the reason why we stay away from people like you. That’s it, Kang Soobin.”

“How did you know my name?”

Sehun stood before he rubbed his hands together. “I’ve known you since you were a kid. I saw you when you first visited your grandma.”

Soobin raised a brow. “Since I was a kid? Just how old are you?”

“I don’t know. I just remember that I’ve been a spirit for a long time. This month will be my 100^th year.”

“100? So you’re a very old man? I mean you’re actually more of like- supposedly a fossil. Am I right?”

Sehun chuckled. “Maybe. But it will all end soon.”

“Huh?”

He shook his head, flashing her a smile.

“Nothing.”

“Grandma, are there spirits in the mountain?” Soobin asked as she sat on the chair, looking at her grandma as she chopped some vegetables.

“Yes.”

“Like spirit of the wind, spirit of the water, spirit of the trees? Are there spirits like those?”

“I suppose. Why?”

“Nothing. I was just curious,” she replied. “Grandma, have you seen a spirit before?”

“A spirit? No.”

“Really?”

Then why did Sehun show up? Am I the only one who can see him? After seeing what he could do, she’s really convinced that he really is a spirit.

“Grandma, I’ll be out for a while,” she said before rushing outside.

“Be careful!!”

Soobin started climbing the mountain again. She could still remember the path to where the waterfall is. As she found herself in that exact spot, she started calling Sehun’s name.

He was not showing up.

Did she just imagine everything that happened?

She smiled when she saw the water. She removed her shoes and dipped her feet in it. She shivered. The water’s really refreshing. Like a kid, she started kicking the water. After a while, she looked for some stones and started throwing them in the water, making them bounce on the surface before sinking.

“What are you doing? You should stop doing that,” Sehun called out as he appeared from nowhere.

“Oh, you’re here. The water’s really nice,” she commented, waving at him.

“You should really not mess with the water here. Suho’s really going to kill me,” Sehun hissed before pushing Soobin to the dry land with the wind.

“Who’s Suho?” she asked innocently.

“He’s the one who’s responsible for the water. He’s one hell of a nagger so we should-”

He halted and Soobin stared at him. “Why?”

“He’s back. Let’s get out of here or we’re both dead,” Sehun replied before running. He looked back at Soobin. “I said run.”

“I’m a bad runner,” she complained before grabbing her shoes. Sehun quickly picked a branch and handed the other end for Soobin to hold. With that, he pulled her as they ran.

“Is he really that scary?” Soobin asked, huffing.

“He’s a total nagger. Your ears will bleed with his nagging.”

Sehun sighed and looked back at Soobin. “Let go.”

“Huh?”

Sehun let go of the branch and swung his hand in front of him. And with her own eyes, she saw how her feet left the ground. She’s flying with Sehun and he’s going full speed.

Just how much of a nagger is this Suho guy?

“You should go to sleep.”

Soobin jumped from her bed when she suddenly heard Sehun’s voice. “What are you doing here?” she asked, staring at him who was floating outside her window.

“I’m here to check on you. You still leave your lights on until now. Are you still afraid that monsters will come?”

“How did you- Right. You’re a very old spirit,” she muttered before sitting up. Sehun smiled before the wind gently opened the window. He sat on the sill and they just kept quiet.

“Are you really that old?” she asked.

Sehun nodded. “I’ve been here since this house was still not built here. I’ve been here for a long time. This place is my home.”

Soobin nodded.

“Am I the only one who can see you?”

“No. People can actually see us if we want to show ourselves to them.”

“So you want me to see you?”

“I think so.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Soobin’s brows bristled. “You’ll really disappear if people touch you?”

He nodded.

“Grandma said that there’s going to be a festival in town in two weeks. She said they do it annually. Have you been there before?”

He shook his head.

“I prefer to just watch from here. It’s safer like that.”

“Ah, because you’ll disappear if you’re touched? When we say disappear, how exactly?”

Sehun shook his head. “I guess it’s like disappearing into thin air.”

“That’s just…sad.”

“Why?”

Soobin pulled her feet and hugged her knees. Pouting, she rested her chin on her knees. “It’s just that you’ve been a spirit for a long time and you just disappear. Isn’t that sad? Since you also don’t show yourself in front of people, they won’t even know that you exist.”

“If you put it that way, I guess it really is sad,” he mumbled. “But I don’t think I’ll be that sad even if I disappear now. You know that I exist, that makes it a little better.”

THUMP.

Soobin quickly hid her face.

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

“Nothing.”

When he just smiled back then, Soobin’s heart skipped a bit. Seriously? Falling for a spirit? How could it be even weirder? She calmed herself and lifted her face just to stared at Sehun’s angelic features. He’s standing in front of her and he’s staring intently.

“Are you sick? Your face is red.”

“Huh? I’m not,” she replied right away while covering her face.

“Hey, do you want to go somewhere?”

“Where?”

He grinned. “It’s a secret for now but I bet you’ll like it.”

The place is magical. Never in her entire life had she seen so much fireflies. They’re dancing in front of her and she held her hand in front. Two fireflies flew on her index finger. She giggled.

“There are so many of them,” she commented, turning to Sehun.

He was also smiling. It looks like he’s also fascinated even though it’s not the first time that he’s been there.

Soobin put her hand on her chest and drew a long breath. Liking a spirit? That’s just…weird. Is it?  

“A lot of them came this time,” Sehun muttered as the wind blew softly. The fireflies suddenly started flying in front of him. The light from them became even stronger.

“Are you here to say goodbye in advance?”

Soobin’s brows bristled. What is he talking about?

A faint smile crept on his face. “Kang Soobin, you won’t forget about me, right?”

“Huh?”

He slowly turned to her. “For almost 100 years, I’ve never let any human see me. You’re the first.”

“Knowing that spirits like you exist is actually surprising.  It is weird so I guess I will never forget about you.”

The smile on his face became bigger. The wind brushed her cheeks.

THUMP.

“Then it’s okay,” he mumbled to himself.

What is okay?

Sehun’s fun to be with. This summer, Soobin experience new things. Have you tried levitating before? Have you tried flying over the tall trees before? Have you tried free falling before?

Soobin swore that she will never forget this summer with Sehun.

Whenever she feel the wind, she’s sure that Sehun around. And it makes her a little excited.

Liking a wind spirit, huh?

 “Stronger!”

Soobin held the string, pulling the kite to a direction.

Fits of laughter filled the air as the kite flew even higher. Sehun was just sitting under a tree while Soobin’s busy playing with the kite that she brought out of nowhere. She’s like a kid.

He shut his eyes.

“Are you sure?”

“I am. I’ve lived a long as a spirit.”

“It’s not a sure thing.”

“It’s worth risking for.”

“Hey.”

He opened his eyes and noticed that Soobin’s sitting beside him.

“Are you done playing?” he asked, sitting up properly. Soobin nodded while playing with her hands. “The string broke,” she replied.

“Really?” he asked. “Do you want me to fix it?”

“No. It’s okay,” she said, shaking her head. “Uhmm…Next week is the festival in town. Do you want to go with me?”

Sehun stared at her.

“It’s actually my last week here at grandma’s place since school’s starting soon. I will not be able to visit in a long time. So…do you want come?”

He kept quiet for some time before he smiled.

“Okay.”

“Really?” she asked excitedly.

Sehun nodded.

She looked so happy.

Maybe it will be better to go that way. It’s not going to be that lonely. Sehun said to himself as he just stared at her.

It’s worth risking for.

“What are you doing?”

Sehun looked as Soobin started tying a red ribbon around her wrist.

She handed Sehun the other end. “Now tie it around your wrist too.”

He raised a brow. “Why?”

“There are too many people in town. We might get separated. I’m not really good in finding people,” she replied right away.

That sounded convincing. Sehun nodded. He tied the ribbon around his wrist in a matter of seconds.

“Now, look here,” she chirped.

CLICK.

Soobin laughed as she looked at the screen of her phone. She showed the picture to Sehun and he pursed his lips.

Soobin was smiling brightly while Sehun looked like a surprised bunny in the picture.

“With this, I’ll never forget about this summer with you,” she commented. “Let’s go.”

Sehun smiled before following Soobin out of her room.

Loud.

Crowded.

Bright.

“Excuse me.”

“Excuse me.”

Sehun stared at Soobin as she made way for him. She’s keeping in mind that Sehun cannot be touched by people or he’ll disappear. Sehun could actually just fly above the people but he’s tied with Soobin.

For the last 20 minutes, they’ve been going from one stall to another – checking their products and eating heartily.

There’s one question that made Sehun laugh out loud – ‘Do spirits poop?’

The innocent look on Soobin’s face even made it funnier. And when Sehun replied ‘no’, he was bombarded with a lot of follow-up questions.

Soobin looked at her phone and tugged the ribbon, making Sehun look at her.

“The fireworks display will start soon. Let’s find a good spot,” she suggested.

Sehun looked around and saw  the ‘perfect spot’.

“Let’s go,” he said, tugging the ribbon.

After the 5 minute-walk, which was actually cut short when Sehun started using the wind for them to fly,  they found themselves standing side by side and looking over the brightly lit town.

“The town looks pretty up here,” Soobin chirped as she took a step forward.

“It is,” he nodded. “Are you really going home after this?”

She nodded in reply. “My mom will be here tomorrow to pick me up.”

“I see,” he muttered, sounding sad. Soobin smiled and turned to him.

“Why? Are you going to miss me?” she jokingly asked and Sehun looked surprised. “I’m just joking. Here,” she said as she removed her necklace. “You can have it. I hope you’ll also remember me.”

That was just a subtle confession from Soobin.

Sehun reached for it. He stared at it for some time like he was really moved by what she did. “No need to cry, Mr. Spirit. Ah, do spirits also cry? Do you-”

“I never forgot about you.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just that, human minds are fragile. Humans forget but spirits don’t. We remember every detail.”

“Sehun,” she muttered.

“Kang Soobin, will you really not forget me?”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

He smiled. “Tonight’s my last.”

“Y-Your last? What do you mean?”

“I’ll disappear permanently.”

BANG!

BANG!

Soobin looked at the sky which was filled with colorful lights. And when she turned to Sehun, she saw a tear trickling down his cheeks.

“Sehun, why-”

She stopped.

Her heart’s racing so fast.

Sehun’s hugging her tightly.

“S-Sehun.”

“Don’t forget me,” he muttered.

“W-What?”

He pulled away. He’s disappearing. A smile came to his face.

And as he completely vanished into thin air, Soobin faintly felt his lips touching her forehead.

“Don’t forget me.”

Soobin stood there alone with the ribbon dangling from her wrist.

Sehun’s gone.

And with the sound of people laughing in town, she was left crying.

August 2016

“Don’t forget me.”

Soobin gasped as she got opened her eyes. She found herself staring at her room’s ceiling. That voice has been echoing inside her mind since she came back from her grandma’s place. That voice sounded so familiar but she couldn’t remember whose voice that was.

She lazily got up and pulled her phone from her desk.

It’s actually weird that she feels like she forgot something. She feels empty after her summer break. She kept on dreaming of a guy who she’s always with but when she asked her mom and grandma about him, they said that they didn’t know anyone who hanged out with her.

It’s weird – really weird.

She unconsciously clicked on the gallery icon of her phone and saw some pictures of her back at the province. She looked all cheery in them but something’s off. Something’s really not fitting in.

“Soobin! Breakfast is ready!”

“Coming!”

She put her phone on her bed and tied her hair up. She ran downstairs and saw the table full of food. It looks like her mother’s in a good mood. Right, she said last night that she was promoted.

“Soobin, did you do some event at your grandma’s place?”

“Event? No. Why?”

“I saw a red ribbon in your travelling bag when I was cleaning. It was stuffed in one of those small pockets. What did you do with it?”

“Red ribbon?” she muttered.

“Don’t forget me.”

“Kang Soobin, you won’t forget about me, right?”

She shook her head. That voice came again. What was that about? She shut her eyes, feeling a bit dizzy. A guy’s blurry face showed up.

"My name's Sehun, the spirit of the wind."

She gasped.

“Sehun!” she exclaimed.

“Who?” her mom asked.

She remembers. Sehun, the wind spirit.

“Mom, where is it?”

“The ribbon? I put it in your drawer.”

Soobin rushed upstairs and quickly looked for it. She stared at it as she found it stuffed inside her drawer. She slowly pulled it.

How can she forget him? She promised.

It’s only been a week since she got back from the countryside but how could she forget about him?

“Sehun. I remember you,” she muttered.

Her window suddenly came open as the strong wind gushed. Her curtains flew.