51st Shot

Just like another day, a young petite girl was wandering around in the street of Seoul. Wearing a grey hooded jacket as her source of warmth in the cold night breeze. The girl was about to go home after running some errand that her aunt asked her to do so. She has no other family than her aunt to be her guardian until she turned into an adult.

She was standing in front of the place she called home for 9 years as she held those grocery bags on her hands. She sighed and made her way inside.

“KIM TAEYEON!” an older woman in her late 40s yelled at her

“Yes auntie?”

“What took you so long?”

“There were a lot of people in the grocery store.” she said

“Is that my fault? Look at me. I’m already famished! You move so slow!”

“I will cook the dinner now.”

“You better do!”

Her evil aunt scolded her again for the things that actually wasn’t even her fault. Her life is always this miserable ever since her mother passed away 9 years ago.

After her routine chore of cooking dinner for her aunt, she went outside their house to get some fresh air.

“I have no money, i have no home, i have no love. Just how miserable my life could get.” Taeyeon sighed and kick some pebbles on the road with her old-worn out black sneakers.

She keeps wandering around aimlessly, to wherever her legs would bring her to.

“God, I know I don’t always diligently visited you in Church every week but you know I always pray to you every night before I go to sleep and I believe you can hear me. When will this torture end? I don’t want to sound like a whiny brat but it’s not getting easier for me to survive. I will graduate from high school soon. I’ll be needing money for my university’s tuition fee. Can you show me a way, any way, so I can earn that money, go to university, get graduated, and finally get a job so I finally can be rich and get out from my auntie's house?” Taeyeon inwardly pray.

And as if God answered her prayer, Taeyeon halted her step as she met a dead end. She saw a chicken restaurant with a quite big paper stick on the window glass,

‘Need a part timer ASAP.’

Seeing that, Taeyeon promised to herself to come back to that restaurant again tomorrow afternoon after school hours end. She believes it’s not a mere coincidence for her to see that sign right after her prayer. It must be an answer from God. A way to save her from the desperation of her life.

Taeyeon went back to her aunt’s home that night with lighter steps and a wider smile. Her guts was telling her that the chicken restaurant will be the starting point to change her miserable life.

“You look extremely happy tonight.” A  teasing voice was heard

“AIYA KKAMJAKIYA! God, stop appearing out of nowhere, Soo!” Taeyeon held her chest in surprised.

“Well it’s not like I can give you a call first or knock on your bedroom door when I want to see you.”

“I know, but still. At least try to appear in front of my face, not from behind and poking my shoulder with your slender cold finger.” Taeyeon said and she resumed walking on her way back home

“I can’t do that. Because if i appear in front of you, you’re gonna thought that you’ve seen a tower.” Sooyoung catched up

“You know, I am so sensitive about height issues.” Taeyeon huffed.

“Puberty didn’t happen?”

“Keep teasing and I’ll ignore you forever.”

“Fine fine. So tell me the meaning behind your unusual smile tonight.”

“I think God finally answered my prayer, Soo.”

“Oh, I thought you’re an atheist.”

“I’m gonna kill you!” Taeyeon glared at the ghost.

Yes, Taeyeon is a gifted person. She can see and talk with ghosts since she was a kid. She even befriended  some of them.

“I’m already dead.” Sooyoung replied with a teasing grin on her face.

“Make sense but just so you know, I pray a lot everyday.” Taeyeon stopped on her tracks as they reached the front of her house and looked at the ghost.

“Which prayers? You prayed a lot you know. If I were Him, I also will need some time to grant all of your prayers. Man, it must be hard to be Him.”

“I think, I’m going to have a job soon.”

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