Day One

 

“Jangmi?  Earth to Jangmi?  Hey, Lee Jangmi!”

 

The said girl opened her heavy eyes to see the familiar face of her friend Jung Hoseok.  She sighed and closed her eyes before he shook her shoulders.  She groaned and turned her head away before nuzzling her face into the sleeve of her sweatshirt.  She inhaled deeply before slowly drifting back into dreamland.

 

She heard Hoseok scoff beside her.  “You’re unbelievable,” he said with frustration.  “Mr. Choi’s going to come back any minute, and you slept most of class away!”  He whined.  “What if he blames you for our project not being done?”

 

“One,” she started as she turned her head towards him, “that will absolutely not happen, since I’m a teacher’s pet.  Two, the man’s always gone most of the class period.  And three, you’re not going to sleep having to worry about taking souls to the afterlife.”

 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.  “Christ, Jangmi.  I do lead souls into the afterlife, which means I’m just as sleep deprived as you, so that’s no excuse.  You just have to do more of the dirty work than I do,” he cackled.

 

“ you,” she grumbled as he dodged her flying fist.  She groaned and put her head back down again, trying to fall asleep.

 

The boy giggled.  “Aw, come on, Jangmi.  I’m only trying to save your ,” he said.  “Plus, I heard there’s a new student today.”

 

She perked and sat up at the boy saying “new student” and immediately looked around the room.  She saw the same old people.  There were the makeup gurus and snobs in the front corner of the room, gossiping about the latest trends and makeup.  Towards the other corner, there were the nerds, dutifully studying.  In the back were the weirdos like her and Hoseok, but no new student in sight.

 

“Really?” she muttered.  “You woke me up for nothing.”

 

Hoseok frowned.  “You’re starting to sound like Yoongi.”

 

She only shrugged.  “What can I say?  The boy knows how to use his time,” she reasoned.  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a grim reaper.  He’d be great, honestly.”

 

“I thought you told me grim reapers were able to sense each other,” the other said.

 

“Right,” she sighed.  “But I still wouldn’t be surprised.  That guy can hide anything if he wanted to.”

 

The boy let out a chuckle.  “Anyways, Mr. Choi should be back with the newbie.”

 

At the same time, the classroom door opened and in walked the said teacher.  He looked tall, as usual, and just as handsome as ever.  The girls in the front sighed a bit as the man stationed himself in the front of the room at the podium.  

 

He cleared his throat.  “Okay, kids.  We have a new student today,” he said.  He turned to the door, still open.  “Come on in.  Don’t be shy.”

 

Jangmi’s eyes widened as the boy walked in.  He was absolutely beautiful, with sharp features.  He was tall, as tall as Mr. Choi, but much more muscular.  His long bangs fell slightly over his eyes.  His lips were turned to display a slight frown, his eyebrows knitting with concern and unease.  

 

As her eyes travelled up from his face, she noticed it.  It was bright crimson like fresh blood.  She shivered at the sight.  The numbers that hovered above his head were none other than the time of his death.

 

Hoseok shifted uneasily beside her, sensing her discomfort.  “You okay?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

 

She gulped.  “His time…”

 

00:00 on the Seventh Day.

 

The other grimaced as he turned to stare at the boy, mixed feelings apparent in his eyes.

 

“I hope you still have room in heaven,” Jangmi said.  

 

“How long does he have?” Hoseok hissed through his teeth.

 

“A week,” she replied.  “Such a shame.  He’s quite cute, actually.”

 

“Miss Lee Jangmi,” Mr. Choi called with a frown on his face.  “Do you have something you wish to share?”

 

She found herself standing.  The new boy’s gaze fell on her.  His eyes widened as she smiled at him.  A blush crept to his face, and she placed a wider grin on her face, though it felt forced.  Her heart stopped as he in turn gave a sweet smile back.  Guilt throbbed in her heart.  She never felt this way about anyone.  She knew this because she remembered every single soul she led to the afterlife.  Every one was a literal nightmare for her.  Whether it was a peaceful death or a pained one, she constantly felt the pain of others, but never before had she felt the pain of her own soul.

 

With a tiny nod, she pushed her feelings aside and welcomed him.

 

“Welcome to Seoul High.”

 

—

 

The entire class period passed by slowly for Jangmi, as she could only think about his time, which still burned in the back of her mind.  She could see it everywhere she looked, in Hoseok’s eyes, on the board as Mr. Choi wrote poem excerpts, and on her paper as she wrote notes for that class.  She found herself sighing with relief as the bell rang.  She devised a plan to run out of the classroom and rid herself of the insanity.

 

I don’t know why it’s still in my head, she thought with frustration as she packed her things.  Does he really mean that much to me?  I don’t even know the kid!

 

It was true.  She had no idea who he was, or even what his name was for that matter.  Her heart sk