“There’s something I’ve been keeping from you...something we’ve been keeping from you,” Mina began. Her voice was hesitant sounding, so Sana, standing beside her, gave a look of encouragement. “Do you remember when I told you I could see ghosts?”

Sana, Mina and Nayeon were all gathered in Jihyo’s apartment. They had stopped there before going to visit Eunha at the hospital at Mina’s request. Jihyo had agreed to help Sana and Mina convince Nayeon that ghosts were real, although Jihyo thought it would be a tricky task considering the shaman had been trying to convince her friend since as long as she could remember.

Nayeon looked from Jihyo to Mina, a bit skeptically already, but nodded.

“There’s one here with us now, actually,” Mina continued. “Her name is Sana…”

At the sound of Sana’s name, Nayeon’s bored expression instantly turned to one of interest. After all, last night her own lips had formed that name against her will, but she was convinced it’d all been some sort of strange dream.

“Sana was a trainee at JYPE when she died, do you remember the girl that committed suicide?”

“Of course,” Nayeon answered. “That was terrible. But why would this Sana girl be here?”

“She has unfinished business, and it relates to your sister,” Jihyo said, chiming in. “Nayeon, we know who hit Chaeyoung. We just need proof to bring him down for good, so he can face justice.”

Nayeon crossed her arms, tapping her left foot impatiently.

“It was Dowoon. Sana saw the accident happen, called the police as she stayed with Chaeyoung, but Dowoon came back and kidnapped her because she’d seen his license plate. Then he killed her and made her death look like a suicide.”

Nayeon was stunned to the point of speechlessness, which was very rare for her. She looked from Mina to Jihyo with wild eyes, and they both stared back with sympathetic stares.

“That’s impossible!” Nayeon cried. “Why in the world would Dowoon do such a thing?”

“We think he’s been possessed by an evil spirit. He most likely got close to Chaeyoung afterward to make sure that no one ever tied him to the accident. It was his way of keeping tabs on things and looking as innocent as possible.”

Nayeon shook her head while sneering. “I can’t believe you two, honestly. First claiming a ghost is here, and then accusing Dowoon of running over my sister? The girl he’s been dating for years now and lives with?” Nayeon’s anger was rolling off of her in visible waves.

“Tell her my memories just came back to me!” Sana replied, feeling angry herself that Nayeon was so closed off to the idea despite the fact that her best friend and girlfriend were telling her the same thing.

“Sana didn’t remember her past life until recently,” Mina explained. “Her old memories just came back to her and she remembers seeing Dowoon hitting Chaeyoung. We think Dowoon is the one who stabbed Eunha too, to keep her quiet. She was investigating Sana’s suicide because she didn’t think Sana actually killed herself. And she was right!”

Nayeon turned away from Mina and Jihyo, staring at the wall.

“We know it’s hard to believe but we want this monster away from Chaeyoung and in jail where he belongs!” Jihyo stepped forward and put a hand on Nayeon’s shoulder.

“How can you expect me to believe that?” Nayeon threw her hands up in the air and spun around. “Your proof is an invisible ghost I can’t see or hear!”

“We can both see her,” Jihyo assured. “And yesterday, she possessed you. That message you sent to Chaeyoung about dinner plans...she sent it for you. She needs your help, Nayeon. She wants you to find proof that Dowoon is hiding something tomorrow when you’re at Chaeyoung’s apartment.”

“No, no, no,” Nayeon began to pace through the kitchen, shaking her head. “You guys are both insane. I just out or something, maybe due to stress. And I had a crazy dream, that was it!” Nayeon sounded slightly hysterical, as if trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true.

Sana groaned in frustration. “How else can we convince her when I literally possessed her and she’s still trying to rationalize it?” Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She put both of her hands on the top of a kitchen chair, and with all her willpower and might, pushed it forward.

To Nayeon, it looked as though the chair had moved on its own. She jumped backward, practically landing in Jihyo’s arms. Jihyo and Mina couldn’t help but laugh as Sana continued to move the chair around.

“Okay, okay! I get it!” Nayeon cried, looking spooked. “Ghosts are real and there’s one here! You can stop now.”

“Well, that was easier than expected.” Sana shrugged and let go of the chair.

“Finally, you believe me!” Jihyo replied, looking smug.

“Nayeon, you’ve noticed I’ve been different recently, right?” Mina asked, stepping forward toward Nayeon and gently taking the girl’s arm. “More forward...not quite myself?”

Although she was still on red alert, she relaxed at Mina’s touch. Nayeon nodded.

“Mina, are you sure you wanna do this?” Sana asked. “Nayeon might not take that very well.” Explaining how she’d been possessing Mina to Nayeon might have catastrophic results. Sana intended to keep the deal she’d made with Mina out of the discussion, actually, so she was surprised Mina had brought it up.

Mina looked at Sana and nodded. “She’ll have to know eventually.” And then, back to Nayeon: “That’s because the girl who first kissed you in the kitchen wasn’t actually me at all. It was Sana...well, Sana possessing me, anyway.”

Nayeon looked at Mina as if she’d grown two more heads.

“Remember that day I ran away from the office? While I was running away, Sana possessed me. She didn’t intend to stick around for so long, but she got stuck. She couldn’t get out of my body.” Mina’s face was beginning to turn red, realizing how crazy it sounded.

“When a ghost shares the same wavelength as a person, they can get trapped in a body,” Jihyo added. “Sana and Mina must have matching wavelengths. How that’s possible, I have no idea, considering Sana is, well, unique, for lack of a better word and annoy—”

“Hey!” Sana yelled, making a face at the shaman and cutting her off. Jihyo simply smiled sweetly in return.

“Sana wasn’t able to get out of my body until the night I passed out and was taken to the hospital. From the moment I ran away to the time I woke up in the hospital, I don’t remember anything. It was all her,” Mina continued, ignoring the banter between Jihyo and Sana.

The wheels in Nayeon’s head were turning—Sana could tell by watching the older girl’s perplexed expression. “But, if you’re saying Sana was the one who kissed me, that was after you got back from the hospital...”

Sana started rocking on her heels, getting anxious that she couldn’t enter the conversation.

Mina looked away from Nayeon, feeling the guilt of her arrangement with Sana beginning to creep in. “Sana had to possess me again to call an ambulance for Eunha after she got stabbed. Sana witnessed the stabbing and came to me for help, only I didn’t believe her. She...well, took matters into her own hands. She’s the one who went to the police station with you, actually.”

“You’re joking, right?” Nayeon scoffed. She turned to Jihyo for back-up, but the younger girl looked just as serious as Mina did. "I kissed a dead girl I don't even know?" There was a bit of anger in her voice now, laced with embarrassment, but she wasn't quite on board yet.

“This is ridiculous, if only I could just talk to her,” Sana whined. “If she could see Mina and I at the same time and how different we are, maybe she’d start believing....”

“Alright,” Jihyo turned to Sana. “I have a bad idea that just might work. Drastic times calls for drastic measures, so you’ll owe me one.” She took a breath, steeling herself to say her next words. Making a sour expression she said: “Possess me and talk to Nayeon yourself.”

“What?” Nayeon, Mina and Sana all said, simultaneously. Sana looked at Jihyo in surprise.

“Just get it over with already,” Jihyo grimaced. “And don’t you dare do anything embarrassing.”

Sana looked at Mina, who simply shrugged. “It would be nice to prove it to Nayeon, I guess.”

“Okay, but this is weird.” Sana made a face, and Jihyo immediately swatted at the ghost. “A shaman letting a ghost possess her? This is a moment for the history books.” Giving Jihyo a small grin, Sana stepped forward and let herself possess Jihyo.

Nayeon and Mina were both looking at Sana expectantly when she opened her eyes.

“Well?” Nayeon replied, impatiently.

Feeling Nayeon’s gaze on her, Sana suddenly felt shy. When she’d been possessing Mina, things had been different because she always had Mina to hide behind—anything she did, Nayeon thought it was actually Mina doing it. Now, Nayeon knew about Sana’s true identity, and knew that she was supposedly possessing Jihyo at this very moment. Sana couldn’t hide anymore.

“Hello.” Sana greeted Nayeon cheerfully with Jihyo’s voice, bowing slightly, and the annoyed look on Nayeon’s face quickly faded to one of curiosity. “I’m Sana. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

There was an awkward silence. Mina opened to say something but couldn’t quite think of what.

“So...you’re a ghost?” Nayeon asked the girl who looked like her best friend.

Sana grimaced slightly and nodded. “Everything Mina and Jihyo were saying is true. Dowoon killed me because I was a witness to your sister’s accident. When I died, I lost all my earthly memories, but now they are coming back to me. My fate’s already sealed, but Chaeyoung’s isn’t! We need to get her away from that monster, and he needs to face justice for what he did to me and her!”

From Sana’s passionate and heartfelt speech, Nayeon could tell the girl in front of her was being truthful—however this truth was something that was not easy to accept. Besides, she knew her best friend and girlfriend wouldn’t lie about such a serious topic or make some sort of sick joke out of it.

“Alright...Sana. If that even is your real name. Then let me ask you this. Why did you kiss me? Why would you use Mina of all people to do that?”

Mina and Sana were both clearly uncomfortable. Sana looked at Mina, who managed to look brave despite the fact that she knew Nayeon would not like the answer to that question.

“I thought I was a ghost before I learned how I actually died. To cross over, I thought I had to sleep with someone with positive energy. When you kissed me when you were sick—yes, that was me you kissed—I found out you had the positive energy I needed. Since I was ummm...stuck in Mina, I had to make the most out of my situation. So, I gave it a shot,” Sana shrugged. “But now I know the only way I can truly crossover is if Dowoon is brought to justice.”

With her hands pressed against her temples, Nayeon began pacing again. “Okay, okay. So the flirting at the radio show...that was you?” Nayeon asked Sana. Sana nodded. “The night I slept over the apartment...that was you too?” Again, Sana nodded. “The kitchen kiss, the police station...and let me guess, the hospital visit with Eunha? That was you? That’s why you seemed to know her so well?” Nayeon turned to Mina, looking at her like everything had just clicked. “But...the car?”

“That was me,” Mina said in a small voice. She could feel her cheeks reddening at the admission.

“So...you do like me then?” Nayeon assumed, staring at Mina intently.

“Yes, I do. Very much.”

“But all those moments...I really thought it was you. I thought something had changed, or maybe I didn’t know you as well as I thought…” Mina could hear Nayeon’s voice breaking slightly, and it made her want to cry. “It was weird but I just accepted it because I didn’t know any better.”

“I’m sorry I deceived you,” Sana said. “This is all my fault. Mina only helped me because I convinced her to. I told her I’d become an evil spirit if she didn’t help me because that’s honestly what I thought at the time. Please, don’t be mad at her,” Sana begged.

“I just...need some time to process this,” Nayeon confessed, staring down at the floor. “Give me a moment.” With that, she spun around and walked into Jihyo’s bedroom, closing the door behind her.

“That didn’t go quite as awfully as I thought it would,” Sana remarked. She looked over at Mina and saw the girl was slightly pale.

Sana stepped out of Jihyo, letting the girl come to her senses before explaining what had happened.

“Let me talk to her a bit. I can imagine this is a lot to take in,” Jihyo replied, knocking softly on her bedroom door before walking inside.

Mina moved to sit down at the kitchen table, looking very small and terrified but also relieved. “It’s kind of nice that she knows now,” Mina said. “But it will be interesting to see how she handles it.”

“She’s tough, and she likes you. I think she’ll be just fine. She’ll help me take down Dowoon and I’ll finally be able to cross over!”

“What’s crossing over like?”

Sana was quiet—her smile turning into a slight frown. “It’s...well actually I don’t really know. But it’s a natural part of death, I think. Moving onto a better place where I can be at peace.”

Mina hummed to herself. “That sounds nice. Despite everything, I’ll miss you though.”

If Sana still had a beating heart, she’d sure it’d be aching now. She stared over at the younger girl and locked eyes with her.

“You’ve been a pain but it will be strange not having you around.” Mina gave Sana a small smile and Sana was sure her undead heart was aching anyway.

“I’m happy it’s you I got stuck with,” Sana said, earnestly. “If our spirits have the same wavelength, that must mean something, right?”

Before Mina could respond, Nayeon and Jihyo exited from the bedroom.

“Is she out here still?” Nayeon asked, looking around at all the empty space in the kitchen.

“Right next to Mina.” Jihyo pointed to where Sana was standing.

“Sana, I’ll help you. I’ll look through Dowoon’s things tomorrow night and see if I can find anything incriminating.” At that, Mina stood up and smiled, and Sana cheered.

“Let’s get you both to the hospital now, I’m sure Eunha is awake and waiting for you.” Nayeon walked past Mina on her way out, avoiding eye contact. Mina couldn’t help but feel like she’d received the cold shoulder, but followed after Nayeon anyway.

“Thanks for all your help!” Sana said, giving Jihyo a hug.

“I just didn’t want to have to deal with another evil spirit...makes my job easier,” Jihyo insisted, but she was smiling too.

Sana hopped in the backseat of Nayeon’s van, figuring Mina and Nayeon needed to talk. The car ride to the hospital was predominately quiet, with just the local radio playing softly in the background.

“You’re still Mina, right?” Nayeon asked, taking a moment to look over at the girl in the passenger’s seat.

Mina nodded. “Sana’s in the backseat. She won’t possess me until we’re at the hospital, so she can talk to Eunha herself.”

Nayeon didn’t say anything for a moment, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “So you don’t remember any of the moments you were possessed, right? Not the day you fainted, or the kitchen…”

“No.” Mina looked out the window, watching the people walking down the sidewalks pass by. “Sana has told me what happened but, I don’t know everything.”

“Were you scared when it first happened to you?”

“Of course,” Mina confessed. “I was terrified, especially because I had no idea what Sana was doing, but luckily she’s a nice ghost. Some other ghosts I’ve seen aren’t like her at all.”

“A few months ago you told me you saw spirits but I didn’t believe you, and I’m sorry for that. I feel so stupid, having no idea what was going on with you this whole time. I should’ve known it wasn’t you in those moments.” Nayeon looked a bit deflated, which brought Mina down a bit too.

“You had no way of knowing...no one else figured it out either. Well, except Tzuyu. But, she knew these things could happen to me.”

“The fact that you ran away without a word though, on your own—do you know how much that scared me? I thought I might lose you.” Nayeon’s voice was soft, and even in the backseat, Sana could feel Nayeon’s concern. “I’m just telling you this because I guess Sana’s the one who heard my lecture that day and not you. What you did was stupid, but I should’ve made you feel like you could come to me about anything, not make you feel ashamed or burdened to talk to me.”

“I should’ve come to you...or talked to someone else and asked for help. I’m sorry.” Mina bowed her head slightly, looking down at her hands as she picked at her nails absentmindedly.

Nayeon rolled the van to a stop in the hospital parking garage, sighing to herself before getting out. Mina quickly stepped out of the van, and Sana phased through its walls so she was standing beside her friend.

“It’s time,” Mina said softly, looking from Sana to Nayeon. “Sana will be taking over for a bit to talk to Eunha. She might know more information about Sana’s death that we don’t know yet.”

Nayeon shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, before her gaze settled back on Mina. “It’s just for a little bit, right? You’ll tell me when it’s you again?”

Taking a deep breath, Mina nodded. She closed her eyes and waited for the sensation of falling asleep that happened when Sana possessed her. It wasn’t painful, or even jarring, but surprisingly soft and enveloping.

“Thanks for taking me here to see her.” Sana opened her eyes, feeling slightly awkward now facing Nayeon under scrutinizing eyes. She couldn’t blame Nayeon—the entire situation was very strange—but she wished the girl would look at her like she used to. But she was never really looking at me at all before, was she? Sana thought to herself.

“Sana?” Nayeon asked, taking in every detail of the girl before her—looking for any changes that hadn’t been there a moment ago. But all she saw was Mina, her Mina, even though she knew this girl was not. Same expectant and observative eyes, same soft, dark brown hair that was beginning to curl slightly at the bottom. But the more Nayeon looked, the more she noticed Mina’s posture had changed—it was slightly more relaxed than normal—and the strange habit she had of standing with her feet splayed out was replaced by a normal stance with her Adidas sneakers pointing straight ahead.

“Yup,” Sana replied shyly, feeling the judgement of Nayeon’s gaze.

“Let’s get you up to Eunha then,” Nayeon mumbled, looking down and beginning to walk toward the parking garage entrance to the hospital. Sana wasn’t the only one who suddenly felt shy, it seemed.

When Sana and Nayeon arrived at Eunha’s room, the girl was awake, sitting up while Sowon was speaking with her. They both looked up as Sana and Nayeon gingerly entered the room. Seeing Eunha alive and well nearly brought tears to Sana’s eyes, but she quickly reminded herself that Mina didn’t know Eunha like she did so she couldn’t let herself be too emotional.

“We’re glad to see you’re feeling better,” Sana said softly, approaching Eunha’s bed one step at a time. She wanted to run to the girl and hug her, but she had to hold herself back. The sudden skinship would probably make the girl slightly uncomfortable.

“Mina, you saved me,” Eunha replied, giving her a soft and polite smile. “You’re the one that found me in the parking garage, right?”

Eunha reached her hands out toward Sana, who took that as an indication to close the distance between them and to take the girl’s hands in her own. “I’m just so relieved, I was so scared for you.”

“I’ll give you some time alone,” Sowon said, bowing politely while exiting the room.

The dark circles under Eunha’s eyes had faded since the last time Sana had seen her, and there was more color in her cheeks. Eunha looked more like a person than a ghost now, and that thought made Sana filled with joy. “Eunha, I have to ask you about something.” At that statement, Eunha’s eyes lit up. “It’s about...Sana.” It was time to figure out what exactly Eunha knew about her death and Chaeyoung’s accident—perhaps it could help them prove Dowoon was guilty.

Biting her bottom lip, Eunha nodded. “I had a feeling it would come to this. A policeman already interviewed me this morning—he asked me some questions about her.”

“I...knew her. We were friends, kind of,” Sana lied. It was strange to talk about herself in the past tense. “I never really believed she...killed herself.”

Eunha looked slightly surprised but quickly recovered—Sana had never told her about Mina in all the years they’d been friends, but perhaps she just didn’t want to brag. After all, Mina was a top trainee and then got pulled into EDEN after not even two years of training, basically the dream for all JYPE trainees. Sana could sense Eunha’s hesitation, so she gave the girl the most encouraging glance she could muster. “I don’t think she did,” Eunha said quietly. “Truthfully, I’ve been investigating Sana’s death ever since, and some things never quite added up.”

“We have been too actually,” Sana replied, motioning to herself and Nayeon. Nayeon raised a brow but didn’t object. “We have reason to believe her suicide was staged, we just need to bring down the man who did it.”

Eunha leaned forward more, moving closer to Sana. “Do you have an idea who did this to her?” She squeezed Sana’s hand tightly, looking at her a bit desperately.

“I have an idea—we just need to find proof. Do you think you can help us?”

Eunha nodded in affirmation. “Usually murderers like to keep a souvenir of their victims—like a sick trophy. Maybe the killer has something of hers? They never did find her phone…”

Sana looked back at Nayeon, who simply nodded in understanding. She’d have to look through Dowoon’s stuff for a keepsake.

“Promise me you’ll bring whoever did this to justice for Sana. She was my best friend,” Eunha begged.

“I will,” Sana promised, looking at Eunha as if she were her entire world—and she was once, Sana realized. Her best friend during the hardest time in her life, always there to cheer her up and support her. And I can never tell her that, Sana realized, how much she meant to me. Does she know?

That’s the thing about dying—it just kind of happens. One minute you’re alive, the next you’re not. Rarely do people get to prepare for this and say the things that they’ve been carrying in their hearts.

“Mina...are you okay?” Ever so gently, Eunha released one of Sana’s hands and wiped a tear off of her cheek. Sana hadn’t even realized she’d been crying.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing,” Sana assured, letting go of Eunha’s other hand and turning away. Wiping the tears that seemed to be flowing freely now.

Nayeon stepped forward out of instinct, ready to help fight those tears, but then she remembered. That wasn’t Mina. She froze in place, debating on what exactly to do.

Before she could make up her mind, Sana managed to bark out a half-hearted laugh, taking both Nayeon and Eunha off guard.

“It’s funny,” Sana choked out, giving up on wiping away her tears and instead letting them roll down her cheeks, “I can’t seem to stop crying.” Her laughter quickly turned back to crying—it was a self contained and silent episode.

Nayeon couldn’t take it anymore, she pulled the girl into the hug. Mina or not, this girl was in need of some comforting. “It’s okay,” she whispered, lightly the girl’s hair. Over Sana’s shoulder, Nayeon and Eunha made eye contact. “It’s been a hard few days for her,” she explained. “She was really worried about you. I think she just needs some rest.”

Sana didn’t protest, instead she let Nayeon hold her. After Sana was able to calm down, feeling embarrassed about crying, she released Nayeon and turned back to Eunha. “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I was just thinking about Sana and how she would be really proud of you.” Trying her best to muster up a warm smile, Sana made the corners of rise up. It looked more like a broken gesture, because the sadness of everything was weighing down on her heavily, but it was better than nothing.

At that, Eunha’s eyes began to water as well, and she quickly nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Making up her mind, Sana quickly stepped forward and embraced Eunha into a tight hug. It was a bit awkward because Eunha was still sitting up on her hospital bed, but Sana had no problem bending down to engulf the girl. Eunha hesitated but quickly returned the hug. Closing her eyes, Sana tried to memorize the feeling of hugging Eunha—taking in every detail. It was over much too soon, but Sana knew that she couldn’t stay there much longer.

To my best friend, I’ll see you again one day, but take your time coming to visit. Live a long and happy life.

Placing her hands gently on Sana’s shoulders, Nayeon wished Eunha well before she began to pull Sana outside.

Sowon thanked Mina and Nayeon for their visit again and walked back inside the room. “Are you okay?” she asked Eunha, sitting down beside her on the hospital bed. “Mina looked like she was crying, and so do you.”

“It’s strange,” Eunha began, lightly biting her bottom lip in thought. “Mina seemed so familiar to me, even though I’ve only spoken with her a few times before all this.”

Studying Eunha’s face, the taller girl quickly intertwined her fingers with Eunha’s.

“It was as if…” she paused. “I’d known her for years.”

“Maybe you knew her in a past life?” Sowon responded. “They say in each lifetime we encounter the same people over and over again.”

Eunha wasn’t sure, but either way, with Sowon beside her, she felt safe, and knowing Mina and Nayeon were looking for Sana’s killer brought her peace.

They walked back to Nayeon’s car in silence—the kindness Sana had received from Nayeon had faded away, and they were left with uncertainty and discomfort once again.

“Look at you, you made Mina’s face all puffy and red before the award show tonight.” It was said with a surprisingly soft tone, and Sana wasn’t sure if the girl was serious or not.

“I didn’t mean to cry,” Sana sighed. “It’s just, it was hard for me to talk to her without her knowing it was actually me. There’s so many things I wished I could’ve said to her that I couldn’t say. I just wanted her to know how much I cared about her before I cross over.”

“I understand,” Nayeon replied. They were both standing outside the van now. “It must be...hard.”

There was an awkward silence.

“Okay, I’m stepping out of Mina now. That should be the last time I have to possess her, so you won’t have to worry about it again.”

“Sana, wait,” Nayeon cried out. “Can I talk to you for a minute? We can sit in my van and I’ll start driving over to a building near the venue for makeup—we have to meet Sungjin and the rest of the members there.”

A bit taken off guard, Sana quickly nodded and the two girls got into their respective seats. Nayeon started up the van and backed out of the parking spot, before she cleared and readied herself to ask the questions that were burdening her.

“Well, what’s up?” Sana asked, getting a bit antsy.

“I’m getting to that. Give me a second, this is all just so weird for me. You’re not Mina but you look like her and you sound like her…”

“...but I’m actually a ghost. Yeah, can’t blame you for being weirded out. Mina and I are very different.”

“No kidding,” Nayeon mumbled. “So tomorrow night I’ll look through Dowoon’s stuff and try to find something incriminating. If I do, then Dowoon will get arrested. My sister will be devastated, but at least she’ll know the truth. And you...you’ll leave?”

Looking out at the familiar streets as they passed by, Sana nodded. “I’ll be able to cross over and find peace.”

“It might be hard to snoop, but I’ll manage,” Nayeon assured. Reaching to turn up the radio, Nayeon began to bop her head slightly to the IU song playing on the radio. “And Sana?”

“Hm.”

“Thank you.”

Sana looked at Nayeon in surprise. “For what?”

“I guess you kind of brought Mina and I together,” the manager admitted, not daring to take her eyes off the road in front of her.

Sana smiled slightly. “It was my pleasure. Alright, now if you’re done, I’ll let Mina have control again.”

And just like that, Mina was back. Slowly opening her eyes, she stared out at the passing traffic around her. “Oh, it’s you,” she murmured, smiling softly at Nayeon, who was gazing at her.

“Now that that I know what’s going on with you, it’s kind of obvious to me when you’re possessed and when you’re not.”

“How can you tell?” Mina adjusted her position, sitting up straighter in the passenger seat.

Nayeon directed her attention back to the road. “Your eyes—just the way you look at me. Your posture too—you have better posture than Sana. Even the way you talk, it’s so much softer. It sounds like you take more time to construct your words carefully, whereas Sana just says the first thing that comes to mind.”

“Hey!” A shout rang out from the back seat. Mina turned around to see Sana looking offended and giggled.

“It’s Sana,” Mina explained to Nayeon. “She seems offended by what you just said.”

Sana crossed her arms and huffed, but her grouchy expression only lasted a second because she knew what Nayeon had said was true.

The Seoul Music Awards flew by more quickly than Sana would’ve liked. As soon as they arrived to meet the rest of the members, Mina was whisked away for hair and makeup. Nayeon trailed behind the girls like a constant shadow, shuffling them around and making sure each one of them was red carpet ready in time.

The stylist had dressed each of the EDEN girls in elegant dresses—varying in lengths, styles and colors, and yet somehow they all complimented each other. Mina was dressed in a long, dark blue dress that made her look like royalty. Sungjin shuttled them all into a van and then drove them to the venue, where their arrival was highly anticipated by the press.

Sana, of course, hitched a ride, snuggling into the van on Mina’s lap. Mina gave her a strange look but didn’t put up a fuss with her friends around. The girls exited the van as gracefully as possible, and immediately were met with the whirring of camera clicks and the buzz of awestruck chatter from the photographers.

Nayeon always had Mina in her sights, and Sana couldn’t help but notice how proud she looked, seeing Mina pose for the camera. The camera flashes lit up the space around the girls in dazzling light against the white backdrop. Mina was a star, truly, and Sana was in awe of how naturally it came to her—how she held herself with such poise. The interviewer on the carpet—a tall, pretty woman with a nice smile—asked the girls the basics. Everyone’s eyes were on Mina and the rest of her members—hanging onto their every word.

This is what Sana had wanted ever since she was a little kid—to be looked at like that. An idol who was adored by many and gave others strength. It was something she could never accomplish now that she was dead, and that thought suddenly made her feel sick. Stepping back a bit into the crowd of spectators, Sana tried to remain calm, but she could feel a burning, uncalled anger rising up in her. It wasn’t long before she could see a darkness surrounding her hands and body—the mark of an evil spirit.

The worst part was that she knew what was happening to her, but she was helpless to stop it. It was almost as if she were a passenger in her own body, or ghostly form, in this instance. She was mad at everyone and everything, and she wanted nothing more than to take back what rightfully belonged to her—her life that could’ve been. Why did these girls get to live out their dream while she was taken from this world without a choice? The jealousy and anger was almost too much to bear. Sana sank down to her knees, holding her head and closing her eyes, trying her best to hang onto her usual happiness.

A chorus of “thank yous” and “goodbyes” rang out, snapping Sana’s attention to the red carpet again. That’s when she saw Mina, staring at her. Despite the crowd of noisy photographers circling her group like vultures, Mina had found her. Seeing a dark aura surrounding Sana, Mina wanted to call out to her friend, but could only stare with a worried expression on her face.

Jeongyeon placed her hands on Mina’s shoulders and guided the girl forward. Mina was forced to march along, although she did turn back to look at Sana. As Sana stared back, she found herself growing calmer. Shortly after Mina disappeared inside the venue, the darkness surrounding Sana was gone.

Sana took her time finding the EDEN girls once again. She felt oddly ashamed to see Mina, even though the dark thoughts in her mind weren’t truly her own. Instead, she got a sneak peak at the other idol groups there, watching them stock up on food from the buffets and goof around with each other.

The venue was packed with idols and fans alike. EDEN were seated near the stage, sitting in a long row of seats next to one another. Sana walked over to Mina and gave her a small wave. Upon seeing the girl looking like a normal ghost again, Mina sighed with relief.

“You look really beautiful,” Sana said, giving Mina a warm smile. In response, Mina simply gave her a smile back, unable to thank the girl out loud. But Sana didn’t have to hear Mina speak to know what she was thinking.

Before Sana knew it, the girls were whisked away for their performance. Jumping down to the front row, Sana cheered and sang along with them. Later that evening, EDEN even won song of the year for “Forever,” and each member took a little bit of time listing people to thank.

Sana was beaming until she noticed something strange on stage—it almost appeared that there were 6 members of EDEN instead of 5. There was a shadow near Mina, one which had a human-like shape...it was the evil spirit Sana had seen lingering in Mina’s bedroom only days before. Mina must’ve been unable to sneak the anti-evil spirit spell-covered scroll Jihyo had given Sana into her outfit—she had nowhere to hide the paper.

Without hesitation, Sana ran up onto the stage, ready to throw some fists. But then she remembered, she stood no chance against an evil spirit. If she wasn’t careful, she could just be erased from existence. “Hey you!” Sana yelled out, while still keeping a distance. “Remember me?”

The spirit turned, eying Sana with an annoyed glare. Mina began to turn too, seeing the evil spirit for the first time. She couldn’t help but gasp while Dahyun had the mic and was still listing off her thanks. Tzuyu, standing next to her, grabbed Mina’s hand and turned her attention toward the audience once again. Mina managed to remain calm, but she couldn’t help but tense up at the thought of the creepy ghoul lingering right behind her.

“The ghost who’s claimed this human,” the spirit replied, looking mildly amused. “Was that little charm she’s been carrying your doing? Cute. It’s strong, I’ll give you that. The shaman who made it must be quite powerful. But, you see, I am very old and not easily bent by the will of humans.”

“She’ll carry it at all times, I’ll make sure of it,” Sana cried, putting her hands on her hips. “If you come near her again, I’ll get that shaman to banish you from this world!”

“You may try, but everyone slips up eventually. I am a patient creature and I have nothing but time. But you on the other hand, I see your time is almost at an end—you’ll join me in the darkness soon. By then I’ll have her though, she’ll be mine.” The arrogance of the evil spirit made Sana curl her hands into fists.

The spirit slowly gave Sana a face-splitting smile and carefully placed its long, black fingers on Mina’s shoulders. Closing her eyes tightly, Mina cringed. It took every ounce of her self control to not scream, feeling the cold, dead thing’s fingers drumming along her bare shoulders. Luckily, Jeongyeon concluded her short speech and the girls were led off the stage. The spirit released Mina and chuckled. Sensing something was very wrong, Tzuyu put her arm around Mina’s shoulder to steady the girl as they walked down the steps and backstage.

Giving Sana one last smirk, the evil spirit disappeared.

As soon as Nayeon saw Mina, she knew something was off. Tzuyu was practically holding the girl up—without her support Mina might collapse at any moment.

“What happened?” Nayeon asked, with wide eyes and her brow furrowed. She immediately took Mina from Tzuyu, rubbing the girl’s arms because they were covered in goosebumps.

“It’s nothing,” Mina replied, but her shaky voice betrayed her words. Nayeon wasn’t believing that for a minute. Once they got back to their dressing room, where they’d stay briefly before heading back out to the audience, Nayeon pulled her aside and gave Mina a knowing look.

“There was an evil spirit,” Mina confessed. “It said...it wanted me. It touched my shoulders…it was so cold...” As Mina spoke, her voice grew gradually softer until it was only a whisper.

Nayeon looked disgusted and also angry, like she was about to go beat up the spirit herself. “Jesus, Mina…”

“Sana was there though, she tried to protect me,” Mina added. “I don’t have that spell that Jihyo made to ward off evil spirits, I couldn’t hide it in my dress today.”

“We’ll get Jihyo to get rid of this spirit for you,” Nayeon said, pulling Mina into a hug. “And in the meantime you’ll need to carry that charm around, always. I’ll tape it to your forehead if I have to.”

Despite being very spooked, Mina managed to laugh. Pulling away from Nayeon, the two girls turned to see that everyone else in the room was staring at them. Tzuyu gave Mina a knowing look, Dahyun looked surprised but amused, Jeongyeon just looked confused, while Momo wore a slightly annoyed stare. Sungjin had his arms crossed and his eyebrow arched.

“Are you okay, Mina?” Jeongyeon asked.

Mina nodded, feeling her cheeks reddening under all the attention. Her and Nayeon had moved apart from one another, pretending that intimate hug didn’t just happen. “I’m fine now. I just...felt sick suddenly on stage, but it passed.”

Sungjin walked over to her and patted her on the head. “Alright, well, we gotta get you guys back out there. Let’s take a few pictures with the trophy and get you on your way.”

While the girls were posing for pictures, Sana made her way back to the dressing room, panting from her haul over there. She hadn’t run that fast since she tried to outrun Jihyo back before she ended up possessing Mina on the streets to escape the shaman’s wrath. Seeing Mina seemingly fine, with the color returned to her cheeks, Sana felt relieved.

They finished the rest of the show, winning another award, before they were free to go home for the night. Sana stayed close to Mina for the rest of the time, acting as a bodyguard. She didn’t know what she’d do if the evil spirit showed up again, but she wouldn’t let it anywhere near Mina.

Sana nearly collapsed on top of Mina, who had immediately laid down on her bed as soon as they returned to the apartment. Everyone was tired from a long day of mingling and social interactions—especially Mina.

“Tomorrow’s the night,” Sana announced. “Nayeon finds the evidence, we take Dowoon down. I won’t have to be a ghost anymore, ’ll be free.”

“Is it really that bad, being a ghost?” Mina asked. She was looking at Sana, genuinely curious.

Sana thought for a moment, debating. “No, not really. I mean, I guess it can be a bit lonely. You can talk to other ghosts though, and some are nice and others are, well, you saw it today. Not so nice. It does have some perks, like possessing people. It can be pretty fun.”

Mina gave Sana a look, but the ghost simply shrugged. “And I can do this too!” Sana puffed out a breath in Sana’s face, and it was ice cold—even frosty. Mina gasped and turned away, making a sour expression. Sana giggled, watching as the girl turned back to give her a pointed glare. “It’s nice that you can see me. These past few weeks here...they’ve made me very happy. There were some times I actually forgot I was dead.”

The lighthearted atmosphere in the room quickly dropped. Mina reached out and took Sana’s hand in her own. She didn’t know what to say, but hoped that was enough.

“You did so great out there today,” Sana said.

“Thank you,” Mina whispered, giving Sana a small smile. “You scared me a bit though, what happened to you during the red carpet?”

“My time is running out.” Sana sighed. “But I’ll be fine! You need to be careful, in the meantime. Make sure you always carry that paper Jihyo gave me with you! Where is it, by the way?”

Rolling over so that she was closer to the edge of her bed, Mina reached out and opened the top drawer of her nightstand, pulling out the small and thin paper with the red writing scrawled over it. “Right here!” She tucked it beneath her pillow, so it could stay close to her all night and protect her.

“Hey, Mina,” Jeongyeon called, poking her head out of the bathroom. “You have to wash all that make-up off before you go to bed, you know.”

Mina sighed, but managed to roll off her bed and shuffle over to the bathroom. Sana laughed, watching her pout about it.

When Mina got back, fully ready for bed, she found Sana already asleep, taking up most of her bed. Seeing how peaceful she looked, Mina couldn’t even be annoyed with the girl. She snuggled under the covers, practically hanging off the bed, and drifted off to sleep.

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Sorry this update took forever! I've been so busy but hopefully I'll have some more free time in a few weeks. Anyway, this chapter is kind of long...but I hope you guys still like it. Next chapter you'll see Nayeon's mission of snooping through Dowoon's things...and it might even be the last chapter! The story is almost wrapped up, but I have a few more HUGE plot points wrapped up my sleeves. Thanks for reading!