It’s so dark in here I can’t see anything. Where am I?  I found myself wandering in total darkness. I lifted my hands up in front of my face but couldn’t see them. I inched forward slowly, letting my instinct guide me towards an unseen exit, extending my arms out to feel my way through. Not only was it dark, it was utterly silent. The sound of my footsteps couldn’t be heard nor the sound of my breathing.  This must be how it felt to be mute and deaf. Too occupied with my surrounding, I didn’t notice the acrid sulfuric odor lingering in the air. It smelled like a combination of rotten eggs and burnt flesh. The odor intensified as I walked forward, letting my imagination run wild. My legs trembled with every step I took.

All of a sudden, I saw light from a far distance. This was all too familiar to me, like a déjà vu perhaps.  Just as expected, I began to plunge downward. My internal organs compressed, I felt adrenaline rushing rapidly as tiny blood vessels in my body constricted. I braced myself for the worst as I knew where I was heading. I felt myself combusted in unseen flame, scorching hot fire engulfed me. I screamed in agony as voices in my head whispered “Mine”. At that moment, I knew exactly where I was, and I was afraid.

“Ya Park Shin Hye! Wake up!” Hyun Joong’s voice echoed in my head while I felt my body shaking mildly. I opened my eyes to the familiar face of my friendly ghost inside my warm and safe apartment.

“Where are your wings?” I mumbled, feeling cold sweats dripping down my forehead.
“Babo, what are you talking about?”
“My body was burning just now.”
“You’re just dreaming. Don’t worry about it.” He was looking peculiar. His eyes were afraid to meet mine. It was as if he was hiding something and I was not convinced.

Just then I heard a loud noise in the bathroom, like something had fallen off its shelf. I froze on the spot.
“What was that?” I looked at Hyun Joong, who rolled his eyes and sighed. How could he be so easily annoyed when I’m scared to death?

“I’m just letting you know that you have an annoying spirit following you. Have fun with him.” And with that, he disappeared.

Huh? He didn’t mean himself did he? Wait..how could he be referring to himself as an annoying spirit? Unless he means I have a g..ghost following me?! I gulped loudly, refusing to move from my bed.

“That stupid Hyun Joong, why did he leave me alone?” I suddenly felt cold. I glanced at my clock and noticed it was only 5 in the morning which meant I still have an hour more to sleep before work. I cautiously laid myself down as I scanned the area for any signs of spirits. I closed my eyes but my mind refused to rest.

“Hey!” suddenly a voice called out. It sounded like the voice of a male. “Hey!”

I quickly sat upright once again and instinctively grabbed my pendant. The voice sounded like it came from a corner of my bedroom so I grabbed the flashlight and shone directly at it.

“Ya! Turn that thing off! Are you crazy?!” He yelled out. “Turn it off!”

The beam of light illuminated a tall slim figure of a young male in his late teen years. However, unlike other spirits, he stepped away from the light instead of towards it. By now, I could see his face clearly as he solidified in front of me. His outfit was not from this era, but probably from the 50s or 60s.

“W..who are you?” I pointed the flashlight at him, using it as a weapon to defend myself.

The spirit had his hands over his face to shield off the lights. He appeared to be quite bothered by it.

“Gah relax! Can you turn it off please? I’m not gonna hurt you!” He assured.

I slowly put the flashlight down after hearing his plead. The last thing I should do was to trust a ghost, though I supposed he sounded sincere enough.

“That’s better. You don’t recognize me huh do you? Fine fine I’ll introduce myself again. Ahem..my name is Lee Hong Ki, obviously dead as you can see, and I know this might be too much to ask but could you please help me?” He bowed slightly, and then clasped his hands together as he pleaded.

“Huh? We met before?” I didn’t understand what he meant.

“No forget it. We never met before don’t worry about it.” He was obviously hiding something.

“Um..I’m not sure if I can help you…”

“Of course you can! If not you then I don’t know who else to ask. I’ve been following you for God knows how long until you can finally see me.  I know your name is Park Shin Hye and you’re a soul .” His words came out in haste, yet I could detect sincerity and a bit of hope in his tone of voice.

“I..I’m really not sure if I can..”

 “It’s because you’re the only living being that I can communicate with right now and I really need you to help me reach someone. Please, I beg you. Do it for an old friend?” His eyes sparkled. He crinkled his brows and slightly pouted.

“You kept mentioning that we met before, do you know something that I don’t?”

“Um…” He hesitated.

“Who are you really?”

“I can’t tell you. If I tell you he’ll kill me!” He paused and contemplated for a second. “Well, not that it’d make any difference.”

“ Who?”

“Anyways that’s not the main concern! But please can you help me reach my fiancée? Her condition is getting worse but she isn’t exactly at ease with herself either so could you please let her know that she doesn’t need to be forgiven because it wasn’t her fault to begin with?”

 “Well I…” the vibration from my cell phone suddenly cut me off and I reached for it. It was Jae Joong calling so I answered. He said he was at the front door with homemade breakfast in hand, waiting for me. I was overjoyed, forgetting about Hong Ki as this was the first time anyone would treat me this way.

“Please will you help? You promised!” he continued to beg.

“I didn’t promise anything. Can you please come back later? Someone is waiting for me right now.” I quickly made my bed and washed up, then ran towards the door to open it.

“If you help me I’ll tell you everything! I know how to make your life normal again!” He yelled out. I paused for a second, but perhaps I could ask him about it later since Jae Joong was waiting for me outside.

“Good morning!” I grinned widely as I opened the door. Jae was standing there holding a plastic bag with some containers inside. He smiled back, looking charming as always.

“Morning. I was afraid you might still be sleeping. Did I wake you up though?”

“Oh no I was already awake don’t worry about it.”

“I made breakfast for you. I’ll take you to work later if you like.”

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to do this.”

“But I want to.” He beamed brightly.

I stood there looking dumbfounded and blushing foolishly, then remembered that I should ask him to come in instead of us standing there grinning at each other all day. He walked into my apartment and looked around. Because it was so sudden, I had forgotten to clean up the dishes from yesterday. How embarrassing! 

“Sorry I didn’t have time to clean up.”

“That’s ok I’ll help you later. Where do you keep your dishes?” he opened the kitchen cabinet and started setting up the table. He was quick and caring, and adapted quickly to his environment. The level of comfort between Jae and I was building rapidly as we happily chatted, eating the delicious eggs, bacons and sausages that he had prepared for us.

“I didn’t know you can cook. That’s amazing.”
“Well this is not really cooking, but I can make more dishes for you at your request. I can cook for you everyday if you like.”

As soon as we finished breakfast, Jae helped me washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen while I got ready for work. He dropped me off at work that day, leaving a big bright smile on my face. However, with this little secret of mine, will I ever have to tell Jae about it? And if I do, will I lose him?

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A/N: And here comes Lee Hong Ki! A bit late but better late than never right? He knows something she doesn't and trust me it'll be interesting. :D Ever wonder how Hyun Joong die? Well next chapter you'll get to know a bit of his past and his identity...and things will start to unveil more in the upcoming chapters as well okie doke? Anyways thanks for reading, <3 you all! Untill next time! =)