Chapter 1

Like most mornings in Seoul, the sun was shining brightly, giving the already vibrant and dynamic city a more radiant glow. Rays of sunlight danced around the shoulders of commuters, who were dashing to work, rendering them to look even smarter and more sophisticated in their suits. Despite being a Monday morning, everyone seemed chirpy and jubilant, as if their day had been brightened and blessed by the spectacular weather, accompanied by a clear, cloudless sky and warm temperature. However, the weather never mattered to Jinhwan, so as many other things in life; every day was the same to him, with no sort of variation whatsoever. Sitting in the armchair by the window, looking out on the busy streets of the city, Jinhwan the television and started his daily routine, which only consisted of three mundane activities: sleeping, eating, and flipping through channels on the television. He did not work like people his age, who were probably working hard to climb up corporate hierarchies- he worked for a health magazine as a freelance writer and lived off article gigs that he took on every now and then, offering publishing companies his expertise. The pay was not great, yet it was adequate for him to pay his rent, water and electricity bills, and sometimes get some booze to ease his irritable nerves. Regularity was what most young people of Jinhwan's age would see as tedious and dull, but, to Jinhwan, it was the best kind of life he could ever lead. He never aspired to be rich nor powerful- what he ever wished for was to live like any other normal person. So far, he was living his dream life until June, his flatmate and best friend, rushed into the flat, flinging the door open, panting and with droplets of sweat scattered across his face. What June said was what he dreaded heang most as he knew that once he got back into that life, he would plunge deep into it and into memories that he never wanted to relive and had hid at the back of his mind. There was no point in escaping anymore as he, as well as June, were both born into that life.

‘Jinhwan hyung, I need your help! I really do!’ exclaimed June, who was pacing back and forth the room nervously.

‘June ah, I told you not to meddle with things like that anymore. You know, what the consequences are. You're not little anymore,’ replied Jinhwan in palpable exasperation, with a frown on his perturbed face.

‘No, hyung. I swear we have to do something this time because it determines my future love life. Do you  remember the really cute guy I talked about the other day that I was crushing on? Anyway, when I went up to Yunhyeongie to hug him before he left for Japan for a business trip yesterday, I saw a man our age staring vengefully at me. I tried to make him leave Yunhyeongie  with some of my tricks, but they didn't work at all. He only got closer to Yunhyeongie and even followed him to the plane. I've noticed that Yunhyeongie had got a lot weaker these days since he fell sick just recently and even broke down in tears a few days ago. I'm afraid that if this goes on for any longer, something's going to happen to him. I don't want anything bad to befall him. Jinhwan hyung, please help,’ begged June in an urgent and worried tone.

‘June, I told you to close your third eye. You know what it cost us when we last used it,’ reprimanded Jinhwan angrily.

‘Hyung, but this time it was different. I didn't open it of my own accord. It just opened and I saw him,’ replied June.

‘What do you mean? So, you just saw him lurking around your colleague?’ asked Jinhwan, with concern in his tone.

‘Yes, he was not just lurking around. He was literally clinging to him,’ answered June.

‘June, this is the last time I'm doing this, I'm telling you. We have to see your crush as soon as possible. He's in deep ,’ said Jinhwan, with his finger pointing at June.

‘He’s coming back tomorrow morning. I'll try to get you into our office,’ replied June.

‘Does your crush have any big enemies?’ asked Jinhwan with a puzzled expression.

‘Not that I'm aware of. Yunhyeongie’s really nice and sweet. I don’t think anyone could hate him that much to the extent that he wants to haunt him after death,’ answered June.

‘Are you sure that the man was glaring at him with menace?’ inquired Jinhwan, resting his head on his hand.

‘Yes, the way he looked at Yunhyeongie was just so intense,’ replied June, making big gestures to express his concern.

‘June ah, don't stress about too much. We'll work that out like how we used to,’ said Jinhwan wistfully.

Jinhwan had no idea why he complied with June's request to do what he lived in dread of experiencing again. Maybe, it was because he had always had a soft spot for June, who was stuck with him through his worst days and was family to him. It could also be that part of him wanted closure and to repent his sins.

Like June, Jinhwan was different from other people. They had special powers that no one would ever desire to possess and gifts that were only bestowed upon some - they could see the dead. Apart from being able to see them, they could also interact with them and had the obligation to guide them back to where they belonged to, the realm of the dead. They acted as a medium between the living and dead, facilitating communication between them. Most of the time, their job involved granting the wishes of the dead as there were unspoken words and unachieved goals that halted them from moving on. Sometimes, things were more difficult as those, who were murdered or died suddenly, had no idea that they were dead or held resentful feelings towards the perpetrators owing to their wrongful demise. The saddest thing, to Jinhwan, was that not all spirits could be helped, resulting in them obliterating from the world as memories of them faded into thin air. This heart-wrenching feeling of not being able to give wronged spirits closure was what Jinhwan would never want to experience again.

However, this time, it was a special case and Jinhwan was willing to take the risk of having to go through the pain that he could still feel acutely again since Yunhyeong was in great trouble. Not all spirits had the innocent intention of conveying their final message to their loved ones; some spirits that were fuelled with fury and vindictiveness directed their hatred towards the wrong people and often intended to harm the ones they targeted. If luck was on their side, the doings of the spirits would only strike them as silly pranks pulled off by a mischievous friend or some boisterous teenager. Yet, not everyone was as fortunate; those spirits were relentless, just like the people who slaughtered them. Usually, these spirits started off with following their target and slowly getting near them. As they got close enough to their victim, they would start the life out of them, leading to victims falling sick and constantly feeling lethargic. As this continued, the spirit would eventually grow strong enough to posses the body of the victim and live their second life. This was irreversible and often resulted in the victims taking their own life as they had lost control of the course of their life. Jinhwan feared that Yunhyeong would end up just like one of  them, found dead in his flat, looking hopeless and desolate. They had to do something before this began to take a toll on Yunhyeong.

Getting to work, Jinhwan plopped himself down on the swivel chair by the study desk, switched on his laptop, and started typing away. There was no time to waste.

‘Hyung, what are you doing over there? I've just texted Yunhyeongie to see if he's alright,’ asked June curiously.

‘Is Yunhyeong's surname Song?’ asked Jinhwan, with eyes glued to the monitor, ignoring June’s question.

‘Yeah, why?’ replied June, rising to his feet.

‘Come and look at this,’ said Jinhwan, beckoning June over.

‘What does his LinkedIn profile have to do with that?’ asked June, looking over Jinhwan's shoulder.

‘Well, look at this. He worked for an accounting firm before joining the bank you guys are now working for. But, here it says that he only worked at the firm for six months, then he called it quits and took two years off. It's very unusual for one, who’s twenty-three, to resign and stay unemployed for two whole years. And, with his qualifications, I'm sure that he could have easily got a job for himself. Has he ever told you about what he did during those two years?’ explained Jinhwan, with his eyes still fixed on the screen.

‘Now, thinking back, he has never mentioned to us that he took a break from work. When he first joined us, he only told us that he worked for an international accounting firm before. Sometimes, when we ask him about his work there or his school life in America, he shies away and tries to change the subject. This does register to me as suspicious ‘ answered June, left eyebrow raised.

‘We've gotta know everything about him, including what he did in those two years. So, tomorrow, we'll go to your office and I'll have a look at the man and see what we can do about it. But, June, you've gotta be careful. You're the only one I have left,’ said Jinhwan, with his voice fading away at the end of his speech.

June knew that this was a huge favour to ask of Jinhwan, who had sworn to conceal his powers til the day of his demise after what had happened a few years ago, however, by the looks of Yunhyeong's situation, it was necessary for him get Jinhwan involved even if it meant that agonising memories were to be brought to mind again. There was nothing he could do but to hope that history would not repeat itself this time.