invisible

Chapter Six

“I need you.”

“Would you help me?”

Hitomi hesitated but Chaewon’s gaze on her made her weak inside. It was the same gaze she used that night she begged to stay at the guest house. Hitomi has always been a soft-hearted person so no matter how much she thought Chaewon was irritating, she couldn’t help but agree to help.

“Okay…” she said reluctantly.

Chaewon smiled, and for a second Hitomi thought she saw tears in her eyes.

But being the usual Kim Chaewon, she changed into her arrogant mode in a second.

“Great! You have to help me become visible again! I only have 2 days from now!” she said.

“Two days?”

“I have to attend the script reading for my drama in two days. You know that drama that is getting much hype these days.”

Hitomi shrugged, “What drama?”

“Geez, don’t you read the gossip and entertainment news?”

“I don’t like reading useless things.”

“You’re saying it’s useless to read gossip?!”

Hitomi shrugged again.

“You’re so ignorant,” said Chaewon, pissed.

Hitomi shrugged again, “Whatever. So why do you need to be at the script reading?”

“If I didn’t turn up at the script reading, they might change me with some no-name actress or talentless idols. I can’t let that happen. You have no idea how hard I worked to get this role and I’m not letting it go just because I’m invisible!”

“What can I do to help you?”

“I’ve looked up about this whole invisible thing and this person’s name came up.”

“Dr. Kang?”

“You have to come with me to see her. I can’t go alone because she can’t hear me. So you’re like an interpreter for me.”

“An interpreter?”

Chaewon ignored her and continued, “She got a doctorate in supernatural studies, so she must know what to do to make me visible again.”

“I’ll do anything to be visible again. Anything.”

**

“Is this your car?” asked Hitomi as they entered the white BMW outside the guest house.

“Yeah.”

“If you have a car then why did you take bus the other day?”

“I fired my driver and he only returned the car to me a day after that. He dropped the keys at the guard. I had to sneak in there and steal the keys.”

“So you drove to get here?”

“Duh.”

“Didn’t the police stop you, because technically, there is no driver. They probably think it’s like Bumblebee… you know, living car.”

Chaewon raised an eyebrow, “You’re such a movie geek, bread face.”

“They didn’t stop me because I have this,” she said, tapping the glass.

“Glass?”

“My car was tinted with the best grade tint; it’s pitch black if you look from outside. It’s the same tint our president uses,” replied Chaewon boastfully.

But Hitomi was busy trying to scrape the tint from the window beside her with her nails.

“Stop doing that!!”

“It’s illegal to have more than 35% tinted windows for cars if you’re not the president!” Hitomi retorted.

She continued to scrape the glass with her nails, resulting with an annoying screeching sound.

“You better stop that or I’ll throw you out of the car!”

“And I don’t have to see you ever again? That sounds more like a reward than punishment to me. Throw me out!”

“Uggh!” Chaewon grunted and drove even faster. She knew she couldn’t get rid of Hitomi now.

**

Hitomi looked at the young woman in doctor’s white robe in front of her. She looked way too young to have a doctorate and to become an expert of ‘Anything’. She wondered where she got her doctorate from and if it was even legit. But Chaewon seemed to believe her wholeheartedly just because she was on the top result when she searched for ‘Invisibility’ on Naver.

“So you’re saying that your friend just woke up one day and she’s invisible?” asked Dr. Kang Hyewon.

Hitomi nodded, “Yes. That’s what she said. But she’s not my friend.”

Chaewon rolled her eyes, “Of course. I don’t want to be your friend either, bread face.”

Hitomi remained calm and smiled at Dr. Kang. She had to do all the talking since Chaewon was invisible.

“She’s not your friend? But she just come to you one day asking for help because you can see her?” asked the doctor again.

“Yeap. I don’t even know why I’m the only one who could see her. So unlucky.”

Chaewon crossed her arms and scoffed, “Not like I have any other options either!”

Dr. Kang turned around in her chair and took a book from her giant bookshelf behind her. She put the book on the table. It was a thick and it seemed like an old book, and there was nothing written on the brown leather cover. Dr. Kang opened the page and dust from the book flew into the air.

“Uhukkk!” Hitomi coughed.

Dr. Kang seems unaffected as she flipped the pages, “Okay, let’s see, the curious case of Benjamin Button, the curious case of the dog in the night…”

Hitomi and Chaewon exchanged looks. Chaewon shrugged, “She has a doctorate.”

“And here it is, the curious case of invisibility…” she mumbled as she settled on a page.

“Hmm…”

“So? Are there any methods to heal herself? To make her visible again?” asked Hitomi continuously.

“Since this is a rare case, there isn’t much about it in this book. There is only one method written here.”

“Ask her what is it?!” asked Chaewon as she poked Hitomi’s shoulder.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Before that, can I ask you something, Ms. Honda Hitomi?” said the doctor.

“Sure.”

“What is your relationship with this invisible girl? How long have you known each other?”

Hitomi gulped, “Er…I…”

“Geez. Of course we have never met each other before. She’s not someone whom I would meet in my daily social circle. Tell her we never met before,” said Chaewon nudging Hitomi’s shoulder.

Hitomi looked at her, “So we’ve never met before?”

“Of course, I don’t remember seeing your face in my life. Ever,” replied Chaewon incredulously.

Hitomi nodded and turned to the doctor, “We’ve never met each other before.”

“That’s odd. Because the reason why you’re able to see her is because you both have a deep connection with each other.”

“What deep connection?” Chaewon snorted.

“I’m pretty sure we don’t have a deep connection whatsoever,” said Hitomi flatly.

“Then maybe you have a deep connection with each other in your past lives. Maybe she’s someone you treasure so much in the past. You two could be families or… maybe you were each other’s soulmate,” explained the doctor, serious.

“What??” said Hitomi and Chaewon in unison.

“Geez, me and Bread Face were lovers? Gosh this isn’t some Gingerbread Woman and Cinderella love story!” Chaewon retorted.

“You can’t be serious with that, right?” asked Hitomi, gulping.

Dr. Kang shrugged, “The chances are high that you two were lovers. My gut feelings said so.”

“Gut feeling? Doctor, is this a joke…” Hitomi mumbled.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter