The itching receded after a quick run to a pharmacy to buy an anti-allergy medicine but the spots are still visible on his arms as he inspected it the next morning. He sighed in exasperation as he got out of bed still feeling lightheaded, probably from that medicine as it had knocked him out only a few minutes after he had taken it. He massaged his shoulder as he stepped out of his room.

And found Dara standing there with a wide smile on her face. “Good morning!” she greeted brightly.

His eyelid twitched. He’s not in the mood for an early-morning-sunshine soul. He just walked past her to go to the kitchen to drink water because he felt his throat has gone through the desert. Damn, he could really feel a cold coming.

Dara’s bright face faltered a little and she watched Donghae gulping down the bottle of water. He’s still not mad at her, right? He had been grumbling loudly as he searched his house for some allergy medicine while scratching himself like crazy last night and she had helped peeking through cupboards and every nook and cranny of the house but found none. He finally went out to a nearby drugstore while she tailed behind apologizing non-stop but one that he just completely ignored ‘til he went to bed. Now it looked like the cold-shoulder will continue until he found himself over his PMS.

She snorted at the thought and Donghae just gave her a dry look. Dara cleared as she smiled widely at him again. “I could’ve made you breakfast but.. you know… I’m a soul so… just list it on my debts to be repaid. I’ll make sure to… uh… make you breakfast… when I get back in my body.” I sounded so ridiculous.

Donghae must’ve thought so too by that comical look in his face. “Don’t bother,” he just said sounding resigned as he closed the door on the fridge.

Dara sighed at his less than lethargic reaction, her shoulders dropping. “Do you even know how to be cheery?”

“Cheery?”

“No. More like happy. I just feel like there’s always a cloud of doom over your head.”

“Yeah there is,” Donghae answered. “And it’s name is Sandara Park.” He proceeded in making himself some coffee to get some energy for the day. He’s still got some time before his shift on the radio.

Dara’s wide smile faded into a scowl. Lee Donghae is really making it difficult for her to be friendly. Especially if she’s really trying to get more on his… friendlier side. If that even existed. Before she could even spat out a snarky comment, the doorbell dinged.

Donghae’s forehead creased and he looked at the wall clock. Who will visit him at 8:30 in the morning? He never had any visitors except Nam Miso. Who always barges in without knocking anyways so he’s definite this visitor isn’t her. He strode over to the door and took a peek at the peephole. He narrowed his eyes in puzzlement as he opened his door to look at the guy dressed neatly in his white polo shirt and slacks with polished hair looking really out of place in his shabby apartment. “Can I help you?”

Behind him, he heard Dara gasped softly and Donghae automatically tensed and readied himself for slamming the door in case this guy is someone dangerous.

“Lee Donghae,” the guy started.

“Yes,” Donghae confirmed at the same time that he heard Dara mutter, “Jiyongie.”

“Jiyongie?” Donghae repeated with brows furrowing, looking over his shoulder at Dara in her seemingly iridescent form by the open window where the sun’s rays are shining and he was struck for a second at that sight.

“Don’t call me that, it’s making me uncomfortable,” Jiyong practically commanded as he glanced at where Donghae is suddenly looking at behind him.

Donghae snapped out of his weird moment of enthrallment as he returned his attention at a frowning Kwon Jiyong. Donghae could now recognized him from the same man he tried to give his demo tape to years ago and from the pictures in the internet he had looked up yesterday.

“May I come in?” Jiyong asked formally.

Donghae studied him for a second before opened the door wider for him to enter wondering how Kwon Jiyong suddenly found his address. Then he stopped short as he glanced at Dara again with narrowed eyes suspecting she had something to do with this. Dara is not looking at him but staring at Jiyong with that… bambi eyes. “That is annoying,” he muttered to himself as he refrained himself from rolling his eyes from witnessing the love woes of a ghost girl.

Jiyong scrutinized the small clean room and to the small sofa by the window before returning his attention to Lee Donghae who is still in his pajamas and currently had visible red spots on his face. He was just standing by the door with his arms crossed. From what Jiyong noted, Lee Donghae looked wary. In contrast to what he was yesterday when he managed to get inside the building and his office yesterday. In fact, his aura is different now from even the night before. Jiyong rolled his tongue inside his cheek wondering if it was really a good idea to see him after the report that he received that morning about him.

But he just needed to find out for himself. “Let me tell you now I have my bodyguards who will beat your door down if I don’t get out in ten minutes.”

Donghae raised his brow at that veiled insult which he had no idea where it is coming from. “Then I guess it’d be a better idea to throw you out now, wouldn’t it?”

They both regarded each other with unwavering stares and Dara rolled her eyes as she watched that small exchange. “Oh geezus christ,” she muttered exasperatedly at the alpha-challenge these two boys are showing.

Jiyong realized Lee Donghae, whatever his state is right now is probably safe. He showed Donghae a disc and tossed it over to him. Donghae caught it without missing a beat but he looked at it with puzzlement.

“You forgot it yesterday,” Jiyong told him putting both of his hands inside his pocket.

“What’s this?” Donghae asked and saw Dara drifting a little farther away looking very suspicious.

“You’re supposed demo tape,” Jiyong answered him. “I should be reporting you to the police for trespassing and impersonation.”

Donghae closed his eyes in consternation as he realized that is what Dara had done with his body and he clenched his jaw before looking at Jiyong again. “Then why didn’t you?” Dara was wringing her hands not saying anything for once. Probably too guilty.

“Only one thing, Lee Donghae.” Jiyong looked at him in the eye. “And your answer will depend on my decision. Who are you?”

Donghae scoffed at that. “You just mentioned my name.” Then he looked at Dara. “Your friend’s an idiot.” He shook his head as he goes back to his kitchen for his brewing coffee.

“You know he doesn’t mean that in the literal sense,” Dara finally said sounding cross. “This is our chance, Donghae. Please.” She went to him as he poured his coffee.

“Lee Donghae, a graduate of SJ High, was offered a scholarship in one of the most prestigious performing arts school in Seoul.” Donghae froze and Jiyong continued with the lines that he had read from the report given to him by his assistant when he asked to do a run for a Lee Donghae, the man who snuck inside VIP. “The same Lee Donghae who was arrested for a number of burglary and trespassing, smoking pot, using drugs two months after graduating, And less than a year had been confined in psychiatric hospitals for schizophrenic attacks, hallucinations and diagnosed for a bipolar disorder. You have been ruled out of trying to assault an elderly woman by pleading insanity where you have been sentenced to two years in a mental ward and stayed for three. Am I missing anything?”

Dara gasped at that information, her eyes wide as her gaze darted from Jiyong to Donghae. Donghae placed the coffee down and looked at the tiles on his kitchen wall, his jaw clenching. “I hate it when people try to run a history search on you.”

“You left Busan and moved here in Seoul at the same time that Dara is trying to get her degree in the US and the closest interaction you had ever gotten with her is at that celebration party four years ago where you were hired as the DJ. There is no way you could’ve known Dara” Jiyong continued sounding firm now. “And don’t ever even try to make me believe you were dating her.”

Donghae’s frenzied emotions over his nightmare being recited came to a halt as he turned to Jiyong, his brows furrowed at what he said. “What?”

Dara put a hand over as she tried not to look too guilty. What else could she say at that point? Though she knew it’s about the most stupidest thing to say and Jiyong knows her too well to even believe that.

Donghae looked at Dara’s guilty expression and Dara immediately apologized. Again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to say! It was stupid I know, you don’t have to tell me.” Donghae looked up at the ceiling feeling really tired and Dara continued, “But he’s here. Jiyong’s here which means whatever I did last night worked.”

“Aish,” Donghae just muttered. Yeah it did worked. A little too well to the point that Kwon Jiyong had him investigated and already knew his life story. There is no doubt that he is thinking the same as the rest of the people in Busan did and it is only reinforced by whatever crazy antics Sandara Park did with his body.

“Whatever Lee Donghae’s records are in Busan is in deep contradiction to the Lee Donghae in Seoul,” Jiyong continued. “You had lead a very quiet life here. Not even one arrest, not one attacks, not even drugs. I don’t believe a person can be clean that fast considering you left Busan only a few weeks after you tried to get out of the locks you yourself set up inside your home for a week.” Jiyong studied Donghae’s rigid form. “So tell me, who are you really?” His voice went low. “How did you know Sandara Park?”

Dara couldn’t help but gaze sympathetically at Donghae after hearing that. It is exactly what he had told her last night though he never gave much details. He was right. He had a quiet life after Busan. Until she came along and disrupted that. Donghae sighed and caught Dara looking at him with pity in her eyes and he gave her a fierce glare. “I don’t need your pity.“

“I’m not pitying you,” Jiyong said in response to what Donghae stated not knowing he was talking to a soul beside him.

“Tell him the truth,” Dara softly told Donghae. Jiyong would believe him. She just knew it.

Donghae studied Dara’s beseeching expression before turning to Jiyong. “Do you know anything about an Open Medium?”

“Open what?”

“Alright. That’s all I needed to know. Good bye,” Donghae said turning back to his coffee. He is really not in the mood to explain every little detail as to how he can see the soul of the woman Kwon Jiyong is looking for.

“Donghae!” Dara whined stomping her foot. “Please! He will listen if you can be articulate in your explanation.”

“Oh so I have to be articulate for him to believe me?” Donghae retorted.

“You didn’t have to be so dismissive!”

Jiyong’s brows furrowed as he watched Donghae bicker with himself. This is certainly a bad idea. He just thought this Lee Donghae would be sane enough to talk to considering the reports stated that there is no other incident that occurred when Lee Donghae moved to Seoul. He was already getting desperate to find Dara and the fact that this strange guy suddenly snuck inside his office knowing she is missing…. He may be crazy but Lee Donghae knows something. If he could be sane enough to tell him about what that something is.

Donghae knows Dara is right. This is their chance. He wouldn’t have to think of ways to get Kwon Jiyong to talk to him but considering that Kwon Jiyong already knows his history, there is little to no chance that he would believe that he can see Dara’s soul without thinking he’s gone off the deep end and this is just one of his hallucinations.

But he guessed trying would be better than having a soul hovering around you and can possess you everytime she’s having an emotional moment. God knows what she’s going to do with his body.

He exhaled loudly, facing Jiyong again to try to make him listen. Jiyong was already looking at him in distrust and already a few steps away from him than a couple of seconds ago. “Do you know anything about paranormalcy?” Jiyong gawked at him for second before he scoffed incredulously and Donghae just continued. “I’m not going to explain about it because clearly you know what that is. I can see ghosts, spirits and souls. And that includes Sandara Park’s.”

Jiyong’s face bore a comical expression and he shook his head. “Of all the things you could’ve told me, you settled for that.”

“I could’ve told you many things but I settled for that one thing I knew would be hard to believe,” Donghae responded. “You don’t have to believe me, Kwon Jiyong. I’m just telling you I can see and talk to Sandara Park and she wants to find her body just as much as you want to find her. To be honest, I would do everything to help just so I could get her out of my hair.”

Jiyong’s face is looking more and more incredulous at the moment and Donghae shrugged ignoring the scowl that is etched visibly on Dara’s face. “She’s a pain in the .”

Silence followed before Jiyong let out a small huff of breath with a an unamused chuckle. “You really expect me to believe that?”

“No. You would be crazy if you would believe it that easily.”

“Ugh, you are not helping,” Dara whined at Donghae.

“You’re really crazy,” Jiyong said with a ferocious frown.

“I wish,” Donghae replied. “It’s a lot easier for people to believe I’m insane than accepting the idea that I could see souls, isn’t it?”

Dara tilted her head slightly at Donghae. “That sounded so… sensible,” she muttered loudly and Donghae only made a face at her over that comment.

Jiyong scoffed again. He should leave since it’s already confirmed that contrary to the reports, Lee Donghae is still not cured for whatever mental illness he had suffered. “You know what, thank you for your time.”

Dara snapped his gaze away from Donghae and turned to Jiyong. “No! Jiyong, please!” She went to his face hoping he would somehow feel her but his gaze went straight through her to Lee Donghae who was standing across from him. “Please! You have to know I’m here! C’mon!”

“Next thing you would be telling me, I’m already talking to Sandara Park,” Jiyong muttered loudly as he started to stride towards the door.

“You did,” Donghae said hurriedly in case Dara felt too emotional by the sight of Jiyong leaving and she would end up possessing him again. Heaven knows what chaos he’ll wake up to. “But you threw her out.”

Jiyong paused and gave him a dry look. “What?”

Dara turned to Donghae with her eyes wide. “Yes. Tell him that! He had his security dragged me out while I’m in…well you. While you’re in your pajamas the other night. And oh! Yeah, the secret door! Tell Jiyong that. We’re the only ones who knows the secret tunnel that leads to the fourth floor stock room! He marked the ground with a yellow X so we would know where to stop. Tell him that before he leaves!”

Donghae looked up at the ceiling in resignation over how long that narrative is. Great. He looked back at Jiyong trying to remember what Dara had blabbered on. “You had your security dragged her out the other night, she snuck up on a tunnel for the fourth floor to get on a stock room with a yellow mark—”

“No!” Dara said. That is not what she said.

Donghae scratched his head in annoyance then glared at Jiyong. “Look, this is your call. Like I said I’m not asking you to believe me. I can see her. Her soul. And she can possess me. She was the one who tried to get past security to talk to you. She is not dead, she is lost. She doesn’t know where her body is and she doesn’t have all her memories yet to tell me anything about what happened so we can have an idea where to track—”

“Oh so she doesn’t have her memories?” Jiyong interjected sarcastically, still not believing him though there is a part of him that is probably already close to it. Him and Dara are the only ones who knew about the secret tunnel that he had found when they were younger. But it had been so long and considering that the parking lot is already public, anyone can come across that. Which reminds h