Joohyun rested her back on a tree, legs crossed against the itchy grass that tingled her bare skin to the hem of her flowery dress. Quiet, she listened to the songs of cicadas that announced the end of the afternoon, watching the sun as it set on the horizon amidst the mix of hues which colored the skies, a breathtaking mess of oranges, and pinks, and faint, rising navy-blues.

Looking at the sky was one of her favorite things to do. Beautiful sights had always brought her mind peace, even when it was bubbling in troubles. The sky had no answers whatsoever – and, in that, she found all the ones she needed.

The scenery was so serene that it made it her drowsy. She let her eyelids close without resistance, gave in to limbs that felt too heavy, trying to sink deep into the dream world, to give herself to the land of nod.

The girl’s short nap felt like a blink, interrupted by a voice that called her from the distance. Her eyes were blurry with sleep, but she could make out a figure waving at a distant part of the garden, calling her unceasingly, waiting for her.

Her legs were asleep, but once she woke up and stretched minimally, Joohyun managed to get up. She waved back, confused. She couldn’t even explain why she was waving back in the first place, but it felt like her actions were all written beforehand, like following a script. She had a feeling she had done that before.

A faint “follow me” was all she heard in response, having no time to shout anything back as the girl ran away among flowers.

Joohyun chose to follow her, even though her legs felt heavy beneath her like something was pulling her down, holding her back. An eerie wave of anxiety hit her, accelerating her heartbeat as the palms of her hands became damp in sweat. She had a bad, unexplainable feeling about the abandoned area, the garden – a single drop of dread for the unknown that had the hairs in her arms lifted in a matter of seconds.

How could a place that beautiful stage a tragedy?

After reaching a part where the trees were fewer and the cicadas’ songs were muted, she found the girl, standing steady with her back turned to her. That was the darkest part of the garden, a place where once a water fountain worked, but now it was taken back by mother nature, vines curled around every curve of the structure and every crack made by the roughness of time. A few broken statues made them company, and Joohyun had an uncanny feeling that they were all staring at them – even the headless ones. They were all made from the same material as the tiles left on the ground, previously a porch of the abandoned mansion she would always explore on her childhood along with her best friend.

The place was beautiful, abandoned by humans and maybe even by God, but they had always known how dangerous it was; the house on top of a hill that had been falling to pieces for over a decade. But they were never the type of kids to listen to their parents when it came to that. And, maybe, they should’ve been.

Suddenly, the girl turned around to face her old friend, a naïve smile lacing her lips. She leaned her back on the marble porch behind her, the only thing that protected her from falling into the cliff.

“You're late, unnie.” Joohyun shivered at her words, body trembling and exhausted. The words felt unexplainably cold – not as in distant or sulky; it was cold like a corpse would be, a whisper of death in her ears.

“I'm sorry, I-”

Joohyun’s words were interrupted by a crack that startled both of them. She looked down at her feet, noticing that the ground opened in fissures, splits spreading through the earth so fast that she couldn’t even bring her mind to think about it in time for a solution.

The cracks stopped under the other girl's feet, their bodies stiff as they exchanged antsy glances. She opened to say something, but before she could, the ground beneath her gave in and her body fell down the cliff mercilessly.

“Seulgi!” Joohyun screamed the other girl’s name as she, herself, held tight to a statue nearby, massive marble tiles with crumbles of dirt still shaking and falling before her alongside her friend's terror-stricken, static body.

The fall seemed to last forever before she hit the ground, but when she did, there was no doubt to Joohyun that Seulgi wasn’t coming back.

She remembered now.

That scenario had repeated many times in her head.

It was a dream.

At the sudden realization, the scenery around her shook like a broken screen, reality crumbling into pieces that fell unceasingly. She became surrounded by darkness only, a black abyss the only thing she could see besides the small piece of tile-on-dirt she stood on.

After a moment, it fell too, and so did her own body.

It kept falling, and falling, and falling... Like it was falling forever.



And when she opened her eyes, she was home.

“Wake up, human.” A paw patted her face, warm and fluffy – but it was no common paw. It was a certain giant cat's paw. “You're having a bad dream, that's all. Do not fall for the spiritual world's tricks. It wants you to fall forever, so just wake up at once.”

“You could've just put an alarm to ring beside me, you know…” Joohyun murmured as she shoved the paw away with both her hands, voice hoarse and eyes still puffy with sleep.

“As if you’d hear it! You’re an impossibly heavy dozer when you engage in the deep type of sleep. If your soul leaves your body in that state and you end up trapped inside the spirit world, my master is going to kick my out of existence, so I better not risk it.” The giant cat scoffed; big brown eyes bright even in a darkened room with curtains closed. It smiled playfully; sharp white teeth almost glowing in low light. “Besides, if there can be any fun time in waking you up, it most certainly is getting you slapped by my paw.”

The girl rolled her eyes, hands pressing against the mattress to lift her upper body as she sat on her bed. She stuck out her tongue, left uncomfortable by the feeling that was covered in long black fur.

“I swear to god, Joy... if my death is ever caused by a spirit, that spirit will most definitely be you, choking with all the fur you make me swallow.” Despite the accusation, the young girl didn't sound annoyed – only tired, as she always did. It was one of the many traits that made people erroneously describe her as someone bland.

Joohyun wasn't really a bland person. The giant cat spirit knew all too well – the girl had a very fun side of hers, actually – being always tired was the only reason for the image people had of Joohyun. She wouldn't smile much around strangers, would always be quiet, even with her clueless family, and would frequently have a static expression on.

It was hard not being tired all the time when even sleeping was tiring for her, struggling to deal with the things she saw on the spiritual world that always tried to pull her out of her vessel of flesh, her body.

Joohyun's life was a constant existence between the two worlds – and with that, no time was left for her soul to rest.

“Stop being such a drama queen!” Hissed the giant cat. “God, it's not like I'd let you die... The worst that could happen would be getting a furball.”

“Which, honestly, I prefer not to.” She shivered at the thought, earning a hearty laugh from Joy.

“Come on, come on. Take that nightgown off and get dressed already, we have a busy day ahead of us.” Joy meowed, throwing a pair of white socks on the girl, and a black and white school uniform. Joohyun only blinked, still sleepy, and looked up at the spirit in confusion. “You're lucky I didn't throw your shoes on you, too!”

“But... this isn’t my school's uniform.” Joohyun analyzed the fabric with curiosity, fingertips tracing the shapes of golden embroidery on the left side of the black jacket.

“Now it is. I transferred you to a new school because that's where she studies.” The cat gave her a wide grin, pointy teeth showing.

“She?” She parroted; lips pursed in a small pout as she tried to connect all the information when she had barely woken up.

“The girl I told you. The person who we'll help next. My master told me that this is going to be very hard, but it is fundamental in order to save that girl's life and They trust your abilities. They said her name is Seungwan.”

“Oh. Okay.” Joohyun got up from the bed to get dressed.

In less than thirty minutes, Joohyun had everything ready and set. She had her uniform on, her hair and teeth brushed, and her backpack on. The uniform fit her well, and the cat had a pleased grin plastered on her face while looking at her.

“You look cute like a doll, Hyunnie.” Joy rubbed herself all over the girl, almost making her lose her balance with all her weight. Spirit or not, Joohyun could feel her guide as a perfectly solid being.

“Stop... My uniform will get fur all over it...”

“It doesn't even matter! Only you will be able to see it anyway, so what's the point in being mad about it?”

“The point is that I will be able to see it, and it will leave me really, really annoyed.” She answered in a displeased murmur, finally opening the door of her room. “So, no rubs until I'm home again and with my casual clothes on. Deal?”

“... Fine.” The cat grunted and followed her out of the bedroom.

Joohyun, as always, kept talking to the spirit as she walked around the house. She went to the kitchen, grabbed a box of cereal and put the circular-shaped flakes on a colorful polka-dot bowl, which was the one that was closest to her.

“I think that's completely absurd.” Joy said, putting on a disgusted expression while looking at the girl’s morning meal.

“Not everyone eats cereal with milk, Joy. When will you get over it?” She smiled playfully although her voice still sounded tired. On the other hand, did it ever not?

“Never! That... that is so freaking dry! Like, how can you even eat that?!”

Joohyun rolled her eyes. “Cats and their milk...”

As her mother went through the dining room, she approached her daughter carefully, analyzing the girl's outfit with a confused expression that matched perfectly with her daughter's earlier one.

“Good morning, Joohyun.”

“Morning, mom.” She gave her a tired smile. Joohyun knew her mother had probably heard her talking to Joy - for the nth time since she was younger - but she didn't really care anymore. Her family had accepted all her sudden weirdness since the day of the accident, blaming her gained oddity on the trauma caused by it.

“...What's up with this new uniform?” Mrs. Bae sounded like she tried to choose all the right words not to hurt her daughter's feelings in any way. She was always all too careful since that very day, many years ago – as if life around her daughter was always walking on eggshells. “Did they change it? I didn't receive any warning via e-mail or-”

“No, don't worry. I'm just transferring to a new school.” The girl said as if it was the most common thing in the world. Her mother’s eyes doubled the size for a second before regaining composure.

“O... kay?” She exchanged an obviously worried glance with Mr. Bae, who pretended to read the newspaper in the living room while paying attention to their conversation. “Was there… any problem at the old school?”

“Not really. I just felt like changing.” It was a lie, but it was better than explaining that she had spent the last seven years of her life practicing on how to help people near her using her abilities, which she learned - and was still learning - how to control with Joy, a spiritual guide that that had the preferred form of a giant cat.

“Do you want your father to take you there, at least?” Her mother asked softly.

“I'm okay. I'll go by bus.”

“Very well…” Mrs. Bae carefully walked near her, patted her hair and gave her a peck on the top of her head. Even if Joohyun was a strange kid that worried them a lot with uncommon problems, the Baes loved their daughter dearly. “Just take care, okay? I'll make a sandwich for you to take as a snack.”

“Thanks, mom.” Joohyun smiled softly. Despite everything, her family seemed to trust her, and that was important to her.



*



“I can't believe it... Your mother is the cutest.” Joy watched as the girl put the wrapped sandwich inside her purple backpack while both of them walked towards the bus stop, the gigantic cat walking side by side with the girl.

The sun shone brightly that morning, the sunbeams warming up Joohyun’s skin a welcoming sensation. It even made her feel a little less tired, but her body didn't seem to agree as the warmth reminded it of her cozy bed, and she lazily shuffled towards the bus stop. She missed being energetic like she was before her situation with dreams got slightly out of control, and she couldn't wait for the day when Joy would teach her how to control it.

But she also knew she could only do it if Seulgi chose to let go.

“I know, she's adorable. Oh, by the way, before I forget it... What's up with this Seungwan girl?” She stopped by the bus stop; hands tight around the straps of her purple backpack. The cat didn't shift her gaze at her, eyes scanning around for things – those that were deeper into the spirit world, which Joohyun couldn't see but many times feel – just moved an ear to show that she was listening even though she was guarding her warily. “I mean, what's her problem and all.”

“For what it seems, an obsessive spirit is messing up with her.”

“And what makes it so harmful? Spirits mess with people all the time. Typical poltergeist activity.”

“Master told me that it's trying to lead her to death. They don't know the reason, so we’ll probably have to get to that. But it seems that it's a pretty young spirit. It died a few months ago at most, and it's still filled with negative emotions. Seungwan is probably open to attacks to some extent. Possibly because of mind and body weakness?”

“Hm. Okay.” Joohyun hummed, interested, although her lifeless mumble would often be interpreted as the immediate opposite. She relished helping people with her abilities, so analyzing the situations was always important for her to succeed. Unfortunately, she lacked cheerfulness and ended up having trouble to help others with a terrible first impression many times.

The vehicle arrived shortly after they got to the bus stop. Joohyun looked at the spirit for reassurance if that bus was the correct one to take to the new school, and the feline looked at her out of the corner of her eye and gave her a curt nod.

Its door opened smoothly, the girl grabbing the yellow handrail to reach the high stair more easily as she entered. Joy followed hastily after her, the spirit's huge form passing through the open door easily due to its ghostly consistency. An old lady on the first row felt goosebumps as the cat walked through her as a faster, straighter path to where Joohyun chose to sit, the girl shaking her head negatively at her mentor.

“Why do you keep doing things as a reckless spirit? Seriously, are you a poltergeist or a spiritual guide?” She chuckled, watching as the cat shrunk and took a seat beside her, taking advantage of the situation to pat her head affectionately. Joy relaxed into her warm human touch, purring loudly at the act of goodwill, but straightening herself up shortly in the silliness of her haughtiness. Joohyun snorted weakly at that, deciding to shift her gaze to the window beside her, observing the scenery they passed by.

“It's not doing her any bad, shut up.” Joy groused.

“Well, it's not doing her any good either.”

“Whether I do or do not damage a few seconds of a human's life should not be your concern, for I am your tutor and not the other way around! I know what I'm doing, human.” Her eyes narrowed at the girl, but she seemed to pay no attention to her whatsoever, observing the streets in peace. The cat sighed at the lack of attention, turning to the other side sulkily, her tail shaking from side to side in an irritated pace.

The bus stopped once again to pick up a few passengers that waited patiently down the following street; and five girls that shared the same uniform as Joohyun entered together like a herd of sheep, their chattering too noisy for both the spirit and the human. Noticing their clothing, Joohyun exchanged a glance with her mentor that wondered if one of these was that one Seungwan and the spirit shook her head in answer.

A middle-aged man entered after the teenagers, his gaze landing on the girl sat by Joy's side, glance threatening to take a seat beside the young beauty and making the spirit’s inner alarms ring loud at the danger. He made his way to the seat Joy rested on, but before he could sit, the cat he couldn’t see snarled at him in an angry hiss, his eyes widening at the odd sensation that hit him before he decided to walk away and choose another seat.

“How rude, can you believe that? Deciding to take a seat beside a young girl like you when there are plenty of empty seats to take! Some people are unbelievably shameless. Male humans are nasty.” She muttered to Joohyun, who finally shifted her sight towards her, giggling at her furious statement.

“Tell me about it.” Joohyun smiled at her sheepishly, lids half-closed like she was about to fall asleep. Naps were not as tiring as full hours of sleep, as weird as that sounded, because they connected her much less to the spiritual world, so Joohyun had grown accustomed to nap anywhere she could – inside cars, on the bus to school, in class, and even standing sometimes.

“What would be of you without me? In the middle of this hell full of disgusting human beings?”

“Someone who actually knows how to protect herself without the help of a spirit?”

“Fair enough.” Joy mumbled before her gaze landed on her own feral body, the elegant coat of fur of her neck a fluffy reminder of her plans, eyes widening at the realization. “Oh my, we're getting closer to the school and I haven't even settled for a human look yet!”

The girl rose her brows in confusion at her mentor's sudden sputtering, eyes wide for the first time that morning. “Why would you need a human look?”

“Who do you think is registering as your mother? Please, Joohyun, think for a bit.” She shook her head in disbelief for the girl's lack of awareness of their situation, but she should give her a break since it was the first time their way to help someone had Joohyun changing her school. “Do you think Master can just put your name in the class register and change everyone's mind to make people think you've always been studying there? Please, They have more important things to work on!”

“Right, right, sorry.” The girl threw her hands up in surrender as the cat looked at her with an expression much more human than feline-like. “I didn't think it through correctly, my bad. But how exactly are you pretending to be my mother?”

“That I can handle, just trust me and pretend to be like a normal teen girl your age, which means not giving single care whatsoever to the stuff their parents do for them.”

“Sure, mom.” Joohyun jested, earning a smug smile back from the cat. “Either way, what do you have in mind? I mean, about your human form.”

“I've been thinking about the hair, I think it's time to change.” She mumbled as light began involving her feline form, her limbs growing as she started to take the form of an adult woman, notably taller than the teenager. Cat whiskers disappeared as furry cheeks shifted into light skin and rosy cheeks; her fangs, no longer sharp, hidden behind plump red-tinted lips. Her long ears became small and hidden behind scarlet locks that contrasted with the suit she wore, professionalism and maturity a synonym for Joy's look. The tutor snapped her fingers once and her hair turned dark black. “So, what do you think? Scarlet or ebony?”

Joohyun bit the skin inside her right cheek as she analyzed the options presented, a not too familiar face replacing the usual feline complexion she was used too – and grew to prefer as time passed, even though that wasn’t her human form’s first appearance.

“I'd usually pick the red one since it gives you a cheerful aura, but I guess it's too summery. It doesn't give as much of a mom-look as the black one. Although I still prefer the short style with bangs over any other, it makes you look like a child. So, yeah, the black one.”

“Ebony it is, then.” A grin curled up her lips in the human complexion of Joy, who still stared at her own hands, fingers going back and forth between the air and her palms, unaccustomed to the weird feeling of her physical form not having any paw pads. That odd sensation would always get her every time.

Joohyun retrieved her tutor's smile before she landed her gaze over a face that looked at her judgingly from behind Joy on the other set of two chairs beside theirs, for she couldn't see a living soul sat by Joohyun's side. The smile didn't fade, it only took the form of a lopsided one.

Behind the girl's weirded-out smile, she could hear her friends whispering at each other, her ears filled with words she had heard countless times or similar phrases from others who could never understand her demeanor.

“She has our uniform, but I've never seen her before. Is she new?”

“What a weirdo. Talking to herself is a thing only mad people do.”

“Lonely people can be so crazy.”

“Look at her eyes, so puffy and sleepy... She looks high. Maybe she's hallucinating.”

“Joohyun.” Joy's voice was firm as Joohyun felt the spirit's hand over hers. “Don't listen to them, okay? They don't understand, those dumb humans... Why don't they just keep their noses out of other people's business?”

“I know Joy, I'm okay. I'm used to it.” She held her mentor's hand and squished it affectionately, smiling sheepishly at her. Joy guarded her as a mother did to her kid, a role she had taken quite a lot since she appeared in Joohyun's life, and she was so grateful for it that it always made her cozy at heart. “I don’t mind it, really. They're too loud for me to be friends with, anyway. Besides, my mission in this new school is to help a girl, not make friends.”

“That's my girl.” The spirit smiled proudly at her before looking back at the girls once again, snarling at them and sending a wave of chills to the back of their necks that had them trembling. She turned her head to the girl beside her apprentice and smiled slyly at the suggestion that left her own lips. “Now, how about we give them a good scare?”

“I say it's an awesome plan.” Joohyun giggled behind a tired smile.

“Girls! Excuse me!” Joy sputtered in their direction, fingers snapping in the air to call their attention from their row. “Are you, perhaps, mocking my kid? Because I sure know that the school principal won't be amused to hear that their students are unwelcoming of new students.”

Their eyes doubled the size as they looked incredulously at the solid form of the woman that had just appeared in front of them, eyes cold and height scary since they were all short – the tallest of them being 5'4'' at best – their expressions dreadful. Some of them rubbed their eyes in disbelief, while the other stuttered apologies at her. The tall woman watched them with her arms crossed and a satisfied smile.

“We're very sorry, miss! W-We did not see you there...” The one that stared at Joohyun boldly just a minute before Joy made herself visible quivered, bowing respectfully at the adult.

“I'm not the one who should receive apologies.” She spat, narrowing her eyes at them. “My daughter is the one you should apologize to.”

“We're very sorry, unnie!” They mumbled in unison, scared of what the fearsome mother of that weird girl could do to them.

“It's okay, girls.” Joohyun leaned forward to face them, smiling sheepishly at the younger teens. “Apologies accepted. Let's just be nice to each other, alright?”

They all nodded and turned their heads down after bowing to them in apologies again, attempting to avoid the scrutinizing look from Joy. Joohyun leaned back again into her seat, her naive facade falling as a smug smile colored her lips and she exchanged a complacent look with her mentor.

“Thanks. You're the best, mom.” She leaned her head on the woman's shoulder. Joy's hand rested on top of her head, ruffling her hair gently.

“Only the best mother for the best daughter. That will teach those little snakes not to mess around with someone who has me as a mentor.”

 

*



“So... Bae Joohyun?” The professional-looking woman asked, sweating nervously against the fabric of her burgundy blazer. Her pupils seemed to shake as she looked through the seemingly untouched files that had the teenager's name.

“Precisely.” Joy answered, her back straight and posture imponent; the spirit was ready to deal with anything that the principal could argument against her.

“Well, her school record seems legitimate, and the folder was clearly here. I just don't understand how I could let that pass, Mrs. Bae… I'm very sorry for all this trouble.” She kept reading and re-reading it thoroughly, quivering slightly as she went from one page to another and read the information written in black font, the trembling not passing unnoticed by the young girl sitting in front of her in silence.

“It's alright. One of the secretaries have probably forgotten to inform you, that's all.” Joy dismissed the supposed misunderstanding with a hand gesture. “It was a school exchange made in a rush, so I bet that’s what caused all of this mess.”

“That makes sense. It must've been that.” The principal nodded, sighing at her situation - and thinking that she would probably have to shout at someone later for causing three people trouble.

“As long as my daughter can join her class properly, we won't have any problems.” The mentor's smile had a hidden layer of intimidation behind red lips, and Joohyun observed as the woman gulped at the unspoken threat. “Didn't their class start already, though? I wouldn't want Joohyun to be late.”

“I'm very sorry about that, Mrs. Bae. I will print out her schedule as you and I deal with unsettled paperwork, then she can at least head to her class. Sorry to make you late, Joohyun.” The principal said as she typed on the computer, the printer turning on in the short span of seconds and starting to print with a loud, screeching sound.

“It's ok.” The girl mumbled, focusing on a point of the room behind her that held odd energy but moving her gaze to the principal's eyes right away. She smiled amiably at her, and the middle-aged woman gave her an awkward smile in return.

“You will be in class 12-B, room 20, the first on the second floor. It's right by the stairs, you certainly won't have any problem finding it. If you do, there are always hall monitors everywhere, so you might just ask them for directions.”

As the principal handed her the newly printed sheet, Joohyun raised her arm to grab it, letting her fingers feel the warmth on the paper. She analyzed it gingerly, quietly, gaze jumping from word to word as she scanned the contents from Monday to Friday.

“Joohyun, you're free to go now. Me and Ms. Ha will deal with the boring paperwork, and you don't want to be late for class.” Joy winked, earning a short nod from Joohyun in response. She took her bag from the ground, pulling it over her back once again as she rose up from the uncomfortable seat.

She bowed them goodbye and gave them one last small smile before turning away and walking through the open glass door, heading towards the main stairs' direction. Besides the few hall monitors, who observed her every step carefully, not a single student could be seen outside class – which made sense, judging by the forty-something minutes she had exceeded from the usual class time.

Eyes followed her as she went up the stairs, grabbing the cold handrail beside her as she moved her feet step to step, the soles of her shoes silent and gentle against the hard ground. As she reached the top, her glance went from one side to another, looking for the number written on the paper beginning to scrap between her fingers - room number twenty.

Joohyun bit her lip as she looked up, spotting the board above the door on the left that held the numbers she looked for, painted in thick black lines, “Class 12-B” written in smaller and thinner letters in parenthesis under it. Approaching it, she stood on the tip of her feet to peek through the small window on the light-colored door, observing the great number of dark-haired heads that faced front, paying attention to the class held in front of them. Breathing in, she knocked on the door twice before opening it, turning the handle and attracting the attention of most – if not all – of her new classmates.

Their stares were intimidating, and a wave of murmurs grew as she went through the entrance slowly, in tiny steps, both of her hands fiddling with the paper's edges.

“Excuse me...” She muttered, low and coy.

“Yes?” The man in front of the blackboard asked, with his hand raised in midair and pen finishing the curve of a letter. “You do not seem familiar, young lady... Did you perhaps enter the wrong class?”

Joohyun shook her head in response. “I've just transferred. Mrs. Ha told me that this is my class.”

“Oh. I didn’t receive any warning on a transferred student, but alright. Welcome. May you take a seat, please? We're in the middle of a class.” The girl nodded in return and sought for an empty chair between dozens of occupied seats, spotting a seat in the back behind a girl that seemed to be taking a nap behind her thick notebook. “Also, I need your name so I can put it on the roll.”

“Bae Joohyun.” She answered, hoping that he'd have heard her even though her voice was as low as ever. Thankfully, he seemed to hear it clearly, nodding and writing it down on a paper that rested on his desk. The girl sighed in relief.

“So, hm...” The teacher looked at the whiteboard behind him once again, struggling to put his ideas back in the thread they followed before. “Where was I before Ms. Bae entered our class?”

The class went back to its previous pace as a female student in the front row reminded the middle-aged man of the discussed subject, the professor turning around once again and finishing the sentence he had begun to write before the newcomer entered the room. Although the class was tedious, Joohyun found herself interested in the topics he talked about for some time, but her attention on him was lost as soon as she saw a fluffy tail making its way through the sea of students.

“It's so cold, suddenly. Is the air conditioner on?” Joohyun heard a girl with long hair ask her friend a few seats to the right, making her shake her head in disapproval for her mentor's demeanor.

The cat got to her a few seconds later, shaking her lower body a few times before jumping onto the girl's table. She barely fit in the rectangular space, her medium form as wide as a big dog. Observing her situation and making Joohyun giggle slightly as she seemed to struggle to keep both of her four paws on the table, Joy shrunk to the size of an ordinary cat.

“I love it when you turn this tiny, it’s adorable." The girl whispered, in an attempt not to call much attention, for the other students couldn't see the spirit that sat still in front of her. “I'd pet your head, but I guess that movement calls much more attention than whispering.”

“Certainly. That's a wise decision.” Joy nodded.

“So, how did it go? With the papers and all.”

“It's bureaucracy. It's always boring.” An obvious shade of impatience colored her grunt. “But it went alright, although I don't have a single clue on how you humans don't go mad, having to deal with so much dreary paperwork...”

“That's the thing, humans have all gone mad. Society is messed up for a reason.”

“Well, that's what I always tell Them. Ruining perfectly functioning monkeys for what... The poor things have anxiety! I swear, sometimes I think They give me this much work to do on purpose...” Joohyun snorted at her rant, her mentor's relationship with her boss and view on the human race's situation sounding comic to the ears of the teenager. “Either way… Did you notice?”

“Hm? Notice what?”

“Uh, the obvious curtain of dripping negativity surrounding one single student in this classroom? Our target, obviously...”

“Sorry. I got interested in the class and didn't really get to pay attention to anything else...”

“As if we were here in favor of your education!” The spirit rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disapproval at the girl. “We're here to save a life, Joohyun! Pay attention for a second, it's obvious...”

Taking a deep breath, Joohyun tried to forget the class in front of her and focus only on her objective, on finding the energy Joy talked about so eagerly. Many students had darker energies surrounding them, probably because of stress caused by the pressure of the educational system, but as soon as Joohyun's eyes landed far on the right side of the room, she found herself observing an odd, sinister scene.

The girl had her silhouette surrounded by a dark shade of grey smoke, her aura dripping in hues of navy blue – a fearsome mix of pungent suffering melting in desperation – making Joohyun's eyes wide in surprise as she noticed that a pair of ghastly hands held her shoulders tight, sharp dark nails pressing against the fabric of her uniform. If she paid close attention and shut her ears to the common plane of existence, she could clearly hear how anxiety emanated from the girl’s uneasy breathing.

“Oh, dear. This is bad.” She muttered, finally.

“I don't think you've ever dealt with something like that, Hyun.” The mentor said, her each word marked by firmness. “... But I do think you can do it. You've been getting better and better, and if They told us to handle this, They seem to trust you well enough to manage.”

“I don't think I've ever seen a spirit as mad as that. Well, at least, not that I have dealt with it.”

“Although I’ve seen much worse, I know that it might be scary for a human to be seeing that for the first time.”

“It's hurting her. Continuously.”

“It surprises me that you couldn't see it before, actually.” Joy queried with curiosity lacing her tone, for she knew that the teenager's senses weren't ones to fail easily. They were usually sharper than the tip of a freshly sharpened pencil, yet she didn't seem to notice a thing before focusing completely on the energies that surrounded her.

“I don't think it follows her all of the time. It's... odd.”

“I think we'll have a lot of work to do.” Despite their unpleasant situation, the cat smiled, making Joohyun smile in return - she knew what it meant, the satisfaction of helping someone, especially in a scenario as challenging as that; for them both, as a team.

“You can bet on it.”



*



As soon as break began, Joy and Joohyun exchanged a short nod to indicate the beginning of their plan’s execution. Joohyun stood up from her chair, glare focused on the short-haired girl who was still sitting by herself at the other side of the room.

“So, you’ll approach her in the most amicable way you can,” Joy went through their usual tactics upon the first contact with a target.

“Yes, I’ll try my best at that.” She turned to face her mentor, who was still in her common-cat-sized form. Joohyun’s shy demeanor was often the cause of a not so approachable first impression, so Joy knew she needed a little push.

“Be gentle, have patience with her. People going through moments of emotional fragility like her won’t always open up so easily to new people.”

Joohyun gave her guide one last firm nod before turning around to proceed with their plan but stumbled into someone taller than her as soon as she turned around. She looked up front and noticed that a group of unusual faces surrounded her, curious eyes scanning her eagerly like an artifact behind glass. The group was mixed between boys and girls who seemed confused by her lack of attention; some even laughed at her for bumping into them like that.

“You should pay a bit more attention to where you’re going, new girl.” Said the tall boy in front of her, although he didn’t seem angry at her.

“Dude, babe’s all over you already,” A guy over the left side of the group that gathered around her mocked with a smug smile on, and some of them laughed. Joohyun eyed them with clear distaste for the joke, making their expressions change – he even muttered a low apology.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to stumble into you.” She apologized, hoping the cluster would scatter away from her.

“It’s alright.” He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. Joohyun attempted at keeping her sight focused over Seungwan, but the tall boy was like a wall blocking the view. She sighed, frustrated as he kept talking, aiming for introductions she didn’t have neither time nor patience for, “Bae Joohyun, isn’t it? I’m Lim Seungeul.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” The girl answered hastily, “but I really should–”

“Are you in a hurry or something?” He arched an eyebrow at her, “You just got here, relax… Why don’t we show you around? It’s not every day that a girl this pretty becomes part of our class.”

“Thank you, but I’ll have to refuse, and yes, I am in a hurry. I need to check some stuff with the dean.” Joohyun scowled, pushing her way through the barrier of students. “Now, if you’ll excuse me-”

Once she managed to free herself from the clutter, she sighed as her eyes scanned around the classroom for Seungwan but, much to her dismay, found only an empty seat. Her mentor groaned in frustration beside her, following Joohyun eagerly on her little paws as she crossed the room towards the open door, keeping up with her fast pace.

“I can’t believe they ruined our plan! It was going to go so smoothly, so naturally!” Joy wailed.

“Guess it’s time for a plan B, then.”

“Try to sense where she went as soon as we get outside, it’s too noisy inside and you won’t be able to form a steady path of energy. With how tense she was, this could be a matter of life or death at any given moment, so we should not lose time.”

Joohyun nodded, turning down the corner in the corridor as soon as they left the classroom. Crouching down beside a pillar, she covered her ears with her palms to muffle the noises from the classes nearby, aiming to avoid the other students’ energies. She took a long, deep breath before concentrating in the brief image she had of Seungwan, mentalizing the way her emotions felt and looked. A path of dripping navy-blue began to take form over the ground’s tiles, splattered like paint in a chaotic-looking, thick line. It smelled of salt, thunderstorms, and charcoal; strong and unnerving.

“She went this way.”



*



All that resonated within the toilet made the girl’s breathing more uneasy, shakier by the second – the dripping water from the old tap that would never fully close, hitting the sink in thick drops; the confusing chirping of students from a room next door; the anxious thumping of her heart that wouldn’t leave her ears. It was all too noisy, too much. She just wanted to be left at peace in silence for a while, but no matter where she went, everything seemed so loud.

“It’s okay, Seungwan, just breathe in...” She stared at her own reflection on the dirty mirror, trying to soothe her troubles away, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The water felt too cold against her skin. The girl could feel her breaths come out shaky, close and eyes burn with forming tears; her attempts on calming herself had decreased on any positive results these days. Her anxiety was getting tougher, bigger, scarier by the day, and she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to hide. But there was nowhere she could go. “And breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in-”

“And breathe out.”

Seungwan’s eyes twitched in desperate blinks as a familiar voice finished her sentence, doubling in size as she looked up to meet a figure whose face was adorned by a devious grin. The girl’s body became rigid with fear, barely able to give a step back without missing her balance.

“Watch out. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt now, would we?” The girl behind the mirror smiled slyly.

“I… I thought you had left…” Seungwan murmured, shivering in dread.

“Left? On, no, I was just giving you some rest. A tiny break before I could go back to making your insignificant life even worse.” She put her hands over the mirror as if she stared back at the horrified girl through a glass wall. “It’s always best to keep you hopeful, you know. Because the more disappointed you get at my presence, the more frustrated and exasperated you become… the easier it is for me to get what I want.”

“Leave me alone!” The student covered her ears with her hands as she screamed, trying to ignore the figure behind the mirror.

“So pathetic, aren’t you?” The figure began to push her hands against the surface, bending it like molten glass under the tips of her fingers and painting it black at the spots in which her digits were pressed. “You really thought you could get rid of me as simply as that? You miserable, foolish thing.”

Freaked-out, Seungwan scanned the room for a place to hide, locking herself up inside a bathroom stall. She sat on the closed toilet seat and hugged her own legs, forehead resting over the knees as she tried to ignore the sharp sound of shattering glass. It crunched beneath white, blood-stained snickers whose steps got closer and closer to the stall.

“You can’t even succeed in calming yourself down when I’m not here. You really are a useless, pathetic girl.” She pushed at the door violently and Seungwan quivered in dread, sobbing loudly between desperate, hitched breaths. “And when I’m done with you, no one, I said no one, will give a single about-”

Suddenly, everything was silent. Seungwan waited for a few seconds before peeking through the space between her joined knees in confusion, noticing how she could still see the bloodied shoes standing in front of the door.

“. This can’t be good.” Her voice came in a frustrated groan before the feet disappeared in plain sight, leaving Seungwan in a fog. She was one to toy with the young girl a lot, but never like that. Not before hurting her, at least.

Gingerly, Seungwan stood up and reached closer to the stall’s door, attempting to hear what had just stopped her. She could hear steps and a faint voice outside the toilet room, seemingly in a rather lively discussion but no other voice could be heard chirping along. The door outside opened with a loud, oil-supplicating shriek, and the same voice murmured.

“Hush now… She must be in there.”



*



“You should’ve just barged in, not waited like an idiot! For Their sake, the girl could be dead by now!” Joy chided beside Joohyun, who prudently took short, gentle steps towards the only closed bathroom stall.

“I don’t want to scare her off!” She whispered. “It’s strange that someone she doesn’t even know is looking for her at a time like this. So, let me handle this carefully, ok?”

“Joohyun, you meat-headed adolescent, angry mean spirits won’t just wait! They’ll-”

Their heads snapped towards the stall’s door as they heard a clicking sound of an unlocking door, and they both stared at it with anticipation. When no one got out and only crying was heard, Joohyun reached closer to the stall, exchanging a determined glance with Joy before knocking meekly at the door.

“Excuse me, I… I heard crying and I-, I wanted to…” Joohyun cleared , “Are you okay…?”

As soon as the newcomer opened the door, the wailing girl looked up with her face stained in paths of tears, gasping for air amidst thick sobs. She bit her lip to hold back a wail, closed her eyes shut and she stood up, launching herself over Joohyun’s arms in a hug. Her eyes widened in surprise at first, as the crying girl held her with force – she almost had lost her balance upon the sudden weight against her but, thankfully, Joy had her back – albeit she soon adapted to the embrace. She put a hand over Seungwan’s disheveled hair at the top of her head and patted it soothingly.

“It’s alright.” She cooed. “Take your time.”

She exchanged one last look with her mentor and no other words were needed to understand what went through each other’s minds.

This was going to be a tough job.