“I’ve missed you both so much,” Yoona whispered as she enveloped Taeyeon and Jessica into a tight hug, feeling overwhelmed from seeing them again. She felt silly being this emotional, therefore she was too preoccupied with preventing her tears from falling to notice the awkwardness that Taeyeon and Jessica felt from being in such close proximity to one another, shoulders touching and fingers occasionally brushing.

While Taeyeon and Jessica had started the afterlife together, Yoona had woken up centuries ago alone in a forest, with no notion of time and no memory of who she was. She spent a week alone in a nearby village, mostly terrified, especially after she realised that no one could see or hear her. It was the darkest and loneliest time of her life. Meeting Taeyeon and Jessica was a turning point.

The duo met Yoona when they were young deities still very much confused about their roles in the afterlife. They had been travelling, searching for someone who could give them the answers they needed. “All we know is that we’re not part of the human or spirit world. We are merely passive observers, and that everything makes very little sense.” Taeyeon had explained. This was years before they had learnt how to manifest themselves in different forms.

Yoona was not like Taeyeon and Jessica and it did not take them long to learn the truth.

“I think that child can see Yoona,” Jessica had said nervously as she pulled on Taeyeon’s robes. It was winter and they were travelling through a new city when Jessica spotted a child beggar shivering at the corner of the street, her eyes not leaving Yoona, who was busy staring at the brightly lit lanterns. Jessica’s suspicions were confirmed when the child walked up towards Yoona and reached for her hand.

Yoona will never forget the moment she felt the sensation of the child’s little hand in hers. The child was human, this they all could tell. Jessica had extended her own hand towards the child and watched as her hand moved through the kid’s shoulder like air.

“Can I follow you?”, the child had asked timidly. Yoona felt a wave of sympathy and nodded, flashing the child her brightest smile. But as Yoona lightly tugged on the child’s hand, she watched in horror as the child’s human form crumbled onto the ground, causing panic and commotion among the bystanders. She felt the child’s hand turn cold in hers, as villagers ran past the both their forms to the lifeless body at the middle of the street.

That was when Yoona had learnt that she was a grim reaper.

“Oh no,” Yoona said as she released them from her hug, finally noticing their tense bodies. There was an air of familiar tension that was hard to ignore. Yoona was the most free-spirited out the trio, dropping in an out of their lives for decades at a time, chasing anything that piqued her interest. She had not seen them for almost two centuries since she went under the tutelage of the famous grim reaper Lee Soo Man.

Yoona had a theory that Taeyeon and Jessica were soulmates – it was the only rational explanation as to why they had entered the afterlife together. There were years where they were lovers who believed her, but also years where they could barely be in the presence of one another. She knew that this time it was the latter and sighed at the realisation.

“I’ll start tomorrow,” Yoona decided, “But I do have one condition for Taeyeon unnie,” Yoona turned towards Taeyeon, remembering that she had important news to share. Taeyeon looked offended, as if she were accused of being guilty of a crime she did not commit, while Jessica mouthed a loving “thank you” towards Yoona, assuming the younger girl was once again stepping in as a mediator. “You’ll have to accompany me to collect souls for one week.” Yoona demanded, surprising both Taeyeon and Jessica.

“You mean leave the hotel?” Jessica asked, her initial delight faded into concern. Taeyeon merely stared at Yoona in shock, with a hint of fear in her eyes. Two centuries ago, there was a demon who captured a tree deity in Japan called Yuta. Even though Yuta could not be killed permanently, his form was repeatedly destroyed, causing Seikoro Hotel and bridge to be unstable. The spirits were stranded on earth, unable to crossover to the afterworld for weeks before the deity was eventually rescued. This pattern repeated in a few other countries - Philippines, Spain, Canada and Indonesia, each abduction more horrifying than the last, forcing Taeyeon to go into hiding, unable to leave the hotel for centuries.

Yoona took a step towards Taeyeon and held both her hands firmly, staring gravely into her eyes, wanting to convey the gravity of the words that followed.

“We got him,” Yoona emphasized each word, “You’re finally free.” This time, it was Jessica who pulled them both into a hug, sobbing into their shoulders. To Yoona’s surprise, Taeyeon returned the gesture and drew them closer, and Yoona felt her shirt grow damp from Taeyeon’s silent tears.

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Yoona smiled as she saw Taeyeon skipping dramatically down the street, drawing attention from onlookers. Her innocent joy made her look like a child, even though she was laughing like an old lady. “Yoona-ah, you’re my hero!” Taeyeon shouted from across the street as she did a cartwheel, almost crashing into a dismayed older man.

“That kid.” Jessica said as she continued making to-do lists on her phone, though Yoona caught a glimpse of her smile. Yoona was seated on a bench with Jessica while Taeyeon was running around looking for her favourite candy. “It’s not the same,” Taeyeon had protested when they told her that she could manifest any candy she wanted. They had decided to postpone the hotel opening for one more day. Taeyeon had given up so much for the hotel, the very least she deserved was a break.

“It must have been hard being trapped in the hotel,” Yoona decided to try her luck. “Mmm hmm,” Jessica replied, fixated on rereading her checklist. “For you I mean,” Yoona added, finally catching Jessica’s attention. “You and I have always been equally curious about the world, but unlike me, you couldn’t leave Taeyeon.” Yoona elaborated, feeling slightly apologetic for saying what she thought out loud.

Jessica shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not knowing what to do with her hands once she put her phone away. Her head felt heavy, weighed down by her thoughts. “Was it selfish to not want to be trapped in one place?” she asked, without looking up from her palms. “Maybe you’re right, Yoona” Jessica laughed bitterly. “Maybe Taeyeon and I are soulmates and I’m now the owner of Hotel del Luna as punishment for leaving my other half.”

“Would you rather not be here though?” Yoona asked, even though she knew the answer.

“Yes and no and maybe.” Jessica replied, and somehow Yoona understood the nuances of each. They caught the sight of Taeyeon waving fervently at them from the end of the street, balancing multiple bags of sweets. “But for now, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be” Jessica said as she took out her phone to capture the moment.

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“I’ve been trapped in the hotel for centuries and you’re the one who’s forgotten how to teleport?” Taeyeon asked, eyebrows raised, sluggishly pulling her suitcase behind her. This was her 6th day of picking up souls with Yoona. When the hotel reopened, dozens of souls arrived on the first day, saving them both a lot of effort. Taeyeon was mostly a passive observer during Yoona’s trips, opting to be invisible to the spirit world. Not many spirits leave the world happy, and Taeyeon wasn’t the best at providing words of comfort.

“You’ve never been on a plane before!” Yoona exclaimed, proud of herself for this surprise. She wanted Taeyeon to experience 21st century transportation, convinced that the last travel mode Taeyeon had used were horses. They even packed fake suitcases to avoid looking suspicious. “I appreciate the thought,” Taeyeon admitted, “But is an 11-hour flight really necessary? Also, going through customs and security is such a pain.”

“The soul we’re collecting lives in Los Angeles.” Yoona explained, pulling an envelop from her pocket to check the details. Once grim reapers were attached to a hotel, they would receive daily letters about the souls they were meant to collect. Yoona would much rather receive texts, rather than this archaic form of communication.

“Can’t you text him or her to go to the LA branch instead?” Taeyeon joked. She knew that souls were led to the hotel that they identified most as home, regardless of time spent. “Jessica likes LA a lot, but I’ve never been.” Taeyeon stated, wishing Jessica had joined them. Their relationship had been improving since Yoona arrived – both her presence and good news altering their dynamics. It was as if Taeyeon and Jessica decided to hit pause on their anger and resentment towards each other, understanding how precious these moments were to Taeyeon.

“So, what was the fight about?” Yoona asked, pretending to be less invested as she was as she handed her passport to airport security. “What did Jessica tell you?” Taeyeon replied with a question, slightly distracted as she was having fun with the details of her fake passport. The airport security guard took multiple glances between Taeyeon and her passport and finally gave in. “Have a safe flight… Mr. Kim,” he said, still confused, as Taeyeon hurried to catch up with Yoona.

“I didn’t ask, but from what I’ve gathered it has something to do with her leaving? She’s having trouble forgiving herself for it,” Yoona blurted, then promptly realised that she had revealed too much. Taeyeon nodded to herself, seemingly processing her train of thought. They boarded the plane in silence and Yoona started to regret bringing up the topic. Things had been going well. Yoona squeezed her eyes shut after fastening her seatbelt, still mentally berating herself when Taeyeon replied.

“After a century of hating her, I seemed to have forgotten what a good person she is.” Taeyeon sighed. “Jessica didn’t do anything wrong.” Taeyeon said softly, as if revealing a secret. Yoona could tell that Taeyeon was struggling to elaborate. The plane had started moving, heading towards take-off. Amidst the roars of the engines, Yoona managed to catch the following words.

“She just fell in love with someone else.”

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“How does this one die? I’m not in the mood for gore and I hate suicides.” Taeyeon vented as they touched down in LAX. They had spent most of their time on the plane watching movies, mostly historical ones, since they both enjoyed pointing out the inaccuracies of the plots. Yoona had pretended that she had not heard Taeyeon’s confession, partially convinced that she heard it wrong. Yoona skims the letter she received and flicks the part where the answer was found. “This isn’t less depressing, but it’s less gory at least… Leukaemia.” Yoona stated, trying not to get emotional.

“Thanks for the ride.” Taeyeon patted Yoona on the back, “but I’d very much like to skip the airport queue.” Yoona nodded as she took Taeyeon’s hand. With a blink of an eye, they appeared in front of LAC+USC Medical Centre. Yoona had changed into her black flowing hanbok, a sharp contrast to Taeyeon’s oversized blue hoodie with denim shorts.

“Maybe I’ll wait outside,” Taeyeon suggested, not liking hospitals at all. “Come on, I hate the cancer wing and I would appreciate the support.” Yoona pleaded, and Taeyeon complies, making up for the airport gesture. They emerged inside a room, the beeping medical equipment drawing their attention towards the patient. Yoona stood beside the bed, lightly touching the hand of the sleeping girl.

“Seohyun,” Taeyeon read the name written above her bed. There was nothing Taeyeon hated more than receiving young guests. They were far often more cheerful than the older ones, but that only reminded Taeyeon of the fact that their youths were not spent. Both Yoona and Taeyeon were encased in silent melancholy that they did not notice the door opening behind them.

The moment Yoona turned towards Taeyeon to signal that it was time, she witnessed in alarm as Taeyeon was knocked unconscious by a vase, her body hitting the floor with a loud thud, along with pieces of glass and ruined flowers. Yoona stared at the assailant in shock, mouth agape. The assailant was human – she should not be able to see either of them, much less lay a finger on a deity.

Before Yoona could process the turmoil, they were both hit by a strong gust of wind, sending them both flying towards the nearest wall. Yoona lifted her throbbing head and saw another grim reaper yank the young girl’s spirit from her body and heard her scream as she was teleported away.

“What the actual .” Taeyeon cursed as she slipped into unconsciousness once more.

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