Two weeks had passed and there were no changes to Jongdae’s state. Two weeks had passed and Baekhyun had not seen the egg ghost again nor did anything life-threatening happen to him. Two weeks had passed and Baekhyun had enough of staring at a listless and dejected Chinsun. Baekhyun missed Chinsun’s elusive smiles; the spark of curiosity in her eyes; her aura of controlled mischief.

On one sunny spring day, Baekhyun pulled Mark into Naesae and threw him towards the counter. He then grabbed Chinsun’s arm with determination blazing in his eyes.

“We’re going on a little outing,” Baekhyun announced without much explanation. “Mark will relieve you of your duties here.”

At the mention of his name, Mark gave a military-style salute to Chinsun and Baekhyun before slouching in the seat behind the counter, already trying to stifle a yawn. Chinsun’s eyebrows twitched, not quite able to catch up with what was happening but let Baekhyun drag her along regardless, feeling no energy to fight back. Furthermore, even she was sick and tired of her miserable state; she was sick and tired of feeling helpless; she was sick and tired of the storm of emotions battling inside of her. It was time to settle them once and for all.

With Baekhyun guiding the way and his hand still firmly wrapped around Chinsun’s wrist, the girl observed her surroundings and realised that they were heading towards the same corner of the beach where they had released the sea cucumber; where Baekhyun saw the egg ghost for the second time; where they encountered the water ghost.

Once they arrived, Baekhyun turned towards Chinsun with anticipation though the bright smile on his face faltered when he saw the sceptical look in Chinsun’s eyes.

“I know I know,” Baekhyun mumbled while raising his arms as if to prove his innocence. “We’ve had some… interesting meetings here but, I like it here. Barely anyone comes here so it’s peaceful.”

Baekhyun’s smile grew wider as he spread his arms out to welcome the sea breeze before continuing speaking.

“Plus you introduced this part of the beach to me. It’s kind of like our secret rendezvous place.”

“Actually… when we were younger, Jongin encountered a spirit here and brought me along to help deal with it. Of course Jongdae, being the restless and curious person that he is followed us because he didn’t want to be left out.” Chinsun chuckled at the memory while sitting down on the sand and hugging her legs. “But they don’t come here often so all these years it’s been like my personal beach.”

A hint of disappointment crossed Baekhyun’s eyes. He had liked the idea of this was a secret place that Chinsun had only shared with him. Reflecting on it now, he had been silly to think that Jongin and Jongdae had no idea about this hidden corner of the beach. After all, Chinsun shared everything she could with them. Inhaling deeply, Baekhyun poked his own cheeks and a boyish grin returned to his face.

“Too bad I’ll be claiming this land as well,” Baekhyun declared, joining Chinsun on the sand.

“I don’t mind sharing,” Chinsun hummed, closing her eyes as the wind caressed her hair.

The positive aspect of having short hair now was that she no longer got slapped in the face by rogue strands of hair. Nonetheless, Chinsun missed the sensation of freedom and liberation that she used to feel whenever her long locks fluttered in the air; untamed and unconfined.

“It’s okay to be selfish once in a while you know?”

Baekhyun’s comment came out as a whisper so low that it was almost buried by the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks. However Chinsun was a perceptive person and she was used to hushed and silent dialogues so nothing ever escaped her. She grew up with the emotionally constipated Jongin after all.

“Is it okay if I go on a bit of a rant?” Chinsun mumbled into her hands while her eyes were locked on the rising tide.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Baekhyun replied, his eyes never straying away from Chinsun’s profile.

her dry lips, Chinsun exhaled, letting out a soft whistle in the process.

“I should feel closure regarding my parents’ death, but I just can’t,” Chinsun admitted. “I know who killed them and why they died. I should be satisfied.”

“Should you really?” Baekhyun raised in eyebrow. “What you have been desperately looking for all this time was what happened after their death wasn’t it? Not just you, but also Jongin and your aunt. And that still remains unanswered.”

Chinsun grabbed a handful of sand and then opened her hands to let the wind blow the granules away and towards the sea. Letting her hand drop down to her side, Chinsun turned to Baekhyun and her usual cryptic and elusive smile graced her face.

“Some things are just bound to remain a mystery. There’s a Buddhist quote that’s framed in the funeral home. It says  ‘Life is uncertain; death is certain’. But I could never quite agree with it.”

Pausing, Chinsun glanced at Baekhyun to make sure that he was still following before continuing.

“No one can predict what will happen to your soul after death. Will you move on? Or become a wandering spirit? Or a vengeful spirit? But I suppose in a sense this unpredictability is a form of certainty.”

Feeling as though she had said too much, Chinsun pursed her lips together, blocking the only exit for her voice. Baekhyun patiently waited for Chinsun to say more, but after a few moments of silence, he frowned at the girl while pouting.

“What did I say about not bearing everything alone?” Baekhyun nudged Chinsun with his elbow. “I’m here. Use me.”

“Use you?” Chinsun echoed his words. “That doesn’t sound nice. You’re not an object to be used. You’re a being with your own feelings and agency.”

“Stop nit-picking my words,” Baekhyun huffed.

“Select your words more carefully then.” Chinsun raised her eyebrow as if challenging him. “You are a writer after all.”

“Blah blah blah.” Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.”

Chinsun’s lips curled into a contained smile, but seeing the way Baekhyun’s eyes curled into the shape of crescent moons and how his brazen grin pushed his cheeks upwards, a string of giggles escaped Chinsun’s throat. Baekhyun’s eyes widened at the sound, having missed the sound of her laughter. Laughing together with her, their voices blended together in a harmony, with the waves s