When Baekhyun and I finally enroll in Vision High after all our exams are done, I really hope that AP Business would be one of our subjects with the amount of studying I was doing. I yawned, trying to get through the first few chapters. It was basic information and I bit my lip when Matthew walked into my room, humming to himself.

“Still studying?” He asked and I nodded, not tearing my eyes away from the textbook when I saw him lean over and stare straight at my face. “Wow, you look like , dude.”

“Thanks,” I said, Matthew sitting on the floor and I saw him holding up a book. “Where did you get that from?”

“This?” He held up a book. “It’s an old book. The shaman I told you about before burned it for me before she ascended. It’s a book about a girl seeing her family mourn over her as she tries to lead her family towards her bones. It’s called ‘Lovely Bones’.”

“I have a question,” I said, putting down the textbook, Matthew urging me to ask it. “When I burn something, it automatically goes to you, right?”

“It automatically goes to the spiritual realm. I mean, matter disappears but it’s actually just it breaking apart to enter another realm through fire. There are so many realms in this world. Look at this.” Matthew said, shoving a hand inside his pocket and pulling out what seemed like a fork and a spoon. “The house of a Christian family burned down a few years ago and I was passing by so I stole it.”

“You stole it?”

“This spatula, too,” he said, showing me a spatula. “Not very handy.”

“Is that why Chinese people usually burn items when the ghost festival comes around?” I asked more to myself when Matthew nodded. “There are so many religions in this world, it’s just… Hard to understand. Some people believe in Christianity, some believe in Buddhism—”

“And every religion is valid, Bora. In every religion, a soul is a soul. And prayer is a prayer. It just branches out in many different ways,” he told me. “Ghosts are the same in each religion, too. In the end, ghosts were once humans.”

“True.” I looked at him, Matthew staring at his spatula. “Oh, put that away, Matthew.”

“Right,” he said, making it vanish into thin air. “Anyway, I was talking to Mina. She’s a property ghost.”

“Property ghost? Like, she’s stuck to a place?”

“Property ghosts are usually ghosts that can’t go far away from a certain place because of an attachment. Must be the suicide,” he quipped and I nodded slowly. “That being said, I wonder why I’m not a property ghost. I mean, I know I’ve lived here a while but it’s because this place is home and my first memory was here.”

“Means you have no attachment to the place.”

“I could have murdered someone,” Matthew said, looking at me when I rolled my eyes and he chuckled. “You should get some sleep. I heard you’re studying with the boys tomorrow.”

“I am,” I said, nodding and pushing the textbook to the side. “Is Baekhyun asleep?”

“He is. He gave up after the third chapter,” Matthew said, looking over to me when he smiled. “Don’t forget your alarm, Bora.”

“Thanks, Matthew.” I thanked him, reaching for my phone. Only a few days have passed but it has been pretty obvious that without Matthew, I would have woken up late every day. “Waking up Baekhyun tomorrow?”

“Yes. I chose a song,” he said, singing it out loud. “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!”

I laughed, turning to my side and closing my eyes.

Funny how I found comfort in the dead more than the living.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Noona!” Sehun yelled from across the football field and I froze. He stood there waving his hand in the air, everyone hearing the slight jingle of his bracelets. “Noona!”

“Oh, look. He’s calling you,” Baekhyun said and I frowned, not liking the attention when I saw Kai step down from his limousine. When he saw me and Baekhyun, he perked up, the guy grabbing his backpack from his driver and bounding towards us. “Kim Kai is here.”

“Nooooona!” Kai bellowed, rushing towards us. Both Sehun and Kai beamed at us and I saw that they both looked happier than they were yesterday. “And Baekhyun, hey. What’s up?”

“Ghosts,” Baekhyun replied, Kai and Sehun grabbing each other when Baekhyun let out a dry laugh. “Kidding.”

“Not funny, bro,” Kai grumbled. “So, are we studying today? We should. Sehun, I and Minseok hyung decided that we should study together.”

“My house is ready,” Sehun told me. “Around 7 pm to 11 pm today, both of you want to join?”

“Are we able to say no?” I asked, Sehun reminding me that both he and Kai had to pass for Mina to ‘go and become a baby again and I stared at him.

“Noona, you said!” Sehun reminded me. “You said that was the only way for her to reincarnate or whatever.”

“Yes, yes. I know what I said. Baekhyun and I will go home first then. Write down your location, we’ll cab over.” I told him and he waved a hand.

“We’ll come to pick you up. We have soccer after class and we’ll go from there. Chanyeol isn’t going to come. You know what he said?” Sehun lowered his voice. “’ I’ve only failed because of you both.’. That’s what he said. Can you believe him?”

“Yes...” All of us said and Sehun looked flustered.

“We have only a few days left,” Kai said when he waved a hand and I turned around to see Minseok heading over towards us. He too, had bracelets on his left hand, which was his non-dominant hand.

Everyone was beginning to stare when the bell rang to show that class was starting and Baekhyun jingled his bracelets, Kai following suit.

“You know, I’ve still been getting goosebumps,” Kai told me and I reminded him what I told him the day before at lunch. That he had been touched by a ghost, his sixth sense was sensitive and has been activated. He had to cleanse himself and shield himself from the energy of the paranormal or he will keep feeling or hearing them.

“It’s not that bad, Noona.” He shrugged. “I was certain I could hear whispers this morning.”

“Oh, might be the Aventurine on that bracelet,” Baekhyun said, pointing at one of Kai’s bracelets. “I can naturally hear them but I heard Aventurine keeps you in tune with your psychic abilities.”

I saw Kai, Sehun, and Minseok’s face drain of color when I quickly butted in that sometimes it was good to hear them.

“You can desensitize yourself to them,” I said, Sehun nodding a little bit too aggressively. “Or you can jingle.”

“Ahuh.” Minseok put out a hand; Sehun, Kai, and Baekhyun moving their wrists.

“We have upgraded,” Sehun said, almost idiotically. “From jingle boy to jingle boys.”

Oh, what did I get myself into?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 I went back home after school, Kai and Sehun telling me and Baekhyun to stand by after I gave them the location to my house. I already had their numbers saved as “Jingle Boy #1”, “Jingle Boy #2”, “Jingle Boy #3.”.

One being Kim Kai.

Two being Oh Sehun.

And three being Kim Minseok. 

“Three jingle boys and growing,” Baekhyun said happily. “Right, Noona?”

“Right,” I said, taking off my shoes and leaving a post-it note on the refrigerator to my father, telling him that I was home but that Baekhyun and I had a study group sessions.

“Jingle boys?” A voice asked and I saw Matthew by the door, Baekhyun looking around excitedly at the sound of his voice.

“Matthew hyung?” he asked, Matthew chuckling. “Guess what? We have friends! Friends!”

“Very idiotic ones, but still friends, nonetheless,” I said and Matthew nodded. “We’re going to have a study session later. Got to pass AP Business.”

“Oh, I won’t study. Matthew hyung can just remember it for me and I’ll be able to pass.” Baekhyun said and Matthew held up a hand.

“What?” he asked, Baekhyun looking around to the source of the sound. “On your right, Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun turned to the right and I grabbed his shoulders, turning him so he was looking straight at Matthew.

“You are not going to go anywhere in life if you think that way—”

“Hyung, you’re dead. Besides…We did it once, we can do it again,” Baekhyun said and I saw Matthew glare at my brother. But Baekhyun was oblivious to Matthew’s expression, the ghost making a face. “It’s not like you’ll ascend any time soon, right, hyung? Bora noona told me you don’t remember anything.”

“Okay, first. Very hurt that you would tell this child what I speak to you about,” Matthew said to me and I snickered, watching Baekhyun sit down on a chair.

“You didn’t say it was a secret, Matthe—”

“Privacy! It’s all about privacy!” Matthew asked, lifting his shoulders up. “And second, Byun Baekhyun, what makes you think I won’t ascend anytime soon? If I put my mind to it and try really hard, I bet I’ll find a reason why I’m not gone just yet.”

“Sure,” Baekhyun replied. “I’ll help you. But can you do it after high school?”

Baekhyun paused in thought.

“No, wait. Maybe university,” he said and Matthew looked like he was about to throw hands so I cleared my throat and Baekhyun continued to speak. “I should go take a nap until Sehun and Kai call so we can study.”

And with that, Baekhyun grabbed his bag and walked to his room.

“I understand why you spoil him because that kid is cute but damn, why am I doing it too?” Matthew grumbled and I told him I didn’t know. “You going for a study session? Can I come, too?”

“Don’t you have ghosts to help today?”

“I already did. Helped a dog find its owner.” Matthew said. “So now, I’m bored.”

“Whatever you want,” I told him. “It’s not like you’ll be a bother anyway.”

“That’s true.”

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My phone rang and I grabbed it, flipping it open and answering it when Sehun’s voice told me that he was finally done with soccer.

“I’m heading over, Noona,” he said, Kai’s voice echoing in the background. “Kai and Minseok hyung is going to go and get their things and we can fight this beast.”

And he hung up.

It didn’t take long until a limousine was parked in front of my apartment building and I went in; Kai, Sehun, and Minseok inside, sitting comfortably. Baekhyun wowed at the interior, Sehun telling the driver to drive home. Matthew sat there, eyeing the men suspiciously.

It didn’t take long until we reached Sehun’s district. We passed a huge house, seeing people dressed in black enter the house and Sehun must have seen me looking at them.

“The only son of that house passed away,” Sehun told me. “He and his sister are from EXO High. You won’t know them because you guys are new. His sister is in the same year as I am but she’s in class A.”

“What happened to him?”

“Hit and run,” Sehun said as the car slowed down. “People said he was walking home when a drunk driver slammed into him. They found the culprit but he didn’t make it. We’re here.”

“And what about his sister?” Baekhyun asked, fiddling with his bracelet.

“From what I know, Ong Harin is devastated. She took some time off but she’s back for finals because her parents are rather strict about education.” Sehun said and I saw Kai sneak a look at Sehun. “What?”

“You know a lot about Ong Harin for a person who doesn’t care.”

“Please. We’re neighbors.” Sehun scoffed and I saw Kai suppress a laugh. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

“Humble?” Baekhyun asked, gaping at the huge mansion in front of us. “Your humble abode is enough to fit my whole town.”

“Well.” Sehun chuckled, all of us getting off the car. “To be fair, my grandfather got the house for cheap.”

“How cheap?” I asked, Sehun shrugging.

We walked past the courtyard towards the house. It was massive and it made me wonder what Sehun’s family did for a living. Sehun led us to the living room and I could already see his maids waiting to welcome us, a line of people bowing down