It was late autumn the trouble started to arise. 

Almost six months had come and gone to the day she met Chanhee. 

It happened one night after she had returned from school and went to sleep.

It took a strangely long amount of time for her to reach her boyfriend and when she did, her view always seemed a little bit fuzzy at the edges.

She had complained to Chunji about it, but he had just told her not to worry; maybe she had simply been a little sick.

But when she awoke and left, Chanhee’s face darkened. 

His view was the same.

He almost had a heart attack when the time it took for her to arrive took almost twice as long.

Chunji knew something was wrong from the way his vision morphed and twisted around his gaze. Everything was changing shapes before going back to normal, leaving him confused and extremely unnerved.

It was happening.

He didn’t want it to happen, but it was happening.

Chanhee had never told Sae Rim as he thought it not important, but around ten years ago there was someone else with him too; an old man.

The old man and him got along really well until one day the two began to see each other in a really murky kind of light.

The old man was delighted, telling Chanhee excitedly that this was the call to the gates of heaven.

The amount of time people could wait was indefinite. Some people waited for minutes, some for years, like Chanhee.

Now, when he had found the love of his life and was finally gaining some contact with his friends, he received the called to heaven.

What kind of timing was this?

He had to break it to Sae Rim somehow.

As far as he knew, people who got the call never contacted him again.

He was going to fight this, he didn’t know how, but he didn’t wait sixteen years for Sae Rim just to have her taken away in a fraction of the time.

-

“Something’s wrong.” Sae Rim whispered to herself.

She had slept without dreaming for the fourth time in two weeks, and she was too afraid to ask why.

The shape of his face twisted and turned, and Sae Rim shifted in her sleep.

Sweat rolled down her forehead, from the fact that it was a summer night and the fact that she was having a nightmare did not help it.

A whimper passed her lips as she dreamt and her hands reached out to grab something unknown… someone she wanted.

Her breathing speed increased and her chest heaved up and down. Sae Rim’s legs kicked her blankets and she writhed back and forth, groaning and with discomfort.

The door creaked upon – though she couldn’t hear it – and her brother walked in, rubbing his eyes.

He held a cold cup of water and a wet towel ready and waiting. 

As he approached his sister, he sighed.

The nightmares came and went, but the distance between each one was getting shorter and briefer.

Sae Rim almost never slept each night because of the dreams that plagued her mind.

“Sae…” it was pointless, she couldn’t hear him.

He shook her and wiped her damp hair away from his head. “Sae!” he sternly called and she jerked up, panting slightly.

“Oppa.” She gripped his arm and felt his warmth, something she sought every single time she awoke.

“What’s wrong Sae? Can you start telling me? You’ve had these dreams for a while now.”

But she shook her head, stubborn.

There was no way she could tell him about Chanhee, and there was no way he would believe her anyway.

“Nothing.” She panted. 

Her brother sighed and patted her back, “well, whatever it is, it’s not as short as you said it would be because it’s been weeks Sae.”

She nodded and blindly pushed him away.

“Go back to sleep oppa.” 

Soon, she heard the door close and she lay back down, shivering a little.

Exhausted by her ordeal, she fell back asleep.

-

Her eyes fluttered open and she was once more in the sweet meadow that she and Chanhee met at.

He sat next to her, tearing strips of grass into pieces.

Chanhee’s expression was strained, tired and quite wary.

She stared at him for a while, half daydreaming and half worrying about his health, but she scoffed; he’s a ghost, he isn’t alive.

“Sae Rim, you’re awake.” She looked back to him and saw that his expression was one of happiness; complete and pure fake happiness.

She got up, crawled into his lap and kissed his nose.

“I guess we both are tired right?” she giggled, poking his cheek.

His eyes curved into a half smile and he grinned tightly. “Yeah.”

“Chanhee, what’s wrong? Don’t lie to me alright? I’m not stupid. Something is going wrong and I want to know. I want to know. Don’t hide this from me.” Her eyes flashed with frustration.

Chanhee glanced at her, amused by her sudden display of anger.

“It’s time; I’m moving on.”

And then Sae Rim wished she hadn’t asked.