The room was quiet except for the gentle rhythmic ticking of the grandfather's clock in the corner of the room. A young man sat at his study table with his elbow propped on it, resting his cheek on a closed fist. He kept his eyes focused on a small framed picture of him with his parents on his high-school graduation that stood on the corner of his table; a feeling of loneliness blanketed him. Reaching out, Myungsoo traced his parents' faces with the tip of his finger.

It had been four months since he'd moved from his hometown Ulsan to Seoul so that he could study at his dream school, Seoul University. As a reward for getting into the top school, his parents had purchased him a medium sized house in which he lived alone. He thought of his parents frequently, and as a result he couldn't help but miss them—especially his mother who would make him breakfast early in the mornings.

Letting out a big sigh, he got up and walked over to the window, looking out at God's heaven. It was a serene Saturday night. The luminous moon glowed brightly, and the white twinkling stars gave harmony to the dark-blue sky. A huge smile adorned his face as he admired the beauty of the creator's creations, but then he rubbed the side of his nose as a frown came to his face, wondering why every Saturday night when the clock struck twelve he would always hear the same melody and the singing girl. He felt as if she sang him a lullaby while playing her guitar, though he couldn't make out the words because the sound of her voice was really faint. Staying up late Saturday night and sleeping on Sunday morning had been his habit since he was young because he had nothing to do on Sunday.

Myungsoo shook his head before walking back to the table to grab his jacket he had draped on the back of the chair. Putting his jacket on, he strode out of his room and headed towards the front door. He opened it and stepped out onto the porch. His lips stretched into a smile as a fresh breeze gently blew against his face like a lover's breath.

As he made his way to the side yard of his house, the chirping of crickets filled the atmosphere, sounding so melodious. Its chirp, chirp, chirp cheered him up; his loneliness lessened. He loved crickets for their sake.

He lay down on the long wooden bench, resting his head on his left forearm as he stared up at the night sky, counting the twinkling stars which were likened to diamonds. He couldn't help but wonder how they got so high, where they got their light from, and he didn't think they would fall. He lifted up his right hand toward heaven, pretending to pick stars. I think I'm going crazy. He chortled.

Looking up to the sky was useful anyway. It helped him to reflect on life; it took his arrogance away, and it made him feel happy and at peace because the sky, the moon and stars seemed like a wonderful view. He didn't even know how long he had been lying down there. Myungsoo pulled himself up to a sitting position and stared down at his wristwatch; it was eleven fifty-five—almost midnight. He kept looking at his watch until it struck midnight, and a melancholy melody began to float through the air. It filled him with ease. So exquisite! He closed his eyes and swayed his head back and forth to the music. Well, he didn't care who the girl was; he just loved hearing her music.

A few minutes later, Myungsoo's eyes jerked open in surprise as he heard her high-pitched voice: "Let's walk along the moonlight together hand in hand where we shall find love in this beautiful dreamland."

It was the first time he could hear her voice so clearly, and Myungsoo found himself grinning like an idiot. He didn't know whether it was because her words were sweet, or because he found her voice sweet and her floating notes exceptional. It piqued his curiosity for sure; he wanted to see her.

Is she a sweet girl just like her voice? Myungsoo rose from the bench and began strolling down the street.

His eyes scanned the area as he walked, his steps echoing through the frigid air. The street lights were covered in flies and other bugs; the lights buzzing could be heard quietly. The wind grazed softly while passing the trees. Myungsoo hunched his shoulders, ing his hands into the pockets of his jacket, humming the melody of her song. He halted in his tracks at the sight of a girl sitting on the pavement, her back propped against a lamp-post a few meters away from his house. She had her head lowered onto her knees; a black guitar case lay on the pavement before her. The girl was shivering in the midnight air.

Myungsoo heaved a sigh before striding over to her. "What are you doing here?" He cleared his throat. "It's midnight, you better go home. Don't make your parents worry about you."

The girl snapped her head up to look at him. "Are you talking to me?"

He gave her a nod, making her stand up in a flash. "Can you really see and hear me?" she went on, pointing her index finger at her own face. Tears escaped the corner of her eyes.

Myungsoo scratched the top of his head as he quirked his eyebrows. "Why are you asking me that question?" he countered. "Of course, I can see and hear you."

She immediately brushed her tears away, a bright smile appearing on her face. "Can you touch me?" the girl added, sounding so cheerful and excited.

His jaw dropped. Disbelief marked his face. Is this girl crazy asking a strange man to touch her? Myungsoo crossed his arms over his chest, letting his eyes scan her from head to toe, back and forth in a cautious manner. She had on black chunky boots; her shapely, long legs were wrapped in a pair of navy skinny jeans. She wore a tight white T-shirt, and, over that, a short brown fringed suede jacket. Her long brown locks flowed freely, draping her shoulders and framing her face. She looked incredible, so beautiful.

Unhesitatingly, he reached up and touched her face. Her huge eyes sparkled like a bright star in the sky as he caressed it. Her skin was like silk over glass.

"I can see, hear and touch you." He smiled. "You know it's not good for a girl to go out at midnight. I'm sure your parents—"

"You're too fussy." She flung his hand away and sat back down on the pavement, her legs crossed.

The girl pulled out the polished, brown acoustic guitar, placed it on her lap and began to tune it. Once it was tuned, she strummed a few chords. Myungsoo stood speechless, watching her fingers delicately flit across the strings. Softly, she sang:

"Under the moonlight, a handsome boy approaches me and talks to me. He looks like a nice boy, and I still can't believe it. Oh, it seems like a beautiful dream."

Her words brought a smile to his lips. "Hey, you're so funny." Myungsoo sat next to her. "What's your name, anyway?"

She flashed him a smile as innocent as a child's. "I'm Park Jiyeon, and yours?" The girl held her hand out for a handshake.

"I'm Kim Myungsoo." Myungsoo shook her hand, and then he gave her a serious look. "Do you always come—"

"I always come here every Saturday night because someone had told me, I'd meet my soul mate here," Jiyeon interrupted as she looked deep into his eyes. "You know what she had said is right; I've found my soul mate here. He is sitting next to me right now."

Myungsoo turned his head from side to side. No one else is here. He gulped, feeling nervous. He rose to his feet, and his voice trembled a bit as he spoke, "D-don't be ridiculous. How could you believe her nonsense?"

Jiyeon put the guitar back in its case. "Why do you look so nervous, Myungsoo?" She got to her feet and grabbed his hand before he could walk away. She moved to stand in front of him. "I'm not being ridiculous, and her words weren't nonsense. Every time she told me something, it would always come true."

His breath hitched at the seriousness of her tone. "Jiyeon, whoever she was, she definitely wasn't God who—" Myungsoo blinked as her fingers caressed his face. "What are you do—"

"You're my soul mate." Jiyeon closed the gap between them. Then she tiptoed up and touched her lips to his in a quick, light kiss before stepping away. The sudden unexpectedness of it shocked Myungsoo to the core. He stood as still as if he had been struck so.

Laughing, she snapped her fingers before his face, and he blinked. "W-what are you laughing at?" he said, biting his bottom lip.

"Nothing," Jiyeon replied and bent over to pick up her guitar case. "Anyway, thank you for setting me free." She bowed her head slightly, a smile gracing her face.

Confusion masked his face. "Setting you free?"

Jiyeon made no answer, but her smile grew wider. As she began walking away, the atmosphere became eerily quiet, and every object before, above, around him, was suddenly enveloped in a thick white mist—as if in a dream. Then a gust of bitter cold wind blew the mist away, and… she was gone as if the fog had swallowed her up. The hair on the back of his neck stood up; he felt goose-bumps prickle all over his body.

Park Jiyeon, who are you actually? Where are you gone? Myungsoo shook his head, unable to believe what he had just seen and experienced before he ran back to his house and opened the door. After kicking it shut behind him, he bolted toward his room and threw himself onto the bed. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears thumping like a bass drum as it ramped for the first time. He took some deep breaths, attempting to calm his pounding heart.

Myungsoo tried to fall asleep, but he couldn't. His mind was thinking too much. She thanked him for setting her free, but he had no clue what he had done to her. Her smiling face floated around his head whilst her words rang in his ears: "Can you really see and hear me? Can you touch me?"

Jiyeon, are you really human? A ghost? Myungsoo pulled the blanket over his head and squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling a cold chill crawl up his spine. He tried to forget everything that had just happened and sleep. It took him a long time to drift off.