There are times when I enjoy shocking people. It’s great to see their expression when I tell them I cannot get rid of the ghost lingering in their house and that they are doomed to be watched all of their lives. I mostly do that to those that cannot see the tip of their nose from how high they keep it. I can’t let them know that I got rid of their “pest”.

I hope it was not the case anymore.

“Why are we here again?”

Oh, yes. Daesung came along. When I told him that Jung Min was actually kind of like my boss, he continued to insist there was something going on between us and that he smells horrible. Daesung is probably the only person I heard saying the last part. Then again, I always meet Jung Min when it’s only the two of us or, in the past, when Mistress Yuri was around and she could sniff its decaying quality from miles. So maybe the rest are just as repulsed by a reaper's odor. I also insisted he returns home alone, so I can do my magical job and we could go shopping later. After a few seconds in which I smiled and he stared at me, Daesung blurted something about not having a key. That’s when I realized that I had to drag him along for the time being.

“This is where I am going to work,” I flipped my hair and sneered “with another snob couple.”

“Huh?”

“Just stay silent the whole time and nod, got it?”

Daesung shrugged and followed me. I pushed open the gate and made my way down the muddy road. If they were wealthy enough to have such a large yard, why couldn’t they invest some money in marble or rocks or something to cover the dirty path?

My thoughts were spit back into my face when a burnt house barely stood in front of us.

“Man grandma,” Daesung started. He closed his mouth when my glare reminded him of our deal. He lightly slapped his forehead and nodded.

There was a bare, almost black, tree near the house. My grip tightened on my purse’s strap.

Violent ghosts are not my cup of tea. Those that end up in fire are by far the worst. Not even the water ghosts could match the passion those spirits had. I hoped there was going to be a puppy or something and not a human. Well, not a dead human. I turned to Daesung who was busy examining the broken house with focused eyes. His joy had faded long ago and something told me he wasn’t in the mode to joke anymore.

“Something wrong?” Daesung lowered his look over me as he took a few steps forward and scratch the back of his head.

“It just... looks familiar.” He admitted before dashing towards the house. I yelled after him. It was dangerous! The kid could get hurt before any of us had the chance to dock a fallen piece of brick. I ran after him and tried to grab his T-shirt. He stopped just as my fingers brushed his back.

“Woah, it’s huge!” despite the building’s degrading state, we could still see most of its whereabouts. Gaps in the roof let sunrays light our way inside.

“Be careful, you idiot!”

“I can handle this grandma!” he smirked and puffed his chest “Piece of cake!”

“Why does everybody assume that making a cake is easy?” I said without thinking. Daesung mimicked him holding a large glass which he then drank from. He shook his head and seemed to be imitating a drunk. If that was his way of insulting me, then he succeeded.

“Why you little...” I clenched my teeth and hastened to apply him a lesson on respecting your elders. He showed me his tongue and escaped before I could get my hands on him. Daesung went as far as on the other side of the house. Around the area where there should be a door to the terrace, there was a translucent figure. I slowed down as Daesung laughed at me.

“Grandma is so ooold!”

the ghost!

I ran again. Daesung jumped off the rotten terrace and rolled on the grass. I was nearing him.

My body went through the figure.

That’s when I had to stop because strong flashes blinded me. When I recovered, in front of me grew a wall. I hurriedly inspected my surroundings.

Great, I was inside a fragment of memory.

The sound of fire alerted me. There was no way I was going to stay there with flames that could consume me. I panicked and kicked at the wall. Along the fire crackling, a voice made its present known.

I had to slowly check on its source.

Jung Min stood there and smiled at me.

“Hello,” he cheerfully grabbed my hand and brought me closer to his chest “Calm down princess, you have to see this.” His stuck both of his hands to my head and forced me to watch what looked like a large living room. The sound of fire came from the fireplace.

A small child, maybe around 3 years old, was playing in front of it with a car made of wood.

He resembled Daesung so much, my heart skipped a beat.

---

I woke up inside Mistress Yuri’s house. It felt extremely warm despite the storm outside. I could hear the heavy snow putting immense pressure on the roof. My first instinct was to flee as fast as possible, before I’d be buried alive. Yet, I could barely move my arms and legs. They were incredibly numb. 

“Shhh,” I heard the familiar voice as a man approached me and kneeled near my mattress “Stay put and rest, you are still not fully healed.”

I tried to speak, but my throat was extremely dry. He somehow knew that. The man grabbed a bowl, filled it with water from a bucket and helped me lift my head enough for me to drink. The cold water irked and pleased me at the same time. After I finished drinking, he slowly placed my head back on the hard pillow.

“Are...” my husky voice scared me “...you from here or from somewhere else?”

He patted my head. I couldn’t help noticing the same disgusting scent. It was masked a little by the cinnamon and other nearby, but it still twisted my stomach.

“What do you want me to answer?”

So he wasn’t a demon and he didn't look like a ghost. That was a relief. Still, a stranger remained a stranger. 

“Where is my Mistress?”

“Oh, you mean Yuri? She went out after food. The weather worsened, so I guess she is waiting somewhere until it cools down.” His deep laughter tickled my ears. He had some kind of warmth in the way he spoke and in his eyes. “Now sleep,” he ordered as he tucked me in “I’ll be here.”

I listened to him and let my eyelids shut. Sleep sounded wonderful.