Chapter 2
“I’m telling you! She’s dead. I saw the glow around her.” Heejin says, trying to convince Jiwoo for the fourth time today that Hyunjin is a ghost.
“Heejin, maybe you’re… struggling with losing Haseul and-”
“Jiwoo!” Heejin desperately claws at her best friend's arm, pulling her out of the library when they begin to get too many looks.
“Heejin, I’m not saying you didn’t see it, but maybe you just wanted to see it so bad that-”
“I saw it!” Heejin says louder than usual, taking a firm stance. “I saw it.”
Jiwoo sighs, closing her eyes as she leans against the concrete wall outside the library. The birds chirping are the only thing that makes the silence bearable between them. Jiwoo always believes her ghost stories, but she’s having trouble this time around. If Heejin were in her spot, she might act the same, but her ego is hurt because of Jiwoo’s denial and because of that, Heejin finds herself irritated at her best friend.
“Heejin, look at it from my perspective.” Jiwoo opens her eyes, they’re softer than before. Heejin deflates a bit. “You touch Haseul, the first ghost you’ve ever been able to do that with, and suddenly lose her without answers as to why. Then, when you go looking for her late at night, by yourself, you find another ghost with a dog?”
Jiwoo is pleading with her to understand how crazy she sounds, Heejin knows that, but Heejin also knows what she saw. She saw them, Hyunjin and Hyejoo, and she saw the glow around Hyunjin’s body. It’s almost impossible to miss the glow when it's dark.
“Jiwoo, you don’t understand. She is dead. She’s dead, but I saw her touch Hyejoo-”
“Who is Hyejoo?”
“The dog! The dog that does not act like a normal dog. I’m telling you, that dog could understand me-”
The door to the library opens and Heejin stops herself, side stepping to allow the girl leaving more room.
“Heejin!” Jiwoo stops her, her tiny hands settling on Heejin’s shoulders in what is usually a comforting manner, but only comes across as condescending now. “You found a dog that could understand you, and the dog’s owner, Hyunjin, could touch the dog, but you’re certain she’s dead even though ghosts can’t touch anything in the real world?”
Heejin blinks, body deflating. She’s digging herself into a deeper hole. “Yes…”
Jiwoo frowns. “Dogs don’t understand human conversation and this Hyunjin girl is not de- oh! Are you okay?”
Heejin barely register’s Jiwoo releasing her to help some girl, no, not some girl, the girl that’s just left the library. She wants to know why the girl is still there, but Heejin is more amused at the expression on the girl’s face when the tiny Jiwoo pulls her body up with little energy. Jiwoo has always been freakishly strong.
“Thank you.” The stranger rubs her wrist, eyeing Heejin for some reason. “Sorry for the interruption.”
“That’s ok-” Heejin pauses, catching sight of the golden pin on this girl’s shoulder. “-do you know Hyunjin?”
Is that why this girl tripped over herself? Because she heard them talking about Hyunjin and her dog?
Jiwoo gives her a weird look, as if to say ‘stop, you’re being weird’ but Heejin ignores it, staring this girl down. She’s either very clumsy and just so happens to have the exact same pin as her newest ghost or she overheard them and knows something, something that will reassure Heejin that she is definitely not crazy.
“Hyu-Hyujin? No.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know a Hyunjin.”
“So you just so happen to have the same pin as her?” Heejin glares at the gold on her shoulder. “Look, I can help her. I can-”
“We don’t need your help.” The girl interrupts, shaking her head. Her short, brown hair is pretty, but distracting as it’s flung around.
All of her is pretty, really. Scarily pretty, just like Hyunjin. Although, she looks nothing like Hyujin so probably not family. She’s just as tall, but built a bit more leaner and has a pointier face. Heejin’s theory on the pin being a family heirloom is seeming less likely.
“We?” Heejin stares at her body, not able to find any sort of glow like she normally would be able to. The girl’s face drops. “Are you like Hyunjin? Did you die?”
The girl looks panicked at this point, and Jiwoo has taken to whipping her head back and forth, unable to decide who she should be watching. Heejin would find it funny if she weren’t so determined to find answers from this stranger.
“I’m Heejin. I can help.” Heejin takes a step forward, offering a hand. She’s curious now. Heejin doesn’t think this girl is dead, Jiwoo touched her, but she certainly knows something that might help Heejin understand what’s been going on lately.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I have to go.”
“Wait!” Jiwoo is the one to call out, reaching out and grabbing the girl once more. The girl stares at the hand for a few seconds before ripping it off her in a hurry. She almost looked afraid of Jiwoo’s touch.
The stranger doesn’t wait, scurrying away. Heejin thinks about following her, but there’s a good chance the girl will get her arrested or something with Heejin’s luck.
“Well.” Heejin turns to Jiwoo. “Do you believe me now?”
Jiwoo stumbles over her words. “I- it’s- something weird is going on. You’re right.”
---
Three days later, they’re no closer to getting answers. There’s no Hyunjin and Hyejoo, no strange girl with a pin identical to Hyunjin’s, and no Haseul. Heejin is beginning to wonder if she’s imagined the last few days. Maybe she is crazy. Maybe Jiwoo isn’t even real and Heejin made her up so she would finally have a friend.
“Heejin.” Her professor calls, looking a mixture of worried and annoyed. “Are you alright? You’re looking a little pale.”
She doesn’t think it's a good thing that the man already has her name memorized. Usually that’s for the trouble students and Heejin has never been a trouble student. Well, there’s the occasional ghostly interruption in class that’s nearly gotten her in trouble throughout the years, but that’s it.
“I’m fine, just-” Heejin’s gaze stops on the window, eyeing the girl walking by. She looks like-
“Heejin?” Her professor’s expression has shifted closer to concern.
“I- actually, I’m not feeling great. Could I-” She points to the door, already gathering her notebook and pens.
“Of course, just remember to review the power point.” He dismisses her with the flick of a hand, going back to his lecture.
She nearly trips over the person next to her, calling out a soft apology as she tries to get a better look out the window. The girl is gone, but Heejin knows her eyes weren’t deceiving her. She needs to find Haseul before she loses her again.
She races out the building like a madwoman, slamming the front doors open with a fury. A few people passing by give her strange looks, but Heejin barely pays them any mind, busy hunting down a ghost.
She pulls her phone out, dialing Jiwoo’s number. “Please pick up, Jiwoo. I need you.”
Heejin makes a dash in the direction that Haseul had been walking, eyeing every single stranger with an intensity that is not polite. She gives it a month before she’s labeled crazy by the entire campus.
“Hello?” Jiwoo’s normally loud voice whispers through the phone.
“I need your help.” Heejin stops at an intersection, eyeing the three paths. “I found Haseul. I think.”
There’s a muffled noise from Jiwoo’s side. “Heekie, I’m kind of doing something right now.”
Heejin takes the left path, praying that Haseul is the left type of girl- ghost. “What? You don’t have class right now.”
“I know, but-” Jiwoo hisses. “-I’ll call you back, okay? I’m helping.”
“Helping what-” Heejin is hung up on.
She stares at her phone screen for a few minutes, wondering if that really happened; Jiwoo has never denied her on a ghost call. She pushes the device back into her pocket, figuring Jiwoo will explain later.
Heejin continues her trek through campus. She finds many curious characters, but none that radiate a glow like Haseul, or Hyunjin even. There’s no others with golden pins and there’s certainly no giant dogs running around that might lead Heejin to any clues.
She doesn’t realize how long she’s been searching until one of her classmates, the one that she nearly ran down while trying to get out of the classroom, runs into her. He gives her an odd look and Heejin just knows he thinks that she’s a faker, but she can’t really explain to him that the reason she dramatically fled the class was because she needed to find her ghost friend.
She backtracks and tries the right side next, but comes up empty handed. She takes the last path forward and finds nothing as well. She gives up, heading back to her dorm feeling dejected. The air is growing cooler, and Heejin begins to wonder why Jiwoo hasn’t called her back yet.
“I should call her.” Heejin murmurs, unlocking the door to her dorm. She slams the door with a bit more force than necessary. “There’s no telling what type of trouble Jiwoo could be getting into.”
“She does seem the type.”
Heejin stops.
“Heejin?” The girl tilts her head, arms crossed like she’s uncomfortable.
“Haseul!” Heejin drops the notebook she’s been carrying, her voice coming out accusatory. “I’ve been looking for you for days.”
Haseul blinks slowly. “Days? I’ve been gone for… days?”
Heejin’s anger begins to vanish at the lost look on the ghost’s face. “Three. You’ve been gone for three days now.”
Haseul’s arms drop as she shakes her head. “No, I just fell through the window a few hours ago. I went looking for you afterwards and you and Jiwoo weren’t here. So… I went looking around the campus.”
Heejin takes a step closer, nearly tripping over the fallen notebook. “Haseul, you fell out of the window three days ago. Jiwoo and I have been looking for you, but we thought… We thought maybe you were gone.”
“I don’t… understand.” Haseul’s frown deepens. “I fell and… it was like I was asleep, but I woke up right there. On the ground outside.”
Heejin laughs, one of pure incredulousness. “I don’t understand either. You’re kind of a strange ghost.” Heejin flinches, forgetting that Haseul doesn’t like to be called as such. “Sorry.”
Haseul shrugs. “It’s... fine.”
There’s a short silence while Heejin situates herself on her bed, pulling the book from her bedside table and patting the spot next to her. Haseul settles next to her, pulling her legs to sit in a crisscross. Her knee hits Heejin’s and her body materializes, like it had the day Heejin grabbed her hand.
Haseul freezes when she notices what’s happened. Heejin herself is a little weirded out that she’s being touched by a dead person, but she doesn’t dare try and pull away, her fascination outweighing her nerves.
“Here.” Heejin sets the book in the ghost’s lap. “Let’s see if you can open that.”
Haseul runs the palm of her hand against the leather covering, taking her time to feel. She opens the cover slowly, eyeing the first page in amusement. She turns another page and takes the time to read the words written.
The first page of the book is just a drawing of her and Jiwoo wearing the suits from Ghostbusters that Heejin herself created back in highschool, back when Jiwoo had first made the suggestion of a ghost guide. The second page is more or less a list of ways that the two have helped ghosts throughout the years. Every other page is filled with actual ghosts that they’ve helped and their stories.
It’s mostly to give some hope to any future ghosts that are worried about coming to Heejin and Jiwoo for help. There’s a small part of Heejin though that feels like she would be betraying them all by forgetting them, and so she revisits the book every couple months.
She doesn’t remember all of their faces anymore, it would be impossible to after all the years that she’s been doing it, and that makes her feel a little culpable. Heejin has a feeling that she’ll never forget Haseul though. The girl has already made it to the top of Heejin’s list of oddities.
“There’s a lot.” Haseul casually says.
Heejin shrugs, leaning over to get a better look. She recognizes the boy on the page instantly. He had been a harder case than usual to crack. “That’s Namjoon. He was really cool, had a rapping career a long time ago. Pretty sure you can find some of his songs if you look him up.”
“You remember him?” Haseul glances up curiously.
“I try to remember all of them.”
“Will you remember me?” Haseul asks, her voice low as she avoids Heejin’s eye. “You will, right?”
“Of course.” Heejin nods. She doesn’t know why it’s so important to Haseul that Heejin remembers her, but she feels like she needs to reassure her. “I promise to remember you, Haseul.”
Haseul releases an unsteady breath, and it’s alarming for Heejin to realize how real Haseul’s warm breath feels on her leg. If she didn’t know better, she’d think that a regular, very much alive girl was sitting next to her.
“Thank you,” Haseul says.
Before Heejin can acknowledge the thanks, her phone rings. Heejin jerks away to grab the phone, momentarily forgetting about Haseul when she notices her best friend’s name on the phone screen.
“Jiwoo! What is wrong with you? I was starting to think you might be dead, moron.” Heejin gives Haseul an apologetic look when she notices that the book has fallen through her lap. There’s nothing human-like about Haseul anymore, instead enveloped in the usual ghostly glow. “Jiwoo?”
There’s a few moments of silence where Heejin’s blood turns cold, mind coming up with scenario after scenario of Jiwoo being kidnapped or being bought by the mafia or lost at sea, even though that one makes no sense considering they don’t live near the sea, or-
“Heejin?” The familiar voice has Heejin frozen. “Is Jiwoo the friend that you were looking for? If so, I found her.”
“Hyunjin?” Heejin doesn’t understand.
Hyunjin gives an easy, amused laugh. If Heejin weren’t so afraid for her friend at the moment, she’d probably be endeared at the sound. “Technically, I think she found me . Or she found Sooyoung at the very least and then found me.”
Heejin has no idea who Sooyoung is. “Who?”
“Sooyoung?” Hyunjin says it like Heejin should already know. “You met her a few days ago. Didn’t she introduce herself?”
The girl at the library, Heejin’s brain supplies. “Oh, no, she didn’t. I think Jiwoo and I freaked her out, actually.”
“Still rude of her.” Hyunjin notes. “Anyway, I think it’s best if you come visit.”
Heejin eyes Haseul, who looks confused from the one-sided conversation that she’s getting. “Jiwoo isn’t…” Heejin hesitates, fearing that she might offend Hyunjin.
It’s not that she really thinks Jiwoo would be in any danger from Hyunjin, or Sooyoung, but part of her is uneasy from this phone call. Neither of them give off bad vibes, but Heejin finds their presence odd if nothing else.
“Hurt? In trouble?” Hyunjin supplies. Heejin hums in conformation. “No, of course not. She’s fine. Would you like to talk with her?”
Heejin hums again, waiting for her best friend’s voice. She’s terribly relieved that she hasn’t offended Hyunjin in any way, but better to be safe than sorry, right?
“Heekie!” Jiwoo’s voice is much louder this call, leaving Heejin to assume that she must feel comfortable enough to be her regular self. “I found your dead girl! And Sooyoung! And Hyejoo!”
“That’s great, Jiwoo. Good job.” Heejin laughs incredulously, unable to stop the pride filling her chest. Jiwoo gets better and better at sherlock holming every year. “I found our favorite ghost.”
Jiwoo gasps. “You did? What happened? Is she okay?”
“It’s… complicated, but she’s fine. I’ll bring her with me.”
Jiwoo hums an acceptance and rants off an address for Heejin to follow. Heejin is confused why they’re in town and not at the dorms, but she refrains from asking any other questions, eager to reunite with her best friend.
“Haseul, let’s go.” Heejin hangs up the phone and grabs a coat. “We’re going to meet up with Jiwoo.”
“Um… okay. I thought maybe we could look into some stuff about me, too.” Haseul pouts.
“We will!” Heejin reassures her. “I promise we will, but… some strange stuff has happened while you were gone.”
Haseul blinks quizzically before realization comes over her face, like she had forgotten about her disappearing act already. “Right. What stuff, exactly?”
Heejin gives her back a little shove, pushing the ghost girl toward the door. It’s weird to watch her body come and go from existence so quickly. “I’ll explain on the way there. Let’s go.”
--
“So they’re dead, too?” Haseul’s brow rises.
Heejin shrugs, making sure that she and Haseul don’t touch. The last thing Heejin needs is for some random lady on the street to see a girl appearing out of thin air. That’s enough to make someone think they need therapy, that’s for sure.
“Hyunjin is, I think. She had the glow.” At Haseul’s inquiring look, she explains further. “The dead have a glow around their bodies. Makes them hard to miss, especially at night when there’s not a lot of light.”
Haseul lifts her hand, glaring down at her palm. “Do I glow?”
“You do, yeah.” Heejin nods, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “But that Sooyoung girl? She didn’t glow, but she acted like she was like Hyunjin. I don’t get it, but maybe they’ll give us some answers.”
Haseul sighs, deep and uncomfortable. “Well, will they be able to see me? It said in your book that gh- that people like me can see others… like me.”
Heejin wonders if Haseul will ever get used to being called a ghost. “I have no idea, Haseul. I’m going into this blind, too.”
“Well.” Haseul stops suddenly, just outside the building that Jiwoo sent her the address of. “If they can’t see me, do they have to know about me?”
Heejin backtracks a few steps, back to Haseul. “You don’t want them to know about you?”
Heejin tries her very best to make it look like she’s not talking to the air around her, but she still gets an odd look from the man that passes through Haseul’s body. Haseul shudders at the action when she realizes what’s happened.
“I just…” Haseul swallows. Swallows what, Heejin will never know. It’s not like she should have any saliva, right? “I don’t want to leave, Heejin, but I need to, right? All of those people in your book? They wanted to move on and be happy. I should want that too… but I don’t even remember my life before this. I don’t know if I want to move on when I don’t even remember living.”
Heejin takes in her words slowly, frowning the more Haseul talks. “I know, but every g- person I’ve helped has been happier once they’ve realized why they were stuck here in the first place. You’ll be happier-”
“No, I know that. I get it, really.” Haseul shakes her head. “And right now? I just want to get this over with. But if I get attached to too many people? Who knows if I’ll want to leave later when we actually figure everything out?”
“Oh.” Heejin’s heart aches for the girl when she finally realizes what Haseul is saying. “If you find a reason to love being here then you won’t want to go.”
“Right.” Haseul nods slowly. “And that’s what I need to do, right? I need to go?”
Heejin doesn’t answer her right away, because for the first time in her life she questions whether Haseul leaving is the best thing that could happen. She’s never met a ghost that enjoyed being around after all their loved ones have left, but she knows the few that died early in life enjoyed watching their loved ones continue on.
Who knows if Haseul has family. Haseul could be hundreds of years old- okay, not hundreds because her clothes indicate a recent death. Probably within the last five years. Ten at the most.
“You may enjoy yourself for a while, but what happens if I die and you’re still around here?” Heejin wonders if there are others like her, people that help the dead. She’s never heard of anyone else being able to, but surely she’s not the only one in history that’s been able to do this. “How do you move on?”
Haseul releases a sad laugh, her eyes duller than before. “Yeah. Yeah, I think you’re right.”
Heejin waits, but it seems Haseul is done. She wiggles her hands out of her pockets, thinking about giving her a hug, but drops them when she remembers why she can’t do that out in public like this. “I won’t tell them about you.”
Haseul smiles, but it’s sad. “Good.”
Heejin nods, throwing open the door that she’s been standing in front of for far too long. It’s warmer inside and smells of bread. It’s pleasing, but Heejin doesn’t remember ever seeing a bakery like this before around here.
“Hello!” A head pops up behind the counter. The girl’s pink hair looks like one of the pastries on the wall. It’s amusing to say the least. “What can I get you today?”
“Oh, actually, I’m looking for my friend, Jiwoo.”
The girl’s face drops into something that looks a little more genuine, still just as friendly. “Oh, you must be Heejin. Hyunjin has been talking about you for a while now.”
“Oh.” Heejin blinks, unsure why the statement makes her cheeks burn. “That’s nice.”
The girl laughs heartily. “I’m Vivi.”
Haseul perks up from her side, eyeing Vivi strangely. Heejin has no way of asking about Haseul’s reaction without giving her ghost friend away.
“Hello, Vivi.” Heejin is a little overwhelmed by all the interactions with strangers she's had lately, but Vivi’s presence is calming enough to let Heejin’s body release the pent up anxiety. “Is this a bakery?”
Vivi points to the long, black sliding glass on the counter before pulling it open, revealing a heavenly scent. “Sure is. This is all fresh if you’d like anything.”
They look delicious and if Heejin didn’t know better, she’d say the cookies were decorated by a master chef. Heejinn wishes she could cook like that, but the last time she and Jiwoo attempted to make something food related, Heejin’s brownies turned into a wall of defense instead of something edible.
“Oh, I don’t have any money on-”
“Nonsense, take anything. Jiwoo has already eaten half of it anyway.” Vivi shakes her head, seeming truly mystified. “I have no idea how she fits all that food into her tiny body.”
Heejin starts thinking up excuses as to why she can’t do that, but her rumbling stomach convinces her to take one. “Just one.”
Vivi nods, waving a hand toward the pastries. “Anything you want.”
Haseul peers around her, eyeing the little bird shaped cookie decorated with green icing. “That looks delicious.”
Heejin eyes it, not seeing whatever Haseul loves about it. It looks tasty, sure, all of them look tasty, but Heejin is eyeing the croissant on the far end that is still steaming.
Vivi catches her looking from the cookie to the croissant. “Ah, that one right there? The cookie? It was a favorite of one of my friends. I used to make it for her.”
Heejin suddenly feels bad for her unimpressed thoughts about the cookie. “Used to?”
Vivi’s face blanks. “Yes, used to.”
Heejin backs off, feeling like she’s stepped over a boundary that she shouldn't have. “Just the croissant please.”
Vivi is quick to supply her with the bread, pushing her past the counter and toward the backdoor. Heejin tosses her one last smile before stepping through the door, pocketing the bread once she's shut the door. There’s a flight of stairs leading to what Heejin assumes to be the store’s basement.
She takes a moment to collect herself, turning to the ghost close by her side. “What was that?”
Haseul furrows her brow. “What was what?”
She doesn’t know if Haseul has already forgotten the strange moment before with Vivi or if she just wasn’t aware it happened. Haseul has been pretty forthcoming so far, so Heejin figures she must not have noticed her own stupefied reaction to the pink haired girl. Heejin opens her mouth to question her further, but she’s cut off by Jiwoo’s loud voice.
“Heekie! Is that you?”
Heejin gives the confused Haseul one last look, one that promises a talk later, before charging down the stairs, two at a time. Haseul follows dutifully behind, taking it slower, perhaps because she’s naturally more refined than Heejin or maybe to make sure she doesn’t accidentally touch Heejin and expose herself to the room full of strangers.
The basement of the bakery looks like what Heejin would think a bakery basement would, filled with boxes of dry ingredients, shelves full of decorating tools, and a large freezer door to the side.
She catches sight of Hyunjin first, leaning against the counter by the freezer, not bothered in the least by the cold coming off it. She gives Heejin a cheeky grin and a wink. The wink is a little messily done, but it’s still terribly charming.
She catches sight of Jiwoo and the library girl, Sooyoung apparently, next, both by the counter filled with cookie cutters, knives, and measurement cups that look like they’ve never been used before. Jiwoo sits atop the counter and Sooyoung leans against it, angled just slightly toward her best friend.
“Where’s Hyejoo?” Strangely enough, is the first thing Heejin asks.
Hyunjin laughs, pushing off the freezer door smoothly. “Are we not interesting enough for you?”
Heejin shoves her hands back into her coat pockets, her right hand tightening around the warm crossiant, feeling a little off balance with Hyunjin getting closer. “No, I just…”
Hyunjin takes pity on her. “Don’t worry. She ran off to run an errand. She’ll be back soon.”
Jiwoo perks up, feet kicking excitedly. “Oh! Heejin, you’re not gonna believe this, but Hyejoo is-” Sooyoung elbows her, giving her a look that Heejin can’t quite place. Jiwoo blinks before nodding, a sneaky smile appearing. Heejin has only ever seen that smile when Jiwoo has attempted to prank her before. “-totally cool.”
“Yeah, I know.” Heejin frowns. “She’s pretty, too. I’ve never seen a dog with such a shiny coat.”
Sooyoung snorts into her hand, ignoring the tiny punch Jiwoo gives to her shoulder. Heejin wonders how they’ve gotten close enough for such a thing so quickly. Heejin is totally fine with helping these people, but not if that means this Sooyoung girl tries to steal her best friend away.
“Yeah, she takes pride in it,” Hyunjin says.
Heejin feels like she’s missing something. She stealthily takes a peek at Haseul from the corner of her eye, and the ghost girl seems just as confused as she is. Haseul notices her gaze and shrugs, not seeming to understand either.
“Heejin?” Hyunjin’s voice tears her eyes away from the ghost girl shoving herself into the corner of the room. Haseul is really going out of her way to stay away. “I figure there’s some questions you want to ask.”
“I’d rather you just tell me what you are instead of talking in circles.” Heejin admits, rocking on the heels of her feet. “If you don’t mind that is. I kind of have other things, people, I need to be helping.”
“Other people?” Sooyoung interrupts, leaning against the counter with an elbow, chin in hand. She looks genuinely interested in Heejin’s words, which is a vast improvement from the horror she so obviously felt when being interrogated by Jiwoo and Heejin, but Heejin promised Haseul that she wouldn’t mention her to anyone else, so Sooyoung will have to stay in the dark about that one.
“Ghosts!” Jiwoo practically shouts. “We’re helping Ha-”
“A friend!” Heejin cuts Jiwoo off, giving her a look that tells her she’ll explain later. “We’re helping a friend cross over.”
Hyunjin narrows her eyes at her, not unkindly though. “You know, you just asked me to tell you all about what I am, but you’re very obviously going out of your way to hide something right in front of me.”
“It’s not you. It’s not about me either. You weren’t surprised so I’m assuming Jiwoo has already explained to you that I see the dead.” Heejin feels a little intimidated now. Although there’s an even number on both sides, Heejin has a feeling she and Jiwoo would lose in a fight against these two. Not that any of them look eager for a fight, it’s just an observation. “But my friend has requested privacy as we go forward with her… case.” It’s far more formal of wording than she usually uses, but she’s not sure how else to put it without sounding like a fool. “So it’s not about you or me. It’s about her feeling safe.”
Sooyoung frowns. “She’s dead.”
“She’s still a person.” Heejin bites out.
Hyunjin puts a hand up, signalling for Sooyoung to bite her tongue. “Fair enough. I appreciate the honesty.”
She tosses a glance to the corner of the room. Haseul is giving her a grateful smile. Heejin’s body feels a little like jelly, as she’s not used to confrontation like that, but Haseul’s smile makes it feel worth it.
“Is she here? Your friend?” Hyunjin tilts her head toward the corner of the room where Haseul stands.
Haseul shuffles uneasily before giving Heejin a nod. Heejin hopes she reads the action correctly. “Yes, she is. You can’t…”
“See her?” Hyunjin looks back to Heejin and shakes her head. “No.”
“She’s not a ghost, Heejin.” Jiwoo supplies, feet still kicking.
“I figured.” Heejin admits. “But you are… dead?”
“Yes.” Hyunjin’s eyes go back to the corner. She assumes Hyunjin must have caught her looking there earlier. “Although Sooyoung has a habit of… sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong-”
“You’re hilarious.” Sooyoung rolls her eyes, but there is an amused smile tugging at her lips.
“-we promise to respect your privacy…”
Heejin shakes her head when she realizes what Hyunjin is waiting for. “She would rather you not know her name.”
Hyunjin nods. “That’s fair. Sorry.”
“So…” Heejin plays with the lint in her pockets, feeling uncomfortable once again. “Are we going to…”
“Right, you want to know what I am.” Hyunjin hums, giving her a feral grin. Heejin frowns at the sight because although she can’t place it, something about it seems wrong. She stares a little harder and- there, the pointed canines dip down longer than is natural. “I’m a vampire, obviously.”
Heejin makes a noise, one that she's never made before, out of a combination of surprise and fear. "I- that's funny. That's really funny, right Jiwoo?"
Jiwoo looks like she wants to laugh. "I knew you'd be weird about it. Don't worry, Heejin, they're really nice. And Sooyoung is a werewolf!"
Hyunjin laughs at her spooked expression. "Oh, come on. Don't be like that. You've already met a werewolf before."
"I have not." Heejin denies, legs beginning to feel like jelly.
"You have." A new voice interrupts. Heejin whips around. "You've met me, remember?"
A pretty girl with black hair stands at the bottom of the stairs. She's snuck up on them in the midst of the crazy conversation. She's never met this girl in her life, but there's something about her eyes that look oddly fa-
Heejin gasps. "Hyejoo."
Hyejoo smirks.
Heejin's legs give out from underneath her finally, seconds before she passes out.