Same 28

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..............is just me.

Hyun Seo: I'm late again.

Author: Chapter 28 begins now.

Hyun Seo: I just got here.

Author: Congrats, you'll leave early.

Hyun Seo: That's not nice.

Author: No one said am nice.

Hyun Seo: Just continue.

          *********👻👻*******

"Truth be told, am the same. I have the same ability"

Same ability? What ability? What was he talking about?

"I can see and hear ghosts as well"

"What?" Shin Hye exclaimed in shock.

"I know is hard to believe. You.....you can't see what we see. You don't know what we know. You were not born with it"

"You were born with it?" Shin Hye asked, still in shock.

"Yes, and......... growing up, it was so hard living with it. No one believed me. There are famous people like me. Talking about ghosts and how they can see them, hear them and all that.......but.....no one believed me. They thought I was joking, pretending. They made fun of me, pushed me away. Said all kinds of horrible things to me.........."

Huh? Jay went through all that?

Then,........Tae Jin........

"The comfort, understanding,.............. protection I needed, no one was willing to give it to me" Jay said, looking sad as he recalled his childhood.

"Including my parents. They left for the states, leaving me alone with my grandmother because they couldn't stand me and my weirdness. They didn't want a freak as a son. They said I wasn't their son. My mom said it on my face, 'You're not the child I gave birth to' And I.......I was only five when I heard that from my own mother"

"Jay" Shin Hye called out his name, feeling sorry.

Jay went through a lot. Even his own parents didn't want him.

Tae Jin.......was this the reason why he never told her.

Was he scared to lose her?

And she...........come to think of it,........even she didn't take his side.

And earlier, she called him a freak.

Ahhh!!! What has she done?!

"I understand Tae Jin. What he must have gone through. His fears.......I understand them all"

"God! This is a lot to take in" Shin Hye yelled out.

Smiling, Jay said, "And........ there's one beside me"

"What?" Shin Hye asked.

What was beside him?

It can't be.......

"Show yourself" Jay said and suddenly, a little girl appeared beside him. Seated on the chair beside his, a smile on her cute face.

A ghost!! 

Shin Hye yelled out in mind, staring at the little girl in shock, disbelief.

She.....she was really seeing a ghost.

The little girl had long black hair and sky eyes.

Very cute. 

Age, she couldn't tell, nine? ten? Eight? Had to be one of these.

And......she looked like a human. If she wasn't..... wasn't what? Glowing? She would have thought this little girl was human.

Hold on, was she even glowing? Or........was it an arua?

A visible arua? And the colour was white!

What did all these mean?

She (Shin Hye) was so confused!

"Hi" the little girl spoke and Shin Hye heard loud and clear.

Huh?

She thought if you don't have the ability, you can't see or hear ghosts.

So how come she was seeing one? Hearing one?

She wasn't a chosen one.

She was not born with the ability!

"This is Si-Yeong, a ghost. She has the ability to show herself to humans. Portray as one. All ghosts have auras and when she show herself to humans who can't see or hear ghosts, she can.......make the aura disappear and then, she'll be seen as a human" Jay explained.

Oh, so that was why she could see the little girl.

Come on think of it,........ Jay did say ghosts can show themselves to humans who can't see or hear them.

"Shin Hye" Si-Yeong called her and she looked at her, meeting a smile on her (Si-Yeong) face.

"You know me?" Shin Hye asked.

"Of course! I've been watching you. In fact, am always around. Every time you talk to Jay, spend time with him"

"What the....." Seriously?

She was always around? 

"And I must say, you're a smooth talker. You have a sweet tongue" the kid said, smiling.

"I don't know where this is going but should you be saying such things? You're a kid" Shin Hye said and she replied,

"I'm ten"

"A kid" Shin Hye said and Si-Yeong rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"I......I feel really bad! I even insulted him. I called him a freak. He has been going through so much alone and I didn't even know"

Well, he didn't tell her.

If Tae Jin explained everything gently, calmly, just like Jay did, maybe she would have believed him.

Understood him.

Helped him.

Even so,..........God! She felt really bad!

"Is not your fault Shin Hye. You just have to apologise, am sure he'll forgive you" Jay said.

"I understand now, all those times it looked like he was distancing himself from us (She, Se Jong and Hyun Seo).......... All that he was going through and didn't want to share,........... it was about ghosts. He must have been really scared. Thinking he'll lose us if he told us"

"I loved him, but never really understood him"

"Loved him? What about now?" Jay asked. Confused.

"I still love him, but only as a friend" Shin Hye said, earning a happy look from Jay.

"Should I be happy to hear this?" Jay asked, smiling.

"That's up to you" Shin Hye said and they stared at each other, smiling.

Annoyed, Si-Yeong rolled her eyes, before saying,

"There's a kid here"

"You're ten" Shin Hye replied, not taking her eyes off Jay.

"A kid" Si-Yeong said.

Maybe she should sleep early tonight.

It was annoying being with these two.

                         **********👻👻********

"Tae Jin, are you feeling a little better now?" Hae Jin asked, standing at the door.

He was hesitant to come close, in case Tae Jin still wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Hyung" Tae Jin called out to him as he looked at him (Hae Jin)

He was on his bed, seated, leaning against the bedframe with his blanket covering his waist to his legs.

"If you want me to go, I'll go" Hae Jin hurriedly said about to turn and leave but then,......

"No, please stay" Tae Jin said, stopping him.

"Okay" Hae Jin said, looking at him.

"Join me" Tae Jin said and he complied.

Getting on the bed, he sat on it and leaned against the bedframe as well.

Of course, as usual, Hae Jin made sure there was some distance between him and Tae Jin.

Too quiet.

Hae Jin didn't like this and so, he took action.

"Don't worry too much, it will all be better. Shin Hye will come back" he said and Tae Jin nodded before saying,

"Truth be told hyung, I don't think she'll come back. She knew I can see ghosts but she didn't say a word. She didn't believe it. But then,.......she got proof some time ago. She called me a freak and hearing it from her, I feel broken"

"She's very important to you"

"She is. She's my first friend. Our parents were friends before we were born. We met when we were babies. And then, we met Se Jong and Hyun Seo and we became friends. We've been friends since kindergarten"

Okay, Hae Jin thought.

"She has always been there. You know hyung, when we first got to the states, I was really depressed. I couldn't eat or drink or speak for a whole week and Shin Hye was always there even though I ignored her. She tried her best to make me happy but I was never in the mood and always ignored her. When I found out about my dad, she was there as well. After the incident with Clara and everyone found out about me, she was always there even though she didn't know exactly what happened. Well, I just found out she did know but didn't acknowledge it"

Come to think of it, what exactly happened between him and this Clara?

Who exactly was this Clara to him?

And what did they find out about him?

Was it his ability to see ghosts?

"I was devastated when her grandmother died, and even though she was as well, she always made sure I was also okay but I ignored her. Her grandmother was very important to me. We were very close. She was closer to me than Shin Hye, her real granddaughter" Tae Jin said, a sad smile playing on his lips.

Hae Jin watched him, waiting for him to continue.

He had all the time in the world.

Author: I don't think so.

And he'll wait.

And he ignored me.

"She......she was one of a kind. I saw her soul after she died. She crossed over right away. 'Take care of yourself and Shin Hye' she told me. I also found out she always knew I can see ghosts but never said a word. I don't know how she found out but she knew. And....... If only I opened up to her more, maybe, maybe I wouldn't have felt so lonely. If I opened up to Clara more,........ maybe I wouldn't have thought am all alone every time I was alone"

Because they knew about him and they still cared for him. They accepted him but he ignored them.

"If only I can hug you. I'll do it" Hae Jin said, drawing Tae Jin out of his thoughts.

He was surprised to hear that (Hae Jin's words) but that lasted for a few seconds.

Afterwards, he smiled before saying,

"Is just one step hyung"

Just one step? Hae Jin thought, staring at Tae Jin who also stared at him, smiling.

Just one step? Like that was so easy, Hae Jin said in mind before clearing his throat to find his voice,

"Tomorrow night, I'll go check out the school Mr Kim talked about" he said.

Surprising Tae Jin.

The school. Se Jong told him all about it.

About Mr Kim.

The Old lady.

The old lady who used to visit the house once every year knew his hyung.

He was the reason for her visits.

But then........... Why?

Why now? His hyung said he didn't want to cross over soon right?

Or.......did he have a change of mind?

"Do you want to cross over that much?" Tae Jin asked. The sadness in his tone couldn't be missed.

Even he (Tae Jin) noticed it.

"I don't. And I don't want to know about my past either but am worried about the old lady" Hae Jin replied and he (Tae Jin) thought,

Right.

But then........

"You're also curious about her" he said and Hae Jin, thinking there was no reason to hide it.

Replied,

"Yes" 

Telling him the truth.

Hae Jin was curious about the old lady.

Who was she?

What was she to him?

He wanted to know this.

So bad.

Even though he knew at the end, it was related to his past life.