welcome to my playground - k.jw

2.

after the overwhelming emotions tugged on kyungmi's non beating heart, kyungmi left hangang - trying to push down the feelings that was eating at her.

she dragged her feet along the ground, trying to find her way around. kyungmi felt alone in this world. she didn't know what she was meant to do now.

she walked around, hearing everyone talk to others or maybe over the phone. the streets were bustling with university students, important office people and some just lingering around the streets for fun.

just as kyungmi was walking around, a small child at the age of possibly 6, had bumped into her.

"sorry miss! i didn't see where i was going and-" before the girl could finish, a much older lady came and grabbed the child by the wrist.

"byeol! there's no one there, why are you like this?! do you know how embarrassing it is to have you talk to the air? now quick, your father is waiting." her mother pulled her along. the child, byeol, stared at kyungmi with blank and dull eyes.

she could see ghosts. she was special, but everyone thought she was crazy.

kyungmi stared at the blank faced child with a smile on her face, waving the girl goodbye - in which byeol smiled back.

"i would go follow them if i were you. the mother is taking her to an adoption center for being crazy, and who knows, maybe an asylum." a figure appeared next to kyungmi suddenly.

kyungmi flinched at the sudden voice, backing away from the unknown ghost.

"what? never seen a ghost teleport? or..are you new?" the male ghost stared at her with a raised brow. kyungmi opened her mouth to speak but the male had beat her to it.

"aha you're new! well, come with me and let's go save a little girl." he grabbed her wrist and dragged her along but kyungmi pulled herself away.

"a ghost isn't to interfere with the life of a human.." kyungmi looked down at the ground, afraid to meet the eyes of the other.

"oh c'mon you don't seriously follow those rules do you?! i get it, you're a new soul but lemme tell you, nothing happens!" the ghost yelled irritably. kyungmi took a step back, shaking her head.

lifting up her head, she was met with eyes that were no longer the normal brown it was before - they were red. a dark red with a swirl of orange.

"y-your eyes.." kyungmi stuttered quietly. she lifted her hand up, pointing at his red and orange eyes.

"pft whatever, i'll just go myself."  as the wind blew gentle, donghyuck disappeared - following the direction of the wind.

kyungmi stood upon the busy street, guilt flowing through her as well as confusion.

"don't worry about him kyungmi, he's just frustrated." another voice said.

kyungmi looked beside her to see a ghost floating in the air on their back. they floated as if they were in a pool, kicking their feet gently and moving around. his eyes were closed as they faced upwards to the sun and clouds.

"that was donghyuck. he's been a ghost for a few years now and so he just does what he wants. as for his eyes, they're a punishment," the ghost said, kicking his feet to keep up with kyungmi's steps, "i don't know what he did to get them but, they're meant to punish him. i find it quite cool that his eyes can change depending on his emotions but i guess there's just some things people don't tell you the full story of."

the unknown ghost flipped themselves over, his back now facing the sky and their face facing the ground.

"hm..you don't own shoes.." he them pulled himself down and placed his feet to the ground. "doesn't it hurt walking without shoes?" he looked down at himself and his shoes and then back to kyungmi's bare ones.

"a little bit but, i can manage." kyungmi smiled softly.

truth is, she was lying.

the pain was unbearable but she couldn't do anything about it. it hurt her to walk on the cold concrete, bark and sand on playgrounds, accidently stepping on rocks every here and there.

"stay right here and don't go anywhere." the boy disappeared. kyungmi stood in the middle of the streets stunned that he was also able to teleport.

within five seconds, the boy came back.

"put these on, they're my sister's but she doesn't wear them." he placed the shoes on the ground for kyungmi.

he seemed to have noticed kyungmi's hesitance, looking at her and giving her a reassuring nod. "my sister is still alive, i remembered her though after i passed my old house once. she doesn't wear these, she was about to donate them to charity." kyungmi said nothing, only nodding her head.

slipping her feet through the flat silver shoes. to her surprise, they fit her decently well. they were slightly bigger than her size, but she could work with it - after all, at least she had shoes to wear now.

"ah right! i'm jisung!" he flashed kyungmi a cute heart shaped gummy smile before lifting his feet off the ground again.

kyungmi thought he resembled the cheshire cat when he floated around. his body would flow so lightly - as if he was 95% liquid. he would twirl around in the air and spin like a barrel horizontally.

he'd disappear one second and appear again the next in a completely different spot. one moment he's by kyungmi's left side and the next he's twirling in the air on her right.

"i hope you like your shoes kyungmi." he smiled again. jisung wanted to ask her age but he doubted that she remembered anything from her life - especially since she was a new soul.

"thank you, jisung. i..i really like them." kyungmi smiled brightly at jisung. words couldn't express how grateful she was, even for just a pair of shoes.

"well, i should get going. i have to go visit my living family." and with that, jisung disappeared into thin air.

even with jisung out of her sight, the smile was stuck to her face. unlike the heartbreaking emotions from earlier, she felt nothing but joy and satisfaction.

she had made a friend.