Even though Young Saeng thought, that the sleep wouldn't come back, eventually it hit him and he fall asleep sitting.
He woke up with sore neck. Firstly he massaged it and then the reality hit him – he rapidly stood up and looked around. It was bright outside and he was only person inside the house. He sat down, realising a huge sigh, but then again he heard voice.
'Please, don't be scared, it's really me...' Aeri appeared from behind the corner, peeking at him, trying to not scare him.
Instead he froze and grabbed his hair, as he started to sob. 'I'm getting crazy...'
'God, it breaks my heart seeing you weeping so hard... But I promise you, it's the real me! One and only!' She slowly approached him, like a wounded animal.
'You aren't real, it's just my conscience...'
She tilted her head, as she was near him. She even bit her lip, as she usually did. 'It's me! How can I prove it to you...'
'Whatever you'll say it'll be nothing else from that I knew about you. You're the creation of my imagination...'
'No! How about that? As a kid I had a turtle...'
'A lot of people had turtles... Why I'm even talking with you...'
'Listen! Its name was 'Fluffly'! Call Jisoo, she knows about it, because it bit her elbow and she has a scar there! Tell her that!' Young Saeng finally looked at her, tears streaming on his face. 'Please, I beg you! At least try.'
'It's madness...'
'No, it's not! Do it!' She waved her hands at him, to show he should stand up.
He was rather pessimistic about it, but he stood up and carefully, not turning his gaze away from Aeri, he went to the kitchen, where on the table was his phone. He had many unanswered calls as he shut himself from the world and didn't want to talk to anyone. He dialled Jisoo number and waited. She picked up.
'Young Saeng? Why you're calling? You thought about the flat out?'
'Umm, it may sound weird, but can you answer on one question of mine?'
'What is it about?'
'Did Aeri had a turtle?'
'What? How did you-'
'Its name was 'Fluffy'? And it bit you, so now you have a scar?'
Jisoo went quiet for a minute. 'She told you that? Why do you remembered it now? Hello?' She kept talking but Young Saeng slowly put down his hand and gone silent. She at last hang up.
He intensively looked at Aeri, as he didn't want to lose her form his sight. 'But...'
She smiled instead. 'It is me. Really.'
'How? Why?' He started to walk towards her, slowly accelerating his speed. He wanted to hug her strongly, but his hands went through her, causing him losing his balance and falling onto his face.
She raised and shoulders, as Young Saeng hit the floor. 'I'm not alive, though, I'm still dead. I'm a ghost.'
***
Young Saeng was sitting down at the table, putting an ice pack to his nose. He had his eyes closed, his face was covered in blood from his nose. Aeri sat in front of him, engulfing him with her worried eyes.
'You should go to the hospital with that. It might be broken.' But he didn't answer, just shushed her with his hand, that swollen and bruised one.
'And what's that?!' She wanted to grab that hand, but again her hand just went through it. 'I keep forgetting...'
'What happened?' Young Saeng whispered quietly, as he didn't want to interrupt her. He wanted to keep listening to her voice.
'Oh... Well, I remember the roof... But the next memory of mine is from funeral house... I just... Stayed here.'
'Just... stayed? Say it all.'
'Umm... You see, firstly I was wandering around and couldn't understand what happened, why no one hears me. I didn't feel anything. I couldn't even sit without falling down. Being able to do that costs me a lot of focus. Also when I want to go somewhere, be somewhere, I have to stick to thinking about existing... Otherwise I wander off, don't know where, but the time is not present there... But still I'm coming back to this world, not somewhere else... So in the begging I was stunned, crying for help, felt as everything around was so cold, every one of you I saw, ignored me. I came back to the funeral house and finally faced someone! She was a shaman and sometimes wandered around places like that to look for... lost souls like mine. So thankfully se explained what am I.'
'And... you're a ghost...'
'Yes. Pretty weak one, you see. It means that I was assumedly supposed to go further, but something keeps me here. Ms. Shaman told me, that it probably is some unfinished business. When it's done, I can go.'
'What it is? This thing.'
'Well, I gave it a thought and only thing, that came to my mind was giving my brother money I saved for him. And for that I need help.'
'So this shaman will help you?'
'What? I mean, yeah, she said she'll, but I have to wait, because I'm not the one and only ghost she's helping. She just told that I could wander around. So I did and watched everyone... It was harsh, after the accident, wasn't it?'
Young Saeng looked at his hand, then around, at all the trash that piled up. 'Harsh... it's not enough...'
'Umm, so yeah... I saw it. But now you can see me, right? So you can help me, I don't have to wait for her!' Aeri regained her enthusiasm and pointed at him with hope in her voice.
He avoided looking at her, but finally did it. His expression what full of sadness but also relief. 'I don't know how to do any rituals...'
'No! It's not a ritual. You just have to pass something that I simply can't. That's all.' He looked at her puzzled. 'Ok, so, right after I took you here, Jisoo talked with me and scared me, that you're going to steal my stuff. I believed her.'
Young Saeng opened his mouth to protest, but Aeri continued. 'Well, she can be really convincing. As I didn't have here almost anything I would value as precious, I only focused on one thing. I was saving money for Yejun's studies, on separate back account. The book for it, you see, I hid it. And, as I didn't expect to die like that, well, I didn't tell anyone about the account itself or where I hid it. You just have to take it and pass to him. Please.'
'And after that...?'
She took a deep breath. 'I will rest in peace.'
Young Saeng nodded. Then he remembered one more thing, that kept bugging him all the time. 'Why you're not mad at me?'
'What? Why would I?'
'You left everyone because of me!'
'Young Saeng, calm down. Umm... My emotions right now are almost absent. I don't especially feel neither sadness or anger. I just... think. And I'm sure, that nothing of this misery happened because of you. I've trusted you, and I still am doing that. I was killed by mad man, not by you.'
'But all those things he said about me...'
'Well, isn't it what madness is about?'
He hid his face in his palms, as again a wave of sadness rushed through his mind. 'I hurt you... I hurt your significant ones...'
'Young Saeng, please, don't torture yourself. What's done is done. It's hard right now, but it'll get better. All people I know are strong, they will overcome it. And it was not you, I'll repeat that! If I would resent you, would I be here looking at you having nightmares and worrying all over? I would curse you, not try to console you.'
'Why me?'
'I don't know. Weird things happened, you know that. Let's just use it as a help for me.'
He kept letting those dark thoughts wander around. 'Your brother needs you so much.'
'I wish I could talk with him, but this much must be enough. Maybe it's even better. He might not be in ability to let me go.'
'I'm not either.'
She smiled. Aeri was looking at him as the time she was already dead passed and she was surprised how much this man got used to her. She had to comfort him. 'Your life just begun, your heart is going to be lighter after that. Will you help me?'
He nodded. 'If it's for your good then always.'
'It's only for good. Now, let's go.' She stood up and flew a bit into the air, what shocked Young Saeng. Then she calmed down and started to walk normally. 'Sorry, I still can't control it fully.'
He shook his head, stood up and headed to exit. Aeri shouted after him. 'Wait, where are you going?'
He indicated the door. 'To help you, you just asked.'
'But looking like that?!' She pointed at him. He took few steps back and looked into the mirror. His face was still in blood, now dried, his nose swollen as well his eyes. He didn't shave for those two weeks, so the blood was also stuck in the beard.
He snapped his fingers at his appearance. 'But it's for your good...'
'I've waited until now, I can wait a little bit more. Now go on, take care of yourself. Didn't Jisoo told you today you stink?'
'You've been here that time?'
'I followed her yesterday, but after seeing you, I stayed here. Tell me, why don't you sleep on my bed? I much more comfortable.'
This time he was looking as he was offended. 'It's your room! Your private place!'
'As if I would ever use it again. Later call Jisoo to take my stuff, if that's you're worried about and then move onto the bed. I see as you suffer on the couch.'
He again hung his head low. 'I don't suffer because of the couch...'
But she wanted to change the subject. 'Ah, yeah, the hand. I will tell you how to handle that after you shower.'
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