Chapter Text
“Oo~ DAMNIT IT’S YOU AGAIN.” Wendy tiredly looked up from her clipboard from which she was writing down fixes to the house to make it more sellable. Her gaze settled on a familiar tall ghost, who was lounging back on the covered couch.
Wendy just gave a little nod and tucked her clipboard and notes back into her bag. Resting her arm at her side she gave a bow mockingly. “Of course, who else would it be. Everytime I come in here with people you have to ruin it.” She sighed, joining the ghost on the bubble wrapped couch.
Joy leaned onto the armrest and smirked up at her dearest friend. She leaned forward to give a pat on the head to the real estator. “Technically that is my job.”
But the younger, well, older girl wasn’t expecting her playful gaze to be met by a hard glare. Wendy’s eyes were turning bloodshot. A deadly and turbulent ocean pressed at the corners of their eyes, and didn’t dare to come tumbling out. An anger that was pure and hot. “Yeah, well at least you don’t have to sell it. My company has been on my fucking ass for not selling this. They’re giving me worse and worse jobs.” She quietly buried her head into her hands. Avoiding the lamentful expression the ghost was attempting to express. Her voice cracked and shattered. “I’m going to lose all this and die on the streets.”
The spirit was quiet for a moment, she stared ahead. Inspecting the wallpaper surrounding them, pristine victorian, floral designs that climbed up the walls. Joy briefly thought about all the work Wendy had put into the house. After all, their first interaction had been Wendy telling Joy to stop haunting the place because she was working. The pair were friends, in Joy’s mind that is.
“I would leave if I could.”
Wendy looked up, surprised. She blinked away her tears to see the rambunctious, annoying ghost staring straight ahead. A glazed look in her eyes. “What?” She finally managed, trying to make her voice sound strong despite the pain that latched onto her words.
Her question was met with silence once more. Joy’s quietness was unnerving. Joy’s presence was the one thing that had encouraged her to keep working despite all the pressure to give up. The not-so-quiet companionship and support that she had provided. (Despite always scaring away the customers she brought in to look around the house). “What do you mean?” She reiterated, looking at them with a heavy but unreadable expression.
The clarification prompted the spirit to turn their head. “I obviously died here. It’s not like I chose to stay in this house.” She let out a chuckle, a hollow one. “This isn’t even where I lived. I just was unlucky.” Her gaze seemed uncharacteristically flat. The eye-smile that Wendy had come to appreciate seemed like it would never return.
Wendy opened her mouth to ask a question, but Joy’s eyes flitted to her lips and back up to meet her eyes. Joy shook her head.
“I’ll tell you. You don’t need to ask... Again. What year is it again?”
“2018?”
Joy cleared her throat, a signal that her monologue would begin. “I was in high school, about six years ago. I was walking home a little late, because I had sports practice. I found a cool shortcut, right?” Wendy nodded. “So I crossed the straight through an alleyway that isn’t here anymore. I-.” She breathed deeply, her body began to shake. Wendy reached over to provide her comfort, and instead of her arm passing through like normal, she held them close. Their body was cold, but it was there. As if retelling the tale had prompted the ghost to become more human. The real estator hugged them a little closer. Surprised to see that no tears were falling, despite the pained expression that was painted across Joy’s visage.
“I- Uh- I promised I looked. I swear- I looked. I promise.” Joy choked out a sob, her hand reaching for her eyes, to cover her pitiful expression. “Then it just came, and it threw me to this property. It was a hit and run, so I died here.” She looked down. Pressing her hand harder to her eyes, holding in tears from spilling out. “It was a hit and run. Wendy, I don’t even know if I had a- a funeral .”
Wendy leaned her head on Joy’s shoulder. The sound of a ghost’s muffled sobs reverberated through the little house. “Well, I’m glad that your body got projectiled onto this house.” Wendt attempted at joking, ruffling the top of Joy’s head. Joy looked up, with a small smile playing on her lips. “Otherwise I would be really lonely,” Wendy confessed.
Wendy leaned back, much to her surprise, Joy relaxed back with her. The real estator spoke once more. “I always found renovating houses so boring. But… You were here. I wasn’t even scared, hell, I was relieved. It took me away from my boring routine of pitifully inhaling three shots of espresso then dragging myself to work.” She laughed, a giggle, much to Joy’s surprise. “I could restrain myself to have one shot of espresso because you’re energy made up for the rest.”
Joy sniffed and giggled, her sadness trickling away with the banter. “Hey!”
A little muse came from the ghost’s companion. “You know, maybe I should just buy this house for myself. After all I’d have a nice little companion~” Joy stuck her tongue out at Wendy, Joy’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Happiness rushing through her veins, she was so relieved to feel wanted after all this time.
Then Joy’s unbeating heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. She felt her hands tingle and begin fading into a translucent nothingness before her eyes. Wendy looked over, her eyes widened in horror. She dived and grabbed onto their torso. Trying to anchor them in reality. “Shit- No. I just- fuck. I don’t want you to leave.”
Joy opened her mouth, but no noise could come out. Wendy, I love you. Thank you for making me feel wanted. Maybe she was supposed to feel peace in this moment, for achieving what she had missed while she was living. Maybe she was supposed to eagerly walk into the light that she could see shining through Wendy’s hair.
Wendy stared at them, the younger’s arms had faded, and her legs were beginning to leave reality as well. Wendy’s hands slipped through their torso, falling through their now untouchable body. So close to leaving her completely. She whimpered out. “Joy, please . I never even knew your real name. I don’t want you to leave.” The person who had kept her happiness anchored, and tugged her unknowingly out of the dark clouds of depression was disappearing into smoke.
“Joy. Please. Stop going. I don’t want another person to leave me.” Wendy sobbed out, staring up at Joy’s eyes that had stopped showing expression. Joy’s eyes snapped shut, so close to fading all the way. “My name’s Son Seungwan, I wish I had known you when you were alive.” She whimpered, six years ago she too had been in high school. What if they were at the same high school, and Joy had slipped between her fingers.
Wendy never would hear it but Joy was trying to speak the entire time.
“ My name’s Park Sooyoung, Wendy. Weren’t you that person who was in all those theater clubs? I remember you signing up for talent shows, I would’ve loved to hear your voice but I died before the talent show. Did my name show up on the announcements? Mourning my death? Wendy? Please don’t be sad”
“Please don’t be sad, Seungwan.”
That was the last thought she had before she faded, the cries of a saddened real estate agent were silenced. Joy opened her eyes to find herself kneeling before a cloudy gate. Meeting an angel’s eyes to see a saddened expression looking back at her.
Joy cried out. “Send me back, please. I- I need to make things right. I don’t want Wendy to be lonely.” She watched as the ethereal being approached her. She closed her eyes as they leaned down to them.
A pair of lips pressed to her forehead. -And she prayed that upon opening her eyes she would find herself in Wendy’s warm embrace.
Joy’s vision went dark.