Chapter Text
It's a bad day for a farewell.
The young boy's vision was filled with the sight of people clad in black. Chrysanthemum wreaths surrounded the small shrine with their gentle colors of yellow and white. The faces of a man and woman stared back at the lad from the two photos settled beside the cremation urns.
Small hands gripped harshly on his clothes as he tried to quiet his sobbing. The young face was distorted to one of immense grief; soaked with the out pour of tears.
Pitiful was an understatement in describing the scene of a boy, who had just reached the age of 10, mourning for his parents.
Yet despite it all, none of the relatives present were conscientious enough to worry about him. Why should they when they didn't even care about the youngster's parents even before their death? To them, attending this funeral was nothing more than just formality with a mix of anticipation of taking the useful stuff left behind by the deceased.
"There will most likely be money left behind."
"You're right, but seeing the state of their living, wouldn't it only be small?"
"Well, they're not much different from bugs."
The murmurs ruthlessly entered the boy's ears, causing an even more conflict of emotions to run wild within him. Sorrow and disgust intermingled in the boy's heart, dragging his emotional state even lower. He despised these people who came, not to give sincere respect to the dead, but to take the inheritance—not that it's worth to be argued with since it is nothing but meager.
Eyes cast down on the cold ground, the boy didn't notice someone approaching him until a shadow covered his small frame and caused him to look up. The person turned out to be his aunt, a woman with the same brown hair color as him but with cold eyes instead of ones filled with sadness.
It was strange. The young boy's vision was undoubtedly blurred with tears but the chilly gaze from his aunt was crystal clear. No. It was more like his heart already knew that they would look at him that way.
"Lee Gilyoung..." the woman called out as she settled in front of the kid.
'Ah...perhaps...?'
Gilyoung already knew what she was about to say even before she continued.
His aunt's mouth that was twisted into a grimace opened and her voice continued to flow out. "I'll be taking care of you from now on."
The words that left her lips didn't soothe Gilyoung nor uplift his hopes. Even when he's young, he knows. He's not so clueless as to not be aware of the fact that this woman was forced to take him in. There was no intent of comforting nor sincerely raising him up. He was just a burden unwillingly passed onto their shoulders.
Being conscious of such cruel truth doesn't help him escape from it though. What other choice could he have when he's just an orphaned boy who still needs support from those older than him? If he rebelled he won't have anywhere else to go.
He bit his lips and bobbed his head into a nod. His already dull eyes became more lifeless as they rested on his small fists clenching onto the fabric covering his knees.
'I might not live a happy life with them, but at least I have a place to live in…'
■■■
His aunt reluctantly took the child to her residence in Seoul, her eyes still glinting with annoyance over being coerced to take him in.
Her house was a modest living, not too shabby and not too flashy. The perfect image of an ordinary home. To Lee Gilyoung, the place was entirely foreign. Unlike the small-sized apartment he and his parents once resided in, his aunt's dwelling definitely looks more comfy. Although the owner doesn't look anywhere near comfortable with having him around.
"Your bedroom is the last room upstairs," the aunt nonchalantly informed. "Come down for dinner after you're done unpacking."
She then disappeared into the kitchen, not sparing a single glance to the small frame standing by the door. She obviously doesn't have any intentions of helping him carry his luggage up the stairs.
Gilyoung, not really caring about it, grabbed his small suitcase and stumbled towards the staircase. He let out huffs and puffs as he struggled to reach the 2nd floor landing.
'Ugh, why is this so heavy? I don't even have that much clothes nor do I have any toys.'
Finally, he stepped onto the landing. The lights weren't turned on so it was dark. He felt the wall for the switch but after a few minutes of unsuccessful search, he gave up. Trudging towards the last room in complete darkness, he almost tripped more than thrice before arriving in front of his destination.
The door was made of wood, probably dark oak. The brass doorknob was barely visible and Gilyoung had to touch the air for a few seconds before eventually grabbing it. Without hesitation, he twisted it and pushed the door open with his small shoulders.
The room was also dark; however, compared to the corridor there was the light of a half-moon peeking between the closed curtains of the window by the bed. Silently thankful for the sliver of silver light, Gilyoung stepped onto his new room and placed his luggage by the door frame before closing the door.
Touching the cold surface of the wall, he began his search for the light switch. He was squinting his eyes trying to locate it when a mellowed whisper was heard.
"Why don't you open the curtains, you idiot?"
Frozen in place, Gilyoung felt a cool breeze brush past him and his hairs stood on end.
'Wha...What..?'
"Use the moonlight to find the switch." There it was again.
Gathering up his courage, Gilyoung squeaked out a question.
"Who are...who are you?"
Silence replied.
Goosebumps covered his skin. His widened eyes stared at the wall in front of him, afraid to look back and find something fearful standing behind him.
"Show yourse– ugh, no. Answer me…!"
Silence again. There was no response.
'Did I hear wrong? No. That's not it. Usually in horror movies a ghost would let out a whisper and then the characters would just ignore it. That was the reason for their downfall.'
The wall his hand was leaning on felt even colder. Gilyoung's heartbeat became erratic as he thought to himself.
'Then, is there really a ghost here? In my aunt's house? How? Should I go run to the kitchen...no, aunt wouldn't like that. Calm down. Inhale. Exhale. That's right. Calm do–'
"What are you doing?"
"@%#^@&(@!"
His heart leaped out of his chest and it was like his soul left his body. Incoherent curses escaped his tongue as he violently flailed his arms trying to shoo away the ghost by his side. The sudden action caused him to lose his balance and hit the wall with his face.
"Oh my go– are you okay?!"
"Ugh…" Blood trickled down from his nostrils and he could feel the metallic taste of the fluid as it reached his lips.
A groan and a gasp resounded at the same time.
"You're bleeding! Ah! What to do?!"
Slightly dizzy from the impact, Gilyoung leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor as he let the blood flow. He was in so much pain and surprise that he forgot his fear of a ghost for an entire minute.
"Here, a hankie."
A white handkerchief was handed to him and he accepted it wordlessly. Gilyoung somehow felt sorry for staining the white cloth. When it seemed like his nosebleed had disappeared—though the pain on his face, especially his nose, didn't—Gilyoung let out a sigh before looking up.
Before him, bathing in the darkness of his room and the thin sliver of moonlight, was a young girl in a white dress. Her pretty face was contorted to that of worry and guilt as she wrung her fingers nervously. Her round eyes were busy avoiding his gaze, landing on anything except him. Her short brown hair was gracefully swaying.
It would have been an enchanting sight if it weren't for the realization that a red-eyed stranger with a translucent, ghost-like body was in his room, standing—or was it floating—right before his very eyes.
"Uhm...I'm very so–"
Before the ghost girl could finish speaking, Lee Gilyoung frantically pushed himself up and dashed out of his room. Forget his unpacked luggage, there's a ghost in his room and he's not clear-minded enough to process that situation as of the moment.
His sock-clad feet frantically carried him across the dark landing and down the stairs, nearly rolling down like a wheel when he missed a step. It was a cold night but he was sweating buckets. Blame the ghost for making him run as if he was on a marathon.
He rushed as if he was being chased but eventually stopped when he arrived before the path towards the kitchen. His aunt was preparing dinner there. Gilyoung pursed his lips and contemplated whether to enter or not.
He wasn't close with his aunt. Still, he is aware of what kind of person she was and how she would act towards him just from the way she interacted with him days prior.
Feet planted on the ground, Gilyoung stood there for a moment and thought about whether or not he should take the risk of going in and receiving his aunt's burning contempt or just go back and face the ghost in his room.
'A ghost can't physically hurt me…'
Of course, if we consider the incident of his nose kissing the wall earlier, that would be a lie—although the only thing the girl did was talk. Still, the shock caused him to slam his face unintentionally.
'That girl can't directly touch me. She doesn't seem to be a poltergeist, but I have to be careful. Should I tell my aunt…'
Gilyoung's idea of telling his aunt trailed off as he remembered the disdain on his aunt's gaze towards him.
'Nevermind…'
Shaking his head to shake off the thought, he clenched his fist and averted his gaze towards the top of the stairs. Like a determined soldier, he began to march back up to the 2nd floor and through the dark corridor. He didn't forget to grab a metal stick from who-knows-where. He was well-aware that such a stick can't hurt a ghost, but he held onto it tightly as if he was seeking solace from the coldness of the metal.
Tiptoeing, he then noticed that the door to his room was open. It seemed like he forgot to close it when he ran away. Who would even have the time to shut the door after you when you're in the midst of fleeing and is on the brink of pissing your pants?
With his arms outstretched and the metal stick raised, he sneaked towards the place as quiet as a cockroach (he would have described it as something similar to a mouse but he likes insects more than mammals). The small hands gripping the stick was sweating; and so was his back that was now against the wall. On the first floor, his aunt was totally clueless of the predicament he is in—not that she would be of any hopeful aid.
Taking a deep breath, he counted to three before rushing towards the inside of his bedroom like a policeman on a drug raid.
What greeted him was an upside-down face of a young female situated a few inches away from him.
Once again, surprise clouded his system and he ended up slipping backwards, butt hitting the floor first. Astonishingly, the metal stick never left his hand.
"Ah! Not again! Don't tell me it's your buttocks's turn to bleed?" The sweet voice was filled with disbelief.
Gilyoung raised his eyes and saw the same ghost girl levitating in an upside down manner (thank goodness the skirt didn't ride up—or down—but instead remained the same as when she was standing) . A small frown was evident on her soft features as she gazed back at the boy sprawled on the floor.
Gilyoung managed to throw her a glare. He wanted to ask about the identity of this ghost and the reason as to why she's in this room. However, the words he spouted were totally different from his initial objective.
"Get out."
"Uh...I get that you're extremely upset about what happened." An apologetic sigh escaped the girl's lips as she righted herself. Her bare feet touched the ground as she scratched her cheek. "I'm really sorry about all that. Really. It wasn't my intention to scare you."
"Scare who?"
"..."
"You scared nobody."
"...Says the boy who planted their face on the wall and got a nose ble–"
"I was just surprised."
The young lass raised an eyebrow.
"What about that metal stick? Didn't you grab that because you were afraid? I won't harm you though."
"It is for safety measures," Gilyoung reasoned out. "Besides, if I were really scared I wouldn't have returned here to confront you."
"That…"
"Anyways, get out of my room." He heaved himself up, ignoring the stupefied ghost.
He walked past the girl, carefully avoiding her translucent frame so as to not experience going past a spirit's body. He wasn't that curious to know what it feels like.
As he reached his bed, he glanced at the hand holding the metal stick and took note of the fact that he wasn't shaking anymore.
'Good.'
Looking behind him, he found the girl still in the same spot where he left her.
"Why aren't you leaving?"
Facing him, the girl grumbled, "I can't."
"What?" Dumbfounded, Gilyoung's eyebrows knitted together. Then he went "Ah" when he realized something. "Are you perhaps a ghost tied to this room?"
"Well, something like that. But it's not the room I am bound to."
Another confused noise emerged from Gilyoung as he tilted his head and his forehead creased even more.
"Then an item found in this room?"
The spirit shook her head, her hair swaying along with the movement.
"Let me introduce myself first." The youthful lady raised her skirt with one hand by a few inches and placed another over her chest. "My name is Shin Yoosung, and I'm an imaginary friend bound to you."
And then there was silence.
■■■
"I told you, I wasn't joking!" For the 49th time, the girl's indignant exclamation echoed inside Gilyoung's room.
Shin Yoosung, who introduced herself as Gilyoung's imaginary friend, was sitting cross-legged in midair. Her cheeks were puffed in annoyance and her arms crossed. The lights are finally on and Gilyoung has started the task of unpacking his stuff.
Almost an hour has passed and Gilyoung is still rejecting what he had just learned.
"I told you, I don't want an imaginary friend."
"And I also do not want an unpleasant kid like you as a human friend, but here we are." Shin Yoosung deadpanned.
"Can't you just ignore me?"
"As if I can do that as your imaginary friend."
"Then I'll ignore you instead."
"You can't do that!"
"Why not?" Gilyoung pulled out a baseball cap from his suitcase and placed them in the small closet.
"Because I'll pester you so much you won't be able to sleep for days if you do."
Gilyoung scowled. "Try me."
And she did.
■■■
For the next few days, Lee Gilyoung paid no attention to the so-called imaginary friend of his and tried to go on with his life. Keyword: tried .
Shin Yoosung was more relentless than he had expected. So much so that he had this urge to rip his hair out of his head because of exasperation. She followed him like a duckling following its mother. No, it was worse than that.
Everywhere he goes, she's always tailing after him. When he went to buy things his aunt asked him to, or when he went out to catch some grasshoppers in the nearby park (though she would keep her distance during that time, saying she doesn't like insects. Another minus point for her.)
She would play tricks with her ghost powers in public and Gilyoung had to act like nothing's wrong.
She even had the guts to follow him to the bathroom, for goodness sake! Of course, Shin Yoosung just trailed after him to tease the poor boy. She would then leave him to his own private devices (it turns out that Shin Yoosung can leave him but only for a short period) . That was the only time Gilyoung ever had his peace. By the time he was fully dressed and fresh, Yoosung would appear and irritate the living sanity out of him again.
He was thankful that she knows how to respect his privacy at crucial moments (Gilyoung would definitely lose his mind and dignity if he ever had to deal with Yoosung while using the toilet), but most of the time that sense of freedom is almost non-existent.
Shin Yoosung really kept her word. Gilyoung was incapable of slumber because of Yoosung's nonstop concert from evening to morning.
"With a muscular body
Wearing red clothes
Giving out sweet and sour scent
is The Stylish Tomato! (tomato)
I will become a juice! (gulp)
I will become ketchup! (squirt)
I will dance! (Hey!)
Boastful tomato (tomato)!"
Gilyoung is starting to hate tomatoes now.
"There are three bears in a house,
Father bear, Mommy bear, baby bear!
Daddy bear is fatty,
Mommy bear is slim,
Baby bear is too cute!
Shrug! Shrug! You are doing well!"
Gilyoung is definitely not doing well.
"Banana cha cha Banana cha cha
Move it! Lal-lal-lal-lal-la cha cha
Banana cha cha Banana cha cha
Move it! Lal-lal-lal-lal-la woo~
Mommy give me, a banana yeah
Yummy Yummy, mommy goes cha cha
Daddy give me, a banana yeah
Love it Love it, daddy goes cha cha!"
Gilyoung, more tired than stubborn now, finally accepted his fate.
"ARGH! FINE!"
Yoosung immediately stopped singing and her energetic gaze settled on the young lad with hair sticking out in various directions as if he got electrocuted.
'The only thing missing is black soot on his face and then the look is complete.'
Ignoring her inner thoughts, Shin Yoosung listened to Gilyoung's words with sparkling eyes. Seeing this, Gilyoung's expression twisted into a grimace but continued.
"Alright. I'll accept you as...my imaginary friend and will no longer ignore you."
"Yippie~!" Yoosung ecstatically shot up to the ceiling and Gilyoung swore he saw some fireworks effects bursting.
And at this very moment, Lee Gilyoung, a 10-year-old orphan, acquired an unlikely friendship with Shin Yoosung, his imaginary friend.
■■■
"So what do I have to do?"
The digital clock by Gilyoung's bed showed the time: 2:30 AM. It was way past midnight but the two children—okay, maybe one child and one spirit—are still awake. Sitting face-to-face on the floor, they conversed regarding the situation.
"What do you mean?" Yoosung played with a bird origami that she created as she answered Gilyoung's inquiry. "All you have to do is tell me your wish and then I'll help you with that."
"...I thought you were an imaginary friend, not a genie."
Shin Yoosung rolled her eyes before explaining.
"Imaginary friends are spirits that stay with children in their childhood—although there are rare cases where it lasts even in adulthood."
"I know that already. Imaginary friends keep children company and whatnot."
"Exactly. It's not just that though. It is our job to help the children in making their wish come true and at the same time protect them. You can say it's a mixture of a guardian angel and a genie."
Upon hearing the explanation, Gilyoung let out a silent "oh" . The sight of his eyes and mouth shape going round reminded Yoosung of a fish.
"So if my wish is to become the richest person in the world–"
"Of course there are limits to the wishes that we can help with."
Gilyoung clicked his tongue in disappointment before adding another query.
"But I've read that having imaginary friends is a psychological and social condition…?"
"That is also a fact." Shin Yoosung once again manipulated the bird origami she had set aside. "However, having imaginary friends doesn't just apply to those with dissociative disorders. In fact, it is pretty common among 7-year-old kids."
"But I'm 10," Gilyoung pointed out incredulously.
"There are cases when it happens to older kids, usually those who are experiencing psychological issues, like trauma." Shin Yoosung turned away from the origami and stared straight at the silent boy's eyes. "It's one of the children's coping mechanisms."
Gilyoung didn't even flinch nor did he look away. No, it was most likely that he was looking at something else other than Shin Yoosung at that very moment. Something like an apartment blazing in flames, people screaming in fear and panic, the sound of fire trucks arriving late, and a young boy's desperate pleas to save his parents…
"Save them! Please!"
"Young boy, calm down."
"They're still inside! Save them!"
"Don't worry, we will save them. What's your name?"
"My parents…!"
"Yes, yes. Calm down and tell me your name."
"I...my name...my name is Lee Gilyoung…"
"I see...Lee Gilyoung…"
"Yes...Lee Gilyoung, that's me…Lee Gilyoung..."
"Lee Gilyoung!"
A sharp intake of breath and the feeling of resurfacing from a suffocating place enveloped Gilyoung's system as someone shook his shoulders. The scenery of a tragedy disappeared before his vision and was replaced by the sight of a worried translucent girl.
"Lee Gilyoung! Can you hear me now?" Yoosung was deeply troubled. "I shouldn't have said that," she muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
It took a while for Gilyoung to completely register her words before rubbing his face in agony. In front of him, Yoosung continued to apologize for what she had reminded.
With his face still buried in his hands, Gilyoung mumbled, "I'm going to sleep."
Shin Yoosung, extremely concerned and guilty, hesitated. "Are you sure it's fine to sleep now? You might have a nightmare…"
"Don't you have any kind of power that protects me from those kinds of dreams?"
"Well…ah, right! We have dream catchers!" Shin Yoosung flicked her wrist and a dream catcher appeared out of thin air. "They're very helpful in keeping bad dreams away."
"I see...well then," Gilyoung let out a sleepy yawn and laid down on his bed, "good night."
"Good night, Gilyoung."