The room had gone quiet again.
Not awkward quiet.
Comfortable quiet.
The kind where nobody felt like moving.
Ara was lying on the floor beside me with her arms stretched out dramatically like she had just survived a battle.
Niran was beside the bed, staring at the ceiling with his usual unreadable face.
The book between us was still open.
Still untouched.
Still completely ignored.
I glanced at it.
Then at them.
Then back at the book.
"…We opened that two hours ago."
Ara turned her head slightly.
"We did?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then she pointed at Niran.
"It's his fault."
Niran looked offended.
"How?"
"You distracted us."
"How?"
"You exist loudly."
I looked away because I almost laughed.
Niran narrowed his eyes. "…I don't even know what that means."
"It means," Ara said confidently, "you enter places and chaos follows."
Niran stared at her for three whole seconds.
Then suddenly stood up.
Just stood there.
Looking down at both of us.
I looked up.
Ara looked up too.
He had that face.
Immediately, I frowned. "No."
Niran raised an eyebrow. "No what?"
I pointed at him. "That face."
"What face?"
"The dramatic face."
Ara slowly sat up. "…Oh no."
Niran crossed his arms. "I feel like getting fresh air."
Silence.
I stared at him.
Then at the window.
Then back at him. "…There is literally fresh air outside."
"No."
He tilted his head slightly. "I mean real fresh air."
Ara blinked. "What does that even mean?"
Niran smiled.
And I immediately regretted existing. "Do you two want to go somewhere?"
Ara sat up instantly. "Yes!"
Then immediately "Wait where are we going? Is it far? Are there people there? Is it dangerous? Can we eat there? Is it weird? Why are you smiling like that? Why do I suddenly feel nervous—"
Niran slowly crouched down.
Placed a finger against her lips. "Shh."
Ara blinked.
"Shh."
Blink.
"Shhh."
Blink blink.
"…You talk too much."
Ara gasped dramatically and grabbed her chest. "MIN-JUN HE HURT MY FEELINGS."
I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Can we go already?"
Niran smirked.
"There we go."
He reached out and grabbed both our hands.
I looked down.
Then at him.
Then back down.
"…Why are you holding my hand?"
"So you don't get lost."
"…Lost where?"
Niran smiled.
That smile.
That stupid smile.
I knew it.
I knew I shouldn't have asked.
Then he closed his eyes.
And suddenly—
The room became cold.
Not normal cold.
The kind that crawled up your back.
The air around us moved.
The walls flickered.
The floor beneath me suddenly felt strange—
Like it wasn't there anymore.
My stomach dropped.
"Ara?"
"MIN-JUN WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE MY SOUL IS LEAVING MY BODY—"
"NIRAN."
"Hm?"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING."
"Relax."
"DON'T TELL ME TO RELAX."
Everything around us twisted.
Darkness flashed.
Lights swirled.
Colors stretched strangely.
And then—
Nothing.
Silence.
Cold wind.
I slowly opened my eyes.
And froze.
"…What."
Ara froze beside me.
"…What."
Niran smiled.
"…What," I repeated.
The sky wasn't a sky anymore.
Purple clouds floated above us.
Stars moved slowly like rivers.
Paper lanterns drifted through the air with no strings.
Buildings floated.
Actually floated.
Bridges stretched through empty space.
And everywhere—
Ghosts.
Ghosts everywhere.
Some looked normal.
Some glowed blue.
Some floated upside down.
One tiny ghost child was chasing another ghost child with what looked like a glowing fish.
I stared.
Very slowly turned toward Niran.
"…You brought us to ghost world."
Niran shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Yes."
"…WITHOUT TELLING US?"
"Yes."
Ara suddenly grabbed his arm.
Not because she was scared.
Because her eyes were sparkling.
"NIRAN."
"Hm?"
"THIS IS SO COOL."
Niran smirked.
"I know."
I let go of his hand and looked around.
Then I noticed a girl standing nearby.
She looked normal.
Almost human.
Curious, I slowly reached out.
My hand touched her shoulder—
And went straight through.
I froze.
Pulled my hand back.
Looked at it.
Looked at Niran.
"…Why."
Niran glanced over.
"Oh."
OH?
OH??
He said oh??
"They can't touch you."
I stared.
"…Explain."
"They aren't anchored to you."
"…Explain better."
Niran sighed dramatically like I was the problem.
"Ghosts connect to memories. People. Places."
He pointed around.
"Some are connected to promises."
Another direction.
"Regrets."
Then at me.
"You're not connected to them."
I blinked slowly.
"…Okay."
Pause.
"…Still weird."
Niran looked ahead.
"No."
A small smile appeared.
"This place is weird."
Then he pointed ahead.
Far away stood a giant building that looked like a train station mixed with a temple.
Ghosts lined up outside.
Huge glowing papers floated everywhere.
I stared.
"…What is that?"
Niran's smile widened.
"That…"
He looked at us.
"…is where dead people get assigned."
Silence.
Ara looked excited.
I looked horrified.
Niran looked proud.
I wanted to go home.
I was still staring at the giant building in the distance.
Actually—
No.
I was staring at everything.
Because how was I supposed to act normal right now?
There was literally a ghost floating upside down while reading a newspaper.
Upside down.
Like gravity had resigned and quit its job.
Ara was turning in circles beside us, trying to look at everything at once.
"Niran!" she called.
"Hm?"
She pointed at a tiny glowing creature sitting on a roof.
"What is that?"
Niran glanced once.
"A ghost cat."
Ara gasped.
"A GHOST CAT?!"
She immediately looked ready to run toward it.
Niran grabbed the back of her hoodie before she could move.
"No."
She turned dramatically.
"LET ME GO."
"No."
"WHY."
"Because you disappear too easily."
"I DO NOT."
"You absolutely do."
I ignored them.
Mostly because my brain was still processing one thing.
Anchoring.
I looked at Niran.
"…Explain."
Niran looked at me.
"Explain what?"
I stared.
He stared.
Ara stared between us.
Then I pointed aggressively.
"THE ANCHOR THING."
"Oh."
Oh?
Why did he keep saying oh like he forgot terrifying information existed?
Niran shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking.
We followed him.
Around us ghosts moved quietly.
Some passed through walls.
Some sat alone.
Some looked completely normal until you looked at their feet and realized they weren't touching the ground.
Which I tried not to think about.
Very hard.
Niran finally spoke.
"Anchors are connections."
Ara tilted her head.
"…Connections?"
He nodded.
"When people die, not everyone moves on immediately."
A cold breeze passed by us.
For some reason the air suddenly felt colder.
I didn't like that.
"Some ghosts stay because something is pulling them."
He pointed toward a ghost sitting beneath a floating tree.
The ghost looked like a teenage boy.
He was staring at a baseball in his hands.
Not moving.
Just staring.
"That one," Niran said quietly, "used to play baseball with his little brother every day."
Ara's expression softened.
"He died before he could say goodbye."
Silence.
"The brother still visits where they used to play."
The ghost looked down at the ball.
"He remembers."
Niran looked at us.
"So the ghost stays."
I blinked.
"…Because of memories?"
Niran nodded.
"Memories."
Then pointed elsewhere.
A woman stood near a bridge.
She held flowers.
Over and over she counted them.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then started over.
Again.
Again.
Again.
"She waits every day."
Ara frowned slightly.
"For who?"
Niran looked at her.
"For someone who never came back."
Silence.
"She forgot they died."
My stomach dropped.
Ara stopped walking.
"…Wait."
Niran looked at her.
"She forgot?"
He nodded.
"Ghosts aren't always complete."
That sentence somehow made everything worse.
"A strong memory."
He raised a finger.
"A promise."
Another finger.
"Regret."
Another.
"Love."
Another.
"Fear."
He lowered his hand.
"Any of those can become anchors."
Ara became quieter now.
"…So they're trapped?"
Niran looked ahead.
"Sometimes."
I swallowed.
"…Sometimes?"
He nodded.
"Some ghosts refuse to leave."
I stared at him.
"Refuse?"
He looked at me.
Then suddenly smiled.
And I hated it immediately.
"Some become scary."
No.
No.
Absolutely not.
"Nope."
Niran ignored me.
"They stay too long."
He kept walking casually.
"The anchor twists."
Ara slowly moved closer.
"What does twists mean...?"
Niran glanced back.
"Imagine missing someone so much…"
He looked forward again.
"…that eventually you forget why you missed them."
Cold.
Very cold.
"…But the feeling stays."
Silence.
"Then all that's left is obsession."
...
I stared at him.
Ara stared at him.
Then Ara slowly raised her hand.
"…Question."
"Hm?"
"NOPE."
Niran blinked.
"That isn't a question."
"It is now."
I nodded immediately.
"Yes."
Ara pointed dramatically.
"I DON'T LIKE THAT."
"I agree."
Niran looked between us.
Then—
He started laughing.
Actually laughing.
"You two are weak."
I looked at him in disbelief.
"WEAK?"
"You literally brought us to ghost world and told us emotional horror stories!"
Ara pointed at him.
"YOU SAID GHOST OBSESSION LIKE IT WAS NORMAL."
Niran looked completely unbothered.
"It is normal."
Silence.
Then both of us moved closer to him at the same time.
Not because we were scared.
Absolutely not.
Not at all.
Niran looked down.
Then smirked.
"…Interesting."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Don't say anything."
"Wasn't going to."
Pause.
"…You got closer though."
"…Shut up."