𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 - 𝐡𝐲𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐧

十

"I never told you this, but I went by her house on her birthday and Christmas."

Why was she telling me this now?

Hyejoo continued, "Her mom was in complete denial. Nobody was allowed to touch her room. She died a week or so before her birthday, and her mom still set a place for her at the table, like she expected her to come back for a home-cooked meal." She shook her head. "Her mom is an amazing cook. I don't think she appreciated that enough. I don't think she appreciated anything enough. I bet if she could come back, she'd see how great everybody in her life was. I think, if she got the chance, she would tell her family 'thank you' one last time. I think they really need to hear that. And I think she really needs to say it, just as much."

I hesitantly asked, "What did her family say when you came by?"

She shook her head and answered, "They didn't see me. I didn't want them to. I didn't think they'd be able to handle it."

Minding my business was never really a strong suit of mine, so I continued to pry, asking questions and offering suggestions. "Don't you think you could tell them 'thank you' for her? I'm sure she wouldn't mind, from what you've said O–"

"Please," Hyejoo breathed. "Don't say her name. Saying it makes her seem too real. Like she's still here. I feel like, in a way, she is, and saying her name will make her disappear." She shook her head and sighed heavily.

Unsure of what else to say, I asked another question: "Hyejoo, do you believe in ghosts?"

"Of course I do."

"Why do you think some people stay behind, and others can move on?" I added.

She paused. "I think they still have things they need to do. The more important it is, the closer to human they are. They're the ones we can see, if they let us." She thought for a moment and continued her explanation. "People who lived fulfilling lives have nothing to stay behind for. Some people are trapped in between, they know they need to do something, they just don't know what it is yet, so they wait. I think if my friend stayed behind, she'd know what she needs to do. But I know her, and she'd never go through with it."

"What would she need to do?"

Hyejoo replied, "Thank her family. Apologise for the way she died. Tell them she loved them one final time, and that she wants them to remember her as who she was, not who she became."

"Do you think we can do it for her?"

"I can't... but maybe you can."