Ji-eun stood frozen in place, her back pressed against the door, heart racing as she stared at the ghostly figure of joon-ho, lounging casually on her couch as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Joon-ho noticed her panicked expression and sighed, sitting up straighter. "Look, I know this is weird for you. But trust me, it's not exactly thrilling for me either."
"Not thrilling?" Ji-eun stammered, gripping her keys tighter. "You're a ghost living in my apartment! I think that counts as more than weird!"
Joon-ho raised an eyebrow. "This is my apartment, remember? You're the one who moved in."
Ji-eun's mind was racing. None of this made any sense. Ghosts weren't real. There had to be some other explanation—maybe she was dreaming? Yes, that had to be it. She was probably overtired from the stress of moving, and her brain was playing tricks on her. That would explain the strange noises, the random cold drafts, and the inexplicable man claiming to be a ghost.
But then again… how would she explain the door slamming shut by itself?
She swallowed hard. "So, you're saying you're a ghost. Like, actually dead?"
Joon-ho nodded, leaning back against the couch cushions. "Yeah, pretty much. Died about twenty years ago. Tragic murder, blah blah blah… long story. I've been stuck here ever since."
Ji-eun cautiously took a step closer. "So… what do you want?"
"I don't want anything," joon-ho said with a shrug. "You're the one who moved into my apartment. I was perfectly fine here by myself until you showed up."
Ji-eun's hands started trembling. "So… you're not going to, like… haunt me?"
Joon-ho rolled his eyes. "Haunt you? Do I look like the type of guy who jumps out of closets and says 'boo'? Please. I have better things to do."
Ji-eun hesitated. "Like what?"
"Like trying to figure out why I'm still stuck here," Joon-oh replied, standing up from the couch. He started pacing the living room, running a hand through his hair. "Believe me, it's not fun being dead. I've been trying to figure out my unfinished business for years, but nothing works."
Ji-eun frowned. "Unfinished business?"
Joon-ho stopped pacing and looked at her seriously. "Yeah, unfinished business. That's the whole deal with ghosts. We can't move on to the afterlife until we've resolved whatever's keeping us here."
Ji-eun nodded slowly, trying to take this all in. "So… you're stuck here because of something you didn't finish before you died?"
Joon-ho sighed and crossed his arms. "That's what I think. Problem is, I have no idea what it is. I don't remember much about the day I died, and every time I try to leave this apartment, something pulls me back."
Ji-eun's curiosity got the better of her, and she stepped a little closer. "So… how does that work? You can't leave at all?"
"Not unless I want to get slammed back into these walls like a rubber ball," joon-ho muttered. "Believe me, I've tried."
Ji-eun was silent for a moment, her mind spinning with questions. If he was really a ghost, and he'd been here for twenty years… how had no one ever noticed before? How had no one ever reported the haunting?
Then again, this apartment had been on the market for years, and the rent was suspiciously low…
Joon-ho noticed her pensive expression and smirked. "Let me guess—you're wondering why no one else has seen me, right?"
Ji-eun nodded slowly. "Yeah… I mean, if you've been here all this time…"
"Most people can't see me," Joon-oh said with a shrug. "I don't know why, but it's rare. Usually, people just get a weird feeling or hear strange noises, and they run away. You, on the other hand…" He paused and looked her over. "For some reason, you can see me. Lucky you."
"Lucky?" Ji-eun scoffed. "I don't feel lucky right now."
Joon-ho chuckled. "Fair enough."
Ji-eun took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She wasn't sure what to make of all this. On the one hand, it was absolutely terrifying—her apartment was haunted by a ghost who claimed to have been murdered. On the other hand, Joon-oh didn't seem particularly dangerous. In fact, he seemed more annoyed than anything else.
"So… what happens now?" Ji-eun asked cautiously.
Joon-ho shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one who moved in. I guess we figure out how to coexist."
"Coexist?" Ji-eun repeated in disbelief. "How am I supposed to live with a ghost?"
"It's not like you have much of a choice," joon-oh said, smirking. "Unless you want to leave. But I doubt you're going to find another apartment with rent this low."
Ji-eun frowned. He had a point. She could barely afford this place as it was. Moving out wasn't exactly an option.
"So, what are the rules?" she asked, crossing her arms. "I mean, if we're going to coexist, there have to be some ground rules."
Joon-ho raised an eyebrow. "Ground rules?"
"Yeah, ground rules," ji-eun repeated. "Like… no creepy ghost stuff. No moving things around or making weird noises in the middle of the night. And definitely no possessing me or anything like that!"
Joon-ho chuckled. "Possessing you? Relax, I'm not that kind of ghost. And don't worry, I'm not interested in scaring you. I just want some peace and quiet, same as you."
Ji-eun considered this for a moment. "Okay… so, if you can't leave the apartment, does that mean you're here all the time?"
"Pretty much," joon-ho replied, sounding bored. "I've got nowhere else to go."
Ji-eun sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "This is insane. I moved here to get away from the chaos in my life, and now I'm living with a ghost…"
"Well, look on the bright side," joon-ho said with a smirk. "At least I'm not a serial killer ghost. That would be worse, right?"
Ji-eun shot him a look. "Not funny."
joon-ho shrugged and sank back down onto the couch, kicking his feet up. "Hey, if we're going to live together, we might as well get along. Who knows, you might even get used to me."
Ji-eun scoffed. "I doubt it."
But as she walked back toward her room, something told her that this wasn't the last time she'd find herself talking to her ghostly roommate.
This was going to be a long—and very strange—chapter of her life.