The following morning just like every other morning there is always Joon-oh in the kitchen doing one thing or the other, but unfortunately this time she woke up late and had to rush to office she was able to eat breakfast thanks to joon-ho's Ghostly pancakes. "Thanks" she shouted as she ran out with the carefully packed pancake in her hand together with a cup of coffee.
Finally she got there at least she wasn't late yet she still had like 30 minutes left, so she sat on one of the bench besides the tall building to eat. As she was sipping her coffee she saw her crush Min-jae and quickly turned to the other side to avoid him seeing her eating messily in a rush but in the end he say her. Her eyes met with his so she nodded her head with and awkward smile to greet him as her mouth was filled with pancakes
"Good morning" he responded with a kind smile, the same smile she fell for
She immediately turned red in the face her cheeks were burning and so was her heart beating rapidly like it was going to be out any time soon. "Ahhh that smile....who wouldn't crush on that" she muttered shyly
"Ahhhhh!!!! I'm late" she screamed as she ran to the office slapping her cheeks to come back to her scenes.
She had had a crush on Min-jae for quite sometimes now and had spent months quietly admiring him from across the office. He was the type of guy who always had a kind smile, was courteous to everyone, and possessed a certain warmth that drew people to him. Whenever they passed by each other in the break room , greet each other in the morning or exchanged small talk during meetings, Ji-eun's heart would race just a little faster.
That day, during her lunch break, Ji-eun found herself in the break room alone with Min-jae. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something clever to say, but before she could work up the courage to speak, Joon-ho decided to intervene in the most unexpected way possible.
Unbeknownst to Ji-eun, Joon-ho had secretly followed her to work that day, curious about her daily life and her feelings for Min-jae. He had seen the whole situation with her that morning. Seeing her struggling to initiate conversation, Joon-ho thought he could help by giving her a little nudge. Unfortunately, his idea of "help" involved using his ghostly powers to possess Ji-eun for just a brief moment—long enough to speak on her behalf.
As Ji-eun opened her mouth to say something casual, Joon-ho took control. Her words came out in a strange, overly enthusiastic tone, and instead of a simple greeting, she found herself blurting out, "So, do you believe in ghosts?, What do you know about life and death, have you seen any before"
Min-jae, who had been about to take a sip of his coffee, looked slightly startled by the abrupt question. He blinked in confusion, unsure if Ji-eun was serious or just making an awkward joke.
Ji-eun, now back in control of her body but mortified beyond belief, tried to recover. She forced a laugh, hoping to play it off as a joke. "Ha, ha… just kidding! I mean, you know… ghosts, right? They're… um… a fun topic?"
Min-jae smiled politely, but Ji-eun could tell he was still puzzled. Trying to salvage the conversation, she quickly added, "I just read this really… um… interesting article about paranormal activity and… uh… do you think spirits can, like, hang around offices? Not that I think the office is haunted or anything, ha ha…"
At this point, Min-jae was clearly trying to be kind, but Ji-eun could see the amusement in his eyes. She was losing control of the conversation fast, and the harder she tried to steer it back to something normal, the more she ended up digging herself into a hole.
And then, just as Ji-eun thought things couldn't get worse, Joon-ho—still invisible and amused by the situation—decided to whisper a few more "suggestions" into her ear, urging her to ask Min-jae about ghost hunting and whether he had ever seen a poltergeist.
Ji-eun, panicking, resisted the urge to shout at Joon-ho right there in front of Min-jae, but the distraction only made her words more garbled and nonsensical. She stammered something about "ghost traps" and "haunted toasters," at which point Min-jae, trying to be a good sport, chuckled awkwardly and said, "Well, I guess I haven't really thought about ghosts that much. But it sounds… interesting?"
Red-faced and ready to bolt from the break room, Ji-eun gave up on salvaging the conversation. She hastily excused herself, mumbling something about needing to finish some urgent work, and practically fled back to her desk. The second she was out of sight, she mentally cursed Joon-ho, who materialized beside her with a smug grin.
"See? I got you talking," Joon-ho teased. "You've been pining after him for months, and I gave you the perfect icebreaker."
Ji-eun glared at him. "You made me sound like a lunatic! Ghosts? Haunted toasters? I'm never going to live this down!"
Joon-ho shrugged, looking completely unbothered. "You'll thank me later. Besides, now he knows you're quirky. That's endearing."
"Endearing?" Ji-eun groaned, burying her face in her hands. "He's going to think I'm a total weirdo. I'm never talking to him again!"
Despite her frustration, the ordeal left Ji-eun with a strange mixture of embarrassment and relief. Yes, the conversation had been a disaster, but at least she had broken the ice—just not in the way she had hoped. And even though Min-jae probably thought she was odd, he hadn't seemed completely put off. There was a small glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, there was still a chance to redeem herself.
But for now, Ji-eun swore to keep Joon-ho far away from any future encounters with Min-jae.