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The following day at work
------------------------------------------------------------------ sun dipped lower in the sky, casting the office in a warm, amber glow as the final hours of the workday crawled by. Ji-eun sat at her desk, trying to focus on the spreadsheet in front of her, but her mind kept drifting. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, torn between the encounter with Min-jae and the ghostly presence that continued to haunt her life.
Joon-ho, as usual, was far from helpful. He hovered around her cubicle, his translucent figure fading in and out of sight. He'd occasionally appear just over her shoulder, pretending to read over her work, but Ji-eun would swat him away with an exasperated glance, silently praying no one noticed her bizarre behavior.
Min-jae had been surprisingly kind after their coffee outing. Despite the awkward start and her nerves, the conversation had flowed naturally after a while. He had smiled that soft, dimpled smile that always made her heart flutter, and for a brief moment, she'd almost forgotten about Joon-ho's antics.
Almost.
But no matter how hard she tried, the ghost was never far from her thoughts—or her life. It was as if Joon-ho had woven himself into the very fabric of her existence. He was a constant presence, sometimes comforting, sometimes maddening, but always there.
Her phone buzzed on the desk, jolting her out of her reverie. She glanced down and saw a message from her best friend, Hye-jin.
*How did coffee with Min-jae go? You better spill everything, girl!*
Ji-eun couldn't help but smile. Hye-jin had been rooting for her to take a chance on Min-jae ever since she'd mentioned her crush. It was typical of Hye-jin to live vicariously through Ji-eun's romantic misadventures, despite having a stable relationship herself. Hye-jin and her boyfriend, Dong-hyuk, were practically the poster couple for domestic bliss. Ji-eun admired them, even envied them sometimes, but she also wondered how they managed to make it look so easy.
She was about to type out a reply when she felt an unsettling chill crawl down her spine. Goosebumps prickled her skin, and the air around her seemed to thicken with an eerie tension. She immediately knew what—or rather, who—was causing it.
"Joon-ho," she muttered under her breath, her fingers tightening around her phone. "I swear, if you're up to something…"
But when she turned her head to glance at him, Joon-ho wasn't there. The spot he usually occupied was empty, and the temperature in the room felt unnervingly cold.
Ji-eun's heart began to race. This was different. She'd grown used to Joon-ho's pranks and ghostly antics, but this… this felt wrong. Like a dark cloud had settled over her, a shadow that didn't belong.
She stood up abruptly, causing her chair to roll back with a loud squeak. Her coworkers looked up from their desks, a few of them giving her curious glances, but she ignored them. Something wasn't right, and she needed to find out what it was.
As she made her way through the office, her pulse quickened. The feeling of being watched crept over her, an oppressive weight that grew heavier with each step. Ji-eun tried to shake it off, convincing herself that it was just her imagination playing tricks on her.
But when she reached the stairwell to take a breath of fresh air, she froze. Standing there, partially obscured by the dim lighting, was a figure.
It wasn't Joon-ho.
Ji-eun's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the figure, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The man—if he was even a man—had an unsettling presence, something about him that radiated danger. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark coat that seemed to blend into the shadows. His face was partially obscured by the hood he wore, but Ji-eun could see the faint glow of his eyes—cold, piercing, and unnaturally bright.
She took an instinctive step back, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Who… who are you?" Ji-eun whispered, her voice trembling. She wasn't sure if the figure could hear her or if he was even real, but the fear was very real. Her throat tightened as she felt the dark energy emanating from him.
The figure remained silent, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine. Ji-eun's legs felt weak, and she had to grip the stairwell railing to steady herself. Her thoughts raced, and she wondered where Joon-ho was—why wasn't he here to protect her?
Before she could gather her wits, the figure moved. He took a slow, deliberate step toward her, and Ji-eun's breath hitched in her throat. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her feet were rooted to the floor, frozen by fear.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the stairwell, and the lights flickered overhead. In the brief moment of darkness, Ji-eun felt a familiar presence surround her—a protective barrier of warmth that momentarily pushed back the fear.
When the lights flickered back on, the figure was gone.
Ji-eun stumbled backward, gasping for air as her heart thundered in her chest. She turned frantically, searching for any sign of the mysterious figure, but the stairwell was empty.
And then she heard it—a voice, soft and urgent, echoing through the space.
"Ji-eun."
She spun around, her eyes widening as Joon-ho appeared in front of her, his expression deadly serious for once.
"You need to leave," he said, his voice tense. "Now."
"But… what was that? Who was he?" Ji-eun stammered, still shaken.
Joon-ho grabbed her hand, his touch surprisingly firm for a ghost. "There's no time to explain. Just trust me. We need to get out of here."
Ji-eun hesitated for a split second before nodding, allowing Joon-ho to pull her away from the stairwell. Her heart raced with questions, but she knew this was no time for answers. Whatever was lurking in the shadows, it was dangerous, and Joon-ho seemed to know more than he was letting on.
As they hurried down the hallway, Ji-eun couldn't help but glance over her shoulder, half-expecting the dark figure to reappear. Her mind swirled with confusion and fear, but one thing was clear—this haunting was far from over.
And whatever was coming next was going to be worse.