We didn't go home after school.
I thought we were going to.
At least, that had been the plan.
The sun was already beginning to sink behind the buildings, leaving the streets washed in that soft orange light that made everything look calmer than it actually was.
Students were scattered everywhere.
Some walked in groups, talking loudly about homework and teachers.
Others were already rushing toward buses.
A few stopped at convenience stores along the way, still wearing their uniforms, laughing over snacks and drinks.
I walked quietly beside Niran.
Well...
He wasn't really walking beside me.
He was floating slightly above the pavement, hands tucked into his pockets, looking completely comfortable with himself.
Nobody else could see him.
So every few seconds, someone would walk directly through where he was standing.
Niran didn't even react.
I, however, reacted every single time.
It was still weird.
Very weird.
I glanced sideways at him.
"Are you sure nobody can see you?"
"No."
"You didn't even think about that."
"I've been dead for a while."
He shrugged.
"You get used to it."
I looked ahead again.
The wind moved through the trees beside the sidewalk.
For a while, neither of us said anything.
It was actually peaceful.
Which should have immediately made me suspicious.
Because whenever Niran was quiet for too long, something usually happened.
I was just beginning to wonder if maybe we'd actually make it home without some kind of supernatural disaster when Niran suddenly stopped.
I took two more steps before realizing he wasn't beside me anymore.
I turned around.
"Niran?"
He wasn't looking at me.
His eyes were fixed on something across the street.
His expression had changed.
Not scared.
Not confused.
Just...
Focused.
Like he'd suddenly remembered something important.
I walked back toward him.
"What is it?"
He didn't answer.
"Niran."
Nothing.
His eyes remained on the narrow street ahead.
Then he whispered,
"...I remember."
I frowned.
"Remember what?"
He looked at me.
For a second, he seemed almost surprised to see me there.
Then his expression hardened.
"I know where it is."
"Where what is?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
I stumbled.
"Hey!"
"Come on."
"Niran, where are we going?"
"Just come."
He started walking quickly.
I had to hurry to keep up.
"You're going to have to give me more information than that."
"I'll explain."
"When?"
"When we get there."
"That is the exact answer I hate."
He didn't slow down.
We turned down a street I'd never seen before.
The houses became fewer.
The shops disappeared.
The sounds of traffic slowly faded behind us.
I looked around.
"Niran."
"Hm?"
"Where exactly are we?"
"Almost there."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
I sighed.
"You know, you're incredibly annoying for someone who's supposed to be helping me."
He glanced back at me.
A small smile appeared.
"You're welcome."
"I didn't thank you."
"You were going to."
"I absolutely wasn't."
"You thought about it."
"I did not."
"You did."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Because unfortunately, I didn't have a good comeback for that.
Niran laughed quietly.
We continued walking.
The street became narrower.
The buildings looked older.
Some windows were covered with wooden boards.
Others were cracked.
The paint on the walls had faded almost completely.
Then Niran stopped.
I nearly walked into him.
I looked up.
And my stomach sank.
An abandoned building stood at the end of the street.
It looked like it had been empty for years.
The windows were cracked.
Several were completely broken.
Paint peeled from the walls in long strips.
The front door hung slightly open.
Moving gently whenever the wind passed through it.
I stared.
Then looked at Niran.
"No."
He looked at me.
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"I'm not going in there."
"You haven't even asked why we're here."
"I don't need to."
He looked at the building.
Then back at me.
"I remember this place."
I hesitated.
"What?"
His expression became quieter.
"I've been here before."
"When?"
He looked toward the entrance.
"Before I died."
That made me stop joking.
I stared at him.
"You remember it?"
"Pieces."
He released my wrist.
For a moment, his hand remained near mine before dropping back to his side.
"I couldn't remember where it was."
He looked around the street.
"But something about this place..."
He frowned.
"It feels familiar."
I swallowed.
"And you want to go inside?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on the doorway.
Then he said quietly,
"Because I think I know someone who might still be there."
My stomach tightened.
"A person?"
Niran shook his head.
"A ghost."
I looked at the building again.
"No."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You already said that."
"And I'm saying it again."
"You literally share a bed with a ghost."
"That was one time."
"Multiple."
"That is not the point."
Niran's mouth twitched.
"You're scared."
"I'm being sensible."
"You're scared."
"I'm cautious."
"You're scared."
I pointed at him.
"You are extremely lucky you're dead."
He smiled.
"I know."
Then he turned toward the entrance.
I watched him take a few steps.
He didn't look back.
"Niran."
He stopped.
I sighed.
"...If something jumps out at us, I'm blaming you."
"Fair."
"And if we die..."
"You can't die."
"I know, but I'm still blaming you."
He laughed.
Then he walked inside.
I stood there for another second.
I really should have gone home.
I knew that.
Every sensible part of my brain was telling me to turn around.
Instead, I sighed and followed him.
The moment I stepped through the doorway, the temperature dropped.
I rubbed my arms.
The air smelled old.
Dust.
Damp concrete.
Something faintly metallic.
The hallway stretched deeper into the building, swallowed by darkness.
"Niran?"
"I'm here."
His voice came from somewhere ahead.
I followed it.
My shoes made soft sounds against the cracked floor.
"Niran, this place is awful."
"It's not that bad."
A piece of plaster fell from the ceiling.
I jumped.
Niran looked back.
"...Okay."
He smiled.
"Maybe a little."
"You're enjoying this."
"Very much."
"You're horrible."
"I've heard that too."
We walked deeper.
Then Niran suddenly stopped.
I almost bumped into him again.
"What?"
He lifted one finger.
"Listen."
I froze.
At first, I heard nothing.
Then...
A faint sound.
Someone moving.
Very quietly.
I looked toward the darkness ahead.
"Niran..."
He nodded.
"I know."
The sound came again.
A soft footstep.
Then another.
Niran stepped forward.
His playful expression disappeared completely.
"Stay behind me."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
I followed him anyway.
We turned a corner.
The hallway opened into a large room.
Moonlight poured through a broken section of the roof, illuminating the dust floating through the air.
And then I saw them.
One ghost.
Then another.
Then another.
They were scattered around the room.
Some sat against the walls.
Some stood near the windows.
Others simply stared into the darkness.
All of them turned toward us.
I stopped walking.
Nobody spoke.
Niran stood beside me.
Then one of the ghosts slowly stepped forward.
She looked almost completely normal.
Almost.
Her eyes were too still.
Her skin was pale beneath the moonlight.
She looked at Niran.
Then at me.
Her head tilted slightly.
"...So you're him."
I blinked.
"Me?"
Niran sighed.
"Yes."
I looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
"My person."
I stared at him.
"...I hate that title."
The ghost smiled faintly.
"He's nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
She looked at my hands.
"You're shaking."
I immediately shoved them into my pockets.
"I'm cold."
Niran glanced at me.
"Sure."
"Don't."
He smiled.
And somehow...
The abandoned building didn't feel quite as frightening anymore.
I stared at her.
"...I hate that title."
The ghost smiled faintly.
"He's nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
She looked down at my hands.
"You're shaking."
I immediately shoved them into my pockets.
"I'm cold."
Niran glanced at me.
"Sure."
"Don't."
His smile widened.
I looked back at the ghosts.
There were more of them than I'd first noticed.
Now that my eyes were adjusting to the darkness, I could make out several figures scattered around the room.
A boy sat on the edge of a broken windowsill, his legs hanging over the empty space below.
Another leaned against a cracked pillar, watching me with quiet curiosity.
A girl sat cross-legged on the floor, turning a small object over and over between her fingers.
Nobody looked particularly threatening.
Which somehow made it stranger.
I had expected ghosts to be terrifying.
Instead...
They looked tired.
Normal.
Just...
Not alive.
The girl in front of me stepped closer.
"So you're Min-Jun."
I nodded cautiously.
"Yeah."
She looked at Niran.
"You finally brought him."
Niran shrugged.
"He was being difficult."
I immediately looked at him.
"I was being difficult?"
"You complained the entire way here."
"Because you dragged me into an abandoned building without explaining anything!"
"Exactly."
One of the ghosts laughed.
Niran looked pleased with himself.
I sighed.
"Why did you bring me here anyway?"
Niran glanced around the room.
"I wanted you to meet them."
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"Because they're my friends."
I blinked.
"...You have friends?"
The room went silent.
Niran slowly turned his head toward me.
"Excuse me?"
I realized my mistake.
"I mean..."
I looked around.
"Ghost friends."
His eyes narrowed.
"That's worse."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"You absolutely did."
The girl beside me laughed.
"He talks about you."
My head snapped toward Niran.
"He does?"
Niran immediately looked away.
"No."
She smiled.
"All the time."
Niran's eyes widened.
"I do not."
Another ghost from the back spoke up.
"You do."
"I literally don't."
"You mentioned him yesterday."
"I was explaining something."
"You said his name four times."
"That was relevant."
I stared at Niran.
He looked increasingly annoyed.
"You talk about me?"
"No."
"Apparently you do."
"They're exaggerating."
The girl beside me smiled.
"He was worried about you."
Niran's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
"Worried?"
He looked at me.
"Don't make it weird."
"I didn't say anything."
"Your face did."
"My face is innocent."
"Your face is annoying."
I smiled.
"Thanks."
He rolled his eyes.
The ghost beside me suddenly reached toward my arm.
I flinched.
She stopped.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she smiled.
"You really are his anchor."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Niran answered this time.
"It means you're connected to me."
"I know that."
"Then why ask?"
"Because apparently everyone else knows something I don't."
The ghosts exchanged glances.
One of them laughed quietly.
Niran sighed.
"You're going to be here for a while."
I looked around.
"...What?"
The girl beside me reached for my wrist again.
This time, more carefully.
"Come."
I immediately pulled back.
"No."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"Because every time someone says 'come,' something terrible happens."
Niran laughed.
"She's got a point."
The girl rolled her eyes.
"We're not going to hurt him."
"You said that like I should be reassured."
She grabbed my sleeve anyway.
"Hey."
"You're too suspicious."
"I learned from him."
I pointed at Niran.
Niran looked offended.
"I've taught you nothing."
"Exactly."
She pulled me toward the others.
I stumbled after her.
"Hey, slow down."
"You're walking."
"That doesn't mean you can drag me."
"You complain too much."
"I've heard that before."
Niran followed behind us, laughing quietly.
We stopped near the center of the room.
I looked around again.
There was something strange about the place.
It was abandoned, but it didn't feel empty.
There were blankets folded near one wall.
Old books stacked in uneven piles.
A few candles sat on the floor, though none of them were lit.
Someone had even placed flowers inside a cracked glass bottle.
It wasn't a home.
Not really.
But it looked like they had tried to make it one.
I pointed toward the corner.
"You all stay here?"
One of the ghosts nodded.
"Most of us."
"Why?"
"Because we're unwanted elsewhere."
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
I didn't know what to say.
The boy near the window finally spoke.
"People don't like ghosts."
I looked at him.
"They get scared."
"Sometimes."
"They run."
"Sometimes."
"They chase us away."
The room became quieter.
Niran leaned against the wall.
His eyes lowered.
I looked at him.
"You too?"
He shrugged.
"Not exactly."
"But you've been chased away?"
He didn't answer.
The girl beside me looked at him.
"He's lucky."
Niran raised an eyebrow.
"How?"
"You found an anchor."
His gaze shifted toward me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he looked away.
"Yeah."
His voice was quieter.
"I did."
I didn't know why those two words felt heavier than they should have.
I looked down.
The girl beside me suddenly tilted her head.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
I looked up.
"Doing what?"
She pointed toward my shoulders.
"You keep pulling them in."
I blinked.
"What?"
"Your shoulders."
She gestured.
"You do it whenever you're uncomfortable."
I straightened immediately.
"I don't."
"You just did it."
I froze.
Niran laughed.
I looked at him.
"Don't."
He was already smiling.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
"Probably."
The girl studied me again.
"You also go very still when you're overwhelmed."
I frowned.
"How do you know that?"
"We watch."
"That's creepy."
"It's useful."
"Still creepy."
Another ghost laughed.
"She's right."
I looked between them.
"Why are all of you studying me?"
Niran shrugged.
"I had time."
I stared at him.
"You've been watching me?"
"Obviously."
"That's creepy."
"I'm a ghost."
"That doesn't make it better."
"It wasn't supposed to."
I groaned and rubbed my face.
"This was a terrible idea."
Niran smiled.
"You came willingly."
"You dragged me."
"You followed."
"Because you would've gone without me!"
He paused.
"...Fair."
I pointed at him.
"Exactly."
The ghosts laughed again.
And somehow...
I started laughing too.
Just a little.
The tension in my chest loosened.
For the first time since we'd entered the building, I wasn't thinking about the darkness.
I wasn't thinking about what they were.
I was just sitting there with a group of strangers who happened to be dead.
And one incredibly annoying ghost who seemed far too pleased with himself.
Then the boy near the window pushed himself upright.
His expression changed.
"Enough joking."
Everyone became quiet.
He looked at me.
"You wanted to know why we're here."
I nodded.
He took a breath.
Then sat down again.
"I'll tell you."
I swallowed.
"Okay."
He looked toward the broken window.
"I was betrayed."
The room stayed quiet.
He continued.
"By someone I trusted."
His voice was calm.
Almost too calm.
"I thought they were my friend."
He looked down at his hands.
"They weren't."
I didn't interrupt.
He didn't need me to.
"I died knowing that."
A chill passed through the room.
Not supernatural.
Just...
Sad.
He looked at me.
"That's why I'm still here."
I nodded slowly.
"Because you can't let it go?"
He gave a small smile.
"Maybe."
Another ghost shifted closer.
"My turn."
She sat beside him.
"I was sick."
I looked at her.
"No one knew how bad it was."
She gave a quiet laugh.
"I kept saying I was tired."
Her smile faded.
"Everyone thought I was exaggerating."
I swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
She shrugged.
"So am I."
The next ghost spoke.
"I worked too much."
I blinked.
"Like... school?"
He laughed.
"No."
He leaned his head against the wall.
"Life."
I didn't know what to say.
He continued.
"I thought I'd have more time."
His eyes lowered.
"I didn't."
One by one, they spoke.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
Just pieces.
Things they had never finished.
Things they wished they had said.
People they missed.
Things they regretted.
And with every story, I found myself becoming quieter.
I stopped trying to make jokes.
Stopped looking for the exit.
Stopped thinking about the fact that they were ghosts.
They were people.
That was the part I hadn't expected.
People who had lost everything...
and somehow still found a way to stay together.
Eventually, I whispered,
"...That's enough."
Nobody spoke.
I rubbed my chest.
It felt strangely tight.
"I mean..."
I swallowed.
"You don't have to keep telling me."
The girl beside me looked concerned.
"Min-Jun?"
"I'm fine."
Niran immediately pushed away from the wall.
"You're not."
I looked at him.
"I said I'm fine."
"You always say that."
"I am."
"You're barely breathing."
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Niran walked closer.
He stopped directly in front of me.
"Breathe."
I looked away.
"I am."
"No."
His voice was softer now.
"You're listening to everyone else's pain and forgetting you're allowed to feel overwhelmed by it."
I swallowed.
"...It's just a lot."
"I know."
I looked around the room.
At all of them.
"I didn't think it would be like this."
"What did you think?"
I hesitated.
"I thought ghosts were..."
I glanced at Niran.
"...different."
Niran raised an eyebrow.
"Different how?"
"Scarier."
He smiled faintly.
"Some are."
I frowned.
"You're not."
He looked pleased.
"I knew you liked me."
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I absolutely did not."
The ghosts laughed.
And just like that, the heaviness lifted a little.
Not completely.
But enough.
I looked around at them again.
Then smiled.
"So..."
I gestured toward everyone.
"This is basically ghost therapy."
Silence.
One ghost slowly nodded.
"Support group."
"Same thing."
Niran snorted.
"He's not wrong."
I leaned back.
"You're all still creepy, though."
The girl beside me smiled.
"Rude."
"Honest."
Niran looked at me.
"That's why I brought you."
I frowned.
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"So you could see that being dead doesn't automatically make someone a monster."
I looked at him for a moment.
Then at the ghosts.
"...Yeah."
My voice was quiet.
"I think I understand now."
Niran smiled.
"Good."
I sighed.
"Doesn't mean I like it."
He laughed.
"I didn't expect you to."
And for some reason...
That made me smile.