Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊

Chapter 3

Mike wandered endlessly down the cold lonely streets of Seoul. He could only remember climbing out from under that bridge and the wreckage two days ago.

He remembered he was stunned, too shock to even ponder anyone with questions. Cops had surrounded the entire accident scene. Mike walked around blankly without a clue in his mind of what had happened.

The only one person he could think of was Ji Yun. Where was he? Where was she? What on earth was going on and why were there so many people around in the middle of a bridge?

“Hey, what’s going on?” Mike asked an investigator who was still in the middle of a conversation with a forensics specialist.

“His car was pulled off the bridge it seems, due the slippery road,” the forensics specialist explained.

“What?” Mike asked. It seemed as if they two other person couldn’t hear him at all.

“Yeah, poor guy, he died immediately, bad head injury,” the investigator spoke as he drank his coffee.

Mike looked stunned. He was dead.
He couldn’t believe it.

So the Mike he is right now was just a ghost? Impossible. Mike had never believed in such things. How could he? Was it all possible?

Still he didn’t know what to think or believe. The thought of being dead still did not settle on him, until he followed the police to the hospital, where they showed his limp body to his wife.

When Ji Yun saw Mike’s dead body lying there, she wasn’t crying at all.
He guessed it was because she was too scared and shocked to react.
When the detective and doctor questioned her about where Mike was headed, only then she let her tears fall.

She could barely speak properly to the cops, and Mike’s heart dropped at seeing her cry so helplessly.

“Mrs. Lee, could you please tell me where he was going that morning?” a detective who was investigating in Mike’s death kindly asked again for the third time.

“He...he...he was going to...a meeting, and...and I...” she sniffed out, then cried again. Her face dropped in her hands and she wept silently.

He wanted to hold her, to touch her again and tell her how much he loved her, and that he was right by her side, but he couldn’t.

He didn’t know what to do anymore. Ji Yun returned home silently that evening after they found his body. Mike walked into his house, unknown to the familiar territory. Everything seemed normal, the way it was and used to be.

A large piece weight hung on his heart to leave such a person like Ji Yun alone in a home like this. He’d never expected to die, to lose her like this. Mike felt guilty, that it was all his fault, but what could he do?

Fate has its perceptions, and destiny is at all determined. Just the night before he was talking to her, holding her in his arms, joking with her, and now all this.

He indeed, was a lost and confused person, just waiting for somebody to tell him what was going on, or what was bound to happen. Ji Yun walked to the kitchen and fixed herself something to eat before cleaning up and heading to bed.

She seemed all the while tired and dull only. Mike followed her closely everywhere, but didn’t say a single word. He feared that he might frighten her, but she would not hear him nonetheless.

Concluding that he’d probably just be in her way, he decided to leave to see what he could do, or what would happen next. He’d not learn much about Heaven or Hell when he was alive, but nothing was happening to him now.

Mike looked back at his wife, sitting on the couch, cuddling a pillow to herself, just staring at the television screen. He sighed to himself, then reached for the door handle, but he couldn’t grasp it. Mike tried again, but his hand seemed to vanish every time he touched the door knob.

Realizing that he was dead, and a ghost, Mike slipped his hand out and felt cold air. Indeed he knew now that he was surely dead. It crushed him to know that he’ll never get to talk to Ji Yun or touch her again.

Would she ever forgive him for leaving her? She had to know, she just had to. Taking a deep breath, Mike swiftly pushed himself forward and soon found himself outside his front door. Mike was amazed.

It felt different, like he was missing something. His skin could still feel the bitter wind’s touch, but he knew in the back of his mind that he was no longer human. Mike walked along the long path of the hill he lived on.

He’d never look back once, afraid that if he did, he would never leave.Mike skidded along the road, with both hands in his pockets and his head hung low.

He’d remembered the details clearly, that he had a meeting with Hyesung; he wondered how that went when he didn’t show up.

Pretty soon, he reached a lighted market, with people still wandering around and business in boom. Prostitutes lined along the sidewalks and bums laying around in the cold night air. He saw the many different kinds of soups and food being sold on the markets, but didn’t feel like he was hungry.

It was odd being dead; you just don’t feel like you are yourself anymore. He trailed down further until he reached a near empty parking lot, in front of his corporation. He walked around the building, examining it closely.

Suddenly the door flew open as Junjin walked out. He was making his way toward his car when his cell phone rang. Mike slowly followed Junjin.

“Oh, yes, Mr. Shin? Oh, you haven’t heard?” Junjin asked into the phone.

Mike just stood there next to him and listened to the conversation.

“Yeah, Mr. Lee was in a tragic accident, he’s dead,” Junjin said with a sigh.

He nodded a couple of times and did a lot of explaining.

“What? Wait, we have to talk about this, I mean, I’m his right hand man, but I can’t do anything about that,” Junjin replied sincerely.

“What’s going on?” Mike asked, but realized a moment later that Junjin cannot hear him. Mike was getting pretty close to driving himself insane not being seen or heard by others.

“What? I can’t sell it to you!” Junjin exclaimed shocked.

“Sell what? My corporation?” Mike asked.

“I...I’m not sure Mr. Shin...perhaps I’ll have to talk to his wife,” Junjin said.

He nodded quickly afterwards and hung up the phone. Junjin stepped into his car, and so did Mike. Somehow, he seemed to not fall out of the car. Junjin drove up a similar way, towards Mike’s house.

A lump rose in the back of Mike’s throat as he sat still in his seat. Once Junjin reached Mike’s house, he stepped out and walked towards the front door. Mike followed closely behind.

After a few knocks, Ji Yun opened, not looking surprised.

“Mrs. Lee? I...I’d like a word with you...it’s about Mike’s corporation,” Junjin stuttered. She nodded and opened the door wider for Junjin to step in.

“What is it Mr. Park?” she asked crossing her arms, not interested.

“I know this is too early for you, but Mr. Shin Hyesung wants to buy Lee Corp., with your permission of course, since now you are the only one that is responsible for upholding it,”
Junjin explained.

“Sit down, I’ll get you some coffee,” Ji Yun said as she walked into the kitchen. Junjin nodded with a thanks as he sat down on the clean couch. He glanced around the clean room, with everything neatly held in place.

It was like a museum, clean and perfect. Indeed, Mike did live a grand life, but only for such a short time.

“What? Sell it? You can’t Ji Yun. That corporation belonged to my grandfather, and my father, three generations, you can’t!” Mike pleaded Ji Yun, following her into the kitchen, but he was ignored, because he was unheard.

Ji Yun came back out with two cups of warm coffee and handed Junjin a cup. She smiled faintly at him at him as she handed him the mug.

“Thank you,” Junjin smiled talking the coffee.

“Now, you were saying?” Ji Yun asked as she sat down from across Junjin. Her eyes were narrowed on him from behind her coffee mug.

“Ah, yes, I received a call, and Shin Hyesung is willing to buy the Lee Corp., because you may not be able to hold the company by yourself, it’s a very profitable business, but he is willing to offer you a high price,” Junjin explained looking down at his coffee.

“How much is it exactly?” Ji Yun asked putting the mug down on the glass coffee table.

“I’m not sure, you can talk to him if you’d like, I’ll give him your number,” Junjin replied.

“Fine, give me a few days to think about it,” Ji Yun said as she looked away and sipped her coffee.

After a few sips, Junjin stood up and said good bye. Junjin walked away from the house and back to his car that was parked by the curb. Mike was left devastated and helpless. The corporation was held and passed down to him from his grandfather and father.

He loved that corporation. In one blink of an eye, it’ll probably be gone too, just as Mike did.

“Ji Yun, you can’t sell the corporation, I know you can hold it, you have to...” Mike said as he bent down near her.

She didn’t even look his direction. Sadness hung in his heart as he sighed and walked out. It was useless. Everything was useless to Mike.

He wanted to ask God why him? Out of all the petrified human beings on this earth, why is him? What had he ever done wrong to deserve such a fatal life?
Mike decided to leave Ji Yun again.
Seeing her without her knowing he was there was eating him inside out.

[To be Cont]