Chapter 6
Mike walked along the grounds of the almost silent cemetery in the higher grounds. He didn’t understand why Ji Yun would agree to bury his body so far away from her home.
He didn’t ponder.
During his funeral, many people came. Some of them, just to show their grieves or pay their respect. He didn’t even know half of the people that came. They offered their condolences to Ji Yun, but she wasn’t even crying or emotional.
She refused to speak when asked. Mike began to sense the change in her behavior. Certainly she didn’t act like she’d lost a husband.
Was she over his death that quickly?
Mike refused to think into that.
He forced himself to abide by her throughout the entire funeral service. Among the people who came, Junjin was one of them.
Junjin stood close to some of his co-workers and associates who once worked for Mike. Now Ji Yun owned the corporation, so they belonged to her.
Most of his men hated to work for a woman, but needed the money, so they stayed. The funeral was held in a chapel, decorated with fine linen and fresh flowers that smelled like the living.
Upon the alter was a black shiny coffin, and inside laid somebody Mike did not claim as himself. It was just a hollow cast, a shell, of who he used to be.
Why couldn’t Ji Yun understand that?
He was sitting right next to her throughout the whole service, wanting to hold her hand so badly, but she didn’t even seem at all moved or devastated.
She was a tough as a boulder and cold as stone. When they lowered his coffin into the ground, he couldn’t look. Mike stayed close by Ji Yun, who at the end of the service walked up and placed a single red rose on top of his coffin. Junjin followed behind.
“Why a red rose?” Junjin asked as he placed his white rose instead of a red. Ji Yun removed her dark glasses and looked up at Junjin.
“It is the color that I like Mr. Park. Indeed, white would be more appropriate, but this service is just so dead with white and black. Red is...more...murderous, you know,” Ji Yun spoke casually with a hint of slyness in her voice.
She winked at him with a foxy grin as she walked away back to her limo.
Junjin smiled and nodded after her.
He glanced back down at the coffin down below him and sighed.
“Goodbye Mike, it was a pleasure working with you, sir,” Junjin stated before walking away to his car.
“Mr. Park,” Ji Yun shouted from the limo she was in.
Junjin turned around to face her in the limo with the window halfway scrolled down.
“Yes?” Junjin asked.
“Is that deal with Mr. Shin still on hold? I would like to talk to you about it. I have my mind set on it. When will be a good time to reach you?”
“Um, I...well, let’s see. Oh, yes, tomorrow I am available at the office, after lunch. I’ll see you then?” Junjin asked.
Ji Yun smiled and rolled up the window.
The limo drove off and out of the cemetery.
Mike was in disbelief as he heard what Ji Yun had just said.
How could she?
Didn’t she know how important that corporation meant to him?
It was useless to regret it now. He felt so helpless and shattered, he just sat down on the freshly cut lawn, next to his grave.
He sat down and rested his harms on his knees, just waiting for the lonely afternoon to pass him by.
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“Oppa, I am going to wait here for you, so don’t forget to pick me up!” Li Ann strictly ordered before walking into her office.
Dongwan started to laugh at her again.
He thought she was being stubborn again.
Li Ann worked through the day easily without distraction. She forgotten about Mike and carelessly waited for the day to come to an end. She hated her job.
It was frustrating and boring, but her love of psychology was what kept her in that line. She still refused to believe in ghosts.
Li Ann was waking from sleep on her desk when the grandfather clock stroke. She groggily looked around her desk behind the scattered papers.
She shuffled some in her hands and stacked them away. She looked around one last time before grabbing her purse and headed for the door. She stopped the instant she reached the door and remembered Dongwan was supposed to pick her up.
She grumbled angrily to herself at the time because Dongwan was late, again.
Li Ann locked and stood outside her small office, waiting for the usually late or forgotten brother of hers.
Car after car passed by, but he didn’t show up. Finally after a million thoughts of walking home, his car appeared at the corner of the streets. She was relieved and let out a sigh of joy.
“Dongwan! What took you forever! Do you know what time it is? I’m hungry, I’m cold, and I wanna go home!” Li Ann complained stubbornly.
Dongwan chuckled and nudged her arm when she got in. She crossed her arms angrily and stared straight ahead.
Once they got home, Dongwan tossed his keys onto the night stand and sat down on the couch. He reached for the remote control and clicked away.
Li Ann tiredly stumped upstairs to her room. She threw her jacket and purse onto her bed and began to take off her sweater.
“Hi,” Li Ann jumped startled and grabbed her heart.
She closed her eyes and breathed out relief when it was only Mike. Only Mike.
She started to scream and grab the nearest thing next to her to swing at him.
“Hey, hey! Calm down! I’m not going to hurt you!” Mike shouted as he ducked the swing of Li Ann’s night lamp.
She stopped swinging and ran to the corner of the room terrified.
“What are you doing? Leave me alone!” she shouted.
“I told you I’m not going anywhere until you help me,” Mike smiled as he plopped down onto her bed.
“What? You can’t do that! I don’t want to help you!” she protested.
“You have no choice. You’re the only one who can help me,” Mike shrugged.
She didn’t reply. She stood still and stiff as a rock as she didn’t blink at all. He smiled and decided to make her feel more comfortable.
“Li Ann, right?” Mike asked. She slowly came back to reality and nodded.
“Well, Li Ann, I’m going to ask you nicely. Just this once, that’s all I’m asking.” Mike pleaded looking her straight in the eyes.
To her, he didn’t look like a typical ghost. He was in full shape, his warm eyes full of life. His smile enchanted his smile as he stood there so casually in front of her.
She eased and relaxed her frozen muscles a little and finally breathed.
“Just this once? And you’ll leave me alone?” she stuttered. Mike nodded.
“Okay, fine....” Li Ann agreed. Mike smiled and thanked her.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” she muttered.
Mike looked around and sensed her non comfortable feeling of him being around.
“What...how, do I start?” Li Ann asked as she slowly walked back from her corner and sat down in a chair next to her desk.
“Well, I think we can go to my house tomorrow, then you can tell my wife, her name is Ji Yun, that I am here, and I can see her, but she can’t see me,” Mike explain.
“So usual,” Li Ann rolled her eyes. Of course she knew Ji Yun would never believe her.
“That’s not all. She’s thinking of selling my corporation to Shin Hyesung, a rich buyer of many companies. I don’t want my company to become one of them.”
“Oh....I understand,” Li Ann nodded. She suddenly wanted to smack herself in the face for talking to a ghost.
“Li Ann, you hungry?” Dongwan knocked on her door.
“Can my brother see you?” Li Ann asked Mike.
“I don’t think so,” Mike replied. Li Ann walked over to the door and opened it.
Dongwan stood there with his keys in his hands. “No oppa, I’m fine,” Li Ann smiled.
“Okay then, I’m going over to Calida’s for dinner, goodnight,” her brother said as he waved and walked back downstairs.
“Goodnight,” Li Ann called after her brother and closed the door.
“I guess he doesn’t see you...” “Yeah, me too,” Mike agreed.
“How come I can see you?” she asked questioningly. “I don’t know...I can touch you too, funny huh?” Mike asked with a grin.
“That’s weird. I mean, you’re a ghost and all...” Li Ann said quietly.
“Being one is weird enough,” Mike whispered sadly.
“How does it feel? To be dead?” Li Ann asked suddenly interested.
Her psychologic instincts were kicking in when she didn’t realize it.
“I don’t know....pretty much the same I guess. I can’t really explain it, but it’s just different from being alive, you know?” Mike raised his eyebrows.
He saddled himself down on her rug and sat down. Li Ann eased a little more when she realized he wouldn’t harm her.
He wasn’t at all ugly of a ghost either. He was attractive and charming. She thought he must’ve been pretty much the same when he was alive.
“So tell me more about yourself,” Li Ann asked just for the heck of it.
“Haha, what is there to know?” Mike chuckled. She returned his smile and sat down on the floor across from him. They began to talk to each other, for hours.
It was pretty soon when she realized that it was past midnight. She yawned. Mike apologized for keeping her up so late.
“It’s okay Mike, you’re a cool guy, just don’t get too creepy okay? I get mood swings, so I can be a little crazy sometimes...” Li Ann warned.
“Okay,” Mike laughed. He got up to leave. She stood up too but suddenly groaned in pain as she fell down on her bed.
“Are you okay?” Mike asked touching her arm to hold her up.
“My leg, it’s asleep,” Li Ann offered a sheepish smile. Mike released her arm.
She suddenly felt a cold feeling flush through her at his touch. It seemed magical, and she could sense herself tired.
“Okay, alright then,” Mike said as he backed away.
“Thanks,” she muttered as she started punching her leg.
“Hey Li Ann,” Mike turned around before walking out. She glanced up and stared at him.
“Do you mind...if I kick it downstairs? I mean, I don’t really know where to go...” Mike asked with a confused voice. Li Ann understood immediately.
She nodded. “You can sleep in the living room. It’s hardly occupied.” she offered with a smile.
“Thanks,” he grinned.
He was awfully thankful of her kindness. She sat in her bed with her long hair in strands covering her shoulders. She kept hitting her sleeping leg.
Mike looked around the hallway, then back to her.
“Goodnight Li Ann.”
“Goodnight Mike.”
[To be Cont]
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