There was an ear piercing shriek as a motor was halted out the suddenness. Jaebum held on tightly on his seat as the buss flipped over in the air and rolled multiple times before ceasing to a stop. The glass besides him shattered and all the noise of destruction was deafening in his ears.
When the bus did come to a halt and rested at the edge of the road as a pitiful heap of junk and steel, Jaebum opened his eyes. Blood. It bathed his face and dripped from the cut all over his body. And beside him....
"Dad?! DAD!!!" Jaebum screamed as he looked at his father. He wasn't breathing and his head hung low... lifeless. "D- Dad? Dad, wake up." Jaebum trembled as he touched his father, shaking him slightly. He looked at the seat behind them. "M- Mom?.. Eyyy... Let's not joke around this time, yeah? Wake up..."
A soft feminine voice called out. "Jaebum..."
Jaebum swirled his head outside the glass-shattered windows. He narrowed his eyes and adjusted them to the smoke and darkness with a little bit of showers outside. And then he could see it. The many souls of the accident were gathering. And although he didn't want to believe it, he knew his eyes could never lie. He saw his mother and father among the many souls and reapers.
"Jaebum! Get out! Now!" His father shrieked.
Jaebum looked at the body of his father by his side. And then back at the wispy figure outside. "D- Dad? Why..." He forced a smile. "Why are you there? This is all a nightmare right? None of this is real right? It can't be true..."
"Get out! NOW!" His father screamed.
"HEY!!! Are you still alive down there?" A sharp voice called out.
"I-I'm here.." Jaebum managed to call out in reply with a cracked voice.
"QUICK!! Grab my hand!!" A pale hand stuck out from the shadows. Jaebum hesitated at first, not wanting to let go of the lifeless body of his dad. "Dad.. M- Mom" He looked at the ghosts outside.
"Get out, Jaebum!" His mother's voice split the air.
"QUICKLY!" A hand grabbed him and he was yanked out of his seat. His legs felt weak and failed to work properly do to the shock. He leaned on the young boy who had helped him. His eyes where filled with tears as he it tore him inside to leave his parents like that.
A piece of metal on the ceiling of the bus started to shake. The boy quickly pushed Jaebum with a heave and out the door. "Get out!"
Jaebum nearly tripped as he stepped out. He looked back but failed to catch the face of his savior when the metal fell right on top-
~~~
Jaebum took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air as his chest rose up in the motion. He opened his eyes wide at the same time and instantly felt a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead and onto his cheeks.
Beep.... Beep.... Beep....
Jaebum glanced to his side as he watched the monitor besides him was beeping in a steady pace. In an instant, the curtain fluttered open and a tall young man entered. "Jaebum!! You idiot! Are you ok?! Really I take my eyes off of your for one day and you're around tripping and breaking an arm." He sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Are you ok? Does it hurt? Want me to get you some painkillers?"
Jaebum forced himself to sit down grunting a little due to the pain he felt on his head. He touched his head and realized it was wrapped firmly with a bandage.
Mark pulled the stool to the bedside and sat down on it with a sigh, crossing his legs over the other as he frowned sternly. "Alright. What happened? What crazy move were you trying to pull?"
Jaebum scoffed as he looked away from the older young man. "It was nothing. I tripped and fell from the stairs."
"You fractured your arm and bumped your head and you say it's nothing?"
"I mean I tripped and you know.." Jaebum tried to explain nonchalantly but quickly shut his mouth.
"You aren't that clumsy. If you're anything it's but careful and sure footed." Mark muttered as he folded his arms. "It's no use lying to me, and you know it."
"Well..." Jaebum hesitated and cleared his throat uncomfortably. His palm washed over his face as he let out a deep sigh. "There was one of them in the house..."
"Them?"
"You know.. A ghost..." Jaebum pressed his lips tightly as he messed his hair. "AGH! I don't know! I don't really want to live in that house anymore but I already deposited all the money for three months and I can't cancel the contract just..." He took a deep breath with his eyes closed before exhaling slowly.
"Oh really?!" Mark asked calmly, fully knowing about Jaebum's abilities to see the dead. "Is it bothering you?" He tilted his head, putting emphasis on the it.
"More like annoying me." Jaebum scoffed in frusteration.
"Should I call the exorcist?"
"Exorcist?" Jaebum pondered in the thought. In that moment he remembered the ghost saying in a soft voice. "I'm glad you moved here." Jaebum didn't know why but he immediately shook his head, followed by a quiet "No." He sighed again, his shoulders heaving down in the motion. There was something about the ghost's voice and the way he said it. It made him feel guilty but warm in the same time. He understands how the ghost felt. He himself has been living like one for the past five years. Alone... and cold.
"I'll just put some red beans everywhere and I'm sure he'll leave quicker than ever." Jaebum shrugged casually, throwing the thought away from his mind.
"Sure." Mark nodded before he looked down and pulled out his wrist, checking his watch for the times. "It's been 7 hours since I brought you here. It's nearly morning now. I have to head to work soon so-"
"I know I know. Don't start mothering me now. I'll be behave. I won't get in any trouble." Jaebum cutted in, knowing that he was about to get a long list of dos and don't from the older man. He obediently laid back down, exhaling softly.
"Be good. Once you get discharged, I'll treat you to some grilled meat so be sure you don't do anything else, ok." Mark warned him as he stood up.
"Oh! Mark bro... Can you get me my laptop when you return, please." Jaebum requested with a rare smile to convince the older. "I still have to write."
"You should take a rest honestly." Mark sighed but nodded. "I'll bring it later."
"You're the best! I'll text you the pass code for the door so you don't have to break the door down again."
"How did you-"
"Isn't that what you and Jackson did when I got pneumonia back in Goyang?" Jaebum chuckled as he gave Mark a heart with his fingers playfully. But Mark only rolled his eyes as he closed the curtains.
Jaebum's cheerful smile ceased to a poker face as he rested back in his pillows. Just as he thought life could get slightly better an annoying, clingy ghost had to come and ruin everything. And he even judges too! I bet he can't rest in peace because he wasn't able to judge the president when he was alive. Jaebum sighed as he patted his casted arm.
"Thanks to that ghost, I'm down to one arm to write my books for a while." Jaebum closed his eyes as he frowned.
"You deserve it." A familiar voice sneered.
Jaebum split his eyelids wide open as he looked over to his side. Standing there with a smug smirk was the ghost.
"Y-You-" Jaebum stopped himself from saying further and cleared his throat, trying to pretend that he didn't see the ghost. "Dammit. Why is the patient next door so noisy." He mumbled softly.
"You can't fool me, Im Jaebum." The ghost jumped over the bed and landed to the other side lightly, without any mass. He locked his gaze into Jaebum's dark eyes and looked into them deeply. "You can see and hear me can't you."
Jaebum held his breath. He blinked. And blinked again. He let out a small awkward cough and exhaled with a grunt.
"Yeah sure i can see you?! So what? Yes I can see you fine and clear like I see the sun in the day." Jaebum snapped.
"You finally admit it." Jinyoung nodded, satisfied by the reaction he got.
"What do you want from me?" Jaebum asked directly, cutting all the chase.
"Want?"
"What? You want me to fulfill your wishes? You want me to lend my body to you? What do you want?" Jaebum ranted in an angry tone.
Jinyoung scoffed. "I'm not that sadistic of a ghost, chill." Jinyoung paused as he hopped back on the other side of the bed and climbed on the edge of the wide windowsill to sit down. "I don't want anything from you. You just happen to rent my house sooo~ It's cool."
"Your house? How can a ghost have a house?"
"My relatives are taking care of it for the moment while I'm..." He stopped himself from going further. Jinyoung cleared his throat. "So... How's your arm?"
Jaebum patted his cast. "Like I said, I won't die from it."
"Pfft. It looked as if you would last night." Jinyoung sneered.
"Are you always like this?" Jaebum growled in annoyance.
"Like this?"
"You're so..." Jaebum paused to find the right word. "Open... You don't have a filter. What ever you think, it comes out of your mouth instantly."
"Does it?" Jinyoung frowned. "Maybe it's just what you think with a bad temper like yours."
"I HAVE BAD TEMPER?! What do you call yours then?"
"I don't speak sarcasm." Jinyoung snapped.
"I don't speak sarcasm." Jaebum copied him as he emphasized the I.
"HEY!" Jinyoung glared at him. "I was willing to let you stay but I'm about to reconsider that. I thought we could've been good housemates."
"Pffft. Housemates? Us? No. Listen ghost. Thats my house now. I'm renting that place for three months. It's mines until then. Sure maybe it's yours.. hmnn your relatives. But that house, at least until the contract ends, belongs to me. I payed it's worth. And I'm about to salt that house with red beans as soon as I get discharged."
"You think red beans can stop me from going home! You want to fight?!" Jinyoung snapped as he folds his sleeves up.
"Bring it on ghost-"
At that moment the curtain was opened and a pretty young nurse peered in. She looked at the identification on the bed before addressing him. "Mr. Im... Is everything ok, sir?"
"Y-yes.. Quite ok here." Jaebum nodded, trying to act natural as Jinyoung threw out multiple of curses at him, though the nurse couldn't hear a single word.
"Ahh. If you could please quiet down a bit. The patient over there needs to rest and so do you." The nurse said politely.
"Ah~ yes of course. I'm sorry. My little brother was on the phone heh.." Jaebum realized at that moment that his phone was on the table besides him. The nurse's eyes too feel on the phone and she looked at him as if he was mental.
Jaebum bit his lips as he quickly took his phone and smiled awkwardly. "Hey- You brat... I'm hanging up." He pretended to be on call as he nodded at the nurse.
The nurse gave him one more concerned look before she closed the curtains and went on her way again.
Jaebum shot Jinyoung an poisonous glare and Jinyoung looked back at him straight in the eyes with a disgusted look.
"This is why I hate you humans." He muttered with a frown.
Jaebum looked away and curled in to sleep as he covered his head with his blanket. "Augh. Why did it have to be that house. I really hate ghosts."
Jinyoung gritted his teeth, not hearing what Jaebum muffled under his covers. He shook his head as he looked out the window in annoyance. "Godd. Why did a stupid weird human have to rent my house? What would it take to drive someone like him out."