Ephemeral

Recently, my old roommate and I had a dispute, and in the end, I was the one who got kicked to the curb. I came home one day to find a letter taped to my door, informing me that I had a month to move out. There was no explanation as to why she wanted me gone. Reflecting on our argument, I realized it was over a guy. It sounds ridiculous to end a friendship over something like that, especially since I only interacted with him for work.

I never spoke to the guy unless it was necessary for work. I’ve always believed that work is for earning money, not making friends. After an exhausting search for a new place within my budget, I found a new home in three weeks. The process was grueling, but the apartment was worth it, especially since it was only ₩1,000,000 due to rumors of it being “haunted.” To me, that just made it more intriguing. The apartment was 621 square feet, a one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit with a spacious dining and living area.

---

After placing my grocery bags on the counter, I turned to my best friend, who sighed behind me. “I still think you’re crazy for moving in here,” Jay commented. I shrugged and smirked. “Of course, only crazy people would want to live here, and I might as well be one of them.” She grumbled under her breath as I started putting the food away. “If you disappear because the spirit took you, I’m not saving you.”

I scrunched my nose at her unnecessary words. “Yeah, I know, Jay. You’re the biggest coward I know.” I glanced up to see her glaring at me from the couch. I might as well be a human pincushion. I sighed to myself. “Don’t you think the place is nice? It was originally over ₩1,600,000 until people started saying it was haunted.”

Jay looked around, checking all the rooms and the amazing terrace view. “It’s pretty cheap for such a nice area in Seoul,” she admitted. I knew she couldn’t ignore the facts for long.

Jay stayed over for dinner and movies, but the last thing she’d do was spend the night. Around 10 p.m., she left, and I headed to the bathroom to remove my makeup. As I splashed cold water on my face and looked up, I saw another reflection in the mirror. I turned around, but there was nothing behind me except the wall. When I looked back, it was just my reflection.

Even though it was a split second, I remembered the face of the so-called spirit. He was tall with light brown hair, a fit body, and doe eyes with an innocent-looking face. The more I replayed it in my mind, the more perplexed I grew. Who was he, and why was I seeing him? And did he really have to be shirtless with those mighty fine abs?

I crawled into bed, pulling the blankets over my face. The sunlight wasn’t going to wake me tomorrow—it’s the weekend, and I deserve to sleep in on a Sunday morning. In the middle of the night, I felt something grab my waist tightly. My eyes shot open. I grabbed my phone and shone the light on my bed. There he was, the guy from earlier.

I kicked him off the bed, causing a loud thud. My hands gripped the edge of the bed as I leaned forward to get a better look at him. When I shined the flashlight on him, he was still sleeping. I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. “W-Who are you?” I stammered.

His eyes fluttered open, and he raised his hand to block the light. Once he collected his thoughts, he stood up, towering over me. I gulped as my eyes met those perfect abs again. He panicked and ran out of my room. “Hey! Wait!” I struggled to get out of bed, my legs tangled in the sheets, nearly making me fall on my face.

I chased him into the living room and grabbed his wrist as he looked at me, confused. “Who—” Before I could finish my question, he started disappearing into thin air. I stood there, motionless. “What the hell? This better be some crazy dream.” I ambled back to bed.

---

I rubbed my eyes as I woke up. That dream about the guy I imagined in the bathroom... He’s too hot to be real. I rolled over and checked my phone, unsurprisingly finding no notifications. “What am I even expecting? Someone to ask how I’m doing?” I laughed at myself before sitting up and stretching.

As I walked to the bathroom, a pout formed on my lips. Sometimes, it would be nice to wake up to a good morning text, but I didn’t have anyone to send one. I looked into the mirror and gasped. “Oh my lord! My hair!” I hurried to get a brush through the rat’s nest on my head. It looked like I’d been attacked by a swarm of birds.

After getting my hair under control, I thought while brushing my teeth. There’s no way I could have imagined someone that good-looking! I had to have seen him somewhere, and there are plenty of good-looking men around... which is exactly why I’m single—I can’t get a guy to save my life.

I cried out before finishing getting ready. I spun around the living room, humming, before landing on the couch. “What to do...” I laid there for a solid 30 minutes, debating whether I wanted to go out. Of course, I chose not to. “I should draw him before I forget the details!” I scrambled for my sketchbook and pencils.

“Ahh, damn. Too bad he isn’t real.” I looked at the drawing before me. “If he was, there’s no way he wouldn’t have tons of people drooling over him. I’d definitely be guilty.” I laughed as I talked to myself. I’m so lonely. Maybe I should get a friend? I smiled before grabbing my things and heading out.

I went to the pet store looking for a new companion. I would have gotten a dog or cat, but they were too expensive, so I got a hamster. “I declare you as Hammy...” I whispered as I peered into the box my new friend was in. He was the last available hamster, and I might have bought a lot of tubes for the cage, but it was all worth it.

---

“Hammy? I need to get you back in your cage, where did you run off to this time?” I called out, searching for him. My apartment was big, but he couldn’t have gone far. I sighed in frustration and sat on the couch, waiting in silence to hear his ball collide with something. Over the past few weeks, I’d found this to be the easiest tactic for finding him.

I heard his ball hit a door and rushed to my room. “Aha! Found you.” I opened my bedroom door and saw that Hammy was being held by... that guy?! The one I drew. My eyebrows knit together as I walked over to him. “Excuse me? Can you put my hamster back in his ball? I can’t lose him.” I could hear everything he said. “How did you get here? You’re so tiny.” He giggled. “Hey!” I yelled.

There was still no reaction from the guy. I touched his arm, and he started disappearing again. Hammy dropped from his grasp, and I fell to the floor, catching him before he hit the ground. “What is going on? He can’t hear me, but he can pick up objects... Is he some kind of special ghost?”

---

“If a hot ghost came with my apartment, I wouldn’t be complaining...” Jay said as she sipped her tea. “Still! He’s invading my privacy,” I shot back. Jay raised her eyebrows at me. “Are you sure it’s not the other way around? You’ve told me about how this guy has a full-on six-pack.”

I bit my lower lip, avoiding eye contact. “Can ghosts even take off their clothes?” Jay wondered aloud. I shrugged. “How would I know? The way ghosts are in movies is fake. Who knows the truth?”

Jay was in the kitchen, sitting at the island on her phone. I walked over to the living room and saw my TV turned on with Overwatch displayed on the screen. I could’ve sworn I turned it off before letting Jay in. “You okay?” Jay asked, walking over to me.

“Did I leave the TV on?” I nodded, trying to convince myself. “Yeah, I need to stop playing video games all the time and get a serious job,” Jay commented, slouching on the couch. “I thought you liked coming to see me at work during your breaks!” I fake-yelled.

Jay raised an eyebrow. “You’re beautiful, and creeps come to the comic book café just to hit on you. You could apply for something better.”

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. “No. I’ve been working there since high school, and I make a good amount of money for a part-time job. I’ll try to apply at the convenience store down the street for some extra money.” Jay sighed at me, but I caught the sound of running water somewhere.

“Do you hear that?” I asked.

“Hear what?”

I walked to the bathroom, with Jay following. “Do you have a guy over?!” she whispered. I slapped her arm, stopping her from thinking that way. “No—there’s no way.” The bathroom door opened, and I turned to see Jay’s jaw drop as she squeezed my shoulders.