“You must know that in the last night of the tenth moon, all the lonely spirits are given the
chance to cross the Gate and become re-alive. They will become visible and once again able
to feel the sensation of oxygen filling our unused lungs.”
“Sadly, I am an exception. God doesn’t give me the chance to cross the Gate, because I’m the
Gate Keeper. The Gate Keeper between life and death. I want that chance so bad. Isn’t it sad
to only help the dead to cross the Gate for 894 years?”
Silence.
“But a Demon from hell told me there are some forbidden rituals I can do to be able to cross
the Gate freely, at any time. Not only crossing the Gate, he said that I can also take one human
from this world, to be my company and that can only happen in the last night of the tenth
moon.”
Silence.
“So you’re taking me?” Wonwoo sounded tired and Soonyoung nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry for not telling you that you’re not in your world anymore, not in the dimension you
used to be. I’m sorry, the recent strange events you’ve been experiencing are all caused by
me. The thought of you accompanying me through this uncertain immortality thrilled me, so
I keep giving you signs that I’m there with you. But my plan almost got ruined by the Grim
Reaper. She’s the God’s golden slave. She’s the one who grabbed you after you heard my
whisper.”
A longer pause now. Wonwoo waited, his expression unreadable. Soonyoung, hesitantly,
fearfully—sadly, continued.
“I’m also the one who caused the accident. I had to kill you and bring you here. But don’t
worry, I didn’t kill your friends.”
A soft, painful sob escaped Soonyoung’s lips.
“I want you to be here with me, Wonwoo. I could finally understand how warmth felt like
after 894 years, when you saved me from getting hit by a truck on the first day I crossed the
Gate. I followed you to your shop. Seeing you greeting people with gentle smiles, it makes
me feel warmer. I tried to touch everyone other than you, but no one can make me feel as
warm as you made me. I didn’t feel lonely even when you didn’t talk to me. I like being with
you, Wonwoo. I want to be with you.”
Beneath the tears in Soonyoung’s eyes, there was a glint of hope. A desperate hope.
“So please, stay with me?”