USED TO BE | JEONGLIX

prologue

For Yena and BE'O.

"huh, where the fuck am i?!" seungmin immediately sat up and glanced around, noticing he was in some forest. "and why the fuck am i laying on a pile of dead, brown leaves?! i was just hanging out with hyunjin and minho! how the fuck am i in a—"

"seungminnie, shut up!" the brown-haired boy flinched from the familiar voice, quickly looking up to see hyejoo peering down at him, her eyes narrowed. "also yes, i'm back. but c'mon, get up you idiot." she put her hand out and seungmin grabbed it, pulling himself up while still looking at her in disbelief.

"h-hyejoo?" he stifled, staring into her black-colored eyes that didn't hold shadows across them anymore. "i thought you were finally back on earth? why are you with me again? and why are we in a fucking forest?" he was still unconsciously holding her hand.

the black-haired girl sighed, letting his hand go, "because, seungminnie, something happened." hyejoo now gazed at him sympathetically, which quite scared seungmin because she was never this nice. "to put it simply, you were killed. then, you were brought to me like how i was brought to you because you have something you still need to do. i don't know what though and only jihyo knows that because she's the one who told me mine. she decides all of our fates."

seungmin didn't say anything. he didn't know what to say. hyejoo must've noticed his face full of mixed emotions as she went on, "i know this is a lot to take in but trust me, i felt the exact same way when we first met. except, i didn't know the bitch and my now ex-friend heejin killed me for ditto and i just thought my friends were ignoring me on purpose—"

"HEEJIN KILLED YOU?!" the brown-haired boy screeched, causing hyejoo to flinch from the sudden loudness. "YOU MEAN FELIX'S BATSHIT CRAZY AND HOMOPHOBIC AS FUCK COUSIN WHO'S A STUCK-UP BITCH TO EVERYONE?!"

the girl looked at him in concern, "uh, yeah...i never knew they're cousins but i guess that's why she would randomly talk shit about him even though none of his knew who he was."

"enough of that, heejin isn't any of my concern," seungmin rapidly shook his head. "now, tell me how and why i'm basically now a...ghost?!"

hyejoo frowned, "well, you got killed. you're not a ghost because if you were a ghost, i wouldn't be able to talk to you, see you or touch you. you're just immortal like how i was, except i can only see you, yet you can still interact with the world like normal."

the brown-haired boy glanced around, "oh, i guess that makes sense...but why were you standing in a forest when i fell here?"

"well, i just happened to be here because i was walking to go meet my new girlfriend by the pond we've been going to ever since i turned mortal again." hyejoo softly smiled to herself, her eyes twinkling at the thought of her lover. "you probably know her, her name's park chaewon but she goes by gowon. she dyed her hair a kinda greenish-blueish color recently."

seungmin curtly nodded, "yeah i know her, i've had a few classes with her these last couple years." he suddenly paused, a wretched thought striking him. "wh-who killed me?..." the boy knew he was a shitty person and has said stuff he probably shouldn't have. but, he couldn't think of anything he has said or done that could get him killed.

the brown-haired boy watched as hyejoo looked reluctant to answer and a bit horrified. "do you know?" he looked at her expectingly, but she only looked at him in distraught.

"yes," her answer was barley audible, the look not leaving. "it showed me when i pulled you up. that's how you saw my murder when you grabbed my arm for the first time back then." the black-haired girl looked down at her hands, then back up at him.