It's You!

**You should smile often**

Sunghoon's Pov

I was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if I had made Haejin feel uncomfortable. Was she mad at me? I got up, feeling a strange sense of unease, and went to check on her. As I walked into the living room, I saw her sitting alone on the sofa. I hesitated for a moment before sitting next to her.

"Can't sleep?" I asked softly, and she nodded.

"Why? Did I make you uncomfortable?" I apologized, but before I could finish, she shook her head.

"It's not because of that," she replied, her voice soft. "I was just thinking... if I hadn't spent all these years hiding in the dark places, maybe I would have met you guys sooner."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her words. "Maybe fate had a reason why we met you this time," I said, trying to offer some comfort. She looked at me, clearly still unsure, but I could see the tiniest glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Do you think so?" she asked, her voice quiet but sincere.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

A beat of silence passed between us before I noticed her fidgeting on the couch, clearly still restless.

"Aren't you sleepy yet?" I asked, concerned.

She sighed and shrugged. "I am... but I can't sleep. Maybe the bed's too comfortable for me." She chuckled, and I raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I mean, you know, I'm used to sleeping on the hard table in the kitchen..."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "You really are something. I had no idea ghosts could sleep... or eat," I teased, leaning back against the couch.

Haejin turned her head towards me, her eyes playful. "Do you know what else I can do?"

I raised my eyebrows, intrigued, but before I could respond, she leaned toward me and, with a dramatic flourish, made a strange, ghostly face.

"Rawrr~" she said in her best 'scary' voice, but the way she did it only made her look more like Boo from Monsters, Inc..

I couldn't help it—laughter bubbled up from me, a real, genuine smile spreading across my face for the first time in what felt like forever. She looked so absurdly cute, it was impossible not to laugh.

I felt a heat rush to my face when Haejin spoke up. "Oh! That's right, you should smile often. It looks better on you."

I quickly cleared my throat, not sure how to react. Was she complimenting me? I gave her a brief, awkward smile, still not quite used to someone saying something like that to me.

"Anyways, I'm sorry about my act on you earlier. I'm not mad at you or anything," I told her, hoping that would clear up the tension.

She looked at me, a little confused. "Then—why do you look at me like you're about to eat me up?" Her words were hesitant, like she was testing the waters.

I froze for a moment, not expecting her to point that out so directly. "Well... it's not what you think," I stammered, trying to come up with some explanation. "It's just—nothing, don't mind it."

Truth was, I didn't even know why I acted like that. There was no logical reason behind it, but I could feel the weight of her question hanging in the air. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"I don't know, alright?" I muttered, embarrassed. "I guess... I just got a little caught off guard."

It was stupid, really. Why was I acting like this? It was just her. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."