the ghost bride

Chapter 03: A Friendʼs Company.

Across from her, Seo Dan sits in her perfect elite, lady-like manner, the one she had been taught since birth. She ponders her friendʼs words with little to no surprise, like always.

Dan takes minimal sips of the black coffee in front of her, which, dare Seri say, was as dark as her soul. Despite being friends with Dan for so long, not one day passed by and she did not think just how uptight the woman was- everything had already been mapped out in her life for her to follow, as simple as that. From work, men, studies to all in between, everything had to be a certain way, the way her mother approved of.

But Seri knew better than to judge her for her cold, condescending facade for she knew, underneath all that charisma and bravado, there was a kind hearted girl who cared about her naive self just as much as she did about her. After twenty minutes of blabbing like an idiot, afraid whether she was making sense or not, Seri now awaited Danʼs response as they sat in Granada Coffee Shop, an exquisite café that happened to be her friend's favorite. Seri would be lying if she said that she wasn't too broke to come here, truth was, she really was broke but when Dan offered to pay, Seri didn't think twice and grabbed the nearest taxi towards the more urbanized are of Seoul.

God, how she missed the place.

For the past twenty minutes, Seri had been telling Dan about the mysterious piano ghost she had encountered just yesterday. After her eventful encounter with the nameless man left her in ruins, Seri made up her mind to ask for Dan's opinion as to what to do next. The story had started from her moving into the place and ended at the part where he had told her to get out, quite literally.

"Well?" Seri pushed herself nearer to her, her elbows inching forward in the mahogany table that separated the two women.

Dan's silence was not helping her case. She understood that her friend was a reserved woman and did not talk much but a part of her wished that she would notice the urgency in her voice.

"What do you think I should-"

She never got to finish the sentence for Seo Dan, the one woman she had never, in all of her 32 years of life, seen do something as small as pass a smile openly, laugh like there was no tomorrow. All heads in the shop turned to them, more specifically, Dan, who was laughing like she had just discovered her mouth could do this take up this new ability, too, except for her signature frown. Shocked to say the least, Seri watched her with widened eyes as Dan threw her head back and slapped the table, once and then twice.

Was that a snort...?

Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes as her hair, neatly pinned to her sides, flew in all possible directions known to humankind.

People did not stop looking at them. With concern to match Seriʼs, she was sure some poeple were questioning her friendʼs sanity.

"Oh, my God!" Dan cried with an enthusiasm Seri was yet to witness prior to this day, "Seri, I love you so much. You tell the best stories." hearing the shy woman openly share words of affection made her squirm in her seat. Some people had stopped looking at them but a pair or two still lingered on them. Seri tried her best to hide her face in the collar of her trench coat.

"But in not lying..." Seri said in a faint murmur, extracting even more of an uproar from her friend who, as if, was channeling all her life's suppressed laughter in one final laugh.

Just open the earth and let me jump in. Seri groaned, taking a sip of her own coffee that had grown cold now.

"Excuse me," Dan regained her composure a little, clearing her throat and straightening her hair with her fingers. A ghost of smile still lingered on her face when Seri caught sight of her.