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....

"I'll always come back…"

He was devastated to see the beautiful brown eyes bursting with tears. She was holding his hand, not willing to let go of him. It was supposed to be the two of them forever. Then why was he leaving?

Jina felt her mother's palm on her shoulder. After Danny's death, Shinho told Gayoon and Minho that it was time for him to move on. It was a painful decision for him but Jina was refusing to let go.

How could he leave? Why would he leave? This was his home! He was supposed to be with her and her only.

"I won't let you leave!" she exclaimed.

They were all standing on top of the Hwang's mansion's roof where Junho had prepared for the sendoff. Minho and Gayoon were heartbroken over having to say goodbye to Shinho but no one was as broken as Jina.

"Don't go…" Jina begged. "Don't…"

The weather was too bright. She felt the warm rays of the sun falling on her, illuminating the whole area with its light. There were colorful lilies blooming all around her and the sounds of birds chirping happily reached her ears.

Jina hated it. Why was everything so bright and sunny when she felt so miserable? Was this some kind of joke?

Shinho's cold fingers wiped out the tears from her cheek. "This isn't goodbye, silly!" he said in an attempt to cheer her up. "This is a promise."

"Liar," Jina sobbed. "I know what happens! People who...who leave never come back! I know it!"

She was crying hard. Minho was also trying his best not to cry but it was hard. The child had become a part of their home. Shinho leaving them was going to affect Jina and she would be beyond repair.

Was it fair to put her through this?

Gayoon seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Stay with us," she told Shinho. "We'll take care of you!"

"I can't, Lady Cop," Shinho replied. "I don't belong here. I should have left a long time ago but I'm glad I didn't."

He turned to the others. Gayoon interpreted his words to Minho and Junho. "I'm happy I met my bunny uncle and Lady Cop! I'm happy I got to meet other spirits and made friends with them. I got to learn so many things with all of you. And…"

Shinho turned to Jina.

"I'm happy I met you, my best friend," he whispered. "So, I'm not going to leave like this. I'll leave with a promise that I'll return. I don't know when, but I will return."

Jina held out her pinky finger.

"Promise?" she asked, her eyes still wet with tears. "You'll return to me. No matter what happens, you'll return to me."

Shinho held her by his pinky finger.

"I'll always come back," he promised. "No matter what. I promise I'll return for you and only you, Jina."

Jina watched as a white light began to engulf him. He was still smiling at her as he turned paler and paler until he was translucent. Then in a blink of an eye, he was gone.

.....

It's too white.

Hobin was sitting in some kind of strange white place. It was like a blank canvas with no colors which surrounded him. The deafening silence was creeping him out but he knew that he was not alone.

"So you are me," he said. Standing behind him was a boy of around nine years old. A boy who was supposed to be dead.

"We're both the same," Shinho simply said. "I was just hiding inside you for a long time."

Hobin did not reply but was reflecting on the irony of the events.

"I returned to the same place where I was killed," he mused. "That too for a girl who probably doesn't remember me anymore."

"She never forgot us," Shinho corrected. "We returned for her sake. But the choice we made is going to harm her."

Hobin turned to him, frowning.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"This is our third life," Shinho revealed. "There's another life which is tied to us. A darkness lurks inside us which is going to wake up anyday."

"Huh?"

"The reaper told me before I made my choice," Shinho stated. "The promise we made to protect Jina will also be a curse. Because there's one more side to us which is dormant. But once it wakes up, nothing can stop it."

Shinho was now beginning to fade but Hobin had many questions.

"What side?" Hobin demanded. "Is it related to my powers? Hey!"

"You'll know soon," Shinho said. His voice was beginning to echo and Hobin was also starting to feel sleepy.

"We'll not meet again, Ohm Hobin," Shinho went on. "But we're one and the same. You, me and him. We're all the same and we love the same girl. So don't be-"

Hobin could not listen to the rest of his words because he completely blacked out. Before fainting, he thought he saw something blue and light fluttering in front of him. It landed on his outstretched palm, as if trying to soothe him.

What am I afraid of? He wondered before his vision went blank.

….

*Present*

"Is he alright?" Jina wondered out loud. They were still in the basement where Rachel had been exorcised. The Song's were shaken but otherwise okay. Only Hobin was knocked out for some reason.

He stirred and opened his eyes only to meet the familiar set of brown ones.

"What-" he tried to ask but Jina shushed him.

"You fainted because of the suffocation," she explained. "We managed to purify Rachel's spirit. She's gone."

"I thought he was a tough cookie but he turned out to be a wuss," Yoonmin remarked.

"I agree," Minyoon nodded.

"OI!" Junho shouted at the twins. "Don't just hover around him! Help me sit up! I have bowel problems, ya know!"

The twins groaned and went to help their grandfather while Jina stayed with Hobin.

"How long was I out?" he mumbled.

"A few minutes," Jina revealed. "You were unconscious for just a few minutes."