On The Other Side

Chapter 002: Coincidence Or Fate?

As soon as she stood up, ready to surrender herself to the monsters, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her up into the building behind her through the window. Before she even had a chance to scream, a human hand covered her mouth. A man’s voice said something, but she couldn’t understand what. It sounded as though he were speaking gibberish. Like an unknown language. He lowered his hand from her mouth slowly. “W-who are you?” she asked. “Ah, so you speak Korean, not English. My name is Elijah, but you can call me Eli. I’m going to help you, but you’ll have  to cooperate with me. All I need you to do is listen to me and not do anything stupid. Got it?” the man said. “A-alright…” she responded nervously. This man- Eli- scared her. His voice was cold. It was the voice of a person who would help you for a bit then discard you once you’d out served your purpose. “Well? What’s your name?” he asked. “M-Mi-Ok… My name is Mi-Ok.” she replied. “Alright, Mi-Ok, how did you get here?” he asked, his voice sounding a bit more sympathetic now. “I-I was in my room. I tripped over my dog and fell through the mirror.” she replied. “Mirror? What mirror?” Eli asked urgently. “Uh, a new mirror… I just bought it today, from a small furniture shop.” she told him. “Had you ever been to that shop before then?” Eli continued. “No, I hadn’t. I thought it seemed a bit strange how inexpensive it was, but I figured that it was just because it was an older, used mirror.” Mi-Ok responded. “Can you describe the mirror? Are there any specific details you remember about it?” he asked. “It was a redwood mirror, and it had a small c***k in the corner. It also had a strange shape carved into the top, but it wasn’t anything specific. It just looked like someone had been randomly chipping away at the wood with a small blade.” Mi-Ok explained. “That shape, did it look anything like this?” he asked, showing her a piece of paper with a sketch of the shape on it. “Yes, it looked exactly like that.” she told him, a bit surprised that he had a sketch that looked exactly like the carving on her mirror. “I had the same exact mirror, and I also fell through it. And that carving on it, that was from me.” he told her. “Oh? If the mirror belongs to you, how did I get it?” she asked, confused. “I’m not sure, but that’s not important now, anyway. What’s important now is getting away from here before they get to us.” he said, clearly referring to the monsters. “A-alright. Let’s go then.” she responded, worried about how they would get out. To her surprise, instead of heading towards the exit, they went up the stairs to the roof.

                 When they arrived on the roof, she saw that there were bridges connecting most of the buildings. 'So this is why we came up here.' “We don’t have to go too far, just to another building. Oh, by the way, where are you from?” Eli asked. It seemed like a strange question to ask a stranger at a time like this, but she figured that he must’ve had a reason. “I’m from Seoul. I actually recognize a lot of the buildings around here. Like, see that building over there? That’s the apartment building I live in.” she told him, pointing towards the apartment, which was only a few buildings away from where they were now. “Really? We should go there, then. If you live there, you must know the building pretty well.” he said. “Oh, alright.” she responded. 

                 From then on until they reached her apartment, she took the lead. They had no trouble getting into the building and everything was relatively quiet inside and they soon arrived in front of  Mi-Ok’s apartment. She was about to open the door, when Eli stopped her. “Let me go in first in case there’s something inside. If I tell you to, run to the roof and wait for me there. If I don’t come up within ten minutes, continue on without me.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he opened the door and walked inside. He checked each room and then said, “Alright, you can come in now.” As she walked in, she noticed that everything was exactly how it had been when she fell into this world, including her personal belongings. Well, all except for two things. Her dog, and the last thing she had received from Hyun-Ki Oppa before his sudden disappearance, a locket with a picture of the two of them on one side and a note on the other that read, “I will never forget you, even if it means I forget all else. I will never lose you, even if it means I lose all else. I will always make time for you, even if it means I have no time for anything else.” inside. He gave it to her as a promise that he would always remember and make time for her, even after he debuted. She had been wearing the locket when she fell through the mirror, but it was gone now. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she might have lost it, and, if she really had, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to forgive herself. But, she didn’t have time to think about that. She looked around. It seemed like everything else he had given to her was still there. Was it strange to be thinking about such things at a time like this? If it was, she couldn’t help it. She thought about him so often, it seemed natural to worry about the gifts he had given her being gone. 'Wait. This isn’t the real world. Just because something is missing here, that doesn’t mean that it’s missing in the real world.' “Is something wrong?” Mi-Ok jumped upon hearing Eli’s voice. She had almost forgotten that he was there. “N-no! I was just… looking for something.” she told him. “Did you find it?” “No. It’s not here.” he could hear disappointment in her voice. “If it’s not here, then your family must have it.” he told her. “What? How can you be sure?” she asked urgently. “You didn’t know? If something is being moved in the real world, it will be moved in this world, as well. Your body is also in the real world. If things are missing, then your body must have been moved and the missing objects, with it. Is the object something that your family knows is important to you?” “Yes. My family knows how important it is to me.” she smiled just thinking about it. “Then your family must have taken it for you. I wouldn’t worry too much, I’m sure it’s fine.” he added, patting her head comfortingly. She blushed. This was the first time anyone had done that to her since his disappearance.

                 Mi-Ok entered her bedroom and went to her bed, grabbing the plushie Hyun-Ki Oppa had given her a few months prior to his disappearance. 'They must have only taken the locket because they know that’s the most special of all the things he’s given me. I wish he was here with me, then I’d feel a lot safer.' Just then, the door swung open and Eli stepped in. “Someone’s here. He says that he’s a friend of yours from the real world.” Eli said, sounding a little annoyed. “What? How did anyone even know I was here?” she asked, a little surprised. “He came inside, asked who I was and why I was here, I said I was here with the homeowner, he said he was a friend of yours and asked to see you. I simply want to confirm what he said.” Eli still sounded annoyed. “Oh, alright.” Mi-Ok walked into the living area. When she saw who was standing there, looking at her, she nearly started crying out of both joy and horror. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”