3 THAT THING CALLED MIRACLE

"I THINK the doppelgangers of this generation are evolving."

Yujin stopped unboxing the new set of talismans that her maternal aunt– Aunt Hayi– sent, then she raised her head. "The doppelgangers are evolving?"

Right now, she was having a Z*om meeting with her Aunt Hayi.

She was sitting on the floor while her laptop was placed on top of her bed, facing her. Her Aunt Hayi occupied the monitor with her beautiful face.

Red wavy hair, chocolate brown eyes.

Her aunt, in her late thirties, looked so good and glowing, even though it was obvious that she just woke up. After all, her aunt was still in her robe while drinking coffee on the balcony of her hotel room. The beautiful sunrise behind served as her aunt's "background."

It was morning there while it was almost midnight here.

[Right, Aunt Hayi is in the States right now.]

Hence, the time difference.

"In the past, the doppelgangers only served as the guide for Grim Reapers," Aunt Hayi explained, then she put the coffee mug down on the saucer. "After all, doppelgangers appear when the person they copied is about to die. Hence, the Grim Reapers use them as a guide to know who's dying and not."

"Why do they need the doppelgangers, Auntie?" she asked, confused. "Don't the Grim Reapers receive the list of the souls they need to fetch?"

"Fetching the souls of the people who are scheduled to die has always been a complicated process, my dear niece," her aunt said. "The list changes without prior notice, since there are factors that can affect the schedule. From time to time, the Afterlife gets influenced by what they call 'miracles.' Hence, there are people who were already declared dead that miraculously came back to life." Her aunt raised her coffee mug. "Just like you."

She nodded in agreement. "Yep, I'm a miracle indeed."

"Cases like yours are the reason why the Grim Reapers would sometimes rely on the doppelgangers to know whether a person is about to die since the schedule they receive isn't consistent," her mother explained. "However, a few decades ago, cases where the doppelgangers acted violently to take the life of the person they copied became prevalent."

Her ears perked up. "Just like my doppelganger who wants to kill me?"

"Your case is a little different, but you're not wrong," her aunt said. "Wook's doppelganger might be the kind of doppelganger who wants to take the place of the person they copied. They're rare, but they definitely exist."

"Auntie, his legal given name now is 'Geun-wook,' and he prefers to be called 'Geun,'" she reminded her aunt politely, even though they were in the middle of an important discussion. "He got upset when I accidentally called him 'Wook' earlier."

"Oh, I see," her aunt said, then she corrected herself. "Geun's doppelganger seems to have developed a mind of its own. It's a good thing that you were able to drive it away. However, you must tell Geun to be extra careful. Unfortunately, even I don't know when his doppelganger will appear again."

"Auntie, can I share my new talismans with Geun?" she asked, then she picked up the sticker papers from the box that she had just opened. "I'll print some cute stickers and share them with Geun."

Aunt Hayi was a special shaman.

Her aunt could turn anything into a talisman or a charm as long as she put some of her divine energy into those mundane things. That was why all of her things– including her clothes– served as a talisman.

Moreover, their house was also surrounded by a protective barrier that drove away ghosts, spirits, and likewise beings.

Hence, she felt safe even though she was currently living alone in the house.

"Sure, go ahead," Aunt Hayi said. "But Yujin-ah, don't try to fight Geun's doppelganger again. I promise I'll check on Geun as soon as I return home. However, in the meantime, don't do anything reckless."

She couldn't promise that since she knew she wouldn't stay still if Geun was in danger. "Auntie, can't you make a weapon for Geun, too? Talismans can only do so much. But when I hit his doppelganger with my bat earlier, the doppelganger disappeared. So, if you make a similar weapon for Geun, then he'll be able to protect himself."

"Yujin-ah, we cheated the Grim Reapers to bring you back to life ten years ago," her aunt reminded her gently. "We must live quietly as a result. To be honest with you, if Geun wasn't your childhood friend, then I wouldn't even let you share your talismans with him. You need it more than he does. However, we're indebted to him since he saved your life before."

That was right.

Geun-wook saved her life once. Thus, he became her own "exception to the rule." It might be mean, but if she saw the doppelgangers of other people, she would have just ignored it. After all, she didn't have the luxury to worry about others.

But she couldn't turn a blind eye when it came to Geun-wook.

"Even so, just like the talismans, we can only do so much for Geun," her aunt said. "If it's his time to leave this world, then…"

Her aunt didn't have to finish her sentence because she knew what she meant.

She was aware that she didn't have the power to change Geun's fate. What could a powerless teen like her do if it was her childhood friend's destiny to die young?

"You should know better than anyone else that creating 'miracles' comes at a hefty price," Aunt Hayi warned her lightly. "After all, you lived because your mother sacrificed her life for you."

Her aunt could really be brutally honest sometimes.

But her aunt wasn't wrong, so she couldn't say anything back.

"I'm not blaming you for what happened to my sister," Aunt Hayi said, her voice sounding gentle this time. "I'm only saying this because I don't want you to sacrifice your life for Geun just because we are indebted to him."

She knew that.

Hence, she didn't get upset when her aunt brought up her mother in the conversation.

"Don't worry, Auntie," she assured her. "I won't let you end up like my dad."

Her father was still alive, but he had completely cut her off from his life.

[Dad blames me for Mom's death, after all.]

"Yujin-ah…" Aunt Hayi trailed off, then she looked at someone– or something– behind her before she turned to her again. "I'm sorry, but I need to go now. I'll come home as soon as possible, so take care until then. And I know this sounds cruel, but if it gets dangerous, I want you to give up on saving Geun." Her aunt kissed her fingers, then she pressed them against the camera. "I miss you, Yujin-ah."

"I miss you, too, Auntie," she said, smiling. "Take care."

After that, Aunt Hayi just smiled and turned off her camera.

But her aunt's calloused words lingered in her mind.

["And I know this sounds cruel, but if it gets dangerous, I want you to give up on saving Geun."]

Yep, that was really cruel.

However, she understood where her aunt was coming from.

[My mom gave up her life for me, so I'm sure my aunt wouldn't want her older sister's sacrifice to go in vain.]

Her thoughts got interrupted when she received a message on her smartphone.

To be precise, she received a coupon for her favorite iced coffee and sausage roll from Geun-wook. It also came with a short message and a 'wink emoji.'

["Honey, have these for breakfast tomorrow."]

"He already paid for my cab earlier," Yujin whispered to herself while shaking her head. "Why is he treating me to breakfast now?"

***

YUJIN WAS shocked as soon as she saw Geun-wook's face.

Now she understood why he asked her to come up to his apartment instead of meeting her outside the building. But, of course, she didn't have any plans to come inside. She just wanted to check on him and ask why he sent her a message this morning saying that he wouldn't go to school today.

The fact that he only wore a black T-shirt and a pair of gray shorts meant he was serious about not going to school.

And when she saw his bruised face, she already knew why.

"Here," Yujin said as she handed him the iced coffee and the sausage roll that she brought for him. She used the coupon that Geun-wook sent her last night. But she wanted to repay him, hence she got him the same thing since they both loved iced coffee and sausage roll, anyway. "Your breakfast."

"You didn't have to get me breakfast, but thank you," Geun-wook said when he received his "food delivery." "I'll eat them well."

"Is ahjumma inside?"

'Ahjumma' would be Geun-wook's mother, of course.

"Mom isn't here. She left early since she has a business trip in Japan," he said, his eyebrows furrowed. "But why are you looking for my mom?"

She pointed a finger at his busted lips. "That."

"Hey, it was my fault," he said. She didn't have to say anything else because he already understood what she wanted to say. "Mom was just upset because I ended up at the police station again."

She let out a sigh, then she pulled out her phone from her pocket.

As if sensing what she was planning to do, Geun-wook suddenly snatched her phone away from her. She didn't like what he did, but at least she saw that he was wearing the black wristband that she gave him yesterday.

"Yujinie, why do you want to call my mom?"

"I'll just tell ahjumma that if she wanted to hit someone, then she would have hit me instead," she insisted. "It was my fault that you got into a fight, anyway."

"How was that your fault?" he complained. "I was the bastard who started the fight because I couldn't keep my cool. Don't blame yourself for my temper."

She had nothing nice to say, so she just kept her mouth shut.

"And don't be too upset with my mom," he said gently. "Mom was just stressed out because of her new business venture. Plus, I deserve this. You probably don't know, but I actually sent the kids I beat yesterday to the hospital. Compared to the damage I caused them, the bruises that I received from my mother are nothing."

Ah.

She was suddenly reminded that the Sun Geun-wook was no longer the innocent and kind Sun Wook that she had met as a child.

That realization suddenly made her feel conflicted.

[Geun-wook did something really horrible. But does it mean he deserves to be hit by his mother?]

To be honest, she didn't really know the correct answer.

"I need to go now," she said while adjusting the strap of the guitar case on her shoulder, then she snatched her phone back from Geun-wook. After that, she pointed at the paper bag where his sausage roll was. "I put some stickers inside. Paste them on your personal stuff, and don't remove your wristband."

"Yujinie–"

"If you're not going to school, then stay at home," she said, cutting him off. "I'll come and check on you after school, so don't think about sneaking out."

After saying that, she walked out on him.

"Yujinie, are you upset with me again?"

She ignored him and headed straight to the elevator.

However, she could feel him following her in silence.

[Tsk. If he has something else to say, then why is he being quiet? Is he trying to make me feel guilty?]

When she entered the elevator, she turned around to confront Geun-wook.

However, she stopped dead in her tracks when the "Geun-wook" that greeted her was the same pale and bloody "Geun-wook" that she met yesterday.

[The doppelganger!]

She unconsciously took a step backward while clutching the strap of her guitar case.

<"You. See. Me,"> Geun-wook's doppelgangers said, then he flashed him the same creepy grin she saw last time. <"Play. With. Me.">

And then, all of a sudden, the doppelganger TACKLED her!

Yujin hit her head and her back pretty hard on the elevator wall when the doppelganger's unexpected weight almost crushed her.

[Motherduckling!]

***

Please add SPOOKY SOULMATE to your library~