In-between reality

Some time ago-

•. ✿ .•°

Your eyes flew open, startled and disoriented. You cast a cautious glance around you, furrowing your brows as you assessed your strange environment.

Looking down, you can feel your body stretching your arms before your breath hits. It was very pale, but it appeared to be unreal, almost translucent.

The room was all white, from the bedding to the walls. It appears natural and earthy but is not. Even with the exquisite interior, fear began to grip your heart.

Where are you in the world? Who came to your aid? You abruptly threw off your white covers and slowly stood up.

Your entire body felt strange as if you were walking on air, but you weren't. Your legs were twitchy. However, you could not get rid of the odd feeling.

The last thing your mind could recall was the ocean's cold, dark grey depths. You clutch your throat as if you don't want to remember how the seawater filled your lungs—the agony, panic, darkness, and nothing.

The door swung open, and a strange man with a clipboard entered. He raised his eyes and gave you an odd look.

You wrinkled your brow at his obvious irritation.

"Oh, it's awake..." He sarcastically muttered under his breath.

You roll your eyes and look him square in the eyes. Who does this creep think he is? You will give him—you frown as you look at his amused expression.

He smirks, "And what will you do with this creep, if I must ask?"

Your eyes widen in shock. Did he just...

"Yeah, we can tap into your mind spheres and read thoughts." He moved to the sofa and plopped down, looking at you up and down.

You bit your lip in apprehension, wondering how to stop him from tapping into your mind.

The guy sighs deeply, saying," Just stop with your mind overload. I'm Gustav, guardian of the lost souls of the in-between realm. Blah, blah, and blah. Stop standing like a statue; sit down so we get to business!"

You quietly sat next to this obnoxious Gustav, who was writing something on the clip board.

"Erm, am I dead...or---" you trail off.

Gustav shook his head and looked at you with pity. "No, love. You are in the realm of in-between."

"What does that mean? I'm alive." You sound more befuddled than ever.

"No, you're not alive. Your spirit has not crossed over yet...to wherever fate decided for you... the good place or the fiery furnace... the realm of the dragon...but that was up to you when you lived as an Earthbound." Your eyes widen as your heart starts to beat rapidly.

"Why didn't I cross over?" You asked with furrowed brows. Gustav closed his eyes and stood up from his seat, making an exaggerated turn as he faced you. With his forefinger, he points it directly at you. You squirm away before he pokes your eyes out.

"You, my dear, are part of this whole debacle. You're making my life so difficult with your choices and decisions. I'm always stuck guarding the weird and not-so-pretty ones..."He clicks his tongue with a bit of sass; he is oblivious to your offending face.

"Hey! I didn't sign up to be here. Why can't I die in peace but remain trapped between realities?" You voice your discontent.

He sarcastically smirks, "So...enough with the foolishness! Can you recall anything about your last moments? You may have done something that hindered your spirit from moving on."

You wrinkle your brow, trying to remember...

"Er...I was on a ferry boat. It was my week off from university, and some friends and I decided to take a trip to Jeju Island... I believe something went wrong. The boat began to sink, and we all screamed and panicked. I think I drowned. "The iciness of the cold ocean could still be felt. Your lungs are filling... You began to shiver involuntarily. You look at Gustav with furrowed brows.

"You were supposed to cross over, but something kept you back. Can you rewind a little further.?What did you do before the accident? Did  you talk to someone or touch something?"

"Of course, I was with my two friends. As young people, we sat in a compartment and talked nonsense! I don't remember touching anything—oh, yeah, before that, I came out of the restroom and ran into a high school boy—very cute, I recall. He asked me my name, and we just talked casually, and I remember commenting on something—a gold pendant around his neck. He told me two days ago that it was his birthday and that he was a twin, and he bought twin guardian angel pendants for himself and his sister. His sisters had a silver one. She seemed to like all kinds of silver jewelry. "You suddenly felt a deep sadness in your being.

Gustav raised his eyes in deep concentration, calculating," And——"

You make eye contact with him." And he told me a strange story about a pendant he bought from a gypsy stall. The odd woman told him that the twin pendants had been unsold for generations, but when he picked them up, she felt the energy flow through her and knew the pendants had found a home. They were true twins who adored and devoted themselves to each other. We laughed as he told me it was a great sales strategy, but he bought the twin pendants called Life and... I can't remember the other name. But then there was a strange cracking sound. The boat was moving unusually fast. Stuff began to fall from one side, and the boat began to tilt dangerously to one side. The boy and I started to panic. He looked terrified, as if this was the end. He removed his golden pendant and said something strange—it didn't sound like him. He told me that I must keep this pendant and bring hope to the living if he died. He will always be there for his sister, comforting her. I'm sorry I couldn't hear the rest because the cabin was filling up with water, and there was a lot of screaming!"

Gustav's eyes were wide open. "Oh, my goodness. He possessed the most powerful pendants, "life and light," which mysteriously reappeared after thousands of years. He was the fortunate conduit who possessed it. Those angel guardian pendants can bring life back in another form. When he gave you the pendant, the boy bound your soul. She had light (silver), and he had life (gold)."

You snorted, "Excuse me, Gustav. What you just said was terrifying. I'm not a believer in fantasy hocus-pocus. Why can't I die peacefully like him, Yong?" You mutter your hands in your hair.

Gustav shook his head and said, "It's because you have the last piece. You have a mysterious mission before you can cross over."

"What!" you exclaimed. "So, before I can cross over, I need to complete missions, but I'm not good at them." You were irritated by Gustav's smirking.

"If you want another chance to 'enter' the glorious good place, You'll do it because your previous lifestyle wasn't so exemplary as to earn you a seat in the 'good place." So, if I were you, I'd seize the opportunity with both hands and complete the mission or be transported to the place of the 'fiery dragon that tortures souls for eternity."

"Oh, ok, I'll do whatever is required of me... just to get out of this insecure place," you shivered.

Gustav smiles broadly. "Now it's up to you, Isuel. However, there are unspoken rules.

•. .•°

In this in-between realm, it felt like an eternity. You looked down at the golden pendant, perplexed how it had survived on you. Over time, you and Gustav form an unlikely friendship. You met a few in-betweeners, and most of them completed their mission and safely crossed over to a good place during that period.

Gustav led you to one of the numerous celestial gardens. It was surreal and beautiful.

"Did your boss decide on my mission now?" You inquired hurriedly.

"Yes, and it's a great mission," he says with a maniacal grin.

"Ugh, common!" you say as you shove his shoulder.

"We'll...your first mission is a dual mission," Gustav says softly. "You must inspire a boy not to lose hope, to rekindle his spark."

You snicker, "Er...Gustav, sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not very good at inspiring and motivating people. I generally dislike people."

Gustav asked, deadpan, "Do you want to be Mr. Dragon's food?"

You inhaled deeply and smiled, "Oh, don't worry, I'll be the best inspirator, so when do I start?" You have a big grin and fluttering eyelids.

Gustav smirked and said, "Let's go to your chambers and work on your appearance!"

"What's wrong with my appearance?" you asked, puzzled. You are looking down at yourself.

When he raised his brows, you appeared to be offended.

"Oh, you saw yourself? The person you'll be giving hope to is not easily talked to. You must make him pay attention to you to reach him, and your outer wrapping is not attractive at all, even to me!" As you stood there frozen, your jaws dropping, he turned around and began walking up the pathway.

"Wait...what!!! Hey!" you yelled after him.

The audacity is as if he looks like a stud. Did he even see himself? Not even your grandmother would find him attractive. The nerve!!!

•. .•°

Back in your room, he showed you a hologram screen with images of a gorgeous boy who appeared depressed and deflated.

You frown at Gustav as he clicks his fingers, and the screen disappears. You have to admit, the boy is quite good-looking. Your heart suddenly beats erratically just by gazing at the boy. You smirk inwardly as Gustav rolls his eyes at your hormonal thoughts.

"So, what is he doing? Is he a high school student?  University, what makes him so important, or what is it about this distinctive boy? What's his status in life?" You ask, perplexed.

Why are you so important in bringing happiness to this student? You never made anyone happy, not even yourself.

"It is not your job to know his status in life... All you need to know is that he is very important to many people there. So no more questions... and he'll be a part of the bigger picture." He scribbled something on the board.

"So, I'm going down there without knowing my mission?" you asked irritably.

"Yes, the less you know, the better...but the rest of the mission will be explained further," he triumphantly smiled. You just scrunched up your nose.

"Is that it? Go down there, find this boy, give him hope to keep doing whatever he's doing, and I'm done. Can I leave here and find rest for my soul and spirit?" You look at him in disbelief. "Why does it seem too good to be true? What's the catch?"

"There's no catch. Just follow the rules. As I previously stated, your mission will serve a dual purpose due to the guardian pendant around your neck, so let's get started". As you become more concerned, he appears giddy.

•. .•°

"Gustav! You gave me the spirit appearance of a teenager! I'm a 24-year-old graduate student. My mind has matured. How am I supposed to complete this mission? I can't even remember how I acted as a teenager. Gosh!" You look down at your new spirit body, which will transform into an earthbound body once you reach the earthly sphere.

Gustav grins and says, "Be grateful, Isuel... Compared to what you had before, you at least have a lovely face!" He said it dismissively. You studied this new spirit-body reflection. Woah! And it would be best if you said this girl is or was gorgeous.

"Who does this spirit belong to?" you asked. "Where is she? Is she dead, alive, or in between realities?"

"Don't worry about that," Gustav chuckled. "It will be revealed later, Isuel. When you reach the earthly sphere, you will forget about Isuels' memories. This new spirit's memory will seep into your soul. But only a fraction of what is required to complete the mission and reach this important boy.

"So... I'm going to become this girl—what about my soul?" You inhaled deeply. You always wanted to be beautiful, but what about your authentic self?

Gustav smirked at your sparkling eyes as you beheld this beautiful spirit body and said, "Without a doubt. Isuel will no longer exist until the mission is completed! You will become her".

Shim Yoon, best known as Yoona...

A/n

Thank you so much to all my wonderful supporters who believed in this story. This is my first attempt at a short paranormal  story