Chapter 2: Ghostly Stalker

[The next morning, my apartment room]

I woke up to the sound of giggling.

Not the kind of giggle that belongs to the neighbor's kid, not even the kind of mocking laugh my boss makes when he dumps extra work on me. No—this was soft, sweet, and dangerously close.

I blinked awake.

And there she was.

A girl's face hovered inches away from mine, staring straight into my eyes. She looked about eighteen, with long black hair and a neat school uniform. My sleepy brain tried to process this, but it short-circuited.

"...A-A girl?! In my room?!"

Then I noticed the other horror. Cuppiam was sprawled on my beanbag, snoring loudly... while slurping my ramen!

"Wait—what's worse? A ghost girl or my so-called 'God of Love' eating my breakfast?!"

I sat up in a panic, pointing at the girl. "Who are you?! And why are you—why are you see-through?!"

She tilted her head, her lips curling into a soft smile.

"My name is Elena. I've been with you for thirteen years. Ever since... the day I died."

I froze. "...Wait. Died?!"

She nodded sweetly, as if she were telling me the weather. "Yes. I'm your soulmate. When I died, I woke up beside you. But you couldn't see me... until now. Thanks to Cuppiam."

My jaw dropped. "W-wait, hold up. You're saying you've been living here this whole time? For thirteen years?!"

She beamed. "Mm-hm."

A terrifying thought slammed into me. "So... you saw everything?"

"Yes."

Her smile widened. "All your proposals. All your embarrassing moments. Your bad habits... your baths... your changing... even your private times."

I felt my soul leave my body. "YOU SAW THOSE?!"

She began cheerfully ticking things off on her fingers.

"Your toilet habits, the way you eat chips in bed, the time you tripped over your futon trying to look cool, your habit of singing love songs off-key in the shower, that mole on your—"

"STOP! DON'T LIST THEM!" I shouted, my face red enough to explode.

Meanwhile, Cuppiam sat up, burping loudly and patting his stomach. "Man, that ramen hit the spot." He looked at Elena and shrugged. "Told you he'd freak out."

"Shut up, you freeloader god!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at him.

Elena, completely unfazed, floated toward my tiny kitchen. "Well, anyway... since I'm here, I thought I'd make you pancakes."

I scrambled to my feet. "W-Wait, wait, wait! A ghost making pancakes?!"

She giggled again, sleeves fluttering as she reached for a frying pan. "Of course. I am your soulmate, after all. Taking care of you is only natural."

"THIS ISN'T NATURAL AT ALL!" I shouted, pulling at my hair.

And so began my morning—living with a ramen-thieving god and a ghostly stalker soulmate who had witnessed every last humiliating detail of my life.

By the time I escaped to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face, I was almost convinced this was all just a fever dream. But when I came back...

"..."

My apartment had transformed into a war zone.

One pancake was stuck to the ceiling. Another flopped lazily against the spinning fan, threatening to take flight. A third had landed directly on Cuppiam's face. He didn't even move it—just munched straight through it like some sort of divine slug.

"How lazy can a god get?!" I shouted.

Cuppiam raised a thumb without opening his eyes. "Efficiency."

Meanwhile, Elena turned to me with the brightest smile, spatula in hand.

"Breakfast is ready~!"

Behind her, the stove was on fire. Actual flames. My kitchen was burning.

"...That doesn't look ready! That looks like arson!" I cried, rushing for the fire extinguisher.

Once the smoke settled, I turned on Cuppiam. "Oi, Love God. Why is she even here? Shouldn't she be... resurrected or something by now? Her soul's still here—what's the deal?!"

Cuppiam shrugged, licking syrup off his fingers. "Her death's... complicated. Multiple causes, tangled. Honestly, I don't think she's leaving you anytime soon."

I looked back at Elena... only to find her clinging to my face like a kitten. Her entire body pressed against me, cheek to cheek.

"H-Hey! Personal space!" I yelped, trying to pry her off. "At least be transparent like a normal ghost!"

But she only giggled. "Hehe... I like it better this way."

Gathering my courage, I asked, "Then... how did you even die?"

Her smile wavered. "I... don't remember. Just flashes. My grave. A rainy night. And..." She blushed faintly, hiding her face against me. "Your... private moments."

"WHY DO YOU ONLY REMEMBER THOSE?!" I screamed, face burning red.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she suddenly lunged, trying to kiss me, arms wrapping around my neck. She didn't even phase through me this time—just clung harder.

"Wait—stop—hey! At least give me a warning! And what's this about possessing a cat yesterday?!"

Her cheeks puffed, eyes sparkling with mischief. "For fun~!"

I fell back, defeated. "You remember everything except the important parts... What kind of cruel cosmic joke is this..."

"Don't worry about it," Cuppiam muttered through another pancake. "You're just bad at love. Skill issue, bruh."

I froze. "...Did the God of Love just call me a skill issue?!"

"Yup," he said flatly.

Elena nodded innocently. "Mhm. Even a hobo would agree."

I collapsed onto my futon, face buried in my pillow.

"Why is everyone roasting me in my own apartment?!"

[The Scene shifts to Isaac's office, now bustling with people.]

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

The sound of keyboards filled the office, though in my case, it was just for show. My screen had been on the same spreadsheet for twenty minutes, but as long as I looked busy, no one cared.

Unfortunately, I couldn't tune out the background chatter.

"My boyfriend's taking me to the festival this weekend~"

"Seriously? Mine reserved us a table at that new Italian place!"

"He even bought me a necklace!"

Laughter. Squeals. Sickly sweet romance drips through every corner of the room.

Meanwhile, I sat hunched at my desk, face blank, soul crumbling.

"Still pretending to work, huh? Just to avoid the love talk?"

I looked up. Shin Nami, my so-called friend, leaned on my desk with that smug grin of his.

"Hey, I know an app. Leader. It's a dating app. Try it, man, or you'll stay single this year too."

I stared back at him, deadpan. "...I already tried it."

"And?"

"I got banned."

The room went silent for half a second. Then—

"B-Banned?!"

"How do you even get banned from Leader?!"

"Bro must've rejected himself!"

"Skill issue!"

The entire block erupted into laughter. Heat crawled up my neck as the roast session got louder.

But then I saw her.

Elena. Floating behind my coworkers, clutching a kitchen knife with that same innocent smile plastered on her face. Her gaze locked on the group, her grip tightening because she was jealous of Isaac talking to his female colleagues.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no—" I shot up from my seat, flailing my hands. "A-Ahahaha! What I meant is—I already have a girlfriend!"

The laughter stopped. All eyes turned to me.

"She's... at home right now! Waiting for me! Totally real, totally cute, totally... not imaginary!"

The office murmurs shifted from mocking to stunned disbelief. Some snickered, others raised eyebrows.

But Elena... lowered the knife. Her smile softened, and she drifted closer.

Then, in the middle of the office, she slipped her hand into mine. I felt the coldness instantly—yet somehow warm at the same time. She looked at me with those devoted eyes, whispering so only I could hear:

"I'm glad you told them."

I stiffened, forcing a laugh for the office. "S-See? Proof! I'm... uh... just keeping it low-key!"

Shin's face went pale. He wasn't laughing anymore. His eyes darted between me and Elena, his grin fading into sheer terror.

Because Shin could see her too.

Not because of luck. Not because of an accident.

But because he was from a clan of mediators—people who had dealt with spirits for generations.

And he was my best friend who now thinks I am haunted.

Thanks For Reading chapter 2 of my LN or my Webnovel

Author's Note,

Hi, guys, I am publishing this chapter early because I have a busy weekend ahead, so I typed this early. If you are wondering, I don't have any socials. I gave my friends who have social accounts the link to recommend it to others, and if you could, please recommend this novel. Here's a small fact about Isaac: he is 6 feet tall and loves spicy food. His birthday is on November 6, and he likes to wear his chappal everywhere. He hates rabbit meat because the taste is bitter. See you guys next week.