"The pawn can only move one space forward, unless it is the start of the game. Then, it can move two spaces. But remember, it can only attack diagonally. The pawns are elaborately useless."

———

Chess.

What a game that is. A game of strategy and logic put into a competitive state of mind, and a goal to be victorious over your component. I was taught this game as a child, as most.

I played in my young days with friends and my brothers and my sisters. I played it with my dad and of course, my grandfather; the one who taught me. It seems now though, all I can remember is chess. The pawns, rooks, queens and kings; the pieces of game that would never matter, all feels too familiar.

At this moment, it was all I could think about. Chess. And it was not because I was some type of master or prodigy, it was because everything was dark. Pitch black was the only thing I saw. An endless void of darkness, but how? I was not dreaming, this was no dream at all. Thinking was just too easy, and a person knows when they are dreaming. So what was happening?

And I could not open my eyes! Oh the panic that erupts in my chest in this very moment. That familiar feeling of sweaty palms and a bouncing foot, except this time I could not see it. My so called breath quickened, but why? Was I blind? Has the world finally called me to an end?

And then, it hit. The light of the world around me brightened drastically. My vision blurred, as I gasped at the sudden change of contrast and saturation. I could see. Maybe it was all a dream.

But then it hit again. This vision, this terrifying, dreadful, detrimental vision. The headlights. The night sky. The piano music. And the screech of the tires; before it hit me.

I had my headphones in at the time. Being a motorcycle driver was difficult if you wanted to listen to music, so headphones were almost a necessity in my opinion. I was driving a little under the speed limit too, as my day had been long and tiring at the shop. Remodeling the shop was not my idea, and though I was not particularly against it, at that moment I was. I was just so tired, and the midnight sky was no help either. Those twinkling stars get me into a sense calm easily, making me want to fall into a deep slumber. It made me think of big blankets and puffy pillows, and a dark room at cold temperature.

In fact, I thought of these things so intensely. I had zoned out in the mist of thinking of what I wanted, that I failed to notice the car. A large dark red SUV, with ginormous tires and these harsh blinding headlights. Such a large car, you think I would notice it.

But I did not.

So I hit it.

I flipped off my motor bike almost immediately. I remember that pain of smashing into to ground, my helmet rolling. Through the force of crashing into the car, I shot forward. My head had bashed into the SUVs windshield, covering me in tiny shards of sharp glass.

I groaned in pain. I felt warm and wet, and I did not know why, but then a red, thick liquid pooled beneath me. Why? My eyes began to blacken, so I could no longer see, or even think straight.

There were muffled voices and loud sirens, but I could not tell what was going on. It just kept getting darker and darker and darker.

And then another tire screech.

The last thing I saw, was dull yellow lights, and the crescent moon behind it. And the I was crushed.

And now I was here. But it was no hospital. It was just... white.

A room, one so large and vast that was just white. No furniture or windows or lights and not even a door. It was just white. You were not even able to see where the floor turned to wall.

I was confused. Looking down, I saw my feet and clothes. They were the ones that I wore on that night. Why was I still in these clothes? Was this actually a dream?

Then why could I not wake up?

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

I cannot wake up. I started to run. There was nothing, just the white. Why is it all white? Color! I want color. I want objects and I want people. I turned in circles, my head spinning. Everything was the same. It was like any nightmare; repetitive fears and an endless space. It was overbearingly terrifying.

And then I saw a figure, a small, short, tiny figure. It had brown hair and a petite frame. Its face was more on the feminine side, and it was in all black. It was he, and honestly, he was sort of cute. He had a small birthmark right next to his eye, and beautiful eyes. But for some reason, he just felt dark. It was as if a brooding aura surrounded him, one that was so thick and present. And for the distance he was away from me, it felt like it should not give off such an impression.

Lost in my mind though, I had failed to realize the small male in front of me. There he stood, piercings in his ear, heavy black clothing, shiny boots, a thick chocker, and looked to be a thin chain or net jacket. Up close, he was... hot... but still cute.

None of that mattered though.

I had to get out.

"Where the fuck am I?" I asked, sounding more frantic than I meant to.

"Well hello to you too," the other says, quite calmly.

Honestly, the calmness annoyed me. "I asked, where the fuck am I?"

The other giggled a tiny bit. "Do you really expect me to just tell you?"

"So you know?"

"Yes."

"Then can you answer me?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"My my, because then you would freak out."

"Really? Why?"

The other sighed heavily, "Geez, you ask way too many questions and honestly I have not enough will to answer them."

Now I was really getting annoyed. Despite the beauty of the small male, I wanted answers, so I walked up to him and grabbed him harshly by the collar. In rough situations, my anger tends to leak through, unfiltered.

"Please just tell me," I plead, sounding sincere.

The other looked down, and looked back up with a tight grin, "I wish I could tough guy, but I cannot yet, we must wait."

"But... but why?"

"Let go of me?"

My face heated up as the other giggled once more. The sound was pleasing in this pale ocean, and his laugh was almost as nice as the sound of angels. "Yeah sure." I let go of him.

I scratch the back of my neck, the others eyes piercing into me. He looked me up and down, head slightly tilted, and a bitten bottom lip.

And then, a question of glory shines within my mind. I ask, "Who are you?"

Getting out of the trance, the mystery boy raised his eyebrows. "Who am I?"

"Uh yes, who else?" I reason.

The other boy seemed completely overwhelmed by the question, which was sort of odd. He shook his head, and regained himself. "Irrelevant."

"Why so?"

"You ask why too much."

"You do not give enough answers."

"Well what if I don't have answers?"

"Oh so you do not know your own name?"

Me and the other boy and gotten profusely closer. I could practically feel his cold breath on my lips. I mean, he was pretty short.  He turned his head away, and thought. Then he says, "Precisely."

It took me a while to understand what that meant. I mean, everybody has a name, so he does not? It really is odd, unless he was born accidentally and thrown away to be raised by some witch; which I doubt happened.

"You dont have a name?" I questioned.

"As I have stated before, precisely."

"How?"

"Young Seonghwa—"

"How do you know my-"

He put a finger to my lips, "Shh let me speak."

Slowly, he retracted his finger and stepped back.

"Now, you cannot he too surprised," he says.

I meekly nod, not quite understanding.

"You are dead," he says.

Silence.

A deathly silence though, one so piercing that if a person were to walk into it, they would suffocate. A silence that drains the air of oxygen and leaves only the dust for us to breathe in. It was a killer, and I was a victim. And in this case, I really was a victim.

But it cannot not be true. I am not dead. How so? If I am dead, should I not be hanging with all the other afterlife peoples? Or if I am dead, should there not be nothing? Honestly, I have never thought of what comes after life so intently, because frankly I just did not care. It seems now I should have.

This statement, moreover lie, is far too bizarre. Dead or not, this small male is lying.

So I laughed, and loudly. In fact, I laughed so hard that I had to clutch my stomach tightly in hopes that I would not vomit everywhere. Nauseous feelings rippled in my stomach, yet everywhere else felt so empty. Tiny tears looked in my eyes, not because I am sad, but because it is just funny. So funny!

Glancing at the small male, his lips were pressed together in a sharp line. He had his eyebrows furrowed and a heavy frown to his eyes. He seemed worried, but sad. Incredibly sad.

"Oh, you are hilarious!" I exclaim.

"I am sorry, Seonghwa." He says deeply.

I shake my head, "Very funny."

"Seonghwa," the male whispers, stepping closer to me.

I step back, my eyes burning, "Tell me you are joking."

"I'm sorry."

No.

"Seonghwa,"

"Don't say it."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop."

"You're dead."

"Stop!" I yell, pushing my hands against my ears to block out the sounds of the other despite the fact that he was not saying anything.

This cannot be true.

I am not ready.

"Just stop." I whisper.

I close my eyes and take deep breaths. Wake up, I tell myself. I open my eyes, and I am still in the white space. Close eyes. Open eyes. Close them. Open them. I can't wake up.

Please wake up.

Please.

I am scared.

I want to be in bed.

I want to pet my cat.

I want to feel the wind from speeding in my motorcycle.

I want to hear the waves.

I want to eat corn dogs and drink lemon tea.

I want to live.

Wake up.

I close my eyes, and completely calm myself. My heart rate was at a slow pace now, almost as if I was in a deep sleep, but then I opened my eyes again.

And it was still white.

"No," I whisper.

I try again.

But it was still white.

Shaking my head, I rub my eyes.

"Wake up," I whisper.

"Please," I whisper.

I open my eyes again, and it was white. I let out a cry of frustration and fall on my knees. Streaks of salty tears lay gently on my cheeks, as I shake my head violently. I try and I try and I try but nothing is working. Why will nothing work? In such a big empty space with only one other person, and being trapped, is terrifying. It is a nightmare in a metal cage with no key, that I have landed in. It is bright and white but dark and brooding. The air is suffocating and the light is scolding. My voice is weak and my heart is shattered. I am tired and I am weary.

My head pounds and it pounds. A never ending headache amidst the already horrific nightmare.

I squeeze, and I mean squeeze, my eyes shut.

But then I saw headlights. And then I saw a red SUV. Shards of glittering glass. My royal green helmet rolling along the cracked road. The twinkling stars in the midnight sky. A warm red liquid filling the holes of the road.

Then I heard a screech, and there it was.

Piercing yellow eyes stare into my broken body. They charge an electrifying pace, coming closer and closer. There was no stopping them.

But then I saw a sliver of the moon, and everything went away.

Like flipping a light switch, it was gone.

Like flipping a light switch, you can turn things back on, but as switched this one, everything was only white.

There he was. The small male.

He crouched next to me, sniffled, and gently pushed my hair out of my face. I was completely unaware of the fact that I was still in the black room, or that I was on the ground covered in sweat or the fact that I was not even breathing. I only saw him, as his eyes watered, making them looked like glistening crystals.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"I'm sorry that you died,

"But in order to move on, Seonghwa, you have to accept it."

What more to do, than to accept the unacceptable. When all else fails, you face the last option. And when everything feels like it has truly ended, I suppose that is when you really are gone.

So what more to say, than to say, "Okay."

That's why everything was white. Because I am dead, am I not?

——————————

a/n: first chapter, nice, am i right? kidding, kidding. it was probably whack.

I tried to keep it fast paced though, I don't want to bore you guys toooo much.

have a wonderful night/day though, mwah!

(side note: I'm drinking sleep tea right now and it's really hecking good)