Chapter 2

As the seawater surrounded me, I felt as if something was pulling me farther and farther down.

Gradually, the burning pain in my chest faded away.

The deadly waves that had been raging around me suddenly turned gentle. They felt so warm and tender, like a mother's embrace.

I saw the seaweed swaying below me and the light shimmering above the water. Then I watched myself disappear into the endless darkness.

I was dead.

It turned out that a person's spirit really did remain after death. I drifted weightlessly back to shore, where Melody lay on a beach chair as Mom fed her fruit.

"Melody, you've always been so well-behaved," Mom said. "You've never made me or your dad worry since you were little. Unlike Sophia, who only knows how to cause trouble.

"Last week, I even got a call saying she hit an upperclassman. The teacher wants me to go to school after the school break."

Hearing that, Dad stood up angrily.

"She's so young, yet she's already this rotten. I swear she only exists to ruin our lives!" he growled. "What kind of child did I even raise? If I had known she'd turn out this way, she should've been the one who was deprived of oxygen at birth!"

No! That wasn't what happened!

I didn't bully those upperclassmen. They were the ones who went after Melody first. I was just standing up for her.

I wanted to grab Melody and beg her to explain for me, but my hand passed right through her shoulder.

Right. I was dead.

A moment later, Melody calmly spoke up. "That's just how Sophia is, Dad. She's always bullying people. She thinks she can do whatever she wants because she's friends with the school delinquents."

After hearing her words, Dad became even angrier. "How did we raise such a worthless child?"

Mom looked at the sea and frowned slightly. "The tide is coming in. Where did that brat go? She couldn't have actually gotten into trouble, could she?"

But then, she seemed to brush the thought away. "Well, she's old enough to take care of herself. If she's dead, then good. At least she won't cause trouble anymore!"

So it turned out, people could still feel pain after they died.

I felt my chest tighten painfully. I wanted to cry, but no tears came.

Mom, you got what you wished for.

Dad also glanced at the sea, but he dismissed the thought and gently put his arm around Melody's shoulder.

"Come on, Melody. Let's go eat," he said. "There are lots of people at the beach. Nothing will happen to that brat."

They walked away side by side, laughing and talking like a happy family. They were so close, and I realized they were the ones who truly belonged together.

…

The three of them ordered a table full of seafood. They ate and chatted leisurely, without a care in the world.

"Don't throw away those mussels. Save them," Mom said. "Doesn't Sophia like them?"

Actually, I had never liked mussels. Melody just didn't want them, so she always gave them to me.

Dad looked at the time and said, "It's been over an hour. Why hasn't Sophia come back up? Do we even have to go get her for dinner?"

Melody poured Dad some water, then said, "Mom, Dad, she's probably just angry with you. Don't worry. I'll go get her!"

But I was already dead.

Melody hurried out, while Mom and Dad smiled kindly behind her.

"Melody's still the sensible one," Dad said.

But a short while later, she came running back in tears, holding her hand over her face.

"Mom, Dad! Please go talk to Sophia!" she cried. "She's angry and said she's leaving home! And she…"

The more she spoke, the more emotional she became. Tears streamed down her face, and she looked like she had been deeply hurt.

Mom panicked and pulled Melody into her arms. "Oh, sweetie! What happened? What did that brat Sophia do to you? Why are you crying like this?"

Melody buried her face in Mom's shoulder and cried even harder. "I asked her to come back for dinner, but she said you only loved me! Then she slapped me!"

With a loud crash, Dad flipped the table over.

"That little monster!" he roared. "Where did she learn such terrible behavior? How dare she even hit her own sister? When I find her, I'll break her arms!"