twelve

"So, not only do you hold guilt about what happened to your friend, but you were murdered and it was wrongly reported as a suicide?" Jihoon asked as he tried to process everything.

Soonyoung had finally convinced Chan to go to Jihoon and after some research, the younger told them everything. As he listened to his story, Soonyoung felt his heart breaking into a million pieces. He was so young and for people to have played with his emotions just to kill him angered him more than anything. However, he stayed calm. He didn't want to cause Jihoon a power outage and risk scaring Chan. Besides, he knew Jihoon could bring Chan to justice.

Chan nodded slowly in reply. "I have no idea how to solve any of it, though. That's why I'm stuck." He admitted. "It's not like I can go up to Seungkwan and apologize. Besides, even if I was alive, I doubt he would want to hear it." He concluded sadly.

Jihoon sighed but gave the young ghost a kind smile. "Don't worry, that's what I'm here for. I'll figure it out." He promised.

"What about the guys who murdered me?" Chan asked. "That's even more impossible."

Before Jihoon could reply, Soonyoung stepped in. "Jihoon is the best. He'll figure it out, as promised. I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't believe that." He reassured softly.

Jihoon's cheek turned pink at Soonyoung's sudden praise, but he recovered quickly with a clearing of his throat. He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out an ID card, placing it on the desk.

"I haven't had the chance to use this one yet." He said seeming rather excited.

"What is it?" Chan asked.

Jihoon held it up proudly. "One of fifty aliases, Moon Jaesun, a private investigator."

"You have a fake ID?" Soonyoung asked disbelief.

Jihoon's proud expression dissolved into disappointment at Soonyoung's clear disapproval.

"Listen, I've been doing this for years. You can't just go up to people and tell them that you see ghosts. They'll most likely have you arrested on the spot or run away. I have to do this skillfully and in case it all goes wrong, it's best not to use my actual name." He explained.

Soonyoung wasn't fond of the method, but he had to admit it was solid reasoning. "Fair enough." He muttered.

"If it'll help me move on, then I don't care what you do," Chan replied.

Jihoon pointed to him. "See, he gets it."

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. "Whatever, so what are we doing?"

"We talk to our only reliable witness, Seungkwan."

*

"You know, maybe when we find him, you should let me do the talking." Soonyoung started as he and Chan followed Jihoon around the campus.

Jihoon looked around for anyone in earshot before replying. "You're dead, remember? He won't be able to hear you." He pointed out.

Soonyoung sighed in exasperation. "Thank you for that reminder. I was wondering why I could suddenly walk through walls and felt cold all the time." He snapped. "What I meant was that you could repeat after me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, you seem to lack social skills. Your only friends are an editor and a couple of ghosts. Not to mention, almost all of your conversations with Wonwoo have made me cringe. I just feel like it would be best to have a more experienced person doing this. I mean, I had a lot of friends when I was alive."

"And how did that work out for you?" Jihoon retaliated without thinking.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Even more so when Soonyoung's playful expression fell and was replaced with a saddened one. Jihoon cleared his throat and tried to retract his words and thoughts.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He said gently. "I've been in the ghost business for years. I can handle it." He reassured. "It's the one thing I'm good at."

Suddenly, Chan piped up. "There he is!" He shouted, pointing in front of him. "There's Seungkwan!"

Both Jihoon and Soonyoung looked over to see a guy calmly walking along the path. Jihoon turned back to both of the ghosts.

"Alright, here's the deal. Both of you can come with me but stay silent. I don't want to hear a word from either of you. Understood?"

Chan nodded obediently while Soonyoung let out a hefty sigh. Jihoon glared at him.

"Soonyoung, I mean it. Not a word."

"Fine."

Jihoon rushed toward Seungkwan as the two ghosts followed close behind him. Seungkwan noticed someone was approaching him and he stopped, looking at Jihoon curiously.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Boo Seungkwan?"

When the other nodded, Jihoon loosely held up his fake ID. "I'm Moon Jaesun. I'm a private investigator. I was hired to find the truth about Lee Chan's death." He introduced. "May I ask you a few questions?"

Seungkwan eyed him skeptically. "Wasn't his death ruled a suicide?"

"It was, but I don't believe that and I think you don't either, do you?" Jihoon challenged.

"Definitely not," Seungkwan replied instantly. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Could you tell me about the events leading up to his death?"

While he knew almost everything from Chan's story, there was a chance Seungkwan knew something else or heard something than Chan did. Besides, he needed the illusion of being a professional.

Seungkwan took in a deep and shaky breath. "He was bullied almost all through high school. I don't know why or how it started, but it got worse during our last semester. All of a sudden the bullies started being nice to him and in turn, they started to bully me."

Jihoon acted surprised as if it was new information to him. "So, did he say or do anything to help you?" He asked.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Chan's head drop in shame. He felt guilty for asking such a brutal question, but to get the answers they needed, he had to do what he had to do.

"No, I think he was too scared to."

"Were you angry at him for it?"

"At first I felt a little betrayed but I started to understand where he was coming from. I used to push him all the time to tell someone about the bullying, but once it was turned on me, I truly understood that it was easier said than done. I couldn't imagine what it was like to be forced to hang out with them. I'm sure he was too scared to help, and I could understand that. No matter how bad the bullying got for me, I always worried about him more."

Jihoon watched as Chan let out a large sigh of relief at Seungkwan's answer. He was sure it was a loaded weight off the ghost's chest and it meant they got one of the major issues out of the way. Now, they would have to work on the final and hardest issue.

"So, even with the bullying and the possible guilt he felt, you don't think he committed suicide?" Jihoon asked.

Seungkwan looked at him with a determined expression. "Chan would never do that. He promised me he would fight and I believe he fought until the end."

He opened his bag and pulled out a folder, handing it to an inquisitive Jihoon.

"Besides, I've been collecting evidence these last few years to prove he wasn't murdered. I've tried to take it to the police multiple times, but it seems they were bribed or something similar. They would ignore me and kick me out every single time. I'm giving it to you in hopes that you will be able to give Chan peace once and for all."

Jihoon tightly gripped the folder as he felt a sudden wave of emotions pass through him. Used to, he would speed run through the cases and feel little to no emotion. He just wanted the job to be over, but it was starting to change, he was starting to change. He was allowing himself to feel more and it was starting to scare him. Regardless, he tried his best to remain professional and gave Seungkwan a sincere look.

"I will definitely bring him to peace." He promised.

Seungkwan bowed and when he lifted his head, Jihoon could see the tears brimming in his eyes, but they never fell. "Thank you." He said softly before walking away.

"Jihoon, whatever you do, don't turn around," Soonyoung said suddenly.

"Why?" Jihoon asked under his breath.

Before Soonyoung could reply, Jihoon heard another voice and he froze.

"Jihoon? What are you doing here?"

Jihoon winced as he turned to be met with Wonwoo. He briefly checked to see if Seungkwan had heard or seen what happened, but luck seemed to be on his side as Seungkwan was long gone. The feeling of relief was gone when he remembered he still had to explain what he was doing to Wonwoo. He turned and met his friend's curious gaze. Behind him, his ghost entourage watched the trainwreck before them. After all, Jihoon had told them not to say anything. That, and it was kind of entertaining to watch- at least to Soonyoung.

"Oh, Wonwoo. Hi." Jihoon greeted awkwardly. "I'm a research assistant for a couple of the professors here and since I have all of this extra free time lately, I can make some extra money while I wait for word about my novel." He explained.

The lie came out smoother than he expected. After all, he was a writer. He was used to coming up with random things. Lying wasn't exactly a problem. Wonwoo seemed to believe him too as he nodded in understanding.

"That's so nice of you to help out in your free time."

Jihoon merely let out another awkward laugh. "So, what are you doing here?" He asked turning the question around.

"My younger brother goes here and he called me asking for a ride home."

The two began to engage in another conversation while the ghosts stood idly a few feet away. They couldn't do much without him and they realized they were stuck. Chan turned to Soonyoung.

"What do we do?"

Soonyoung shrugged. "I guess we could go back to his apartment. The talismans weren't activated so we should be able to go inside."

"Let's do that." Chan agreed.

"Okay, let me go tell Jihoon."

Carefully, Soonyoung approached Jihoon and placed a hand on his back. As he whispered that he and Chan were leaving, Jihoon involuntarily shivered at the contact causing Soonyoung to frown.

"Are you okay? Are you cold or getting sick?" Wonwoo asked, sounding concerned.

Jihoon shook his head. "No, I'm okay. It was just a sudden gust of wind."

Wonwoo looked at him skeptically and then removed his jacket. "It may be a bit big." He warned as he held it out to him.

Jihoon held his hands out in refusal. "I'm okay, I promise."

Wonwoo sighed before moving to put the jacket over Jihoon's shoulders. "Just take it." He ordered softly. Jihoon blushed but didn't protest.

Soonyoung smiled sadly but fondly at the sight before returning to Chan. "Let's go."

Once back at the apartment, Chan gave Soonyoung a knowing look. The older noticed and frowned.

"What?"

"You like him." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"What?" Soonyoung tried to play dumb.

He knew exactly who Chan was referring to, but he was trying to save the last bit of his dignity. Unfortunately, Chan wasn't wanting to spare him that.

"Don't play dumb." Chan chided. "You like Jihoon."

Soonyoung shrugged. "Irrelevant."

"You should tell him." The younger advised.

Soonyoung scoffed. "Yeah sure, let me just tell Jihoon, a human, that I, a ghost, have a crush on him. I'm sure that will go well."

Chan rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. If you're not careful, he'll become your unfinished business." He warned. "Besides, you're dead. It's not like it'll have serious consequences."

Soonyoung stared at him unamused. "Thanks for that. It's a real confidence booster."

"I'm serious, Hyung. You're going to have to tell him." He urged.

"I know, but he seems really happy with Wonwoo lately. I wouldn't be surprised if they started dating soon." Soonyoung said glumly.

"That doesn't matter. It isn't about him. It's about you. You just have to tell him, no matter how he reacts. That way, you can truly be free of all earthly burdens. Whatever happens afterward will no longer matter."

Before Soonyoung could say anything else, Jihoon rushed in wearing Wonwoo's jacket and a wide smile. The ghost's metaphorical heart ached but he didn't let it show.

"Finally! We have work to do." Soonyoung playfully scolded.

"Sorry." Jihoon apologized as he closed the door behind him. "I was talking to Wonwoo and then he introduced me to his brother and I kind of lost track of time. I'm ready to get to work now."

He set the folder on his desk and opened his laptop. The two spirits remained silent as he worked. He stopped minutes later and turned to them.

"Okay, I've managed to get their locations. How fast thing do you think you and Chan can get there?"

Soonyoung glanced at the address. "Even with dropping Chan off at one and me going to the other, it shouldn't take any longer than a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll give you a five-minute lead. After that, I'll hack into their devices and spam them with all the evidence Seungkwan collected. I'll threaten them until they turn themselves in. You two have to watch and make sure they confess." He explained.

Soonyoung nodded. "Got it."

The ghosts went to leave, but Jihoon stopped them. "Soonyoung," He called out.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. I'll be waiting for you to return."

Soonyoung couldn't stop the wide smile that came across his face. "I'll make sure to return safely to you." He promised.