thirteen

After dropping Chan off at Gihoon's given location, Soonyoung went to Seyoon's. He had about three minutes before Jihoon's promised hack and he had yet to find his target. He was in a house, which was a good start. At least he'd be able to find him easier even if he had never seen him before. He turned a corner and nearly ran into a person. By a mere first glance, Soonyoung deduced that the person was Seyoon. He was proven right when the person's phone chimed over and over again with multiple notifications. The hack had begun early. Leave it to Jihoon. Seyoon's face paled and his breathing was labored as his hands shook. He attempted to call someone and Soonyoung peered over his shoulder to try and see who he was calling, but the other already had his phone up to his ear. Soonyoung then leaned in even closer so he could hear the conversation instead. Seyoon shivered at the close contact with the spirit but otherwise didn't seem to notice.

"Gihoon! We're in trouble!" He exclaimed.

"I know," Gihoon answered. "I'm on my way to your place. Meet me outside." He ordered before hanging up.

Seyoon was still shaking but did as told, rushing out the door to wait for his friend. Soonyoung followed close behind, not wanting to miss a second. About fifteen minutes later, Gihoon's black sports car came to a screeching stop in front of Seyoon's house. Gihoon marched up to the house followed by Chan. Upon seeing Gihoon, Seyoon resumed his previous freak-out session.

"What are we going to do?"

Gihoon raised an eyebrow in fake amusement. "We? You're the one who killed Chan." He darkly pointed out.

Seyoon scoffed, not seeming to believe his so-called friend's switch up. The two ghosts at their side, however, were less than surprised. They stood at the side and watched the drama unfold. After all, their only job was to make sure the two idiots confessed. The rest was free entertainment.

"And you killed the lady in the shop." Seyoon retaliated. "If you hadn't done that, we wouldn't have had to kill Chan. This is all your fault."

Gihoon muttered some curses under his breath as he pulled out his phone. Seyoon watched him carefully, seeming afraid of what he was capable of. That much, the ghosts could understand.

"What are you doing?" Seyoon asked skeptically.

"Fixing this," Gihoon answered simply as he turned his attention back to his phone. "Dad, I have a problem."

"Gihoon, I'm tired of you and your problems. You're a disgrace to this family and I regret ever having a son like you. You've put your mother and I through enough and we're tired of cleaning up after you. Be a man for once and take care of your own problems. Don't ever contact me again. Your name is removed from the family registry."

Everyone in the nearby vicinity could hear the booming voice that belonged to Gihoon's father. Chan and Soonyoung looked at each other and bursted out with laughter. Gihoon, on the other hand, hung up angrily. He threw his phone down on the concrete and smashed it under his shoes. Even though he was visibly terrified, Seyoon spoke up.

"Now what?"

Gihoon let out one last stomp for good measure. "Now what?" He repeated in a whiny mocking tone. "Isn't it obvious? You have to turn yourself in."

"Me? Why me? You've committed more crimes than me! I'm not going unless you go. I refuse to go down alone."

Soonyoung sighed at the sad sight before him. They were putting their trust in two idiots. It was clear they needed some help. He looked over at Chan.

"This could take all night." He observed.

Chan nodded in agreement as a mischievous grin made its way to his face. "Shall we give them a push?"

Soonyoung matched his grin. "Let's do it."

He moved to stand right behind Seyoon. He leaned down far enough to whisper in his ear.

"Go." He whispered.

Seyoon reacted immediately and held his ear with a yelp. He looked around frantically for the source while Gihoon watched.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He asked.

"You didn't hear that?" Seyoon asked in disbelief.

"Hear what?"

At that moment, Chan approached Gihoon and did the same Soonyoung had done to Seyoon. He whispered to him too, causing the same reaction from Gihoon with just a bit more of a high-pitched squeal. Still, neither of them made an actual move to the police station. Soonyoung took a deep breath and gathered all of his strength as he pushed both of them. They started to yell, but finally took it as a hint as they jumped into Gihoon's car. Of course, the ghosts got in as well, as they still had to make sure they were actually going where they were supposed to. While in the car, Chan observed Soonyoung.

"I had no idea your power was so strong." He marveled.

Soonyoung looked down at his hands. "Neither did I." He replied.

He thought back to what Jihoon had told him about spirits who were betrayed. His betrayal must have been severe if he was able to push two humans at once, but he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. It was hard to believe someone had betrayed him so severely.  He had a good life. He was a good person, that much he was sure of. Surely, Jihoon had to be mistaken. Still, he couldn't ignore or explain his inhaler being under Minghao's bed. Soonyoung shook his head to erase the thoughts. He couldn't think about his unfortunate life at the moment. He was supposed to be helping Chan move on. That was what was important. Soonyoung was thrown out of his deep thoughts when he heard Seyoon yelling from the front seat.

"What are you doing?" He asked Gihoon who just brought the car to a screeching halt.

"I've changed my mind. I'm not turning myself in."

"Then, what are you doing?" Seyoon asked cautiously.

"Putting an end to everything once and for all. They can't catch me if I'm dead." He said as he slammed his foot down on the accelerator causing the car to jolt forward.

"Park Gihoon! Are you insane? Stop!" Seyoon screamed out along with a stream of incoherent curses.

Chan and Soonyoung glanced at one another in the backseat, wondering if two new spirits were about to join them. However, before long, they heard sirens and were soon surrounded by multiple cop cars. With nowhere to go, Gihoon gave up his outrageous plan and stopped the car. Officers surrounded the car as the two humans were ordered to step out. Chan and Soonyoung left the car and watched the sight unfold before them. As he was being handcuffed, Gihoon groaned.

"How were we found out?"

"We received an anonymous tip along with a string of evidence." One of the officers answered.

Soonyoung smiled to himself, knowing in his heart that it was Jihoon who saved the day once again. The two ghosts watched as the two humans were put into separate cop cars and were driven away. Chan let out a large sigh, his nightmare was finally over.

Soonyoung smiled warmly at him. "How do you feel?"

"I don't really know." The younger admitted. "But I know I feel better than before. I'm still worried about Seungkwan though, what if he does carry hate for me deep down?"

"If he hated you, he wouldn't have been trying so hard to bring you to justice after all this time." Soonyoung pointed out. "You have to stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."

As if his words were a password, a bright light was cast down upon them and Chan looked up in awe.

"Is that for me?"

Soonyoung simply nodded as tears started to well in his eyes. He wasn't expecting it to hit him as hard as it was. Chan was the first one to greet him in the afterlife and he had been his friend through it all. He was like a little brother to him. It was going to be strange and a lot more quiet without him, but Soonyoung had to remind himself that it was for the best and that someday, it would be his turn.

"Thank you for everything," Chan said, finally looking away from the light. "You've been a great friend and even better brother."

"So have you," Soonyoung replied softly. "Enjoy your afterlife."

"I'll try," Chan said. "Also, don't give up on Seungcheol. He wants help too, but he's just afraid."

"I know. I won't give up. I have all the time in the world, remember?" He joked.

Chan let out a soft laugh as he and the light disappeared. Soonyoung fell to the ground in shock that Chan was actually gone. One by one, he was losing his friends. While they were going to a better place, he couldn't ignore the sadness and jealousy he felt each time it happened. He stayed on the ground for a while as he cried it out. He managed to pull himself together, reminded that Jihoon was waiting for him. So, with a sniff, he went to the apartment. He was about to loudly announce his arrival when he caught sight of Jihoon's sleeping figure stretched out on the couch. The ghost smiled at the sight. He gathered what was left of his strength and energy to pull a nearby blanket over the human.

"I returned to you safely." He whispered.

On his way out, he spotted the beloved upside-down talisman and he turned it as a way to protect Jihoon as he slept. Soonyoung felt the cool night air surround him but he ignored it as he stared at the apartment door.

"How many more times will I get to do that?" He asked the door.

He sighed to himself as he turned to head to the funeral home. He hoped the walk would clear his head and give him time to think about how to convince Seungcheol. However, he stopped in place when saw a familiar figure walking up the road. It was Seungcheol. Soonyoung met him halfway.

"You came." He said in a voice as low as a whisper.

"I felt it was time." He let out a long sigh, but it was neither in annoyance nor anger. It seemed to be contemplative and sentimental. "Now that Gyeongsuk and Chan have moved on, the funeral hall feels empty. It's made me think about why I stayed behind and that maybe it was time to finally move on." He explained.

Soonyoung smiled. He knew it was a big step for Seungcheol and he was proud of him. He never thought he'd see the day. He was sure he would have to bug him until Seungcheol wanted to kill him again.

"I'm glad you're finally letting Jihoon and I help you." He said sincerely.

"Speaking of which, Seungcheol interjected. "When are you planning on taking me to see him?"

Soonyoung looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was gradually rising. It was hard for him to know what time it actually was but he was sure Jihoon wouldn't have been awake yet.

"Let's give him a little longer." Soonyoung tried. "He seemed to really value his sleep and he's grumpy and less cooperative when he doesn't have much of it."

Seungcheol gave him a knowing look along with a chuckle. "You seem to be close to him."

"As close as a ghost can be to a human," Soonyoung replied glumly.

Seungcheol took note of the sudden change of tone and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

Soonyoung managed to give him a half-smile. "I know. It's just..." He trailed off trying to find a word that fit to explain his strange relationship with Jihoon.

"Complicated?" Seungcheol offered.

Soonyoung let out a laugh that sounded more like a puff of air. "Something like that."

He looked up at the sky once more. The sun was shining brightly on them. Normally, he would have never paid attention to such a mundane thing, but he had started missing the feeling of the warm sunshine on his skin or the cool raindrops as they wet his hair. For the first time in his afterlife, Soonyoung wished for nothing more than to be alive again. As tears started to form, he forced them down as he spoke.

"We can probably go to Jihoon now." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sure you want to get started so you can be at peace soon."

Seungcheol silently agreed and followed Soonyoung. Once at Jihoon's door, Soonyoung hesitated. He knew it was rare for Seungcheol to accept help, but he was worried about Jihoon resting. He'd been giving him case after case. He had to be exhausted. He didn't want to wake him up, but he didn't want to give Seungcheol the chance to change his mind either. So, he did his classic knock and waited.

"Just how many ghost friends do you have?" Jihoon asked in a raspy voice as he opened the door. He was still half asleep but had enough energy to glare at the ghosts standing on his doorstep. "Are you trying to create a spooky idol group or something?"

Soonyoung rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. "Very funny. Let's all go inside, we all have work to do."

Jihoon scoffed. "Why don't you just sign my lease since you seem to live here now."

Without missing a beat, Soonyoung replied, "That would require me to actually be living."

Jihoon merely sighed while Seungcheol looked between them as they went back and forth. Soonyoung noticed the action and felt guilty for leaving Seungcheol out. He stepped to the side so Seungcheol could be visible to Jihoon.

"This is Choi Seungcheol, the most stubborn spirit there is." He introduced. "It took me forever to get him here."

Seungcheol gave him an annoyed and pointed look. "I came here on my own." He argued.

"Because of me."

Before a fight could break out, Jihoon interrupted him, wanting to save electric bills and valuables.

"Seungcheol, do you remember anything from when you were alive or how you died?" The human asked carefully.

Without hesitation, Seungcheol nodded. "I remember everything. I'm not staying behind because of revenge or anything like that." He explained.

Jihoon frowned. "Then, why are you still here?"

"To protect someone."

"Who?"

"The one who killed me."