seventeen

As the car disappeared from sight, Jihoon began to pace between the two cars he and Soonyoung were hiding behind just moments earlier.  He wasn't entirely sure why, but he felt that Soonyoung following Kyungha was a bad idea. Jihoon was sure that he needed to stop him, but he wasn't sure how or if he even could. Soonyoung was a ghost and he was a human. They existed on two different planes. Jihoon tended to forget that fact as he was the bridge between the worlds, but he also felt that he had to try. His manic pacing drew the attention of onlookers who quickened their pace to distance themselves from him, most likely thinking he was insane. It was an option Jihoon had considered plenty of times, especially now that he was catching himself muttering a plan.

"Car...I need a car...car...need a car...where can I get a car?"

He scanned the parking garage and for one brief second he considered hijacking one of the many parked cars, but eye contact with a security camera cancelled that plan. He sighed feeling defeated and tired. That was when he came up with the perfect plan. Calmly, he walked back to the bus stop and headed to his destination. On the way, his mind drifted to Soonyoung. He knew that the other was already dead and he couldn't technically be hurt, but Jihoon still found himself worrying about him. What he was doing was dangerous and there was no way any of it would end well for all involved. Not to mention the demon that was still roaming around. A demon that didn't care about different planes or bridges. A demon that could easily hurt a spirit and a human. He left the bus with more adrenaline than he started with. He was going to need all the energy he could get for this. He took a deep breath as he knocked on the door. He knew what he was doing was a long shot, but it was still worth a try. The door opened moments later and Jihoon was greeted by Wonwoo's sleepy but warm smile.

"Jihoon? What are you doing here?"

"I need to borrow your car." Jihoon blurted out, not wanting to waste any more time.

Wonwoo didn't answer right away. Instead, he scanned Jihoon's appearance and his expression to see if it was some kind of joke. When he realized it wasn't, he finally spoke.

"Is it something illegal?"

"No."

"Are you in any kind of trouble or harm?"

"No."

"Can you at least give me an idea as to why?"

Jihoon searched for words that would be believable enough, but he discovered there was no good way to say 'I'm chasing a ghost' without sounding insane.

"I can't," Jihoon admitted.

Wonwoo went quiet again and then closed the door. Jihoon deflated and was sure that was it, but then the door opened again and Wonwoo held his keys out.

"It's the black one parked at the very end of the parking lot. Just have it back by morning." He ordered as he gave him the keys.

Jihoon smiled and with all of his adrenaline and excitement, he hugged him. The action surprised both of them and before either of them could say anything, Jihoon quickly pulled away and cleared his throat.

"Sorry, and thanks for letting me borrow your car."

Wonwoo nodded but his eyes were full of worry. "I don't know what's going on, but it seems urgent. Please be careful." He urged.

"I will," Jihoon promised.

As Jihoon sped the car down Wonwoo's street, he went over his plan once more. Instead of looking directly for Soonyoung, he was thinking of searching for Seokmin. He was the only person left who knew Soonyoung and could have an idea as to where he was. He had to admit to himself that it was a long shot, but he was getting desperate and was willing to try anything to keep Soonyoung safe. Unfortunately, that meant he had to search over twenty funeral halls in the nearby area just to find Seokmin. Jihoon hated funeral halls. Ever since his 'gift' had come to him in full force, he tried to avoid any place that was crawling with death. Places such as hospitals, graveyards, and funeral halls. The energy was dark and suffocating. Jihoon was a bridge between two planes. His emotions were connected and heightened by both planes and funeral halls were by far the worst. Grief was often mixed with confusion, pain, and regret. He couldn't stand it and even now, his head was throbbing with dread at the mere thought of entering multiple ones, but he had to, for Soonyoung.

In just a short time, Jihoon had found that Soonyoung had become important to him unlike anyone else living or dead. He found himself constantly thinking about the ghost and even rarely enough, wanting to be around him. It was a startling switch-up for Jihoon, who enjoyed being by himself. At first, he tried to resist the change, but Soonyoung had a way of pulling him back each and every time. Never in all the years he lived with the ability had he felt such a way. He always viewed ghosts as an annoyance, a hindrance. Never once did he ever stop and realize that they were lost souls looking for any kind of help they could get and for many, Jihoon was their last hope. It made him feel guilty to look back on his past behavior, but he had made a silent promise to change for the better. All because of one ghost, Jihoon's first and strangest friend.

Jihoon stopped the car at the first funeral hall and took a deep breath as he turned the car off. He stared at the building until it became a blurry mess of gray. He squeezed his eyes shut and blinked a couple of times until his vision returned to normal. He took another deep breath as he opened the door.

"For Soonyoung." He muttered to himself as a means of encouragement.

He shuffled toward the door. The fear and resentment he felt deep inside were almost paralyzing him, but he kept mumbling to himself that it was for Soonyoung and he could do it. He managed to make it in the door and he froze for a second to regulate the emotions overwhelming him. He worked hard to pick out which ones were his and he held onto them as he distracted himself by searching for Seokmin. After looking through the entire building twice, he concluded that Seokmin wasn't there, nor had he ever been there. He sighed in relief as he left the funeral hall and got back into the car, but it didn't last long as he reminded himself there were about nineteen other funeral halls left to check. He tried not to focus on that daunting fact as he started the engine. After searching five more funeral halls with no sign of Seokmin, he sat outside on a bench of the last one to catch his breath. After a few moments of silence, he was startled by a voice next to him.

"You're looking for someone." It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

Jihoon turned to see a handsome man with long hair that nearly reached his shoulders. He seemed to glow in the moonlight. Despite not feeling well due to the negative energy surrounding him, he felt at ease with the man.

"I am." He confirmed.

"He's not here." Came another voice. Again, it wasn't a question but a statement.

Jihoon whipped his head around to his left to see another man around the same age as the first. He was equally as handsome and seemed gentle.

"No, he isn't," Jihoon confirmed once more.

"He's over there." The first man said pointing across the street.

"He's been waiting for answers." The other added.

Jihoon followed their pointing fingers and spotted another funeral hall just behind a couple of buildings. He turned back to the first man.

"How do you know that?"

The man shrugged. "When you've been a ghost for a thousand years, you see a lot of things. I know a medium when I see one and I have great intuition." He bragged.

"He's nosy and pushy." The second one argued. To which the first one stuck his tongue out and rolled his eyes.

Jihoon knew he was going to regret asking, but they had helped him. He felt he owed them. "Before I leave, is there anything I can help you with to help you guys cross over?'

The first ghost let out an airy laugh. "Unless you can go back a thousand years and return my crown to me, no."

"Jeonghan, it's been centuries, get over it. It's not my fault that they saw twins as a bad omen back then." The second one scolded.

Jeonghan scoffed. "You can say that Jisoo, because you were the one that got to stay."

"I came back for you, didn't I?"

"And it got us killed!"

Jisoo pouted. "So what, you don't like spending the afterlife with your twin brother?"

"If that were true, I would have crossed over a long time ago." Jeonghan pointed out. He turned his attention back to Jihoon. "I'm honestly fine as is. He may be annoying, but he's my brother. Besides, I died young and beautiful. It could be worse. Go do what you need to do." He encouraged.

Jihoon stood with a nod. "Thank you both for your help."

"Good luck!" Jisoo called after him.

He decided to leave the car parked at the other funeral as he ran over to the one that was pointed out to him. Unlike the others, this one seemed emptier and had less negative energy which allowed Jihoon to search without much interruption. He came across an empty dining hall and he spotted Seokmin sitting alone at a large table. Carefully, Jihoon approached him.

"Seokmin,"

The ghost turned and seemed surprised and a little startled by Jihoon's appearance but greeted him warmly anyway.

"Did you find out anything?" He asked him, voice full of hope,

"Maybe, but we need to find Soonyoung first," Jihoon told him.

Seokmin looked at him confused. "Why? Has something happened?"

Jihoon sighed and sat down next to him. "We found the car that hit you. Soonyoung knew the driver and decided to follow them. Now, I have no idea where he is or what he's doing. I was kinda hoping you could help me find him."

"Me? How could I find him?"

"Well, your lives and deaths are connected. When that happens, spirits have an easier time contacting each other." He explained.

Seokmin seemed flabbergasted as he stumbled over his next words. "Th...I have no idea what I'm doing! I'm new to this whole ghost thing. It's barely even registered that I'm dead. I can't even pick up anything without it going straight through me. How am I supposed to hop on ghost radio to get Soonyoung?" He ranted.

"At least try." Jihoon urged gently. "You might surprise yourself."

Seokmin was still skeptical but closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Jihoon wanted in anticipation, but when Seokmin opened his eyes again, he knew the attempt was unsuccessful.

"I didn't see or feel him, but something important did happen," He started. "I finally remembered what happened when I died and I have an idea where Soonyoung might be."

Jihoon leaned forward, feeling desperate by the second. "Where?"

"With our murderer."