He's going to kill her.

Okay, that's not really possible seeing as how she's already dead and he can't really touch her but once he sees her again she's definitely going to get it.

He was totally right when he said that he wasn't sure if he trusted her enough to believe anything she says. And true enough, once he gets back to his room with a fully belly and a head full of guilt care of his loving mother, Nayoung is nowhere to be seen. He even went asfar as to call her name out a few times which turned into mild threats against her, hoping that it was just some trick that Nayoung was playing on him as usual. However, nothing happened—no ghostly appearance, no obnoxious laugther, no sarcastic remarks. No Nayoung. So obviously, Sunggyu was pretty pissed off.

Thankfully, Nayoung's disappearance was quickly followed by the weekend and Dongwoo and Woohyun's insistence that three of them venture to Seoul Saturday. Really, it was mostly Dongwoo's incessant pestering that finally led Sunggyu to agree and he doesn't regret it.

Yet.

"Listen, Sunggyu," Dongwoo tells him when they're on the train on the way to the city. The section of the train they're in is only half-full and Woohyun, who was complaining just three minutes ago about being awake so early on a Saturday morning, is snoring away in his window seat facing Sunggyu. "I'm gonna need you guys to come with me somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Sunggyu shifts his eyes from the book that he borred from Myungsoo to his friend beside him. "You wanna be more specific and less mysterious about it? You've been not so subtly hinting at stuff recently and it's been making my head hurt. You should just tell me since we're almost there."

Dongwoo opens and closes his mouth a handful of times, while his eyes blink in rapid succession—an odd habit that he has whenever he finds himself at a loss for words. Sunggyu sighs and shoves his book into his backpack to lend his attention to one of his best friends. They've been friends since primary school when Sunggyu stood up to the kids who were bullying Dongwoo. The same kids who also happened to be the ones that Sunggyu called friends. Until, of course, they proved to be massive jerks.

"Use your words, dude," Sunggyu tells him patiently. It really isn't in his nature to be patient but there's always been something in Dongwoo that inspires it in him. Maybe it's the way that his friend has the tendency to look like a lost puppy half of the time and that he has yet to know of anyone who is as devoid of malicious intent as Dongwoo.

Dongwoo's gaze drops to his lap, studying his hands intently. "Basically..." he begins slowly. "I've sort of been thinking about the future, you know? Like, college and stuff. Except I don't want to go to college."

"What?" Sunggyu's eyebrows rise in surprise.

Life has always felt like this template that everyone has to work with and some of the fomulas are already given—going to college means getting a good job, a good job leads to financial stability, financial stability is necessary before getting married and starting a family. Some of the variables may change in both the better and worse sense, but that's the general line of reasoning and definitely one that Sunggyu subscribes to. Okay, it's one that his parents' subscribe to so it only makes sense that he thinks similarly as well.

Right?

Dongwoo looks up at him with an uncertain smile. "I don't want to go to college. And I don't want to stay in our tiny town and work at my parents' restaurant. I want something more, you know? Something that makes sense to me. Something that will make me happy..."

"Happy," Sunggyu repeats slowly, testing the word out as it slips and slides along his tongue.

Dongwoo's smile changes from unsure to bright in a matter of seconds. "Yeah!" he exclaims suddenly, drawing unwanted attention to them, "I mean, you have something that makes you happy, right?"

Flashes of a starry night sky and a dancing ghost girl flashes through his head. He looks at Dongwoo who looks back at him expectantly and... It's a depressing thought how this has become a question between two friends. What makes you happy? Isn't this something they should know about each other? But he doesn't even have the slightest inkling as to where Dongwoo will be taking them later. And neither does Sunggyu think his friend realizes how much joy he gets out of singing.

Sunggyu lifts his hand and scratches behind his ear. "Actually, I..."

Dongwoo's smile widens and he nods encouragingly. His eyes are bright and really, by all accounts, he should look ridiculous in his multi-colored attire that's even more eye-catching when its side by side with Sunggyu's simple jeans, white shirt and gray cardigan and sneakers. But it's him. It's Dongwoo to the very core and he has never been ashamed of himself.

Unlike Sunggyu who loses his nerve. He shakes his head and smiles back. "That's really good, Dongwoo. I'm really proud of you."

His friend nods, looking all self-satisfied before fully leaning back into his seat. Sunggyu flips open his book to the same page he was on earlier but he finds he can't really concentrate on the story anymore. The words are just a jumble of letters that don't hold any real memaning.

It's half an hour later before they reach Seoul Station and Sunggyu and Dongwoo take turns shaking Woohyun from sleep. he startles awake, immediately wiping the corner of his mouth where an offensive sliver of saliva is traveling south of his chin. He slaps their hands away after because Woohyun has always been an ungrateful beast now that Sunggyu thinks about it.

They hit a couple of street stalls first. Devouring their weight in spicy rice cakes and skewers of fish cakes, they begin walking around with the promise to come back for the sweet pancakes before heading home.

Despite his great annoyance with the errant ghost girl, Sunggyu lets go just enough to enjoy himself as they stop to play a few games—Woohyun losing most of them, of course, but remains a good sport. "Don't worry about me, you guys," he assures them cockily and Dongwoo and Sunggyu share a grimace. In the game of love, I'm still a winner."

Dongwoo steers them in every single direction, it seems. They flow with the crowds of Seoul, blending into the masses like they belong there, certain and sure of each steps they take forward. And Sunggyu can imagine himself here, living here in this urban jungle that seems equal parts ready to swallow him up and embrace him. He can see himself walking at night along streets lit up by almost vulgar neon signs and warmth from the silent thrum of life of the still awake populace. Grabbing breakfast at a nearby bakery before heading out for the rest of the day. Learning to live by himself. Learning about himself.

Sunggyu smiles at seeing both of his best friends so enthusiastic about everything. Dongwoo's like a little child who takes everything in all at once and gets slightly overwhelmed that he turns quiet for a moment to let everything sink in before moving on again. Woohyun, on the other hand, gets held up near a women's university. Naturally.

"It's okay," Dongwoo tells him, "There's this place I wanna show you that's near here."

Sunggyu looks down at the elbow of his cardigan's sleeve that Dongwoo has latched onto and is tugging away at. "Okay, okay. Let go before you tear something. My mother gave me this, you know. It's the third, fourth and fifth degree if I wreck it or something."

Dongwoo has the decency to look apologetic, his fingers quickly letting go of the abused fabric. "Sorry!" He grins. "C'mon! It's just around the corner."

And it's literally around the corner. A mid-sized building with a modern aesthetic. All glass and steel so you can see people moving around from the outside. And—are they all dancing? From the corner of his eye, he can see Dongwoo looking up at the building, his expression one of obvious awe. He always knew that Dongwoo loves to dance. He'd sometimes break into some weird dance right in the middle of something. Between classes, walking to cram school, walking to the convenience store, just walking really, in the middle of a game, in the middle of conversation, Sunggyu suddenly gets interrupted by flailing limbs as Dongwoo attempts to move from point A to point B in the most complicated and intricate way possible. It's taken almost a decade of getting used to, in fact.

"It's a dance school," Dongwoo explains needlessly.

"I thought you didn't want to go to school after graduation?"

He shakes his head. "I don't want to go to college. I don't even think I could get into one if I tried—"

"That's not true, though," Sunggyu's loyalty forces him to interrupt.

But Dongwoo just laughs, all his teeth showing. "Okay, stop lying. You and I both know that I'm the only one being honest here." He takes a deep breath then gestures at Sunggyu. "Let's go inside."

"Can we?" Sunggyu hesitates.

"It's a dance school. It isn't the Blue House," Dongwoo points out, "Look, they don't even have security to frisk you. Unless you wanted something like that? Should I have left you with Woohyun?"

Sunggyu glares at him before brushing past him and enters the glass double doors. "You coming?" he asks over his shoulder, feeling quite smug. But Dongwoo's grin only intensifies as he bounds towards him.

After a quick word with the receptionist, they fly up the stairs, taking two steps at a time until they reach the third floor. He has an audition today, Dongwoo explains as they catch their breath outside another door. He's a little early but the receptionist said that they'll let him go ahead of schedule since he's travelled all the way here. It's for a hiphop class and—

The door opens and a lady pokes her head out and smiles with a slight but still polite dip of the head. "Jang Dongwoo, I presume?"

Dongwoo nods in this overly enthusiastic manner and Sunggyu almost winces. "I'm Jang Dongwoo," he greets her, folding his body practically in half.

"Well, come in then," she says, opening the door wider, revealing the rest of her hiphop-attired self and looking at the both of them.

"Me, too?" Sunggyu asks and he probably looks a little like a fish out of water. "I get to go in too?"

"You're not auditioning too, right?"

"No," Sunggyu answers quickly, "I'm his best friend."

She shrugs. "Well, if Dongwoo-sshi wants you in there then I see no problem."

Dongwoo nods again in that happy puppy way of his. "Yes! Yesyesyes!"

Sunggyu keeps to the corner near the door of the room they're in. It's at the corner of the building so two walls are floor to ceiling windows. The remain two walls are covered in floor to ceiling mirrors and so the average-sized room looks far larger than it actually is. There are four other people in the room aside from the two of them and the woman earlier. The three of them together with the woman seem to form a panel as they sit behind a long wooden table, talking softly, and another guy, about the same as Sunggyu and Dongwoo is sitting a plastic chair beside the speakers.

Sunggyu slides down and sits on the wood floor, carefully placing his backpack beside him as he watches Dongwoo plug his phone into the speakers. He speaks to the young guy, probably relaying instructions about the song he's about to dance to. His brows are furrowed and Sunggyu tries to remember a time when he's seen his friend look this serious. And he can't.

"Jang Dongwoo?" The guy sitting beside the woman earlier finally speaks up. "You ready?"

The smile is back, wide and infectious, and Dongwoo makes his way to the center of the room before bowing respectfully. "Hello, I'm Jang Dongwoo. But I guess you already know that..."

"Right, well. Tell us a bit about yourself."

And then Sunggyu tries to remember if Dongwoo had ever said so many words at a given time and delivered them with so much eloquence. He wonders what happened to that awkward and shy little boy that he's always known and who is this standing in front of him now? B with with so much confidence that he shines and glows and Sunggyu now wracks his brain thinking if he's ever done the same. And again he remembers a night with the stupid ghost girl...

The loud bass hits his ribcage suddenly, its pumping tempo almost jarring but Dongwoo is moving again from point A but maybe this time he's going for Z as he smoothly makes his way across the floor. His body contracts and bends and glides and Sunggyu is left speechless, mouth agape, jaw on the floor and so full of pride.

When he gets home later that night, still reeling from everything that he's seen, everything that he's learned, he tries to clear his head by climbing out his bedroom window and getting comfortable. He lies on his back and looks up, the night sky seems brigther now, the stars bigger somehow and closer. He lifts his hands in front of him and tries his best to cup as many as he can in his hands.

It doesn't work, of course, but he isn't too broken up about it.

"Now how did I know you'd be out here?"

"What's up, cousin?" Sunggyu greets Myungsoo, his eyes still trained on those stars.

Myungsoo sits beside him, leaning back on his elbows. "I was just wondering how you've been. I heard you and the hyungs went on an adventure today."

"Not really an adventure." Sunggyu chuckles. "I mean, there weren't any sword fights or damsels in distress."

He feels Myungsoo shrug. "See, that's the problem with you, hyung. You have no imagination," his cousin tsks.

"And you have no respect."

Myungsoo nudges him a little. "You know what I mean. Not all adventures are epic, you know. Adventures are awesome because they change your life. I'd like to think that most of them begin small, so small you don't even know it's happening. For all you know, this," he gestures grandly with his hand at the sky, "This here could be the prologue of your adventure. And next, something completely unexpected will happen."

Sunggyu looks up at the stars again and remembers a little ghost girl who left silver and golden trails as she danced across the night sky. The prologue? No, he's too far in now. It would seem he's around the seventh chapter of whatever adventure comes along with meeting Nayoung. Wherever the hellion is right now.

"Do you think about the future?"

Myungsoo snorts. "Only when I have nothing else to do."

The cousins share a laugh, their combined sound wafting through the roofs.

...

Sunggyu grits his teeth and watches as Joo-hee tilts her head back and her shoulders shake as she laughs at something Hoya just said. Who the hell does this kid think he is?

This has been going on since the dude got here. It's been a little over a week and he pretty much has Joo-hee eating out of the palm of his hand and Sunggyu doesn't get it. There's an overbearing quality to the guy. He's actually a bit of loner and doesn't really talk to the other guys in the class. The girls, on the other hand, well...

"He's pretty cool, I guess," Dongwoo made the off-handed comment once when Sunggyu made an equally off-handed comment about Hoya and how he practically had to peel their female classmates off of him. They were in the middle of playing video games in Dongwoo's room. "I guess girls like that or something."

"Yeah, but I'm cool, too."

Dongwoo wrinkled his nose a little. "I... Okay, sure," he answered slowly, "Yes, you're cool. Very cool."

"Are you lying just to make me feel better?"

"What?" Dongwoo shook his head, his floppy hair swishing left to right in his way too obvious denial. "No! I would never—" Sunggyu raises his hand and Dongwoo shuts his mouth and slowly nods his head.

"I'm not saying you're not cool," Dongwoo amends while executing a complicated move in the fighting game that Sunggyu had long since abandoned. "I'm just saying that Hoya's.... Well, if I were a girl. I'd find him pretty cool. Because he's all mysterious and stuff. He's sort of like fresh fish in a very small and familiar pond for the girls."

"But I'm mysterious," Sunggyu countered to which his best friend replied with a hearty laugh.

"But everyone's known each other for years, man. I think whatever mystery you had wore off in middle school when Woohyun pulled your shorts down in the middle of that basketball because you were winning for once."

Sunggyu gritted his teeth at the memory and made a mental note to beat the living daylights out of Woohyun—which he did the following day. (It really wasn't as satisfying as it was the first time around, though.) Anyway, it's been a few days of this. Of watching Hoya worm his way into Joo-hee's good graces. Just yesterday morning, Sunggyu spotted Hoya carrying Joo-hee's books. And though he doesn't quite get that (honestly, women, if you can't carry your own stuff yourself, maybe you shouldn't be lugging around so many things in the first place) he was a bit jealous. Or a lot jealous, actually.

And it kind of that Nayoung is still MIA. The stupid ghost girl wasn't very useful with her prattling on about things that he should do (take a bath, take another bath, grow a pair) and clearly isn't (handome, smart, charming). But still. She at least offered him options asking Joo-hee out to a movie or stealing one of her pens and then pretending that he so awesomely found it. A lot of them were pretty awful but at least they were something and now...

Now, he has nothing.

Dongwoo raps his knuckles against Sunggyu's desk to catch his attention. "I need to borrow your math homework."

And usually, Sunggyu would say no, say do it yourself, but he really doesn't feel like playing righteous today. Mechanically, he retrieves his homework from his bag and hands it over with strict instructions not to wrinkle it before returning it. Dongwoo just flashes his teeth and nods.

"Did you see Woohyun earlier? He says he's in love."

He raises his eyebrows. "In love again? Who's the poor girl this time?"

Dongwoo's shoulders lift in a shrug. "He was over at the principal's office earlier and said that there was another transfer student."

"Another one?" One of their classmates pipes up and Sunggyu shoots him a glare for eavesdropping on their conversation. He cowers a little in fear but not before asking another question. "So it's a girl?"

"Do you mind?" Sunggyu snaps.

Dongwoo pats their classmate's shoulder consoling, chuckling. "Don't mind Sunggyu too much. He's feeling a little... green, I suppose you can say," he finishes with a wink.

Sunggyu sneers at his best friend, folding his arms across his chest before slouching into his seat. On his right, he can see Joo-hee busy chatting away with one of her friends but he still manages to catch the not so subtle glances she throws at Hoya with his headphones plugged into his phone. In his head, he's able to pull Hoya from his seat throw him out the window and onto the waiting branches of the shady old tree by the side of school building.

He wouldn't do that to his beloved tree though.

Their homeroom teacher comes through the open door and the class immediately stands up and collectively performs the perfunctory greeting. Just as Sunggyu pulls himself upright, movement from just outside the classroom, visible through the slatted windows, he sees the messy bun of hair he's been looking for a while now.

He squints, unsure of what he's just seen until the teacher clears his throat and Sunggyu back to a reality where he is still standing whereas the rest of his classmates are already in their seats.

"Sorry," he bows, sliding down as well, but still craning his neck to get another glimpse. His teacher's monotonous voice blends into the rest of the background noise. He shifts most of his weight to the right of his desk, tilting it just enough to get another glimpse of the messy mop of hair on top of a stubborn head.

What the hell is she doing outside and not inside beside him like she normally is?

"—new student joining us today—"

Sunggyu manages to tilt it a little too far and sends himself and his desk crashing into the floor, his head narrowly missing the corner of Joo-hee's desk and making a home for itself on the cold tiles instead. When he finally comes to, he finds everyone in a circle, looking down at him in concern.

"Dude, you alright?" Dongwoo asks slowly.

Sunggyu blinks a couple of times before nodding, his hand involuntarily coming up to massage the side of his head. The circle of classmate and one teacher parts and a head peeks out.

"Are you okay?"

Sunggyu shakes his head and blinks again. She's still there, though. He blinks a couple of times again. But then she reaches out her hand and touches the side of his head, her fingertips on the back of his hand and he immediately recoils at her touch. Jumping onto his feet, he points an accusatory finger at her.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?" she asks innocently, remaining where she is standing while the rest of the class takes a few steps back. She takes another steps toward him however. "Are you okay?"

"You touched me!" He shakes the finger at her. "You can't touch me."

"But I did."

"But you can't."

"But I did," she repeats, pouting a little.

"But you can't!"

"But she did!" the class chimes in this time.

"Nayoung!" he yells and the classroom goes deadly silent.

"Oh right," their teacher studies the sheet of paper in his hand. "Kwon Nayoung. I take it the two of you know each other, Sunggyu-sshi? You know, despite your not wanting her to touch you. Perhaps it'd be beneficial to just assign you to show her around our school."

"Oh, no," Nayoung, like in the flesh Nayoung, like standing in front of him wearing his school uniform Nayoung, shakes her head demurely, "I would much prefer it if Ho—"

Sunggyu tugs on her arm, dragging along with him towards the door. "Yeah, let's do that school grounds tour right now."

"Butbutbut—" Nayoung latches onto the the doorway with both hands. It only takes a bit of pressure to pull her away.

Quickly quickly, angry foot steps up the stairs. Sunggyu flings the door to the roof open and it gives a satisfying slam against the wall.

"What the hell is going on, Nayoung? You disappeared without telling me. Again. I mean, do I have to tattoo stuff to your forehead for you to remember things?" Sunggyu runs his hands through his hair, ignoring the pain shooting up from his right temple. "What's happening?"

At least she has the decency to look remorseful. "Surprise?"

"Surprise?" he asks, flabbergasted. "You're supposed to be a ghost, Nayoung. And now you're—you're—I don't even what you are actually." He pokes her very tangible forehead then looks at his finger in awe. "Are you supposed to be a zombie or something?"

Nayoung slaps his hand away. "I'm fully human, thank you very much." She twirls around, her skirt making a perfect circle around her. "Don't I look super cute?"

"Okay, okay. Human then. Got it." He tilts his head the side. "How though? And why?"

She gives a dainty shrug. "The higher ups decided that they'd let me go human while I help you out with the mission."

"Is that normal?"

"Actually, no." She grins. "But this is me not caring because I get to do this!" She closes in on him, lifting herself up on her tiptoes before grabbing both sides of his face in her hands.

Oh god. She's not... She's not going to kiss him, is she?

Sunggyu squeezes his eyes shut fearing whatever comes next. What does come next is the intense pain of having his cheeks squeezed harshly.

"You have the chubbiest cheeks ever!"

"Yah!" he shouts in both pain and surprise. "Get your hands off me, woman!"

"Nayoung noona," she reminds him, still hanging onto his face with her grubby little hands, "I'm older than you, remember?"

Sunggyu rolls his eyes and shoves her off of him. She gives a startled yet then narrows her eyes into a fierce glare. "Real men don't hit women, you know."

"I didn't hit you and you're not even a real woman so what would you know about real men?" Sunggyu

"I know enough," she informs him haughtily. She eyes him up and down and grins. "Hey Sunggyu!"

"What?" Sunggyu asks warily.

"Hold your arms out, will you?"

"What are you—"

"Please?"

Sunggyu blinks at the word, a little surprised that it's coming from her. Then, without another thought, he does as she asks and holds out her arms.

Nayoung claps her hands together then launches herself at him, wraping her arms around his waist. "You don't know what it's like to keep from hugging someone," she murmurs into his chest. Now that she isn't floating around, he realizes that she barely reaches his shoulder. That and she smells faintly of apple blossoms. Slowly, he lowers his arms and holds her just so. "I almost hugged the principal, you know?" she continues, "He's rather mean-looking, don't you think?"

He chuckles. "A lot of them here are."

He feels rather than sees her nod. "Hey Sunggyu?"

"Yeah?"

The sad sound of emptiness erupts from Nayoung's stomach. "I'm hungry."

...

Hello! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I know that I haven't explained much but we'll get there eventually! :]

I've been trying to churn the chapters out faster. To be honest, though, I've been playing this by ear mostly hence me having to take the time to figure out what happens next. I haven't even quite decided on an ending for our two lovely idiots. A lot of it is up in the air and I'm just crossing my fingers that I do the story justice.

Anyway.

Thanks to all those who have subscribed and especially those of you who are kind enough to leave comments! You guys are awesome! I'd gift wrap and send you all individual Sunggyus but I don't even have one for myself :( Hehe! Until the next chapter!