Navi main, Chasang side.
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[The Navi Ending]

Part 5: An Invitation (to a new future).

“Are you ever going to leave?” Sanghyuk questions.

Wonshik yawns and stretches out on the couch. “I’ve only been here for two days. Also this where my boyfriend lives so no.”

The ghost scoffs. “When did that even happen?”

Wonshik shrugs. “No idea, it just sort of did.”

“Well that doesn’t mean you can just always be here.”

“You don’t get to throw me out.”

“I was here first.”

“Well I knew Hakyeon first.”

Hakyeon’s appearance from the bedroom is what shuts them up. “Are you two arguing again?” he demands.

“No,” they reply instantly.

“You’ve known each other for a year, can’t you get along?”

“It’s not my fault Wonshik is such a git,” Sanghyuk mutters.

“Well, you better get used to him because I’m visiting family next week and Wonshik is staying here.”

“What?” the ghost cries, mouth falling open.

Wonshik can’t help the pleased smile that spreads over his face at Sanghyuk’s distress. “Yep, just you and me for a week.”

Sanghyuk folds his arms over his chest. “Aren’t you two going out?” he demands before floating off into a wall where they can’t see him.

“Why does he have to be so annoying?” Wonshik asks after they’ve bought their tickets to the movie and are going in.

“He’s just lonely,” Hakyeon responds around a mouthful of popcorn. “How would you like to be stuck in your house all day with nobody and nothing to interact with?”

Wonshik sighs. “I suppose you’re right…”

“Make sure when I’m gone you leave the TV on.”

“I will.”

“And you actually have to talk to him.”

“I will.”

“You can’t just ignore him like you do now.”

“I don’t ignore him,” Wonshik states, a little offended.

“Yes you do. Both of you ignore each other until you find something to fight about. I’m almost certain you’re doing it on purpose.”

Wonshik clicks his tongue against his teeth. “If I was locked up all day I’d want someone to fight with,” he mutters.

Hakyeon’s mouth falls open. “You are doing it on purpose?!”

Several people in the movie theatre turn to stare at them and Hakyeon sinks down into his seat, ignoring the amused glimmer in his boyfriend’s eyes.

“Are you?” he demands, beginning to get worked up.

Wonshik can’t say he isn’t a little jealous of how Hakyeon and Sanghyuk interact. Hakyeon got incredibly protective of the ghost and despite being Wonshik’s best friend and boyfriend he wasn’t afraid to take Sanghyuk’s side. He knew that Sanghyuk held a special place in Hakyeon’s heart and he knew that he didn’t want to mess with it. He was almost certain that if Sanghyuk wasn’t a ghost he’d be a lot more jealous.

Wonshik sighs and shrugs. “Maybe. He’s the one that starts it most of the time so I just go along with it. Arguing is more stimulating than watching TV.”

“That’s true,” Hakyeon sighs. “Should I get a cat?”

“Why? So he can look but not touch that as well?”

Hakyeon leans into Wonshik sadly. “That would just make him lonelier,” he acknowledges.

Wonshik hadn’t realised how much of a fight the front door puts up when being unlocked before. Once it’s finally open he slips inside, dumping his bag by the door with a groan. For the next week he would have a longer commute to work and he’s incredibly grateful that he’d finished university last year because that would be even further away.

“Sanghyuk?” he calls.

The ghost is sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the television. Wonshik had noticed – but hadn’t wanted to point out – that Sanghyuk was looking more and more transparent lately. It worries him but he’s afraid that mentioning it out will only upset Hakyeon.

“Sanghyuk?”

The ghost takes several seconds to look up, eyes wandering back to the TV in no time but it doesn’t look like he’s actually watching the program.

“Are you okay?” Wonshik asks, frowning.

“Can I talk to you about something?”

Confused and more than a little wary Wonshik sits on the arm of the couch and clears his throat. “I thought it would be Hakyeon you’d talk to if something was wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Sanghyuk replies. “I just… I think it might upset him, that’s all.”

“Oh, so you’d rather upset me then?” Wonshik teases.

Sanghyuk tuts and crosses his arms over his chest. “You know I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wonshik mutters, switching off the TV. “What did you want to talk about?”

The ghost hesitates before taking a big breath. “I want to die.”

It takes several seconds for Wonshik to comprehend the words but when he does he can’t keep his mouth from falling open. “What?”

“Well, ‘die’ might be the wrong word. Same principle I suppose.”

“That isn’t what I’m ‘whatting’, Sanghyuk. What the hell? Do you have any idea what this will do to Hakyeon?”

“That’s why I told you,” Sanghyuk mutters.

Wonshik tries to calm himself down, slipping down onto the couch properly and closing his eyes. “You don’t think this doesn’t hurt me too?” he asks thickly, he’s not sure if he’s more angry or upset right now.

“I think it will hurt him more.”

Wonshik looks over at Sanghyuk, sees the way the ghost is curled in on himself with his arms around his knees, and decides that it’s more important that he’s here for Sanghyuk and Hakyeon than be angry about this.

“When are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know. I want to see him again… I don’t know if I can pass over or on or whatever it is. But I want to try and I wanted to make sure you knew so you could make sure he was okay.”

“Okay,” Wonshik agrees.

Sanghyuk is taken by surprise. “Okay?”

The man nods. “Okay,” he whispers.

After a few seconds of silence Wonshik turns the TV back on but he doesn’t watch it. His eyes keep flickering over to the ghost and before he can stop himself he’s asking the question he already knows the answer to.

“Do you love Hakyeon?”

Sanghyuk nods and answers without any hesitation. “Yeah…”

“I’m back!” Hakyeon yells from the front door.

He finds Wonshik and Sanghyuk slouched on the couch, sitting closer than they would have before and he grins.

“Did you guys miss me?” he demands, still smiling widely as they look over the back of the couch at him.

“Of course,” they both answer.

Wonshik stands up and stretches. “Guess I’ll get going then,” he says.

“But I just got home,” Hakyeon pouts.

“Why don’t you both go out for dinner?” Sanghyuk suggests.

Hakyeon is surprised to hear the words from the ghost’s mouth but weirdly Wonshik isn’t. Before admitting what he wanted to Wonshik he never would have given up on time he could have spent alone with Hakyeon.

“Are you sure?” Hakyeon asks. “I want to hang out with you too.”

Sanghyuk smiles brightly. “Of course. Go have some fun.”

“Thank you, Sanghyuk,” Wonshik says sincerely with something that was almost a smile, mostly his chest and throat hurt too much to smile.

The ghost just shrugs but Hakyeon looks between them, incredibly confused. “What is going on?” he asks. “Why aren’t you fighting?”

Neither of them grace him with an answer and instead Wonshik goes into the bedroom and returns with his bag which he places next to the doro. “After dinner I’ll go home so you can hang out with Sanghyuk.”

“O-Okay,” Hakyeon agrees, still trying to process everything. “Make sure you say goodbye properly though.”

Wonshik turns to face Sanghyuk and curses himself for wanting to cry. “Goodbye, Sanghyuk.”

Sanghyuk simply gives him a knowing smile. “Goodbye.”

Hakyeon, freaked out because they’re being civil, opens the front door and begins to head out. “I’ll be back soon,” he says.

“Take your time,” Sanghyuk replies. “Have fun.”

“We will,” Hakyeon scoffs as he leaves.

Wonshik gives one more look to Sanghyuk and then follows his boyfriend.

“Wait!” Sanghyuk calls before Wonshik is fully out the door.

Wonshik pulls Hakyeon back in and Hakyeon frowns in confusion. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I really missed you,” Sanghyuk whispers.

Hakyeon’s face softens. “I really missed you too.”

The ghost clears his throat and looks away, glad he can’t cry. “Bye.”

Hakyeon shakes his head and sighs. “Goodbye, Sanghyuk. I’ll be home soon, promise.”

Sanghyuk just nods and smiles and watches them leave.

“Are you okay?” Hakyeon asks as he and Wonshik go down the stairs, both Sanghyuk and Wonshik were acting weird.

Wonshik takes his hand. “I’m fine.”

“I thought you were going home?” Hakyeon asks when they get up to his apartment.

“I’ll just come inside for a little bit,” Wonshik mumbles, walking past his bag by the front door and into the lounge room.

Hakyeon can’t help being weirded out by his boyfriend’s weird behaviour. All night he’d been a bit withdrawn and on the way home he’d insisted they stop and buy some incense but refused to say why.

“Sanghyuk, we’re back.”

Hakyeon frowns when he gets no answer and starts searching for the ghost. He searches every room and even taps on the wall near the kitchen when Sanghyuk has a tendency to hide out. Still unsure of what’s going on Hakyeon goes back to the lounge room only to be frozen where he stands by the sight that meets him.

Wonshik, who Hakyeon has only seen cry once, is sitting on the couch with his face in his hands, soft sniffles breaking the quiet.

“Wonshik?” Hakyeon mumbles. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s really gone.”

“What?” Hakyeon squeaks. “What do you mean?”

“He said he wanted to pass on… I didn’t think he’d go this fast.”

Hakyeon hasn’t made a sound but his lip is trembling and his cheeks are already stained. He wants to tell Wonshik that this is a horrible joke and yell at Sanghyuk for playing along but he knows in his heart that neither of them would ever be this cruel.

“And you knew?” Hakyeon asks, voice barely more than a breath.

Wonshik looks up with red, swollen eyes full of apologies. “I’m so sorry, Hakyeon,” he croaks. “I thought he would tell you. I’m so sorry.”

“He can’t be gone, though,” Hakyeon says, shaking his head in denial. “He’s just playing some joke or something. H-He’ll come out eventually right?”

Wonshik doesn’t answer and Hakyeon decides that he’ll wait for as long as he has to. Maybe Sanghyuk is just hiding because he’s upset or something.

So he waits and Wonshik, who despite knowing the chance was incredibly slim, waits with him. But when the clock announces that it’s midnight he reaches into the small bag he’d brought earlier in the night and pulls out the incense.

“Let’s remember him,” he whispers with a throat that doesn’t want to speak, handing one to Hakyeon.

Hakyeon takes the stick with a sob, letting Wonshik light it for him. “I’ll never forget.”

“Are we really moving?” Wonshik asks despite the fact they’ve literally already removed everything but the last two boxes and a bag.

It had taken them a long time to move on. For a little while things between them had been strained and weird but with time and a little forgiveness of Hakyeon’s part, they’d been come through this and been together for more than three years now.

While it was Hakyeon that had had a harder time with Sanghyuk passing on, it was Wonshik that clung to the apartment and to Sanghyuk. He can’t believe all the things they’d experienced in this apartment and moving felt like they’d be throwing those things away and abandoning the ghost.

“We have to move,” Hakyeon replies. “They’re remodelling the entire interior of the building.”

Wonshik sighs. “I know.”

He walks over to the tiny picture of Sanghyuk that they’d found in a newspaper article and an unburned stick of incense. For three years it has sat on the window sill and they’d burned a new stick on every anniversary of Sanghyuk’s passing. It was their first tradition together.

“Maybe we should leave it,” Hakyeon murmurs, hating how Wonshik bows his head. “He wouldn’t want us clinging to the past.”

Wonshik wants to argue but all he can think about is Sanghyuk telling him to take care of Hakyeon. Despite knowing that he shouldn’t, Wonshik light the incense and props up Sanghyuk’s picture.

“You’re right,” he agrees. “Let’s make some new traditions, okay?”

“Okay,” Hakyeon smiles softly, accepting the suggestion.

I have apparently lost my ability to write happy endings. I mean, I knew this particular ending was never going to be happy (why it took me so long to sit down and write it) but damn, it was supposed to be happier than this. (At least Hakyeon doesn’t force Sanghyuk to pass on, which was the original idea I had.) Read on if you want an even more depressing ending.

Wonshik and Hakyeon pick up the last of their stuff and, with the incense still burning in the empty room, leave for the last time.

Only seconds after the door shuts Sanghyuk lets out a heavy sigh and drifts through the wall. Floating in the middle of the room with his gaze on the incense he listens to the silence. In the four and a half years that Hakyeon had lived here it had never been this quiet and he’d forgotten how much he loathes it.

How long will it take him to get used to this again? To get used to having nothing but himself here? He wonders what will happen to him after the remodel, will he still be here? He can’t help but pray that he isn’t.

Oh well, that’s the end. Can’t say I’m terribly satisfied with this fic overall but whatever. Written on a whim so…not much effort was involved. Either way, feedback is always welcome and thank you to all the commenters and subscribers (^_^)