It takes awhile for everything to set in.

Even after Hyunseung had discovered that he could touch and feel things again, Junhyung was still left amazed. A storm of stringed theories came into mind since then leaving him with no logical answer to conclude things with, having no answers didn't interrupt their daily lives though. For the past few days Hyunseung was ecstatic, constantly embracing every little single thing he could feel (Junhyung hadn't missed the tiny whisper of Hyunseung saying 'it's almost as if I'm alive'). It took almost five hours of broken eggs and worn old books for Hyunseung to actually grasp and hold things with only Junhyung's floor to pay the price for the mess.

The door opened up before him, Junhyung grabbed the heavy bags as he stepped off the elevator. His lecture was meant to end thirty minutes ago until he realised that halfway home Junhyung left his pencil case behind. If Hyunseung saw him now he was sure the ghost would make fun of him for looking so disgruntled and sweaty.

Unlocking the door Junhyung shuffled in dropping the bags onto the empty sofa along with his backpack. The sound of the TV welcomed him home, it was oddly quiet for once. Looking around he found no sign of Hyunseung in the room, toeing off his shoes by the doorway Junhyung peeked into his bedroom to find a familiar back hunched over his desk.

“Hey, what took you so long? You look like a mess.”

Junhyung rolled his eyes, “Thanks, had an adventurous morning I guess.” walking across the room he sat on the bed. A glint from the corner of his eye caught his attention, reaching from underneath the pillow Junhyung found his silver lighter, at the bottom corner was a small purple butterfly drawn. “Did you draw this?”

Hyunseung swivelled around in the chair, “Yeah, do you like it?”

“I've seen better and I've seen worse.” he had to refrain the smile growing on his face after hearing Hyunseung scoff and grumble how Junhyung just doesn't appreciate art. Junhyung let himself fall backwards onto the bed feeling his limbs relax, draping his arm across his stomach Junhyung's eyes fell shut. The previous rushed morning activity was starting to take a toll on him. The comfortable silence in the room would've lured him off to sleep in a second if it weren't for a familiar voice calling out to him.

“Hey – Junhyung don't sleep. You said we could go out once you came back.”

“We will just give me 5 more minutes.” Junhyung turned over to his side, thinking Hyunseung had left him alone after hearing nothing for a while.

“Come on Junhyung, you said so yesterday that we could go out.”

“It's still early and we got plenty of time.”

Even with his eyes closed he could already imagine huffing at him with his arms crossed against his chest and the way the ends of his lips were pulled slightly downwards. Junhyung did say that they could go out since Hyunseung had mostly been cooped up for a while only heading out with Junhyung to hover around him at work.
 

“Junhyung.”

“I know you're still awake.”

the silence enveloped the room again.

Junhyung's breathing had taken rhythm until he feels the hair on the back of his neck stand up, a certain ghost was staring at him. Sighing loudly he opens his eyes to see translucent doe eyes staring back at him, instead of jumping a mile back in fright Junhyung was captivated. The sun highlighted the raven hair spilled onto his duvet, he was convinced that time had frozen itself but then Hyunseung blinked his long eyelashes kissing the skin of his cheekbones before mesmerising Junhyung again.

“Hey – are you okay?”

A spark of realisation hit him like a brick as he shot up from the bed, “Yeah, lets just go already while the weather is still nice.”

Stumbling out of the room in a hurry Hyunseung sat up baffled by the others sudden action nonetheless he trailed after him oblivious to the mixed emotions boiling in Junhyung.




Finally leaving the apartment Junhyung decided that he would just let his feet lead them to wherever they went as they walk side by side, they were in no rush after all.

“I'm telling you Junhyung, he really did eat baby powder. He ate like six? No – seven, seven tablespoons of baby powder every day.”

“I'm sure he did Hyunseung.”

Looking over to his side he watched Hyunseung continue to ramble on about the previous owner having an addiction of eating baby powder. When he was outside, Junhyung would pretend he was on the phone while talking to Hyunseung. It was easier this way not to mention other people around him wouldn't think he was a weirdo talking to himself out loud.

Hyunseung yawned before speaking again, “It's true, the guy even had a whole cabinet stocked of baby powder. It's like one of those things that you don't want to exactly see but you can't help watching.”

“The only thing I'm getting out of this conversation is that you enjoy watching people do weird stuff, you creep.”

“Well there's not much to do you know with being a ghost and all. And the creep here is you not me.”
 

Junhyung would never get used to seeing Hyunseung casually walk through people, he had to stop himself a couple of times telling Hyunseung to watch out until he remembered that he was a ghost. But it was kind of hard to do so when he looked so...alive. As a ghost his appearance wasn't completely transparent, he looked as if he was legitimately human.

The topic switches from a man with an addiction to eating baby powder to what movie they should watch over dinner. Junhyung takes notice that they've arrived in a park which was a couple of blocks away from his apartment, he follows the maroon tiled floor leading into the small garden that's sectioned off for anyone to visit. Not many people where in the garden apart from an elderly couple occupying a bench and the few faceless strangers passing by for a change of scenery.

Shadows of tree branches dance beneath their foot steps as they pass by the small bird bath. Hyunseung was in mid speech about a foreign movie he watched during his summer when he abruptly stopped, Junhyung was about to ask what was wrong when he collided with the stranger in front of him. The impact had him grounded to the floor almost instantly, it was a miracle that his phone hadn't flown out of his hand, a rough groan came from the person ahead of him. Junhyung frantically helped picked up the flurry of papers and books that had fallen out of the strangers bag.

“I'm really sorry about that, it was my fault for not looking ahead of me – are you hurt anywhere?” shuffling the papers and books into one arm he held out a hand to the other helping him up. Junhyung was slightly taken back seeing the person in front of him stand up, he was taller than expected and he was sure that the guy was a foreigner.

“Don't worry I'm fine really.” Junhyung handed the paper and books over, taking them back he slipped them into his messenger bag “Thank you, ah – sorry I've gotta go!” Holding onto his bag he dashed off into the garden leaving Junhyung astonished.

Junhyung checked over himself and the phone in his hand, “That guy seems really fluent in Korean, tall too.”

“I-Its him.” Junhyung saw the ghost staring at where the stranger had disappeared off too. Then Hyunseung ran. He ran off without warning down the same path they came from, Junhyung stuffed his phone in his pocket cursing as he pursued Hyunseung.

He was sure it was him, how could he even forget how his own brother looked like.

Hyunseung ran as fast as he could chasing down Dongwoon. Whisking through the crowd ahead of him the sound of murmured voices and the heavy motors drained out until all he could hear was his own laboured breathing, his heart was filled with all his memories with Dongwoon, the same memories that played on loop constantly in his dreams.

He was so desperately close. His knees were beginning to cry in pain yet he pushed through. Hyunseung couldn't let him slip through his fingers. He wouldn't let it happen.

Dongwoon turned right into the intersection, just in time for traffic light to turn green. A swarm of people came weaving through, Hyunseung watched his brother sink into the sea of people. His muscles were screaming at him to stop, he couldn't breathe properly.

“Dongwoon!” Hyunseung yelled ahead of him.

He stopped in the middle of the intersection, doe eyes urgently scattering around trying to seek him out. There were too many people around him, too many faces, too many sounds – it was overwhelming. All he could see was just a muddle of misshaped colours blending one into another.

“Dongwoon - don't go.” Hyunseung blinked, spilling fresh tears down his face. “please.” Numb silence echoed through him until the warning signal resonated in the air that it was almost time for cars to pass through, the crowd quickly dispersed onto the pavement. Blindly following the crowd Hyunseung crossed over looking straight ahead.



He was gone.



Heavy footsteps came behind him but Hyunseung was to focused on the reality of the situation, sluggishly he kept walking on with no destination in mind any more.

“Hyunseung!”

Snapping out of his trance he turned around to see Junhyung hunched over trying to catch his breath. Junhyung took in Hyunseung's appearance, eyes brimmed red with tears still spilling shoulders slouched downwards and his legs were trembling threatening to give out any moment – a pang shot through Junhyung's heart, he looked so defeated.

“Junhyung it was – he-”

“I know.”

Hyunseung bowed his head, his tears fell onto floor yet didn't stain the ground. He stayed there sobbing even when Junhyung approached him, Junhyung wordlessly laced his fingers with his own. His forehead fell onto the shoulder in front of him feeling Junhyung's thumb draw shapes into the back of his hand. He felt the warm hand squeeze his in reassurance letting Hyunseung cry against him. He cried until he felt his legs almost gave out beneath him. Junhyung called a taxi to drop them back home. The moment Hyunseung sat inside the taxi he came to notice how tired and sore he felt, all whatever energy he had left was gone. Leaning into Junhyung's side Hyunseung drifted off to sleep.



Grey smoke passed his lips, he chucked the cigarette behind him grimacing at the bitter aftertaste before looking at the laminated card in his hand. When Hyunseung had ran off Junhyung found the drivers license on the floor, he picked it up never getting a chance to look at it properly until now. It was definitely Dongwoon, Hyunseung's step brother. After arriving home that day Junhyung left Hyunseung alone for him to have some time by himself, the next day he could tell the ghost was still in distraught despite trying to convince Junhyung (most likely himself) that he was okay when they both knew better than that.

The back door creaked open next to him revealing Kikwang, “Hey, Yoseob is looking for you.”

Junhyung stood brushing whatever dirt was on his pants from where he was sitting, “What does he want now?”

Kikwang shrugged “No idea – wait a second, I know /him/” he pointed at the license “He goes to our uni.”

He observed the license in his hand again, he never recalled seeing anyone like him. But then again he barely explored the campus properly. “Does he?”

“Yeah, I've talked to him a couple of times. He sometimes works part time in the library. How'd you get his driver license?”

“I bumped into him two days ago and he ran off before I could give it back to him, by chance do you think he'll be free tomorrow?”

He nodded “Should be.”

“One more thing, does he any any siblings?”

Kikwang leaned against the door that wasn't fully shut, “Oh” he smirked “Interested in him are we? Didn't know he was your type, not bad Junhyung hyung.”

Junhyung rolled his eyes at the suggestion.

“Hm, yeah. He mentioned having an older sister and brother, step sister and brother. Unfortunately, his step brother was murdered four years ago.”

The door behind Kikwang swung open as Doojoon stepped up, “Come on guys, breaks over.”

He was definite that this was just the start.




“Do you think he will believe that I'm a ghost?”

Junhyung muted the tv, he told Hyunseung about the drivers license over dinner and what kikwang said to him. It was late in the evening and there wasn't much to do, so they occupied the sofa watching one of Hyunseung's favourite drama.

“You know what, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't remember me at all, or if he even just refuses to flat out acknowledge that I even existed in the first place.” Hyunseung laughed bitterly.

The sour tone sparked something in Junhyung. “You don't mean that at all Hyunseung.”

“Let's just – let's not go tomorrow.”

“What are you talking about? Don't you want closure? You've been wanting to see him for god knows how long and now you actually have a chance to see him. Don't just back out over your doubts and the what ifs when you're so close to moving on.” The ghost sunk lower into the sofa refusing too look up like a child being scolded by its parent.

“Do this for yourself. Whatever scenario that'll happen tomorrow I'll be there with you the whole time”

“But for how long.” he mumbled.

Junhyung moved closer, “How long what?”

Hyunseung looked up staring into Junhyung's eyes, “How long will you be there for me.” He sat back, at lost for words. Exactly how much time did they even have left together? Hyunseung could simply be gone any day or second. What if he woke up the next day and Hyunseung was already gone?

The muted drama continued rolling on in the background and for once Junhyung couldn't find the right words to say.




 

hey anyone remember me? ₍₍ (ง ˙ω˙)ว ⁾⁾ I actually splitted the final chapter in half so the next one will be the last. I wrote this chapter while listening to Frank Ocean's Endless album (which I've been listening to since forever and I love it)

a lot of things has been going on but now I've got free time!!! kind of... I've spent most it playing pokemon go with my friends tbh lmaoo but I'm gradually getting back in gear to write more now since my writers block is slowly going away.

until then I'll leave you with song reccomendation by Frank Ocean [x] (●´□`)♡