“Oh Sehun,” Baekhyun repeated. He felt a rush of excitement running through his veins. For once something was happening in his life and he felt like he was actually being useful to someone. Yes, it was only a name but at least they had a starting point now to dig deeper into Chanyeol’s past. He almost felt as he was a protagonist of one of those mystery novels he loved reading so much.

“Who could he be? Why him?” Chanyeol asked.

“Who knows, but I’ll do my best to help you find out.”

The taller couldn’t help but smile, as earlier that day, it somehow made him feel warm inside to see Baekhyun enthusiastic and full of life.

“Chanyeol, would Kyungsoo have known if you really did like that guy?”

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “I don’t remember having a crush on some guy. I don’t know if I had told him about it or not.”

“Then again that could also indicate that you indeed had feelings for him. What if he was actually your boyfriend?! Maybe you wanted to stay because of that.”

Chanyeol got lost in his thoughts for a minute. Could this be it? Had he been in love with Sehun, not wanting to part from him?

“I mean, of course that could be the case but – I don’t know – something just doesn’t click right. Supposedly that was truly the case, why would I stay behind? I’m not sure if I was that type of a hopeless romantic who’d do something like that. Also, how deep could my feelings have been for him if I apparently didn’t know him for that long?!”

“Hold up, I just had a thought. Chanyeol, could you please explain once again why the others stay here?”

Chanyeol looked at the smaller a little confused but did as he was told. “Well, we’re either too scared to go through the gate of afterlife, stay around to watch over someone or…”

“… have unfinished business on earth, trying to actively change something,” Baekhyun finished his sentence. “You’re right, it can’t be something as simple as you having been in love with him. If it was only that then you would remember him, then it would have been the second option you mentioned – to stay and watch over someone.”

“Yes. Unfinished business could be related to anything though, doesn’t it,” the other one said a little disheartened. Although they had a first clue, the variety of possibilities frustrated him a little.

Baekhyun wasn’t that good at reading people but somehow he could clearly feel the mixture of different emotions stirring inside of Chanyeol. He moved closer to him on the couch and took his hand between his, comforting him with gentle . “It’s going to be alright Chanyeol. It’s something you came up with, that you decided was worth trying to change. It can’t be something that is so much off the chart that we’ll never figure out the reason. And once we find out, we’ll see what needs to be done next so you can…” …rest in peace is what Baekhyun was about to say.

“Wait a minute, Chanyeol, what happens when you resolve your unfinished business? Do you have to leave then?”

Chanyeol hesitated for a second to answer, not because he didn’t want to say it but simply because he didn’t know himself. “I’m really not sure myself. It’s a scary thought though, isn’t it? I’m dead – apparently nothing can make me come back to life. I guess one day I will have to leave.”

Baekhyun wondered why such a huge wave of sadness came over him, thinking that Chanyeol might leave one day. To hear him say out loud that he’s dead when to HIM he was ALIVE, someone who MADE HIM FEEL ALIVE although they had just met. He was so overwhelmed by the suddenness of everything that he didn’t even realize that tears started rolling down his face.

Chanyeol only noticed when he felt the first tears dropping onto his own hand. “Baekhyun?” he called out to the smaller, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. “What’s wrong, why are you crying?”

“I’m – I’m what?!” He let go of Chanyeol’s hand and brought his own to his face touching it in disbelief when he felt wet streaks on his cheeks. “I didn’t realize. I don’t even remember the last time I cried, it must have been years ago,” he whispered more to himself.

“Then why now?” the other one asked softly. He brought his hand to Baekhyun’s face to catch the tears with his thumb and gently brushed them away.

“I, I don’t know. My heart just started feeling so heavy all of a sudden. Seeing how sad you were after we actually had a successful day.” He paused since he was choking up a little.

“Please don’t feel sad because of me. I’m sorry if I made you feel this way.”

“You didn’t, Chanyeol. The thought of you being gone one day… it makes me feel like my heart is breaking.” He laughed at himself. “It’s ridiculous, I just met you but it would feel like losing the only friend I ever had, the only one who understands me and doesn’t think I’m crazy.”

The smaller’s confession made Chanyeol smile and he didn’t even think twice when he pulled him into a warm hug, wrapping his arms around him. He could feel that he must have caught him by surprise since his body went a little stiff before it started relaxing and felt how Baekhyun slung his arms around his own waist.

“Thank you,” he whispered with his husky voice. “Thank you for feeling sad for me, for caring about me, thank you for thinking of me as your friend.” He felt how the small hands gripped his shirt tightly in the back, a fresh patch of tears wetting the cloth on his shoulder.

“Baekhyun, did I already mention that time passes by differently on my side?”

“No.”

“Time is not significant. Not only that though, it also flows different. I don’t know how to really put it into words but whether a day passes by or a year, it just doesn’t seem to have any meaning.”

“I don’t get it.”

Chanyeol had to chuckle. “Yeah, I wouldn’t neither. That was a terrible attempt of an explanation. It’s like time feels different. A year passed by in a blink of an eye to me although sometimes it felt like an endless loop. The past few days though felt different, the way the time passed by felt different to me.”

It was Baekhyun’s turn to chuckle against Chanyeol’s neck where his head was leaning by now comfortably. “Since you started stalking me? You said it yourself, you were really bored before. Isn’t it the same thing on my side? Time passes by differently when you’re bored compared to when you got something to do or you’re interested in.”

“It’s not that… I’m really bad at explaining this. It feels like I’ve been knowing you forever like the past few days – no scratch that – especially the last 24 hours, since we started talking to each other, feel like a very long time. Almost like the time is being stretched. I can’t explain it any better, I’m sorry.”

“Chanyeol?”

“Hhmhh?”

“Will you be my friend?”

“I already am, Baek. We’re friends. You are my precious friend who cares so much about me and I feel the same way about you.”

Baekhyun lifted his head up and took a good look at Chanyeol’s face. “You know we both sound like nutcases.”

“And? Who cares if we’re weird! We both feel the same way which makes it normal again.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said that you’re my first friend ever,” the smaller said almost shyly.

“You’re my first friend since I’m on this side,” Chanyeol replied with a goofy smile.

To Baekhyun it felt like the day had passed by in a mere second. He felt a little jealous that the flow of time felt different to his friend. He wanted to capture each second they spent with each other but somehow afternoon turned into evening and the sun set outside, darkening the sky.

After dinner (well, only he ate of course) it was time to go to bed. He didn’t really want to but he felt how tiredness was slowly getting the better of him.

“Go to sleep, Baekhyun, you can barely keep your eyes open.”

“I don’t want to, not yet. I don’t… I don’t want to feel alone again.”

“You’re not alone. I’m here and will be so when you wake up. I can come to bed with you if that makes you feel more comfortable.”

“But you don’t sleep.”

“I don’t,” he smiled softly at his friend. “But I can keep you company until you fall asleep.”

“Ok,” Baekhyun answered and turned around quickly heading towards his bedroom. He could feel how he was blushing. Apparently it was the first time he would be sharing his bed with someone else.

“Uhhmmh, do you maybe want to change into something else? Your clothes look rather warm… wait, can you even change clothes? I mean, those are the ones you had on when you…”

“…when I passed over to this side?” He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not like I can’t change clothes. It’s just that I usually don’t have a reason to do so. Besides, it’s not like a can go shop for new ones.”

“Right, silly of me, sorry.”

“It’s ok, it’s not like it was a stupid question. I’m also not really affected by cold or warmth but of course I could change into something else if you want me to. I guess it would feel more ‘normal’ if I did.”

“Yeah, I guess. Wait a minute,” he said and rushed to his closet searching for some baggy shorts and oversized shirt. “This should fit you.”

“Thanks.”

Baekhyun turned around and lied down while Chanyeol was changing. He made the taller cover himself up properly with the blanket although he had said that he wouldn’t be cold. Both were lying turned towards each other.

“So, what’s going to happen next, Baekhyun?”

“I… I’m not sure, what do you mean?”

“I mean tomorrow. Do you have plans or something to do?”

“Oh. No, I don’t. We could try to see if we can find out something about Sehun online, for example check if he has any sort of sns account.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Good night, Baekhyun.”

“Good night, Chanyeol,” he said while closing his eyes.

He had almost fallen asleep when his eyes shot open again. “Chanyeol!”

“You scared me! I thought you were asleep.”

“How could we forget about the thing we should have looked up first!”

“What are you talking about?” he asked lifting himself up curiously.

“What I mean is, yes we got a clue with Sehun and of course we’ll be looking for him but shouldn’t we check your sns accounts as well? You have some or at least one, don’t you?”

“I… I don’t know. I can’t remember.”