Chapter 2

Acting out of character, June, who was notorious for his habit of oversleeping, woke up without the aid of his multiple alarm clocks on his nightstand. He would be lying if he said that he was not nervous at all. He was afraid that their skills might be rusty since they had not been doing this field of work for years and to tackle vengeful spirits, they had to be in the zone and stay alert and vigilant, otherwise, their lives and Yunhyeong’s would be at the mercy of the spirits.

While fixing his tie before the mirror, June picked up his phone that was originally sitting on his desk and texted Yunhyeong to ask when he was coming to the office. After gussying up and stuffing his files into his briefcase, he entered Jinhwan's room to wake him up. To his surprise, Jinhwan had already got out of bed and was all set to go. This was June's first time seeing Jinhwan, who always stayed in bed, staring into distance, this motivated and dressed up after the incident.

‘June, let's go! It's better to arrive earlier today since we've got a lot to do,’ said Jinhwan, giving June a pat on the shoulder as he passed through the doorway.

It was good to have the old Jinhwan, who was organised, productive, and self-driven, back. Seeing Jinhwan living in a bottomless pit of self-loathing and regret was heartbreaking for June. Jinhwan was not the only one to blame for the prematured demise of Bobby, who was once part of them- June was at fault too. June always wondered what would have happened if Jinhwan did not insist that they should take that case. Maybe Bobby would now still be alive, lightening the atmosphere when things got heated between him and Jinhwan, who occasionally clashed due to their conflicting views on approaches in life, and them three would still be doing their job, relieving the living of their grief and the dead of their regret. June was not an expressive person, yet he had to say that he missed Bobby and his old life, and would do anything to turn things around. This rendered June even more determined to save Yunhyeong. On his watch, Yunhyeong would not end up like Bobby and would come through this predicament safe and sound.

‘June, stop playing with your fingers. There's nothing to worry about. We've seen worse,’ said Jinhwan, seeing June fidgeting while holding onto the handrail, on the bus.

Knowing that Jinhwan was hinting at what happened to Bobby, June decided to keep mum and nodded in response instead, as silence was the only way to keep scars from the past scabbed.

‘Hyung, we're getting off here,’ said June, breaking the silence.

‘It's about time,’ answered Jinhwan, with his hand holding onto June's.

They got off the bus and walked into the lobby of one of the skyscrapers in the business district of Seoul, hand in hand. From behind, they looked like a couple as they were holding hands and occasionally glanced at each other unknowingly. Bobby was one of the many, who constantly told them that they acted like an old married couple as June always softened his tough attitude when it came to Jinhwan and Jinhwan was ever so caring to June. Many things changed after Bobby's sudden departure, yet this habit was one of the very few that they both kept.

Engrossed in conversation, June and Jinhwan were not aware of a man approaching them.

‘June ah, good morning!’ greeted Yunhyeong, with a bright smile plastered on his face.

‘And, Hi, you must be June's boyfriend. I've seen a photo of you in June's wallet. Oh, sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I'm Yunhyeong, June's colleague,’ added Yunhyeong quickly, looking at Jinhwan and extending his hand, which was then shook by Jinhwan's.

Just as Jinhwan had expected, his powers were instantly activated upon the touch of Yunhyeong.

‘Yunhyeongie, he’s not my boyfriend. I'm very single these days. Oh, by the way, his name is Jinhwan,’ corrected June frantically, immediately after Yunhyeong’s introduction.

‘I'm really sorry about that. It's just that you guys look really cute together,’ replied Yunhyeong, with his originally bright smile changing into a wistful one, as if memories of the past had swept across his mind.

‘Hyung, can you see him? He's right beside Yunhyeong...and he's looking at me angrily. Should we write up a curse on one of the yellow strips we've got and stick it on him?’ whispered June into Jinhwan's ear when another colleague of June dragged Yunhyeong away from them.

Of course, Jinhwan could the spirit tagging along with Yunhyeong, as well as the many others lingering aimlessly around the lobby. This reminded him of his first time realising that he could see things that others could not. It was when he told his classmates that there were two teachers in the classroom, when they could only see one. At first, he was adamant about it, but then as his friends started to call him crazy, he began to question his sanity. One day, when he had had enough of his friends’ merciless teasing, he told his parents about what had been happening at school and received an answer that rendered him speechless- seeing the dead was an ability that ran in his family. Having come to terms with the fact that he was born into this kind of life, he started training with his parents and soon became a rising star in the field. Yet, to him, being recognised by others for his ability was nothing since he could not even save his best friend’s life from the likes of spirits he was best at dealing with.

‘Do you ever learn from your mistakes? You have to think things through before acting, okay? I'll need more time to give my judgement,’ reprimanded Jinhwan, eyes fixed on the spirit beside Yunhyeong.

The spirit was a young man, around June's age and possibly a white-collar worker, as he was wearing a nicely ironed shirt and a pair of expensive dress pants. He was slightly taller than Yunhyeong and his hair gelled and set. Jinhwan would not say that he was good-looking since to him, being attracted to the dead was just wrong in every single way, yet he would say that he was very charismatic and had a boyish glint in his eyes that he retained from his high school days. Despite the time when the spirit stared at June with menace while June was talking to Yunhyeong, Jinhwan could not see any signs of vengeance in the spirit’s actions. It was true that the spirit had his eyes constantly fixed on Yunhyeong, but Jinhwan was more than certain that it was done out of resentment, but of love that was lost through parting. These cases were what Jinhwan found hardest to tackle since he was never emotionally prepared to piece melancholy love stories together from fragments of bittersweet memories made by two destined soulmates.  By the looks of the way the spirit gazed at Yunhyeong, he knew that this journey was going to be a hell of a ride, yet he was willing to take this risk to help this pair of star-crossed lovers to move on and turn the page.

As to why the spirit gave June the side-eye, Jinhwan had an answer- he was jealous and did not see June as fit to date Yunhyeong.

‘Jinhwan hyung, he’s looking at Yunhyeongie strangely. We've gotta do something,’ said June in an urgent tone.

‘Do you know if Yunhyeong has any ex-boyfriends?’ asked Jinhwan, still observing the spirit.

‘Of course he has, or else I would not have known that he swung that way. But, I don't think he has a lot. He definitely has one that he could not move in from since I saw a photo of him and a guy with blonde hair in his wallet. I hope he moves on soon so that I could officially start pursuing him,’ answered June.

‘June, we're taking this case. I don't want to pop your bubble, but you have to stop being infatuated with Yunhyeong and stop flirting with him,’ said Jinhwan, stating the obvious to June.

‘Why? I don't get it,’ replied June, confused.

‘Do I have to spell it all out for you? The spirit you thought was doing harm to Yunhyeong was obviously his boyfriend. That's why he was giving you that glare when you flirted with Yunhyeong,’ answered Jinhwan, slightly upset.

‘Hyung, calm down! Why are you getting angry now?’ asked June, with a puzzled expression.

‘Nevermind. Now we have to get the spirit's attention and talk to him alone,’ said Jinhwan.

Jinhwan and June ran towards the lift as they saw Yunhyeong entering it. The only way they could catch the spirit’s attention without raising Yunhyeong's suspicion was to stare at the spirit until he returned their gaze. This must have sounded idiotic, yet this was the only thing they could do without scaring Yunhyeong with the truth.

The spirit was obviously very smitten with Yunhyeong as his eyes was constantly on Yunhyeong as if none of the others existed. What Jinhwan had noticed about the spirit was that he looked desperate to speak to Yunhyeong, however, whatever he said could never be heard by Yunhyeong.

‘June ah, say a gross pick-up line to Yunhyeong,’ muttered Jinhwan under his breath.

‘Umm...Yunhyeong hyung, I just shat in my pants... Can I get in yours? Oh my god, I didn't just say that! Jinhwan hyung told me to say that,’ stuttered June nervously as he could feel the spirit shooting daggers at him.

With his eyes fixed on the spirit, Jinhwan could see the spirit’s brows twitch with anger and mouth agape as June delivered his awful pick-up line.

‘What the , man. Yunhyeongie, it's not funny. It's ing disgusting,’ said the spirit in frustration.

‘Yeah, don't laugh at that!  It's ing disgusting,’ repeated Jinhwan, while looking at the spirit.

‘June ah, you always know how to make me laugh,’ said Yunhyeong, with his fingers wiping off his tears of joy.

June continued to entertain Yunhyeong with his horrible pick-up lines as they walked out of the lift into the office, attempting to distract Yunhyeong from what was happening behind him.

‘You can see me, can't you?’ asked the spirit, shocked.

‘Yes, and I'm here to help you,’ answered Jinhwan.
 

‘Is Yunhyeong squemish about supernatural things?’ asked Jinhwan.

‘Yes, he is. He can't even watch a horror film, with me being around,’ replied the spirit, with his lips slowly forming a curve.

‘So now you have to leave Yunhyeong for a while, so that we could talk alone. Oh, and I'll tell June to tone down on his disgusting flirting with Yunhyeong,’ reassured Jinhwan.

Having successfully won the spirit over, Jinhwan beckoned June over, who was happily chatting away with Yunhyeong. Looking exasperated, June reluctantly left Yunhyeong and went up to Jinhwan and the spirit.

‘June ah, take us to an empty room so that we could talk things over,’ said Jinhwan, looking at June sternly.

June nodded in response and led the two into an empty conference room at the end of the corridor.

‘So, let's start with the basics. I'm Jinhwan and I'm twenty-six this year,’ said Jinhwan, kicking June's foot to remind him to introduce himself to the spirit.

‘Oh, and I'm June and I'm sorry about umm...making advances towards Yunhyeong hyung,’ said June, apologetically, with his hand scratching his head.

‘You weren't just flirting with him. You were harassing him,’ shouted the spirit vehemently, with his finger pointing at June.

‘Oh, and I'm Kim Hanbin. You can call me Hanbin as this is what people call me by. If my sense of time is accurate, I'm twenty-four this year,’ added Hanbin quickly.

‘Let me cut to the chase. It might hard for you to accept this, but you've passed away… I know it must be difficult for you process this,’ said Jinhwan in a sympathetic tone.

‘Don't feel bad for me. I kind of figured this out after being ignored by Yunhyeong for years. It's just that I don't recall dying at all,’ answered Hanbin with a weak smile.

‘Hanbin, this might be a painful journey as you would have to experience your death again in order to move onto the next stage of life,’ said Jinhwan, looking at Hanbin, who was trying to conceal his anxiety by putting on a straight face.

‘And, Hanbin, the reason why you're here is that you're still holding onto something in this world. I know Yunhyeong's very important to you, but you have to move on. If you stay in this world too long, you might end up fading into nothing,’ added Jinhwan.

‘My mum’s doing well, as well as my sister. It's just Yunhyeongie, who still can't get over my death. I just want to see Yunhyeongie happy and well. I don't want him to grieve over my death anymore. He needs to move on, even if it means that he has to forget about me,’ said Hanbin, looking at Yunhyeong, who was giving a presentation in the room opposite the one they were in, through the glass door, with a worried expression.
 

‘Tell me, how long have you been in this state?’ inquired Jinhwan, while June made notes on his notepad.

‘I think I've been like this for two years already since I saw Yunhyeong celebrate two of my birthdays,’ answered Hanbin, still looking at Yunhyeong.

‘Two years? How is this possible? Even the most vengeful spirits disappear in less than a year. There must be something special about you or Yunhyeong hyung,’ said June, with a shocked expression.

‘This is indeed unprecedented… Hanbin, we don't mean to pry, but we need to know more about you and Yunhyeong in order to help you two. Do you mind giving us a summary of your...um...life?’ asked Jinhwan.

Hanbin did not know why he trusted Jinhwan, and even June, who flirted with his boyfriend constantly, this quickly. He was not one to give away his trust easily, yet this time he was willing to pour his heart out to two strangers, whose names were the only information he knew of them. It might be because he had not had a proper conversation with anyone in two years as social interactions only consisted of him speaking without answers from the other party. Or, it could just be that he would do anything to see Yunhyeong happy again, even if he was to be obliterated from this world forever. He had no reserves in telling him what he could still remember as nothing worse than death could happen to him. He started off with filling them in on his family and childhood. Hanbin had little sister, who had just turned nine last month, and used to live with his mother and sister before he went abroad to study in the States. The joy in Hanbin’s tone when he spoke of his sister's achievements came through so strongly that it had put a smile on the two listeners. The happiness in his tone soon faltered as he moved on to talk about Yunhyeong. Hanbin briefly went through his university days and how he got to know Yunhyeong. It was not like the usual love stories Jinhwan and June were used to listening- it was spectacularly cliched. Listening to how they met was already enough for Jinhwan to conclude that Yunhyeong and Hanbin were meant for each other. Unlike Yunhyeong, who majored in Accounting, Hanbin, whose major was Music  always had time to roam around the campus, ostensibly in the hope of gathering inspiration for his new songs. Jinhwan would not say that their first meeting was ideal, yet it was definitely one of destiny. As per usual, Hanbin lied down on the grass, cloudgazing, hoping that inspiration would come to him. It was just that it was not inspiration that came to him, but a strong pang of pain. Following the loud crash, he could feel the sole of a shoe digging into his face and a warm body plopping heavily onto his. When the shoe left his face, a small, beautiful face came to sight. At that moment, he knew that it was worth the pain. Hanbin could not help, but lapse into reverie as he talked about the dates he had with Yunhyeong. By far, the most memorable one for Hanbin, would be the one where they went up the hill to stargaze as it was the date that gave him inspiration to write the song that boosted his GPA. Before this date, Hanbin had already thought that Yunhyeong’s eyes were one of a kind and exceptionally mesmerising. However, seeing them in the dark made Hanbin feel invincible as they were just too ethereal to be beholden.

Hanbin then proceeded to talk about how they both ended up in Korea instead of the States. As a foreigner, it was not easy for Hanbin for secure a job in the States. Hanbin applied to multiple firms, but he never heard back from any of them. Moreover, at that time, his father left his mother and sister, leaving Hanbin with no choice, but to return and help his mother out. Without any further explanation, Yunhyeong held Hanbin's hand and reassured him that he would be there for him. At first, Hanbin thought that Yunhyeong was just going to support him emotionally in the States while he returned to Korea, as Yunhyeong’s family and friends were all in America- as a family-oriented person, there was no way Yunhyeong would give that up for him. However, on the day after he came clean with Yunhyeong about his family issues, Yunhyeong came into his dorm, producing two air tickets to Korea and a folder full of job recruitment pamphlets that were in Korean. He tried talking Yunhyeong out of giving up the world for him, yet Yunhyeong always retorted with an ‘I love you’ that was more than enough for Hanbin to be brought around- that was Yunhyeong’s power over him.

A lump was brought to Hanbin's throat as he recounted the last six months he spent with Yunhyeong, alive, in Korea. Those days made Hanbin realise that love was not all rainbows and unicorns- it was tough. Being the good older brother he was, Hanbin only wanted the best for his sister. With his father abandoning them, Hanbin was left being the breadwinner of his family; the happiness of his family was in his hands. Hanbin worked harder than ever, hoping that he could get a raise, so that he could afford to send his sister to a private school. Sometimes, Hanbin had to work overtime, so that he would have enough money to send home. Yunhyeong had offered to relieve Hanbin of his financial burden by giving him part of his salary, as his family was relatively well-off and he was not an extravagant person, yet Hanbin always told Yunhyeong to keep his money because they were his own problems, not Yunhyeong's. Impressed with Hanbin's strong work ethic and devotion to his job, his boss soon offered him a promotion and gave him a pay raise, pushing Hanbin harder to climb up the career ladder. Yunhyeong’s job, as a junior accountant, was not any less demanding than that of Hanbin's- there were times when he had to pull an all-nighter just to finish up transcripts at the office. However, Yunhyeong always made time for Hanbin, even if it meant that he had to sit up at night, waiting for Hanbin to return home. Despite being overloaded with work, Hanbin always made sure that he spent the weekend with Yunhyeong, and sometimes with his family, since that was the least he could do for Yunhyeong. Having to free up the weekend meant that Hanbin had to work even harder on weekdays. As this continued, he soon became overwhelmed with stress and the pressure to advance in his career. He needed to get those negative emotions out of his system and accepted his colleagues’ invitation to join them at a prestigious club to get loose. The club became his second home, where he got hammered and stoned- it was his refuge and where he found solace in. Soon, the flat, where he and Yunhyeong rented, was only a place for him to sleep or get changed for work. Of course, Yunhyeong had expressed his concern towards Hanbin's decadent lifestyle multiple times, yet Hanbin  always brushed him off by telling him that he needed space. Hanbin was not able to keep Yunhyeong's dissatisfaction at bay as he started returning home drunk and reeking of cigarettes. The last thing Hanbin could remember doing before he found himself in his current state was arguing with Yunhyeong; it was the worst argument they had ever had since they started dating. Yunhyeong, who had always been gentle, raised his voice, and Hanbin, who would kill anyone who dared to lay a finger on Yunhyeong, cussed at him. Jinhwan could feel Hanbin's strong sense of regret as he reiterated his last words to Yunhyeong: ‘If you want your old life back that much, just go back to America. I'll be just fine either way.’ Hanbin knew that his words that were as sharp as blades must have shattered Yunhyeong's heart; Yunhyeong, who had only acted as a good boyfriend, did not deserve to be berated that way. He was a ing jerk- maybe he deserved to die that way after all. He would do literally anything to tell Yunhyeong how sorry he was and that he loved him to the moon and back.

Seeing Hanbin in such remorse and speaking in such a weak tone made Jinhwan and June’s heart break.

‘Hanbin, let's change things up a little. Can you tell us what you really want? We have to find out your wishes in order help you move on.’ asked Jinhwan, interrupting Hanbin's recount of his wrongdoings.

Tears started to brim Hanbin’s eyes as images of Yunhyeong grieving over his death came to mind. He took his time, as suggested by Jinhwan, and reorganised his thoughts before giving his answer to Jinhwan's question. There was not a day where Yunhyeong did not cry himself to sleep- every night, after work, Yunhyeong lied down on his bed, flipping through photo albums while reminiscing about the good old times he and Hanbin shared. The first two years without Hanbin was probably the hardest time for Yunhyeong. The only thing Hanbin could see Yunhyeong doing in those days was locking himself in their room, staring into darkness. Sometimes, Yunhyeong would cry while uttering incoherent apologies to him, kneeling in front of a photo of them, smiling happily, without a care in the world. Hanbin always got frustrated with himself as there was nothing he could do to stop Yunhyeong from self-harming- the only he could do was to watch Yunhyeong die a little inside day by day. He had tried yelling at Yunhyeong in vain hope that he would perhaps stop starving himself or stop shunning people around, who cared about him. The most agonising moment for Hanbin was having to witness Yunhyeong swallowing handfuls of sleeping pills in one go while muttering soft apologies to him. Again, he screamed and shouted, at the top of his lungs, at Yunhyeong, begging him to stop. Hanbin could not be ever more thankful to Chanwoo, who was Yunhyeong’s best friend, as he found Yunhyeong unconscious just in time, or else Yunhyeong would have be gone, just like him, lost and confused. It was true that after attempting suicide, Yunhyeong seemed to have woken up from the nightmare he was in for the previous two years, yet Hanbin knew that it was just one of Yunhyeong's facades to keep others convinced that he was alright. Yunhyeong had picked up things that he used to do before; he went back to work and started meeting up with his friends on a regular basis. However, he always excused himself at nights, staying in bed, again, crying over Hanbin’s death.

‘Hanbin hyung, how about your mum and sister? Do you think your situation has to do with them?’ asked June, while scribbling notes on his notepad.

‘I don't think so...Yunhyeong's been taking good care of them,’ answered Hanbin with a reassuring smile.

After Hanbin’s death, the only people Yunhyeong contacted were his family, Chanwoo, and Hanbin's family. Despite having resigned from his job, Yunhyeong continued giving money to Hanbin's mother. At first, his mother was suspicious of Yunhyeong's sudden offer of money as Hanbin only introduced Yunhyeong as his friend. Yunhyeong spent hours convincing Hanbin’s mother that Hanbin had entrusted him with them and that she could contact him whenever she needed help. Every month, regardless of the strong opposition on Hanbin’s mother’s part, Yunhyeong transferred some of his savings to her and reassured her that she did not have to pay him back. There were even times when Yunhyeong took his little sister out to theme parks and arcades as they were places where Hanbin used to take her to. Yunhyeong could have used the money buy new suits or saved up to open his own cafe, which was his life aspiration, yet he chose to spend it on his mother and sister, who were total strangers to him. Yunhyeong’s kindness and generosity were what Hanbin admired most about him, yet sometimes, he wished that Yunhyeong could care more about himself. What Yunhyeong had done for his family was a debt Hanbin owed to him, and the only way to repay Yunhyeong was to help him get on with his life and move on from him.

‘Hyung, now you know why I dig Yunhyeongie that much,’ said June insensitively.

‘You're the jealous type, aren't you?’ teased Jinhwan, as he saw Hanbin’s expression harden.

‘No, he's just not for Yunhyeongie. Look, he's wearing mismatched socks. Yunhyeongie can't deal with messy people like him,’ replied Hanbin, pointing at June.

‘Hanbin, don't worry...we'll sort this out for you two,’ said Jinhwan hesitantly.

‘But, you'll have to leave Yunhyeong and come with us. We'll then try to talk to Yunhyeong about you. You can go back to Yunhyeong now, if you'd like to. We'll meet you outside the office at six, when Yunhyeong gets off work, okay?’ added Jinhwan as he saw Hanbin looking longingly at Yunhyeong.

‘He loves Yunhyeong too much. That's why I hate taking cases like this,’ said Jinhwan, when Hanbin was out of earshot.

‘Sending him off would be hard,’ agreed June.

Jinhwan could only sigh in response to June's statement as the laws of nature were to be obeyed and Hanbin was no exception.