"Why don't you lie here next to me?"

Raising his eyebrow, Jinyoung asked. "Is this you, flirting with me?"

"What?" And he could hear his laugh from Mark's voice. Jinyoung crossed his arms, but he didn't expect Mark to suddenly pull on his arm, making him lie down right next to him. 

"Yah! What are you doing?" He tried to wriggle off Mark's arms which were wrapped around him, making him feel small, when in fact, he is a fraction taller than the red haired.

"Making your heart flutter, I guess." Mark's answer caught him off guard and Jinyoung almost coughed. This made Mark laugh out loud, but still refusing to let him go. They just lie there on the grass, him inside Mark's warm embrace. Jinyoung swears, he feels his cheeks all flustered. He bets they're redder than red. Good thing, he's not facing Mark and has his back against the red haired, or else, Mark will only be too full of himself for making him blush this hard.

"I recall you saying that in this place, there is no room for falling in love, and yet you're flirting with me."

He heard Mark making a small scoff before talking. "What are you so afraid of?"

"You."

Mark hugs him tight. "Why? Are you falling for me, Park Jinyoung?"

Jinyoung speaks despite his eratically beating heart. "You wish."

Mark laughs as he felt the red haired pulling him even closer, making him melt into his embrace. Jinyoung knows they have a few time left, and he... well he doesn't want to let go.

"Are we just gonna wait here until midnight? Until we both need to cross?" Jinyoung asked, moving a bit closer, careful that Mark won't notice. 

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" Mark then sat up, Jinyoung followed suit. "I think we still have half an hour left. We could still go back and visit your family and friends before it strucks midnight."

But Jinyoung shook his head. "I already fixed things. I already saw how my family is doing, and I am glad I have helped So Young see the real Dae-hyun. As with my friends, I already said goodbye to them and even helped Jackson and Jaebum out. I'm sure those two will work the rest of the things out on their own. Everything is fine now." Mark nodded also while listening to him. "How about you?"

He saw how Mark was stunned with the question he just asked. "What about me?"

"You, and the life you're gonna leave behind? I don't know when you're going to cross, but, when you do... are you ready to leave everything behind? Don't you want to say a final goodbye to your friends? Your family?"

"I don't think-"

"Come to think of it, I still have a lot of questions to ask you. About who you really are and how you got here? About those people in your life... well, back when you were still alive, I mean." Jinyoung put his hands on his waist as he stared at Mark disbelievingly. "We spent so much time together but I know almost nothing about you, aside from you being soulless and your love for peanuts."

"Two hours is not that long." 

He can't help but frown at the red haired. "It is, since we spent it in the world of the living. We've been together for two days already. Why are you such a closed person?"

Mark heaved a sigh, one that seems to tell him Mark is bored. "Because, I don't have much to say. My life is not like yours, okay? It's not something you'd like to talk about unlike yours."

"What do you mean?" 

"Never mind." Mark dismissed him and started to dust off his pants and stand up on his feet. "Come on. Let's just revisit your friends and see how they're doing."

"No, Mark." Jinyoung said with firmness in his voice. "Don't you want to see your family? Just see how they're doing? Don't you miss them even a bit? I am sure you will miss them after you cross."

He saw how Mark smiled, but it's a bit faint for him. Why is Mark smiling like that?

"I am sure they're fine."

"What are you so afraid of?" Jinyoung asked this time. "You always make yourself look like some tough gangster or something not fearing anything. So what are you frightened of now?"

Mark didn't answer, but he could see him struggling, through those eyes. Mark really does a good job in covering up his real emotions. Up until now, Jinyoung is having a hard time seeing through those impassive and cold eyes. What is he hiding?

"You stayed with me when I went back..." He slowly reached for Mark's hand, touching his knuckles. "I will also come with you if you want to go back." With his soft voice and sincere eyes, he continued, "There's nothing to be afraid of."

It took a few seconds before Mark nodded, and held his hand back. "Alright."

And Jinyoung could only smile because he feels, and he would like to believe that Mark trusts him.

**********

"You have a nice house." Jinyoung commented once they step foot into the Tuan's household.

They are here in Gangnam, Seoul where Mark and his family has been living for the past twelve years of his life. They moved here when his dad was relocated because of his job. Him and his younger brother Joey were also put into school here in Korea. It was a hard time for Mark and his brother of course because they don't know how to speak Korean, but as time went by, they have learned the language well.

Jinyoung scans the whole house. It's a lot bigger than theirs. It seems like Mark is from a well-off family. Theirs is just a simple but cozy home. But Mark's is huge, although, it feels a bit lonely.

"Where is everybody?" He asked Mark who is also looking around the house. 

"Joey is probably at school. Dad has work. I don't know where mom is." 

Jinyoung nodded. "Can we go to your room?" He asked, but he could only furrow his brows when he saw a smirk drawing on Mark's lips.

"Whoa there. We are not even dating yet, and you want to go to that stage already? Well, alright if you insist- ouch!" Mark is now rubbing his injured arm afer Jinyoung slapped it hard. "Okay, stop glaring. My room is upstairs. Let's go." 

They both took the stairs leading to Mark's room. The red haired said that there's only his and Joey's room upstairs since their parents' is downstairs. Mark also said that his dad likes to drink coffee in the middle of the night and doesn't want to tire himself in going up and down the stairs. 

When they reached the room's door, Mark breathed in first before stepping in. Just like the last time, Jinyoung felt a bit ticklish when he passed through the closed door. He is now looking around Mark's room. Opposite to his, Mark's room is a lot more spacious. It has a larger space, and aside from that, Mark has lesser things than him. Jinyoung has these books, while Mark only has none.

Mark's room looks neat. It only reflects on how he sees Mark, a closed person with not much to tell. His room is only a closed space with not much to show. He has this study table, on top are his textbooks in school Jinyoung presumes. But what caught his attention is his rack of basketball shoes, branded ones. He also saw a ball beneath it. 

"You're into basketball?" 

But Mark just shrugged as he stood by the window, where the warm ray of sunlight is passing through. "Were."

"Huh?"

"Things changed."

Jinyoung chose not to ask more and just walked around until he saw their family picture, on a frame which is situated on top of Mark's drawer. He smiles as he looked at it, where a younger Mark is smiling, next to his brother Joey and behind them are their parents. They were all happy and smiling. "You seem to have a nice family. You are so happy here."

He heard a small scoff from Mark, who has this lopsided smile. "Were."

"Why are you always talking in past tense? Is it because you're already dead and thinks everything is in the past now?"

Mark is now standing beside him, looking at the picture too for a brief second before averting his eyes like what he saw had hurt him or something. "I wish I could say yes and say that things changed after I died but... it did change long before I died."

This made him frown. What is Mark saying? And why does he look sad even with that small smile he has? Before Jinyoung could even ask, the door opened, revealing a woman who he thinks is the same age as his mom. He turned to look at Mark who is also staring at the woman before them. Mark's mom, he thought.

They stood there as Mark's mom changed the bed's cover as well as the pillows'. She sat on the bed, fluffing the pillows. Resting her hand on top of the pillow she just fluffed, she spoke. "I miss you everyday, Mark. I wish you are still here."

Jinyoung felt something tugging on the side of his heart as he looked at how sad Mark's mom's eyes were. He checked on Mark to see his face, but he can't read it. Mark was just staring. 

His mom turned to their direction and Jinyoung almost thought that she's seeing them, but remembered that they're near the window. Mark's mom is looking at the afternoon sky.

"I know how unhappy we made you feel before you left us, and I am so, so sorry son. I should've been a better mom. I should've held your hand and told you that everything will be okay. That everything is okay, because I am here, and that I love you." 

Jinyoung felt something caught up in his throat while listening to Mark's mom, until he heard the red haired clearing his throat. "No." He said in a small but bland voice. 

"If I could only turn back time, maybe you are still here, with us. I am sorry, son. I should've loved you better. I should've-" Jinyoung watched as the poor woman cried, not able to finish her sentence. He pities her, for she just lost her son. He couldn't imagine how his own mom must've felt when he died. Good thing that when he visited them, they were already done grieving. Jinyoung couldn't possibly take it if he sees them crying because of him.

Just then, he felt a strong grip on his hand. "Let's leave." Mark said, almost too sharply. Before he could even protest, Mark was already closing his eyes and everything felt like spinning.

**********

"Why did we leave?" Jinyoung asked as soon as he opened his eyes and saw that they're no longer in the Tuan's house.

He scans the area and finds that they're standing in the middle of a park or something? Seeing a wide field of green grass. But when he saw niches, only then did he realize where Mark has taken them.

Mark was already sitting down on his knees, looking over the cold granite where his name is written. 

Mark Tuan
(September 4, 1998 - October 12, 2020)

"It's of no use." He heard him say in a low voice. 

Mark has his back turned so he cannot see his face, but Jinyoung felt his pain through those few words. This only made Jinyoung want to know more, about Mark, and how he was living his life before he died.

He made small steps towards Mark as he spoke. "Your mom seems to love you very much. She said she misses you." He reached his hand to touch Mark's shoulder. But the red haired already turned and faced him.

"That is how things work, right? You only miss something once it's gone, but you take it for granted while it's still there."

The way Mark said that raised Jinyoung's concern. He sounds pained and hurt. He couldn't take how scarred and sad those brown eyes were while staring at him. "Mark, I-"

"She should've said all that back when I was aching to hear it from her. Back when a simple I understand you, and I love you could fix everything which was broken. But isn't it all too late now? I am now gone. That is one less thing for them to bother theirselves about."

"Don't talk like that." Jinyoung wasn't able to stop himself from saying. He is hurting over how lonely and scarred Mark looks right now. "Don't talk like your mom doesn't love you. That your family doesn't love you."

"But do they?" Mark interjected, standing up. Jinyoung was about to answer back but Mark cut him off. "If they do, or if they even did, then they have failed to show it to me."

Jinyoung wasn't able to say anything after that. He just stood there, watching as Mark took