When it’s made official that Minseok will debut, Lu Han decides to do everything he can to help him. Minseok’s been so helpful these past months that it’s basically his duty to help his friend in return.

Lu Han supervises Minseok’s dancing, listens to his singing and most eagerly corrects his Chinese pronunciation so that all the teachers are impressed with his progress. But most of all, he pushes him towards the spotlight. His friend has a bad habit of wanting to stay in the shadows, not wanting to showcase his own skills even when Lu Han knows he has them. So he does what every friendly ghost should do and literally pushes him forward so that he stumbles out of the line the exact moment when there was someone needed to show their aegyo skills. Lu Han isn’t fazed by the grim look Minseok sends him before he switches to a smile, because dark leers aren’t suitable for aegyo.

He thinks he’s doing a pretty good job when he catches the people in charge looking at Minseok with interest in their eyes. Lu Han knows he can’t leave the SM buildings, can’t travel the world with him and the group, so he’s determined to do his best here before the day of Minseok’s debut stage. 

That also means stopping Minseok whenever his fingers dig out his phone during the breaks and scroll down Naver. Lu Han knows what he’s doing, but he’s not having it anymore.

“Stop,” he says, placing his transparent hand on top of Minseok’s. Because other members are still around them, trying to collect themselves after a brutal dance lesson, Minseok can’t say anything back. He simply gives Lu Han a questioning look. 

“You’ve done enough, but now you have to focus on yourself, Baozi.”

Minseok looks like he’s got a lot to say about that and for once Lu Han is happy there are so many people around them so he has to stay silent instead.

Lu Han doesn’t know if it’s because of his words, but Minseok starts to spend a little less time on Naver (around him anyway), and focuses more on training. Lu Han knows just because he’s set to debut doesn’t mean he can start taking it easy now. The other 10 guys are training hard as well and Minseok obviously doesn’t want to be left behind. During the nights Minseok doesn’t have a lot of energy left, but he still tries to have all the conversations with Lu Han he couldn’t have during daytime, until he tells him just to fall asleep already. 

He’ll be fine alone. At least he can watch Minseok’s peaceful sleeping face all night long without him threatening him with spoons. Not that he’s been doing that lately. Lu Han almost worries Minseok is getting a little too soft with him. Perhaps he should annoy Minseok while he’s in the shower, that would surely make him all feisty again. Lu Han chuckles at the thought and concentrates enough so he can drape the blanket better around Minseok and prevent him from catching a cold.

A week later, Minseok together with the other guys are in a meeting that gives them more information about their concept as a group. Apparently they really will have superpowers. Minseok looks a little surprised when he gets ice powers. 

But Lu Han doesn’t miss the enthusiastic glint in his eyes. More than often he’s seen Minseok watch anime on his phone and he knows he’s totally into that sort of childish stuff. 

There are also some more radical changes. At first all 11 of them were supposed to be in one group, but that’s no longer the case. They will be separated into two groups. Minseok is even more surprised when he’s named for the group that will sing in Chinese and promote in China. Apparently his Chinese skills have been getting so much better, that he’ll debut in the Chinese side of the group. 

Lu Han watches as Minseok’s face pales. Despite all his encouragement, Minseok is still unsure with his Chinese. Before Yixing (of course that damn dude ended up in the same group as Minseok, he thinks bitterly) pulls Minseok away to celebrate being in the same unit, Lu Han caresses Minseok’s hand and steals his attention for a second.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you,” he smiles before pulling back. 

How he wishes he was alive so he could debut in the same unit as Minseok too. And really hug him, and maybe spin him around to congratulate him. Thinking about all the things he wishes he could do he floats quietly through the nearest wall to be alone for a moment.

Minseok finds him in an empty classroom two hours later when the meeting is over. Lu Han’s already smiling the moment he hears familiar footsteps approaching. He doesn’t want to seem depressed and take away something from Minseok’s debut.

“If I had a superpower…it should be telekinesis, right? Because I can move stuff with my powers,” Lu Han grins when Minseok sits beside him, looking a bit surprised about how cheerful he is acting.

“Maybe you should whisper that into Sooman’s ear as well,” he nods. 

They don’t know how well Lu Han’s plan is working, but since it’s the only plan they currently have, Lu Han keeps whispering things into Sooman’s ear. What he hasn’t mentioned to Minseok is how he came up with the plan in the first place. It was because of one night when he had, out of boredom, started to whisper “baozi” over and over again into Minseok’s ear while the other was asleep. After a while Minseok had started to mumble something about wanting to eat steamed buns while still fast asleep.

So, why not test that on Sooman too, Lu Han had figured. 

“It feels funny to be in a Chinese group without you, especially when it’s all thanks to you,” Minseok reveals suddenly. “Oh, don’t give me that look, Luhan. You know my Chinese isn’t even as good as everyone thinks. I’ll probably forget all about the grammar the moment you stop whispering stuff into my ear.”

“No, you won’t! Your Chinese really is that good! I’ve been helping just a bit…” Lu Han nudges Minseok. His elbow goes through Minseok’s arm because of the lack of concentration. Then he remembers something he wanted to ask him about.

“Hey…now that you’re gonna promote in China… Maybe you can visit my grave and burn my bones. I mean, that’s one way for me to find peace, right?”

Lu Han doesn’t miss the way Minseok tenses. He knows he’s asking much. Too much probably. Minseok’s been saying how he won’t be alone, or how he will find a way to debut him, but…he’d rather have his bones burned than wander alone in the hallways of the SM building for another five years. If Minseok won’t be there with him, then what’s the point of even being here?

“You want me to dig up your corpse and… burn it?” Minseok slowly asks. 

It looks like that’s the last thing he wants to do. Should he make him do it anyway, or wander the hallways alone eternally? Lu Han has to choose from the two and it’s surprisingly easy.

This time he concentrates enough so that he really manages to nudge Minseok with his elbow. “It was obviously a joke, stupid! You should have seen your face!” He laughs. 

Minseok frowns for a moment, before he starts to pout. “How I was supposed to know! You sounded so serious about it!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Lu Han chuckles. “We really need to work on how gullible you are before you become an idol.”

“I’m not gullible!” Minseok argues and tries to shove him. 

The ghost only sticks out his tongue when the hand goes through his chest.

“Lewd! Watch where you’re putting your hands!” He jokes and enjoys the way Minseok’s face reddens. 

They continue the cheerful banter for an hour or two, before Minseok tells him he’ll have to go to a hospital to donate blood again - something he’s been doing every now and then. After that he’ll go home tonight, because his parents want to see him. Lu Han’s still in too good of a mood to even feel lonely when Minseok bids him farwell and promises to bring him the latest sport magazines to read when he comes back.

His good mood lasts through the whole evening, as he floats across the hallways, watching all the other young trainees pass him by like he’s air. Once he felt sad and lonely when no one noticed him, but right now he doesn’t even care. As long as Minseok is his friend, he doesn’t really need attention from the others. Minseok’s done the most for him…

If only… if only he could debut together with Minseok. He craves it, now more than ever. Lu Han wants to debut so damn bad and suddenly it’s all he can think about. Debuting with Minseok, being with Minseok, sharing stages with him, practising ridiculous choreos with him, being embarrassed about the styling results together. He wants all that.

So badly.

Lu Han’s good mood washes away in a blink of an eye, something else replacing it.

Something he’s felt once before.

He halts in the middle of the hallway. He knows this feeling. He felt it back when he first ventured too far outside of the SM building. It’s the feeling of suddenly feeling powerless. The feeling of slowly vanishing. The feeling of dying for the second time. But why is it happening now? He’s in the building where he died, he shouldn’t feel powerless here. He shouldn’t vanish here!

He didn’t even get to say a proper goodbye to Minseok.

With the last of his strength, Lu Han drags himself to the nearest storage room for cleaning supplies. If he’s going to die again, he doesn’t want to do so in the middle of a hallway where everyone can walk over his slowly vanishing body.

Lu Han closes his eyes and wishes he could at least see Minseok one last time.