Title: Mystery
Pairing: Chasang
Related Chapter: none
Word Count: 813

To be completely honest, Sanghyuk kind of hated his job. Sure, running around the world solving mysteries and investigating weird paranormal events was pretty cool at times, but when everything ended the same? Ended with just someone dressed up as a monster or alien or ghost?

It got old.

Even being with his best friends wasn’t always enough to chase away that feeling. And his friends tried. Hongbin and Wonsik were always looking up news papers from around the world, trying to find a case that would spark Sanghyuk’s interest and keep him on their team just a bit longer. Jaehwan was always coming up with more elaborate traps, hoping that maybe that would get Sanghyuk interested again. Taekwoon was going about things a different way, encouraging Sanghyuk to take some time away from their job. He was hopeful that maybe some time away would be the key to igniting the fire in Sanghyuk’s eyes that he’d had when they first started out.

Sanghyuk wasn’t so hopeful.

That was why he decided to leave after one last case with his friends. For old times’ sake. To end things right.

“So what’s the case?” Sanghyuk said, pulling himself from his thoughts and turning to Taekwoon who’d taken the driver’s seat since he was the only one who knew where they were going.

“Details are kind of sketchy,” he admitted, “something about a kumiho. The client, Cha Hakyeon, said it’s been haunting his new house and wants it gone.”

“So,” Sanghyuk sighed, “same thing we’ve seen a hundred times over.”

“Nope,” Hongbin told him, “this time.......I’m thinking it’s real.”

“Wait,” Wonsik frowned slightly, “Cha Hakyeon. I’ve heard that name before.”

“We all have,” Hongbin nodded, “he’s this guy trying to do what we do. He’s just.....not very good at it?”

“How so?” Sanghyuk asked, “I mean, I can guess, but.......”

“Probably better to tell him,” Taekwoon smiled slightly, “don’t let him imagination come up with something.”

“He’s not really cut out for this job,” Hongbin said, “he’s....kind of a scaredy cat.”

“Oh,” Jaehwan laughed, “like Wonsik.”

“I’m not a scaredy cat,” Wonsik huffed.

“You’re right,” Hongbin smiled, patting Wonsik’s head lovingly, “you aren’t.”

“Not anymore,” Sanghyuk nodded in agreement, “not like when we first started.”

“Thanks,” Wonsik flashed a quick smile at his two best friends just as Taekwoon announced that they would be arriving soon.

“So this Hakyeon kid,” Sanghyuk said, “bought a house with a kumiho haunting it? I’m assuming this was on purpose?”

“Probably,” Hongbin nodded, “he must have thought he could solve things on his own. But since he can’t......”

“He calls in us,” Sanghyuk sighed, “great.” The last thing he needed was some kind of junior crime solver following him around on his last case.

Sanghyuk reconsidered that when he met Hakyeon a few minutes later.

Hakyeon was cute. Adorable really. Exactly Sanghyuk’s type.

Maybe......maybe having the other follow him around wouldn’t be too bad a deal.

Sure wasn’t too bad when Hakyeon would get scared and hug Sanghyuk’s arm to his chest. And Hakyeon got scared a lot, so he stuck close to Sanghyuk a lot.

The whole chasing down a kumiho thing was pretty enjoyable, too. Sanghyuk felt that rush he used to feel all the time on cases, back before it got repetitive. Maybe it was because of Hakyeon. Because of his excitement over everything. Because of how dedicated he was to solving this mystery. Or maybe it was because the kumiho didn’t turn out to be some random human being. It was very much so real.

Either way, it all made Sanghyuk a little sad as he, his friends, and Hakyeon stood outside the house talking about what they were going to do now.

He’d promised himself that he’d quit once the case was done and.....it was done.

“That was fun,” Hakyeon smiled, standing super close to Sanghyuk and glancing over at him every once in a while, “we should work together again some time.”

“We should,” Hongbin nodded, recalling the fire he’d seen in his friends eyes during the case and deciding that Hakyeon must have been the reason, “maybe.....you’d like to join us permanently.”

“Huh?” Hakyeon blinked, as did Sanghyuk.

“Can’t be easy working by yourself,” Taekwoon explained, knowing exactly what Hongbin was thinking, “and we could always use another team member.”

“Unless you aren’t up for it,” Wonsik added, “then it’s whatever. We’ll cross paths again when we cross paths again.”

“I,” Hakyeon smiled slightly, “I’d like that. Joining your team.”

“Then we’re a team of six,” Jaehwan grinned, “right, Hyukkie?”

“Yeah,” Sanghyuk nodded, recalling everything that had happened during the case. As he thought it over, he quickly realized that the spark was back, the spark he felt for his job was back. And Hakyeon was probably the reason for that.

It would be a waste to just walk away now, right?

A/N: this is so a Scooby-Doo au. Fun fact ‘bout me, freakin’ loved Scooby-doo as a kid. Still like it, but not as much.