sixteen

A loud alarm sound startled the two of them in their moment of peace. Soonyoung frowned while Jihoon pulled out his phone, seeming excited. He looked at the screen gleefully.

"It worked!" He exclaimed.

"What did?"

"My alarm system. I was finally able to get the full license plate from the car that hit Seokmin. However, when I ran it, I found it wasn't registered. So, I built a system that connected through every traffic cam in Seoul that could scan a license plate, and I added an alarm through my phone that would sound when the one I'm looking for is detected." He explained.

While Soonyoung was impressed and found Jihoon's invention cool and smart, it didn't stop him from being flabbergasted at the fact that he could actually do such a thing.

"Okay, normally I keep my mouth somewhat shut and just let you do your thing, but I'm going to ask this time," Soonyoung started, "How the hell do you know how to do all of this?"

Jihoon merely shrugged. "When you're an outcast from an early age, you have to learn how to be alone which can be boring, so I taught myself how to hack and other useful skills. Besides, my uncle used to be a cop and he taught me a few things as well."

Soonyoung took note of the wording and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Used to be?"

"Yeah, he was fired and sent to court back in 2009 for fraud and a lot of other things I can't even remember." He answered nonchalantly.

Soonyoung stared at him in bewilderment to which Jihoon shrugged once more. "I never said he was a good influence."

"Fair enough."

Jihoon looked at his phone once more. "Okay, it's parked in the parking garage of a department store. The owner is most likely shopping. So, if we take the bus, we should make it in enough time to catch them." Jihoon planned.

"Wouldn't it be easier if I just went and reported back to you?" Soonyoung pointed out.

Jihoon shook his head as a playful smile stretched across his face. "It wouldn't be as fun though." He retaliated. "Besides, you can pretend to be human again and take the bus with me."

Soonyoung groaned. "I hated the bus when I was alive. Why would I want to do it again? Especially now that I have convenient powers?"

However, Jihoon seemed to be ignoring him as he made his way to the bus stop. Despite bragging about his convenient powers just seconds earlier, Soonyoung wasn't using them as he ran to catch up with Jihoon. The truth was he was happy Jihoon had suggested it because it gave him more time to be around him. And of course, Soonyoung missed being human. It was one of his weak points. He needed a moment to pretend more than anything. So, he happily chased after his newfound friend and held onto the slightest bit of hope he had found since his death.

They managed to get to the bus stop just as a bus arrived. Jihoon got on and swiped his card while Soonyoung followed and stuck his tongue out at the unsuspecting bus driver, feeling playful and gleeful about the fact he didn't have to pay. When he was alive, he would constantly lose his bus card or simply forget to charge it leaving him to be kicked off the bus. In that sense, being dead had its benefits.

Jihoon found two empty seats in the middle and let Soonyoung slide into the window seat. At first, they both sat quietly, enjoying one another's company, but Soonyoung grew mischievous and restless, a bad combo for a petulant ghost. Without Jihoon noticing, he lightly grabbed the hat off a woman's head in front of him and tossed it ahead of them. The woman was rightfully startled as she chased down her hat. She turned around to glare at whoever played the childish trick but was stumped to find no one directly behind her. Instead, she directed her anger at the best next guess, Jihoon. She huffed and glared at him before turning back around while Jihoon knowingly scowled at Soonyoung.

"Can you please sit still and be normal for five fucking minutes?" He urged in a hushed whisper.

Soonyoung pouted but behaved himself for the rest of the bus ride. Once at the department store, the duo made their way to the parking garage to search for the car. After about six minutes of searching, Soonyoung managed to find it and called Jihoon over. They agreed to wait a few cars over for the owner. As they hid behind a car and quietly waited, Soonyoung grew restless once more. Gathering enough strength, he tapped Jihoon on the shoulder and giggled to himself at the goosebumps that appeared on the human's arm.

"Do you think, hypothetically, I could make all these car alarms go off?" He asked.

"You probably could, but hypothetically, you'd blow our cover," Jihoon answered.

Soonyoung huffed. "You're no fun." He then thought once more. "Can I least mess with the lights?"

Jihoon was about to scold him and urge him to shut up when a person began walking toward them. Both human and ghost held their breath as they listened to the footsteps growing closer. The jingle of keys sounded and seconds later, the target car lit up as it was unlocked. The owner had arrived. Both Jihoon and Soonyoung strained to see what the owner looked like as they approached the car. When the person stepped forward, Soonyoung let out a gasp. Jihoon looked at him.

"Do you know her?"

Soonyoung numbly nodded. "That's Park Kyungha, my childhood best friend."

Park Kyungha and Kwon Soonyoung had been neighbors and best friends as children. They lived in the same apartment building on the same floor. They saw each other every day. After a playdate randomly set up by their parents, the two became inseparable. They played together, walked to school together, and did everything else they could. They were each other's most special friend.

That all changed when Soonyoung's parents revealed that they were moving to the countryside to be with his grandparents whose health was rapidly declining. Soonyoung tried to fight it, talk them out of it, and do anything to stop his parents from ruining his life. Of course, it failed and they left at the end of that month. Kyungha and Soonyoung stood in front of their building, hugging each other tightly. The two seven-year-olds exchanged a tearful goodbye and promised to always keep in touch, but life had a habit of getting in the way.

Soonyoung found himself too busy helping care for his grandparents to call Kyungha. He had been stricken with grief when they died the next year. Soonyoung's family remained in the family home in the countryside and Soonyoung rarely thought of his once special friend. After high school, Soonyoung moved back to Seoul, excited for college and a high-class dance academy. To his surprise and delight, Kyungha attended the same academy. They spent their free time catching up and Kyungha had even become fast friends with Junhui and Minghao. The four of them were the closest friends anyone could be. That was why he had a hard time believing what was being spelled out in front of him. Kyungha had killed Seokmin. Why? Why would Kyungha do such a thing? Had he truly known any of his friends? Jihoon noticed the lights in the parking garage flickering and he turned to the ghosts whose anger was starting to scare him.

"Are you okay?"

It was a dumb question, he knew that, but it was more of courtesy if anything. Soonyoung stood up from behind the car and took a step forward. Jihoon reached out to stop him but remembered he couldn't and retracted his hand.

"What are you doing?" He whispered, not wanting to give himself away.

"I have to follow her. I need to find out what's going on." He answered in a raised volume, not having to worry about being caught.

"Are you insane? Life isn't GTA. You have to be careful." Jihoon hastily nagged.

"I'm dead. Nothing worse can happen to me. It's now or never. I have to figure it out for me and for Seokmin." He said solemnly. The light in his eyes had dulled, scaring Jihoon once more.

"What about the demon?" Jihoon tried.

He had completely forgotten about their dark companion amongst the chaos of the last few days. He assumed Soonyoung had too which was evident in the hesitation he exhibited upon its mention. However, Soonyoung merely shrugged and took another step forward.

"He can follow along too if he wants. I have to know." He said before running to catch up to Kyungha who had started to pull out of her parking spot.

Jihoon sighed to himself as he watched the ghost enter the moving car. "I should have ignored him when I had the chance."

As Park Kyungha drove onto the busy Seoul roads, she happily sang along to a random pop song on the radio. She was blissfully unaware of the angry and confused spirit of her once beloved friend sitting next to her.

"Why did you do it?" He asked even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "Why? What did Seokmin even do to you? He didn't deserve it. Why?"

He screamed the last why. The surge of energy from his anger produced enough energy to glitch the radio out and switch stations at a rapid pace. Kyungha stopped singing and frowned at the glitching radio. When she came to a stoplight, she hit it a couple of times and pressed a couple of buttons before it returned back to normal.

"That was weird." She commented as the light turned green.

She continued driving once more as Soonyoung continued asking her pointless questions he would never receive the answers to. However, they all came to a halt when Kyungha took an all too familiar turn. Soonyoung's eyes widened as he turned back to her.

"No, please tell me you're not going there. Please." He pleaded, nearly desperately begged.

Kyungha, of course, didn't answer him as she took another turn confirming they were where he didn't want to be. Still, he held out hope and hoped it was some strange and cruel coincidence. Kyungha stopped the car and got out, unaware of the ghost following close behind her. Soonyoung held his breath as he walked with her and silently prayed that it wasn't what he thought. When the door opened, his soul felt like it was being crushed as Minghao gave Kyungha a hug and kiss.

"Hey, ready for date night?"

Kyungha smiled. "I always am."