#makeyourhaven

The pain that pressed behind my eyes was almost too much. The nausea from it was unbearable. I've had migraines before, but why did this one feel so different? My hand flew to my mouth as my stomach churned, however as my hand met my lips a different pain emerged. Why did it feel like my face was bruised? In Fact why did all my joints hurt? My eyes barely cracked open. There was no light in the room, I was laying on a makeshift bed of pillows on the floor in a living room. Was this Chan's place? It had to be, the couch next to me was the couch I helped him bring up last summer when he moved in.  Why was my head pounding like it was? Also how was I seeing so clearly in the dark?

"I didn't mean to do this to you." Chan's voice was soft. I turned my head towards my neighbor's voice, yet he wasn't there. Why was I looking at a large gray wolf, and what was it doing in his apartment? "It was either change you, or you would've died." Was the wolf talking? No It's mouth hadn't moved. I must be hallucinating. Where was Chan?

"Chan, where are you?" My voice cracked, as I tried to look around. Only to feel searing pain.

"Beside you." The voice seemed to be coming from the wolf, the eyes of the wolf did look strangely like Chans. "Do you remember anything?"

"I was on my way home from work. It was later than usual." My voice dropped off as the memory came back in flashes.

The moon was full, brightly lighting the streets as I walked home. I only had two blocks left when I felt a blade against my throat. A man in front of me then demanded that I listen to him, and if I did what he said they wouldn't hurt me. Once the two men had me in the alleyway they pinned me to the wall. I fought back until the blade was buried into my side. The men only stopped their assaults when a large dog charged down the alleyway. My clothes were torn and bloody as I tried to apply pressure around the gaping wound on my side. Then the world went dark.

"Those men were taken care of. They won't hurt anyone else." His voice was firm. "Are you feeling okay?"

I felt my side, through my tattered stiff shirt, somehow the large wound was gone. I felt the ridge of a scar in its place. Beside it were small bumps like bite marks.

"What's happening Chan? What happened to me? And why is there a wolf here?" My questions poured out. As I tried to sit up only to feel more excruciating pain.

"Y/N, I am the wolf"

"I'm so confused. Why does everything hurt?!?" Hot tears fell down my cheeks as the wolf nudged my arm, burrowing himself slightly into my side. My arm, now resting on the soft warm fur.

"It's the change. The pain will subside in a few hours as your body chemistry changes." Though the whole situation was so strange, the wolf's body felt comforting against my own. "It will be better once the sun rises. That is when the full moon loses its hold on us, until its next cycle."

"Chan…" my voice dropped as my brain tried to wrap around the fact that the voice really was coming from the wolf at my side. "What does this mean? What change are you talking about?"

"It means you are part of my pack now." His words paused as the wolf brought its head up to rest upon my shoulder. This was a lot to wrap my head around, this wolf claims its Chan, how could this all be happening? When I looked down, Chan's beautiful eyes stared up into mine through the fur laden eyelids. "You are now a werewolf like I am. I can help you adapt and adjust."

"What do you mean werewolf? I thought those were myths" I heard and felt a slight chuckle run through the wolf beside me.

"That would be nice. Unfortunately this isn't a myth. Life as a werewolf can appear quite normal if you know how to hide it."

"So I'll become a wolf." I started as my hand started to absent-mindedly pet the soft fur. "Will I look like you?"

"Every wolf takes on different coloring and markings. Yet most in my pack are gray."

"You keep saying pack. Don't packs stick together? Where is your pack now?" My brows furrowed in slight confusion again.

"Packs do stay together. There are 7 others in my pack, they live in some apartments just down the street. Currently they are at our lodge, just outside the city limits." I nodded at the words.

"Then why are you not with them?" I pondered aloud.

"Yesterday morning as I started towards the lodge I froze. I felt like I needed to protect you from something, so I stayed. However, I was too late. I couldn't protect you when you needed me most." The wolf's head nuzzled into my shoulder.

"Why protect me? I'm just your weird neighbor."

"Because you are….. different." His sentence was broken, like he started to say something but couldn't.

"Look if this has anything to do with the weird crush I have on you I'm sorry. I tried not to make it obvious." I replied thinking back to the weird way I had felt drawn to him since the moment I saw him. I literally ran into him as I started up the steps of the apartment building. After we apologized to each other and he helped me up he informed me he was looking to lease an apartment that was for rent. I showed him Jen's office, and he moved in the next week. We exchanged numbers after I helped him move into the apartment down the hall. We texted almost daily, and he had always been friendly. The strange thing was how I felt like I belonged beside him, no matter what. It was an odd feeling, one I had tried pushing down since he came into my life.

"It is a weird crush," I could've sworn the wolf smirked. "but I also have the same weird crush on you"

"Really?!?!"

what began as the perfect strategy of giving them space and silence to nurse their teenage heart back to life turned out to be one hell of a foul plan. they did not get better, they only got worse!

jeongin was visibly upset all the time, which was unheard of to you. jisung actually started studying as a form of fail distraction, which even the teacher haphazardly pointed out with fear after seeing the ninety percent score on his math test. seungmin has got a mean streak running along his mouth even during the worst times, such as student council meetings, which wasn't weird but quite downright terrible for everyone around him.

a bunch of idiots were what those three have become, leaving you as the only sane, intelligent, logical, empathetic, perfect friend in the friend group. unfortunately for you, though, as much as you enjoyed being (even more) superior to your friends, your complete lack of healthy bodily functions would not let you curate the strong backbone suitable to sustain such a title, so there was only ever one way to end this.

you got to smack some senses into the three of them, and seungmin was your last boy.

he was the tricky boy. he was smart and quick-witted, and when push comes to shove, he would be more than willing to ignore your presence entirely as he blatant disagree with everything you say. and, as you knew, there was nothing more frustrating and annoying than people who choose to remain ignorant despite their knowledge, people who choose to not care simply out of spite.

"you need to back off of everyone around you, lover boy," you said with a leisurely smile, leaning back against the chair and putting yourself in the most impolite sitting position you could muster.

seungmin could feel your feet atop of his. that was how you got him to sit down even after the student council meeting ended—brute force. he tries to move even an inch and the heel of your shoes goes through his feet. how violent, it was exactly the way you liked to do things, and he always had a lot of say about that but he never did. there was no point fighting a battle he wasn't skilled in.

"i don't know what you are talking about," he muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed that he was forced down to have this conversation with you.

jisung and jeongin both told him about your endeavor to talk to all of them about their sudden change after their love fell through. they warned him about you; about how insensitive you could be, how your priorities were set everywhere else but on their broken hearts, how you were more here to threaten them than to help them. they also told him how he could lie through his teeth to get out of the situation—just pretend he was fine and go along with everything.

but seungmin hated pretending he was fine. he wasn't the type to go along with things he disagreed with. therefore, if he has to sit here with your feet stuck on top of his, ready to plummet his bones whenever it called for, he would. if it meant he could somehow win this conversation, to show you that everything you were doing serves to be useless, he would sit here and bicker with you.

"i am talking about your useless, mean streak, seungmin," you said. "you should back off from it. irrationality makes you even more pathetic than you already are."

"you're one to talk about being pathetic," he raised his brow and nudged your feet once, "you're the one talking to a hopeless case."

you hummed. his face was unreadable now, and the only thing you could be sure of was that he has no intention or want to be sitting here when he could go home and swallow in his romantic sorrows. regardless, though, your point here wasn't to cater toward their emotion but their words and ideas. your next approach would remain the same—brutal and honest.

"you're not a hopeless case, yet," you said with an amused smirk. then you sat up slightly. "it's not like you, seungmin. you don't seem to be the type to fall apart so badly just because of one girl."

he mirrored your smile sarcastically. "then i suppose you don't know me that well."

"and there is only you to blame for that," you said. "i never asked you to be closed-off. it's your fault."

seungmin gulped down a knot. he hasn't heard enough of that recently—his fault, everything was his fault.

the reason why the student council was in a mild shambles right now, the reason why his grades slowly began to slip, the reason why the girl he secretly loved didn't even know his name, the reason why you were stepping on his foot right now, the reason why you knew very little about him despite being a close friend of his. it was all on him and not a third party. it wasn't the unrequited love, it wasn't the girl—him. it was all him.

it was such a terrible truth to bear, but some truths would always remain clear and unable to be altered. no matter the way you put it down, the core of its message remains a knife to the throat, the core of the truth remains a sin you could never erase no matter the number of halos you put around it. the truth remains the truth no matter the lies you plaster around it, always.

seungmin clenched his hands together; he knew he was at fault and he knew he has changed for the worse, but deep down he also knew he wanted this. after losing so much control of himself to love someone who didn't even know him, these brutal attacks coming from his mouth was the only way for him to regain some sense of identity. perhaps choosing violence as an identity wasn't the best idea, but he didn't know what else he could do with such deep sadness and regret boiling inside him.

he loved, he loved so hard, and it was all for nothing. love doesn't care, love doesn't let you say goodbye, so why should he?

"it hurts, doesn't it?" you said suddenly after a moment of silence. "especially more when you try so hard to contain the pain."

seungmin looked with you, confused. you moved your feet away from his own and tapped the side of his shoe, then you forced your way underneath his feet so your positions were swapped. now he was stepping on your feet, and you positioned yourself carefully underneath him before smiling.

"people outside aren't going to let you grieve. as much as i hate to admit it, we're all some kind of selfish. not entirely, but to a degree, and that's enough to be bad," you said. "but i'll be nice today and let you be angry. i am your friend, after all. i have the obligation to tolerate you, at least."

seungmin shifted slightly, feeling the small shape of your feet under his and immediately feeling a sense of dread over him. he couldn't do it, he felt. he could throw terrible words around, the repercussions of that were easier to deal with than visible damage. to truly injure someone physically... he likely could never muster up the guts to do that, unlike you.

"i..." he paused for a moment, and his voice was hoarse. "i really like her."

and he still does even though the love serves him nothing but pain now, even though the love no longer gave him giddiness and daydreams now. he still likes her, and he wasn't ready to like her for the last time yet, he wanted to hold onto it more.

you laughed in response, then you sighed, looking far ahead at the tabletop.

"you fall in love again," you mentioned. "you fell in love, it hurts you, it leaves, you grieve, and you think this time that you will finally stop doing it, but you fall in love again."

you always fall in love again.

even after jeongin, who drew you a portrait of yourself as a birthday gift, who has a smile as bright as the sun and so big that you wanted to crawl inside his body and die in him, who fell in love with the girl in your class.

and then jisung, who excitedly played you verses of scrap songs he never fully polished on his brother's secondhand guitar, whose cheeks were plump and kissable when they become red with endearing shyness, who fell in love with the girl in your class.

and lastly, seungmin, who spent hours looking for you under the rain after you overslept on the bus and ended up on the other side of the city, who was responsible and strict but well-mannered and well-intentioned, who fell in love with the girl in your class.

you always fall in love again, like the blood gushing out of your slit throat, like the flat skin of your fallen heart. you gave everything each time and you always fall in love again, because that was all that was left for you to do. 

love doesn't let you say goodbye. it doesn't let you say hello either. it just comes and goes as it pleases, and you let it. you always let it.

"please trust me, seungmin," you said, smiling at him fondly with the leftover affection that you always forgot to finish off. "you always fall in love again."

"Invisible, I truly feel invisible" I muttered as I leaned against the railing.

"Y/N, that's because you are invisible." Minho chuckled.

"I'm not invisible Minho! I'm translucent, there's there's difference" I glared towards him.

"Sometimes yes you are translucent, but everytime you see that human you keep trying to make friends with you become invisible." Minho's translucent figure climbed atop the railing walking along it. "It's quite entertaining to see you try to make friends with someone you could literally scare to death." He then chuckled as he sat on the railing beside me. "Maybe that's your plan to scare him so bad he joins us." His laughter rang through the hallway until a door burst open, causing the two of us to vanish.

"I swear I keep hearing people talking and laughing, but no one is here!" The blond male with a deep voice looked out in the hall.

"You might be. There are other people who are staying in this old hotel too, Felix." The darker haired male with the same Australian accent stated as he looked out beside him.

"Why did we have to come here Chris? I read it's haunted." Felix looked uneasy. The other male smiled at the blond, shaking his head slightly.

"You've got to stop reading those stories about ghosts; they always make you uneasy. I also told you I have some things I have to finish for my late grandfather." Chris placed a hand on the other's shoulder, guiding him back into the room and shutting the door.

As I rematerialized I sighed.

"Well you might not frighten the one you are trying to befriend, but the blond might kill over if you appear." Minho chuckled as he leaned against the opposite wall. I shook my head as I disappeared again.

1976

I remember the day I died clearly, it was 45 years ago. Another day of work as a maid at the Blue Royal Hotel. I enjoyed the work. I loved my coworkers, and the hotel paid me quite well. I'd been working at the hotel for just over three years, and rarely had any problems.

It was my second to last room to clean for the day. My stomach grumbled as I thought of the lovely meal awaiting me downstairs that Lowell, the head chef, had promised me for my birthday. I knocked loudly and announced my presence as I opened the door. As I've thought about it over the years I've contemplated; Maybe I should've waited for an answer, or just skipped the room though there was no do not disturb sign.

When I stepped into the room that's the first time I saw Minho, his brown eyes were glossy and empty as they stared at me. His blood was pooled around his body seeping from the gash in his neck and the other holes in his white shirt. A silent scream left my throat as I stumbled forward. The door slammed shut behind me.

I guess I am lucky, for I don't recall the pain, nor exactly how long it took for me to die. I just remember looking down at my own bloodied mangled body floating alongside the other victim. Dying on my 25th birthday was never part of my plan. Though I guess most people don't really plan when they will die.

I only knew Minho as the other victim for about a week. I suppose even ghosts have to learn to be ghosts. The first few days felt like a foggy blur. As I sat watching the police officers come in, taking notes and photos of the gruesome scene. Then the cleaning crew. I watched as they closed the room off, then I just sat there in the now empty room, the image of myself in my gray uniform, soiled with blood remained in my brain. I realized after a day or two that the other ghost had left. When I finally made it into the hallway by walking through the door a week after I died the seethrough man smiled at me.

"I figured you'd come out eventually." His smile was mischievous. "I'm Minho, and by the commotion of when you died I'm guessing your Y/N"

I nodded somewhat confused at everything happening. "Why are we here? I thought spirits moved on when they died." my voice sounded far away, and somewhat gravelly. He shrugged.

"Maybe we have to find the light?" He suggested, as he turned and headed down the hall. I followed him.

"So I guess we are stuck in what we wore when we died." He sighed. It had been two months, we were watching the people in the lobby from the second floor landing.

"At least you look nice. I'm stuck in this gray dress and my stupid work shoes." I complained looking down at my translucent self, before looking back to the people in their fancy clothing in the lobby. There must've been a ball in the ballroom.

"Well I don't think you look too bad." He said offhandedly as he continued to watch the lobby.

"You know we've never found that light people say to follow." I said as I started up the small flight of stairs.

"From what I've reasoned and caught in passing conversations, we can't move on until our souls receive justice. They haven't found the murderer, and with what I have found in the papers I'm not sure if they will." Minho said as he caught up to me.

"Why did he kill you?" I asked softly. The male shrugged, as he ran his fingers through his hair as we reached the next floor.

"I guess it was because I was making headway in my research. I was making a name for myself, and my boss brought me here for a celebratory brunch. It was going well, I was getting pretty drunk. I remember heading to the bathroom, but I don't remember anything else until I was being killed in the room. The bastard killed me then took all my belongings he felt had worth off my body. He was going through my jacket when you came in." He paused then turned to me. "You arrived only minutes after he killed me. I'm sorry you died as well."

1977

We found out a year or so later through the newspapers at the front desk that the man who murdered us was now deemed a serial killer, the "limelight killer" they called him. His usual victims matched Minho's description; young, driven, successful, and attractive males. The limelight killer has claimed the lives of victims in various cities. I was the only female he had killed. The papers seemed to know it was just because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

1986

Almost 10 years after our deaths they caught the man. His body count was at 21 when they put him in a cell to live out the rest of his days. A lifetime sentence in isolation. After his conviction we remained ghosts. Apparently it wasn't just justice our souls needed to leave this place.

2021

Now here we are 45 years later. Haunting the very hotel we had died in. Overall we did prank some horrible guests but we didn't terrorise anyone on purpose. Mostly the people who encountered us were spooked. We did our best to stay in the less populated areas of the hotel, or stay invisible.

I did quite well, except for that poor man a few years back. My ghostly body was tired, I hadn't had a good trance in months. So I just allowed myself to sink through the floor. Which overall would've been fine except for the poor man using the guest toilet on the main floor. He screamed as he held on to that porcelain throne for dear life. Minho teased me relentlessly for months after that. "At least you waited til he was on the toilet to scare the crap out of him."

"I told you I didn't mean to Minho! I hadn't tranced in three months!" I defended.

"And who's fault was that?" He smirked.

"Yours! Every time I went to trance for three months before that you encouraged me to come along with you on some adventure." I threw my arms up.

"Come on, those ghost hunters were so fun to mess with and you know it." He laughed.

"It was fun," I admitted, crossing my arms.

"You know your 70th birthday is in three days" Minho smiled as he sat upon the chair in the empty room we were currently residing in. I nodded as I laid on my stomach on the bed, my head propped up on my hands.

"I can't believe it's been 45 years." I sighed. "I wonder if I would've been a grandmother by now if I hadn't died."

"I'm still shocked you didn't have a boyfriend when we were living." He shrugged as he looked towards the window, the fading light of the late afternoon setting his face a glow..

"Well I was supposed to go on a date the day after we died." I mentioned, as I looked over his profile. Even after all these years I was still mesmerized by his perfect face.

"You've never mentioned a date. Who was it with?" His attention was brought back toward me.

"It was a blind date." I shrugged. "Lowell was going to give me more information at my birthday meal. We don't usually talk about what our futures could've been. So why bring up something that didn't happen." My face fell, how I wished I would've had those opportunities.

"I hate bringing it up because it always makes you so sad." He frowned slightly, then his face lit up. "Let's pretend that we met that day instead of dying and we have now been friends for 45 years. Tell me about your grandchildren. How your dream wedding went. All of the things you feel you missed." he encouraged, as he walked over and laid on the bed beside me, mimicking my current position. I smiled, then shook my head.

"Why focus on what could've been. It will only bring heart break when we finish pretending. Plus those sad feelings take such a long time to go away as a ghost and you know it." I wanted to avoid the longing. Avoid the pain of the heartbreak of things that could never be.

"Well I'm gonna tell you about my fake grandchildren. Apple and Cherry are fantastic children.  Very talented. I spoil them so much. I load them with sugar and send them home with their parents."  His mischievous smile, made me smile too.

"Apple and Cherry? What kind of names are those?" I laughed.

"Their parents love fruits" he defended with a fake hurt expression. He then laughed. "It's better than whatever names your children came up with."

"My children would have named their children fantastic names. Like Rose, and Joon." I said confidently, laying my arms down and resting my head atop looking at him.

"I guess those are better." He smiled, mirroring me again.

When the door to the room opened mere moments later, we quickly disappeared.

When I reappeared, instead of being in the hallway like I expected, I was in the room I died in. Which just so happened to be the room that the two Australian men were currently residing in.

The blond, Felix, was asleep on the bed. While Chris was sitting on the couch typing away at a laptop placed in front of him on the small coffee table. I quietly went over to look at what he was doing. My eyes went wide as I saw my own face staring back at me. The article was about my death; well our deaths, mine and Minhos that is. Did he know he was in the same room where it all happened? I noted the paper he was scribbling on, the word "watch" was circled with Minho written beside it. Yet my name sat on the paper beneath it with nothing beside it. What was he researching? The gasp from across the room made me look up, the blond was sitting up on the bed pointing at me. His eyes wide.

"What Felix?" The man beside me asked, not looking up from the screen.

"Beside you" His voice faint, as his features paled. Maybe Minho was right, the poor kid might keel over because of me. I expectedly looked at Chris. Maybe he would finally see me, maybe I could figure out why I was so drawn to this person beside me.

"I know Y/N is here." He shrugged, eyes staying on the screen. "I figured she would be. She died in this room after all." The man beside me never even glanced up, as he took more notes.

"This is where they died?!?" Felix's eyes bulged out of his head slightly, I was seriously starting to worry if Felix would actually keel over due to my presence.

"Yes, in this room." I almost chuckled with how nonchalantly he answered.

"Chris! Why are we staying in the room someone died in?!?" Felix yelled.

"Well Felix, this hotel is old. There have been many deaths here over the years. Most hotels probably have had a death in some of their rooms." Chris finally looked up with a smirk as he shrugged.

"I'm never leaving my house again." Felix replied then looked towards me again. "Chris, why are you so calm about this?!?" He couldn't calm down, which made me chuckle slightly then I felt bad as he glanced around the room with terror filled eyes.

"Because this is why I'm here Felix. I want to give their souls rest." Rest? Chris, the man beside me wants to give us rest? How?

"How?" The blond asked, seeming to read my thoughts. Chris sighed as he set down his pencil.

"You know how I told you a few months back that my grandfather passed away?" Felix nodded, as Chris stood up. "Well he left a box in his will to his oldest grandchild."

"Which is you..." Felix responded, Chris nodded in response.

"Felix, my grandfather was not a good man." Chris paced, running his fingers through his hair. "I never met him. I never wanted to either."

"Where is this going?" Felix questioned.

"My grandfather was the limelight killer." Chris' words punched me in the stomach, knocking the nonexistent air out of me. Which I didn't think was possible.

"Your grandfather was the man who killed all those people?" Felix's voice was barely above a whisper, the gravity of the situation seeming to weigh down the whole room. "Why did you bring me here?!?"

"Because I couldn't do this alone." Chris opened the closet. Felix grabbed the pillow beside him, holding it up defensively. Chris pulled out a box, then rolled his eyes as he shut the closet door.  "Felix I'm not going to hurt you." He shook his head as he sat on the corner of the bed with the shoe box on his lap. He took a deep breath and opened the box. Immediately I disappeared, yet I was rooted to my spot. "The note I received when he passed was cryptic, I had to solve three riddles in order to find the hiding place of the box. Once I found it, it took me a while to figure out what was inside." He took a deep breath. "Felix, he left their trinkets in this box. I've researched and returned 8 items to the victims' family members that I've been able to contact."

"That doesn't answer why we are here." Felix responded as he leaned towards Chris peering into the box.

"I haven't been able to contact the families of Minho, or Y/N. I know the watch in the box here is Minho's, but I don't know what item is Y/N's." What did that man take from me so long ago? I wondered, I wanted to look inside the box, yet I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move? "I figured coming here I can try to reach out to their spirits and return their items. Maybe that will finally give their souls rest." Chris' words gave me hope. Maybe I'd finally leave this place, but what was awaiting me on the other side? Maybe I wasn't ready to cross, it all seemed so uncertain. Would a trinket really give my soul rest?

"That doesn't explain why I'm here." Felix muttered.

"Because I can't see ghosts Felix, you can. I can feel their presence at times, but I knew you could see them." Chris placed the lid back atop the box. That made much more sense. I truly was invisible to him.

"Where were you?" Minho asked as I rounded the corner of the service hall.

"I was in the room." I mumbled, knowing he wouldn't approve.

"What room?" He crossed his arms.

"The room we died in." I looked away.

"Why?" He cocked a brow.

"I just seemed to reappear there?"

"It's that guy again isn't it?" He seemed annoyed. I nodded. "You know you can't actually befriend him right?" I shrugged looking at the ground. "We aren't like them anymore Y/N. At this point we only have each other to rely on."

"Look Minho, Chris thinks…" I started, when he cut me off.

"Chris thinks? You've talked to him?!?"

"Look, Minho, he thinks he knows how to free us. Also I didn't talk to him. He can't see me."

"Then how do you know this?" He rebuttled crossing his arms. Why was he being such a sour puss?

"Let me start from the beginning. I saw Chris researching oir deaths on his laptop. Then Felix, the blond one, saw me and freaked out a bit"

"Obviously" he huffed, rolling his eyes.

"That's not the point, Minho. Anyways Chris didn't react to me. Then he went and got a box out of the closet. Chris thinks he can free us." My words jumbled as my mind reeled all the information was almost too much.

"What do you mean free us? Y/N have you gone mad?"

"I'm not insane Minho." I glared. "He has items that the killer took from us, he thinks that might release us from haunting this place."

"How does he even have those items?"

"He's the killer's grandson." I mumbled.

"You mean he's related to the man that murdered us?!? Y/N! You can't go near him again." His demand made something inside me break. In the almost 45 years we'd haunted this place he had never demanded something of me.

"You aren't my father Minho, you can't tell me what to do!" I yelled. "Plus what's the worst he could do? It's not like he can kill me! We are both already dead!"

"Fine. It seems like you've made your decision. Him over me." With that final statement he ran forward and disappeared into the wall.

I waited in the hall for him to return. After 8 hours I knew he wasn't coming back, at least not now. Ghosts have a weird way of processing emotions, it seems to take much longer than I ever recalled when I was mortal. I made my way to a small abandoned break room in the service hall, if he was angry I might as well trance while he would be avoiding me.

To say I wasn't worried was a vast understatement. I hadn't seen Minho at all for over 39 hours. Had he somehow found the light without me and moved on? Did someone have a ghost machine like that Ghostbusters movie that they played around Halloween in the ballroom? Where was he? After roaming the halls and looking in every room I couldn't find him. I called his name down the hallways until I heard people freaking out about the ghostly calls. That's when I decided to see if I could find the only person who might have the answers, Chris.

"Shit!" Felix screamed, clutching his chest as I floated through the door.

"Have you…." I started when he screamed again.

"You talk?!?!" He backed into the wall. I sighed and nodded. "Of course the first time Chris leaves the room in two days you show up again!"

"Have you seen another ghost?" I asked.

"There is another ghost? Wait, why do you sound so far away? You sound like you're behind glass." The blond peeled himself away from the wall, stepping closer to me.

"Part of me being a ghost I suppose." I shrugged. I hadn't really interacted with a living being in a decade or so, aside from playing tricks on the ghost hunters. "Anyways I'm looking for Minho, have you seen him?"

He shook his head. That's when I heard a grunt. I looked over to see a very grumpy Minho standing right where he had died. "I knew you wouldn't listen to me" he glared. I closed my eyes and gathered my composure. As I was about to yell at him Felix screamed again. "You really frighten easily, don't you?" Minho sighed as he stared at the man.

"Look Minho, I came here searching for you." I shook my head as I dropped my gaze.

"Why?" He crossed his arms.

"It's been almost 40 hours since you stormed off." He looked down sheepishly.

"Has it really been that long?" He asked and I nodded. "Damn, I must have tranced longer than expected once I got here."

I heard the door open and watched as Chris stepped through with a bag of food and a tray of drinks. "Felix you were right that Cafe down the street is crazy busy!" He paused after he shut the door, staring in my direction. "Who's that?" I looked towards Minho, who shrugged. "Seriously Felix, who is the girl next to you."

"Uh. Y/N" Felix replied looking at Chris confused.

"Huh interesting, did you know a girl who has your same name died in this very room." Chris shrugged, setting down the drinks. He then stopped and slowly turned his eyes large. "Holy Shit! Y/N! I CAN SEE YOU!" He yelled. "I haven't ever seen a ghost before. Oh this is so cool!"

Minho started laughing "You and your friend here have very different reactions" he stated the obvious making me chuckle.

"Felix, do they always look so ethereal? They almost look like us." Chris walked over, eying me and Minho like we were art.

"You know we can hear you right?" I asked, Chris nodded with a gleeful smile.

"I hoped so! Oh my God! This is great!" He looked straight at me. "I have something for you!" He ran to the open closet pulling out the same box I saw a few days ago. When he opened the lid, I was stuck in my spot again. I couldn't move at all. "Where did they go?" Chris asked as he looked up. Felix looked around and shrugged before peering into the box again. Chris lifted a beautiful silver watch, with a black face out of the box. "I was going to return Minho's watch."

"Did you figure out what item was Y/Ns?" Felix asked. Chan nodded, his lips slightly turning upwards as he lifted a plain gold chain, a small key charm hung on the end. My mind was reeling. My necklace dangled in his hands, I never even knew the killer took it from my body. It had been a present from my parents when I turned 16, I never took it off. My parents must've assumed it had fallen somewhere.

"It took me a while to figure out that her necklace was wrapped around the band of his watch. The charm was wedged in the clasp. But once I picked up the watch it all shifted." Chris set both items back in the box and closed the lid. I felt like I could move again. I looked at Minho, who looked just as startled as I was.

"What is in that box?" Minho whispered as he came to my side.

"Chris said it's trinkets from the victims of the limelight killer" I whispered back.

"Why couldn't I move when he opened the box?"he questioned, I shrugged.

"I don't know. It happened the last time he opened the box when I was in the room too." I glanced towards the Australians again, who were now in their own conversation.

"This feels weird." Minho shook his head. "What will happen when he presents us our things?" His voice was unsteady.

"I don't know." I said. Then followed Minho as he sank through the floor.

"I need to ask you something," Minho said, as he floated to my current position in the corner above the lobby door. I enjoyed perching on the molding, watching people hurry in from the storm outside. The molding in this corner always gave shadows to hide in. I looked at him and nodded before returning my gaze to the busy lobby. "Do you like him?"

I looked back at him confused. "Do I like who?"

"Chris." he said, avoiding my gaze.

"No. I'm just drawn towards him, and now we know why. He has my necklace." I shook my head. "Why would you think I like him?"

"He's all you've talked about since he arrived a week ago." Minho sulked.

"Minho, are you jealous?" He scoffed at my inquiry.

"How could I be jealous of a mortal?" He exaggeratedly rolled his eyes. He then paused and looked at me. Those caring eyes I'd become ever so used to after all these years. "You know, I was supposed to go on a blind date the day after we died as well. Ever since you mentioned yours I wonder if you were my date. I wonder if we were supposed to meet. If fate wanted us together."

I sat processing his words. "Minho do you like me?" My words barely above a whisper, I doubted he could hear me over the noise below us.

"I never want to exist without you. So, I suppose I do like you." He smiled as he continued watching the crowds of people.

"I don't want to exist without you either." I smiled, if I was still alive I was sure my ears would be reddening. "Truth be told I've liked you for years, but it's different being a ghost. I always figured you only stayed by me because we were the same."

"I stay by you because from that moment you stepped into that room. I've been captivated by you. I guess I'm just chicken, it's taken me 45 years to say anything." He smiled as he looked at me.

"Better late than never" I laughed, and he moved closer leaning his form into mine as we continued to watch the people scurry about.

That night we just leaned on one another as we roamed the halls. It was as if we were teenagers finding love for the first time. For the first time in decades we laughed and jeered in the hallways uncaring what unfortunate humans stumbled upon us. When we got to the floor we died on Chris was waiting for us in the hallway.

"For two ghosts who usually keep to themselves, you two have been causing a ruckus this evening." He smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Well I only turn 70 once!" I smiled as I placed my head on Minho's shoulder.

"Well, I need to give you a birthday present then. If you'll follow me into the room" he led the way. As we followed him Minho grasped my hand. As we floated over to the couch Felix cleared his throat.

"It's just after midnight." He seemed a bit uneasy, as he looked at Chris. "I noticed you guys disappeared everytime Chris opened the box. So I did some research." Felix sat upon the bed looking at us. I questioningly looked at him. "The reason you disappear is because of the other trinkets. The other trinkets are connected to their spirits and it causes a disturbance so to speak." I looked towards the floor. It made sense others must be stuck in the places they died as well. Part of them stuck in that box.

"So I took the items out before you got here." Chris smiled softly at his companion, then looked back towards us, with his hands in his pockets. "45 years ago so much was taken from the two of you. I am here to make them right. My grandfather was the limelight killer, he took more than just your lives that day. I am hoping to give your souls rest, by presenting you with your items, on the anniversary of the day it happened. If it works, may you rest well." Chris' speech ended as he retrieved the watch and the chain from his pockets. His outstretched hands held things from our pasts that could change our futures. I looked towards Minho who gave my hand a squeeze. I reached out as Chris dropped the chain. It stayed in my hand instead of falling through it. Minho's watch did the same, our eyes grew as we looked at eachother. Suddenly a light seemed to be shining through the doorway to the hall.

"Do you see that light Minho?" I asked.

"I do."

"I'm scared. What will happen once we go to it? Will we cease to exist? Is there really something after this?" My voice shook. Minho placed his hands upon my shoulders.

"I will do this with you. No matter what, I'm here with you." His voice was reassuring. "Remember I don't want to exist without you"

I nodded and stood, hand in hand with Minho. I looked towards the Australians, and smiled. "Thank you." I then looked back at Minho.