Friend {SoonHoon}

ten

Time passed faster than Soonyoung realized and when he lifted himself from the ground, the sun was already high in the sky. He wiped the stray tears from his face and slowly made his way to the only other place he knew to seek refuge, Jihoon's apartment. He was delighted to find he could enter with no trouble but didn't count on Jihoon having company. On the couch was Jihoon sitting closely with Wonwoo. They were talking softly as they watched a show that Soonyoung figured out to be about ghost hunting. He laughed to himself at the irony. Why did he do things like that to himself? Jihoon was an interesting human.

"So, do you think ghosts can really communicate with humans?" Wonwoo asked.

Jihoon looked visibly nervous by the question but managed to keep his composure and a stable expression.

"Sometimes. It depends on the level of energy they contain. Because humans and ghosts exist on two different planes of existence, it's difficult to form a stable connection without there being some kind of middle ground. There has to be the right amount of energy."

It took the kind of energy Jihoon contained. You couldn't make it. You had to be born with it, but Jihoon couldn't explain that to Wonwoo without sounding completely insane. So, he left it there. Thankfully, Wonwoo seemed more impressed than anything.

"You really know a lot about ghosts." He noted.

Jihoon shrugged it off, trying to play it cool, but Soonyoung could see the hint of pink painting his cheeks. Soonyoung smiled to himself. He was happy to see Jihoon getting along with a fellow human. Jihoon was probably happy too which was why Soonyoung planned to leave, but his eyes locked with Jihoon's before he could turn.

"Oh, you're back." He said out loud.

Wonwoo looked at him, confused. "What?"

Jihoon's cheeks turned a deeper pink. "Don't you need to be getting back?" He tried. "You've spent most of the morning with me."

Wonwoo gave him a gentle smile. "And I've enjoyed every minute of it, but I do have a meeting soon. I probably should get going." He lifted himself off the couch and Jihoon followed, walking him to the door.

"Thanks for inviting me over today. I had fun." Wonwoo told him.

A shy smile graced Jihoon's face. "I did too." He replied.

"I'll text you later," Wonwoo promised as he closed the door behind him.

Soonyoung was waiting near the wall. "You like him." He observed.

Jihoon scoffed as moved away from the door. "No way! He's my friend and editor." He protested.

Soonyoung shrugged. "And you like him." He insisted. "It's cool, he likes you too. I can tell."

Jihoon shook his head and sighed. "Whatever. What happened with Gyeongsuk?"

Soonyoung's expression faltered. "She's moved on."

Jihoon took note of the ghost's current mood. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"I don't know." He admitted. "I'm happy for her, but I also miss her already. She was the closest thing to family that I had these days."

"That's understandable," Jihoon replied with a sympathetic tone. "How about we take a break from investigating today and just hang out?" He suggested.

Soonyoung brightened a bit. "I'd like that." 

Both of them sat on the couch, the ghost hunting show still playing on the television. Soonyoung let out a laugh and Jihoon turned to him with a raised eyebrow.