Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Han Jisung was desperate to prove himself. He was still seen as the rookie detective by his teammates, and didn’t get much respect from them since his last investigation. The clumsy detective, as they called him, was involved in a small scandal when the investigation regarding arson of a supermarket was delayed because he claimed that the evidences were destroyed by the fire when they were on a box.   

His own boss claimed that he was on the verge of being fired since he didn’t had any kind of talent on the area, and he knew that he only had one last chance to prove himself. Jisung was looking into his coffee mug sitting by his desk, when his coworker came by with a smile on his face and a small box of donuts. He was slim, almost tiny and fairy-liked. He had freckles on his face and the deepest voice in the building.  

“Here you go” - The other gave him the box. - “To make your day better”. - His coworker was Lee Felix. He was also a detective, but unlike Jisung, he had a good track record behind him and wasn’t needing to prove himself anymore. He had helped solving one of closed case a few months ago, and that earned him the respect from everyone on the agency.  

“Woah... Geez, thanks”. - He smiled, opening the box and taking one of the donuts to himself, biting into it and starting to chew. He had his cheeks full of donuts soon after. It was a good way to start the workday, but he still needed a plan to not be fired. That was the difficult part. - “I’m doomed”.  

“Stop saying that”. - Felix slapped the back of his head. - “You need to focus. You know, there are a lot of cases that went cold over the years”. - He gazed the donuts, parting one of them in half and starting to eat it. - “Why don’t you go over there and check them out?”  

“Are you sure?” - Han asked, swallowing after chewing and almost choking, coughing soon after. - “I’m not the greatest at those things”.  

“Those things? That’s called being a detective”. - Felix smiled once again, pulling a lock of hair behind his ear. - “Anyway, I need to go. It’s almost six”.   

“Ah, damn... I was going to ask you to come with me”. - Han pouted, grabbing the other half of the donut that Felix had parted. - “You don’t have the time? Please?”  

“No way”. - Felix shook his head, showing that he wasn’t going to accept that request from his friend. - “I already promised Hyunjin that we were having dinner together at that new restaurant”.   

Felix met Hyunjin when he helped solving a case for him. It was about some family jewels that were stolen and everyone thought it was one of the workers of his house. A classic case of “it was the butler”, but Felix didn’t agree with that idea. His investigation led to a black market gang that stole jewelry and sold them on auctions around the world. Hyunjin fell in love at that exact moment, and now Felix had an exquisite ring on his fourth finger of his left hand that were from Hyunjin’s great-great-grandmother. Probably the best way to say thank you is to ask someone to marry you.   

Han wasn’t so lucky. He had failed relationships one after the other. His career made him busy enough so that he couldn’t find himself a proper date and those blind dates that Felix made him go were always awful. He had decided that he wasn’t going to think about that until he had his position secured at the detective’s agency, and that this was for the best.   

...  

“Hey, Han!” - Another detective waved at him when he arrived at the room that was filled with cold cases. He was muscular, had a gentle smile on his face and Han joked about him having one of the biggest butts in town. - “What are you doing here?”  

“Ah, Changbin”. - Han smiled, thinking he got caught. Changbin was one of the top detectives on the agency. He was mostly into investigations that went to a physical way, always ready for a fight or chasing suspects. - “I’m just looking”.  

“Sure”. - Changbin laughed, shaking his head and closing a box before putting it back into the shelve. - “You’re up to something. I can see it in your eyes”.  

“Shush”. - Han ordered the other detective, that laughed once again. - “I’m trying to save my ass from being fired”.  

“Boss Nichkhun would never fire you”. - Changbin sighed. - “He just says that so you wake up”.   

“Well, it worked!” - Han looked at the shelves and all those boxes. There were cases since the agency had opened around 1940’s, and he was too busy looking at the dates instead of looking at the names. Some were pretty big on the countries crime history. - “If I was going to pick one of them... Which one would it be?”  

“It’s not a lottery, Han”. - The other intervened. - “It may look like it, but it’s really not. Most of them are archived for a reason, and many of them not even the suspects are alive anymore”.  

“It’s never too late to bring justice to our people!” - Han said like a superhero, putting his hands on his tiny waist. - “Come on, help a desperate fella. If you were going to pick one of them, which would be?”  

Changbin sighed once again, thinking if he should help Han. He was clumsy, and Nichkhun probably would fire him eventually, but he wasn’t going to encourage those thoughts on the boy’s head. He could help him, but he had already said that the cases went cold for a reason. There’s no easy case when it comes to cold ones. He was just going to trust his instincts.   

He called Han with a sign of his hand, going towards the back of the room. As furthest from the door, the oldest the cases were. They passed through the 2000’s, 1990’s, 1980’s, 1970’s and 1960’s. The boxes changed in shape and sizes, but mostly in color. They went from white as snow from being recent to a faded yellow tone. After stopping at the 1950’s section, Changbin looked around, and then faced Han once again.  

“Pick one”. - He smiled.  

“Huh?!” - Han was scared. How was that helpful? He just walked around the room with him. There’s nothing really helpful on that! - “These are from 1950’s! The evidences are probably long gone!”  

“Most of them, yeah”. - Changbin crossed his arms. - “But hey, think about it. If our boss hears that you’re trying to solve a case from that era, and even better, you solved it, you’re definetely never going to get fired”. - He was certain of that. And it also made Han feel even braver than before.   

“Fine. You're right!” - Han was filled with courage. - “I’ll go with... Huh... Let me see... That one!” - He pointed towards one of the boxes that were alone on the top shelf. There were no other boxes around it, like they were trying to hide it on that corner, but for Han that only made it stand out even more.  

“Oh” - Changbin intervened. - “You can’t have that one”.  

“What?! Why not?” - He literally just stated for him to pick one and now that he did, he was forbidden to do so? Not cool.  

“This case is here for a huge reason. One of the detectives on the  late 1990’s went mad trying to solve it”. - The other one whispered. - “They said there’s some kind of supernatural force behind it. Trust me, nobody is ready for this”. - He looked around, grabbing another random box. - “Here, have this one”.  

Han was not convinced. Even though Changbin practically expelled him from that room with the box he didn’t wanted, he went around the office and left that box on his desk. He opened it and found out to be a kidnapping case that happened during the Korean War. By the looks of it, the one that was kidnapped was at the time at the region that was now ruled by North Korea. How was that going to be easier to investigate?  

The truth is that Changbin wasn’t trying to give him an easier case, he was just dissuading him from getting that one. It was an order that almost all of the detectives knew at that place that some cases just weren’t meant to be reopened. They were somewhat cursed. That case was one of them. Thinking everything was alright and there was no need to worry, Changbin ended his day, and as the other detectives did the same, Han noticed that he was alone at the agency.   

He was still looking into that case he never wanted in the first place, rolling his eyes trying to understand it and find a way to go into North Korea as a hidden agent and not getting arrested when he heard something. It was like a bell. Not one, a few of them. It caught his attention immediately. Maybe someone had their computer still on, so he decided to check the other desks. Nothing. And the bells had already stopped, so it was probably something on his mind. He dismissed it.  

A few minutes had passed, and those bells were heard again. Han looked around, confused, so he decided it was for the best to just go home. He grabbed his coat and went to the door, but stopped right before opening it. He was just curious. What was that forbidden case about? He couldn’t help himself. Curiosity was a thing that moved him throughout his life. This time it wasn’t going to be different.   

The cold cases room was pitch dark, and after turning on the lights, one after the other went on, like an invitation to walk in towards them, but the furthest one shined the brightest. Was it an invitation? Maybe something from fate? Or was he just anxious to disobey the orders from Changbin? All three of them.   

He needed to grab that box. He found a moving ladder and took it, rolling with it until that shelf. Once again, those damn bells started to sound on his head. He started to climb the ladder, and the sounds became even louder on his mind, but stopped as soon as he grabbed that yellow faded box. On the front there was no name. It was only marked as “Unknown Man, 1953”.  It didn’t looked so threatening. He was going to take that box, fuck whatever Changbin said to him.  

...  

Late at night, at his own place, Han was trying to sleep when he heard those bells again. They were on his head and sounded so loud that on his dream he was teleported to a place that he had never seen before. It looked like an ancient temple, where the bells were finally seen. Not only there was a huge bell far from him, but a crawled person kept knocking his mudang bells. Everything was looking blurry, but as Han walked during that dream, he felt something weird. His clothes changed, and also did his hair. He looked like a dashing young man from 1950’s, but he had his military uniform on. It was during the war after all.  

In front of that person there was a small altar. There was a picture in black and white of another man. He had dark hair and eyes, a stunning face structure and also had a military uniform. His eyes had a sad expression, but for some reason Han thought he knew that man. It was almost like they had met. He felt an instant connection to the picture, but was unsure of what was the reason for that.  

“Hum, excuse me”. - Han whispered to the figure that kept ringing those bells. - “I’m sorry, I-”  

“Took you long enough”. - The figure stated, with the back turned to Han. - “You look different, but it’s still you inside”.   

“I don’t think I’m understanding”. - He was so confused. He thought he could wake up at anytime, but he also started to think that the dream was getting too real to simply wake up. Suddenly, he lost the control he thought he had to how, and when, wake up.   

The figure stood up. It was an elder man, with no hair on and shaman clothes. He looked at Han with a smile on his face, walking towards him and shaking the bells once again. He looked up and down on the detective’s body, and then nodded with his head, like he was satisfied with what he was seeing.   

“He’s been waiting for you for more than seventy years”. - The elder figure stated with a trembling voice before Han could even understand what was happening. - “Now he can finally rest on Heaven”.  

“W-What?” - He didn’t understand anything that was happening. - “I’m lost”.  

“Oh no, you’re not”. - The man smiled. - “You’re at where you were supposed to be for seventy years... Fulfilling your fate”.  

“I’m sorry, sir. I’m not even thirty yet. Let alone... Seventy and... How many years?” - He tried to count with his fingers, with no success. Too many numbers.  

“It’s okay to be confused”. - The elder man whispered, taking Han’s hand and walking with him towards the altar. The picture was there, but Han felt something change again. He was not wearing a military uniform anymore. He was wearing a satin hanbok, looking like a real groom.   

“HUH?!” - He got scared. - “Hey, let me out! I’m not going to marry a picture!”  

“He’s not a picture”. - The other one sighed, tapping Han on his shoulder. - “Everything will make sense. Just breathe”.  

Han couldn’t understand anything, but for the little knowledge that he had on the area, he understood that he was going to be part of a posthumous marriage for what it looked like. There was no body or anything, just the picture, and he was the other part involved from that man. Why was it being accepted between two guys? Not that he was against it, he was gay in the first place, but everything just didn’t added up.   

The ceremony ended after a while. Han was promised and married to that picture of that dashing man that he didn’t knew who it was but felt like they already met, which didn’t make sense since it was in the past. The elder man after uniting both took a small ring and put one of them on top of that altar and the other on Han’s fourth finger.   

“Now wake up”. - He said, after breathing towards Han’s face.  

...  

“HOLY FUCK”. - Han was dripping in sweat. He opened his eyes, looking around. He was on his place, with his pajamas that were just his underwear, and with his dog looking scared at him since he got awaken by his owner’s shout. - “Oh, sorry Bbama! Didn’t meant to awake you”. - He tried to make his dog go to sleep again, and it worked after a while.  

It was still late at night. He had a few more hours to sleep, but he was scared of doing so. He didn’t wanted to comeback to that dream and be married once again to a picture of an unknown person. He could use that time to focus on his job. It would be better than just be on his bed with nothing on his mind trying to pass the time by looking at the ceiling.   

And so he did. He went to his desk by his bed, sitting on the chair after grabbing a cup of coffee, and then opened the box. There was no curse. Changbin was overreacting. He was just trying to bully Han to find about that other case that was much more difficult so that he would get fired anyway. Not cool, Changbin, he thought to himself.  

Opening the box, however, he felt a shiver run down the back of his neck. It could be haunted, or it could be because he was scared after what Changbin has told him. There were so many variables to that situation that he wasn’t sure of how to proceed with it. Han looked into the box, finding some papers. There were some notes, one of them regarding the body and the autopsy that was made on that you man and the fact that he didn’t had any documents regarding him.  

On one of the documents it was stated that he had been shot on the back of his neck, probably an execution. It was also stated that it looked like he was a deserter from his side due to the way the body was found. The case was not only about the murder, but about the identity of that person.   

The box also had a few of the personal items found alongside the body. A small black velvet bag, two small medals and his badge with his name. It was damaged, the name had been crossed over it, so that his identity was even harder to be found. He could be any missing person during the Korean War, which were many, and was unidentified until now.   

However, for Han’s surprise, there were also some pictures. The place where the body was found, into the woods, the placement of his body, and finally, pictures of his body. The scary part came after that. The face of that unidentified man was the same as the picture that he saw on his dream. After seeing that, Han screamed once again, throwing all up in the air, thinking if it was the time to hide or if Changbin was right and that was a cursed case. Why was he so curious? He could have lived without it and tried to go to North Korea. He hated messing with the supernatural, especially because he was a scared person.   

“It can’t be”. - He whispered to himself, grabbing the picture once again, looking at it and shaking his head in a clear state of denial. - “It just can’t”. - He looked around, grabbing his phone and calling Changbin. He answered soon after with a sleepy voice. - “Changbin-ah... I’m scared”.  

“Jeonginnie? Is that you?” - He answered.  

“Huh? Noh, It’s Han!” - Why Changbin thought he could be his boyfriend? Well, Changbin didn’t opened his eyes to answer the phone and thought that the only person that would call him so late at night would be his boyfriend.   

“Why are you calling me so late?” - He kept his eyes closed. - “It’s dark and I don’t need to open my eyes to know that”.  

“Please... I grabbed that box that you told me not to, and...”  

“YOU WHAT?” - He clapped back, with an angry tone.  - “Oh fuck, Nichkhun is going to kill me”.  

“Why are you saying this?” - Han was curious. Why was there any reason for his boss to be angry at Changbin? It was no big deal. He thought that it was just a cursed case, not something so big that their boss would be angry at Changbin because of it.  

“What part of the we’re not allowed to touch that case you didn’t heard?” - Changbin replied. - “Man...”  

“Don’t be angry!”  

“I’m not angry, you’re just... Argh, you’re the clumsiest one! You can fuck us big time with this thing”. - Changbin sighed. - “Perhaps it’s time for you to know more about our business”.   

Changbin hanged up soon after. Han was curious. What more was there to be found about their business? Was there something scary? Something that nobody should know? Well, probably, since he was just going to find out because he did something he wasn’t supposed to do. He was still curious, though. He looked around, seeing his dog on his bed and smiled. At least his dog was fine. If dogs and cats aren’t doing anything weird, there’s nothing to worry about.   

“It’s fine, Han”. - He talked to himself, looking at that picture once again. - “It’s just a coincidence. A super weird coincidence”. - Han kept talking, touching with the tip of his fingers against the face of the unknown man on the picture. Why did he felt something? It was odd.  

He decided it was the time to take a shower. It was the best thing to do since he was already sweaty due to the nightmare and he hated how his skin felt when it was like that. He took his underwear off in his bedroom since he lived alone, walking naked around the apartment until he closed the door at the bathroom just so his dog staid at the bed.   

The water was piping hot. His skin was even a bit pink and red on some parts of his chest due to the heat of the water, but he loved warm showers. He started to think about that dream once again, thinking that if he thought about it enough it would soon be “overthinked” and erased from his memory. It was a theory. A weird one. Still, he kept thinking about that weird marriage that he had at that dream, and about the picture. The same fucking picture. How did he managed to do that since he hadn’t seen the picture back then?   

When he thought that he had enough about that subject and dream, he let his mind go to other places. He saw himself being congratulated by his boss for solving that crime, and for a second he could see himself being promoted and considered the best detective there was out there. It was such a nice way to see his future that he took a few seconds until he realized the sound that was coming from his bedroom.  

Bbama was barking. A lot.  

Jisung found that odd. He turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, walking barefoot on his bathroom and opening the door. There was so much steam from the shower that all came out when he opened that door, almost making it look like a triumphal entrance.   

“Bbama. Bbama, what’s wrong?!” - He went towards his dog, touching the top of his head trying to comfort. - “It’s okay, buddy. It’s okay”. - He noticed that nothing was on. No reason for him to be barking that much. He looked around, and the only thing that looked a bit different was the way that the box was closed, but that could be because of Bbama jumping around the furniture. - “See, buddy? Nothing to worry about!”  

Bbama wasn’t hearing any of that. He was suspiscious of something, and went straight to the closed door of his closet and kept barking at it. He even started touching with his paw against the door, trying to scratch it. Perhaps it was a mouse. There was one once, but it was a long time ago. It shouldn’t be one this time.  

“I’m going to show you that everything’s fine”. - Han walked towards the closet, opening the door and looking at his pet instead of inside the closet. - “See? Nothing”.   

His dog didn’t paid any attention to him. He went running towards the closet, and kept sniffing it inside, looking for something. Han went on his knees, trying to get his dog away from the shoes that were kept there as well as his coats, until he realized that Bbama was sniffing something that had feet, and legs, and arms. It was another human.  

“FUCK!” - Han started to run with his dog under his arm, looking for his gun that was by one of the chairs. - “I’M A DETECTIVE!” - It was useless. He could hear the steps coming towards his direction, at each time getting louder and louder, closer enough for him to feel his body shiver.  

“I see”. - That man standed in front of him, with his hands on his pockets. - “You do know how to use that?” - He pointed towards the gun. - “It’s an odd model. I’m more of a Webley Revolver guy”.   

“Ok, who the fuck are you?” - Han kept asking that, while Bbama went running towards the bedroom. He was not having any of that talk.   

“First, you curse a lot”. - The voice was judgmental. - “Second, that’s a weird way to talk to your husband”.   

“What the...” - Suddenly he realized who was in front of him. It was the guy from the picture. He even had his uniform on. The dark eyes were staring at him the whole time, and even though he had a small smile on his face, Han was scared of everything that was happening at that moment. - “This is a dream. Ok, I’m dreaming”.  

“This is not a dream”. - The man stated, still looking at Han, trying to approach him while Han picked up his gun. - “Guess that the Honeymoon is over”. - He joked.  

“DON’T APPROACH ME!” - Han thought about shooting. - “Or I’ll shoot you!”  

“Funny thing about trying to shoot me”. - The man stated, putting his hand on top of the revolver. - “I’m already dead”.   

Han was on a spiral. Why did he entered that situation and why did he brought that box home? He could have taken an easier case. One that he wouldn’t be married to a ghost, for start. He kept looking at that man, so confused. If he was a ghost, why did he touched that object? Was there some kind of way of ghosts doing that? It was so weird.  

“I’m drugged. That’s the only explanation”. - He rolled his eyes, smacking his hand against the side of his head. - “Come on, let’s get back to normal”.   

“Drugs? Oh, you’re not into opioids, are you?” - The man stated, sitting on a chair and looking at Han’s eyes. - “You’re going to get a headache, hubby”.  

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!” - Han was freaking out. - “DON’T TALK TO ME AT ALL, ACTUALLY!”  

“That’s unusual for a wedding”. - He whispered. - “Guess that things changed a lot nowadays”.  

“Please stop talking”.  

“So I shouldn’t say anything about your towel being on the floor?” - He pointed towards the floor.  

Han looked down. He could see everything. His whole body was exposed, and the towel was on the floor. For how long was he naked? Now that ghost had seen him naked and he was blushing so much that he thought about hiding somewhere. Maybe if he ran to Felix’s house he would help him. Or if he tried to find an exorcist. Something like that. He needed to find a solution. But first, he needed to find an underwear.  

“There’s no need to be embarrassed”. - The ghost followed him towards the bedroom. - “I was in the military. I saw naked men all the time”.   

“Argh, you’re not going to shut up, are you?” - He asked while closing his drawer, picking a black underwear and putting it on.  

“When did underwear's get so tight?” - The man asked him, getting lower with his head near Han’s crotch, pointing towards it. - “What kind of fabric is it?”  

“ARGH!” - Han went with both of his hands on top of his bulge. - “DON’T GET NEAR THAT PART”.  

“We’re married. Shouldn’t I get near that part every once in a while?” - The man asked him. - “Oh, you’re not into men”.  

“No. I am!” - He decided to explain himself. - “I’m 100% a gay guy. I really love guys. I like cock, ass and everything on the between. I’m just not into ghosts!”  

“You have the mouth of a pirate”. - The man stated, getting up and looking at Han, taking of his military cap and throwing it at Han’s bed.   

“If you’re a ghost, why you’re not passing through walls and those things?” - He asked him. - “Do people see you?”  

“Only if I want them to see me”. - He joked. - “Not really. Actually, only you can see me, hubby”.  

“Argh, stop calling me hubby!” - Han was getting angrier. - “And I’m not your husband! It was a nightmare. I’m not seeing any ring!”  

“Huh... Are you sure?” - He pointed towards Han’s hand. When he looked at it, there it was. A wedding ring on his left hand. Han screamed, running towards the door of his apartment after picking some pants and a shirt. He used his sandals to walk outside.   

As he started walking downstairs, he heard some noises coming from the apartment that was right below him. The door was unlocked, and soon from inside that apartment emerged his Landlord: Kim Seungmin. He had a frown on his face, and looked like he was trying to sleep while closing his light blue robe, looking at Han with a lot of judgment and questions coming to his mind.  

“What the hell is all that noise coming from your place?” - He asked, shaking his head. - “My husband is trying to sleep. He works all day and needs some rest”.  

“I’m sorry, it’s just that... I got scared with something”. - Jisung started to think about things that could avoid the question. What if everyone could see that wedding ring on his finger? Just in case, he decided to put his hand on his pocket.   

“I don’t care”. - Seungmin replied. - “Look, you need to be quiet”.  

“I’m sorry... I will”. - He assured his Landlord, that didn’t looked like he believed at the detective. Seungmin had already stated multiple times that he wasn’t very fond of the way that Han always arrived late and made noises at night, but he wasn’t ready for what was going to happen on the following weeks. - “Hey, do you mind if I come in?”  

Seungmin closed his door, leaving Han talking to himself since he wasn’t going to let him in anyway, especially at such late hours of the night. He only had one thing left to do. He decided to take a walk. Maybe forget about what just happened. He went towards the street, going to a nearby park that at that time only had a few people walking by, most of them streetwalkers and the kind of people that Han usually investigated, but he had a lot of trouble on his mind to start thinking about where he was or who he was with.   

He stopped by the fountain, seeing it and looking at that wedding ring. Perhaps it could be way easier to get rid of all that trouble. It was worth the shot, he thought. He ripped the ring off of his finger, throwing it at the fountain, sighing in relief after doing that. He was free from that nightmare and could go back home like he was supposed to, but first he needed to buy something to eat. All that trouble made him hungry.   

...  

Han opened the door. It was quiet. Nothing to worry about, he thought. He got his lamen out of that plastic bag and went to the kitchen to start heating the water to eat it while looking for some eggs to add to it. A few minutes later, his food was ready. He got his bowl with his lamen and went towards the living room. Perhaps there was something good to see while he was eating, but little did he know what he was going to see.   

“You always leave after screaming?” - The man asked him, looking at Han a bit confused. Han screamed once again. - “Here we go again”. - The man whispered, shaking his head.  

“How... How you’re still here? I threw that fucking ring away!” - Jisung was trying to understand how that happened, still grabbing into his bowl of lamen.  

“Why do you keep cursing?” - He asked, walking towards Jisung and pointing at his hand. - “This ring?” - How could it be? He had thrown it away on the fountain, but that ring was back to his finger like nothing had happened. Was he cursed, trapped on a spell or something?  

“Why!? I threw it away! Why do I have a ring on my finger?” - “Han was dismayed with what was happening.   

“Do you have short term memory loss or something?” - The man asked him, raising his left hand towards him as well. - “We’re married”  

“I can’t be married. It’s all a nightmare!” - Han stated, leaving his bowl of lamen next to his television and walking towards his bedroom. - “I’ll go to sleep and when I wake up you’ll be gone”.  

“Usually that kind of denial comes from ghosts, not from living beings”. - He followed Han around, looking at him trying to understand what made him so uncomfortable with that situation. He was the one that was dead.   

“If you’re a ghost, why aren’t you floating?” - Han started an inquiry.   

“I can. Do you want me to float?”  

“I don’t want anything from you! Just that you disappear!” - He was having enough of it already and it was just a few hours that they were together. He needed to get rid of that ghost as soon as possible.   

“Well, you can’t. We’re married. There’s nothing like a posthumous divorce”. - The ghost whispered, touching his own chin while thinking about it. - “At least I don’t think so”.   

“I don’t even know your name! How can I be married to someone I don’t even know?”  

“Oh! My name is Lee Know”. - He bowed towards Han after doing a military salute to him as well.   

So he had a name. The unknown man from that box from cold cases and that was now also his husband went by the name Lee Know. It was a cute name. Han smiled at that moment, assimilating the name to the face, but soon got angry again.   

“Still! You shouldn’t be here”.  

“Do you mind if I ask you why?” - Lee Know leaned his body against the door.  

“See! You should be crossing walls and those things, not interacting with our reality!”. - He pointed towards his body, to which the man shook his head.  

“Nonsense”. - He whispered. - “We can interact with the world if we want to”.  

“And why there aren’t so many ghosts around?”  

“Long story”. - Lee Know stated, after shrugging, looking at Han and smiling right after that. - “Mostly because your world isn’t that interesting anymore for those who are dead, but not everyone that dies gets to stay around here”.  

“And why you’re here, then?” - Han was getting impatient. He just wanted to lay down and sleep for a while, but that looked impossible with that man looking at him on his military uniform. - “Shouldn’t you be on the... Ghost place, or whatever that is?”  

“You mean Afterlife?” - Lee Know smiled once again. - “Your lack of vocabulary is adorable”. - He whispered to Han, who immediately blushed, but got annoyed at the same time for that assumption. - “I got unfinished business”.  

“Oh”. - He looked around, and then did a sign of a gun with his index finger and thumb. - “The one that... Pow?” - He pointed towards the back of his head.  

“It’s not that simple”. - He wished it was. Han also wished it to be a simple case of vengeance and justice that could be solved in a heartbeat, but he had a feeling that Lee Know was going to stay for a while on his life.   

“Gotcha!” - Jisung whispered, looking down and sitting on his bed. - “Look, I need to take a rest. Do you mind?”  

“Not at all. Ghosts don’t sleep, but we can pretend we do”. - He closed his own eyes, pretending to be asleep while still leaning against the wall. - “Simple, isn’t it?”   

“Oh, I don’t mean for you to sleep with me!” - How was that going to work? He was a ghost! There’s no way they can sleep together.   

“Sorry about that”. - Lee Know smiled once again. - “You mean that you want privacy”.  

“Exactly!” - Han did a thumbs up with both of his hands. - “I usually sleep half naked, so I don’t want to be seen like that”.  

“I’m your husband. I expect to see you half naked”. - He admitted, with a naughty smile on his face.   

“And how would that work?” - He asked. He was filled with curiosity, especially now that he stated that he wanted to see Han half naked. He was blushing, but curious. Was he turned on by a ghost? No, not really. He was just interested in that topic of conversation. That’s what he told to himself to believe that there was nothing weird happening on his mind.   

“It’s our connection. See?” - Lee Know went towards him, trying to grab his hand, but his own hand crossed Han’s body without any effort. - “You can see me, but you can’t interact with me in that way. Because we’re not bonded yet”.   

“So what, if I get bonded with you, you’ll be seen by everyone and all those things?”  

“Not at all”. - He laughed. - “Only you can see me. And only we can see that ring. For the world, I no longer exist”.   

“That’s so confused”. - Indeed it was. There was so many rules about deceased people interacting with the living that they should come with a book.  

“You should read the book”. - Lee Know whispered.  

“What are you talking about”.  

“That book”. - He pointed towards the bedside table.  

When Han looked at the book, he grabbed it instantly. It was in a bright purple color, rich enough for the golden letters almost to disappear on it. When picking it put, he looked at the title, it stated: “I married a ghost. Now what? - From the best-seller author of How to Exorcise your Own Husband and Hungry or Nymphomaniac? A guide to sex with Zombies”. The cover also had an illustration of a marriage on which only the bride seen herself on the mirror, but the husband wasn’t there since he was a ghost.   

“Is this for real?” - He asked raising that book.   

“Does it look fake to you?” - Lee Know asked him, sitting by his side on the bed. - “I know it’s a lot to take in, but you should read it”.  

“And where’s the divorce part?” - He tried to read the summary, looking for that chapter, but almost all of the book was empty. Only the first chapter was available for him to read at that moment. - “This book doesn’t have all of its pages”.  

“Oh, it does”. - His husband whispered. - “The thing is that you can’t jump from sections and chapters to find what you want, just like our life, or afterlife, you need to follow the rules”.   

“Fucking annoying”.  

“How can such a beautiful face curse so much?” - Lee Know asked him.  

“Ugh, go away!” - He begged. - “I just want to get some sleep before going to work”.   

“Fine”. - Lee Know stated, looking at Bbama. - “Wanna go to the couch?” - The dog barked before following him.  

“I thought you said only I could see you”. - Han whispered, confused. Lino turned around, with a smile on his face.   

“Animals are different. They are sensitive, you know? That’s why cats stare at places that there’s nothing to look at, or dogs bark at the air with nothing around them”. - Unlike Jisung, he had a lot of patience to explain the things to him, and at that moment he noticed that indeed throughout his life he had seen cats and dogs interacting with the air and never thought that it could be because of ghosts. - “But you should rest. And read your book”.   

“I’ll do it when I want to, ok?” - Han rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to oblige his orders. What was he thinking? That he was part of his army or something? He wasn’t his captain.  

But as soon as Lee Know left him alone, Han walked towards the door, closing it and coming back to his bed. He grabbed the book, looking at it and sighing. He was going to read it, but not because that ghost told him to do so, but because he was... Curious. Of course, he was a detective. Curiosity is part of the job. And so, he started to read that book. He was still on the first page when he fell asleep. On his dream, nothing special had happened, and while at it, he thought to himself how life would be if he woke up and didn’t had to worry anymore about that ghost that was now his husband.  

Chapter Text

Han woke up like nothing had happened. He stretched himself still laying down on his bed, and soon opened his eyes. He thought Bbama would be on top of him like he usually did, but there was nothing. He looked around and found that his door was closed. He remembered that he did that before going to sleep, but that felt like a crazy dream, or nightmare. He started to think that all that could be true, but once he looked on top of him, that book was nowhere to be found. Good, maybe it was, after all, a nightmare.   

He got up, still on his boxers and walked towards his bedroom door, opening it and seeing that everything was quiet. Bbama was sleeping on the couch, looking as peaceful as usual, so he decided to go to him and show some affection for him by touching his fur. He didn’t moved, the dog was sleeping like a rock.   

What was odd, however, was the smell that he could feel coming from the kitchen. Why did it smelled like coffee and... Pudding?! He didn’t made any pudding, so why did it smelled like that? He approached the kitchen, but once he saw the scene, he almost passed out. There he was, the ghost from his crazy nightmare, trying to cook something while eating pudding.   

“Good morning, hubby”. - He whispered with a smile on his face. - “You should do some groceries. There was barely enough for a batch of pudding”.  

“H-How... You... YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE!” - He screamed.  

“Nonsense. I can cook”. - Lino stated after grabbing a spoon full of pudding and putting into his mouth. - “It tastes like nothing, but I can still remember how it should taste. Awkward. I thought that by now I could feel the taste of things”. - He shrugged.  

“Fuck”. - Jisung looked at his hand and the ring was there. It was no crazy nightmare. It was all real.   

“See, you completed the chapter one, didn’t you?” - Lino kept talking to him, while serving him with a coffee mug, but keeping it on top of the counter since he still couldn’t interact with Jisung.  

“How are you cooking?! You’re a ghost, you shouldn’t be able to touch anything!” - Han was annoyed as he could be, and that also made Lino a bit annoyed.  

“Ok, you didn’t read the whole chapter”. - Lino leaned towards the counter, grabbing his pudding and trying to eat one more spoon. - “This is what it could be called as a... Let’s say, a possession. I can interact with inanimate objects. That’s why I made you coffee, sweetheart”.   

“I’M NOT YOUR SWEETHEART!” - He raised his voice. - “Or your hubby!”  

“You’re not a morning person either”. - The ghost stated, sighing soon after. - “You should get ready to work. That magic wallet you have kept ringing. There’s an awful sound everytime it rings”.  

“It’s... It’s my cellphone”. - Han rolled his eyes, grabbing his phone that was nearby. - “Oh it’s Felix. He usually gives me a ride to the office and when he calls me it means that he can’t pick me up for the day... Fun fact, one time we...” - He stopped, looking at the ghost that was interested to hear about that story. - “Oh, why am I even talking to you?”  

“We’re married. Communication is key to keep a happy marriage. That’s what my father used to say”. - Lino talked back to him, looking at Han with disapproval.   

“Whatever” - He rolled his eyes. - “Could you not be... Possessing things while I’m out? I don’t want my neighbors to think that something’s going on”.  

“I don’t think they’ll mind. They’ll probably think it’s your dog”. - He whispered, grabbing another spoon of pudding and making a sad expression as soon as he realized he still couldn’t taste that. - “Could you start caring about me?”  

“The fuck?” - Han asked, looking at him with nothing but confusion on his mind.  

“Chapter One, Page Seventeen, Fourth Paragraph: A ghost will start to feel his senses as soon as his loved-one starts caring about him”. - Lino recited that part of the book, which made Han’s eyes roll.  

“Well, then you should find yourself a loved-one!” - He winked at Lino, who looked disappointed to what he had just heard.   

Han didn’t mind. He walked to his bedroom, grabbing a clean shirt and putting it on without buttoning up, and was busy trying to fit his pants when Lee Know arrived at the bedroom, looking at his butt without any kind of discretion, but a smile on his lips.  

“You have a huge one”. - He pointed to his ass. - “Your pants are too tight”.   

“No they’re not”. - Han was insulted. Was he calling him a fat-ass? He was not such a thing.  

“I like it, but”. - Lino approached him. - “You’re a married man now. You should not use such tight fabric on yourself. I’m a jealous man”.  

“And what the fuck you’re gonna do about it, huh? Possess my pants or something?” - He asked him in a defying way. Han was overconfident on that situation thinking that he had the high ground and nothing could hit him, but Lino quickly grabbed his pants, ripping them at the back pocket. - “HEY WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?”  

“See? Too tight”. - Lino said, with the back pocket of Jisung’s pants on his hands.  - “Find another one”.  

“Man, you gotta be kidding me”. - Han was pissed. Why was that ghost doing all that? He acted like if they were really married when he couldn’t even touch him. He could touch his clothes, but not... Him.   

“Should I rip the other one?” - Lino asked. His body was close to Han’s, but the detective couldn’t feel his breath, or his scent. He didn’t had any after all. However, when their eyes met, Han felt something between his legs. - “Oh. You’re a grower, hubby”.  

“GO AWAY!” - He said trying to push Lino, but that only made Han’s body go through the ghost, falling on the ground with his head against the floor. That made a bruise on his forehead. - “DAMN YOU! I HATE YOU”  

“You’re dramatic, you know that?” - Lino said, kneeling and trying to look at Jisung’s bruise, but his hand couldn’t touch his face or even move his hair that was all messed up after falling. - “Don’t worry, my love. I’ll fetch you some ice for your forehead”.  

“Can’t you just leave me alone?” - Han was embarrassed. He had his pants ripped, a boner between his legs and now a bruise on his forehead. He was such a mess at that moment that he only thought that if he was left alone he would be better.  

But it was for no use. Lino left him, of course, but not because he was going to respect his requests. He left Jisung only to comeback with a piece of cloth with ice inside. It was for his forehead.   

“This will help”. - He whispered, putting it next to Han. - “Put it on top of your forehead”.  

“I KNOW HOW ICE SHOULD WORK”. - He rolled his eyes. - “I’m not some idiot, you know? I’m a pretty smart guy!”  

“Anyone who has to say that is smart is not that smart”. - Lino stated, walking towards Han’s wardrobe and looking at his clothes while Han was busy pressing the ice against his bruise. - “This will look good”.  

“Why would I wear that?”  

“What’s wrong with it?” - The ghost asked, raising the outfit he picked towards Han’s direction.  

“It’s...” - There was nothing wrong with it. Actually, it was a nice outfit, but he wasn’t going to admit it. - “It’s just wrong”.  

“Fine”. - Lino stopped helping him at that moment, looking at Han and stretching his arm towards him so he could pick his hand and get up, but Han looked at him with judgement on his face. - “Right, you still can’t touch me”. - He blushed. - “Do you want me to make your lunch so you can take it to work?”  

“Why would you do that? And aren’t you on some kind of revenge or something?” - Han was desperate to get rid of Lino.   

“Chapter Two, Page Eight, Paragraph Nine. A ghost can only leave the building where he was once summoned once his loved-one misses him so he can leave his original place”. - Lino sighed. - “Please read the book. It’s exhausting to keep repeating everything to you”.  

“I will, okay? You’re so bossy”. - Han rolled his eyes, finally deciding to put on the pants that Lino has chosen for him and starting to button up his shirt. - “You’re not in the army anymore”.  

“Huh”. - Lee Know stopped, looking at Han and offering to button his shirt, but Han pretended that he didn’t noticed the ghost’s hands coming towards him. He could be stubborn when he wanted to.   

“I’m going to work. Please take care of Bbama when I’m out”. - Bbama was still sleeping on the couch, and as soon as he said that, Han wondered why he was asking something from Lino since he didn’t even wanted him there in the first place.  

“Have a nice day!” - The ghost waved goodbye at him, with a small smile on his face that made him look victorious on that discussion. That made Han even more pissed at him.  

...

“I was worried that you lost the time”. - Felix said as soon as Han opened the door of the detective’s office. The blonde one was busy with a donut on his hand and a piece of paper on his hand from one of his cases.   

“No... I’m just a bit late”. - Han sighed while putting his things on his desk. - “Nothing to worry about!”  

“Really?” - Felix asked walking towards him and giving the other donut to Jisung. - “Because you look like you’re worried”.  

“It’s nothing... Just some nightmares”. - He started eating that donut, appreciating Felix for giving him something sweet to start his day. He needed that amount of sugar to ensure that he would endure having a ghost in his life.   

“Here, grab a napkin”. - Felix said while handling that item to him. Han looked at his friend and could swear that there was something different about his aura, but he couldn’t put a finger on it at that moment. - “By the way, Changbin is looking for you since he arrived”.  

“Fuck”. - Jisung knew that it wasn’t going to be good. - “Do you know where he’s at?”  

“Last time I saw him, he was cursing next to his desk”. - Felix pointed at the direction, but Han got up and went to the opposite way. - “Hey, that’s the other way!”  

“I know!” - Han was going to make his best to just avoid seeing Changbin for as long as he could so that he missed all the preaching that he would do since he didn’t followed his orders.  

It was a great idea on the paper, but the execution was poor. Han went to the corridor trying to avoid Changbin, but on his way he found a way worse opponent. Nichkhun, his boss, was coming from the opposite side, seeing some papers on his hand and holding his coffee mug on the other. He looked stressed as usual, but when Han thought about start to walk backwards and avoid him as well, his boss looked up and saw his face.  

“Han Jisung”. - He said on a serious tone. - “We need to talk”.  

“But... Why... I didn’t do anything...” - He was trying to convince him that it wasn’t his fault of anything that happened last night, but his boss wasn’t easily persuaded.  

“Come to my office”. - Nichkhun said, walking with him towards one of the few private rooms of that office.   

Nichkhun name was on the door, as well as a small title “Head of Department” right below his name. His office wasn’t a place that people used to go for good reasons, but for bad ones. Once the door was opened, Han could see how everything was on the inside. The walls were gray, with small details on them following a pattern of white chrysanthemums all around. There were plenty of bookcases from the most various titles that could be imagined and at the center there was his boss desk, with a plaque with his name as well as a small plant, his notebook and two chairs at the front so that people could seat.   

His boss pointed for him to seat as he did that as well, and his elbows were put on top of the desk while his fingers were crossed. He stared at Jisung for a while, mere instants that were enough for the clumsy detective to think about all the reasons that he could be fired.   

“Changbin told me that you retrieved one of our cold cases”. - Nichkhun started to talk. His eyes were like knifes crossing Jisung’s body. He was busted. - “Do you know why there are some cases that people can’t deal with?”  

“N-No, sir”. - Han was so pressed that he could simply faint or cry at that moment. His legs were shaking at that moment, and he thought about how he could afford his rent if he was going to be fired.  

“Not all cases deal with this realm”. - Han looked confused. What was he talking about? Did he know about the ghosts? - “See, Han, we work as private detectives for some ridiculous cases. Theft, lost pets, all that shit, but that’s merely a facade”.   

“Huh?” - At that moment, Changbin knocked on the door, opening it and sitting by Han’s side.  

“Did you already tell him?” - Changbin asked his boss.  

“I was about to”.  

“Tell me what?” - Han looked at both, so confused that his head shook a bit while trying to look into the eyes of Changbin and Nichkhun.  

“We’re a private agency for supernatural cases around the country”. - Nichkhun started to explain to him. - “We deal with demons, vampires, all of those things. And of course, ghosts”.  

“But you should know that by now”. - Changbin intervened, crossing his arms while his boss judged his other detective for cutting him. - “Come on, he’s already on his supernatural experience, we know that!”  

“I’m... I’m not following. I’m just trying to close that case from the unknown soldier”. - He was a terrible liar.  

“Don’t try to lie to my face, Han Jisung”. - Nichkhun shook his head. - “Not when I know that you have one of my books with you”.  

“Huh?! The Ghost book? You’re the author?!” - That was something that he didn’t see it coming. Since when was his boss involved in that kind of stuff?  

“You’re talking to one of the best authors of the supernatural world. Show some respect”. - Changbin joked with Han, punching him in his arm without much strengh, but was enough for Han to scream in pain. He was a bit of a drama queen.  

“But that book looks so old... You should be hundreds of years old”. - He laughed, but neither Changbin nor Nichkhun laughed with him. - “Oh... You are?”  

“He’s going on 900th next month. I told him we should throw a party”. - Changbin smiled. - “But he said that after the sixth century birthdays aren’t funny anymore”.   

“Wow... You must have seen so many things”. - He was shocked. His boss looked really well for someone so old.   

“And have you wondered why Changbin is always involved on those physical cases that makes him look so buff and stuff?” - Nichkhun started to talk. Han looked at him with curiosity and nodded with his head. There was something else, he knew it. - “Well, he’s a demon hunter”.  

“That’s why Felix hates me so much” - Changbin started to laugh.  

“Wait, what?” - Han was confused as usual, but at this time he was even more confused. There were so many new things for him to understand that it was difficult for him to keep it up. - “Felix is a demon?”  

“Oh. No, you got it wrong”. - The muscled one kept laughing while shaking both of his hands. - “Felix is far from a demon”.  

“This keeps getting more and more confusing”.  

“Let me make it a bit clearer for you, then”. - Changbin tapped Han on his shoulder, without much strength, but even so it made his shoulder hurt a bit. - “My family comes from a long line of exorcists. Famous for handling the most notorious cases from our country”.  

“Wow, that’s impressive”. - Han paused. - “So wait a minute. Am I the only one that has nothing to do with the supernatural world?” - His eyes gazed both guys on the room, that looked at each other in response. Changbin pointed towards Nichkhun, asking for him to take the lead on that subject.  

“It’s complicated”. - His boss started to explain to him. - “See, how can I say that...”  

“There’s only one easy way to say it”. - The other one intervened while Han looked at his ring. He knew that only he could see it, but the attention that he gave to his left hand was enough for both Changbin and Nichkhun to look at him once again. - “Oh... It already happened, huh”.  

“Wh-What are you talking about?”  

“You’re looking at your finger nonstop”. - Changbin kept talking. - “You already made your contact with the ghost”. - He looked towards Nichkhun, who frowned and shook his head. - “We should act”.  

“What do you mean with that?” - Han was caught on a situation that he didn’t even knew that existed in the first place, and now he was obsessed to figure it out on how to get out of it.  

“I thought it wouldn’t be so quick”. - His boss whispered, opening one of his drawers from his desk and taking one of his papers, searching for something on a manuscript. - “Usually the ghost only appears after a few days. That’s what happened to all of the other cases”.  

“But boss, you know that this is not an ordinary ghost”. - Changbin’s hands closed on a wrist. - “He’s already affecting Han. That’s bad”.  

“Not necessarily”. - He paused. Han just looked at them while they talked. He had nothing to give to that conversation, and it looked like the more he could talk, the worse it would be. - “It’s about attachment. We should have thought about that”. - Nichkhun raised one of those papers and slide it towards both the boys. - “See. This record from the early 70’s shows that once a ghost made contact with one of our detectives in a fortnight. But on the late 80’s, a ghost made contact on only two days”.  

“Still. One night is... Impressive”. - Changbin whispered, while Nichkhun nodded with his head. Han kept himself quiet, unable to understand anything that they were talking about at that moment.  

“Lovely conversation, but”. - Han decided to interrupt. - “What should I do with all that you’re talking about?”  

“You’ve done enough, don’t you think?” - His boss reprehended him. - “A posthumous marriage on the 21 st century. That’s not an ordinary thing”.  

“I could exorcise him”. - Changbin offered himself. - “The ghost would be gone for good, and the case would be closed”.  

“That’s not how we work, and you know that”. - That argument made Changbin roll his eyes. Han was still lost on everything that was happening, since none of them were giving any kind of response to him. - “Han is now attached to the ghost. And he’s the only one that’s able to set him free”.  

“So I’m an exorcist now?” - Jisung was more than confused. At the last few minutes, he went from an ordinary detective to someone that shouldn’t have done something to an exorcist. Way too much information.  

“It’s more complicated than that”. - Nichkhun whispered while Changbin sighed. - “You’re under a soul connection. It’s much deeper than what it seems”.  

“Soul connection? I didn’t even meet that guy until last night!”  

“If you say so”. - His boss shrugged, looking at the boys once again. - “We’ll just need to keep an eye opened to see what will happen on the next few days. You’re free to go, Jisung”.  

“So I’m not fired?!” - That was still his main concern. - “That’s great! Thank you, boss!”  

Jisung left the room with a smile on his face. All that talk made him dizzy and all that he wanted was a nice cup of coffee so he could think about the day of work that he had ahead of him. However, once he closed his door, Changbin looked at Nichkhun. His expression was concerned, while his boss looked serene as always.  

“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?” - The muscled one asked him.  

“He’s not ready yet. He’s still processing everything”. - His boss knew what was best for Han at that moment, and it wasn’t to tell him everything. - “He’ll understand it eventually”.  

...

After his work, Han arrived to his home finding it completely cleaned. Bbama was still sleeping at the couch, but the place smelled like something was cooking at the oven. Jisung was not the greatest cook, and his idea of a great dinner was an instant noodle with eggs. He was completely astonished when he walked towards the kitchen and found not one, but two pans of food still boiling and cooking what was inside, and the smell of all the flavors came towards his nose and made him smile. What a nice surprise. He even grabbed a spoon, taking a bit of that broth and putting it into his mouth. It was amazing.  

“Hubby?” - Lino arrived at the kitchen. He didn’t had his military uniform on, but a white shirt, an apron and a pair of pants. At that time, he wasn’t walking, but floating. - “How was your day?”  

“ARGH! WHY ARE YOU FLOATING?” - Han was scared. The spoon was thrown from his hand towards the ghost, passing through him.  

“You said it yourself that I should float since I’m a ghost”. - He shook his head. - “You’re a difficult man to please”. - He walked towards the spoon, grabbing it and taking it into the sink, starting to clean it. - “How was your day?”  

“It was weird, but not enough since you decided that you need to float around my house! You know, Bbama will think that you’re a toy and try to bite you”. - He was still trying to find an argument to make him walk like he was until he left for work.  

“Nonsense”. - He replied. - “He’s a great dog. He already sees me as one of his owners”.  

“But you shouldn’t float!”  

“And why is that?” - Lino stopped cleaning the spoon, taking a dishcloth to dry the spoon, looking at Han with a smile on his face. - “It’s because you don’t want me to float? Because you need to say it”.  

“Why would I say it? I don’t care if you float! I’d expect for you to float way out of here anytime!” - Han kept arguing with him, pointing towards the window.  

“Because I want to please you”. - Lee Know said without hesitation. - “I walked and you complained. I floated and you complained. I’m trying to make my husband happy when he arrives home from a stressful day at work”.  

“I’m not your husband!”. - He shouted while the ghost pointed towards the finger on his left hand. - “I hate you!”  

“I’m going to set the table for us”. - He opened the fridge, pouting for the first time. - “You didn’t bought pudding”.  

“You can’t even taste it!” - Han rolled his eyes. Why was he so obsessed with pudding? It wasn’t even that good, to be fair.  

Lino walked away, setting the table for both, taking the time to even light a candle to try to make it a bit more romantic. Han decided to give in. He looked at the book that was inside his suitcase, reading it a bit while sitting on the kitchen counter. He was trying to be discreet on his own way, thinking that the ghost wouldn’t notice what he was doing, but once Lee Know went back to grab the pans, he found Jisung reading that book and smiled instantly.  

“So, you’re reading”. - He whispered with a smile on his face, approaching the detective. - “Thank you”.  

“I’m not reading it because of you! I’m reading it to get rid of you!” - Han stated. - “Completely different!”  

“Should I serve your dinner, hubby?” - He tried to put one of his hands on Han’s knee, but the hand went through his body like it did the last time. They still weren’t bonded on that way.  

“I’M NOT YOUR-” - The doorbell rang. Han went away from the counter, walking to the door and opening it.  

Once opened, he noticed that it wasn’t his landlord, but his husband: Christopher. The whole floor had its lights on due to the hour since the sun had already set, and the man across the door smiled at him politely as usual. No other door was opened. In fact, no other neighbor was in sight. Everyone was already inside their homes having dinner or busy eating out. It was just the two of them at that moment.  

“Han. I want to say that we’re sorry. I know that my husband complained to you about the noise last night...” - He smiled, with his pale skin looking brighter than the usual. Han never noticed that about him.  

“Oh, no problem!”. - Han liked Christopher. He was politer than Seungmin and normally didn’t show up until late at night because of his work hours, at least that’s what Seungmin always told him.  

“Do you mind if I come in?” - He asked him, still at his door.  

“Don’t you dare”. - Lino’s voice came from the kitchen, walking towards Han and stopping at his side. Chirstopher didn’t noticed anything, but his nose made a small twitch, like he could smell something different.  

“I... Uh...” - Han was frozen. Christopher was still looking at him with a smile on his face, while Lino’s hand tried to grab Jisung’s wrist, but with no success. No bond yet.  

“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re with your dinner already set. Waiting for someone special?” - The other asked him. - “I should stop by at other time. Anyway, just want to say sorry about what happened”.  

“Oh, don’t wor-” - The door was slammed by Lee Know, that looked at Han with a furious face. - “HEY, HE’S MY NEIGHBOR!”  

“He’s a vampire”. - Lino rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and looking at his husband with a judgmental look. - “Haven’t you noticed that?”  

“I... Why would I?” - Jisung sighed, thinking about opening his door and saying he was sorry to Christopher and that it was the wind that closed the door, but Lino’s face made him hesitate to do that. - “He’s the husband of my landlord”.  

“And a vampire”. - He enforced it.  

“Okay, now that’s fucking ridiculous”.  

“No need to curse”. - He still wasn’t fond of the way that Jisung talked, which explained why he was always judging him when he did that. - “Have you ever seen him during the day?”  

“No... He works all day!” - That’s what Seungmin always told him when they saw each other on the hall.  

“And did he ever entered your house without asking?”  

“No... He’s polite!” - At least it was the way that Han saw things. He could be in denial, but it was his way of thinking.  

“And what about his fangs?” - Lino was getting impatient.  

“Well, it could be genetics!” - Many people could have fangs due to genetics. It didn’t mean that they were vampires! Han wasn’t going to accept it so easily.  

“Damn it, hubby!” - Lino cursed for the first time. Not an actual curse word, but next to it. - “I’m trying to protect you. You know, he could have drenched you without hesitation if you allowed him in. I can’t do anything physically with anyone to protect you yet”.  

“What do you mean by that?” - He frowned. Why was Lino so obsessed with protecting him when Han didn’t cared about him at all?  

“You’ll understand when you read the book”. - He rolled his eyes, locking his door just in case. - “Let’s not expect that you have also werewolves or anything else next door”.  

“Whatever. Let’s eat, I’m hungry”. - Han dismissed him, walking to the table and noticing how Lino had prepared a nice dinner table. It had everything a restaurant would have, and that impressed him the most. However, when he started to serve himself, he noticed that the ghost was still by his front door. - “Won’t you eat with me?”  

“I’m not hungry”. - He whispered.  

“Well, of course not. You’re a ghost. Ghosts are never hungry!”. - Han laughed. - “But you made everything, so you should eat with me”.  

“You just found out that your neighbor is a vampire and you didn’t react about it”. - Lino frowned. - “Yet, when I say anything about me, you freak out every single time”.  

“Well, that’s because I’m not married to Christopher, duh!” - He rolled his eyes. Wasn’t it obvious? What Christopher was or did wasn’t anywhere near anything that would keep Jisung awake at night, but Lee Know, on the other hand, would.  

“So you care about me?” - Lee Know asked him, looking at Jisung that stopped eating at that moment, taking a second to think about that.  

“In a way, yes”. - He shrugged. - “I care about you so I know when you’re going to leave my house”.  

“That’s better than nothing”. - He whispered, approaching Han and sitting in front of him, serving himself with the food and starting to eat. However, something was different. At the moment that Lino put the spoon into his mouth, he moaned in pleasure due to the taste of the food.  

“Huh... Weird”. - Han frowned. - “Why are you moaning?”  

“It’s... Well, I can finally taste something”. - Lino smiled. His smile was bright. Han was hypnotized by it for a few seconds. Even Lee Know’s eyes were sparkling with joy to becoming more attached to the reality, and while he went for another spoonful, Jisung started to think about what just happened.  

“Wait a minute”. - He paused, trying to grab Lino’s arm so he stopped eating, but his hand went across his body. - “You couldn’t feel the taste until a few hours ago!”  

“I know”. - The ghost smiled. - “Thank you, hubby”.  

“I’M NOT YOUR HUBBY!” - He really hated when Lino called him that.  

What just happened was that at the moment that Lino defended Jisung, although he pretended that he didn’t cared, something switched inside of him. Han noticed how the ghost was protective of him, and when himself got scared to open the door to say he was sorry to Christopher due to Lino’s expression it was clearer that he was starting to think more and more about him. Lino wasn’t just a ghost that happened to be his husband. He was starting to be present in his life and in his feelings. Something that Han didn’t predicted. Of course, when he stated that he cared about Lee Know it also happened to that. The ghost was now able to taste things. He had the opportunity to taste his own food after decades.  

It was a huge moment for Lino, that giggled to himself after taking another spoon of the food that he just made, while Han thought to himself if what was happening was right. Was his life meant to be attached to a ghost? Why he couldn’t live a normal love life like everyone else? Was there even something normal about a love life? That’s a huge question as well since he found out that most of the people that he knew weren’t what could be considered normal at all for start.  

“I need to... Sleep”. - Han stated after looking at Lino eating all of his bowl. - “I’m tired”.  

“I’ll be on the couch”. - The ghost whispered. - “Can I eat a bit more or do you want to take some with you tomorrow for lunch?”  

“No, no”. - Han sighed, looking at Lino once again after getting up from the table and excusing himself. - “Please, eat all you want”.  

“Thank you, hubby”. - He smiled, winking at him and serving himself a bit more.  

“I’m not your... Ugh, forget it”. - Han rolled his eyes, walking towards his bedroom.  

But he didn’t close the door. He kept a small space to look at the table. Lino kept giggling and smiling to himself, eating the food and being the most adorable person that Han had ever met. Han himself was also smiling by the view that he had, especially after Lino stopped eating and went towards Bbama on the couch and started to talk to the dog about how he could taste things now.  

Why he cared about it? Was he already feeling attached to someone that he couldn’t even touch? It was like giving another opportunity for Lee Know to find out about the world, but still, was it worth it? When he noticed that he was still behind the door looking at Lino, that was busy playing with Bbama’s tummy, he rolled his eyes, trying to forget everything that he just saw. He could simply let it go and never think about it again. It would be better, right?  

He took his clothes off, taking a shower and thinking about what he had figured out about his job, his neighbors, and about the ghost that was his husband. He looked at the ring on his hand, sighing after thinking that this would be his reality. He wasn’t going to love someone that he could touch, he could grab by the hand and sleep together. He was on a hostage situation of freeing a troubled spirit. He only left the bathroom when the steam was too high that the mirror was blurred.  

Han didn’t bother to dress himself, he went naked towards his bed, lying on the bed and putting a blanket on top of himself, just at the height of his waist. Without thinking too much, he decided to grab the book once again. He had finished the first chapter, but was into the second. Like if destiny had already found out about what was happening between them, and what was happening with Han’s feelings, there it was: a chapter that was focused on attachments with ghosts. He looked at the title, and thought about it for a second.  

Should he read it? Should he really know what would happen when he was permanently attached to Lino? Just by seeing him being able to taste something was enough for him to feel strange things for that ghost, but now, was he supposed to know what would happen if he developed even more feelings for him? Would it be a good addition to his life? Or should he just run away and forget about that?  

Curiosity was something that was on his vocabulary, and although he wanted to know what would happen if he would develop real feelings for Lee Know, he didn’t had the option to jump from pages to the ones that were ahead. He needed to read every single one of them. And so he did. He started reading the second chapter, without even knowing that while he thought about what would happen between them on that relationship, Lee Know was doing the same.  

However, the ghost was channeling that feeling while doing the dishes and taking a bit of the leftovers into some containers so Jisung could take it to work on the next day. Lee Know thought about everything that could happen between them as well, but unlike Jisung he wasn’t scared. He was thrilled. He thought that, for the first time in decades, he could have a chance to be important in someone’s life, especially because since his original time on Earth, it looked like his whole existence had been completely forgotten. Han was his new hope for a brighter future, and he swore to himself that he would protect that clumsy detective no matter what.