Guilt.

It was what made Ilsung speed towards the hospital, praying that he wouldn't get pulled over.

Guilt.

It was what made Ilsung squeal into the rain slicked parking lot and race for the building as Jongsu's words played on a loop in his mind.

'I found out the truth. He really is still alive.'

Guilt.

It was what made Ilsung practically manic at the emergency room desk as he asked for Lee Know's room. His parents, who were within ear shot in the waiting room, looked his way but Ilsung was too preoccupied to notice.

Guilt.

It was what made the nurse working the desk wary, calling out for a man who identified himself as Changbin to deal with him. Ilsung begged a skeptical looking Changbin to take him to where Lee Know was before he was finally escorted there.

Now that he was standing in the doorway, Ilsung felt the weight in his chest ease ever so slightly.

'He's alive. He is staring at me like I have two heads, but he's alive...'

Minho stared at Ilsung as he stood there, wondering why he looked as panicked as he did. Chris stayed alongside his bed, only visible to him, as he watched Ilsung approach Minho.

"You're alive."

"I am," said Minho calmly. "Why do you sound surprised?"

Minho's question had Ilsung open and close his mouth, unsure how to respond. Minho looked past Ilsung at where Changbin stood by the door.

"Could you guard the outside of the door for a moment so we can speak alone?" asked Minho.

Nodding, Changbin moved to leave the room, but not without one further glance behind his shoulder before he shut the door. The tension left in the room was too thick to even be cut by a knife. Minho reached a hand over to the bedside dresser where the folder was, holding it out so that Ilsung had no choice but to look down at it.

"Where did you get that?" asked Ilsung eventually, taking the folder in his hands as he looked at the name written on it.

"I think you know," said Minho, "Just like how you knew I was here."

Ilsung looked up from the folder as he locked eyes with a very passive faced Minho.

"How are you connected to Jongsu?" asked Minho. "If you have ever respected me as an employee, I need you to just tell me the truth. After all, I almost died tonight."

"It's a long story..."

"Good thing I can't go anywhere," said Minho, not willing to budge on his stance towards getting the truth.

"Jongsu is my younger brother," Ilsung said with a sigh, sinking into a nearby chair as if the confession weighed him down.

Minho remained silent as he waited for Ilsung to continue. Chris meanwhile was staring intently at Ilsung. Minho could sense the stare, turning to look at Chris without making it obvious. When he locked eyes with the other, he gave him a, 'what's up' look.

"He looks familiar for some reason," said Chris, "even though I know I've never met him."

The longer that Chris stared at Ilsung, the more that feeling that he seemed familiar pestered him. Minho left Chris to practically stare into Ilsung's soul as he turned his attention back to Ilsung.

"I felt like it was my job as his older brother to protect him and keep guiding him towards the right path..." Ilsung started to say.

"Which means what?" asked Minho. "Are you saying he was on the wrong path before?"

Ilsung nodded, rubbing the palms of his hands anxiously over his knees.

"It started when he was younger. He exhibited odd behavior that had our father putting him on medication," explained Ilsung, "but there was one day when I was babysitting him that things didn't go as planned...I should have known then the slippery slope we were both on. If only I knew promising to protect him no matter what would result in all of this..."

As Ilsung rambled on and on as if he was a sinner at confessional, memories from his younger self started to bubble to the surface in Chris' mind. As the memories came back to him, it felt like the hospital room dissolved from around him. He was once more in the rain-soaked park of his childhood, looking at a four-year-old version of himself that stood in front of him looking terrified as his mother was being strangled to death.

"You should have just followed me...why didn't you follow me?!" snapped the man doing the strangling. "You manipulated me...took everything from me!"

Chris' eyes widened as the memory dissolved and a sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach.

That was why Ilsung looked familiar.

"I think his brother killed my mother," said Chris, Minho the only witness that heard the revelation before an even darker one crossed Chris' mind as another thing his mother's killer had said came to mind.

- - -

Standing in a mini cubby of sorts in the hallway of the hospital, the two vending machines hummed in front of them as Hyunjin scanned the contents for what he wanted to eat.

"Everything is so overpriced," he said with a tsk, causing Bonita to chuckle as he eventually pointed out the thing that he wanted.

Since he still had one arm about her to stay upright, Bonita used her free hand to get the item. As the vending machine worked on dispensing it, the two of them turned when they heard people coming down the hallway in their direction. Rounding the corner as they were escorted by Han, Seungmin immediately came rushing over, leaving Felix and I.N behind.

"What are you doing out of bed? Do you have a death wish?!" asked Seungmin.

"I'm not going to die because I'm getting myself food from a vending machine," Hyunjin said with a chuckle, rolling his eyes as Seungmin bent to grab what had been dispensed from the vending machine.

"Did you find him?" asked Bonita as she looked at Felix and I.N, watching as they both nodded.

Hyunjin turned from the conversation as it continued when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye at the end of the hallway. It was none other than Chris, and even though he was a ghost, he was as pale as if he had seen one.

"Are you okay?" asked Hyunjin as Chris shook his head.

"Can you ask Felix something for me?" asked Chris.

"Hey, Felix," said Hyunjin, turning from Chris to look at Felix. The conversation going on about Bang Chan had ceased when Hyunjin had appeared to be talking to thin air a second ago. "I have something I need to ask you..."

- - -

Seated in the back seat of the car in the parking lot once more, Bang Chan looked at the hospital before him. His mind was still reeling from everything that had just happened to him. He wondered what would have happened to him if Felix, I.N, and Seungmin hadn't found him when they did.

As Bang Chan tore his eyes away from the hospital, he looked down at one of his hands. His eyes widened as he looked at it. The action had been as quick as the flicker of a camera, but he had still seen the translucent effect that had come across his hand for a moment before it appeared to go back to normal.

"I must be starting to fade," said Bang Chan out loud to himself with a sigh.

Outside the car, Bang Chan was unaware of Felix and I.N's approach as they walked back across the wet parking lot towards the car. Tucked in Felix's hand was a letter that Hyunjin had written out on a napkin from the cafeteria containing what Chris wanted Felix to ask Bang Chan to do.

"It's odd that Bang Chan can't see Chris," said Felix as they walked, not being any wiser to the fact that Chris was currently following along behind the two of them.

"Yeah," said I.N with a sigh, looking about them as they walked as a chill came into the air. "I mean...I wish I could see him. To think he's been here all along..."

Felix stopped short of the car, draping one of his arms about I.N to give him a tight half-hug.

"Just think. He's been watching over you this whole time," Felix said, "and something tells me, he would give you a hug if he could."

"I would," said Chris with tears in his own eyes, unheard by the both of them as he stood there. "Jeongin, I'm so sorry for everything..."

After a minute, Felix dropped his arm from about I.N to open the driver's side door, slipping inside while I.N rounded the car to get into the passenger seat. Chris meanwhile got into the backseat and sat beside Bang Chan. The moment he did, Chris watched as Bang Chan's head slowly turned to face him until their eyes locked.

"Who are you and why do you look like me?" asked Bang Chan.

Turning in the driver's seat, Felix looked to see that Bang Chan was talking to the empty seat beside him.

"You can see Chris?" Felix asked.

"I can," said Bang Chan with a nod. "I didn't used to be able to..."

'It must be because I'm starting to fade,' Bang Chan thought.

"Well, this will be more convenient then," said Chris. "Bang Chan, I have something I need you to ask my father."