My little Youngjae

Monster

"Youngjae, where are you?"

Daehyun asked as he walked out the previous door. He didn't know Jongup and Junhong for a long time, but he felt at content for both of them, and more so for himself that he had helped achieve rest for the once restless souls still trapped in his realm.

"I'm right behind you, hyung. And I saw what you did for Junhong and Jongup. Thank you so much. You don't know how happy I am."

Daehyun pondered awhile..
"Happy.." He thought. Junhong and Jongup got lifted because they got what they wanted to make them happy. Before, they were miserable, but after they met each other, they landed at the emotion in contrast.

"Youngjae.. you are still sad. I want to make you happy, no, I need to make you happy. As much as I hate to admit it, you don't belong here anymore. Staying here is feeding your sadness. You need to go, and I need to let you."

He crouched down, hoping he'd meet Youngjae's eye level. He couldn't tell.
He knew he wanted nothing more than for Youngjae to stay with him forever, but he needed to get past this. It happened already. Youngjae was dead, and he should not still be roaming around here, walking in the path of depression. There was nothing anyone could do anymore but accept it.

"You need to tell me what will make you happy, Jae."

He waited in silence and with that, he knew Youngjae was thinking. He always stayed silent when he thought deeply.
But it shouldn't be like that, right? You shouldn't and didn't need to be thinking about what made you happy so deeply. It shouldn't be that hard.

"Daehyunnie.. maybe I would be happy if you find Yongguk hyung's brother's ball. Yongguk hyung was the first one of us, other than Himchan's brother. I don't know where Himchan's brother is though, perhaps he's already happy. Yongguk hyung has been looking for his brother's ball for so long. He lost it and his brother fought him before he died. I guess agreeing to retrieve it and to give it back to his brother would make him happy, and if he'd be happy, I would be too."

Daehyun thought back to the ball he had climbed the tree for. He knew it was important! Now where did he put it...

His backpack!

He got his arm around his back and swung it front, reaching for it with a bit of uncertainty.

"Is this it?"

"I don't know. Try giving it to Yongnam. You just need to find him. I know it would be hard but, you'll do that for me, right hyung?"

Daehyun smiled sadly.
"Will it make you happy if I do?"

"Yes."

He breathed in a whisk of air. Here goes a try.

"Then I will."

Nothing happened.

Youngjae did not show up with a big smiley face. Youngjae did not show up with a body he could see. Youngjae was not granted happiness. Youngjae was not granted peace. Youngjae was miserable still.

"I guess that wasn't quite it."
Daehyun sighed but quickly held up his composure. "Regardless Youngjae, I'll need to find you." Even if that too was not Youngjae's happiness, he still needed to find his best friend.

He still needed take him home.

He regrets why he hadn't done that eight years ago.

"I know where I am. It's the last door on the left before the one where you found my backpack."

Daehyun nodded and headed to the said room.

He was expecting a room filled with more knick knacks or possibly some normal furniture like all the rest but this one was empty, save for a small chest, about half the size of an average one.