#rating:pg13

[apotatomashedbybts]

Eleutheria

or The Exit Part II

皿 Pairing: Jeon Jeongguk × OC (Park Sowon) (reader) / Jung Hoseok × OC (Lee Ji-a)

皿 Genre: Horror; Angst

皿 Trope: speculative horror, supernatural au, established relationship

皿 Word Count: 27.7k+ [sorry (^人^)]

皿 Trigger Warning: description of demonic entity, loss of loved ones, anxiety, injury, suffocating environment, deception, death

皿 Rating:PG13

皿 Banner: apotatomashedbybts

皿 Beta Reader: @theharrowing [my darlingest, Harrow! No matter how much I thank you it won't be enough! Thank you for being so patient with this piece and helping me bringing it to how it is now! Thank you for leaving so many compliments and reactions throughout the story and for putting up with my queries! They mean the world to me! And I feel like I haven't told you enough how amazing you are! Thank you for being the absolutely amazingest! Love you （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～]

皿 Disclaimer: This is a complete work of fiction. Just go with the flow, baby~

皿 Author's Note (I): It's finally here! Omg! It took me so long to complete this part... And idk if I should be proud or embarrassed to say that this isn't the end. There will be multiple chapters coming! Honestly, when I started writing this part I thought the entire story will end in this BUT the more I thought about this story the more it extended, more characters appeared, the story in my head got kinda complicated (?) So I thought I must write whatever's hotchpotch cooking inside my hot head! And it feels like it's just the beginning.

皿 Author's Note (II): It'd mean the world to me if you not only like but also REBLOG and let me know about your thoughts on this! ♡⁠(⁠˃͈⁠ ⁠દ⁠ ⁠˂͈⁠ ⁠༶⁠ ⁠). Your feedback gives me the motivation to keep on writing ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ I would love to hear any thoughts! Even if it's an incoherent screech or just a "nice"!

皿 Taglist: @here2bbtstrash ; @sahazzy ; @minisugakoobies ; @sailoryoons ; @kiara-ish

皿 Crosspost: AO3 | Wattpad

皿 Sketches for better understanding: The Sketches

皿 Series Navigation: The Exit ⇰ Eleutheria ⇰ The Balam Manor (Upcoming)

皿 Summary: Jungkook not reaching home when he was supposed to doesn't sit right with you. You set out in search of him, only to find yourself in a mysterious manor with even more mysterious people who somehow don't seem too willing to let you go.

You couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling since you last talked to Jeongguk. 

The network on the main road remains intact throughout the way. So it was weird that there was a network disruption even when the weather was fine. 

Your mom and step-father tried to reason that things like these can happen sometimes and told you to just accept the odds. But it was too much of an odd that you couldn't connect to him once even after trying his number innumerable times and that he hadn’t arrived even by dawn when it hardly takes half an hour to forty-five minutes from where Jeongguk last called you - De Ville's Crest. 

Being a detective, you had seen the worst of what not taking action in time could do to a person. So without wasting any more time you took your car and went out to search for Jeongguk as soon as dawn gave into its first moment of morning. 

After getting out of the De Ville’s Crest, you continued to drive on the main road towards the city.

Throughout the way you looked for any sign of accidents and to your relief there weren’t any. 

Asking each and every store and commercial places on the way didn’t give you any desired answers either. 

It generally takes about two and a half hours from De Ville’s Crest to reach the junction but today it took you almost four hours. 

The grocery store at the junction of the main road and the shortcut, which barely anyone used, to The Moore Estate,  caught your attention. 

You had been traveling on this road as far as your memory took you back, but in those memories there was never a grocery store like this in this lonely intersection. 

If it wasn’t for the board hung up on top of the door saying “Taehyung Groceries”, you would have mistaken it for a greenhouse with its clean glass exterior that sparkled in sunlight and the numerous plants inside that made the products kept inside hard to notice. 

That’s a rather fancy grocery store. You thought to yourself. 

But what intrigued you the most to approach the store were the CCTV cameras placed outside the store — one facing the main road and one to the shortcut. 

Maybe one of them caught something…

You stopped your car in front of the store and went inside in hopes of getting some information. 

The air that greeted you upon entering carried a subtle scent of fresh rain and the forest at dawn that you sometimes visited with your step-dad, mixed with a light soothing scent of sandalwood incense and you found it extremely easy to breathe, as if you could sense the air get in and out of you.

Behind the counter you saw an old lady who looked 60-something. With a soft smile adorning her face she almost looked like she was glowing in her white full sleeve cotton shirt, white straight-leg trousers and white straight hair that flowed effortlessly reaching her hips. 

As soon as you crossed the threshold you heard her say, voice just above a whisper, “You are here!”

“Sorry?” You asked, surprised at her unusual greeting. 

“Nothing, my dear. Tell me what you want.” She smiled and walked out from behind the counter. 

You were quick to accept her explanation as you didn't have any patience to ponder about a greeting that she might have uttered whimsically. 

Hurriedly taking out your phone you showed her a picture of Jeongguk and asked, “Can you please tell me if you have seen him some time yesterday?” 

She took the phone from your hand and looked at it with squinted eyes for a couple seconds and then while passing it to you she said, “Oh my! Yes! I saw this gentleman yesterday. He bought a bottle of water from me a little after midnight. He asked me about the shortcut to The Moore Estate.”

Your eyes looked hopeful for the first time since last night but it was quick to give up that glint as soon as you heard about the shortcut. 

“Are you sure that he actually took the shortcut?” You enquired, trying to hold on to the possibility of him not actually taking it. 

The old lady pondered for a couple seconds before replying, “Well, we can always check the CCTV footage.” 

“Really? Can you please check? That would really help me a lot!” You exclaimed, both hopeful and grateful. 

“Of course. Why not?” The old lady answered and went back to her counter where her computer was. 

After a couple minutes of impatient waiting, you got called and you almost ran the short distance. 

The footage was from the CCTV facing the shortcut and it was showing Jeongguk’s car entering the shortcut at around 12:30 am. The footage wasn’t able to record much since it seemed like as soon as Jeongguk’s car entered that foreboding road it was swallowed by an impenetrable darkness. 

You covered your face that contorted in fear and helplessness. Your legs felt like jelly. As if sensing that the lady offered you a tool to sit down. 

“Why? Why does this keep happening to me?” You whimpered.

The strange string of incidents surrounding you resulting in the disappearance of your loved ones seemed to pull you at the throat, keeping you suffocated. 

First your dad, then your best friend Hoseok, and now Jeongguk. 

You felt like you were stuck in a terrible horror game and you were failing every level. 

The shortcut was famously infamous for being one of the creepiest and most dangerous areas in the state. And only people who didn't know about this route’s fame went in it. 

There had been numerous reports of people going missing over the years after taking this road at night. 

The authorities tried to investigate the place in search of potential criminal activities behind missing persons but found none — adding to its reputation. 

But what terrified you the most was your dad's repeated warning that still echoed in your ears, “Never ever take the shortcut to The Moore Estate at night. Not even in your dreams.” 

Thinking about your dad's ceaseless warnings and what could have happened to your boyfriend, your head felt light. 

“If I hurry I can still stop something bad from happening to him, right?” You thought and got up to leave. 

But the lady held your hand and said with that kind smile intact on her face, “You are my first customer today and it’s time for breakfast, you must be hungry. Have some sandwiches before you leave.”

She was right. No matter how much of an emotional wreckage you were, your body had its demands and the low grumble in your stomach was a definite whistle-blower. 

You sat down obediently and the lady brought two fluffy egg and bacon sandwiches on a plate for you. You told yourself that you must shove these down your throat and get going but these were hands down the best sandwiches you ever had, and God knew how hard you were trying not to relish on the taste or the relaxation that spread throughout your frazzled back instantly after you took the first bite.

As you were paying for the food and taking back the change in the counter, the lady asked, “Are you going to find your boyfriend?”

“Yes! I must hurry.” You nodded. 

The fact that you didn't mention to her about Jeongguk being your boyfriend had totally gone out of your mind. You also brushed off the fact that she used ‘find’ instead of ‘search’ in her question.

She lightly caressed your hair with a single stroke and smiled, “I hope you do. Here take this,” saying so, she handed you what seemed like a cookie the size of your palm, wrapped in a bluish silver wrapper, “for when you need it. This is on the house so don’t worry about paying. Now off you go.” 

Maybe it was because of the overpowering soft glow of hers that prevented you from noticing her eyes thus far which were so deeply pain-stricken that you couldn’t help but hug her and mentally said, “Everything’s going to be fine.” 

You wondered why you even said that when you should be the one to be told that instead. 

The lady gently patted your head and you felt a gentle whisper inside your head, “I know.” 

You couldn’t pinpoint but something about that and her hug cooled your nerves. 

Thanking her for the info and the food, you hurried outside and sped into the forbidding shortcut. 

The sun was bright above your head and you have been driving for almost an hour now at your topmost speed. But you hadn't come across any turning. The road went straight ahead without branching.

After another hour of driving you reached The Moore Estate, without noticing anything unusual.

I must be doing something wrong. 

You let out a frustrated sigh and ran your hand through your hair while turning your car around and starting again towards the road that you came from. 

But you were left disappointed again when even after reaching back at the junction you couldn't find the turning or any sign of Jeongguk's car. 

Stopping your car at the junction, you lowered your head on the steering wheel and tried to clear your mind.

Then as if suddenly having an epiphany a memory from eleven years ago played inside your head. 

Due to an emergency at home, your dad was taking you home from your boarding school late at night. You were fifteen then. 

Time in hand was short so your dad had decided to take the shortcut. You faintly remembered seeing a gas station but what you clearly remembered now was what your dad had said after crossing them at a speed of 130 km/hr. 

While keeping his sharp eyes on the road and never going down under the speed of 100, your dad had told you, “Do you wanna know a fun fact? Did you see that gas station that we crossed a while ago? It only appears after midnight. In the daytime you can never see it.” 

You remembered your dad’s tear laden face with which he had made you promise, “Promise me, you'll never take the shortcut after midnight! And even if you do, you won't stop anywhere in the middle. And no matter what happens, you won't take the road to Devil's Crest!”

Even though you didn't believe him back then, counting it as his way to scare you, you never took the shortcut - until today. 

And before the curious-you could ask him about what he said that night, your dad had disappeared from your life without a trace.

“I am sorry dad. I have to break the promise today. I have to find Jeongguk.” You whispered as you felt your tears trying to push their way out of your throat. 

Shaking off the sadness and the tears from your eyes, a technique that you had learned from Jeongguk and had countlessly teased him about, you looked at the time - it was 2 pm. 

You had 10 hours in hand.

You closed your eyes to think. You have to utilise the time properly and so you decided to go back home and come back with a few things that might come in handy. 

After reaching home, needless to say that you were bombarded with questions. 

You couldn't tell them that you would have explained everything to them if things were that easily explainable. But it wasn't, so you just told them to trust you and that you were going to find him. 

The last bit seemed like a reassurance to yourself. You were not sure if what you were thinking was right or not. But you ardently hoped it was. 

Packing your bag with warm clothes for both you and Jeongguk, a power bank for your phone, a strong fully charged flashlight, several water bottles, a first aid kit, your fully loaded desert eagle gun, and a compass, you started on your journey to find Jeongguk after having dinner. 

When you reached the junction, it was already dark and the moon was in the middle of the sky. 

The almost full moon was enthralling and you couldn't help but sigh and pray to it to look after Jeongguk and help you find him as quickly as possible. 

As night turned into midnight the number of vehicles on the main road decreased exponentially. The coldness started to settle onto the ground more rapidly and the surroundings were gradually getting abandoned by the signs of the city. The only trace of human civilization was the dim light coming from the old lady's grocery store. 

It was time to go but just before you were about to start your engine, your stomach growled loudly. 

You clicked your tongue disapprovingly and with a short sigh opened your bag to look for some snacks, but were quick to curse yourself when you realised that you had forgotten to pack any. 

But just then you remembered the cookie that the old lady had given you. You thanked her mentally and opened it. Was it your eyes playing tricks or did the dim light of the grocery store shine brighter for a second before going dim again?

The cookie was big - enough to defeat your hunger for now. The aroma of it was instantly appetising and after you tasted it, you regretted not getting more from her. You didn’t know whether it was just your luck or a weird coincidence that the cookie tasted of your favourite flavours — butter, orange, cashew — mixed to perfect ratio. But now there wasn't any time. So you quickly started munching on it. 

When you reached the middle of it you found a piece of paper inside and exclaimed, “Ah! So it's a fortune cookie!” 

Putting the rest of the cookie in your mouth in one go, you started reading it in the car light. 

The writing was written in golden block letters on a black paper and it read — 

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN 

“Hmm...?” You were confused. It seemed more like a riddle than a fortune. 

You read it a couple times more and then kept it in your cargo trouser pocket with a shrug because you couldn't understand what it could mean. 

Before starting your engine you looked at the moon and prayed, “Please dad, look after Jeongguk for me while I get there.” 

••• 

The road was unsettlingly dark and your car headlights couldn't pierce further than a foot through it. 

The moonlight that was brightening the surroundings with its light just a while ago seemed to have disappeared. You couldn't even see the moon anymore. 

As if it was a sign that you have entered the forbidden shortcut now.

You drove really slow in order to avoid hitting something. 

And after driving for about twenty minutes you saw it - the gas station. 

Your fuel meter's arrow was almost near empty even though you had filled it full near the junction just before leaving. 

Your brows knitted themselves together but you decided not to stop. More so because you remembered your dad’s warning. You didn’t have any business in there anyways.

While driving past it you saw a lanky old man standing at the edge of the gas station as if waiting for you to enter. And when you crossed past it you saw him in the side mirror of your car - staring right at the mirror. 

You felt like he was staring right back at you as if he knew you were looking at him. 

You felt a chilly feeling run right through your spine and you pressed onto the accelerator to get out of the vicinity of the station as soon as possible. 

Has the road always been this long? 

Your doubtful gaze wandered over to your phone and you saw that it was almost 3 in the morning; that meant you had been driving for nearly three hours now. 

You were supposed to reach The Moore Estate by this time but you couldn't seem to get out of this seemingly never ending dark road. 

Another strange occuring caught your eyes that you had forgotten all this while - your fuel. The arrow which was near the empty mark near the gas station was now hovering in the near full section, right where it should be. 

Was it your eyes playing a trick with you again or was it really a deception caused by the negative entities present there to make one enter the gas station, you wondered. 

Fearing that you might miss the turning again you slowed down even more and stopped yourself from zoning out, but just then your phone alarm went off making you jump. You had forgotten that you had set an alarm at 3:03 am - when Jeongguk had called you. 

And then you saw it - Devil's Crest. 

An arrow-shaped wooden signboard with the name etched on it in a deep red colour, that almost gave the impression of dried blood on rotten wood, was pointing towards a road that had magically branched, creating a turning — leading to an obscurity.

You stopped your car and took a deep breath. A few slow breaths later, the fear of encountering something vicious began to settle on your shoulders. 

The repeated voice of your father telling – “never take the road to Devil's Crest, never take the road to Devil's Crest” – began to reverberate inside your head so loudly that you had to sit down, hold your head and pray for it to go away. 

Why now? Why now of all times? You felt miserable as tears started wetting your lashes. 

Jeongguk! You have to find Jeongguk! You slapped your ears in an attempt to make the voice go away and started taking deep slow breaths to calm yourself down. 

That seemed to work and a few minutes later the voices inside your head had died down. 

Parking your car off the road, you took your backpack and with the flashlight in your hand you stood in front of the signboard. 

The road ahead was iniquitously eerie, and not to mention, dark just like the rest of the area. It made you uneasy and your legs revolted to move. 

You took out the phone from your pocket to see the time but just then something fell off - it was the paper from the cookie. 

You picked it up and in the flashlight you read it again instinctively - 

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN

“When roads are misleading... Never take the road to Devil's Crest…” you mumbled a couple times. Something told you that these two sentences juxtaposing like this was not a mere coincidence and that there must be some connection and intention behind them. 

“What could it be? What could it be?” You asked yourself and swung the flashlight haphazardly around the road and then your eyes and your flashlight loosely hovered over the overgrown bushes and the trees by the side of the road to Devil's Crest and you thought, 

What if I don't take the road and still enter the Devil's Crest? 

As soon as the thought crossed your mind, your legs felt light and a small amount of fear transformed into relief. 

You made your way through the overgrown weeds and grasses in between the trees and thought to go on a parallel line along the road but as soon as you struggled your way through the undergrowth and entered the woods you couldn't see the road anymore, as if you had mistakenly entered a whole different area.

You went back to where you entered and there you saw the Devil's Crest turning and the road. There was no way you were mistaken. 

“It must be because of the darkness,” you told yourself and re-entered the doomy forest. 

You stood there for a moment, worried that it’s going to be difficult to reach the destination, no matter how unknown, if you couldn’t see the road. What if you get lost in this darkness without any way out? 

But this awry feeling at the back of your mind telling you that this was the only way was too heavy, and so with the flashlight being the only source of light, you started walking straight ahead. 

You have been walking for a while now and except the occasional hooting of the owls and a constant chirping of the crickets there was nothing to keep you company. 

You didn't know where exactly to look at since this indomitable darkness was swallowing the light of your flashlight which resulted in you seeing only about a foot around your steps, nothing more. 

You called out Jeongguk's name constantly at regular intervals but with your calls dissipating in the woods, what came back to you as a reply was the annoyed chirps of the sleepy birds. 

You avoided swinging your flashlight around the woods in fear of witnessing something scary and you cursed your brain for reminding you all the countless horror movies you have ever watched right at the moment.

Disappointed and tired, you stopped for a water break and looked at the time. You had been walking for 45 minutes now and with you walking slowly because of the protruding branches and thorns grabbing onto your pants, there seemed to be little to no progress. You looked up and the moon and the stars were still absent, the sky was still black. 

Refusing to give up or take a break you dragged yourself forward with slow steps, on an energy saving mode. 

But then you saw it. Clearly. You were not surrounded by darkness anymore. You had reached a clearing from whose center four clear trails were going four ways and everything was grey, like a black-and-white movie. The moonlight illuminating the area after appearing so suddenly took you by surprise, making you come to an abrupt stop. 

You rubbed your eyes and looked back where you just came out from — it was still lightless. 

Everything around you seemed like something from a fever dream. 

I haven’t fallen asleep in the car, have I? You pinched yourself hard and you felt it quite realistically. 

What the fuck is this place? You glanced around while rubbing the area you pinched. 

Up until you were inside the forest area it smelled like any other woodland - a little musty and damp, rotten woods, several sweet fragrance coming from trees and moist earth. But as soon as you stepped into this part there was a drastic change in the odour. It smelt like cold steel and it set a little heavier on your nose. And then you noticed another weird thing in this already weird environment — a crossroad signpost with four wooden arrows pointing at four different directions making an X, where the trails met. 

Generally, a crossroad signpost at an intersection was something that is very very normal. But here, what made it strange was its heads not pointing towards the trails, instead the areas in between. 

You took a deep breath and walked over to the post. You looked at it intently with your flashlight. They were simple wood cutouts with nothing written on them. 

What are they even pointing at? You directed your flashlight at the grassy areas and each one of the trails. The trails were wide enough for three people to walk side by side and their condition indicated that they were used for regular commute. 

Something felt off. As far as you knew, people avoided taking the shortcut altogether. As far as its bad reputation goes, it seemed highly unlikely that there would be people using these isolated areas to travel. Also, the part of the forest that you came out from didn’t have a trail going in its direction. You were standing in one of the grassy areas just like the areas in between the other trails. That could also mean that one of these trails was connected to the road to the Devil’s Crest for it to at least take the travellers somewhere closer in this area. 

Earlier, just before entering the forest you had checked on your needle compass that the road to the Devil’s Crest was headed south. It was a complete wild guess, an arrow in the darkness, but you decided to take the trail that was headed south. 

You took out your compass from your jacket pocket and faced the southward trail. 

This should be fine, right? You took a long deep breath that made your shoulder go up and down. 

You stared at the road ahead but a heavy feeling in your gut made your body immobile. It made your heart scream to your mind, “I don’t wanna go there.” Your body was stiffening itself in its place, refusing to move forward — an instinctive stance to avoid whatever danger that might be lying ahead. 

You didn’t know how many minutes had passed with you just standing there. As if to give you a nudge, a chilly wind started to blow and a gauzy fog began to settle on the ground. 

To avoid the cold you hung the flashlight on your shoulder by its strings and put both your hands in your puffer jacket pocket. 

Inside your jacket pocket you found the wrapper of the cookie that you ate earlier. You took it out and as soon as you did a gust of wind blew it out of your hand. 

The wrapper, oddly shining in this dull grey environment, flew over to the grassy area to the left side of the southward trail. Along with the wind, the still-motionless fog began to mobilise. Instinctively you dashed towards the wrapper, passing the crossroad signpost, to retrieve it. But before that, for a split second you were quite certain that you noticed the fog through your peripheral vision floating on the trails, mobilized by the wind, moving towards where the trails lead to and there was no trace of them on the rest of the areas.

After grabbing the wrapper you turned around to confirm what you just saw but what you witnessed made you falter backward and you tripped on your own foot and fell on the ground. 

I must be going crazy! What in the Alice In Wonderland shit is this? 

You broke into a cold sweat. You felt the remaining energy from your body leave like a sheet that was covering you, gliding away from you. You were nothing but an object now. 

And your surroundings were nothing but empty now.

It was as if in those past fraction of seconds you weren’t looking, someone had erased everything — there was no crosspost signboard, neither were there any trails. It was just a vast field covered in small grasses, all nothing but grey.

Sitting there you forgot that you had to be somewhere. Your numb brain couldn’t say anything to your body and you sat there staring blankly at the now-empty space in front of you. You could hear a faint constant ringing inside your ears and a slow darkness gradually took over your eyes. 

A yellow light on your eyelids, shivers all over your body and the noise of accumulated chirping made you sit up with a startle. Still heavy with sleep, you rubbed your eyes to wake yourself up properly. 

The first rays of the sun were just touching the area and you discovered the reason behind your shivers. You were sleeping on the ground, under the open sky and needless to say the dews had settled upon you alongside everything. 

You looked around your surroundings - it was the same field that you saw before passing out, except it was now full of colour. The steel-like smell was long gone, instead the air was filled with the smell of wet grass. The sun rays fell upon the dark green leafy trees of the forest that surrounded the field covered in grasses, some plump green, many golden yellow and a few parched brown. Flocks of birds flew across the sky in search of food and the wetness under you seeping through your clothes was making its presence more prominent to you.

The normality of it all made you question whether what you witnessed just a few hours ago was even real. Maybe you had dreamt all of it, you wondered. And that made more sense to you. It definitely was a dream, you concluded. You had been traveling all day and night yesterday without any proper rest and the constant anxiety, along with the trip through the forest must have taken a toll on you. 

Lying down for such a long time in such an uncomfortable position on your side with the haversack still on your back had made your body sore. You took off the haversack and stretched your limbs and massaged your shoulders to make some of the soreness go away. Rubbing your face to remove the leftover haziness from your mind, you got up to get a better view of your surroundings. You were on a comparatively higher ground, which merged to a plain with a gentle slope and you noticed in the far south which seemed hardly a kilometre away from where you were — a mansion built in the old English style. 

“Have I wandered into someone’s private property?” You wondered, even though you were pretty sure you hadn’t noticed any warnings or boundaries on your way here.

Many people didn’t like strangers wandering inside their property and the residents of this mansion could very possibly be one of those, but in this situation your best shot was to risk the chance of getting kicked out with profanities and ask about your missing boyfriend, a way out of this forest to some nearby locality and if they were kind enough, then a moment’s proper rest. 

You put on your haversack and picked up the flashlight that was lying on the ground, luckily unscathed, by your side. 

The valley was uneven like waves which could go unnoticed unless walked on, making it strenuous to cross, but the weather in the morning was really soothing, which made you feel like everything was gonna be alright, and occasionally you stopped to take a brief breather by soaking in the sun with your eyes closed. 

Before your clothes could dry up in the breeze on the way, you found yourself standing in front of the main gate of the mansion. 

The mansion, even though built in the old English style, hardly seemed historic. It was well-cared with a similarly pampered garden.

The latch of the iron gate was unclasped and a stone slab to the right of the gate on the low boundary wall read - The Balam Manor. 

You felt like you had heard the name somewhere before but you couldn’t trigger that particular part of your memory.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” you whispered before letting yourself in through the gate. 

Another sixty metres walk and you were in front of the main door. It had one of those ropes attached with a bell system instead of electronic doorbells. 

You took a deep breath and rang the bell thrice and for the next several minutes you stood there with rapid tapping feets and drifting eyes.

A very tall old man opened the door who you could swear to have seen somewhere before. You looked up and stared at his face trying to figure out this odd sense of knowing but you were soon pulled out of your rigorous digging through your brain by his question, “Yes? How may I help you?” 

“I am sorry for disturbing your perfect morning, good sir, but actually I have come looking for someone and I was wondering if you have seen that person somewhere.” You smiled awkwardly and hoped for your flattery to work to a certain extent. 

The old man scanned you once from head to toe then back to your eyes. Then turning his neck to give a quick glance inside he turned back to you and replied, “Please wait a second. I’ll be right back.” 

Hardly a minute had passed before he came back and he said, “Please take your footwear off and come inside. Our ladyship has permitted you to be invited in.” 

Wow… I never thought I would hear this type of sentence in real life. Do I have to talk like that too? You thought but all you could really say was - thank you. 

The old man led you through a short hallway whose walls were decked out with paintings varying in sizes but all equally gorgeous and weirdly had the same theme — water. 

Midway through the hall room there were two majestic curved staircases leading to the first floor, merging into one platform overhead. 

You were guided into a large lavish living room crossing the staircases, which justified the mansion of such grace. The theme colour of the room was dark navy which adorned the couches, the fireplace, the walls, the curtains and was perfectly balanced with hints of gold and light brown. 

You were mesmerized and couldn’t stop admiring the space you had entered with your mouth agape. 

“Please take a seat. Her grace will be here shortly.” Saying that, the old man disappeared into the right wing hallway of the house. 

You nodded and sat there with fidgety fingers but your eyes were still busy praising all the ornate stuff decorated meticulously.

The room, greatly flooded with sunlight seeping in through the large windows, somehow smelt cold, as if the window was just opened prior to your entrance. But soon it was overcome by the smell of a perfume that felt like a lot of flowers mixed together, almost too sweet for your delicate nose, that seemed to have drifted in earlier than its owner could. 

With the mystery not remaining in hiding any longer, the owner appeared from the right hallway and you found yourself immediately standing up in the presence of an overpowering aura. 

The lady, standing almost at a height of 6ft, was wearing a solid black mermaid gown with a side-buttoned velvet blazer that hugged her slim torso so firmly that it seemed to be doing the work of a corset instead. Her black hair was made into a 50s starlet style and her makeup, in contrast to all the darkness in her dress-up, was light peachy. 

You thought it would be rude to cover your nose in front of her but the smell of the flowers was almost dizzying. Then a second smell hit you. It was of burnt wood. It was lingering subtly in the air and there was no way for you to know where it was coming from. 

The lady gestured you to sit down and she herself sat on the single seater sofa opposite to you. 

“I heard from Duri that you came here looking for someone?” 

“Yes. Let me first apologise for inconveniencing you like this. A complete stranger showing up at your doorstep early in the morning must be bothersome.” 

“Oh, not at all. We get visitors once in a blue moon. So seeing new faces around here is actually a treat for us old souls.” 

Her amicable mood made you feel relieved and your shoulders relaxed visibly. 

“Us old souls? Ma’am, you are far too young to be called an old soul.” Your compliment made her blush.

She smiled shyly and said, “Then I guess my makeup is on point today.” 

You opened your mouth to protest with some more compliments but she started talking. 

“So who are you looking for? We actually might be of some help.” 

With hopeful eyes, you briefly told her about your boyfriend going missing on his way to Moore estate and how you had been searching for him. Intentionally you kept all the help and the supernatural things to yourself. 

“We may have good news for you. We rescued a young man yesterday around dawn at the border of our property. Would you like to visit him and see if he is the boyfriend you mentioned?” The lady asked you with a sympathetic tone. 

You jumped at the possibility and stood up, “Yes! Please! Let me see him.” 

“Sure.” The lady stood up. “Follow me.” Saying so, she started walking towards the left hallway from the entrance. You followed her gliding steps. She stopped in front of the last room, and with a quick yet heavy exhale she opened the door. 

You entered behind her and rushed to the king size bed when she made way for you. 

It was Jeongguk. It really was Jeongguk. He was lying on the bed on his back with the lower half of his body covered in a comforter. He had a white cotton henley shirt with lace string on which you recognised wasn’t his. He was breathing slowly and he had a bandage going around his head which ran through the middle of his forehead. 

You sat by his side on the floor and held his hand. You couldn’t begin to express how grateful you were. The heavy stone in your heart was finally melting and you gave in to the urge of crying that you had been holding since yesterday. 

“Thank you. Thank you for being here.” Holding his right hand, you rubbed it gently against your forehead and placed a long kiss on it. 

Seeing no response from him, worry started to settle in your mind again. You turned towards the lady and asked, “Excuse me, ma’am, what happened to him? Why isn’t he responding?” 

“Oh dear.” The lady briskly walked towards you and reached out her hand towards you. You took a few seconds to grasp what she was trying to do and then you slowly placed your hand in hers and let her guide you up towards the small couch that was seated beside the window of the room. 

Sitting so close to her, the burning smell along with the stinging flowery scent hit your nose brutally. You let out a quick cough to ease that squeezing feeling around you.

She held your hand in a sympathetic manner and began to explain, “Yesterday dawn, at around 4 am, Duri found him near our border property in the far south. He was unconscious which seemed to have resulted from him driving straight into a tree ahead. Duri brought him to our home immediately. We have an in-house doctor who treated him but he hasn’t regained consciousness since. The doctor has informed us that he is out of any life-threatening danger. He just needs to regain his consciousness. So don’t worry. He is doing better than you are giving him credit for.” 

She smiled at you but you couldn’t help but feel anxious. You glanced at Jeongguk for a mere second and asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to take him to a hospital now instead of just waiting? I am sorry. I am not trying to undermine your doctor’s judgment but it’s just that a hospital seems to be a more efficient option. So if you don’t mind, please can you tell your attendants to show me where Jeongguk’s car is? I think it'd be better if I get going right now.” 

The room was dimly lit by a candle lamp and the sunlight was playing hide and seek with the room by seeping in through the heavily drawn curtains which were slowly quivering because of the wind trying to get inside from outside. 

In that flickering light you felt like you saw the lady’s face harden for a split second before easing into an almost condescending smile, “Oh dear, you mustn’t have properly heard what I was saying earlier. I can understand. Grief, anxiety, stress do that to people. His car had driven straight ahead into a tree so it’s severely damaged. A mechanic is currently working on it in one of our warehouses.”

“Then can I at least use your phone to call an ambulance? I think that’d be an even better option anyway. He’ll start getting treatment on the way.” 

“We don’t have cellular networks here. Neither do we have a landline connection. You must have noticed that there are no electric wires near our mansion. In case of emergencies, Duri himself has to go and bring back any expert needed. I am afraid we live an exceptionally solitary life. If we had a car we could have arranged for his transportation at the earliest hour but as you can tell we are very old fashioned so we only use horses and carriages which I daresay is not the best option to have him ride on in this condition. I would suggest you to save your worry and hope that his car gets repaired soon. I’ll leave you be until then.” 

The lady, without sparing another glance, walked out of the room, leaving you wondering if you said something that offended her greatly. 

You couldn’t understand why this household would choose to live in such helpless conditions when the world has progressed so much. What if there was a life or death situation? They wouldn’t even be able to get some help. 

You sighed heavily and dragging a chair you sat near Jeongguk. You thought it would be best to just wait for his car to get repaired then get out of here as soon as possible. The people here had already gone out of their way for your boyfriend. It was rude of you to question and tell them what would be better when they were already doing their best with everything at their disposal. 

You held your boyfriend’s hand, which felt colder than it did a moment ago and said, “I should say sorry, right? I’ll be right back.” 

You placed a chaste kiss on his hand and pulled the comforter upto his neck before leaving the room to look for the lady of the house and also for the doctor; Jeongguk’s temperature wasn’t normal. 

The living room was empty. In fact, you didn’t get the hint of anybody being present throughout your way. You felt like you were the only one in the entire mansion. 

There was an eerie feeling that sat in your gut and just to confirm that weird suspicion, you ran back to the room where Jeongguk was. You let out a quick relieved sigh as soon as you saw Jeongguk, just as you had left him. 

You let your body let itself find comfort in the cushiony chair and you decided to look for others a little later. You told yourself that no matter how detached this place was from the rest of the world, the people living here still have work to do. They couldn’t loiter around some unannounced guest all the time. 

•••

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, the atmosphere was quite grim for Lady Ruth Livingston and her loyal servant Duri. 

This kitchen was located in an extended part of the mansion, outside the main building and could only be accessed through a secret passage built along the rear side wall of the building. Apparently, according to her husband, Mr. Yi Jaejoong, kitchen inside a home ruins the vibe of the home. The secret passageway, while serving as a regular route for the servants for accessing the different parts of the manor like the kitchens, the laundry rooms and the servant quarters, also served the role of an escapeway and had a backdoor for emergency exit if there was any danger. Although, there was no way of telling the back door from the outside since it was camouflaged with the entire wall — much like the windows that were lined up with the windows of the main living room, creating optical illusions of a singular wall in place of two. 

After leaving you alone inside the mansion, Lady Ruth had immediately made her way towards the kitchen with a grave expression on her face. As soon as she neared the kitchen, Duri, who was preparing meat for jjigae, brought the cushioned mahogany chair that was only used by his owner and kept it near the entrance, outside the kitchen — for the lady had a deep distaste for heat.

“Are you quite done with the preparations?” Lady Ruth asked after taking her seat. 

Duri, who had immediately taken his position near his lady’s feet, sat kneeling down while supporting his hips on his ankles for some comfort. 

He slowly shook his head and answered, “Not really, milady. It seems preparing physical food is quite the task.” 

“Then summon some minions and get it done at the earliest. The lass is getting on my nerves. I can’t figure out how she ended up here!” 

“Surely, milady.” Duri gave a polite nod. 

“Are you keeping something from me?” Seeing his owner leaning towards him, Duri gulped and then stuttered, “I- I saw her last night driving past the station.” 

“Did you do what you were supposed to?” With her face awfully close to Duri’s, she ran a single line with her cold index finger from near Duri’s ear across, over his jaw line. 

“I d- did, milady. But she never stopped for gas!” Noticing the little tremors running through Duri’s hand, Lady Ruth smirked. 

“Must I remind you that your job is to lead people into the Devil’s Crest no matter how! You must feed them or their belongings. If you don’t do your job properly how am I supposed to take care of myself? You are not supposed to slack off, Duri. See what happened, just because you let someone off the hook and they didn’t stop at your stupid little gas station! This must mean you have let a good number of souls just go by without me knowing!” 

Duri’s lips trembled. “I… I- I am extremely sorry, milady. It won’t ever happen again. P- Please I beg for your forgiveness.” 

“Oh, Duri… I wish it was this easy for me to forgive. One must punish disobedient pets to make sure they don’t repeat the same mistake twice. You have been ignorant while knowing what I feel. And more times than you should be forgiven for. I think I must remind you again what it feels like to be me so you could be more diligent next time.” 

Lady Ruth Livingston snaked her left hand behind Duri’s neck and held his jaw firmly with her other hand and placed her lips on his. In her firm hold, Duri couldn’t protest. He closed his eyes as he felt her tongue touch his and her fingers pressed on the binding emblem on his neck. Duri winced as a fast burning sensation spread across his entire body. The mild sensation soon turned into a blazing fire all over his body. Duri’s screams got lost somewhere inside Lady Ruth’s mouth. 

By the time it ended, Duri had no energy to even stay seated. In barely a minute, he was half his usual body and his skin developed new wrinkles.

Looking at Duri’s wheezing body on the floor, Lady Ruth wiped her lips and said, “My husband would have been so heartbroken if he saw me shoving my tongue down some other man’s throat.” She smiled and gently stroked Duri’s hair, “I am so glad that he is dead.” 

Duri weakly glanced at her but couldn’t say anything. 

Seeing him like that, Lady Ruth got up and said, “My poor Duri. I’ll summon the minions in your stead to have the lunch prepared in time. She has a strong aura. Her distress will ease my pain like no other.” 

•••

“When do you think you’ll be able to come and visit my parents?” You asked and smiled bashfully, imagining Jeongguk asking your parents for your hand in marriage. 

“I seriously can’t wait, babe. I just want to run to you right now and take you in my arms and kiss you until you get tired of it!” Jeongguk exclaimed, hardly being able to contain his happiness or excitement.

“You mean until forever ends?” You replied. 

“Mhm. Yes, that’s exactly how long I am planning.” You could feel Jeongguk’s smile through the call. 

“You have to get here first though.”

“I’m getting out right now! How am I going to wait for seven whole hours? Hm? My sweetest wifey?” 

“Woah. Not yet, mister.”

“Soon to be. Soon to be~.” 

“Yes… Very soon. But you don't have to rush. You can just come here on the weekend. Otherwise your boss will give you an earful.” 

“But-” 

“No ‘buts’. I promise I'll be fine. And it's just three days anyways.” 

“Hmph. Okay. Fine. I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

That fateful morning everything in your little world in Moore Estate changed when you found out you were pregnant. When you called Jeongguk to let him know, he reciprocated the same happiness as you felt. You felt like a large part of your empty heart was filling up. 

But soon everything took an upsetting turn when you received a call from Hoseok’s sister that same evening about Hoseok going missing. 

A couple of months ago Hoseok had moved into a mansion in the outskirts that a long-distance uncle of his had left for him in his will. Hoseok had been in a hurry to move out and get married so he had leaped at the offer and wanted to move in as soon as possible to remodel the mansion. After that, communication with him gradually became scarce which you just ruled out as him being busy remodeling the house. 

You wanted to visit his mansion right away but when you called Jeongguk to let him know about the situation he strictly opposed it and insisted on accompanying you there. 

Your estate fell on the way to Hoseok’s new place, though it was still a considerable distance away. So you had suggested to Jeongguk to pick you up from your estate and then both of you could go there together. 

Now all of it screamed wrong decision and you blamed yourself for not warning your boyfriend beforehand. 

•••

“Excuse me, milady. Her grace is waiting for you in the living room. Please let me lead you. We have prepared some refreshments.” Your remorseful revisitation to that day was interrupted by Duri who was standing at the door. 

“Sure.” You got up. You looked back at Jeongguk and said, “I’ll be right back.” 

You followed Duri — who appeared a bit worn out and definitely older than he seemed that morning — to the living room. You sat on a two seater sofa opposite the lady of the house; the ornate low table in front of you was filled with a huge variety of cookies and a cup of ginseng tea was kept in front of you. 

“I am really sorry. I feel like it was really rude of me how I talked to you earlier. You are not obliged to but you are still helping us so much. I can’t even begin to thank you. Please tell me how I can make it up to you?” You said, thinking it was only fair to apologise since she only offered what she thought was best. 

“We can start with introductions. I am Ruth Amelia Livingston.” Lady Ruth took her cup of tea from the table and signalled you to take yours before taking a sip. 

You stammered before answering, surprised at her instant acceptance of your apology, “S- sure. I am Park Sowon.” 

“That’s a beautiful name. I have never really liked my name, so my husband always lovingly called me Balam. He used to say that I am ungraspable like the wind.” Putting the hot cup on the plate in her left hand she smiled sadly. 

“Used to? He doesn’t anymore?” You asked without thinking.

“Well, yes. I wish you could meet him. He was a jolly man. When he was alive, this building felt alive too. He took its life with him when he left for the afterworld.” 

“I am sorry… for your loss. It must be really hard losing the love of your life… I can’t even begin to imagine how I am going to continue to live on if something happens to Jeongguk.” Your voice cracked remembering the fact that you almost did. 

“Well, you learn to live with the pain… I loved him alright. But he… loved me more. I daresay I am rather thankful that he didn’t live to see my death.” Her nonchalant words left you momentarily speechless. 

Before the atmosphere could get awkward you said, smiling thinly, “Accepting to be in sorrow rather than letting your loved one live in that situation is an act of tremendous love in itself. I think you love your husband as much as he used to.”

“Oh my, aren’t you a charmer? Thank you, dear. You are the first person whose words comforted me so deeply since my husband’s passing.” She kept her right hand on yours and looked at you with a warm smile, unlike her frigid hands; you noticed her tears staying at the edge of her eyelid margin. 

“I think I should apologise too.” She continued after sitting straight. 

You looked at her questioningly while picking up the third cookie from the plate. 

“As I told you earlier, we live in a completely different world than yours. And I was inconsiderate of your feelings, quite shamefully so. You were right in getting worried. And I only thought of how I have always handled things here. I am sorry for that.” 

“No please, it’s alright. I can see your point of view now. Thank you for being so kind again.” You paused. Something stirred inside you, like a big sadness that had been dormant for a long time at the bottom of your heart seeping out slowly. 

“Actually, I have lost someone precious to me too, a long time ago, in a very similar incident. Perhaps that’s the reason why I have been so sensitive.”

You glanced at her as if you needed a moment before uttering the words, “It was my father.” The last word got mingled with the sadness stuck in your throat. 

“Oh dear, what happened to him?” Lady Ruth kept her empty cup on the table and looked at you with concern. 

You looked at her but your eyes couldn’t see her anymore — you were taken back to the time that you hated remembering the most. 

•••

Winter was just beginning to settle itself in the early October air when one night your dad had suddenly showed up at your boarding school and filled out a form requesting your emergency leave for a week. 

Be it for his whimsical nature or his adventurous mind, on numerous occasions he had taken you to many such impromptu trips. Despite being so used to such endeavours of your most favourite person in the world, your fifteen year old self couldn’t help but take notice of the anxiousness that his face wore that night. You knew almost instantaneously that this wasn’t one of your trips. 

After an hour-long train ride from the city, you got off at the nearest train station from your locality. But as soon as you did so, your dad took you directly to the car parked in the parking lot of the station — which was unusual since your dad always bought you pretzels from a particular store after getting off there. 

Luckily, unlike other times you didn’t feel hungry as an old lady with long white hair who was sitting on the opposite seat to yours offered two cookies each to you and your dad, but your dad being too anxious to eat had given you his share as well. 

“We don’t have much time so I am going to step on it, alright? Hold tight.” Your dad had said before racing straight into the shortcut that no one knew the name of and no one bothered to keep one either — for everyone it was just a shortcut that everyone should avoid. 

Why is dad taking this dark road? You couldn’t help but feel concerned. 

The only things that provided little comfort were that it was your dad you were with, and the speed at which he was driving to take you home soon. 

Soon you had passed the very same gas station that you had no idea that you would be crossing again eleven years later. 

Your dad had told you some things about the gas station that you took as nothing more than a joke to lighten the atmosphere. 

When you reached home at around 2am, the churning feeling inside your gut gave away its reason for being. 

You saw your mom, your aunt-in-law, your grandparents and all the people that worked in your estate gathered in the hallroom with grave expressions. As soon as you entered the room your grandmother had taken you into her embrace and weeped. 

“What’s going on?” You had asked. 

Before anyone could answer you, you felt your dad’s hand on your shoulder and you turned around. He sat you on the sofa and crouching down on his knee he held your hands, “Sweetheart, your uncle is missing along with his friend… And I must go find them and bring them back.” 

“But what about the police?” 

“It’s my responsibility… I must be the one to go. The police won’t be of much help anyways. Don’t worry, I will surely bring them back. You just have to be the absolute sweetheart as you are and stay with your mom, alright?” Saying so, your dad stood up and with a slight nod at everyone, he walked out of the house. 

You couldn’t stand watching him go away like that so you yanked your hand out of your mom’s and ran after him. 

He was just about to get into his car but he stopped when he heard you call him. You ran and hugged him tightly, “Take me with you, please dad. It will be faster if we look together, won’t it? I am sure we will be able to spot them quicker and be back home even before dawn breaks. Dad? Please say something!” 

Your dad broke himself out of your hug and sat on the car seat. He gently wiped the tears off of your face and kissed your forehead and murmured, “My sweet angel… I have already put your uncles in danger because of my foolishness… How can I put you in a similar situation when I know what might lie ahead…” 

His words sent an uneasy fear down your spine but he didn’t let you question him. Instead he immediately held your arms and looked into your eyes with a serious expression, “Promise me, you'll never take the shortcut after midnight! And even if you do you won't stop anywhere in the middle. And no matter what happens you won't take the road to Devil's Crest!” 

You shook your head, “Only if you promise to come back by morning.” 

Your dad smiled sadly and nodded, “Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

You wiped his tears gently and as the other family members started to come out, you quickly whispered, “It’s not your fault, dad.” 

Seeing the others, he hurriedly got into his car. He placed a chaste kiss on the back of your hand and before driving off he said, “I love you, sweetheart.”

Your “I love you too” subsided in the ground with the descending mist. 

•••

You lowered your face into your palms trying to stop the streaming of warm tears into your warm hands.

You had no idea when Lady Ruth had sat beside you but when you felt her hand gently stroking your hair and back, you looked up at her and wiped your wet cheeks, “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to bawl my eyes out like this.” You chuckled, “It’s just that I suddenly miss him so much.” 

Lady Ruth smiled awkwardly, “Do you know why people avoid the shortcut?”

You shook your head.

“There’s a rumour that plagues this area… that a witch haunts the shortcut road and its surroundings. That she takes people's souls to feed herself. Many people have gone missing over the years, fueling the rumour, eventually forcing people to avoid this area altogether.” 

“Have you seen that witch?” You asked as goosebumps lined your skin. 

Lady Ruth scoffed, “No, I haven’t. Though Duri has witnessed some gruesome murders by poachers who come to the forest to hunt for the rare pangolins but encounter humans instead. Sometimes one or two lucky humans make it out of their harsh luck…” She paused. Then looking in your eyes she said, “Eleven years ago one such human sought refuge in our home. He was badly injured and he did his best to hold up for a week. But we couldn’t avoid the misfortune. His… name was Park Yunseok.” 

For a moment you felt like there was a heavy stone placed on your head and you were drowning. You couldn’t breath and your ears rang a constant tone. 

Your face contorted as you dug up the word from inside your throat, “D-Dad?” 

“I am afraid so…” Lady Ruth said. “Would you like to visit his grave?” 

Did you? You didn’t have the courage — neither to find the answer to your question, nor to face your father’s resting place. 

But I should. Otherwise how would your dad feel that you came this near and didn’t visit him?

“I should.” You replied. 

“Yeah.” Lady Ruth smiled faintly and stroked your hair one more time before getting up. 

You walked behind Lady Ruth and Duri as they led you to the south-east part of their property. After walking for a few minutes through their immaculately taken care of and beautifully designed garden, you reached a small perfectly mowed yard. At the end of the yard, there was a small patch of land that was covered in gerbera daisies and in the middle you saw your dad’s grave housed in marble and an epitaph - rising a foot above the ground - that said — 

HERE LIES THE MAN WHO GRACED THE EARTH WITH THE SMILE MOST BEAUTIFUL

PARK YUNSEOK

PUT TO REST - 17 OCTOBER OF YEAR 2131 

You sat beside his grave and smiled looking at the daisies surrounding it, “He must have told you about his favourite flower..” You looked up at Lady Ruth and said, “Thank you. I know he… likes it here.” 

You looked down immediately to hide your fresh batch of tears and requested quickly, “Can I have a moment with him alone, please?” 

“Of course, my dear. We’ll be going back to the house. Take your time.” You didn’t look up as you nodded but you could feel them leaving. 

A few minutes passed with you staring at the ground then you slowly looked to your back to make sure they were far enough. 

You slowly looked back and touched the grave — first with just the tip of your fingers and then with your palm. Despite the sun over your head the stone was cold and you started stroking it gently. 

“Dad… Is it cold in there? I am sorry… I couldn’t arrange for your cremation or hold a proper funeral for you. Still I am glad that you met some decent people to be there for you in your last moments and they made you a nice place to rest. Don’t worry. I’ll be a good girl and thank them properly.” 

You paused to take a deep breath and as it slowly left your lungs in a shaky exhale, your chest hurt as if thousand hammers were going off at once. 

The fatigue of all of the years you were looking for your dad came crashing down on you all at once — the memories of going through the tireless four years of nosebleeding university life, becoming an official detective, tolerating the prejudices, swallowing the scoldings for trying to gather information about your dad’s whereabouts, being told off for using police resources and time for personal use and finally quitting the job to look for him independently — like a tsunami.

“Dad…” Another shaky breath escaped your lungs and you couldn’t control your tears anymore. “I am… I am sorry dad… I should have been there for you. It must have been so hard for you to not see any of us in your last moments. I am sorry dad. I wish it was me instead of you. Dad, I miss you so much…” You didn’t care if your voice was going to disturb the noiseless peace around here, you wailed calling your dad and hugged the grave as much as you could. The tears streaming down your cheeks mixed with your running nose wetted the grave and the coldness of the stone felt a little warm. 

“Dad.. dad… can’t you ask God for a second chance? Can’t you beg him to send you back in time? That way you could prevent that awful night from happening and you could see me grow up and get married to Jeongguk and play with your grandkids… That way mom wouldn’t be sad and mom wouldn’t marry Jiho and I wouldn’t have to call him ‘dad’... I hate it when mom forces me to call him dad in front of others… I hate it. He is not my dad. No one can ever take your place, dad. Please come back, dad. And tell me that you are proud of me and I grew up just the way you hoped I would. Dad… Dad? Please say something. Call me and wake me up from this nightmare… Dad…” Your breath hitched and you started having trouble breathing because of your blocked nose. The pain in your chest increased and you felt sick in your stomach. 

You stood up and ran outside the flower patch and vomited everything that you had eaten a while ago. You felt dizzy and a burning irritation shot up from your throat to your nose to your brain. With weak steps, you reached the grave and hugged it to get some rest and a much sought comfort. 

••• 

From the window of her bedroom, which was located at the far south-east of the manor, Ruth Livingston was watching you with her vintage brass binoculars. Her lips twitched at its corner and her eyes gleamed in ecstasy. 

Never peeling her eyes away from you she addressed her loyal servant Duri who was standing upright by the door and exclaimed, “Tch tch. Poor thing. Crying, wailing, writhing in pain… all on a grave that’s not even real.” 

Her laughter resounded throughout her bedroom and she felt an unparalleled joy, “If just watching her like this is this satisfying, then imagine how wonderful I am going to feel when she becomes a part of my collection? She should be ready by now. Go, bring her. I can’t wait anymore.” 

“Right away, your grace.” Duri replied and turned to leave. 

But right then her shout compelled Duri to turn back around instantaneously, “NO! No no no! Don’t! Don’t ruin my happiness, you disgusting vile little rat! Duri! Look at her! She is vomiting all the feeds! She is emptying her guts on my beautiful flower beds! Bring her back at once!” 

•••

You must have fallen asleep after getting tired because of the physical and emotional toll all the crying took on your body. When you woke up you found yourself lying down on the couch in Jeongguk’s room. 

You sat up slowly and softly placed your palms on your swollen eyes. The darkness of the room made you wonder how long you have been out of it. 

Jeongguk was still unconscious. As you watched him from your position it was hard to even tell whether he was breathing or not. 

You got up and sat near Jeongguk. His body temperature was still on the colder perimeter; the only thing that somewhat assured you was his slow breathing. 

You held his hand as tears accumulated in your eyes again. 

I don’t think I can survive losing someone again.

••• 

“Ah! This is so amusing! Ha ha ha!” Swaying in her armchair, Ruth Livingston laughed like she hadn't in a very long time. 

“Duri, you never told me it was this enthralling to catch prey! I am thinking of joining you from now on. On that note, prepare a scrumptious feast for her. I want her to be well fed so that she has the energy to cry a little more! Ah! I didn't expect her to react like that… Now I have to make another miscarriage potion, which is going to take a while. It’s a little setback that I cannot have her with an untainted soul living inside her but that only means I can play with her a little longer. Prepare that thing beforehand so I can give it to her after lunch.”

Duri bowed deeply and silently left the room to carry out the order he was given. 

•••

When you were at the hospital, a few years back, because of appendix surgery, the nurses and the doctors constantly came to check up on you and feed you medicine at designated times. What reminded you of that time was the fact that it had been almost seven hours since you came here and you hadn't seen the doctor — that lady Ruth doted on so much — visit Jeongguk even for once!   

It was worrisome. You didn't want to keep Jeongguk in such a neglectful situation when you didn't have any idea how severe his injuries were. 

His body was getting colder by the minute and his appearance turned paler; it didn't even feel like a living person's body anymore. 

I have to pressure the mechanic myself to repair Jeongguk's car within today, preferably before the sun sets.

You kept Jeongguk's hand down by his side gently and got out of the room. Duri was standing right outside the door which startled you. As soon as he saw you he politely said, “It’s time for lunch, milady. I have come to escort you.” 

“Oh! Thank you, sir.” You replied immediately. 

Tch! I should have denied and asked him to lead me to the mechanic.

“Please call me Duri. I am not to be addressed as ‘sir’ by a guest of this manor.” Duri said in his usual stoic manner. 

You didn’t want to argue on ways this household worked so you just decided to ask him about the whereabouts of the mechanic instead, “Oh… Okay. By the way, Duri, can you tell me where the warehouse is where Jeongguk’s car is getting fixed?” 

There was a moment’s pause before he replied, “I must have her grace’s permission before taking you there, milady. You can ask her for yourself at the table.” 

“That I shall do then.” You replied and nodded your head to yourself. 

You were led into the dining room where Lady Ruth was already seated. The long and finely polished Indian rosewood dining table with a capacity to seat fourteen people, in the middle of the room, painted in a combination of matte orange and Carolina blue, had long fallen from its prime with only Lady Ruth being its sole user. 

It was indeed a surprise to you — you didn’t know what you were expecting but it was certainly not her words being true about the only three residents of this vast mansion.

I would be out of my wits if I had to live alone like this in a single place. 

After you took your seat, Duri started bringing in dishes one by one and it felt like his trips from the food trolley to the dining table were never ending. Before long, the table was filled with delicacies, most of which you were seeing for the first time. 

“Please dig in. Duri here is no less than a Michelin chef.” Lady Ruth said with a proud smile. 

Your eyes travelled over all the dishes that covered the table and you couldn’t imagine how Duri managed to prepare all these single handedly in such a short time especially taking into consideration the fact that it took you at least one hour to prepare only three dishes. 

You took a bite from the savory appetiser placed right in front of you. Your head immediately turned towards Duri who was standing by the food trolley and you exclaimed with big eyes, “Duri, this is seriously so delicious! With this skill you should consider becoming a professional chef! You would totally kill it!” 

A bewildered expression flashed on Lady Ruth’s face which you luckily caught instantly and you corrected yourself immediately, “I mean not literally kill anything. It’s a figure of speech that people use nowadays to say that someone would be outstandingly good at something. Ha ha. Please don’t misunderstand.” 

There wasn’t much of a muscle movement on Duri’s face and you were relieved when you saw the proud smile on her lips returning, “That’s a dangerous figure of speech. Anyway, I told you so. Though I don’t know if he’ll be wanting to leave me alone here.” 

You quickly glanced at Duri, then to Lady Ruth and said, “I am sure he isn’t willing to.” 

Lady Ruth didn’t say anything but the smile did grow a little. 

You waited for a moment to pass before asking, “By the way, your grace, if possible I would like to meet the mechanic to know how the repair is going. Gguk’s… I mean Jeongguk’s condition is worsening and I am sorry if I sound rude but I haven’t seen your doctor visit him even once since I arrived…” 

Lady Ruth swallowed the food in her mouth and looked at Duri, “Duri?” 

“Doctor Jung stopped by twice to check on Miss Park’s boyfriend since morning — once when your graces were having tea and the second time when Miss Park was not conscious. He also checked up on Miss Park while he was there and said that he’d talk to her when she is awake.” All this while Duri answered looking at Lady Ruth and his eyes never wavered your way, not even when he mentioned your name in front of you as if you were not present in the same room. His behaviour was telling you how insignificant you were to a mere servant of this manor and that you should watch how you speak with the master of this very manor. You couldn’t refute, as the guilt of your own words felt heavier on your tongue than the insult on your chest. 

“I am sorry. I didn’t know.” You managed to raise your voice a notch higher than a mumble. 

“Please don’t worry about it. People behave in a lot of ways when they are not informed about certain situations. Especially when they are desperate. So I can understand you. Duri will take you to the warehouse after lunch. Please finish your meal.” After saying this to you with her voice as calm as ever she went back to eating. 

Both of you ate silently, and soon you had finished everything that was served to you, which was, considering your regular eating capacity, quite excessive. 

After the table was cleared, you were led to the living room. Duri brought an envelope on a small tray. Lady Ruth took the envelope and handed it to you and said, “Your father… left this with us.” 

Even before you could open the envelope, tears accumulated in your eyes. You sat down and wiped your wet eyes before taking out the note. 

It was a short letter written on a torn diary page. 

My sweet angel, the light of my life, 

Please forgive this cruel dad of yours for not keeping the promise he made. I am sorry that I had to leave like that and now… I am leaving again… I wish I could see you one last time. 

The letter ended abruptly. You flipped to see if there’s anything more but there wasn’t. You checked the envelope and found a polaroid inside it which was a picture of you and him, that was taken on your fifth birthday picnic, that he always kept in his wallet. 

The heaviness inside your throat was back again and you found it hard to breathe. Not wanting to put the burden of consoling you on your hosts, you said as your voice trembled, “I’ll excuse myself to Jeongguk’s room. Sorry.” 

You darted out of there and couldn’t notice the slight nod that Lady Ruth gave you, nor the light crooked smile that formed on her lips. 

Entering the room, you closed the door behind you and let yourself slide down its length. Your chest hurt. The pain hung on your rib cages like rotten branches and no matter how much you pounded on them to make them go away, they didn’t. Defeated, you hugged your knees close to yourself and cried on them and there was only one thought that reverberated throughout your brain. 

Dad, please come back. 

In search of comfort, you went to sit on the chair kept beside Jeongguk. Holding his cold hands you kept your head on the bed. Your fingers fiddled with his pale ones and your unceasing tears wetted his bedsheet. You wished he would wake up any time now and would hug you until you felt better. 

Your tears slowed down as minutes went by and your line of vision got clearer. But the person who came in after swinging the door open with all his might made you rub your eyes for a good moment to get the clearest view because how the hell is Hoseok here?

You sat up straight but you were too dumbstruck to stand up and react in a way you would when you saw him normally. 

“Wonwon! Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Wonwon speak to me!” You could faintly hear him enquire you while checking your pulse. You were too busy processing the sense of familiarity that you had been seeking all this while to answer him. The sound of his nickname for you — that he had given you when you two were just little kids with runny noses in preschool because pronouncing ‘Sowon’ was too much for him — fell on your ears like holding a warm mug of cocoa in a freezing winter evening.

When the layer of daze wore off you hugged him tightly and exclaimed, “I am… totally fine… now! I am just so so happy to see you, Hoba! So happy! Are you even real? I am not seeing things, am I? How are you even here in the first place?” 

Hoseok sighed in relief and breaking out of your hug he smiled, “What do you mean ‘how’? I live here!” 

After he made you sit back on the chair he sat on the floor and said, “I sent you my address, don’t you remember?” 

Hearing him say that, you finally remembered the text he sent you with his location just before moving in — The Balam Manor, Witch’s Cradle.

No wonder the name seemed so familiar when you read it initially at the entrance. 

But you still had many questions that needed to be answered so you asked him, “I remember now. But your sister called and told me that they couldn’t reach you for many days. You must have sent them your location, haven’t you?” 

“Really?” Hoseok looked puzzled. “I have sent them my location, I remember for sure. Have they gone to the wrong place? And moreover, I couldn’t reach them for a few days now, so I was thinking of visiting them, but we found Jeongguk and I couldn’t just leave him like this.” 

“Wait, Hoba! You said you inherited this mansion and you were going to renovate it… Then what’s Lady Ruth doing here?” 

“Oh… that?” Hoseok smiled awkwardly; you thought he even looked a little sad. “There’s been a mix up. I did inherit it kind of but Aunty Ruth, my uncle’s wife, is still alive, and even though uncle had written it off to me, aunty still has some right on it so it was decided that this floor will be aunty’s for as long as she lives. And the remaining floors above, that is, the first and second, are mine.” 

“Are you okay? What about Ji-a? Is she okay with this?” You asked. 

“Well, you know her. She is a bit taken aback. But the good thing is that she said she will prepare her mind about this situation and join me in a few days and help me with the renovations.” 

“Well Ji-a has always been a sensible one!” You smiled. 

“Just like her boyfriend.” Hoseok smiled smugly. 

“Yeah, of course.” You scoffed and rolled your eyes.

“So you are the in-house doctor that Lady Ruth mentioned!” You squinted your eyes playfully at Hoseok.

“Is that how she talked about me?” He asked. “Well, can’t blame her. She didn’t know that we knew each other. Not gonna lie that I don’t feel a little bad though… She still hasn't fully accepted me. That’s understandable as well. Imagine someone you never heard of comes and says that your dead husband has given your home to them! I would totally go berserk. She still is willing to cooperate.” 

“Yeah…” Your voice trailed off. After Hoseok’s comment about ‘dead husband’ you could barely pay attention to what he was saying as your eyes wandered to Jeongguk and the ache in your chest was back. 

Hoseok followed your eyes and held your hands, “Wonwon… don’t worry. He has made it out of the most critical phase. Just give him some time, he will get better. I am taking care of him.” 

“Hoba…” Your voice trembled as you looked back at your best friend. “I don’t doubt your skill but look at him… How much more time do you think we should spend on just letting him lie down here like this? He is getting paler and colder. If it wasn’t for his slow breaths I would have thought I had lost him… Please Hoba, we have to get him to a hospital!” 

Your words put Hoseok in deep thought. After a brief moment of silence he sighed and said, “You are right. No matter how much effort I put in it won’t be enough. There’s no suitable equipment here as there would be in a hospital. I heard Jeongguk’s car is in the warehouse. Do you want to go check on its status?” 

You stood up immediately and said, “That’s what I have been trying to do since before lunch! Let’s go at once!” 

“Let me lead you there, milady.” Hoseok smiled. 

“I see Duri has rubbed off on you.” You laughed. And Hoseok laughed back and tried to mimic Duri, “Is that so, milady?”

The warehouse was behind the manor in the north. It was a big wooden building, or one could say a humongous room with a slanting wooden roof that could house at least twenty SUV cars with enough space to open doors fully in between them. It seemed like a total waste of space to see a single car with a tattered front being repaired at the side. 

When you two walked up to the car, a person wearing a grey vest and black mechanic pants emerged from under the vehicle. 

Seeing you two, he got up and waved at Hoseok, “Hey, Dr. Jung! Good to see you!” 

His accent was of the city that suddenly felt so out of place here and no matter how much you tried to shake it off, you couldn’t help but think that he looked like the Korean version of Vin Diesel. 

Hoseok extended his hand for a handshake but he refused, showing his hands laced with car grease and oil. Then he asked Hoseok with a smile, “And who this pretty lady here might be?” 

“She is the girlfriend of the owner of the car you are fixing, Park Sowon.” Hoseok answered him.

“Ouch! There goes my chance for a date night. Anyways, it’s a pleasure to meet you Sowon-ssi! This humble man’s name is Lim Seokga. But you can lovingly call me Seok.” He smiled and bowed like a gentleman. 

“It’s nice to meet you too Seokga-ssi.” In reality all you wanted to say was - You are a mile away from humbleness Mr. Lim, like you should be from me.

You bowed back slightly and smiled awkwardly. You looked at Hoseok and pleaded with your eyes to rescue you from these unsolicited flirtations. 

He seized your signal like a spy would from his fellow in espionage and he grinned at Seokga and pretended to whisper as if he was trying to be his wingman, “Seokga-ssi, Sowon-ssi is a bit tense right now. Why don’t you show off your skills and explain the condition of the car to her?” 

Seokga gave Hoseok a smirk of approval and turned around to face the dinged up car. You noticed a symbol that almost looked like a fancy tattoo branded on his neck that started at the top of his neck and ran a couple inches along his spine. The burnt mark seemed sizzling fresh as if he had it done a few minutes ago and somehow you could feel the pain that it must have inflicted to come into existence.

Seokga kept his hand on the bonnet of the car and started explaining, “Anyways, Sowon-ssi, date night or not, I must do my job. You have come to know about the condition of the car, right? In short terms, it’s not really good. I am quite embarrassed to say this but it can only be repaired at the showroom. It’s not a one person job.” 

You felt anger bubble up at the pit of your throat. You felt like you had been standing in a long queue for half a day in front of an empty shop. 

You tried to sound as calm as you could, “So you're telling me you have been working on this car for a full day knowing that you can’t fix it?” 

“Full day? I arrived just this morning! And I never said I can’t fix it. I said I need manpower and the facilities.” Seokga tried to defend his honour behind his cheeky answer. 

You knew better than to argue with a man like him.

“Ridiculous!” You muttered under your breath and gritted teeth before leaving the warehouse with hurried strides. 

When you walked in, Lady Ruth was in the living room instructing Duri about the arrangement of your stay for the night. 

“I am afraid, your grace, I don’t think I can stay for the night. If I take off now I can bring an ambulance back with me at earliest tonight.” You announced. 

Lady Ruth stared at you for a good few seconds as if trying to make sense of the nonsense you just sputtered out. 

“I think that would have been for the best. He needs better care but I am afraid I have some bad news for you. It seems that a tempest is expected this evening. I don’t think it would be wise to set out now.” She said calmly. 

The bewilderment from a moment ago hadn’t yet dissipated from within you and hearing this now, you felt terribly angry, as if you were being held captive. You looked out the window and exclaimed, “The weather seems totally fine to me! There isn’t even a single dark cloud in the sky yet! It didn’t take me long to reach here. I am certain if you don’t stall me further I will be able to make it out of here before the storm catches up!” 

You looked at Lady Ruth, who was staring at you with an unreadable expression. It was as if she wasn’t present there at the moment. You stood there like you had just yelled at your mother and couldn’t decide whether you should apologise or not.

You felt a light jab at your side and you looked at Hoseok who was signalling you to apologise, which made you realise that you had strangely forgotten about his existence for the past few minutes. 

It’s like someone put several ice cubes on your hot head and the fizzing sensation urged you to apologise for your unnecessary rudeness to the lady who was everything but helping you. 

You turned to look at Lady Ruth whose expression gave the impression that she was back to this room. 

“I- I am sorry, your grace… I didn’t mean to say it like that. It’s just that the mechanic really got on my nerves and I involuntarily took out my frustration on you. I apologise for being an impudent brat.” 

You waited for her to reply and a few seconds passed when suddenly an intensely bright lightning struck the ground outside followed by a deafening sound which made you jump out of your skin and you felt goosebumps all over. 

Heavy rainfall soon followed, accompanied with mad gusts of wind and roaring thunder. Duri, with quick steps, closed all the windows and disappeared down the right hallway to probably close the rest of the windows. Seeing him, you ran to Jeongguk’s room to close the window. 

Rain was wetting the curtains and there was already a pool forming on the floor. You scurried over to close the window sills. There were a number of things you should consider when walking on a wet floor and the first one was to never hurry, which you did, and the next thing you knew was that you slipped and hit something real hard — the pain at the back of your head was the last thing you felt before blacking out. 

Your consciousness started coming back to you slowly, like a weekend morning after a good night’s sleep. You pulled the blanket closer to you as you let yourself stay like that in the comfort of the bed. In the back of your head, you felt like you were forgetting something. Then it dawned upon you like a weekday morning after a late night’s sleep. You sat up abruptly and stayed like that for a couple minutes to let your brain return to normal from the sudden dizziness. 

You slowly got out of the bed and noticed that you were wearing an off-white lace full-sleeved midi nightgown. The back of your head hurt and you had a bandage wrapped around your head. Instinctively, you touched your head while looking around the beige and sage green themed bedroom — it was well-lit with candles and it didn’t have any windows so you couldn’t tell what hour of the day it was. The shock made you run into the bathroom attached to the room. In the mirror you saw yourself and thought no wonder your head felt so light — there was not a single strand of hair on your head. 

What the fuck! How could they?

You left the room to find Hoseok to get an explanation behind your shaved head, and you noticed that you had been in the room next to Jeongguk’s. The hallway was lit with fire torches, and through the window at the end of the hallway you could see that it was already night and the rain was still falling, although its vigour had lessened a lot from before.

You slowly walked into Jeongguk’s room. The floor was dry and in the light of the candles Jeongguk’s pale body looked livelier than he looked that afternoon. His breaths seemed more stable now. 

You sat near him and softly brushed his hair with your fingers and whispered, “Please wake up soon. I can’t do this without you.” 

You walked through the torch-lighted hallway to find Hoseok. You passed the living room and entered the right hallway. The very first room had its door open and it seemed like a study. You saw Lady Ruth in a dark green silk maxi nightgown half-lying on a dark brown wool sofa reading a thick book. 

You thought that it would be better to ask her about Hoseok’s whereabouts than wandering these colossal halls yourself. You knocked on the door to get her attention and she immediately looked at you and sat up, “Sowon, you are up! Please come in!” 

You entered the room and sat on one of the two single-seater sofas. 

The room was brown themed and smelt of old books and wood. Three of its walls, including the one that had the entrance, had ceiling-touching wooden shelves full of books. The fourth wall opposite to the entrance, was filled with framed photographs, a fireplace and an olive coloured small door at the far left that was smaller than any door you had seen so far in the house. It was almost head-to-head with Lady Ruth. 

“Why did you come all the way here by yourself? You should be taking a rest now. Hoseok would be upset if he sees you out of your bed.” She said with concern. 

“I was looking for him actually…” You murmured, unable to talk in your normal volume. 

“He went to his room a while back and said he will be down for dinner. Duri is still not done yet, it seems. Are you hungry? Can you wait a bit more?” 

“Yes.. I don’t mind..” You murmured again. 

You couldn’t figure out the strange nervousness that you felt and you noticed that you were fidgeting your fingers and your legs were shaking and the air sat heavy on your upper body as sweat droplets formed on your forehead. 

“I must say you don’t look all that bad with all your hair gone. When Hoseok suggested shaving your whole head to stitch the wound, saying that you would hate having a bald spot on your head I couldn’t really agree. After all, a lady's beauty is in her hair!” 

You were not really paying attention to what she was saying so you just smiled awkwardly and wiped the sweat on your forehead with a shaky hand. You couldn’t form an answer as you were completely taken over by the weirdness you felt in your body, and you felt strangely attracted towards the wall that had the small door. 

You stood up abruptly and asked, “Can I look at the photos on the wall?” 

“Sure. Go ahead!” 

Getting the permission you swiftly went over to the wall and slowly started going through the pictures. The pictures ranged from old sepia to black and white to evolving coloured ones to aesthetically edited high definition ones — it was as if you were going through the history of photography. The photos were taken in various parts of this very property and most of the pictures were of Lady Ruth, many were of her with a middle aged man that she introduced to you as her late husband, and a few had Duri with her in it. In one such photo your eyes stopped — it was comparatively small, almost the size of your face and it was the only photo with only Duri in it. In it he was looking at a mirror hung up on a wall — he looked much younger, probably in his 30s, and he was looking at his reflection with a smile as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing but he was happy nonetheless. The photo was taken from his back and a similar searing brand was clearly visible on his neck that you saw this afternoon on Seokga’s neck. The photograph was old - perhaps the oldest one here - so you had no way of determining the freshness of the wound. 

With a shaky breath you asked, “Wh- What’s behind this door?”

 Lady Ruth stared at the door for a moment and mumbled, “My lifeline.” Then she looked back at your puzzled face and said, “Let me give you a tour!” 

The door didn’t have a lock nor did it have a handle. Lady Ruth pushed it and it slid open swiftly. Upon crossing the threshold you came upon a scenery which made you feel more speechless than when you visited the Guggenheim museum for the first time. 

The wooden shelf that started from the immediate left wall of the door touched the ceiling and when you looked up, its height went on for at least twice the height of the ground floor ceiling. 

“Come.” Lady Ruth held your hand and you followed her spellbound. 

The shelf ran along the walls and continued in a circle till it couldn’t bend anymore. It was like a mosquito coil but quadrilateral. There were candle lanterns placed at regular intervals so it wasn’t that difficult to see things. The shelf was filled with two different shapes of glass boxes — rectangular and square — and they were innumerable. Each glass box — approximately two feet in length — was separated from the other by a thin wooden ply. 

“Wh-What are these?” You asked. 

“My collection of miniature places. I make these location miniatures from scratch and Duri brings the glass boxes from outside and I store them in here. I only create two places though. One is the Devil’s Crest and another one is the entire property of this manor.” 

“How many exactly are there? They seem countless!” You couldn’t help but express your bewilderment. 

“Not quite. There are exactly twenty-seven thousand six hundred and sixty-six worlds!” 

“Wow… I am stupefied to say the least!” You exclaimed, feeling your shoulders getting burdened by each step towards the interior. 

“I would say that I am proud of myself too. They really help me live.” She smiled and looked at her collection.

When you reached the centre of the room, the shelf ended and there was an ivory table on which an approximately 15 cm tall snowglobe was kept, and it was covered by a tall glass box which reminded you of the rose covered in glass in The Beauty And The Beast. 

It was the most breathtaking snowglobe that you had ever seen in your entire life. You went closer to it to take a good look and it made you gasp. Inside the place seemed way too familiar — it was the shortcut road that started from the junction, leaving the actual junction area out of it and ended right before reaching the Moore Estate. The woods surrounding it were in it as well, and what seemed like very tiny versions of a gas station, the Devil’s Crest turning and the entire property of the Balam Manor. What surprised you the most was that it was drizzling inside it just like it was outside. 

Lady Ruth could probably tell what you were thinking by your shocked expression so she said, “I know it seems like an unusual piece but it’s nothing really surprising. The snow globe has a mechanism that lets me set its weather inside and I like it when it matches.” 

“Can I touch it?” You asked while pointing at it.

Lady Ruth almost jumped at you and grabbed your hand and nervously laughed, “I would rather prefer if you don’t. You see, it was gifted to me by an extremely important someone and it’s very precious to me. It’s what inspired my hobby, ha ha. I don’t let anyone touch it. But you can look at the ones I made! Please.”

Her eyes were pleading you to move away from it. You didn’t want to overstep your boundaries, so you glanced at it one last time and moved away to look at the ones on the shelf. 

The shelf had no space left for a new one so you said, “Seems like you have to make space for your future miniatures.”

“Not really. There are always some that end up as no joy for me and when they are discarded new ones fill that space!” 

“Oh…” You replied, pretending to understand fully what she said and went back to observing. 

The miniature boxes had tiny silver tags at top right corners of each of them and had numbers written on them which seemed like dates followed by letters with no space in between them. 

On the bottom shelf there was a miniature of the Devil Crest inside a rectangular glass box whose dimensions were 2ft×1ft×1ft. For some reason you felt attracted towards it, so you squatted down and looked at it intently. 

“Here.” Lady Ruth took out a lantern from its holder and handed it to you. 

“Thank you.” You replied showing a small smile and went back to observing.

The silver plate on its top left corner read: 21421002306JJ. 

It was a bluish dark kind of atmosphere inside as if it would dawn there soon. There was a straight road that ran lengthwise from one end to the other and its entirety was surrounded by woods on both sides that became denser the further it went from the road. 

On the right end of the road, placed at least two inches above its base, on the glass case was a neon exit sign. 

Right before reaching it the road took a turn and formed a circle of red colour. Something felt off about it so you leaned in closer to take a better look. Then you saw the pitch coloured road that was there from the starting but as it neared the circle it bent left slightly as if making room for the red road and ghostly moved forward towards the exit sign. 

The position of the roads were so close that if the roads were the same colour, one might think that the red road was the straight continuation and the pitch road was just another lane, or that the road just got wider. 

Then you noticed another weird thing — there was a car on the red road that stood facing the exit sign and it looked exactly like Jeongguk’s car. 

“Th- That’s Jeongguk’s car!” You blurted out and looked at Lady Ruth. 

“Hm? Oh yes!” Lady Ruth bent forward to look at the miniature and then looking at you she smiled, “Your boyfriend’s car gave me the idea. I think adding this detail puts more life into it! Don’t you think so?”

You nodded reluctantly. It’s making me sick, if anything. 

If you were in a bustling place then you would have thought you were hearing things, but the room was so quiet it could hardly be passed as a mistake; you clearly heard it - Jeongguk calling you. 

It was very faint but you were sure it was Jeongguk’s voice calling out, “Sowon!” 

Multiple times.

You stood up abruptly and exclaimed, “Did you hear that? Jeongguk’s calling me! He must be up! I must go at once!” 

You kept the lantern on the floor and ran out of the room.  

•••

Jeongguk wasn’t feeling himself. He felt detached from his body. His exhausted body was working under the directions of an adamant mind. A mind that felt itself going crazy and couldn’t register the tired body that was carrying it.  

How long had he been walking on this godforsaken road, he didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. He just wanted to reach an ending. The unchanging environment surrounding him clutched his throat but wanted him to go on still. 

He couldn’t remember how many times he had already passed his car. 

He didn’t know how many times he had broken down in the middle of the road.

He finally stopped to take a sip of water that he was rationing in case he had to stay longer. He sat on the back seat and drank one sip and lied down. 

His brain was starting to finally acknowledge the worn out aching body. And along with it a sense of hopelessness, that he was avoiding. 

Drops of tears glided down from the side of his eyes — some entered his ears and some detoured into his black hair. 

Just then, something unexpected happened - he heard your voice. 

It was as if you were talking to somebody not too far from him. And when you spoke his name, he heard it loud and clear. 

He sprang up and ran outside and called out your name, with all the strength in his body, “Sowon!” Multiple times. 

Jeongguk heard his name one more time and then everything went silent, again. 

“No no no no no. She can’t be here. She shouldn’t be here.” Jeongguk mumbled to himself, clutching his hair. 

“I must find her at once.” He knew full well that you weren’t on the road. The only option was the woods that he was avoiding until now. 

Without any hesitation, he ran into the woods. The hovering fog followed him. 

•••

As abruptly as you had left you came to an abrupt halt at the door of Jeongguk’s room. His taut body seemed loose as he was sitting on the bed, trying hard to do the same. You ran the short distance and hugged him. 

“Oh god! Thank you so much! You are up! How are you feeling, Gguk? Is there any pain?” You asked. 

He just smiled tiredly. 

“Let me call Hobi.” You tried to get up but Jeongguk held you in his hug. 

He softly sighed into the crook of your neck, “Let’s stay like this for a bit. I thought I won't be able to see you anymore.”

A slow discomfort crept up from your gut and spread its supple branches to the places Jeongguk’s body touched yours. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Your hardened stress was supposed to melt away from his touch instead of tightening like cooling stones. 

Despite the fire blazing at its full capacity in the fireplace, Jeongguk’s body was unusually cold to the touch. You couldn't figure out the reason for your discomfort, so you pulled yourself out from his grip and rubbed your hands up and down his cold arms over the thin fabric. 

“Oh my god! You are freezing! I have brought some warm clothes with me. Let me bring them to you.” You walked over to your haversack that had been abandoned by the couch since morning. You took out a white knit sweater that you had once borrowed from him. 

“What happened to your hair?” He asked in a raspy voice. 

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later. A lot has happened since you got lost…” You sighed and started putting the sweater on him. 

“Really? Why don’t you sit down and tell me all about it?” He said and you noticed his raspy voice getting raspier. 

Knowing your boyfriend, you thought it was weird for a worrywart like him to not ask you about how you were feeling yet, especially now that you were pregnant. Brushing it off as his sickness side effect, you quickly went to his backside to roll down the sweater on him properly that got tucked upwards, and while doing so, your eyes flickered momentarily on his neck. 

Your hands froze in their place. You felt like all your red warm blood had turned into white cold icy water seeing the same sizzling brand mark on his neck. Only one thought made itself loud and clear in your consciousness — you had to get away from the man sitting on the bed in front of you pretending to be your beloved. 

With trembling hands and shaking pupils you touched the silver water jug kept on a bedside stand near his head and tried to sound completely normal but failed to control the stutters completely, “Oh- oh my! G-Gguk, you must be thirsty! Huh? Oh n-no! There’s no water in it! Let me go and bring some water for you!” 

You hoped that whoever it was in the room didn’t notice the cold sweat on your forehead nor that you were trying to run away from it and hurried out of the room with the full jug in your hand. 

Outside, the torch-lit hallway in your eyes appeared to continue forever and so gargantuan that the darkness at the end of it felt like you were looking down in an endless well and you could fall down in it if you looked any further.  

Your legs felt weak and inside your head you felt a buzzing that made you nauseous. You dragged your body into the next room in which you were resting in the evening and locked the door after you. 

Slowly you climbed the bed to find some comfort. You wrapped yourself in the blanket and sat there staring blankly at nothing. 

Steadily enough your thoughts began to gain a coherent form and the buzzing started to die down. But even after that, you couldn’t make sense of what was happening around you. 

Why do Duri, the mechanic and that person have the same brand? Why did I feel so sick in that room? Why do I feel so trapped? If that isn’t Jeongguk then where is he? Why did Lady Ruth have Jeongguk’s car inside her miniature? 21421002306JJ… 2142/10/02… October 2nd - the day Jeongguk went missing… His last call was at 3:03am. Could 306 be the time when these people found him? Wait… JJ? Jeon Jeongguk? 

You felt your nerves shudder as your thoughts spiralled. I have to get out of here and find the real Jeongguk.

You slowly got out of the room and tiptoed along the hallway even though you were barefoot. There was luckily no one around when you slipped into the study. You couldn’t risk getting out of the main door and getting caught — you remembered the way the metal door made a loud creaking noise when Duri opened it this afternoon when you went to visit your father’s grave. 

At this point, you were beginning to doubt whether it was even your father’s grave. There’s something really fishy going on here. 

In the vast array of books, you weren’t sure if the blueprint of this house would even be kept, and even if it was, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, you had to look for it before someone walked in or looked for you. You frantically started scanning the bookshelves, you opened the cabinets underneath and looked in them while trying to avoid making the least sound but to no avail. It was indeed a needle inside a huge pile of hay. 

Tired, you decided to stop and think carefully. It helped, for your eyes landed on something anomalous - all the shelves had uniform partitions except one in the right wall whose one partition ran wider than others. You knocked on it lightly and figured out that the inside was hollow. You hurriedly checked and noticed that it had no opening from the front. You started to take out the books slowly from the shelf at your eye level that was at the right side of the partition - there was nothing. 

You kept the books in their place and instead of moving upwards or downwards, you decided to go to the left side of the partition and check. 

Yes! You found it! 

There was a thin rectangular line that said that it could be moved. You slowly pushed it and it slid open. Inside it was dark but not wanting to waste anymore time to bring a light source, you shoved your hand inside — not your best decision because you were instantly greeted with an unpleasant handshake of sticky cobwebs, and you definitely felt a few small things crawl by your hand. 

You shut your eyes and mouth tightly and began to fumble your hand around until it touched something that felt like a thin book. 

Bringing it out you cleaned the thick layer of dirt and crumpled cobwebs, that made itself a part of it, with your nightgown. 

You opened it and realised that it was not a book but a parchment paper that was so big that upon folding the way it was, it gave the impression of a book. 

When you fully unfolded the paper, you realised that you had found just the thing you needed. The blueprint which was a detailed drawing of all the floor plans and designs of the manor on its aging parchment paper could hardly be called a blueprint since it was nothing that you were used to seeing, but you decided to refer to it as the ‘blueprint’ anyways. It took up a large area of the floor and there was a browned photograph kept in the middle which in the spur of the moment you kept aside to look at the drawing instead. 

In the all-familiar ground floor plan, you found something that was unfamiliar to you. There was a built-in secret passage along the back wall of the entire ground floor whose left end led to the kitchen in the basement and a backdoor marked as “the exit” was built in the middle of it. It had two entrances marked —  one on the wall facing the room in which Jeongguk’s doppelganger was and another one was in the wall facing the master bedroom at the end of the right hallway. It was convenient, you thought. You just had to wait for everyone to retire for the night and then you could make your great escape.

At the top middle of it there were several things written which you assumed were its construction period, name of the head architect and the owners, respectively — 

1589-1596

Jaejoong Yi

Jaejoong Yi & Ruth Amelia Livingston Yi

What the fuck… 

You read it again and instinctively reached out for the photograph that you had kept aside earlier. The yellowing photograph showed two people standing in front of the main gate of the Balam Manor and they were smiling - one of them you could recognise from when Lady Ruth introduced to you earlier, Mr. Yi Jaejoong, her husband and the other one, you could recognise all too well because it was none other than Lady Ruth herself. Behind the photograph, there was a congratulatory message written that read, “Wishing all the happiness for your new beginnings. Much love, Rich Moore.” 

Answers began to fold themselves into more questions the more you sought them out. You couldn’t comprehend all the information laid before you. You thought you were in some kind of an elaborate prank video. Why was there a photo of Lady Ruth that’s supposedly taken in 1596 when you could interact with her now in 2142, exactly 546 years later? 

The flickering candle lights painted something ominous on the walls around you and you found it hard to breath. You wanted to get out of there as soon as possible but there was something that you must check before you go — a miniature labeled in your dad’s name. 

There was no handle on the olive coloured door as you had seen before so you tried to push it open but it didn’t budge. You looked for anything that could be indicative of an opening but there was none. 

You considered taking the pictures off the wall to look for some kind of key as they showed in movies but just then you heard footsteps outside. You hurried towards the door which you had mindfully closed after entering. 

You listened to the footsteps carefully and instantly recognised them as Hoseok's. 

You knew your best friend all too well to know that if you made any noise from behind in this darkness or simply call out his name he was gonna freak out and most probably would let out a pterodactyl shriek, hence alarming everyone present in the vicinity. He had a terrible distaste of darkness and the creatures that he thought resided in it. Now, it was making you wonder how he was even managing to live in this manor that nests this creepy darkness in it once the sun goes down.

You waited for his footsteps to fade enough to follow him without scaring him. Once you were sure he was far enough you got out of the room slowly and you saw his silhouette entering Jeongguk’s room, probably to check up on him. You increased your speed in order to stop him before he started to fuss over your disappearance. 

Once you were in front of the door your speed reduced to a halt and you hesitated to enter as the two people inside — one with his hair wrapped in towel ready for a hair commercial checking the pulse of the other one with a weak posture and uninviting aura — turned and stared at your paused body with an expression that asked ‘why aren’t you entering?’ 

A staring competition ensued which lasted less than a minute and whose ending was marked by Hoseok’s question, “What are you thinking so hard about standing there?” 

Startled, you entered the room as if you had to after his question and while walking towards Hoseok you asked him nervously, “How is he doing?” 

“Better than I expected. Why didn’t you call me as soon as he woke up?” He asked while sitting down on the chair that you had dragged a lot earlier nearer to the bed to sit. 

You stood right by your friend and answered, “I was going to but his voice was raspy so I went to bring some water.” 

Hoseok looked at your hands and commented, “But I don’t see any water.” 

“Ah…” Your voice trailed off as you brought your two hands forward and looked at them unbelievingly. Fuck! I was too careless.

“I… couldn’t find water in the dining room. Come help me find it.” You grabbed Hoseok’s hand and pulled him trying to get him up. 

And when he finally got up you practically dragged him out of the room with the force of pulling a loaded cart uphill. 

You stopped only when you reached the dining room. You looked behind you, and once you confirmed it’s only you two there you whispered, steering it loud enough to be considered as a serious matter, “Hoba, that’s not Jeongguk!” 

“What?” On his face you could clearly see his disbelief in the fact that you just told him what you did. 

“I am serious.” 

“Aha! I know you are trying to pull a prank on me!” He cheerfully ended his investigation behind your weird claims. 

“I am not. Hoba, please you have to believe me now.” You begged to be taken seriously. 

He stared at you for a few moments as if looking for sincerity in your words and once he found it he asked, “Why do you feel like that? I didn’t sense anything off though.” 

“I… I could just sense it. He makes me uncomfortable. My Jeongguk would never make me feel that way.” You said. 

Hoseok pretended to vomit and said, “Okay. Stop. I get it.” 

You slapped his arm and retorted, “You should see yourself when you talk about Ji-a!” 

He laughed, “Sorry, sorry. My bad. But seriously it must be just your injured head talking! Who else it would be other than Jeongguk in the flesh! You have seen him. I have seen him. He is exactly like we know him.” 

He was right. There was no visible evidence of him not being Jeongguk - except for the brand mark on his neck! 

“Wait! Hoba, there’s…” You got interrupted in the middle by Duri, who entered the room and with his signature bow, he said, “Your graces, dinner is ready to be served.” 

He then proceeded to pull two chairs one by one and waited until both of you sat down. Once he went out to bring the food you told Hoseok, still using the same hushed tone, “I have something important to tell you. Let’s talk after dinner in your room.” 

“Alright, ma’am. I also have something to ask you. By the way, aren’t you going to feed Jeongguk? You used to do that whenever he got sick.” Hoseok’s voice was back to normal volume. 

“Ah, right…” Your voice drooped. He is not Jeongguk though.

When Duri came back with the dishes Hoseok asked him, “Duri, have you prepared the soup that I asked you for Jeongguk?” 

“Yes, milord. Earlier I came here after delivering the soup to him. But…” He paused and after a quick glance at you he looked back at Hoseok, “He said that he’ll wait for milady to finish her dinner.” 

Ever since you hugged him, your mind was constantly telling you that he wasn’t Jeongguk and you should stop caring and stay as far as possible from him, but Duri’s last sentence put an uneasiness inside you like coarse sand between your toes, and your fingers hesitated to grab the chopsticks. 

Unable to clean away the sand, you stood up and said, “Duri, can you please put away my food for now? I will have them after feeding Jeongguk.” 

“Wait wait wait!” Hoseok stood up as well. “Have your dinner first. You have to take medicine. And Jeongguk will have to take meds too after dinner which I haven’t brought from my room. Let’s just finish our dinner quickly then you can feed him with all the love you want to give him, hm?” 

Duri probably noticed your hesitation so he said, “Milady, I have put his soup back in the kitchen and his grace said that he wasn’t feeling like eating yet, so you can enjoy your dinner peacefully.” 

You let out a heavy sigh and sat back down. You didn’t have any appetite but any excuse seemed better than seeing the man in that room right now. 

At this point, relief seemed to be a far-fetched dream as one fear after another caught up to you. Putting the first nibble inside your mouth, you asked Duri, “Duri, won’t Lady Ruth be joining us for dinner tonight?”  

After the discoveries of this evening you didn’t think you’d be able to hide your inner dread from her. 

“Her grace has retired for the evening. She told me to relay the message that she regrets not being able to be your host for dinner tonight as she has some urgent business to attend to. She hopes for your understanding.” Duri answered. 

“Ah! That’s completely fine! Please tell Lady Ruth to not worry about it all. Ha ha!” You didn’t expect to be spared the dread but you were thankful nonetheless. 

You finished all that you were served quite quickly and after taking the meds, you requested Hoseok, “Hoba, please sit with me while I feed him. I really don’t want to be alone right now. And when I am done feeding him, tell him that you have something urgent to discuss with me, okay?” 

You sat on the chair by the man’s bed and Hoseok sat on the couch. Duri brought in the soup and a small table that could be kept on the bed for convenience. 

You had only fed him two spoons when the man asked, “Babe, are you okay? Your hands are shaking!” 

“Oh?” You didn’t notice how much your hands were trembling as you were solely focused on feeding him so that you could leave the room as soon as possible.  

“Ah… It’s nothing. I am probably cold, wearing this thin nightgown and all. The fire isn’t helping that much I guess. Don’t worry. I have brought warm clothes for myself too. Once you finish eating I will wear it.” You smiled nervously and held another spoonful of soup in front of his mouth. 

Slowly — probably too slow for you — he finished the bowl and Duri came and took away both the bowl and the table as if he was just waiting for it outside. 

You wiped your hand with the wet washcloth that Duri had brought and he brought another one which you used to wipe Jeongguk’s mouth. 

After you were done, you put on the sweater that you had brought for yourself. You made the man lie on the bed and pulled the blanket over him, quite reluctantly so. 

Despite there being three people in the room, all of whom happen to be best of friends, an awkward silence roamed inside its walls, and the only sound that could be heard loud enough as if it was happening inside one’s body, was the crackling of fire in the fireplace.

You looked at Hoseok and squinted your eyes which signalled both annoyance and a reminder to do his part. Hoseok, who had apparently zoned out, came back to his senses and abruptly started talking like a wannabe actor giving an audition, “Wonwon, I have something to talk to you about. Come with me. Jeongguk, please don’t fall asleep. I’ll bring your meds right away.” 

You were in no position to criticise your best friend’s acting skills as you replied in the same amateur manner, “Oh, okay, Hoba. Let’s go. I’ll be right back, b-babe.” 

Once you were in Hoseok’s room on the first floor, you could take the breath long needed. You released your body on his soft king-sized bed with a thump. 

You looked around the maroon and gold themed room while lying down and said, “This room is huge! Probably twice the size of the room Jeongguk is in. Maybe even more! Ji-a is going to go absolute nuts over this space!” 

Hoseok smiled while going over to a big glass shelf blocking one of the windows completely. That modernish furniture was certainly a misfit in this room preserving its classic medieval aesthetic. 

Seeing that hopeful and shy smile on his face you couldn’t help but mumble, “But probably you won’t be able to live here after all.” 

“Hm? What was that?” Hoseok asked. And you replied with the typical, “Nothing.” 

“By the way, where are the workers for the renovation? I haven't seen anyone or heard anything since this morning.” You asked. 

“I gave them a few days off. Seeing Jeongguk’s condition, some silence would do him good.” Hoseok explained, to which you just replied with a ‘hmm.’

The illusion that was relief came to an end as almost instantaneously you felt the nauseousness appear like a wave inside you just like this afternoon. Asking for the direction of his bathroom, you ran and vomited all that you had eaten for dinner in his sink. It was a gruesome sight. 

“Wonwon? You okay in there?” You heard Hoseok asking from outside the door of the bathroom. 

“Yea- Yeah I am fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” You replied, and letting a heavy and slow sigh escape from your lungs, you started cleaning the sink.

After returning the sink to its previous state, you washed your face. Your head hung low as you stood there to take a breather and let the water droplets fall without wetting your dress. Your whole head and throat felt like it was on fire, and you wanted to drink a shit ton of water. 

You couldn’t understand why you were throwing up so much. If your pregnancy was the reason then you were fine yesterday even after barely eating anything and travelling the whole day. Then why was this happening today when you had full meals and ample rest? 

Wiping the water from your face with your hand you looked up and saw yourself in the mirror that was fitted right above the sink which you had completely blindsided until now. 

The reflection in the mirror looked more miserable than the reflection that you saw a couple or so hours ago. Your eyes were red and watery and you could see the stress taking form on your face clearly. 

I have to get out of here.

You got out of the bathroom and saw your best friend standing there with worry cemented on his face. You gave him a faint smile and tried to reassure him, “I am fine! It’s just pregnancy sickness. Nothing more. I’ll be fine after a good rest. But first take off that towel! You’ll ruin your already balding hair!” 

“I am not the bald one though.” Hoseok sing-songed the mockery with a smirk on his face and slightly grazed his hands over your bald head. 

“Why you!” You chased after already running away Hoseok who stopped near his bed and nearly started wheezing and falling down because he was laughing so hard. 

When you reached him he started saying, “Time-out, time-out,” with panicky hand gestures and squeaky voice - his face red as a tomato. 

You stopped and sat on the bed - laughing hard yourself that brought tears to your eyes. 

After both of you had calmed down, you instructed Hoseok to sit on the carpet near your feet, “Come, sit here. I’ll wipe your hair dry. Why did you even wash your hair at this dead hour of the night?”

“Ah! I went out to talk to the mechanic. He said that he’d leave for the city once the rain lets up and bring a tow. And on my way back I got poured on so I had to wash my hair.” He explained. 

“And let me guess, you forgot that you can’t use a hair dryer here and you kept the towel on and forgot about it too.” You unwrapped the towel and let his long brunette hair that went well past his shoulder blades fall freely on his back. It still kept droplets trapped between its locks, so you began to make small partings in his hair and wipe them thoroughly. 

You didn’t have to see it to know that your best friend was smiling sheepishly knowing full well that you had stepped on his deeds with right footing. 

You held his hair up to wipe the wetness off his upper neck. 

At the police academy they taught you how to not to trust even the most innocent looking person while investigating a crime. But they didn’t teach how to apply the same doubtful glance on your loved ones. 

Your hand paused and so did your whole body. The same brand mark was on his neck. You felt deceived. Helpless. And suddenly, alone. 

You gulped hard in an attempt to swallow the fear. 

Play it cool. Play it cool.

“Y- you were telling me you had something important to say.” You asked.

“Ah! Yes. I was putting your clothes to dry on the clothes rack and I found a note in your pocket with some kind of a riddle on it. What is it?” He asked.

Shit! You had totally forgotten about the fortune card! 

You felt your vision blur for a moment. And as abruptly it blurred, it became clear too. 

“Oh, that? I bought a fortune cookie on my way here and it was inside that cookie. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed to see a weird note instead of a real fortune.” You huffed in disappointment. 

“Just that? I thought you were on some treasure hunting shenanigan this time without telling me!” He pouted. 

“As if!” You scoffed — the little playful push dissipated halfway before reaching his back. 

“By the way, you said you have something important to tell me. What is it?” He asked after closing his eyes as you started back again to wipe his hair but this time more gently. 

Noticing how you weren’t answering, he quipped, “Come on! Stop zoning out.” 

“Huh? Ah yeah… Well, the thing is, Hoba, I discovered some really disturbing things today and I think you shouldn’t live here anymore. In fact, you should run away with me as I am planning to do so tonight.” Your hands stopped once again and your voice gained a serious tone. 

If you want to play this game, let’s play this game.

“What?” He exclaimed loudly and turned around to face you, which made it apparent how shocked he was. 

“Hoba… You have to listen to me very carefully.” You got down from the bed and sat in front of him on the carpet. 

“Do you remember that I told you that I went to get water for Jeongguk this evening but couldn’t find any?” 

He nodded.

“Actually, I didn’t go to bring water. I was in Lady Ruth’s study.” He gave you a ‘are you mad?’ look. And you instantaneously began to justify your action. 

“I know. I know this sounds like I was trespassing, which technically I was, but hear me out! There I found this manor’s map along with a photograph of Lady Ruth and her husband. And the strange part is that their photo and the day they entered this mansion was dated in the year 1596!” 

“You sure you saw it right?” He asked doubtfully. 

“Are you seriously questioning a detective if she saw it right? The audacity.” You faked taking offense. 

“You forgot to mention ‘private’.” He chirped back. 

“That doesn’t make me any less of a detective. I would say I would be better if anything. So stop turning the conversation into the wrong lane!” 

“Okay. Okay! I am sorry.” He laughed. “But seriously though, it could be Lady Ruth’s ancestor with the same name and face! Things like that happen sometimes.” 

“That’d be a far stretch if we consider a few things - firstly why isn’t there any other of her ancestors’ pictures in the manor? Secondly, why do both of their husbands, as Lady Ruth has introduced to me, look the same and have the same name? And thirdly, she herself told me that her husband used to call her ‘Balam’ and this manor is named after her, which she had made obvious a few times. What other proof do you need? Hoba, I am telling you there’s something really wrong with the people here! And both you and I have to get out of here. Tonight!” You took a long breath after your long explanation to convince him. 

“But Wonwon… all the things that you are saying are just theoretical. We don’t have solid proof! I have been living here for months now! And trust me, I haven’t seen anything out of place!” He looked at you as if you were trying to forcefully prove something that wasn’t even there. 

“Hoba…” Your voice mellowed down and strangely, even though he wasn’t your best friend, you felt disheartened. “This isn’t like you at all… What changed in the last months that you are trying to imply that I am in the wrong? You used to be my number one supporter!” 

“Wonwon…” He held your hand in an attempt to put balm on the bleeding wound in your heart. 

You softly tugged your hand out of his cold ones and sniffled hard to stop your tears from coming out, “Fine! You want proof? I’ll give you proof! You remember what I told you about Jeongguk, right? In her collection room, I saw a miniature that was dated the day Jeongguk went missing and it even has its initials and Jeongguk’s car in it! I may be going crazy, like you think, but I know too damn well that it takes more than a day to create something as detailed as that. Come with me to the collection room. And look for one with the code starting with 21311017 and ending with PY. That’d be my dad.” 

“Wha- Alright, let’s go!” He stood up and extended his hand to help you up but you ignored his waiting hand and stood up yourself. 

“Where did you keep my clothes?” You asked. 

“It’s in the bathroom of the room you were sleeping in. And your phone is in the drawer of the bedside table. You go first. I’ll see you in front of the study in ten minutes.” He replied solemnly and sighed a quick sigh. 

You didn’t say anything back. On your way back, the steps of the stairs were darker than when you ascended it with him. Your steps felt heavy and the stairs and the hallway seemed to go on forever.

Finally entering your room, you went straight to the bathroom. The bathroom was almost the size of a big bedroom in any high class apartment in the city, and you found another smaller room within it where there was a small fireplace and several clothes racks. 

You took your clothes and searched your pockets and let out a relieved sigh after finding the note in one of your pockets. 

You changed into your previous outfit and sat on your bed to read the note again.

WHEN ROADS ARE MISLEADING AND FALSE WORDS ARE SPOKEN

IN THE RULING DARKNESS SOMEONE'S TREASURED THING MUST BE BROKEN

This time you could understand that it wasn’t a riddle rather a clear-cut instruction on what you have to do. 

Who is that old lady? And why is she helping me like this?

No matter what, you decided to follow the path that you saw as your only way to escape and your single shot at rescuing Jeongguk. 

You took out your phone from the drawer — it still had 15% battery but no reception yet — and kept it in the inside pocket of your jacket.

You inhaled and exhaled deeply and went to the man’s room. 

He was lying down in the exact position you had left him. His eyes were closed and he was taking slow and steady breaths. 

Your plan was to quietly take your haversack and get out of there. Before taking your haversack, you hesitated for a moment and contemplated whether you should take the sweater off of him since it was one of Jeongguk’s favourite ones and it made you sad seeing it on somebody else. 

Get it together, Sowon. It’s not the time to be materialistic.

You gave yourself soundless slaps on your cheeks and picked up the haversack.

You looked at the person lying on the bed one last time before turning to leave, but your eyes made contact with each other. His emotionless eyes were looking at you directly and that startled you. 

“O-oh Jeongguk! Did I wake you? I was just leaving! Rest up.” You laughed nervously. 

“Where are you going, babe?” He asked; his voice was groggy - the voice that had made your insides feel like jelly on many mornings. 

But tonight it made you sick. 

“I am just going to give Hoseok a few things that I brought with me. Why don’t you go back to sleep? It may take long.” Come on! Say ‘okay’.

“It’s fine. I’ll be waiting. I want to sleep with you by my side tonight.” He smiled. 

“But Jeongguk… You are sick!” You make me sick! 

“It’s not like we’ll be doing something strenuous! Plus the bed is so big… I’d feel lonely by myself. With you here, why should I sleep alone?” He smirked. And you thought if he was real Jeongguk you would be in his arms already.

“Alright. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” You gave him a stiff smile and got out of the room. 

The man pretending to be Hoseok was waiting for you outside of the study. When he noticed you with your haversack, he asked in bewilderment, “Are you already making a run for it?” 

“Hush! Not yet. But who knows when I have to. You should have been prepared beforehand as well.” You whispered and entered the study. 

The candles inside were halfway through their lives and the room was slightly darker than before. 

“I couldn’t open that door earlier. Can you?” You whispered pointing to the ominous olive coloured small door on the photo-cluttered wall. 

“I’ll give it a try.” He said and went straight to the door. 

With his slight pull the door slid open leaving your jaw to hit the floor. 

“Wow, Jung Hoseok! You are the mvp!” You praised him and gave him a light pat on his shoulder. 

He held your arm and turned you around to face him before you could cross the threshold, “Listen, if I don’t find what you told me then you are going straight to bed. I am not going to go along with your fantasies any longer. Understood?”

His sudden declaration of terms and conditions startled you but you just nodded. 

“Good! Also we must hurry! Duri will be here to change the candles before they run out completely! So you better hurry!” He whispered in an urgent tone and closed the door behind him after both of you got in. 

It was your second time seeing the colossal structure but it didn’t fail to make you feel insignificant and amazed yet again. This time though the added dimness poured black ashes inside your stomach and you felt nervous. 

You brought out the flashlight and walked ahead, “Hoba, I am gonna walk ahead and take a look at the miniature I saw earlier once more. You look for the one I told you.”

But the next second you paused and said, “Wait! On second thought, I am going to look for my dad’s miniature. I’ll make a sound once I find it. You stand guard here. Make a sound if someone comes.” 

“Wait! Wonwon, what are you planning to do if what you said turns out to be true?” He asked. Even in the dim candle light you could see his expression — he was concerned and was feeling lost. 

Nice acting.

You kept your hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him perhaps, or maybe yourself, “We’ll figure something out… as we always have.” You tried to smile. 

You didn’t wait to see or hear his reaction and soon you were out of his sight, in the maze of shelves, towards the center. 

Once you reached the heart of the room, you exhaled long and took a few quick breaths as if preparing yourself for the next step. You indeed came to look at the miniature Jeongguk was supposed to be ‘in’. But that was only a part of a bigger plan. You glanced at the snowglobe inside the glass cover. The rain had stopped inside the snowglobe and it was basking in the shining full moon light. 

You quickly put your haversack on the floor and opened its mouth. You held the glass cover carefully and started lifting it. It was heavier and thicker than it looked. You had to be careful not to drop it. Keeping it on the table right beside the snow globe you quickly smuggled the snow globe inside your haversack. You slid the glass cover to the middle, since it was closer to the edge of the round table, in fear of knocking it over and making a noise loud enough to bring the whole mansion, i.e. just four other people, in this space. 

Putting on the haversack you flashed the light inside the never-changing 21421002306JJ miniature. Gguk, I promise I’ll save you.

You looked at the other miniatures of recent dates and found the one that you didn’t mention to him about — 214204161001JH carved on the silver tag of a miniature of Balam Manor. 

Hoba… 

With hurried steps you went to the outer wings of the structure where you hoped you would find a miniature with your dad’s initials. You felt grateful that everything was managed serially so you just had to scan through the years quickly. 

In the second wing from inside you found dates from the 2100s, and on the third rack from the bottom in one of the shelves — you couldn’t determine on which wall it was — you found what you were dreading until now - what if I can’t find it?

The 21311017333PY silver tag shone brightly as you looked up at it. 

You whistled a particular tone that you had always used as a signal for your best friend since childhood, but it came out rather weak since you were trying to keep the sadness at the border of your throat. 

He was by your side in an instant. He looked at the tag you were pointing at and gasped softly, “Oh my god… You were right. What should we do now?”

“Can… Can you lift me up, Hoba? I wanna take a look inside of it…” You softly whispered and looked at him with teary eyes. 

He didn’t say anything but just knelt down so you could climb on his shoulders. 

You quickly swiped off the tears, and keeping the haversack on the floor, you climbed on his shoulders. 

With wobbly steps he stood up. You chuckled at that and chirped a quick apology to him. 

The atmosphere inside the miniature was just as unmoving as Jeongguk’s. The woods were the same, the road was the same and the exit sign too was the same. There was a car in it as well. The only tiny difference in it was that it was your dad’s car that you had seen him drive off in for the last time. 

“Hoba, I am done.” You whispered a little loudly. 

He slowly lowered his wobbly body down and you got off. You got off and couldn’t get up from the floor. You wanted to ugly cry but all you could do was whimper while swallowing the sounds and bearing the pain inside your chest and throat. 

He sat down beside you and hugged you. You clutched on the sleeve of his sweater anchoring yourself and buried your face in his chest.  

The exhaustion that you were keeping at bay, trying not to let them overwhelm you, came crashing down on you again - taking you violently, drowning you mercilessly. But this time, you felt relief. You had found him. Now all that was left was rescuing him from that still, unnatural world controlled by evil. 

“Wonwon!” He whispered. “I think someone’s here. It’s probably Duri. We have to get out of here!” 

“What? But how? There’s only one way out!” You said sniffling as quietly as you could. 

He thought for a moment and said, “You wait here. I’ll distract Duri and once he is out of the way I will come and get you, alright?” 

You nodded. He gave you a reply-nod and went out. You swiftly and stealthily went behind him and hid by the door. As he closed the door behind him after getting out, you heard Duri’s voice, “Your grace, I believe I have already informed you that this space is off limits in her grace’s absence.” 

You heard his cheerful voice, “I am so sorry, Duri! It totally slipped my mind. It’s just so fascinating. I was going to return now anyways. By the way, before you change the candles here, can you change the ones in my room? I have some work to do! Hm? Pretty please?” 

You pictured Duri sighing and rolling his eyes in defeat, which you were sure wouldn’t be visible on his face. 

“Yes, your grace.” You heard Duri say. 

“I’ll be there in a sec!” He replied. 

A few seconds passed and he opened the door. 

You scrambled on your feet and quickly got out. 

“Listen!” He held you by your shoulders. “Stay in your room for now. I’ll come at midnight and we will make an escape through the living room window.” 

“But Hoba!” You said for no particular reason. 

“Don’t worry. I know Duri’s surveillance pattern. We will make it. Together!” He gave your shoulders a light shake as if to transfer his resolution into you. 

Taking your nod as a yes, he went to the first floor where he had sent Duri earlier. 

•••

You entered the room and saw Jeongguk sitting on his bed. 

“You sure took long. I thought you abandoned me.” Jeongguk said with a blank expression. 

You didn’t have any excuse ready. With a sheepish smile you went towards him. 

Strangely, you didn’t feel uncomfortable at all anymore. Rather you felt a very familiar feeling that you were so used to, that you were so craving for. 

Reaching him, you hugged him - his head on your belly. 

“I am sorry that I was gone for so long. We will be home soon.” You said softly and slowly ran your fingers through his soft curls. 

“No.” 

Jeongguk’s words confused you. 

“What do you mean?” You asked. 

“As long as you have this I can’t go anywhere.” His voice sounded cruel. 

He put his hands on your belly, and your belly started growing, and in the blink of an eye it was the size of that of an eight month pregnant woman. 

Before you could comprehend what was happening, Jeongguk’s hands grew claws and he ripped your belly apart and yanked out a bloody lump of alive flesh. 

•••

You woke up with a startle. You didn’t realise when you had fallen asleep on the bed of your room while waiting to get out. 

You rubbed your face - it was covered in cold sweat. You touched your belly and felt relieved. 

You quickly checked for the time on your phone, desperately hoping it wasn’t midnight already and felt relieved that it was still forty-five minutes away.

You took out your desert eagle and the holster and tied it around your waist in case you had to use it.

Putting your haversack on your back, you slowly poked your head out of the room to check if there was anyone. 

Relieved to see the empty hallway, you got out. With soft steps you reached near the next room’s door and peeked inside. Jeongguk's doppelganger was lying down but you couldn’t figure out whether he was asleep or not. 

With similar soft steps you scurried and crossed his door and reached the end of the hallway. 

According to the blueprint, there was supposed to be a door leading to it, and the only possibility you saw was the 6 foot long and 4 foot wide painting of the waterfall that was fixed on the wall at the very end. 

You slowly started pushing it from one side but it didn’t budge. You tried the other side and got the same result. 

You felt panic slowly starting to settle in the pit of your stomach. You looked at the torchlit yet dark hallway and hoped no one came now. 

You looked up and down the painting, illuminating it with your flashlight. You began to feel its sides with your hands as far as it reached and looked for anything out of the ordinary. But there was none on either side. 

You sat down on the floor and began inspecting the underside of the frame, and there you found a groovy pattern made for four fingers. You put your fingers except the thumb in it and gave it a push upwards. It made a clicking sound and the painting slid upwards opening a cavity its size. 

You clenched your fist and pulled your elbow towards yourself as a victory celebration and stepped into the cavity. 

You entered and turned to your right. The long hallway stretching ahead was lit with smaller fire torches than the ones in the main hallway. The unwavering shadows underneath them had the impression of lurking entities waiting to pounce. You looked behind you and saw a dark and narrow passageway that, according to the blueprint, led to the kitchen outside. 

Logically, it was the shorter path to escape to the outside but there was also a bigger possibility of Duri being there. 

Your escapeway was lying right ahead in the middle of the hallway — a door where the staircase in the main building was. 

You saw a thick rope attached to the bottom of the painting from inside and its end was hung on an iron hook on the wall. You pulled the rope and closed the painting behind you, locking yourself inside the restricted passage. 

Carefully you trod ahead — fast enough to get there quickly, slow enough to not make any noise, your barefoot helped. 

The air in the hallway was dense and heavy with the smell of burning wax. The lights flickered subtly as you moved past each of them shifting the air. The more seconds you passed there, the more difficult it became for you to breathe properly. There was no visible outlet to let the air move freely and the years of trapped air latched onto your nose and lungs and was squeezing out more than you could take from it. 

Not being able to tolerate it anymore, you ran the last bit and took a longer breath once you reached the door. 

The garlic-like odour of phosphorus hit your nose sharply. You looked up and it became clear to you how the neon sign above the door was working when there wasn’t supposed to be any electricity in the manor. 

You should have immediately unlatched the door. You should have immediately walked out instead of staring at the shining bright green neon sign nailed above the door that said - The Exit. 

You should have made your escape before the voice so familiar to you could call you and say, “Wonwon, I told you we’ll make it together. So why are you leaving me behind?” 

Your body stiffened as you stared right at the door refusing to acknowledge the source of the sound. You could hear his footsteps approaching.  

You felt unnerved. Your eyes frantically looked for the latch. Once you found it, you dared to look at the direction of the dim hallway that you had crossed a while ago. You saw your best friend’s figure walking towards you. The monster lurking in the shadows turned out to be the wolf in grandma's skin. 

Keeping your shaking finger on the latch, you yelled knowing full well it’s of no use, your voice hoarse in fear, “Stop right there. I know you are not Jung Hoseok.” 

A sinister smile cut through the figure’s cheeks. 

A hot tear drop trickled down your cheeks as you tried to stand your ground. 

“Here I thought I was putting up a perfect act. But you fooled me. Anyways, I am glad I don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s annoying.” The figure said. 

His voice distorted and you witnessed the most horrifying scene unfold in front of your eyes. 

The slit that had occurred on the figure’s cheeks while smiling widened and you saw your best friend’s skin getting ripped apart - first the face, then the skull, then the full body in half through the middle - slowly, like a flimsy cloth. 

You desperately tried to open the hundreds of years old latch. Duri freed himself from Hoseok’s skin that fell on the ground like a wet rag and dissolved into Duri’s body like slime.

The skin on your palm started burning. 

Duri started running towards you and his body began to disfigure in a gruesome manner — his back hunched, his arms grew longer, crossing his knees, his legs bent like an animal and he grew claws on both hands and feet. His hairless body was grey in colour and there was pure cruelty in his glowing lidless eyes and lipless mouth where only long and sharp teeth were visible. 

Your mind couldn’t focus on anything else except for the impending danger and the latch that needed to be opened. 

The moment you fully unlocked the latch, you found yourself flying. Duri had grabbed your haversack and had flinged you to the opposite wall. 

Your side hit the wall and you fell on your back. You realised you’d have broken a few bones if you had been thrown any harder. Due to the impact, your flashlight broke, leaving shattered glass pieces on the floor. 

A series of coughs escaped your lungs and you sat up only to see that Duri was holding your haversack. 

No no no no no no. 

Panic spread across your body like a wildfire. If Duri got his hands on the snow globe then all of this would be for nothing. You quickly took out your gun and aimed at Duri. 

His face didn’t have the opportunity to show much expression but you could imagine that he was smirking mockingly at you while he said, “Your father didn’t teach you stealing is a bad thing?” 

He took out the snow globe. 

You gritted your teeth and aimed at his head and fired. It hit right above his temple, but to your horror, his skin absorbed the bullet as if you had just shot a viscous substance. 

“You need to do more than that to hurt me.” His distorted voice echoed in the hallway. 

You shot another round which hit his eye. 

You didn’t hope for much and were ready to shoot another round, but it seemed to have an effect on Duri. It took him a second to come near you and the next second you were grabbed by your collar too tightly to even breath. 

He smelt like swamps and rotten vegetables, which made breathing in his vicinity even more difficult for you. 

“Humans.” Duri growled. “You are all so fragile and insignificant, yet you stop at nothing to prove your dominance over things that you can’t control.” 

You coughed and struggled to get out of his clasp. 

Duri’s grip on your collar lightened but he didn’t let go. 

“You know what, your father probably thought of the same thing when he willingly entered the Devil’s Crest to rescue your uncle. Such a prideful little bastard. Leaving his family behind with the confidence that he will be able to get out. Aren’t you the same as him? Prideful, overconfident and rude.” Duri inched closer as his hurt dimmed eye began to regain its glow. 

“Do not dare to speak of my father with your stinky mouth.” You barked. 

At your retort, Duri laughed maniacally and let you go. 

“You have got some nerve. Do you think your nerves will save you from the repercussions of hurting my eye?” 

He took your hand and kept three silver tags on your palm that magically appeared in his big clawed hand. Those three tags belonged to Jeongguk, Hoseok and your father. 

You looked up at Duri and he said, “Choose one of them that you want to save. I’ll spare his life. Choose very carefully. Because the unchosen ones aren’t going to have the most merciful deaths.” He started singing ‘eenie meenie miney mo’ and placed his index finger on each silver tag with each word. 

You closed your eyes and took a sharp breath.

“Are you saying that my father is still alive?” You asked.

“Very much.” He replied. “Now tell me which two tags do you want to return?” 

“What if I don’t?” 

“Then one of them loses the chance to leave.” 

The silver tags in your palms suddenly felt like they weighed a ton. They wanted to drag you down and bury you under the earth. 

How were you supposed to make a choice that you had no right to make? How can you knowingly push someone to their demise? But…  

But how can you deny someone their one chance at escaping this hell?

You longed to see your father. 

Would I be able to see him if he gets to leave? You didn’t know. 

What if I couldn’t escape? What’s gonna happen when he gets home and sees mom in the arms of another man? How will he react when he will know that I haven’t returned home in two days? Will he spend the rest of his life searching for me just like I did for him?

Jeongguk… How will Jeongguk live after knowing that I went missing while searching for him? How will he live after losing both his love and child? 

A memory from a couple years ago hit your head. Both of you had gone on a foreign trip to New Zealand. On the second day, you were going to the Bay of Islands by bus. When you reached there, your keychain fell off and went under the seat while you were standing up to get out. You had told Jeongguk to go ahead and get the luggage from the bus bunker while you got the keychain. But the keychain had rolled off quite far. And the bus, not knowing you were still inside, had driven off as soon as both of your luggage was off of it. 

You managed to get off at the next stop just ten minutes away and take the return bus. But even though you had consoled Jeongguk over the phone that you were fine and you were returning, when you reached where he was, he hugged you so tightly as if you would disappear if he let you go. And his silent tears wetted your dress. He had always been such a worrywart. 

Would he be okay?  

You wondered how Hoseok was doing inside the cage called the Balam Manor. He was probably on the verge of losing his spirit. He had always been good under pressure but never good when he was lonely. 

How would Hoseok’s parents feel about losing their son? How would Jiwoo cope with losing her brother? How would Ji-a live with shattered dreams in an empty home? Can I face them after pushing Hobi to certain death? What about Jeongguk’s parents? Can I face them if I do not choose Jeongguk now? 

What would dad have done? He probably would have chosen the one with the better chance at a good life. And at this moment, it seems to be… 

You picked up Hoseok’s with your other hand and silently gave back Jeongguk’s and your father’s tags back to Duri. 

“That was fun. Though I was expecting a stream of tears, these few drops are good too. You are a smart one, aren’t you? Now you won’t have to go back and answer your boyfriend's family and your mom why you didn't choose their son and husband. Now sit here like a good girl until I come back.” Duri said and turned back with the snowglobe. The sigil on his neck was bright like burning coal.

“Are you really going to let Hoseok leave?” You shouted behind him. 

“Of course, since we need an empty space anyway for you. But I can’t guarantee if it’s Hoseok or his body that’s going to lea—” 

Duri couldn’t finish his sentence as you hit his neck with the fire torch that you had taken out of its place by flinging your haversack at its bottom. 

You emptied the rubbing alcohol bottle from the first aid kit on him that you had taken out from your haversack before flinging it. 

Duri screeched an ear piercing cry in pain as his head caught fire, and he tried to put it out by slapping his hands profusely on his head. 

Taking the opportunity, you grabbed the snowglobe that had fallen on the floor and ran for the door. 

Despite being in pain, Duri ran behind you to catch you, but you had already crossed the threshold of the exit. Judging by the fact that the snowglobe didn’t get a single scratch on it even after falling on the floor with such an impact, it could only mean that it needed even more brutal force to break. There should be a field past the door and if you could just enter the woods beyond it somehow, then you would be able to find enough time to break the snowglobe. 

You shut the door behind you and looked ahead. 

What?

You were back in the hallway that you had just ran out from a moment ago. You had entered through the door that you had just left through. 

You looked around yourself and found only yourself in that empty hallway. Duri wasn’t there. Then you noticed the fire torch that you had flinged a while ago — it was intact in its place. 

Your haversack wasn’t anywhere to be seen either. 

You looked back at the door. It had the same neon exit sign on top of it. 

Is this the missing exit sign from the Balam Manor miniatures?

If I go back through this door then Duri will surely catch me. I have no choice but to run inside the manor.

Without wasting any time, you ran towards the painting through which you had entered. But when you got out of it, you found yourself in complete darkness. You went back to the secret passageway and shot at one of the fire torch holders. It fell loose and the fire torch fell on the floor. You took it and reentered the mansion’s main hallway. You were taken aback upon noticing you were in the right hallway instead of the left one. 

But that wasn’t what surprised you the most. It seemed like you had entered a different mansion altogether. The interior was in ruins and was covered in years of dust, dirt and cobwebs. You slowly walked through the filth. You had nothing on yourself except the snowglobe and the gun. You must find an instrument to break the snowglobe soon. 

You came across rooms that you hadn’t seen before and it all seemed haphazardly placed. The paintings on the walls had lost all their glory to silverfishes and moths. Your feet left deep prints on the innumerable unsweeped layers of dust on the floor and your bare feet wiggled in them. 

After walking for a few minutes, you reached where the living room was supposed to be, but there was just an empty space and a rectangular opening in the floor through which a staircase went further downstairs. 

Is that the basement? 

You noticed a faint light coming from inside it. Conflicted on whether you should go check out the source or not, you stopped short on your track. 

It could very much be Duri or… a survivor. 

You decided that you would just take a peek and run back if you sensed any danger. 

With careful steps you descended the stairs.  You ended up in a well-lit and short hallway through whose middleway there was an arch-like structure that led to another hallroom with no door. 

You saw a figure kneeling on the floor in a defeated position with his head hanging low. 

His outfit, his short hair was all too familiar to you. 

You kept the snowglobe near the arch just in case and approached him cautiously. 

His bare neck had no branding on them. 

You gasped in a struggle to breathe as tears welled up in your eyes and you called out- 

“Hoba?” 

— © 2024 apotatomashedbybts, all rights reserved. Reposting or modifying of any kind is not allowed. Translations are not allowed.

[kaisooficrec]

Just My Type

Author: reddoll123 (AFF & AO3)

Genre: Vampire!AU, Fluff, Romance, Humor

Rating: PG-13

Length: Oneshot (11.7k)

Summary: Kyungsoo's sense of vampires lurking nearby is never wrong, so on this regular old day he quickly has to come to terms with two facts of life. Looks can be deceiving and people (or well, vampires) can always surprise you. Good thing he hunts vampires for a living otherwise this would be a completely different story.

AFF - AO3

[viterwrites]

Ghost In The Shell

WhumpTober 2020, Day 21: I Don’t Feel So Well

The Hero of Legend. The swordsman, whose weapon is imbued with the power of divinity itself. The one said to have sealed evil time and again, era after era, in different forms, places and circumstances. One with an inherent light in his soul and an everlasting fire in his body. The true Champion.

Or so they say. Because I am neither of those.

Just a boy with no family, no memories and no sword. With only the scars and the sore muscles to remember the life left behind. A boy sent on a mission to save the world when he—or that person who lived a hundred years ago—could not even save himself or those most important to him. Who doesn’t even remember them. 

Who doesn’t remember the voice guiding him from afar. With only sudden visions a reminder.

And the scars. So many scars left behind. Those visible and those that aren’t. Those physical and those mental. Most ache day and night, keeping the mind exhausted and the body restless. I cannot—and should not—count the days I’ve spent with no sleep the night before: it would truly put the horror of playing the hero in perspective. And I still have duties to perform. Plenty of them. 

I’ve climbed the highest peaks and crossed the vast deserts. Been to the farthest ends of Hyrule. And every stream, every meadow and every city had a new burden to lift onto the shoulders. Souls to heal and souls to mourn, to rescue and to bring to rest. Yet in no place was I at rest. None at all. The scars that ached in the cold of Hebra calmed down in the desert only to be replaced by new ones. And to have more appear on the skin, more bruises, cuts, burns, frostbite… It is much easier to say what hasn’t happened than what has.

The body bears memories which I do not. Whatever it is I seldom see in the ruins, whoever it is that greets me from the back of my mind, that greets me as a spirit inside a machine long-known to terrorise the Zora, or the Rito, or the Gerudo—they are not the people I know. Not Revali, not Daruk, not Urbosa. Not Mipha. And not the Princess either. The Silent Princess that guides me from the castle is as distant as I am from the events of a century gone. Whatever all around me say, they are not my friends, my rivals or my family. I am uncertain I can say they were. Because I am not the royal knight. I’m a swordsman in a realm with no ruler and no capital. In a realm with no future on the horizon. 

In the realm where everything depends on my success. In the dead realm of Hyrule.

One day, everything will end. Either in my death or in our success. But the scars won’t heal. They haven’t for a hundred years. None may see the traces, but they’re there. In feeling, in vague recalling. And mostly in the constant ache that envelops my whole existence. None can understand what it is like, to exist in a shell you do not own, but I was not given a choice in the matter. He was not given a choice either.

His was to give up his life for the Princess. To lay down to the earth in her defence, to reunite with his mother and father or as hearsay went, possibly his lover. And yet it couldn’t happen. Because he, like myself, had duties to perform. Had a kingdom to save.

Or perhaps it did. Of course it did. Otherwise I would not have been to Hebra or to Gerudo. I am doing what he couldn’t, taking his burdens from him. Perhaps the Royal Knight Link is just another person whose soul needs healing.  

Once this is done, will I leave, I wonder? Maybe somewhere else, beyond the ocean or the mountains, the scars will heal. And the burdens grow light as a feather. But can I leave? Or should I? 

Too many things to leave behind. Too many people. One person, but one person too many. Who also has duties to uphold, and duties that take a lifetime to fulfill. He can’t leave. And if he can’t, neither can I. 

“Home is where the heart is.” And, for better or worse, mine’s in Hyrule.

[varchiefanfiction]

78 Days

Author: cherryontop.

Rating: PG-13.

Length: multichapter.

Summary: From the first time Veronica laid eyes on the tall, redheaded boy with the kind brown eyes, she knew that there was something about him. Something about him was different from all the boys she had ever met. He had a certain glow about him, he radiated kindness and his smile had her knees weak.

So she wrote about him in her diary, she wrote about each encounter and every small talk. It wasn't until a time had passed by that she noticed something.

It took her seventy eight days. Seventy eight days to fall in love with the dream that was Archie Andrews.

→ READ ON AO3.

don’t forget to give the author some feedback!

[ano-ka-ba]

Title: The Date

Artist: anokaba

Rating: PG13

Summary: Getting ready for THE DATE, trying to act casual but they’re just a bundle of nerves and excitement.

Notes: I’m supposed to be working on Erised *just dies*

[thestuckylibrary]

before we can breathe easy by belovedmuerto

[sugakookiefics]

*shyly waves hello* Thank you kind person for always reccing great yoonkooks :D I would be really happy if everyone would read this baby that my friend wrote ><

Title: Kismet

Author: jjeoreo1013

Genre: college au, red string of fate au

Rating: Teen

Side Pairings: vhope, minjoon

Summary:

[ or, ra min yoongi navigates being soulmates with jeon jungkook, one of his freshman residents. ]

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17218904

(thank you for sharing this xoxo)

[sebaekficrec]

telumendil.

Author: immerfurSH

Genre: Greek Mythology!AU, Fantasy, Gods and Goddesses!AU, Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort 

Rating: PG-13 

Length: Chaptered 

𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐥 — 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵:

𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙨.

*

“how wonderful; how strange. to be loved by something that hates all else.”

(Read)

[h50fanficdirectory]

via AO3 works tagged 'Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams'

by MissSlothy

A flu-epidemic sweeps through HPD.

Written for Comfort-Fest 2018.

Words: 3970, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Steve McGarrett, Danny "Danno" Williams, Tani Rey, Junior Reigns

Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams

Additional Tags: Comfort, Sickfic, Pre-Slash, Hurt

[fuckyeahrtfanfic]

anything with LindsayxJeremy or LindsayxRyan by any chance?

Ryan/Lindsay

Spring Showers by Biblionerd

Summary: Even though she had a (very valid!) excuse, perhaps jumping in the shower with her roommate/best friend was not the best idea [PG13]

WC: 2,947

[Tags: Fluff, Friendship]

Twice Is Coincidence by ryanthepowerbottomguy

Summary: Lindsay ducks into an alleyway, heart pounding, blood running down her arm to drip off her fingertips.

This is not how the job should have gone down. [PG13]

WC: 4,212

[Tags: AU (Fantasy), Friendship, Science-Fiction]

You Really Get Off On This Shit by Biblionerd

Summary: Heist goes sideways, Lindsay and Ryan have to lose the cops. [PG13]

WC: 1,251

[Tags: AU (GTA), Established Relationship, Friendship]

Picture Perfect Picnic by tinypeckers

Summary: Ryan & Lindsay share a picnic together [PG]

WC: 1,210

[Tags: Fluff, Friendship]

- Nova

[much--madness]

Fic: Mistletoe

Rating: PG13 Pairing: Arima Kishou/Sasaki Haise For my TG secret santa, @animeobsessedandotherfandoms Sorry for posting so late! But I made it x.x My first attempt at TG fics. I hope you like it @w@

AO3 Link

There was a well known secret in the CCG.

It was one shared by many of the investigators there and the reason why it was called a secret was that no one actually openly acknowledged it.

At times, there was tension among the ranks. Friends and comrades that were at ease with one another would stare a little too intently at each other, eyes suspicious and a little shifty, wondering if perhaps… Maybe… the one that they were looking at shared in this secret.

It was the worst kept secret in the CCG.

And that secret was that almost everyone there was a little bit in love with Sasaki Haise.

The only ones that were possibly immune were those investigators that hadn’t had the chance to meet him yet. But even so, there were still those that had caught a glimpse of him and without even knowing his name, found themselves curious and entranced. And then there were those who knew his name and feats but not his face that developed the same affection.

Even from the very beginning, the young man that trailed in the wake of Arima’s shadow drew curiosity and speculation. At first, the attention had been clouded with suspicion but the more people saw of him, the more they grew captivated.

There was just something about Sasaki Haise that inspired such feelings. It wasn’t just one thing either, it was a multiple of things that ensnared others. From his shy smile to his alarming strength, and even the way he treated others, even strangers, with a politeness that still somehow felt warm and inviting.

And the best part of this worst kept secret was that this young man, who had unknowingly captured so many hearts, was completely oblivious to it all.

Now, there were two holidays that seemed to really set the investigators off at the CGG when it came to Haise.

The first was, as expected, Valentine’s Day.

As cliche as it was, many had eagerly planned to pursue the young investigator with gifts of flowers and requests for coffee dates. But to the dismay of all, not a glimpse of Sasaki was to be seen that day. The feeling of romance and pursuit of it quickly faded by the following day. Fortunately, the dejected mood quickly lifted with Sasaki’s return the following week.

And yet, no one had the guts to approach him. It seemed as though the magic of Valentine’s day didn’t last past the 14th.

The only other holiday that seemed to inspire such courage was Christmas. And it was all due to a well known plant, an innocent sprig of green leaves and red berries. Mistletoe.

Mistletoe was found in an abundance around Christmas. It was hung in plain sight and in the most bizarre places, like the entrance to the Quinx’s home, the Chateau. It made a brief appearance for a whole two hours before mysteriously disappearing.

It was almost amusing to see where sprigs of mistletoe ended up, for some people took them down while others relocated them. Of course, many used this time old tradition in an attempt to catch Sasaki and in doing so, win a kiss from him.

Somehow, no one was able to catch him. Sprigs of mistletoe that were confirmed at their station, almost guaranteed a stolen kiss from their crush, seemingly disappeared into thin air. It left the scheming investigators in a huff when Haise passed by, giving each a friendly smile before going on his way. It still warmed the hearts of many in the cold winter, but many more mourned the lost chance.

The attempts continued with Haise none the wiser all the way up to the 25th. With no one having been successful, for who could keep stealing a kiss from Sasaki a secret, the majority of the CCG resigned themselves to try the following Valentine’s day.

As much as they had come to adore Sasaki Haise, Christmas was still spent with loved ones and friends.

December 24th found the Chateau covered in decorations. On the window, a cheerful reindeer cut out poked its head from the side, welcoming visitors inside.

And inside, a modest but heavily decorated tree stole all the attention. With four subordinates in his care, Haise couldn’t say no to how each of the Quinx members wanted to decorate the tree.

The outcome was a mismatch of ornaments and colors. From delicate glass ornaments to smiling little figures wearing Santa hats, every branch seemed to hold some sort of decoration. There were also Christmas lights, blinking merrily, which Shirazu had strung. In retaliation, Urie had added elegant red and white bows made of ribbon.

The decorations were just shy of being an eyesore, but Haise loved it because everyone had contributed to making the tree what it was. At least everyone had agreed on a single topper, a classic Christmas tree star that shone brightly from its place.

Beneath the tree, there was an assortment of gifts. Nothing too big, but there was something for everyone. The pile would only grow larger as he could hear the crinkle of gift wrappers still being handled and cut throughout the house.

Haise shook his head at their last minute preparations, but he was still smiling fondly. The Christmas spirit was at an all time high.

Dinner was well on its way and this year it was just the Qs and a couple guests so it was nothing extravagant. Still, the process of cooking the meals had Haise moving about the kitchen with a bounce in his step. From outside the kitchen, the Qs could hear Haise’s singing, their mentor’s voice drifting in and out of song as he worked.

Urie, who had been the only one properly prepared for Christmas Eve, had been lounging on the couch. A mug sat in front of him on the coffee table, the aroma of chocolate sweetness filling the air. Haise had even put three squares of marshmallows into the drink and Urie guarded it jealousy from his teammates.

Not that he needed to, Haise was sure to have more coming if it was needed

A knock at the door had Urie mentally grumbling and forced from his comfortable position. The door was opened to reveal Suzuya Juuzou, who was staring at the wreath that one of the Qs had hung on the door. He didn’t even seem to notice Urie standing there until the Urie cleared his throat.

Never one to be embarrassed, the androgynous man burst through the entranceway, making a beeline to where he could hear Haise’s voice.

“Haiseee…!” He called out happily before disappearing into the kitchen.

His subordinate stared blankly at his treating back and came into the house in a less explosive manner.

“Merry Christmas,” Urie huffed. The others had been nagging him throughout the week, telling him that he needed to get more into the spirit. So it was only today of all days that he allowed himself to utter those words in a tone that was a little bit more than friendly.

Hanbee nodded a greeting in return. Urie played host while Haise and Juuzou’s friendly chatter filtered in from the kitchen.

Shortly after, Saiko came barreling down the stairs, arms full of neatly wrapped presents. Tooru followed at a more sedate pace, also carrying a load of gifts. Surprisingly enough, Urie could see Shirazu’s gifts tucked under the tree beside his own.

With the room full, the peaceful silence was a thing of the past. From the kitchen, Haise kept one ear trained on the chatter from the other room while he watched Suzuya ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at each dish that had been prepared. More than once, Haise had to slap at the other man’s hands to stop him from sneaking a taste.

Of course, Suzuya pouted at his friend, pleading with such fierce eyes that Haise relented and offered him a sugar cookie instead.

Haise returned to the living room, a plate full of cookies just in time to see Arima and Mado enter. Like an excited puppy, Haise greeted them both with warm smiles and hugs.

Then just as quickly, he turned around and chided Shirazu who had been patiently shaking one of the gifts. Sheepishly, the younger man returned the present to its place under the tree and flopped on the couch.

“Watch it!” Urie hissed, barely dodging his teammate’s elbow.

An argument broke out between the two, Urie and Shirazu bickering for a moment while Tooru tried to calm them both down. surprisingly, it was Juuzo who broke it up by shoving a cookie in each of their mouths, effectively shutting them both up. He gave a happy hum of approval when the arguing stopped, pleased that order was restored.

The two didn’t dare start up again and grudgingly munched on the cookies.

In the meantime, Haise had gone into full host mode and was setting the food on the dinner table. Arima followed behind him, happy to help even when Haise insisted that they should all relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

After dinner, the adults were amused to see the younger investigators barely contain themselves in excitement. It wasn’t even the act of receiving gifts that caused it, but the exchange and watching each person’s reaction.

Shirazu tore into each gift, strips of wrapping paper surrounding him in a mess. He was always so grateful for each gift though, even hugging the plushie that Saiko had gifted him.

Urie was more meticulous about his unwrapping and took his time to fold away each square of wrapping paper. It was almost torture to watch him reveal his gifts, but the way his expression softened was well worth the wait.

“Oh,” Haise exclaimed out of nowhere, “Arima-san, I’m so sorry! Your gift arrived later than all the others and I didn’t get a chance to wrap it properly.”

He turned guilty eyes towards his mentor, fidgeting on his spot on the couch. “Would you mind if I gave it to you tomorrow…?”

Arima was shaking his head though, a slight smile on his face. “You don’t have to wrap it for me, Haise. I’m perfectly happy with however you want to give it to me.”

But Haise would not be deterred. “It’s a Christmas gift,” he said passionately, “It needs to be given the same care that I gave all the others so I can’t give it to you without wrapping it.”

“Tomorrow will be fine then,” Arima said agreeably. Haise smiled in return.

“Haise!” Suzuya called as he left the bathroom. He held something in his hands and in his excitement, wanted to show it to his friend. He moved with such speed towards Haise that no one realized what it was until Suzuya was dangling it above Haise’s head. “Look! Look!”

Punched between two fingers, there was the recognizable green of the mistletoe and notable red of the berries. Suzuya was almost trembling with excitement while everyone else in the room seemed to freeze.

“What is it?” He wondered, staring at the plant with a curious tilt of his head.

“Th-that’s mistletoe,” Tooru managed to choke out.

“Where the hell did you find that?” Shirazu demanded with a groan.

“Is it poisonous?” The possibility only seemed to further excite Suzuya.

Haise’s cheeks had tinged pink, but he remained standing where he was, caught between the mistletoe with Suzuya.

Akira laughed, a teasing smile on her lips when she said, “You have to kiss Haise, Juuzou!”

He blinked large eyes at Akira. “I can kiss Haise?”

“Kiss! Kiss!” Saiko cheered while wrapped in her new fleece blanket.

By Akira’s side, Arima had his arms folded across his chest but he gave an indulgent smile at the two.

“It’s a Christmas tradition,” Akira explained, “when you’re caught under the mistletoe with someone, you have to kiss them.”

“I’m not sure if that should count,” Tooru mumbled. “Technically, he brought the mistletoe and forced the–”

“Kisss!” Saiko cheered.

“Okay,” Suzuya said.

“Suzuya, you don’t have to–” Haise tried to stop it but his friend simply leaned forward and pressed his lips against Haise’s cheek.

“I kissed Haise!” Suzuya declared victoriously. While not exactly what they expected, the group still laughed and cheered.

The mistletoe was disposed of to prevent any other surprises. Haise was teased over his blushing face for the remainder of the night. It was an eventful Christmas Eve and it left all of them with a sense of warmth that went bone deep.

Eventually, the group dispersed. Juuzou and Hanbee we’re the first to leave. Juuzuo hugged Haise tight, his gift of a warm fluffy scarf wrapped around his neck.

Akira was next to go and she, too, hugged Haise and the rest of the Quix team.

With just the Qs and Arima, Haise quickly set to work with cleaning up after the guests.

In the living room, the Qs fidgeted under Arima’s impassive stare. All except Sailor who was already dozing on the couch, content and full of hot chocolate.

“Shirazu is at fault, as expected,” Urie accused. “He was supposed to take care of any mistletoe that ended up in the Chateau.”

Shirazu groaned and hung his head, not even bothering with excuses. Tooru patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.

“We did so well though,” Shirazu grumbled. “I’m sorry, guys. The mission failed because of me…”

Instead of scolding them, Arima just produced four little Christmas cards.

“It’s fine,” he told them. He then handed each a card and tucked the last one with Saiko’s name in the Christmas tree. “Juuzou is hard to predict, at times.The team did well.”

Their eyes grew round with the praise, the members still a little starstruck with Arima.

“Thank you!” They each happily returned to their rooms with their bounty and their earnings from a successful mission: Save Haise from Christmas.

When it was just Haise and Arima left, minus the oblivious Saiko napping, Arima went to rejoin Haise in the kitchen.

At the doorway, he stopped for a moment just to enjoy the sight of his protege packing away leftover food. His eyes lingered on the sway of Haise’s body, a slow, seductive thing that Arima was sure the younger man was unaware of.

Haise seemed unaware of his presence as he hummed a tune while piling the dishes up for a wash. But when Arima came up behind him, wrapping his arms around a trim waist, Haise didn’t even flinch.

Instead, Haise leaned back into the warmth of Arima’s arms, eyes slipping closed to enjoy the moment.

“Did you really pay my team to take out all the mistletoe?” Haise teased the older man.

Arima refused to acknowledge or deny the statement. Instead, he settled his chin on Haise’s shoulder and gave a thoughtful hum.

“Leave the dishes,” Arima told him instead.

“Hmm?” Haise murmured, but regardless, he reached forward and shut the water. When he leaned back into Arima’s embrace, the older man tipped his face to the side and easily captured Haise’s lips with his own.

Arima didn’t need mistletoe, just Haise’s acceptance as their lips pressed together

It was a kiss, a true kiss, full of warmth and a different kind of love than the one Juuzou had pressed to Haise’s cheek.

When they separated, that endearing flush was back on Haise’s cheeks, a lovely pink splash of color.

Arima smirked as he leaned close, murmuring into the shell of Haise’s ear. “Show me my Christmas present?”

Neither noticed Saiko staring wide-eyed from her place on the couch, peeking at them from beneath the blanket as they made their way to Haise’s room.

[recs-files]

Train To Busan

Main Ship: Taehyung/ Yoongi

Author:  TheOrgasmicSeke

Genre: Zombies/Angst

Rating: PG-13 (For violence)

Summary:  One seemingly normal Friday morning in Seoul, South Korea, Min Yoongi boards a train with his son in hopes of getting to Busan so the boy can spend his fourth birthday with his mother. Things do not go exactly as planned.

My Thoughts: Oh my god this is quite the emotional roller coaster. For those of you who have watched Train to Busan (and if you haven’t, its on Netflix, go watch it rn!) the plot of this fic is loosely based on that. It’s a long oneshot, but definitley worth it. I absolutely love how this fic effortlessly weaves between all the character’s stories. The romance in this fic is minimal, but very sweet. I’m also a huge fan of the Sugakookie and Vmin relationship dynamics. All in all, it’s a wonderfully paced, super well written fic, and it is a must read!

[kaisooficrec]

That's Just My Love (Language) [Submission]

Author: KsoosMainHoe

Genre: Fluff, Romance, Slice of Life

Rating: PG-13

Length: Oneshot

Summary: 

Jongin wakes up with Kyungsoo in his arms and somehow falls further in love.

Note: a rlly rlly cute fic so soft. the love nini has for soo is just so amazing. read it especially if ur having a bad day

Read

[vmkore]

colors (kaisoo)

title | colors

pairing | kyungsoo x jongin

rating | pg-13

summary | kyungsoo lives in a world where people don't see colors until they meet their soulmate.

7519w

"Soo, colors are so pretty, I wish you could see them."

Kyungsoo looks up from the book he is reading, coffee mug up to his lips. His eyebrows are scrunched together in annoyance. "You've said, a million times, Baekhyun."

"I know, but they're just..." Baekhyun pouts. "I'm not sure how to describe them, they're just so pretty."

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Baekhyun has been on and on about this in the past two weeks. Wishing Kyungsoo could see colors, and enjoy their beauty with him, and how his soulmate is possibly the most amazing human being Baekhyun has ever met. It gets really annoying after the first few times talking about it, but now it is just unbearable.

Okay, yeah, Kyungsoo does envy Baekhyun a little, and wants to know what it's like to see a world that isn't black and white. He can't even imagine what it would look like. No one has ever been able to do that, and yet, there are those people that claim oh it's exactly what I imagined!

Dumbasses. They know nothing. Luckily, Baekhyun is one of the very very few people Kyungsoo actually likes, and won't say shit like that.

He wonders about color most when he reads books, and their vivid descriptions. Different colors would be included, and Kyungsoo has always struggled to paint a picture in his head when they were there. As much as the story may entice him, it does make him upset occasionally that he cannot see the colors.

As soon as Kyungsoo tries to get back to reading, Baekhyun says: "By the way, have you heard about Kim Jongin?"

"Who?" Kyungsoo decides to mark his page, and tolerate engaging in conversation, with the older male in front of him.

"Oh my god, you can't have not heard of him."

Kyungsoo shrugs. "Can't say that I have. Why?"

Baekhyun huffs. "He's amazing, you have no idea. He started a fashion company two years ago," Kyungsoo's ears perk up a moment, "and it's become the most trendy brand since last year." Kyungsoo thinks about tuning Baekhyun out—he's honestly getting tired of him right now, and just wishes to read. But Baekhyun continues, and it surprises him. "And get this. He hasn't seen colors, yet."

Kyungsoo blinks twice. He has always been interested in fashion, even if Kyungsoo hasn't met his soulmate yet. He likes the fabrics more, how they blend together, and make something amazing, than trying to decipher the colors. He is always sure to ask someone who isn't colorblind about the colors each time, before he can make a sketch of an outfit official, though—luckily.

"That's impossible. He started a fashion company and hasn't seen colors?"

"That's what makes him so amazing!" Baekhyun exclaims, a smile appearing on his face. "It's unheard of that a fashion designer would still see a grey world, yet be so successful. That's why he's so famous and respected!"

The younger takes a sip of his coffee, and swallows the bitter taste. "What happens when he meets his 'one and only?'" Kyungsoo asks.

"Hopefully nothing, he'll still be respected as he is now." Baekhyun's phone dings once, and he takes it out of his pocket while saying, "Kim Jongin made history."

It was instant admiration after Kyungsoo learned about Kim Jongin. He—an aspiring designer and hoping to get an internship in a fashion brand—could not believe he didn't know about this guy. He knows the brand, named Lucky Monster, and it's quite fashionable brand of clothing, if Kyungsoo is being completely honest. Mixed with fine, elegant styles, and bold, sexy garments. It is still a rather new company, but its sales have been going through the roof since it came about.

Personally, Kyungsoo wouldn't wear clothes from that brand, only because it doesn't suit him(at all). But it is stylish and he would kill to be in the company. Maybe as a designer, maybe just an intern.

And it's when Kyungsoo is walking around the city, music in his ears, when he sees the flyer. The print is in bold letters, and it reads:

LUCKY MONSTER FASHION CO. SEARCHING FOR INTERNS!

His eyes almost bulge out of his head. He immediately copies the website for sign up onto his cell, along with the phone number. Kyungsoo continues to walk, fingers typing quick along the screen. He actually bumps into a few people on accident, he's so focused.

He sends the sign-up with shaking thumbs and a racing heart.

"I," he whispers to himself, "I actually did it."

A few days later, Kyungsoo receives an email. It is while he's with Baekhyun and Chanyeol—Baekhyun's boyfriend—eating lunch at their college campus. They're both awfully clingy around each other, and Kyungsoo almost thanks God for descending an email upon him. He opens the email, and yells, Oh my god!

Mister Do,

We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted for an interview for one of the internships. You will meet with the CEO himself, Kim Jongin, for the interview.

The date is set for this Tuesday, at 1:00. We are very excited to meet you!

-Kim Jongdae, Lucky Monster Fashion Co.

Baekhyun stares at Kyungsoo, who is covering his face out of disbelief, yet joy. His eyes are widened slightly, alarmed at how overjoyed Kyungsoo is right now. It is possible he has never seen his best friend this happy.

"Soo, what—"

But Kyungsoo intercepts with a large, heart shaped smile, and holds his phone out to Baekhyun and Chanyeol. "I got an interview! Can you believe this?!"

Baekhyun suddenly feels attacked by this overwhelming joy Kyungsoo is displaying.

Kyungsoo took note on Monday evening to get Baekhyun, to help him pick out the right clothes, for the interview. The elder grinned at him as he pointed out which looks best, what colors fit together. Kyungsoo, curious, asked what colors were on him.

His pants are blue skinny jeans—Baekhyun had said—with rips in the thighs and one in the right knee. They hug the form of his legs just right, though they're loose enough to be less suggestive. Then a red blazer with a light grey V-neck under it. His shoes are a pair of white Vans. It's comfortable and casual, but it's stylish enough for the interview, Kyungsoo thinks.

He decides to wear his glasses instead of his contacts, to try and seem professional. So swiftly, and with a anxious demeanor, he walks to the address he was given a few days ago.

"Did I schedule all these meetings today?"

"Your fault, kkamjong, I'm just your secretary."

Jongin groans at his desk, rubbing his temples and sighing deeply. "Tell me exactly why I agreed to interviewing every applicant, again?" The young CEO asks, hand falling back to the top of his desk and eyes searching Jongdae, his secretary and best friend.

Jongdae huffs. He places his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Because you wanted to be sure you picked the right ones for the right people. Because you're that nice of a person, and you actually don't treat your employees like shit unlike others." Jongdae grins in the midst of saying that. "You said so yourself."

It cheers Jongin up, a little. But it doesn't help the stress on his shoulders, deciding who is best for which department and person, remembering their faces and getting Jongdae to contact the ones that make it. Plus the designs he'll have to go through with the stylists later, and the photographers and models...

Ugh.

Jongin finally heaves a long, long sigh, leaning over and running his fingers through his dark hair. "Alright," Jongin starts, "cancel my meetings with the stylists and photographers downstairs, for me. We'll work overtime with both of them tomorrow."

The shorter just nods his head. "First meeting is at eleven. Last is at five." Jongdae states. "Or however long it takes you."

Another nod comes from Jongin, this time, while he hums. "Okay, just send them in as they arrive, alright?"

"Yup, I got you, Mr. Lucky M," Jongdae teases, his grin wide and playful. It gets Jongin to smile finally, shoo-ing his best friend off.

And soon enough, one by one, applicants for internships come to his office for the interview. There were two girls first, one had already seen color, the other had not. But both seemed qualified well enough, and definitely pleasant to work with in the fields they pursue.

Jongdae comes back in about five after one. His head lifts up from some paperwork. "What's up?" Jongin says.

Hands fall in Jongdae's pockets. "Your 1:00 interview is on his way, he was running a little late today."

You'd think Jongin is an intolerant man, being he is the CEO of a big company and wouldn't have patience for anything. But he isn't. He just grins and nods his head, saying: "Alright, just send him in when he's here."

Jongdae hums and leaves again. Jongin decides to go over some designs, making sure things look right and in proportion. A sigh is heaved from his mouth when he hears a knock and the door open once more. In his peripheral vision, Jongin knows the one walking in is not Jongdae.

"I'll be with you in a moment," he utters with a small, friendly smile, not looking up yet. "Have a seat, ple—" That moment, he looks up from the designs in front of him.

And it happens.

His world is no longer in dull. It's a burst of vibrancy, brightness, and more emotions he has ever felt. His eyes land on the man in front of him, who is shorter, but his body is well built and thicker than Jongin's. Jongin cannot think of the color names that he wears, or the color of his lips, but oh, are they beautiful. The man is so stunning—mouth in the shape of a deformed heart, eyes big and entrancing behind large framed, square glasses, his black hair messy and swooped over his eyes. Jongin gazes upon the rips in the shorter's jeans, white skin showing through. Jongin's breath hitches—at him and the overwhelming burst of colors he thought he would never see—and his mouth feels like cotton was stuffed inside.

Only for a brief few moments do Jongin's eyes dance about the room, completely amazed at how beautiful everything is. Is it normal to think like this after meeting your soulmate? Everything is beautiful?

The man makes a wonderfully gorgeous, yet shy grin at Jongin, his face slightly colored against his white skin. He bows respectfully and Jongin's mouth hangs open. A tongue swipes over his lips and he feels his heartbeat accelerate.

He sits in the chair in front of Jongin's desk. The male seems a bit nervous, and Jongin suddenly wishes he could kiss over his face to calm him down. It would be inappropriate, though, this is an interview after all.

Jongin then quickly shuffles around to start the interview. He finds the sheet for the male's profile. "U-uhm, so," Jongin starts, reading over the information. "Do Kyungsoo is your name?"

He nods his head. "Yes, Mr. Kim."

A pain tugs at Jongin's chest. It's so... formal. He does not like the sound coming from Kyungsoo—the sound of honorifics on Jongin.

"Alright," he continues. "Date of birth?"

"January 12th, '93."

He's older than me.

Jongin finishes going over the information on the profile. Then he smiles at Kyungsoo, leaning forward a bit. "I'm going to ask you some other questions, and I want you to answer as honest as you can, okay?"

Kyungsoo nods once more, smiling a little back.

"Why do you want to intern here?"

The older's lips suck into his mouth a moment, as if pondering. Jongin finds it cute immediately as he does that. Kyungsoo adjusts his glasses and looks Jongin in the eyes. The contact makes Jongin's heart skip a beat.

"I've always had a passion for designing clothes and styling," Kyungsoo says with a sheepish smile. "I want to be in the industry somehow, and I'm in my last year of college and haven't even interned anywhere. I love your line of fashion too, and admire how successful you are when you haven't even seen colors yet." His cheeks are glowing that same, pretty color as he bites his lower lip.

Jongin sends a knowing look, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "And how do you know I haven't yet?"

At this, Kyungsoo blinks. "I'm sorry?"

A pit drops in Jongin's stomach, and his lips turn down. Odd. Shouldn't Kyungsoo have seen them too? Jongin saw the vibrant hues when he first laid eyes on Kyungsoo...

"Have you, Kyungsoo-ssi?" Jongin asks carefully, stomach turning and his pulse loud in his ears.

"No," Kyungsoo frowns, "I'm afraid not."

Impossible, it has to be a lie.

"Are you sure?" Jongin's hand drops.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. "Will that be a problem?"

Jongin really, truly wants to break right there and cry. He doesn't understand anything. How? Why? Isn't it that both are supposed to see colors at the same time, not just one? So why is this happening? Why, why, why, why?

"Mr. Kim?"

A flicker comes over Jongin's almost teary eyes. "Ah, no, not really," he swallows very hard. "I, uh, I haven't either yet, so." Lies. You shouldn't lie to him, you have to figure this out. "One more question."

"Hmm?"

"Do you have any special requests, in terms of who you want to intern for?"

Another wide smile appears on Kyungsoo's face, with his cheeks still glowing. "I hope it isn't a pain," he says. "But I think it'd be interesting to work with you. If you don't mind and accept me as an intern."

Ah, you see, Jongin had never wanted an intern. He has always been content by himself and/or with Jongdae's help and input(Jongdae has already met his own soulmate, by the way). But maybe it'd be interesting... yet, there's a problem here that should be fixed.

Jongin nods once. "I'll consider it," he decides it is best to say. A smile strains at his lips. "I think that concludes our time together, Kyungsoo-ssi."

Kyungsoo hums, muttering a thank you. He stands slowly, and for some odd reason, Jongin does too. They stare at each other for a few moments. Jongin finds himself immersed in Kyungsoo's eyes, dark and deep but still beautiful and full of emotions. Kyungsoo clears his throat to break Jongin out of his trance.

"A-ah, uh, my secretary will email you within the next few days." finishes Jongin.

Another hum. "Okay," again, Kyungsoo bows in a respectful manner. Jongin's breath begins to tremble, and his body feels like it'll collapse on the spot. The older greets Jongin goodbye and exits the room with a soft shut of the door.

Jongin completely shatters, after the door closes. The tears fall instantly, never have they ever fallen so fast off his cheeks. He is unable to wail, scream, cry out. It's just tears. Wet cheeks, shiny eyes, a heart broken into the smallest pieces.

It can't be, it's impossible. He should have seen or felt something.

"I think you should tell him and both of you should see a doctor, or something." Jongdae says later, after the interviews have ended.

Overall they went well, but Kyungsoo's is still fresh in Jongin's mind. Of course he is overjoyed about meeting his soulmate(if he can even call Kyungsoo that) and seeing the colors everyone is meant to see. However, the pain is there and much more overbearing than the happiness. He has tried not to cry after the third appointment, and succeeded. But he struggled in the very last one, and got it over with as soon as he possibly could with a trembling voice and body.

Jongdae came in a bit after, only to see Jongin with his back to a wall and sitting on the floor. He was in tears, and his head was down between his knees. The CEO did not really have any choice but to tell Jongdae. Plus it just sort of spilled out of him, out of his control.

Here they are now, Jongdae attempting to calm Jongin down. Jongin is still shaking, curled up in Jongdae's side and having never left the spot Jongdae found him in. He doesn't really respond to what Jongdae had just said. At this point everything is faded, even the colors he has seen are not as vibrant as they were when he first laid eyes on Kyungsoo. They're pretty still, of course. Just... not distracting enough for him, at the moment.

The secretary notices how Jongin is not responding to him, and heaves. "Come on, I'll take you to mine and Sehun's for a bit."

A sniff comes from Jongin, followed by a nod. Jongdae stands first, then helps Jongin up too.

Any moment his face appears in Kyungsoo's mind, his heart beats erratically. He struggles to understand why it happens, no one has ever had this effect on him before. There is something just so enticing and entrancing about Jongin that has him on the college student's mind.

He is not sure how to explain it. The young CEO is definitely, ravishly handsome, yet there's a larger childlike essence about him—no matter how professional he was being during the interview.

Being infatuated with Jongin might have something to do with how he reacted to the email he had received from Jongin's secretary. He, again, was with Baekhyun and his voice broke out in a short scream when he read it. They were just taking a stroll through the park near their campus, Baekhyun going on about a date with Chanyeol and maybe when Kyungsoo meets the love of his life, they could do a double date. Before Kyungsoo was able to scrunch his nose in disgust, he read the email. It read, this time:

Mister Do,

Congratulations! You have been selected out of many to intern at Lucky Monster Fashion Co.!

You will start Monday, at 9:45 AM. Your supervisor, Kim Jongin, will wait for you at the café down in the lobby.

Good luck!

-Kim Jongdae, Lucky Monster Fashion Co.

And today, he could not be more anxious to be here. Excited, yes, but anxious to meet Jongin again. He dressed nice enough, tight jeans(without rips this time), a graphic tee, along with a vest and a beanie on his head. He brought his bag as well, holding some things he drew out and designed, and blank pages in his sketchbook. It's something less formal than he wore last, but he believes—no, scratch that, hopes—it is stylish enough. He has his contacts in today, too, wanting to look less nerdy.

Kyungsoo strides to the café swiftly, and immediately he spots Jongin. He is sitting at one of the circular tables, sipping what seems to be coffee. But he is not clad in the suit Kyungsoo met him in. He wears a lacy, white choker, tight—oh my god, are they tight—jeans, and a pretty, light sweater, along with boots with his pants tucked in them. He looks very casual, like he is just an employee and not the CEO.

But oh, how gorgeous this man is.

For a moment, Kyungsoo sees a flicker of something—something he's never seen before. He doesn't know how to describe it, but it's only there for a moment. And his world is back to the dull greys and blacks he has lived seeing.

Reluctant, Kyungsoo walks over to Jongin. The male looks up at Kyungsoo, and grins.

Another flicker.

"Good to see you again," Jongin says, standing from his chair. "I'm glad you could make it today, Kyungsoo."

Kyungsoo smiles back, nodding his head. "I didn't think you'd actually select me, Mr. Kim."

"No, no, call me Jongin now," Kyungsoo feels his heart pound against his chest. "We'll be together for a while, and I'd rather you not use honorifics with me. You are older than me, after all."

The smaller blinks twice. "I am?"

"Just by a year." Jongin shrugs his shoulders, his grin so wide and genuine. "I won't use them either, if you're fine with that."

"Uh–uhm, sure."

A hand rubs Kyungsoo's elbow. It is Jongin's hand. His hand is warm. It's only there for a second, along with that same flicker. When Jongin pulls his hand away, Kyungsoo almost stops it with his other hand, needing to see that flicker again. But he can't move.

Kyungsoo watches how Jongin cutely pulls his sleeves over his hands and holds them tightly there. He rubs his own arm, a shy grin painting his full lips. "Sorry I didn't get you anything, I didn't know what you would have wanted so..." He's so cute.

"Ah," Kyungsoo shakes his head, "it's fine really, I'll get my own."

Quickly Kyungsoo gets a medium coffee and comes back, Jongin already sat down where he was originally. Kyungsoo sits across from him after slinging his bag over the chair, and Jongin smiles at him again.

"I was thinking I could just show you around and get to know you a bit, today." says Jongin, eyes falling on the table's surface. "I don't want to overwhelm you with all the work first, so I think starting out easy would be good," his grin widens infectiously, and Kyungsoo tries to fight back one himself. "What do you say to that?"

A smile finally splits on Kyungsoo's face, and he moves a piece of his hair behind his ear. "That sounds really great."

There's something about the way Jongin looks at Kyungsoo after that, that makes Kyungsoo's chest flutter. It makes his face feel warm and his pulse pound against his ears. The flickers keep on coming every so often, each one lasting only a millisecond longer than the last one. It's beginning to frustrate Kyungsoo, and he wishes he knew what it was exactly.

Eventually, the two finish their coffees and leave to wander about the building and each area. Stylists, photographers, models... Kyungsoo sees it all happen before his eyes. Different photo shoots, picking the correct fabrics to create specific pieces of clothing.

Kyungsoo takes notice how much Jongin loves his job and working with his employees. He doesn't treat them like they are lower than him, rather he is just like them. Passionate, wanting to get somewhere high in the industry—which Jongin has already done, but he clearly does not let that get to his head. Kyungsoo can't help but keep a slightly proud smile on his face, when he sees Jongin work so hard.

And it hits him that he'll be working like this, helping Jongin out. He'll be watching Jongin pick designs, help in photo shoots, fashion shows. He might even organize something himself. Truly, it is a wish well granted for Kyungsoo.

But then, he wonders. Why would Jongin pick him to be his intern? Isn't he technically useless for this because he hasn't seen colors yet? Why, when there were so many other applicants dying for this internship? What makes Kyungsoo so special?

Soon, though, they are back in Jongin's office. Jongin goes through some paperwork, and looks at designs he's made, once again. Kyungsoo decides to sketch another design himself, drawing the figure first then the base of the clothes.

He doesn't realize he has been unconsciously humming until Jongin says; "Have you really never seen colors yet?"

Kyungsoo's hand halts. His eyes tear away from his book and land on Jongin, who looks at him with a glint of curiosity, but at the same time, one of hurt. The younger's lips are pulled down in a tight frown and his eyebrows are furrowed.

"No," Kyungsoo gulps. "I-I haven't." A lump catches in Kyungsoo's throat.

Kyungsoo watches as Jongin swallows, stands, and walks over to the seat Kyungsoo sits in. His lips part slightly as Jongin crouches down to maintain better eye contact. Jongin's eyes are glassy, and he is positively struggling to keep tears back. Warmth touches Kyungsoo's hand, which holds the pencil he draws with. There is another flicker that pervades Kyungsoo's vision, and it only stays for a second. Kyungsoo wants to scrutinize it, wants it to stay for longer so he could understand what it is. But it disappears as soon as it is there.

"So," Jongin continues with a trembling voice, "even when I'm holding your hand like this," Kyungsoo's heart drops when he sees a tear run down Jongin's cheek. A burn fills his eyes. "You see nothing? Feel...nothing?"

What does he mean?

Kyungsoo stares at Jongin's hand that touches his own. It shakes. "Jongin—"

"I see them, Kyungsoo," he intercepts. "I saw them when I first saw you."

Kyungsoo shakes his head in disbelief. "You're messing with me." He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes and it isn't a smile of happiness. "You absolutely can't be serious, right now."

The way Jongin is not able to keep his tears in, his pain, tugs at Kyungsoo's chest. This is impossible. If it was true, I would have saw them too. But then, Jongin has proved himself today as a truthful and kind person. How could he lie about something like this anyway? Who would?

His vision flickers again. Kyungsoo looks around the room, as it stays a little longer than last time. Albeit, it has disappeared once more.

"What is it?" Jongin inquires. The elder turns his eyes back to Jongin. He concludes Jongin probably wiped his eyes whilst he looked around a moment, as there's only the swelling apparent.

Kyungsoo exhales, not realizing he has held his breath for so long. "I, uh, I keep seeing... something, I don't know what it is. It comes every so often today, and it happens whenever your face randomly appears in my mind," he avoids Jongin's eyes and pulls his hand away. He closes the sketchbook and sets it and the pencil next to him. "I-I don't understand it. My heart beats fast when I'm around you a-and I feel giddy and my stomach flutters..." Why am I telling him this?

"Is it—" Jongin breathes slowly, and with caution, holds Kyungsoo's hand again. "Is it pretty, whatever you see?"

"I-I guess. It's... like nothing I have never seen before, if I get to see it long enough." Kyungsoo nibbles his lip. "It only appears when I'm around you and..."

And just like that, Jongin's eyes fill up again. But he's smiling, so beautifully and joyfully. It is such a bittersweet sight, Kyungsoo isn't entirely sure what he should do. He can only stare at Jongin.

It hits Kyungsoo then.

Oh shit.

He's been seeing colors this whole time—but not fully or for long. And it's around Jongin that it happens.

Oh shit.

His heart feels like it stops a moment. His soulmate is sitting, right in front of him, in tears of pain, yet of joy that Kyungsoo still sees something. Jongin is holding his hand desperately, full of hope and longing—and Kyungsoo is here, unsure what to do, what to say, or how to feel.

The shorter male is not sure why he does this, but he brings his free hand down to Jongin's face, running his fingers between the thick, dark locks. His hair is really, really soft and Kyungsoo wishes the colors would stay for good so he could see Jongin's eyes, skin, hair, lips... For a moment, Kyungsoo thinks about kissing him. But instead, Jongin buries his head in Kyungsoo's chest, sobbing and sniffling quietly. He clutches the back of Kyungsoo's vest tightly.

A pang hits hard at Kyungsoo's heart. The next thing he questions is: Why can't I see colors officially?

"It's not uncommon that this type of thing happens to people that meet their soulmates for the first time," the psychologist, Dr. Zhang, explains to Kyungsoo, a small dimpled smile gracing his face. "For some, it takes time to fully see colors and in order for that to happen, you have to know your soulmate first."

Kyungsoo nods slowly and hums in understanding. "Okay... but is there a reason why it happens or does it just happen?"

"There's no scientific evidence, so I would say it's just one of those things out of our control," Dr. Zhang sits up a little straighter. "I would highly recommend you spend a lot time with your soulmate, communicate with them as much as you can, and soon enough, you should see the world in full, vibrant color." The doctor sends him a friendly smile. "It is as everyone says, they're beautiful and the person you meet is always worth the wait. Don't fret, Kyungsoo-ssi."

The shorter sighs, looking up at the bland ceiling. "I'll try not to."

"I also think it would be best if I see you once every month, just to see how you're progressing. Bring your soulmate in every once in awhile, too."

Kyungsoo nods again, thanks Dr. Zhang, and leaves out to set up another appointment for next month.

If there is one thing Kyungsoo has noticed about Jongin, it's that he never comes to work in a suit and tie. It was only that one day he interviewed with potential interns. Jongin is always in very stylish clothes, like tight jeans, fringe, sheer, leather boots, pants, even crop tops on occasion. Everyday, there is one thing on his mom that stands out from the rest, whether it's one of the things mentioned, or something else like a necklace, or the makeup he wears sometimes that makes his eyes even more entrancing than they are. His heart beats a little faster, and the flickers happen more often with each day passing.

It's happened quite a few times today, especially with Jongin's look of the day. He wears the same lacy choker he wore the second time Kyungsoo met with him, a dark color and black plaid shirt that is buttoned only to the middle(of course, there's something under the shirt, it is not that scandalous), and his legs—oh those perfect, long legs. The pants definitely black and ripped in many spots, and they sculpt Jongin's legs perfectly. His shoes are combat style boots, leather and goes over the bottom of Jongin's pants. Count in each smile, each small touch from Jongin, could be counted for each time a flicker of color lasted.

Noticing him for the first time today would be one of those times. Kyungsoo could only gape at him, see how beautiful he is, and let his heart pound against his chest. And with each simper and touch, Kyungsoo's chest fluttered a more. He doesn't know what's different about today, compared to the past three months he has interned, visited Dr. Zhang twice with Jongin(the first time without, obviously), and tried in spending as much time with the younger as he was able.

"These are really really good, Soo," Jongin says, that same grin flicking his lips and his eyes on the sketches Kyungsoo has for designs. "I could hire you on the spot to work with me, just based on your designs."

The statement leaves Kyungsoo wide eyed. "Really?"

Jongin peers up at Kyungsoo, closing the book and handing it back. "Yeah. You'd be working alongside me like you are now. Just paid."

Kyungsoo feels like his body is on air and his fingers tingle. He cannot control the proud smile that splits on his face, and he scratches the nape of his neck bashfully. "Thanks."

Abruptly, Jongin blurts: "Do you wanna go out after work, though?"

The elder's lips part for a moment. His vision flickers, once more. But it doesn't last long, again. Then Kyungsoo smiles, nodding his head. "Yeah, that sounds really nice."

"Meet me in the café after, okay?" Jongin stands, albeit his eyes—full with immense adoration—never stray away from Kyungsoo. "I have a short meeting with the styling department."

Kyungsoo hums. "I'll wait for you, Nini."

He sees how Jongin's eyes light up at the name, and he shyly looks down at the floor for a moment or so. The taller squeezes Kyungsoo's forearm, before leaving gracefully.

Graceful... that's a perfect way to describe him.

A sigh of contentment leaves from Kyungsoo's lips, and he struggles to fight another smile to his face. He stuffs his book in his messenger bag, and makes sure he has everything, then putting his coat on and slinging his bag over his shoulder. After that, he shows himself out of Jongin's grand office, briefly looking outside the large windows. It appears quiet from so high, but cars and people bustle about, with lampposts, headlights, and winter decorations as their source of light. The sight is very pretty, even with not seeing the colors that would illuminate the city. Kyungsoo makes certain to leave the door unlocked, since Jongin's belongings are still there and he will come up to grab them soon after the meeting is over.

He takes the elevator down to the café, orders himself a coffee and a hot cocoa for Jongin. He's found out the young CEO isn't a fan of coffee, but he is definitely one for hot chocolate. Kyungsoo chuckles at the memory of Jongin trying coffee with Kyungsoo once, and how his face scrunched up in disgust. Kyungsoo had laughed at Jongin, who yelled, It's disgusting, how do you even drink this! It was a moment where Kyungsoo felt so at ease with Jongin, and he hopes Jongin felt the same.

The two have many moments where Kyungsoo feels like he can let himself free, be happy. He does not know what it is about Jongin that makes him feel that way, but god, he's so glad it's only Jongin that can do it.

There's the sound of footsteps and a squeeze to Kyungsoo's shoulder, that breaks Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. Kyungsoo looks up and sees Jongin, with a grin adorning his lips and his long, black coat on and buttoned.

"Are you ready to go?"

The shorter nods, stands, and grabs both cups, handing the one that's fuller out to Jongin. Jongin eyes it suspiciously. "Hot chocolate," Kyungsoo smiles. "I wouldn't get you coffee, don't worry."

Jongin snorts, and takes it. "Alright, I'm trusting you."

Kyungsoo laughs, his grin intoxicated by Jongin's. "I'm not that horrible."

"You can be."

"Touché."

They end up going out to dinner first, and talking. That takes up two hours, most of it them just talking about every little thing, every big thing, everything. Then they take a walk after, at about eight thirty, Jongin on about how he believes people become stars when they die. It's interesting how he thinks that, and a beautiful way of thinking, if you ask Kyungsoo.

Track of time is lost between them. But it isn't like any one of them cares, at least for Kyungsoo. Honestly, he wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now, than here. Listening to Jongin, talking to him, walking with him in the bitter cold. He wishes time would stop, and stay with Jongin. Just for a little while, that's all.

Suddenly, it begins to snow. Even in black and white, it's beautiful, Kyungsoo thinks. He is not sure if colors make a difference with the snow being white.

"Does it?"

"Does what?" Jongin inquires.

Kyungsoo glances back at Jongin, and his heart beats rapidly at not realizing he said that aloud(at how cute he is with the snowflakes in his hair). "Uh, I was just wondering if colors make a difference on how pretty snow is, that's all."

A smile grazes Jongin's lips, and he looks up at the sky with a elongated hum. "Sometimes," he answers. "But mostly when the colored lights reflect on the snow. It's pretty like that, and in its normal form."

Kyungsoo watches the snow flakes get caught in Jongin's eyelashes and messy hair, and loves how beautiful he looks right now. There is another flicker, but it seems to last just a little longer than usual. He only has a few seconds to study the colors on Jongin, and how warm they are. But they disappear, just like that. A pit sinks into his stomach.

"Kyungsoo," Jongin breaks the short silence between them.

The intern hums lowly in response.

"Can I... can I hold your hand?"

Kyungsoo sends a warm smile at a definitely blushing Jongin. He holds his hand out that was originally in his pocket. "You never have to ask me, Nini," he says endearingly. "Just do it."

Jongin pouts, sliding his fingers between Kyungsoo's. Jongin's hand is really warm and has a soft feel to it. "I didn't want to surprise you."

A chortle emits from Kyungsoo, and he pokes Jongin's cheek. "You're so cute."

Jongin whines in protest, a pout still on his lips. He says nothing more however, and Kyungsoo looks over to see him checking the weather on his phone. Then he says: "There's a storm warning."

"It's not even windy, though."

Jongin shrugs, pocketing his cell. "My apartment is close. Do you want to stay the night?" Kyungsoo looks at him with a raised brow. "Just to be safe, and it's only tonight. I don't mind, Soo."

Kyungsoo nods with another chuckle. "I'm messing with you, I'll stay."

"You're mean."

Jongin's place is probably just as modern and stylish as his wardrobe is. But his place is comfortable, and Kyungsoo does not feel suffocated. Jongin allows him to take a quick shower, wash his clothes, and offers him a pair of boxers and pajamas. Kyungsoo only puts the shirt and boxers on—he sleeps without pants on.

He comes out with the towel around his neck, and notices Jongin only in sweatpants now. He is fast asleep on the sofa, hair fallen in front of his eyes. Kyungsoo smiles softly, walking over to Jongin and kneeling in front of the sofa. Jongin is prone to fall asleep anywhere, Kyungsoo knows well. He has fallen asleep while he works, and in the late days that he stays behind to finish some things, and Kyungsoo stays to help out(of course Jongdae helps out too, but being married and having an adopted child, he has his limits). He has also fallen asleep many times in Kyungsoo's lap while Kyungsoo works on sketches. Quite the adorable sight. Jongin always looks so innocent and soft when he's asleep. He is beautiful all the time, but sleeping is on a whole different level.

Kyungsoo brings a hand up to Jongin's face, brushing his fingers over his soft skin and his hair. He traces Jongin's features with the pads of his fingers, in a way to admire how beautiful he is. He doesn't jerk his hand away when Jongin's eyes open slowly. Jongin smiles lazily, grabbing Kyungsoo's hand and keeping it up to his cheek. Kyungsoo rubs his thumb over it, warmth tingling through his body. No words are exchanged.

Kyungsoo finally rests his forehead against Jongin's, the younger's warm breath fanning against Kyungsoo's face. Jongin's hand cups Kyungsoo's cheek, alike to the elder's. He bites his lower lip, eyes half open and staring into Kyungsoo's. Kyungsoo finds himself absorbed in those eyes, holding so much emotion and things Kyungsoo wishes to know. He wants to know Jongin, know him better than anyone else inside and out.

There's an overwhelming desire to kiss Jongin. They have never kissed, or gone farther than holding hands, or cuddling occasionally. It takes only one push, one touch of their lips. But Kyungsoo finds himself unable to move, and unsure if they're—if he is—ready for it. Kyungsoo swallows.

"I really want to kiss you, right now," Jongin whispers.

That's all it takes for Kyungsoo lose control, lose all hesitant thoughts, and push their mouths together. And it's so right, in every single way. Jongin's lips are soft, warm, and they fit so well on Kyungsoo's. Their lips don't stop moving, but they move slow and sweet, never parting from each other. A moan comes from Jongin when Kyungsoo nibbles gently on Jongin's lower lip. He tugs on it and let it go with a pop. Before they kiss again, Kyungsoo pauses, and processes what he sees.

He sees the warm colors of Jongin's face, skin, eyes, hair. Jongin's skin is darker than Kyungsoo's, but it's such a beautiful color and reminds him of caramel candies he likes. His eyes... he wonders if their that chocolate color like some eyes are described in the books he reads. Jongin's lips remind him of a rose. Kyungsoo wants to keep looking around, see the other vibrant hues around him. But he cannot tear his eyes away from Jongin's pretty face, the way his eyes blink a few times in confusion, his brows furrow, and his mouth parts a little. Kyungsoo's senses are suddenly heightened, and nothing has been more beautiful looking at Jongin like this, everything in full color and staying.

Jongin looks at him curiously. "Are you o—"

Kyungsoo intercepts with another kiss. He takes it that it surprised Jongin quite a bit, since he doesn't fully reciprocate it. It is only brief, however. Kyungsoo breaks it, placing both hands on Jongin's face and making sure this isn't a dream. Tears fill his eyes and one by one, fall down his face.

"Why are you crying?" Jongin grins sweetly, wiping Kyungsoo's eyes and cheeks with his thumbs.

A shaky breath draws out from Kyungsoo's lips. He rests his head against Jongin's once more, and whispers: "I see them."

"All of them?" Jongin asks with a trembling, slightly joyful voice.

"All—everything."

What comes after is pulling each other in a tight embrace, and crying out of happiness until no tears are left.

Kyungsoo awakes the next morning with Jongin's head on his chest, their legs tangles under the blankets, and their hands twined loosely. He sees it all now, how wonderfully colorful Jongin's room is, full of pastels and in a contemporary style. It comforts Kyungsoo more than his own bedroom, to be honest. It makes Kyungsoo smile waking up with Jongin like this.

Kyungsoo can't help but be mesmerized—once again—by Jongin's sleeping state. The younger is sleeping peacefully, shoulders rising and falling slack with his breaths. His rosy lips part ever so slightly and his eyelashes flutter with each inhale. He is as beautiful as ever, brown skin, dark hair, quivering eyelashes. Kyungsoo feels so warm and so... consoled, just by having woke up to this.

A smile threatens at the corners of his mouth. Kyungsoo strokes Jongin's hair a few times, then allows his hand to glide down the younger man's back. He runs his hand up and down slowly, lightly. He only does it for a little bit, though, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty just yet. Albeit, he finds he already has when Jongin's eyes fall on him, and he pouts sleepily.

"Why'd you stop?" Jongin whines.

Kyungsoo laughs, kissing Jongin's temple. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Well," Jongin grins, "I'm awake now."

Kyungsoo hums, and presses his lips in Jongin's hair. Jongin snuggles into him further, face nuzzling in Kyungsoo's neck. He starts to play with Kyungsoo's fingers, twine their hands and untwine them many times. Jongin almost seems fascinated by how their hands fit together. Kyungsoo loves the contrast of their tones, the elder being fairer skinned and Jongin being dark skinned. But it's like whipped cream and coffee, Jongin had stated the night before(they were up late, Jongin naming every color Kyungsoo saw and admiring their skin colors together).

"Kyungsoo," Jongin says quietly, almost afraid to ruin such a perfect silence.

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Kyungsoo's heart skips. His face feels warm and his body on air. Never had Jongin said that, and Kyungsoo knows he must have wanted to so many times. But Kyungsoo needed the time, the time to know Jongin and love him like he is supposed to. And Jongin was so patient and understanding and kind about it all, Kyungsoo doesn't know how he did it.

Jongin props himself up on one elbow, so he is face to face with Kyungsoo. He's smiling wide and beautifully, and Kyungsoo can't stop staring at those pretty eyes again.

"You don't have to say it back, yet. I just wanted you to know," Jongin says.

Kyungsoo immediately shakes his head. "No," he brings a hand up to Jongin's tanned cheek. "I love you too, Jongin. I really, truly do."

Jongin's face turns pinkish and he smiles coyly. "Really?"

"Yes, I guess I never truly realized it, though."

Jongin is the one to put their foreheads together this time, the tips of their noses almost brushing. "Then I'm glad you have now." he utters, leaning down a little further.

"Yeah," and suddenly, their lips touch gently, sweetly, with so much love and adoration. "I am, too."

[varchiefanfiction]

The Greatest Of All Time

Author: brenxalex.

Rating: PG-13.

Length: multichapter.

Summary: She takes his hand and as they glide along the ice. There’s a strange feeling, a feeling of fate. A feeling that this is how things are meant to be. It reminds her of the first time she stepped on the ice. Everything falls into place.

At first, he’s reluctant, but as soon as her small hand tucks into his, something falls into place and everything feels complete. She’s this calming force in his life. And from that day on he knew that she would be someone very important to him.

→ READ ON AO3.

don’t forget to give the author some feedback!

[ryden-ficrecs]

Reinvent Love (‘Cause I Can’t Get Enough of Yours, Babe)

Author: marksykins

Word Count: 7,150

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Ryan/Brendon

Summary: This is what happens when Brendon tells Spanish magazines what music he’d use to seduce someone else

Note: Looks like this fic was deleted, but if you find a working link or have it saved please message me!