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commander-yinello · 5 years ago

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Something in the Shadows (Jumin x Zen)

Happy Halloween <3 I’ve been busy but I really wanted to write a spoopy JuZen to see if I could. This is my first horror so I hope I can give you a bit of creepy (and if I can’t, some fluff ~_^). Please enjoy!

Like what I do? Please tip me a kofi so I can write faster!

Word Count: 5344 (this was meant to be a drabble, oops xD) Warnings: Horror, mindfuckery (no gore)

~~~

There were so many stars. Zen sat on a stone stairway staring up at them, an empty beer glass still in hand. Behind him, the RFA party continued in all its noise and lights, not caring that he had stepped out.

He heard footsteps coming closer, and next to him the most familiar dark-haired man in a suit sat down, missing his usual glass of red wine.

"Didn't expect you here,” Zen remarked. Wasn't the CEO-to-be scared to ruin his suit? The thought of stained pants amused him greatly.

"I needed a break from all the reporters," Jumin replied.

Zen sighed. "You too huh?"

The two sat in silence for quite some time and Zen mulled over everything that had happened in the past week. All this trouble and it was the jerk who was there for him the most. He pushed down the thoughts quickly - he didn’t want to ruin this evening.

"Hey… I wanted to thank you. For helping me. I really thought I was done for."

"It was a small effort, Zen. I am glad I could help you."

"Well it's a big deal for me,” Zen emphasized. No doubt in a few seconds Jumin would push another stupid cat thing in his face and Zen would hate him for it, but for now Zen wanted him to know how grateful he was.

Jumin accidentally brushed their knees together. Trust Fund must have had a bit of wine, because the guy pulled his leg back and looked embarrassed about it too. Zen felt the biggest grin forming. In a childish moment, Zen wanted to knock their shoulders together.

Unfortunately gravity was not his friend, and he ended up nearly falling onto Jumin.

"You're drunk," Jumin said, as he carefully pushed Zen upwards.

Still grinning, Zen brushed his ponytail back but didn't make an effort to leave Jumins personal space. "I'm not drunk, I'm tipsy. And so are you."

"What is the difference?"

"We get to be slightly foolish instead of completely foolish."

Zen wanted to make another joke, but Jumin grabbed his beer glass and set it next to him. Zen stared at the glass and then back at Jumin, whose face was very close.

“Is that so?” Jumin said. It was a joke, maybe one to get a rise out of him, but Zen found himself leaning forward.

He smells nice, Zen thought. The wine, the cologne, the freshness of a recently dry-cleaned suit and a soft husky leather smell Jumin always carried combined were nostalgic.

Zen wasn’t aware of the kiss until a few seconds later, when his brain caught up and registered soft lips against his. When they separated, their noses still touched, both not saying a word or daring to breathe too loudly.

Zen felt his face burning. What had he done? When had he leaned in? What in the world was he thinking? And why wasn’t Jumin punching his face flat right now, instead staring as if frozen?

He suddenly felt shivers run down his spine. As if someone’s stare pierced right through his soul. He turned around immediately, but no one was behind them.

“Zen?” Jumin asked, and Zen found he couldn’t deal with Jumin’s deep gray eyes right now, who were desperately searching for his reaction.

“I think someone was watching us.” Stumbling, Zen grabbed his glass and got up. “I should go.”

Every fibre of his being told him to turn around, back to the stairs. But he couldn’t stop his feet from moving towards the light, the noise and the faceless people that didn’t confront him with his confusing feelings.

~~~

What a party! - 20:05, 707, Yoosung☆, Jumin Han, ZEN, Jaehee Kang

707: another RFA success in the pocket! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Jaehee Kang: I was a bit worried though. What if that crazy fan had shown up?

Yoosung☆: I know what you mean Jaehee, she did manage to make people believe she was dating Zen! She even had realistic-looking articles online! That’s scary!

707: yeah, but one quick speech from the actor man himself and the press ate it up No doubt she will vanish into internet obscurity ┬┴┬┴┤ ͜ʖ ͡°) ├┬┴┬┴

Jumin Han: I too am glad that is over.

707: Zen, you’re really quiet got something on your mind?

Did you elope with your fan? Were the rumors true after all?? ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )

ZEN: Omg no Why would I do that??

Yoosung☆: Normally you’re super talkative after a party Zen

ZEN: I know, I know I’m a little busy Also I keep hearing weird scratching sounds

Jaehee Kang: Rats? :o

ZEN: Maybe I checked but I’m not sure

707: Tomorrow is Halloween y'know They say when there is a new moon just before Halloween your inner demons become real And they will haunt you!

Yoosung☆: °Д° Noooo I don’t want to die!!

ZEN: -.-;;;

Jaehee Kang: Stop. Seven, stop making stuff up.

707: How dare you insinuate that I read it from a piece of paper I found last night!

Yoosung☆: Wait, is that the one you tried to give to me and told me it was a fortune cookie’s fortune?

707: Maaaaaaaybeeeeee

Jumin Han: Enough foolishness. Zen, you should arrange an exterminator to search your apartment.

ZEN: It’s fine, I can handle it myself Bye all

- ZEN has left the chatroom -

Yoosung☆: Eh?? Zen left and didn’t insult Jumin about money or something??

707: Jumin didn’t sass him either. They’ve been acting weird since yesterday I miss my daily dose of fighting! (ó ì_í) (ì_í ò)

Jaehee Kang: I noticed it too. Sir, what happened at the party?

Jumin Han: Nothing happened. You all have overactive imaginations. Assistant Kang, if you have time to dream up silly scenarios, you have time to work on more contracts.

Jaehee Kang: ...Sorry sir.

- Jumin Han has left the chatroom - 707: whoo, touched a sore point there

Yoosung☆: Something definitely happened

Jaehee Kang: Agreed, but let’s not dwell on it any longer. I don’t need more work T_T

Yoosung☆: Success Jaehee ^_^;; Aaaahhh don’t want to help with uni decorations today (ಥ﹏ಥ) Why is Halloween so scary?!

707: If you think that’s scary, wait till you hear what *really* happens on Halloween! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Yoosung☆: ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

~~~

Zen knew he was being a dick. He couldn’t get the image of Jumin sitting alone in the darkness, staring at his retreating form as he shuffled off like a coward. The CEO-to-be had even sent him a message.

‘Don’t forget to call the director I introduced you to.’

That was it.

It was not like Jumin to act like nothing happened. Hell, Jumin had every right to be absolutely pissed. But he wasn’t, and that was worse. Guilt ate Zen from the inside. The man deserved a response from him, even if it was just a sorry. Zen wanted nothing more for things to go back the way they were so he could tell Trust Fund where to shove it acting like a mom for this message.

How hypocritical of me, Zen thought, for calling Jumin a jerk, when he was the one to kiss Jumin, and the one to run away the second he had to own up to it.

He contemplated getting off the couch when he felt that horrible chill on his back. He felt eyes on him, eyes from someone he couldn’t see, in the shadows of the corners of his apartment.

The sounds. They were back.

Scape.

Scrape.

Slow, then fast.

Thump.

Scrape.

Over and over.

Again. And again. And again.

It rooted him in place. He knew he should turn around. All he had to do was get up, go look and figure it out. Nothing special.

But something stopped him. His logical mind told him that he had to turn, but his own body wouldn’t let him. His hands clenched his phone, trying to stop himself from shaking.

He hadn’t been completely honest in the chat. He hadn’t checked what it was. And he feared that if he did say so, the RFA would make fun of him. And rightly so.

Thump.

Yet he couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t get himself to stand up, or to call out. He’s had his light on since last night. He hadn't really slept, waking up every hour wondering what was in his house, watching him constantly.

When the morning came, he was as stiff as a board and it felt like a fever dream. Now back in the darkness, the dream returned. Worse than before.

I am just on edge because of this thing with Jumin, Zen thought. If I can distract myself long enough, this will pass.

It took another half hour before he was able to move again.

~~~

Am I going crazy? - 03:30 ZEN

ZEN: And I thought last week was crazy Hahaha ….

- MC has entered the chatroom -

MC: Zen? Why are you awake so early?

ZEN: Ah MC! It is hard to explain You shouldn't worry

MC: is it the rats? Jaehee told me you might have them

ZEN: A sound is keeping me awake I don't know if it's rats ...I kinda want it to be though

MC: you want it to be rats? Why?

ZEN: Don't mind me, I'm being strange because I'm tired Please go back to bed We both need our beauty sleep! ^_~*

MC: hehe okay Good night Zen!

ZEN: Good night!

- MC has left the chatroom -

~~~

Something wants to get in.

The thought was ridiculous. Unnecessary. It made no sense. When it was silent, he could tell himself this. But just as he had calmed down, the sounds started again. This went on and on until Zen wasn’t sure if time had passed at all.

He lay on his side, staring at the door of his bedroom. He felt watched. And when the scratching began, he was convinced something was on the other side.

Something wants to get to me.

Stop this. Just get up. Get up, get up, get up-

When he was on the edge of doing so, the noises stopped.

...

It was quiet again.

...

Slowly, his eyelids started to droop.

In the far distance, he heard a car drive by and a dog bark.

His door moved.

Zen’s eyes shot open.

THUMP.

The door shook again. Zen clutched his blanket tighter, ready to steel himself against whatever was going to break through at any moment.

But then there was quiet.

...

The door definitely moved… didn't it?

He was not nuts. He was simply tired.

Was he?

~~~

Mad fangirl? - 05:30 ZEN

ZEN: Guys maybe that fangirl is trying to get in my place That makes the most sense right? She probably is angry after that press conference

- Jumin Han has entered the chatroom -

ZEN: ?! Why are you up so early?

Jumin Han: I normally get up before 06:00 to prepare for a breakfast meeting.

ZEN: Of course -.-

Jumin Han: But I noticed activity here already. Why are you going on about that fangirl? Are you having issues with your security?

ZEN: Eh yeah? Just read above I hear constant noises

Jumin Han: Do you have any signs of property damage?

ZEN: Damage? I don't know

Jumin Han: You don't know? Why don't you check?

ZEN: I don't see why I should Maybe I should call the police

Jumin Han: You could but you will look foolish. You would have a stronger case with evidence.

ZEN: I just I can't check okay? I fucking can't

Jumin Han: You can't check? Why not?

ZEN: Fuck never mind

- ZEN has left the chatroom -

Jumin Han: …

~~~

He didn't want to stay in his apartment anymore.

When the morning came and sunlight poured through his window, he told himself it was nothing. The noise was probably woodworm. Of course his bedroom door hadn’t moved. Plus, his front door was locked tight as it could be and the windows were too small to fit anyone in. How could anyone have entered his place?

Really, it had to be another stress nightmare.

Today, he would take it easy. Rehearse a few lines, practice a few songs. Go for a jog. All was good.

But throughout the day, he heard whispers in the corners of his home, always behind him. There were eyes following him wherever he went. And with the evening leaving the sun for the stars, he swore he heard the scraping louder than ever.

THUMP. SCRAPE. THUMP.

He had to leave, no matter what.

The problem was where. Jaehee might find it awkward to have a man over. Yoosung's student apartment was too small. And who knows where the fuck Luciel lived.

Worst of all, they weren't safe. There was something, something within his mind, telling him he would still be in danger. Worse, he might put them in danger. He would never forgive himself if he did.

That left only one option. Jumin and his penthouse, with all those bodyguards and security cameras. The CEO-to-be always boasted how his home was the safest in Korea, now he could prove it. Zen hated himself for stooping so low. But as his fingers shook while typing in Jumin's number, he hated feeling like this more.

"Zen?" said Jumins voice, "Where have you been? The others have been asking for you in the chatrooms."

He had been too distraught to check the RFA chat. But that didn't matter now. "Jumin, I'm not safe here. Can I-" he paused, and let out a shuddering breath, "Can I stay at your place for now?"

There was a short pause. Then, Jumin spoke up. "Not safe? Did someone break into your apartment? Is it the fangirl you spoke of?”

“Look, I don’t know. I just need to get out of my house.”

“And you want to come to me and Elizabeth the Third?” Jumin sounded very surprised and Zen didn’t blame him. He was so on edge, he’d accept being a sneezing mess for eternity over this.

It was quiet now. No way to prove that he hadn’t absolutely lost his mind. Fuck it. “Yes, even the furb- cat. Please, Jumin. I’m losing it.”

Another pause. It took all Zen had not to punch his phone. “...Alright. Pack your things, I’ll have Driver Kim pick you up.”

“No need, I’ll take the bike.” Without waiting for a response, Zen hung up. He ran towards the front door, grabbing his backpack where he had stuffed as many clothes into as he could in a minute. Keys in hand, he cursed the setting sun and didn’t look back to his apartment after he locked it.

~~~

Zen’s burglar - 19:45 Jumin Han, 707, Jaehee Kang, MC

Jumin Han: Zen called me. He is acting really odd. Luciel, can you please check the security cameras in the street near his house?

707: waaay ahead of you Whoever is bothering the actormeister, I will find out!

MC I’m so worried

Jaehee Kang: Me too, Zen hasn’t said a thing all day.

Jumin Han: Assistant Kang, I need you to keep Elizabeth with you a bit longer.

Jaehee Kang: What? Why?? You have no urgent projects to complete. I thought my catsitting duty was done!

Jumin Han: Zen has asked to stay at the penthouse. As much as I would rather keep her in a room fit of her position, I fear Zen’s erratic behavior will scare her. Therefore it is best Elizabeth stays with you.

707: Hol’ up

MC: Zen asked

Jaehee Kang: To go to you???

Jumin Han: I was equally surprised. On the phone he seemed utterly terrified.

MC: Oh no now I’m really worried

Jaehee Kang: For Zen, I can take care of her longer.

Jumin Han: Good. I must go, he’ll be here soon.

- Jumin Han has left the chatroom -

Jaehee Kang: Luciel, I really hope you can find the culprit. I don’t know what’s worse, all this cat hair everywhere or Zen being so stressed. T_T

MC: Yoosung is going to be so upset when he reads this Seven, you will catch the piece of shit, right? She or he

707: Of course! ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿'̿'\̵͇̿̿\з= ( ▀ ͜͞ʖ▀) =ε/̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ The moment I see them, I hack their phone and boom! Jailed. Still it’s interesting Zen decided to go to Jumin ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Why do you think that is? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

MC: The bodyguards

Jaehee Kang: The bodyguards.

707: You two are no fun

~~~

Zen nearly crashed into the first security guard he saw with his motorcycle. They didn’t say a word to him as he locked his bike in the oversized garage and ran up the stairs. No doubt they’ve already been told he was coming.

He didn’t care. Something watched him on the road and it was watching him run now.

At some point he had to relent to the endless stairs and take the elevator, but the tiny space made him pull at his ponytail hairs. He could finally breathe when he jumped through the sliding doors and into the unnecessarily large white marble hall.

Jumin was waiting for him at the door and Zen slowed to a halt upon seeing him. He was wearing his normal suit again instead of formal wear. Zen found himself back at the party, back on the stairs, with Jumin waiting for him to respond. He wanted to say his name, but his tongue felt heavy in his mouth.

Jumin frowned before holding the door open. “I’ve prepared a room for you. It’s the one furthest away from Elizabeth’s suite. I’ve asked my maid to label it with your name.”

The cat has her own suite? The rooms have labels?? Zen thought, then dismissed it. Who cares right now? “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

And I’m sorry. For leaving you. Because we… Because I-! Zen instantly quelled the thought. The well of uncertainty within him threatened to bubble and overflow, and he couldn’t stand it.

He stepped into the penthouse, Jumin taking a step back to let him in. The two of them exchanged awkward glances before Zen walked further, backpack in hand. The living room was so large, he almost didn’t spot the hallway. He would have told Jumin so, would it not be extremely rude to insult the guy whose home he begged to enter.

“There are cameras everywhere except in the bedrooms and bathrooms.” Jumin said behind him, “ I have men on watch at all times too.”

He should show more gratitude. That was what Zen wanted, but cruel irony had that he felt that chill creep up his neck again. The constant reminders of the night unspoken wasn't helping either. Maybe coming here was a mistake.

“Good. I’m off to bed, I’m really tired,” Zen said, before heading to the hallway where he hoped to find his room fast.

He didn’t want to look back at Jumin, afraid the CEO-to-be would read his exposed soul in his eyes.

He just couldn’t.

~~~

Zen is here - 22:30 Jumin Han, Yoosung☆, MC, 707

Jumin Han: Zen has gone to his room. He barely looked me in the eye. He never did that before.

MC: does that bother you, Jumin?

Jumin Han: It does. I don’t like this feeling. It feels... Troubling. I want him to look.

Yoosung☆: you're really on about this Is Seven right? Did something happen?

Jumin Han: Aren't you supposed to be sleeping? It is a school night.

Yoosung☆: oh come on, I am worried about Zen too! You're not my dad ):<

MC: give up Yoo, we're never going to get a straight answer out of Jumin

Jumin Han: There is nothing to figure out. Zen's possible stalker is taking up precious RFA work time. The sooner this is solved, the better. I need Elizabeth here with me.

Yoosung☆: is work and cats all you think of ;;;; Oh gosh I sound like Zen now

707: You need to amp up the narcissism Yoosung ma boi!

Jumin Han: Luciel, any news on your side?

707: So far not much good There was no one near the windows or doors of Zen’s apartment at any night the past week However, I did discover something interesting The fangirl whose rumors we had to dispel? She was at the party

Yoosung☆: She was?? I hadn’t spotted her Why do you think she was there?

Jumin Han: I suddenly have a suspicion. Luciel, that piece of paper you found, was it ripped off a page?

707: It was ripped off how did you know? o_O

Jumin Han: I need to do some research. Please Luciel, find the page that it belongs to if you can.

- Jumin Han has left the chatroom -

Yoosung☆: ???? what is happening

707: oh crapsicles, I threw it away dumpster diving I goooooo

MC: Ewwww Yoosung, I don’t get it either, but let’s do our best to be there in spirit for Zen

Yoosung☆: T_T☞ okay MC!

~~~

It had been quiet and dark for a while now. Zen had literally thrown his bag and his clothes on the nearest dresser and flung himself into bed wearing only a shirt and boxers. He hadn’t even done his usual face care regime in the luxurious bathroom that was connected to the bedroom, too tired to care.

Not feeling cold eyes on him gave room for thoughts. Thoughts that acted like an intrusive person that happened to be in his mind asking him questions. Questions such as: why did he kiss Jumin? And why couldn’t he deal with it?

Zen knew he could admit it was a mistake. A lapse in judgement caused by alcohol. Gravity pulled him too far and accidentally made their faces touch. He didn’t mean to do it, and it didn’t mean anything, and that was it.

Except, that was not it. Because in that moment, Jumin was not the rich spoiled jerk Zen firmly hated. Not anymore. In that moment-

No, no, no. Zen ran a hand through his hair and forced his brain to shut down the words. It was too much. Every part of his body was tense.

Were they friends now? If they were, then this wasn’t such a big deal. Friends could laugh this off.

Were they-? No!

Was he-? Stop!

If he thought about it, it would be real, and if it was real, the world he knew would change forever. He couldn’t deal with it.

Thump.

Zen’s heart leapt out of his chest. Not again.

It was here. It saw him.

He thought he would be safe. What was he thinking?

Another thump, and the large black door shook, the hallway light flickering from underneath. It had found him again. It was watching him again. Zen pulled his legs up underneath the blanket, his body forming a protective ball. It was cold, so cold.

“Zen!”

Was that... a voice? Jumin? It sounded like him, but Zen wasn’t sure. He strained his ears to listen, fearing that the next sound would rip his heart out of his chest.

“Zen!!”

Now he was certain. Amidst the slow, horrible noises, he heard Jumin.

He sounded like he was in pain.

Oh God.

Whatever was trying to get to him, it had gotten to Jumin.

“Jumin!” He shot out of bed, threw the covers off and ran right to the door. There was a moment’s hesitation when his hand hovered over the golden doorknob. Then, he heard Jumin’s voice again, and flung the door open.

“Jumin!” He yelled into the darkness.

There was no one there.

A low static hummed in the distance. The cold air gave him goosebumps all over.

Zen saw movement in the corner of his eye. Underneath one of the doors he saw the lights turn off and on, accompanied by a hiss. It was a sick invite to walk into a trap.

But if Jumin was there, he had to go.

Zen ran and turned the handle, expecting the door to be locked. Only to nearly fall into the bedroom.

This bedroom was much larger and better decorated than his. An aquarium lit up the room and gave everything color, leaving Zen’s experience of mere seconds ago but a grayscale nightmare. The ceiling lights worked fine.

The hissing and scratching were gone. But someone was still watching him.

“Zen?” He whipped his head to the right. Jumin sat on the edge of his head wearing dark blue silk pajamas, a stack of papers in one hand and a cup in the other. Was the guy still working? Zen quickly thought.

“Why are you here?” Jumin asked, and his eyes trailed down to his bare legs and back up quickly. Zen faintly blushed.

“I thought I heard you,” Zen replied sheepishly. He just barged into Jumin's bedroom like that.

“Me?” Jumin asked. “Zen, what is going on?”

There it was again. The dark eyes asking for more. And his legs wanted to turn and run. Zen wondered how long he could keep this up.

Enough was enough. Was this the kind of person he wanted to be? He had to be honest.

He had to tell Jumin.

“Jumin…” Zen resisted the urge to look away, “On the night of the party. I felt something. Something I’ve never felt before, and it scared the shit out of me. Ever since then I’ve been haunted by it. And I-”

Hear noises. See things. Feel things. Kept wondering why. Why. Why.

Why you.

Zen closed his eyes, licked his lips and opened them again. Jumin stared in confusion. And Zen realized… there was something more important he wanted to say.

Slowly, he walked to the bed and took a seat next to Jumin. He clasped his hands.

“I hurt you. I overwhelmed you and then ran away. I'm… sorry."

A shift in the bed caused him to look to the side. Jumin had scooted closer, setting the papers next to his lap.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked.

He was so close again. Zen recognized the scents and warmth that came from Jumin. And this time, he saw a handsome face with worry etched all over.

"Because you're not always a jerk… and I've fallen for you."

It was the truth. He didn't expect to get a crush on Trust Fund jerk. He didn't think it would resurface after burying it for ages, in the moment where Jumin showed a kindness he had not expected.

The static that had always been there but Zen didn't notice suddenly faded away.

Jumin stared as if he were on fire. Zen wanted to ask how he felt when Jumin suddenly took hold of his chin and kissed him.

Zen relaxed, feeling Jumin’s hand travel up his neck and behind his head. After a few seconds, they seperated, hyper aware of each other’s breathing.

Jumin’s gaze was intense. "I wanted nothing more than to lock you up. Let you never leave."

The way he said it gave Zen chills. Jumin must have thought things that Zen could not imagine. Despite all the time they spent together on the chatroom, the CEO-to-be was a mystery to him. "I'm glad you didn't. I won't run again, I promise."

Jumin rewarded him with a small smile. Zen felt light and giddy. It was not perfect, but it was a better start than before.

Did this mean they were-

THUMP THUMP CRASH

Both their eyes went wide.

“Fuck!! It’s here!” Zen yelled and made a beeline to the door. He slammed it close, locked it and looked for the nearest furniture to shove it against.

Jumin was frantically searching through his papers.

“What are you doing?! Help me! Or call your bodyguards!” Zen yelled, pushing a dresser.

"There’s no point!” Jumin replied, taking out one piece of paper and tracing the sentences with his finger. “We need to stick together and hold on for one more night.”

Zen’s mouth dropped open. “Wait. You know what it is?!”

Jumin shook his head. “Not exactly. During the party, we found a piece of parchment. I asked Luciel to send me all the information he found on it. I don't know if it is a curse, but it was definitely cast on you during the party. It specifically says here that after 3 nights, it fails.”

A curse. In a silly way, Zen was glad that he wasn’t mad. But the sounds were there, eating at his nerves. And the eyes watched his every move.

A loud scratch made them both jump.

Now, Jumin heard the noises too. Zen grabbed the raven-haired man and hugged him tight. “I won’t let it get you.”

Jumin scoffed. “Don’t be a fool. It’s after you. I should be keeping you safe.”

Amidst the adrenaline rushing through him, Zen could still chuckle. Strangely, he felt safer than ever. The cold from before had never reappeared. With no guilt gnawing on him, he could steel himself against the dark.

The two of them wrapped a blanket around them and sat against the bed’s headboard, holding each other tight as the sounds continued. Before long, they nodded off into a peaceful sleep, heads leaning on each other, leaving the eyes that watched them powerless.

~~~

Still alive - 07:49 Jumin Han, ZEN, Jaehee Kang, Yoosung☆, 707, MC

Jumin Han: Nothing in my apartment is broken. Whatever it was, its primary goal was to terrify its victim.

Yoosung☆: But why?

Jumin Han: I wish I could say.

Zen: I dont hear anything anymore, but I am staying one more night to be sure

707: I found a bit more info it’s a spell that affects the victim and everyone near them So when you got cursed, Zen, Jumin must have been affected too MC: that is so scary

ZEN: !! Jumin did you suffer from anything the past few nights too?

Jumin Han: ... Nothing out of the ordinary, I can assure you.

Zen: What does that mean I’m going to make sure you tell me

MC: Awww

707: you guys never said what you two were doing at the party before you were cursed.

MC: Yeah! Spill the beans!

ZEN: Not now Maybe soon

Jumin Han: Agreed.

Yoosung☆: Awwww come on!

Jaehee Kang: o__O

MC: lmao Btw can't we curse the caster back? Revenge!

Jumin Han: I do not dare mess with dark magic. I have done some reading before. The backlash if it fails is too severe. Death. Or worse.

Yoosung☆: omg what is worse than death??

Jaehee Kang: I hope we never find out.

~~~

"NO!!" she yelled at a tall mirror.

The room was void of anything else. She sat on the wooden floor, flipping through an old tattered book in a frenzy. "He is supposed to be here! He’s supposed to want me!"

She slammed her fists on the book, ruining its pages.

“He was supposed to come running to me, begging me to save him! He should know it was me! Not this other… man who tried to force himself on my poor Zen!”

She nearly tore all her hair out from anger.

“Useless… thing! Get lost!” She yelled and slammed the book shut, before throwing it against the wall. Loose pages scattered around her, showing letters written in ink and blood.

It was quiet, for a moment. She pondered on what her next move was, how to get Zen to see she was his true love forever. A love potion. Or a love spell. Surely something like that had to exist.

But then she heard scratching from the wood underneath her feet. A low hiss came from the shadows in the corners. She jumped away, but kept feeling it. She felt eyes on her, and turned to look over her shoulder, only to see nothing.

But something was watching her.

Even when she closed her eyes she saw, it was here. Even when she left the room to another. When she switched on all the lights. When she tried to leave her house and couldn’t. She knew it was here.

Hissing, and scratching. Over and again.

“GO AWAY!!” She screamed. It wouldn’t leave.

She threatened it, bargained with it, reasoned with it, but it wouldn’t leave.

It would never leave.

#juzen #zumin #juminzen #jumin x zen #mystic messenger #mysme #fanfiction #horror #halloween #writing this was a ride #I had planned something with slashers and I do this instead xD #this will be on ao3 tomorrow!#I have to prepare for a test tonight #wish me luck!

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crazy-loca-blog · 5 years ago

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Personal Thoughts On Open Heart

When I first tried Choices, I said “I used to read this type of books (in paper, of course) when I was a kid, so let’s give it a chance… 5 minutes and then I’ll uninstall it”. And here I am, about 2 years and 45 books (and a lot of diamond purchases) later. But I never, ever felt so attached to a book as I am to Open Heart. I even recovered my forgotten Tumblr account, just to read stuff related to the book because I missed Dr. Ramsey and associates from Saturday to Thursday!

So I was just thinking about the final chapter (insert broken heart emoji here) and how there are lots of things that are still unsolved (and will probably remain unsolved or we would have like a 3-hour long chapter). It even made me think that this book was so successful that instead of shortening and rushing things (something that has been happening a lot in PB lately, let’s be honest), they may be trying to do the opposite, that is, to drag and delay some stuff as much as possible so they have plenty of interesting content for book 2 (and book 3?) as well.

I guess when the book was first released, most of us assumed the series was going to have three books, one per year: the first one would be about the competition, the second one about the MC joining the diagnostics team (after winning the competition, of course) and the third one about the MC finishing the residency and, of course, the wedding. But after the massive success of Open Heart and the lots and lots of things we want to know about every single character in this book, I’m beginning to wonder how many questions will be answered in chapter 17 and how many things will be left unsaid and unknown until book 2 arrives. So I had to make a summary a draft a list a long post the longest post I can think of now regarding the things I think will happen in the near future… or the things I WANT to happen in chapter 17 and in book 2 (or even afterwards, fingers crossed so we can get a book 3)…

The hearing: I’ve been trying to think about how things will go in chapter 17. For some reason, I think the tricks Ethan talked about when we saw him before the hearing are related to that empty chair the MC noticed in chapter 15. We know that the chair belongs to Naveen, so probably when he retired, that spot was meant to be Ethan’s. Also, we all saw Ethan quitting… but did he “officially” submitted his resignation to the board or was it just a verbal thing? I’m pretty sure that PB would have given us a scene with him taking his stuff out of his office, but that didn’t happen hasn’t happened yet. Also, we know there are 8 chairs, so my guess is that after 7 votes our MC will be losing the case… and that’s the moment where Ethan will come to the rescue to submit the 8th vote and make things even. So will there be a cliffhanger at the end of book 1? Who knows… part of me would love it because it would be a different and unexpected ending (we already know we don’t need a closure because we’ll be having a second book)… but I don’t know if I can wait months to discover what happened in the end. It would also be nice to see some type of unexpected plot twist during the hearing, as for example Aurora testifying for us or the snake Landry publicly recognizing that he sabotaged the MC, putting in danger the patients and ruining the MC’s reputation among the nurses.

The competition: since the snake’s Landry’s episode, we haven’t heard much about the competition. As Jackie said, with Naveen and Ethan out of the picture, there isn’t even a diagnostics team to join, so that made me think that PB is not even going to try to finish the competition in book 1, they’ll carry it to book 2 (Two books covering only the first year? That would be awesome, as it makes me dream of more than 3 books on the horizon… “a girl can dream”, said certain MC in chapter 10).

The hospital: Naveen is retired (and we still don’t know if he’ll live)… Ethan quit… Harper hates her current job. I’m guessing that book 2 will be all about chaos in the administration of Edenbrook. And for some reason, I can see Declan Nash and the contract that Ethan had to sign involved in all this mess (I’m guessing Panacea Labs will be our real PITA in this series).

Backstories: we know so little about our friends/LIs lives outside the hospital and about their past! We know that our beloved and hot smart ass Ethan (insert heart emoji here) doesn’t have a good relationship with his family, but we don’t exactly know what happened there. We also know that there might be something about Bryce and his family, and that’s why he decided to be as far from them as possible. We know about Elijah’s childhood and his parents being on medical debt, but it would be huge to be able to learn more about the difficulties he must face every day as a person in a wheelchair. We are just getting to know Aurora and how hard it is for her just to be herself because of her family name (I’d love to see her kicking some asses and showing everyone that she’s there because she deserves it, not because she’s Harper’s niece). The only thing we know about the MC is that there is a brother somewhere in the universe. But we still don’t know anything about Landry, Jackie, Sienna or Kyra’s past, so I expect to have a book 2 full of backstories.

The new roommate: that will have to be solved by the end of chapter 17 or in the first chapter of book 2 (because we have to pay the rent!). I definitely don’t want the snake Landry our old roommate to return to the apartment (does anyone want it that way, actually?) and I definitely see Bryce as the natural choice to fill that spot, I don’t see any other option.

The patients: of course we’ll keep receiving new cases in book 2, but I’d love to see PB giving some special treatment to Kyra. We do know that her fight is a long one and I’d love to see the MC right next to her every step along the way not only as her doctor, but as her friend. I’m still not sure if she is a LI or not, but I wouldn’t like her to be one or to become one in the near future. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but right now I see the Kyra/MC relationship being the equivalent to the Dolores/Ethan relationship and even though I don’t want this to happen because it breaks my heart, I may see the same outcome in both cases, especially after Ines told Kyra that her survival chances were ridiculously low (insert broken heart emoji here).

New LIs: OK, so most of us have already chosen our fave LI (team Ramsey for life here… my heart, soul and body belong to him, please don’t let my boyfriend read this) so probably book 2 will be the one where we will make things official and become more serious about our relationships (especially if you’re dating Bryce, Rafael or Jackie… it took less than 2 chapters for Ethan and the MC to look like a married couple already so I think there isn’t anything to discuss there). But we definitely need at least one more LI and it has to be a female. My votes go to Aurora (I can see it like the Becca/MC relationship in TF series) and Sienna (just because she’s the sweetest!).

New relationships: again, now that we all are dating our fave LIs and living the honeymoon phase, what about some of our friends and LIs that received a “thank you, next” answer from us? We’re already shipping Elijah/Phoebe (even though they are not in a serious relationship yet, I can totally see him moving to her apartment at some point in book 2) and Sienna/Danny (like please PB! I’d be so happy if by the end of book 1 they go on a date! I need that thing to happen like NOW!). I’d personally LOVE to see Bryce dating Harper… I can totally see him dating an older woman (and of course I can see Harper having a hot toy boy in her life) and they’d be such an unstoppable power couple! We know he admires her a lot professionally speaking, but taking things to the next level would be like living the Ethan/MC love story all over again (except that I don’t think Harper sets boundaries as Ethan did tried to do). I’m also hoping for Ines and Zaid to confirm during chapter 17 if they are a thing or if they’re just friends… I think most of us ship them and a lot of people assume they’re already in a relationship as they’re seen together like everywhere… maybe we’ll have to play matchmaker once again in book 2? And if I have to choose some type of crazy match I’d say Aurora and Jackie. Can you image how they’d flirt? We wouldn’t even know if they are throwing shade or complimenting each other, but they’d love each other in their own twisted way.

Gossiping sessions with Sienna: this is simple: I always knew Sienna was going to become our bestie sooner or later, and I’ve been dreaming about a gossiping session with her since she told us she wanted to know every little dirty detail about that trip to Miami (has anyone written a fanfic about that conversation? that would be so awesome!). Please PB, just make it happen!!

Ethan: last but not least. No matter if he’s your LI or not, this man is a topic by himself. You just can’t deny he’s one the best characters that Choices has created so far (if not the best one… his character development is just amazing) and that he’s the main reason why we are so obsessed with this book. I’ll focus on him as a LI as well because that’s the route I took. I’m really hoping to see him returning to Edenbrook this week, after saving Naveen (please PB, give Ethan a break and let Naveen live! He’s had enough suffering already!), saving our MCs ass at that hearing and recovering his confidence as an attendant. If he returns, his biggest conflict in book 2 has to be how to be able to keep a relationship with the MC and being our mentor and our boss at the same time. He is madly in love, so this will be a constant struggle! There is also what I call “the Harper factor”. The reason why Ethan and Harper broke up was because she became his boss. Now Ethan is facing the same situation, but he is taking Harper’s place as the boss. How will she react? How will he explain to Harper that he’s doing exactly the same thing they used as the excuse for their breakup a year ago? Will we have another Harper/MC tense interaction in book 2 where they both will talk about Ethan? I’m seriously waiting for it to happen. Despite this, I’d love to see a kind of hidden relationship between them (I don’t remember PB doing that before) until they can’t just hide it anymore because it’s too obvious or because someone caught them (let’s face it, both the MC and Ethan fail miserably when they try to hide their feelings). I think something like this could work in this very specific case because no matter who your LI is, our MC tends to be a super private person and I don’t know if after all the things that happened in book 1 we would want to keep being the favorite topic in the nurses’ gossiping sessions. Wedding bells? Of course, but not yet… I even think the engagement may take place in book 3 (if we get there). Will we meet Jenner? I don’t think so, at least not yet (insert broken heart emoji here). A few days ago I realized that if you didn’t do the diamond scene or if you didn’t choose the option where Ethan talks about Jenner, you have no idea that he has a dog. Just do something about it, PB!!!!

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kimonobeat · 6 years ago

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aiko bon “Profile Interview” Chapter 6 (2/3)

ー”aiko’s Path to OSJ Hall” came to fruition pretty quickly then.

aiko: It all happened surprisingly fast. And since I sang “DO YOU THINK ABOUT ME?” there, the indies release [“astral box”] with that song on it sold a bunch of copies the next day. The people at Tower Records were asking me, “Did something happen? We’ve sold a bunch of these!” I said, “I sang it at Osakajo Hall yesterday.” And they said, “That’s probably why we’ve sold so many then.” I was like, man, pretty crazy what an event like that with so many people will do!

ーWho else performed?

aiko: SOPHIA I think? Then there was CURIO, RAZZ MA TAZZ, and Hayashi Asami the enka singer. They also had the comedians TKO, Jarhythm, Messenger, and Tonight perform too. What really made me happy was that there was this girl who came as a SOPHIA fan, but ended up buying my CDs and still supports me to this day. I still see people who waited for me outside the radio station sometimes too. Whenever I make eye contact with them at concerts I find myself saying hi to them. (laughs) It almost makes me really happy when I get to finally put a face to names I know from reading letters and like, questionnaires from my concerts. Some of the people who sent in postcards and faxes when I was on the radio still write to me with the same pen names they used to do back then. I get so happy when I see thoseーI’m like, “Oh, I’m glad they’re doin’ well!”

ーSo in that sense, you could almost say you went major before you actually had your major debut, huh?

aiko: Hmm, well… I’d been a DJ for years so I’m sure when people heard that I’d be making my major label debut, they were probably thinking, “Major label debut? What does that mean?” I mean, they’d been listening to my show as a DJ for so long at that point. So I was like, “I’ll make sure to make it the intro to my show!!” (laughs) When the intro was short it was because I was just saying the title of the show and introducing a song. When it was long, it was because I was talking about different things and singing too. I really loved being on the radio. Coming up with an intro, and coming up with jokes is just so much fun to me. I was really happy when we started “Baby Peenuts” on FM OSAKA right after my debut and also “aiko de turtle”, a show I did with (Yamamoto) Noboru from The Turtles on bayfm.

ーAfter you debuted, did you get a lot of people saying, “Oh, you’re that one DJ?”

aiko: When I met Suzuki Ranran, she was like, “Wow, you’ve made your debut as a singer!” Oda Yuji also said, “I’m glad you got to debut!” Pretty much everyone who came on my show as a guest was like that. Some people made sarcastic remarks about it to me too, though. Like, “Don’t you think you’ve got your finger in too many pies there? Why not just stick to being a DJ?”

ーWas it important to you to continue doing both, though?

aiko: It was. I like radio, and I wanted to be a singer. I saw a lot of things by being a DJ too. Some people on the show were really frank with me about how depressed they got while recording overseas. And when adult actors released a CD, they really seemed to get the gist of how it all worked. They were adults after all. I always got the feeling it was smooth sailing for them. After having seen all of that, I knewーway before I even debutedーthat when the roles were reversed and I was the one being invited onto things, I’d try my best to talk all the time. I really think there’s a lot you can learn from radio, looking back on it.

ーWhile you were DJing in October 1996, you entered your 2nd contestー“Music Quest Japan Final”ーand won the grand prize.

aiko: Yes, in Tsumagoi. Shiina Ringo, Taniguchi Takashi and MC Boo were there with me too. MC Boo did this fun reggae/hip-hop thing, and Taniguchi’s always been a pro, even then. His songs are great, and he writes awesome lyrics too. Oh, and I signed a contract with Yamaha when I took part in “Music Quest”. The contract was for doing activities through Yamaha for 1 year but it was a bit problematic. Well, maybe not problematic per se, but at the time I didn’t really know anything, so I didn’t take it very seriously. I didn’t even have anyone’s contact information. So then we settled on a more proper contract where I’d basically be leaving all my activities up to Yamaha. I wasn’t allowed to self-produce my work, and I wasn’t allowed to do concerts whenever and wherever I felt like it, either. To me I felt pretty restrictedーthere were so many limits on my activities. Well, it was sort of an exclusive contract. I didn’t think of it that way, so I felt really stifled in what I was allowed to do for that whole year.

ーWould you say that it made you scared about becoming a pro again?

aiko: Yeah, I was, actually. People from other production teams who came to see my audition would ask me, “Why don’t you come debut with us?” I’d go and just listen to what they had to say since they went out of their way to get in touch with me, you know? Then the next day people from Yamaha caught wind of it somehow and told me, “Don’t just do stuff like that without consulting with us.” And I was like, “Oh geez, I don’t get it. Now I’m scared. I’ve gotta get my ducks in a row or I’m gonna end up neck-deep in something I don’t understand.”

ーDuring that temporary exclusive contract you had with them, did you get any kind of lessons or guidance on writing songs? In short, any kind of education to help you make your debut?

aiko: I said this earlier, but I only went to vocal lessons once. Oh, and that whole thing about writing lyrics with a ‘telephone’ theme. (laughs) Any time I wrote a song, I’d show it to someone at Yamaha. They’d arrange it for me, and then I’d record a demo tape at a studio in Tokyo. We did lots of that sort of thing. While I was in the middle of doing all that, Mr. Hiasaーthe head of my current talent agencyーcalled me and said, “I saw you sing at the ‘Teens Music Festival’.”

ーWas he scouting you?

aiko: No no no, it was more like small talk, just asking me how I’d been doing lately. Because of that audition, back then a bunch of different talent agencies had started calling my house. I got so many phone calls from people trying to scout me: “Would you like to be part of our talent agency?” Of course, I turned them all down because I was with Yamaha. Mr. Hiasa called but not to scout me out, just to talk about silly stuff. I didn’t really get why. Since he wasn’t trying to scout me out of all the other phone calls I was getting, I picked up when he called a second time. “Are you still writing songs?” he asked. “You’re not going to have any time for that once you make your debut.” He also said, “Before you know it, you’re going to have trouble catching up to the rest of album production, you won’t be able to write, you won’t be able to make songs because of it, and then you won’t be able to release a CD. That vicious cycle is one of the reasons why artists disappear.”

ーThat’s awfully grim.

aiko: Yeah, but he said it in a softer way. “I see people like that all the time,” he said. “You need to be in the position where you can write a song anytime, aiko, or you’ll be out of luck.” He really hammered that into me when I was still in my fledgling artist days. I feel like I’m here today because of that… because he threatened me so gently. (laughs). I have him to thank for making me feel ready to write at any given moment. It made me start thinking that I constantly had to write. At the time though, I was like, “Who does this guy think he is?” The whole time I’d say, “Um, I’m not sure why you’re calling me, but…” Every time he’d call I just kept saying, “Weird. I don’t get it. Wait, why?” Thinking about it from a more level-headed perspective, it kinda makes you wonder why someone from Tokyo would bother calling a pipsqueak like me from the boonies of Osaka, you know?

ーAnd he wasn’t trying to scout you either, right?

aiko: No, no, he wasn’t. Really had me thinking he was tryin’ to sell me to someplace else. (laugh) Like, was he gonna have me write music with a more business-y approach? Or like, make music diehards would be into? Or did he think I was gonna make lolita music because I had the figure of a little kid?

ーWhat finally made you less suspicious of him?

aiko: His New Year’s card. The person who introduced me to the president called and said, “It looks like he wrote a New Year’s card again, but this year he only wrote it to one person.” Then I got his New Year’s postcard in the mail and was like, “WHA!? I’m that one person!?” After that, I trusted him.

ーDid you find out whether or not he actually only wrote one New Year’s card?

aiko: I never asked… Just talking about it made me trust him completely. (laughs)

ーTrusting him ended up being the right answer in the end anyway, I suppose. You eventually ended up signing with their talent agency and are still with them to this day.

aiko: That’s right. I’ve actually only had a contract with this talent agency for the last year, even though it’s been 7 since I debuted. (laughs)

ーWait, are you saying that it was all based purely on trust up until this point!?

aiko: Yup, just based on trust. In a way, up until about a year ago I was free agent. (laughs) I only ended up signing a contract with them because not having one caused problems when my record company and talent agency were signing their own contracts. It was difficult for accounting reasons, too. I pretty much only signed an actual contract to clear up those problems.

ーMeaning if that hadn’t come up, you still wouldn’t have been under any kind of contract with them, would you?

aiko: I don’t think so. I probably could’ve gone without one my entire life. We’ve basically just said “We’re in this together” for close to 7 years now. He told me in the very beginning that if I found a place that was better for me and wanted to leave, he’d see me off. I guess you could say a contract wouldn’t have been a good fit because of that. But he also told me a long time ago not to tell anyone on the outside about it. “Why?” I asked. He said, “Because they’ll think it’s weird.” (laughs)

ーIt was, though. I think most people would probably wonder why you didn’t have a contract despite having multiple hit songs. (laughs)

aiko: Probably. (laughs) That’s just how broad and not fleshed out we did things based on our mutual trust in each other.

ーWhen did you start talking to the president of your talent agency more specifically about work?

aiko: After my contract with Yamaha ended. Like, he called me the day after my contract ended and said, “Want to make a CD?” I was sleeping when he called so I was just sort of mumbling into the phone. I remember jumping out of bed the moment he said, “Your contract with them ended yesterday. Let’s make a CD, aiko!” and going, “WAIT, WHAT?!?” (laughs) Basically, he had just calling to make small talk with me while waiting for that to happen. Then I ended up working on my indies album with him. A little bit before that came out, I also released just one CD on an independent label.

ーWas that something you made entirely on your own?

aiko: No, it was an album I made with my friends named “Doutei Omnibus CD Vol. 1”. Only 1000 copies were made. Me and 3 other bands put it together. I think we split it 4 ways and each paid something like 70 or 80k yen for 250 copies of the CD. We had it pressed overseas to make it a little bit cheaper and then imported it back into Japan. And to save on production costs, we had to do all the packing ourselves. We were handed the cases, sleeves, CDs and obi strip at different times. We put the CD in the case, inserted the obi strip, then packed them 250 at a time. And to top it all off, I was the only one who wasn’t part of a bandーbasically, I had a lot more to do because I was all by myself. I did it while singing “Eating hot pot at night~ All by myself” (laughs)

ーDo you still have quite a few copies of that CD left?

aiko: Only 2. My friends have a bunch though. The one interesting thing about that CD is Mori (Nobuyuki), ex-drummer for Quruli. He was an acquaintance of the band Uemasa, who’s on “Doutei Omnibus”. They told him, “You know, you oughta buy one. That ‘aiko’ girl is goin’ places.” So he did. I was kind of shocked when I met him and he said, “Oh, I have that album.” (laughs)