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lanas-delight · 6 months

Text

macabre.

✰ a horror enhypen fic || word count: 30k+

✰ description — stupidly, a group of friends plan a party at a mansion who’s owner had mysteriously gone missing. little do they know, they just might be next.

✰ warnings — major character death, murder, blood, knives, gore, angst, violence, strong language, mention of abuse, mention of overdose, some smoking and underage drinking (at a party), basically a murderous psychological horror.

✰ note — there is one joke said by jake to jungwon about how close jaywon are in this story and how they could be lovers (they're not), though it's because of reasons that will be explained later on, it is worth mentioning here about it just in case. other than that, enjoy!

“What are you doing?”

Jungwon lifted his head quickly at the sudden voice, but from the tone alone, he knew the other had been standing there for at least a while. He didn’t notice the shoes that had appeared in front of him, though he had just been staring at his lap for a solid minute or two. Had he zoned out again? He shook his head and huffed, “Obviously nothing,” he replied, scooting over a little as Jay turned around so he could sit beside the younger boy on the bench just outside the front entrance of their school.

It was sometime past noon during lunch, and Jungwon had found himself wandering the halls with a reluctant appetite and a growing despair for this school. He thought he had been wronged as he worked harder than the others for his class president campaign, but lost the election to the principal’s daughter. He should’ve seen it coming, really, but he couldn’t help feeling unworthy, almost useless in a way. He did his best, he was sure of it. But did he actually not do as well as he thought he did? Maybe, maybe not.

“It’s not your fault, ya’know,” Jay told him, as if he knew exactly why Jungwon was upset—though he always did in one way or another, “Your campaign was better than everyone else’s. It’s—nepotism, or whatever.” He mumbled a bit, but Jungwon heard him clearly.

“I know. It’s fine,”

“No it’s not, Won,”

“No, it is,” Jungwon reassures the other, though he felt like he was still trying to convince himself that it was, too. “I’ll be fine, I’ve—” He cut himself off, realizing he didn’t have next year to campaign again. He was a fourth year. He graduates in the spring. “It’s fine,” he repeats again.

Jay rolled his eyes, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Won,” and he leaned back against the bench. “You hear about Niki?” but Jungwon shook his head. “His parents kicked him out, I think he’s staying with Sunoo or Jake, I can’t remember who.”

Jungwon hummed, “How long do you think it’ll last this time?”

The older male shrugged, “Two weeks. Not a day later,”

“Is he okay?”

“Yeah I think so. He seemed fine. This isn’t the first time so I’m sure he’s pretty used to it by now,” it was a sly remark, which was why Jungwon was a little relieved he was the only one who had heard it. Niki and his family weren’t the closest when it came to their differences, which caused Niki to rebel a lot and eventually leave or get kicked out for a while before he went back. He’d swear every time that he’ll never go back, but he’s usually back there within a week or two.

“What was it for this time?”

“Smoking, he said.”

“I thought he didn’t smoke,”

“No we just told you that so you wouldn’t freak,” Jay took out a lollipop from his pocket and took off the wrapper, sticking it into his mouth while completely not noticing the shocked expression that had appeared on Jungwon’s face.

“What do you mean he smokes? Why would he—” Jungwoon stopped and let out a deep breath, “Why would you keep that from me?”

“Because you swore off smoking when you were, like, 8. You hate smokers,”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Yeah but I’m me. Of course you don’t hate me,” Jay smiled at the younger, the stick of the lollipop pointing outwards of his mouth, gritting against his teeth a little. “I’m also reformed. I don’t smoke,”

“Anymore, at least.”

Jay used to smoke at least a pack a day but since it finally started to mess with his health, he quit and used lollipops as a replacement. Jungwon hated the smell of cigarette smoke, just the smell alone gave him a migraine every time. Jay never disclosed why he stopped smoking, except when Jake asked him while Jungwon was there, but just before he said whatever he was originally going to say, he just said, ‘Cancer sucks, you know,’ and that was the end of it.

“Whatever,” that was his favorite word, “Besides—You’d lose your mind if you ever hated me,”

Jungwoon scoffed, “I would not. I’m not dependent on your existence,”

Jay clicked his tongue, “Funny.”

“I’m not.”

“Whatever you say, Won.”

Jungwoon huffed, but he was quiet for a minute. Jay took the lollipop out of his mouth for a second before looking over to Jungwon, though he didn’t say anything and just looked away again. Jungwon’s hands locked together in his lap, sitting awkwardly. Jay glanced over, and leaned his head back. “What is it, Won?”

The younger looked over, “Huh? Nothing,”

“Talk.”

He didn’t like it when Jay spoke with that kind of tone, so he just obliged as he rolled his eyes. “I mean, I’d miss you. If we weren’t friends. I could survive, but I don’t think I’d want to.”

Jay furrowed his eyebrows. “Thanks?”

“No I mean,” Jungwon turned his body, sitting sideways on the bench to face Jay with his right leg crossed over his left ankle, “You’re my best friend, but I also don’t have many friends to begin with. I’ve learned to be alone, so if you weren’t here, I’d survive, but I’d hate it.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“I wouldn’t want to be without you,”

From the look on Jay’s face, Jungwon felt his stomach twist inside him. Jungwon tried his best to not sound sentimental when he spoke with Jay. It wasn’t that Jay wasn’t an emotional person, because he was, definitely, but in a way, that worried Jungwon so he did his best to stray away from the more sentimental stuff. He’s known Jay all his life, his first friend ever, his best friend since diapers. He met Niki, Sunoo, and all the others through school, but it was Jay he’s known before everything. They’ve been best friends way longer than they’ve known the others, which was why they didn’t really say anything about how close the two were.

Jay was direct, tough and a little sly. He was nice to his friends, especially Jungwon, who was like family to him. He didn’t like people, but he was attractive and charming. Lots of girls fawned over him, but he paid no attention to them. He was more into his studies and his friends, he couldn’t care less about a girlfriend then, despite the fact he was a senior and one of the more popular guys there. Like stated before, he used to be a huge smoker, but because of his leather-jacket-and-jeans type of fashion outside of school, he was labeled as “the bad boy” even though he was actually very kind and caring when he’s around the people he loved the most. But Jungwon wasn’t like him, not at all.

Jungwoo was shy, he was way too nice to everyone and anyone which led to a lot of ignored trauma Jungwon went through growing up. He didn’t talk much about his home life, nor his past or his problems. He didn’t like to. He thought he’d be seen as weak-minded, especially at such a prestigious academy. But his friends meant the world to him. He cared the most about Jay since they’ve practically been friends since they were babies. But even though Jay was just a little under a year older than Jungwon (Jungwon had a late birthday but still qualified to be put into the same class as Jay), he still looked up to Jay for most of the years that have passed. Jungwon still does, even though he claims he doesn’t anymore.

Unlike the rest of them, Jungwon and Niki were the only two that went to the academy on a scholarship. The others were rich, accepted into the academy easily with their remarkable grades and overwhelming wealth. But Jungwon and Niki weren’t so fortunate with their families and home life. Of course, they did their best to not let that affect their lives at school. Niki, well, tried but he was always getting kicked out, meanwhile Jungwon kept his life so secret that Jay was the only person who had a clue about what Jungwon’s been through, and is still going through every day. But still, Jungwon doesn’t like to feel weak so Jay tries to not worry so much about Jungwon, though he couldn’t help it most of the time. Jungwon was his best friend. He may never admit it, but in all honesty, Jay knew he couldn’t live without him.

Jay didn’t say anything for a moment, which only made Jungwon feel uneasy. But then Jay looked over at him, and gave him a short smile.

“You’re too good, Jungwon.”

Jungwon smiled, but then he checked his phone for the time. “Shit, lunch is almost over.”

“You didn’t eat?”

Jungwon shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Wasn’t hungry,” Jungwon shrugged. “Did you?”

Jay took out his lollipop that was much smaller now. “Just this,” and he popped it back into his mouth, “You wanna head back to class?”

“Sure.”

Both of them stood up from the bench and headed back inside the building. Their next class was on the third floor so they went ahead and waited outside the room since it wouldn’t be long until the bell would ring. Jay stood against the wall, his upper back touching the glass window as Jay stood beside him, looking through that same window.

“Aye,”

Jungwon turned his head to the right, and Jay eventually did the same, seeing two of their friends approaching, Sunghoon and Heeseung.

“Did you skip lunch, too?” Sunghoon asked first.

Jay shrugged, “More or less,” with one hand, he dabbed up Sunghoon and Heeseung while the other buried itself in his pocket. Jungwon glanced back through the window before turning to face the others. “What were you guys doing?”

“We left and got food,” Heeseung replied. “I have some leftover curry. You want it?” He reached the white styrofoam box out to Jungwon.

But Jungwon shook his head, “No thank you. I’m not really hungry,” and though Jay glanced at him, he kept his mouth shut.

Heeseung was the most popular guy at school, but he was really nice. A fourth year like Jay and Jungwon, Sunghoon, too. He was very well liked, he knew everyone and everyone knew him. He met Jay back in their first year and they’ve been friends ever since, and because of that, Jungwon became friends with him, too. It was the opposite for Sunghoon, however, as he met Jungwon first as second years and became friends with Jay later.

Sunghoon was always involved in clubs, so most of the guys would tease him for how many medallions and ropes he’ll have to wear for graduation when the day eventually comes. But being involved in so many clubs and keeping up with all of them meant that Sunghoon was very popular with the underclassmen. However, he always rejects when girls ask him out, not because he didn’t like them, but because he was always busy. Either with the guys or the growing list of clubs he’s in, Sunghoon was always busy. He was never home.

Sunghoon thinned his lips, “Hey, we heard about the election. You okay?”

Jungwon nodded, “I think so. It is what it is, I guess.” He shrugged carelessly, trying to seem at least okay with the fact he lost the election, but his face couldn’t appear more sad about it.

“Hey, you know what?” Heeseung started to say, a curving smile on his face, “We should have a party.”

“A party?” Jay raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, to celebrate Jungwon’s hard work! And his position as vice president!”

To the second runnings of the student body president election, they are given the vice president position instead. Jungwon absolutely hated that, it felt humiliating. But it was nice to see that his friends thought he was great.

Jungwon disagreed, however.

“No way,” said Jungwon quickly, “Why would we have a party just for that?”

“Uh, to celebrate you? Did you not hear me just now?” Heeseung replied with a chuckle, “Don’t be such a downer, Jungwon. Let us plan it, yeah?”

“I dunno . . .” He scratched the back of his neck, “You guys shouldn’t go out of your way and do all that just for this. It’s not even that great either. I’m just the vice president,”

“Still a president, nonetheless,” said Sunghoon. “Your achievements are worth acknowledging,”

“And celebrating!” Heeseung added. “Now, will you let us plan the party?”

Jungwon then looked to Jay, almost for permission but also, maybe some back up on why they shouldn’t do this. But disappointed like always, Jay smiled.

“I think it could be fun,” Jay half-shrugged, “Don’t you think?” He looked over at Jungwon, but he knew Jungwon couldn’t say no to him.

Jungwon sighed. “I guess,” It was obvious he didn’t want it, but being a people pleaser was both a blessing and a curse, but mostly a curse.

Sunghoon grinned, “Good. Heeseung and I will plan it.”

“But wait, where will it be at?” Jay suddenly questioned, earning a blank expression on the other’s face.

Sunghoon stared at him, blinking a couple times at the older before he eventually spoke. “I just said we’ll figure it out.”

Jay rolled his eyes, “Whatever,” he grumbled and turned around just as the bell rang. “Let us know about the party,” he said before he opened the classroom door and headed inside. Jungwon stood out in the hall with them for another minute or so before they all dabbed each other up and went their separate ways for the day. Jungwon always sat beside Jay in the classes they shared together. Some even called them inseparable, though others would question the way Jay would act sometimes but Jungwon would always excuse it with his “he’s got a real tough exterior that hides a golden heart” line. It always makes the girls swoon. But Jay never paid them any attention. He never knew how to love someone, but neither did Jungwon.

By the end of class, Jay had an entire page of notes while Jungwon barely wrote down three lines worth of notes. He couldn’t keep his focus, for some reason, he just couldn’t. Jay always took pages and pages of notes, and normally Jungwon took decent notes as well, but lately, since the election, he’s just become so out of place. He can’t focus, he’s starting to become tired all the time. Was he depressed? He didn’t think so. But maybe he was, or starting to be. Maybe. But he hoped he wasn’t.

It should be noted that Jay has a black 2022 Dodge Charger, a car worth way more than Jungwon’s future college tuition. He always parks it on the right side of the parking lot in the very last spot. It’s a bit of a walk to get to it, but Jay never minded it. In fact, he enjoyed it. He liked exercising and keeping in shape, while Jungwon would just tolerate the constant walking and exercising because Jay was his best friend.

Since Jungwon doesn’t have a car yet, he always rides with Jay to school. The others had cars, too, but he liked Jay’s the best. Sunghoon had a tan-colored 2016 Honda Civic which he got from his mom after she got herself a new car. Sunoo had a blue 2017 Kia Soul which he had gotten for his 16th birthday. Heeseung was given his dad’s old pick up truck, though it wasn’t old at all. It was a silver 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. Niki has an older car, a crimson 2009 Nissan Altima his grandpa gave to him before he passed. And Jake has a white 2021 Nissan Sentra that he bought with his own money, already almost paid off. Jay’s was already paid off (a perk of rich parents).

Jungwon was the only one without a car, for obvious familial reasons, but Jay never had a problem with taking him to school with him. First, they were best friends, and two, Jungwon loved Jay’s car. It was a sports car, modern and new, and clean—and really, really fast. And since Jay was almost never sick, though whenever he was sick, it was always during the breaks throughout the school year, he was never absent. In fact, he hadn't missed a single day of school since the first grade. He’s gotten plenty of perfect attendance awards for that over the years, too.

In a way, Jungwon really did look up to him. He was intelligent, talented, and strong. He was what Jungwon always wanted to be. It was kinda like Jay was his role model, his own best friend. Was that weird? He never paid any attention to details like that, not until lately at least.

Jay unlocked the car and tossed his backpack into the backseat before getting into the driver’s seat. Jungwon got into the passenger seat and shut the door, holding his backpack in his lap. It earned a look from Jay, like it always did, but he didn’t say anything.

Jungwon looked over after he buckled his seat belt, but his eyes turned to his phone as he felt it vibrate in his hand. He read the message, then turned back to Jay who had just started the car. “Hey, the guys wanna meet at the junkyard. You wanna go?”

“God, why did we choose that to be our hang out place?” Jay muttered under his breath, “But sure. You wanna go straight there or pick something up first?”

“Up to you,”

“Let’s just head there first,” Jay looked back as he started to back out of the parking spot. One arm on shoulder of Jungwon’s seat and the other pressed against the edge of the steering wheel, his left hand out flat as his palm moves the steering wheel with ease. It was hard not to notice Jay’s jawline—it was sharp, like really sharp. It could cut tomatoes, or potatoes, or other foods one would cut with a knife, but Jay’s jawline was one of his best looking attributes.

Music played at a low volume from the radio. It was a song he’d only heard a few times, but it was Jay’s favorite—Fade Into You by Mazzy Star. Jay hummed along the guitar strums, mouthing some of the words as he drove. It somewhat made the silent car ride a little more tolerable but that didn’t distract Jungwon enough from starting to feel awkward. Thinking about the party the guys were planning for him, it felt like too much for something he didn’t want. He wanted to be the president, not the vice president. It was a downgrade, a very humiliating downgrade. But the others didn’t see it like that. They were always so hopeful.

But all of them—with the exception of Niki—had richer families, but even Niki was a very hopeful person. They all had their own issues, but that didn’t stop their positivity, weirdly. For example, Heeseung’s parents had him out of wedlock but never married because they ended up breaking up before he was even born, Jake’s parents were never married either but they split up sometime after Jake was born anyways, Sunghoon’s parents almost divorced like twenty times but never went through it, and Niki’s were literal drug dealers, but they were all so positive. Even Jay was at times. But Jungwon never got it. He wasn’t like a ‘Debbie Downer,’ or a ‘Negative Nancy,’ but he definitely wasn’t all that positive. He just went with the flow, and whatever happens, well, happens. He was in control of his emotions, mostly, but that just really worried Jay and the others more. They never knew what Jungwon was thinking. But Jay always figured it out, in one way or another, he did. And Jungwon hated it.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” Jungwon jumped a little at Jay’s sudden voice, but he nodded his head, “I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, Won,” He glanced over, “What’s going on?”

Jungwon sighed, looking down at his lap. “Is it really necessary for a party? I mean,” he lifted his head and looked over at Jay, “I’m the vice president, not the president. It’s humiliating, Jay. It’s like a slap in the face,”

Jay scoffed, “No it’s not—”

“Yes it is!” Jungwon exclaimed, “I wanted to be the president, not the stupid, forgotten about vice president.”

“Jungwon—”

“No!” Jungwon cut him off, “This is my fourth year, Jay! I wanted this year to be good. University won’t be like high school. We’re all going to different places, we won’t be together anymore. We’re splitting up.”

Jay frowned, looking over at the other once he stopped at a red light. “Won, are you really this worried about that? We’ll hang out all the time, I swear. We’re not splitting up. Even if we’re busy through the week, we still have the weekend. A-And the breaks!” He sighed, “We’re not splitting up, Won. I promise you,” Jay reassured him with a soft smile, “I’ll make sure of it.”

Jungwon leaned back and turned to the window, “What’s gonna happen when you go off to Jeju, huh?” He spoke a bit lowly, almost trying to hide his breaking voice.

Jay was going to Jeju National University next fall. He’ll be living 9 hours away.

“Nothing’s going to happen.” Jay stated firmly, “I swear to you.”

The younger male glanced over, but kept his mouth shut. Jay’s foot lifted off the break and started to go again. In the distance, there were car horns, but Jungwon didn’t even glance in its direction. He just continued to stare through the window, silently in his thoughts. Jay let out a sigh as he turned his blinker on and turned left, soon exiting the city of Seoul, arriving at the junkyard where the group always hung out. He didn’t get why a bunch of academy kids chose to hang out 24/7 at an old junkyard, but it was what they decided. Just as they arrived, parking in between Sunghoon and Jake’s cars, Jay leaned back and huffed. He turned his head and looked at Jungwon, waiting for the younger to say something, but when only silence continued to grow in between the two, Jay decided to speak instead.

“I know you think it’s humiliating, but it’s not to us,” Jay told him, “or at least it’s not to me.” But Jungwon kept quiet, earning a frown from Jay again. “I’m proud of you, Won.”

Just as Jungwon started to turn his head to look over, Jay turned and got out of the car. Jungwon kept his thoughts inside, letting out a sigh before he got out of the car as well. Jay closed his door and locked the car, causing it to honk once and the lights to blink. Jungwon followed him into the junkyard, walking behind him with a bit of distance. He buried his hands into his pockets, his head low as he followed Jay out to the empty space in the middle of the junkyard where the others were. All still dressed in their school uniforms, most of them found a seat on old barrels or like Jake, sitting on the hood of an old, rusted, jacked up car.

Sunoo spoke first, “Congrats, Jungwon!” He had a big smile plastered on his face, his eyes crinkled like two turned over crescents, rosy cheeks and a warming personality.

Unlike the others, Sunoo was an art student, very talented when it came to art, drawing, pottery, etc. He was a talented artist, but because all his work was put into his art, he didn’t really talk to anyone who weren’t the guys. In fact, he was pretty shy, maybe more than Jungwon was. He was kind and calm, though he practically laughed at everything. He was a very sweet person, liked by many though he only ever talked to a handful of people.

Jungwon kept his eyes strayed away, “Thanks,” he muttered, making Sunoo tilt his head in confusion but before he could ask, Sunghoon stepped forward, his hands in his pockets, standing like some bully—which he wasn’t—but he looked cool, nonetheless.

“So, we have an issue about the party,”

“That we shouldn’t have it? Great!” Jungwon replied sarcastically, but when everyone looked at him and stared, he got defensive. “What? I don’t want the party!”

“Would you quit with that?” Jay stood beside him, his arms crossed, “We’re trying to celebrate your accomplishment. Would it hurt you to be grateful?”

Jungwon furrowed his eyebrows, “Yes, actually, it would because why are we even having this party?” He questioned them all, “I lost the election, I didn’t win it. Why are we celebrating my loss?”

“Oh god, not this again.”

“Yes! This again!” Jungwon turned to the others, “It’s humiliating, and I dunno why I keep having to explain this but I didn’t run to be the V.P. I wanted to be the president, but I was given the lesser because I wasn’t good enough,”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong,” Heeseung reprimanded, “You are way better than that chick. In every way, you are. She’s a nepo-baby. She only got that shit because of her father. You deserved it whole-heartedly, and because no one else is celebrating your hard work, we’re going to do it instead.” He explained to the younger, “So would you just let us plan the damn party?”

“Yeah, you don’t even let us throw you a birthday party,” said Sunghoon, “At least let us throw you this one,” but that had hit a sensitive nerve with Jungwon, not that anyone noticed it.

Jungwon huffed, crossing his arms and looking off. He thought for a moment, shaking his head. “If I let you guys plan this party, would you guys get off my dick about it?”

“Jeez,” Jake hissed, “The hell is up with you, Jungwon?”

Jake was more athletically popular than the others were. He played basketball most of his life, even playing a few years of both soccer and baseball as well. Everyone saw him as a jock, which made him a definite girl-magnet. However, unlike the stereotypical jock, he was actually very smart and was very into science and physics. He had been in AP biology, AP chemistry, AP physics, even planning to go to university as a physics major. He was very smart, and his intelligence poured out of him (which only made more girls find him very attractive) but he always paid attention to his team, his future, and his friends. He was very funny, though collected and kind of distant with people from different social groups. But he was still one of the more popular guys at the academy, which was never something he disliked. He also was a foreigner from Australia, so that also became why so many girls wanted him. Although lately, he’s only been paying attention to one.

Jungwon unfolded his arms, grunting. “You guys aren’t listening to me. I don’t want this party. Really! It’s embarrassing that I lost, after all my hard work. Humbled and humiliated. I don’t want to be reminded of it,”

Heeseung sighed, “We hear you. But we want to celebrate you and your hard work, even though you didn’t win. Even if the party is just us, we want to celebrate you. Could you let us do that?” He lifted his eyebrows, trying to give Jungwon a gentle, reassuring smile.

He didn’t know what to say. Did he want to give in? Was he really going to let his friends plan a party for him which will just be them? He hated feeling humiliated, but maybe this could help feel better. Maybe he judged it too quickly. Should he give it a shot?

“I dunno, guys . . .” Jungwon shook his head, “You guys are popular. It’ll get around that you’re having a party and then hundreds of people will show up.”

“Is that really that bad?” Jake replied, “More people to celebrate with us. Besides, we don’t have to tell them why we’re having the party. We can just have a party, and if people end up coming, we can just go to a different room and celebrate alone before we return, I guess?”

Jungwoon was unsure. “Is it really worth it?”

“Of course it is,” Jay suddenly spoke up, earning Jungwon’s attention almost immediately, “It’s a party for you. Of course it’s worth it.”

Jungwon looked around at the others, then he let out a long sigh, “Fine. We can have a party,” and though the guys started to cheer, Jungwon continued, “But don’t go overboard.”

Sunghoon cleared his throat, “Okay, cool that we got it approved or whatever, but there’s still one issue about all this,” he paused, “We don’t have a place to have the party.”

“What do you mean?” Niki raised his eyebrow, “You guys are rich. Just rent out a venue,”

Niki, like Jungwon, went to the academy on a scholarship because he was smart and passed enough tests with flying colors that got him to be enrolled (free) into the academy. His family was poor, almost on the brink of poverty, which caused Niki to work at a part-time job with inhuman hours, though he’d always claim that “the money was all worth it in the end.” He always denied the others’ attempts to give him money. He didn’t like help. However, while Jungwon lived with his grandma, Niki lived with his terrible parents who constantly kicked him out of the house from Niki’s rebellious antics that started to grow because of how they treated him during his childhood. It was his right to act out, however, because his parents were absolute hypocrites. Niki was actually Japanese, making him a foreigner. He moved to South Korea with his family when he was about six or seven, and has lived in Seoul ever since. He was very independent, and he didn’t care for gender norms or rules, a basic bad boy—which didn’t really help his case every time he’d get kicked out and forced to stay at his friends’ houses all the time.

“No, no. We wanted to have it at one of our houses,” said Sunghoon, “but all of our parents will be in town. And obviously, we can’t have it at school or the park or something.”

“Then where are we going to have it?” asks Heeseung. “Are we just not going to have it?”

“So we convinced Jungwon for nothing?” Jay remarked, earning a nudge from Jungwon in response.

“No, no. I’ll figure it out,” Sunghoon said, “Just try and convince yall’s parents to go on a sudden trip or something. Could we maybe have it in your pool house, Jake?”

“No! That’s where I sleep!” Jake exclaimed, offended, “What about Sunoo’s garage?”

“That’s my art studio!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I renovated it last week. I thought I told you,”

“We’re getting off topic,” Sunghoon raised his voice over the rest, “We will figure it out. But no matter what—We are going to have this party.”

Jungwon rolled his eyes, “God, you guys— It’s really not that serious.”

Heeseung shushed him, “Yes, it is that serious, now let us do our jobs, yeah?”

“What—” Jungwon turned, “Jay, help me out,” he whispered to him.

Jay stared at him blankly for a moment before he shrugged, “You heard the man.”

Jungwon groaned, “I hate you,” he grumbled, earning a laugh from Jay.

A bit of time passed and the group dispersed and headed home for the night. Jay dropped Jungwon off at his house and headed home as well. Jungwon went inside the house, noticing his grandma sitting on the couch as she folded the warm clothes from the white laundry basket beside her. Jungwon closed the front door quietly, holding one of his backpack straps as he started to walk past the living room walkway quietly and quickly so she wouldn’t notice him, but unfortunately, she saw him and called for him.

“Jungwonie, come here,”

Jungwon stopped and groaned before turning back and walking into the living room. “Hi, grandma. How’s your day been?” It was chit-chat, trying to get this over with so he could just head straight to his room, cry for a bit, and then eventually pass out.

She smiled, “It’s been slow. I was wondering when you’d get home,”

“Sorry, we went to the junkyard,” he replied quietly, fiddling with his fingers. She glanced at him then turned back to watch the TV ahead of her. The news was playing out, the news reporter talking about missing people again but then he heard a familiar name. He looks up, a bit intrigued. “Mr Hwang?” Sunghoon’s neighbor’s face was displayed on the screen beside the news reporter, “He’s missing?”

“Since Tuesday, apparently,”

“Of last week?” Jungwon leaned back, “Do you think he’s okay?”

She shook her head, “I have worried about him these last few years. You heard about his wife?” After Jungwon nodded, she shook her head again. “Poor boy. I pray for him,”

Jungwon looked over, but didn’t say anything. Then, she smiled a bit and turned to him.

“How’s Jay doing?” She always asks about him. She loves Jay, almost as much as she loved Jungwon—her own grandson—but then again, he didn’t blame her. Everyone loved Jay.

Jungwon nodded once, “Good. Him and the others are planning a party for me,”

She tilted her head, “A party? For what?”

“Well, I lost the election but I’m still the vice president so they’re celebrating that.”

“That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” She was excited for her grandson, but he couldn’t disagree with her more.

“I dunno,” Jungwon shrugged, “I thought it was humiliating that I lost, but they’re so convinced that I did so well. I don’t get it, but maybe that’s just me,”

It wasn’t news (especially to her) that Jungwon was very hard on himself. He never thought of himself as good enough, even if he was more than enough. The others saw him for who he was—a strong, independent, intelligent person who was hard working, realistic, reliable, and so on. But Jungwon never understood that. He didn’t understand any of it, but it was like a trauma response to think of everything he does as not good enough. He’s not necessarily a perfectionist, but he thinks most of what he does isn’t good enough and that he’s prone to doing everything wrong. He’s convinced everyone sees him as weak and unreliable so he goes out of his way constantly to be there for his friends, make sure he does everything right, practically sell his soul and entire being to make his friends happy. They’d always tell him that they’re fine, that he should worry more about himself and not them, but he never listens.

“It usually is just you,” She remarks. “You’re good, Jungwonie. Why don’t you see that?” She asks, “You make me so proud, and I’m sure your grandfather would agree, too.” His grandfather passed away some years ago, he was like a dad to Jungwon, like his grandma was like a mom to him. He’s never told anyone, but Jay, about his home life, and how things used to be, but even Jay didn’t know everything, but he knew enough to help him if he needed it. Jungwon wasn’t even sure if he’d ever tell him everything either.

“But I don’t understand it,” Jungwon replied quietly, “I do my best but I get turned away. I know I should be grateful but I always try my hardest, but I’m always given the least.”

She curved her lips downward, creasing her eyebrows, drawing them together before she sighed. “Your mother was always hard on herself too,” She began to say, but just hearing the mention of his mother made Jungwon’s stomach twist, “I couldn’t say I wasn’t hard on her, too. But I wanted her to learn and grow, but as I have seen my own mistakes and learned, I promised I’d take care of you to make up for all the mistakes I made with her.”

Jungwon’s nose stung, he felt the tears starting to form at the corner of his eyes. But he quickly took the end of his index finger and wiped them away. He sniffled, “You’re so kind, grandma.”

He tried to give her a smile, but she folded a blouse and left it in her lap, staring down at it for a moment before she lifted her head slowly and looked over at her grandson, smiling at him now.

“And you, the same, my boy.” She smiled more, “Now go get some rest. I suppose you let them plan you a party, hm?”

He let out a laugh, “Yeah, I did.”

“Good,” She nodded, “You deserve it, sweetheart.” And as he stood, he bowed to her and turned to leave the room. Then, she switched the channel over to a different one, playing one of her favorite shows. She cheered quietly, but Jungwon heard one of the characters say something about a carousel. He listened closely at the doorway, hearing it again. The carousel never stops turning. He kinda scoffed at it. “Gosh, she watches such weird shows.” He mutters before finally leaving.

In his room, he tossed his backpack onto his desk chair before flopping onto his bed, sighing loudly as the bed creaked. It was an older bed, one his grandpa slept on while he grew up. But it was bigger than a twin so he didn’t mind its age. There were posters on the wall—mostly music artists such as Lana Del Rey, The Neighborhood, Brent Faiyaz, etc. His bedsheets were white and red, with his blanket being a darker red color. There was a dresser in the corner of the room, against the wall across the one his bed was pressed up against. Beside the dresser was his desk where his closed laptop sat and a bulletin board hung above it. It had important notes, schedules, but most notably, it had photos of him and his friends on it. He cared a lot about his friends.

Groaning as he stretched, Jungwon eventually sat up and checked his phone. There was a text from Jay that appeared on the screen.

jay 9:54pm

the party will be great

don’t worry too much, yeah?

Jungwon sighed and replied back.

jungwon 9:56pm

idk jay. i get it but is it really worth it

Jay quickly replied.

jay 9:56pm

stop talking like that.

of course it’s worth it.

now go to bed

jungwon 9:57pm

fine. goodnight jay

jay 9:57pm

night, won

Jungwon tossed his phone lighty back on the bed and stood up. He undressed and changed into shorts and a t-shirt before laying back down on his bed, curling up in his blanket before he put his phone on the charger and closed his eyes to gently drift to sleep. Maybe he should be happy about the party. It couldn’t be too bad, right? He hoped it wouldn’t be. Maybe it’ll be the best party ever, or it could be a terrible waste of everyone’s time. Nonetheless, it was a party, thrown in his favor by his bestest friends. It’d be good, for sure. Right?

✧✧✧

For the next several days, Jungwon didn’t hear a single thing about the party. Of course, he felt relieved at first, but after about the fourth day, he started to wonder—were they planning it without him completely? He knew he was against it, but he still wanted to be at least included in the planning. Well, it was a party for him so maybe it was a surprise. Nonetheless, he wanted to ask about it so that afternoon at the junkyard, he asked them. But they didn’t exactly give him an answer he could have expected.

“No, we haven’t been planning it since we don’t have a place to have it yet,” Sunghoon replied nonchalantly, playing a game on his phone.

“Why?” Heeseung glanced over, “Do you know a place?”

Jungwon drooped his shoulders, “No, unfortunately,” he actually seemed sad about it, which quickly drew Jay and Jake’s attention as normally, Jungwon wouldn’t appear sad about something like this. He didn’t like public outings, or just parties in general, so it was new to see that Jungwon was actually sad to hear that the party wasn’t a-go.

Jake peaked over, “Well maybe we could have it at your neighbor’s,” it was a weird suggestion, and at first, Jungwon didn’t understand it until Sunghoon replied to Jake.

“Have the party at my missing neighbor’s house? Have you gone crazy?”

That’s where he knew.

Mr Hwang was Sunghoon’s neighbor. He was an older man, white and gray hair with a balding spot right on the top of his head. He was a bigger fella, usually dressed in suits or more formal casual wear, and he was very nice to all the neighbors. He owned his own law firm, though he retired early and gave it to his eldest son. A few years back, he lost his wife to cancer, though still managed to still be kind to his neighbors and be active in the community. Since her passing, he’s advocated for many charities for cancer patients and families of late cancer patients. Sunghoon didn’t know him, but both of his parents did. His father, who he lived with primarily, knew Mr Hwang very well, so he was distraught to hear his friend had gone missing. As of today, it’s been about three months since he had gone missing, though despite that, Mr Hwang’s family still paid for the maids to keep his house clean unless he came back. They didn’t think he was kidnapped, but instead went off the grid for a trip. They hoped so, at least.

“No!” Jake said defensively, throwing his hands up in the air. “I think it’s a good idea! What time do those maids leave?” Jungwon had started to smile, but it faded quickly when Sunghoon started to shake his head profusely.

Sunghoon leaned off the rusted car hood, “No, no, no!” He said, waving his index finger around, “Not happening! We are not having the party at his house!”

Heeseung turned around, “I mean, it’s not a bad idea, Hoon,”

“No!” Sunghoon exclaimed, “The man is missing! We cannot have the party at a missing person’s house!”

“What kinda house is it?” Jay asked, intruding the conversation though the others were already nosy and listening in.

Sunghoon shook his head as he turned to Jay, “No, I’m not answering that—”

“Four bedroom mansion, two living rooms, three bathrooms, huge backyard with a maze and garden, large ass fountain in the front with a circular driveway,” Jake listed off loudly so Sunghoon couldn’t interrupt him anymore, “It’s the perfect house for a party!”

It was definitely surprising how Jake knew that house so well despite never setting foot inside it, but it was easier to connect the dots on how Jake’s mother is a real estate agent and actually sold Mr Hwang that house just around the time Jake was born.

Jake was originally born in Seoul, but because of his parents never marrying and breaking up before he was born, Jake’s mother stayed in Seoul and Jake went to live with his father in Brisbane. However, when he had just turned 9, he and his older brother moved to Seoul to stay with his mother. There, that same day, he met Jay and Jungwon and have been close with them ever since. Later, of course, he met the others and became close with them also.

Sunghoon glared, “How the hell do you know that?”

Jake shook his head, “Doesn’t matter—Like I was saying, it’s the perfect place to have a party. We can just sneak in after the maids leave and have it there! Say, Sunghoon, do you know what time the maids leave?”

“What? Why would I know that?” Sunghoon crossed his arms, “. . . 8 o’clock.” He mumbled, but Jay smiled as big as a clown.

“Then we’ll have the party at 9!” Jake exclaimed cheerfully, throwing his hands into the air excitedly before pulling them down, squeezing his fasts as he shook like a happy puppy. It was a common occurrence, but it only ever got a kick out of the guys from how similar Jake was to a puppy. To Sunghoon, however, it was kind of concerning at that moment.

“But what if someone saw us?” asked Heeseung, “Wasn’t the guy big on no trespassers?”

Sunghoon pointed to Heeseung, “That is true. He was a nice guy unless you trespassed. He gets scary,”

Jake scoffed, “You say that like he’s going to be there. Dude is M.I.A, and since your folks are so close with him, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind a little party, right?” This was just brewing a disaster to happen, then he looked at Jungwon, “What do you say, Jungwon? Should we do it?”

Jungwon looked over at Jay, then at the others, then back at Jake. He hesitated before he let out a low sigh, “Sure. We can do it,” and as the others began to cheer, Jungwon interrupted, “But hey! If I want it to end, then we end it, okay?”

There’s a few ‘okay’s and a couple ‘of course’s spread throughout the group, but Jungwon smiled and nodded before the group went back to cheering. Jungwon still felt a little out of place, but he actually started to feel excited. A whole party just for him. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all, maybe this party would turn out better than he ever could have imagined it to be.

He sure hoped so.

That evening, Jungwon spent most of his time studying rather than eating or talking to anyone. He left his phone on his bed as he sat at his desk, working on Literature work before he went to sleep that night. Of course, his moment of peace came to an end when a ringtone started to play instead of the music in his earbuds. He groaned and stood up, walking over to his bed to grab his phone.

He slid the answer button on the screen and held the phone up to his ear. “What do you want?”

“Jeez, could you be a little nicer?” It was Jake. “I just wanted to see what you were up to,”

“You sound like my grandma,” Jungwon laughed, earning a laugh from Jake as well, “But seriously. You never call. What’s up?”

A strong statement, but Jake knew it was true. “Well . . . about the party . . .”

“Again? I thought you guys planned it out today at the junkyard?” Jungwon sat back down at his desk, his elbows propped up on it.

Jake was quiet for a second. “We still have everything planned out. Nothing’s changed, it’s just . . . We’re just worried you won’t have fun,”

Jungwon furrowed his eyebrows, “What are you talking about? Of course I’ll have fun. It’s a party, Jake.” There was an obvious tone in Jungwon’s voice that convinced Jake that even Jungwon wasn’t so sure how he felt about the party. He started to feel bad.

“Well I know that but still. You weren’t very big on the idea and we don’t want it to just waste your time,”

“It’s not going to waste my time,” Jungwon reassured the other, though his voice was using a bland tone so Jake wasn’t all that convinced by it, “What is wasting my time, however, is talking to you while I have homework to do.”

“Homework? Is that Jay’s new nickname?”

“Haha, very funny,” Jungwon replied sarcastically, “There’s nothing going on between us. You guys are just sick in the head,”

“I doubt that.”

Jungwon rolled his eyes, “Night Jake,”

“Night,” and the call hung up.

It wasn’t a new thing that the guys would tease Jungwon and Jay for how close they were, but they always denied everything because there was really nothing going on. It was just a harmless joke, though he’d be a liar if he said he’s never wondered about it. But everyone questions their identities so he didn’t worry about it too much. The jokes never bothered either of them, so they just let it happen.

After the call ended, Jungwon thought it was best he went to bed anyway. He was pretty tired and honestly, he didn’t like staying up too late, especially on a school night. Did that make him sound like an old person? Not that that was a bad thing. He liked being old, even though he was the second youngest of all his friends—which is kinda strange that he acts older than the others sometimes. Everyone had their own little quirks, so it didn’t bother him much. Nothing really ever did, actually. He didn’t let things bother him, or at least he didn’t show that it did. He didn’t like being seen as weak, even though he wouldn’t be, but that was just how he felt.

He didn’t worry about the party as much as he did before. He knew it could either be great or a total bust, but either way, he’d still be spending it with his best friends.

So what’s the worst that could happen?

✧✧✧

The party was set for that weekend, which couldn’t have come quick enough. For once, Jungwon was actually excited for something in his honor. Things were turning out good—the only issue being sneaking out and then sneaking into the mansion. He didn’t like sneaking out, or the idea of it, at all. He was a rule follower, though he’d rather not ever admit that. All his friends had everything to lose—cars, riches, popularity, reputation . . . while Jungwon had nothing to lose, except his grandmother and his friends. But that never seemed to drag them down, not even Niki. He thought maybe he wouldn’t feel so different since he and Niki’s families and upbringings were similar, but Niki was just like them, maybe even worse than them at times. But Jungwon didn’t like to break rules, skip class, or even be late on turning in an assignment. He wanted things to just go smoothly, while the others lived more in the moment. Of course it made him feel isolated, but he knew he wouldn’t feel like himself if he tried to be more like them. Besides, they always understood and included him so he would never feel left out. But still, he’d feel different because he knew he was.

On Saturday, Jungwon got dressed for the party. He wore black pants, a black jacket over a black Madonna shirt, and some black Converse. He thought he looked a bit ‘emo,’ but he was sure the others would dress more casually anyways so he didn’t worry too much about how he appeared. He put on deodorant and sprayed some cologne, though some got in his mouth which made him cough really hard for a minute. He cleared his throat and grabbed his phone off the bed. He shoved it into his pocket before finally turning to the door and opening it as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to wake his grandmother up if she was already asleep. Once it was opened up enough, he stepped into the hallway and headed to the front door. There, she was sitting in the living room watching TV again, like she usually did.

“Where are you off to?” She asks with a chirping voice, nosy but with a gentle smile.

“Oh I’m,” he had to think of something quick, “going to stay at Jay’s for the night. Is that okay?” He raised his eyebrows, hoping she said that was okay — though he’d go either way, but he wished he wouldn’t have to sneak out — but he was relieved once her smile grew bigger.

“Of course, just make sure you’re safe, okay?” She gestured for him to come closer so he obliged and she brought him into a hug, “I love you, grandson. Be careful, and tell Jay I say hi.”

Jungwon smiled as he pulled back, “I will. I’ll be back tomorrow,” he bowed and turned away, heading out the door to see that Jay had just pulled into the driveway. His Dodge Charger was cleaner, sharper than ever. He must’ve cleaned it earlier.

Jay unlocked the doors, letting Jungwon get into the passenger seat, like always. “You ready?” He asks, looking over at the younger boy.

Jungwon nodded, “I think so,”

“Yeah?” and Jungwon nodded again. “Jake said he’s still worried you might not be,” he looked back as he started to reverse and back out of the driveway. Jungwon drew his brows together.

“Why?”

Jay shrugged. “I think it has to do with you usually not liking parties. But this one will be good,”

Jungwon agreed, “I know. I’m excited,”

The older one smiled. “I’m glad to hear that,” he pushed the stick into drive and started to drive down the street, leaving Jungwon’s grandmother’s house and heading out to the mansion.

It was only a quarter past 8 so the maids and staff had all left by then. They were the first ones there, parking out in the back instead of the large, round driveway in front of the mansion. Jake and Sunghoon were already there, using Jake’s car, but the others had yet to arrive as well. It didn’t take long for them to, so the group headed to the mansion’s giant double doors. Sunghoon took a key out of his pocket, one he had taken from his parents, to unlock the door. They apparently had a key to Mr Hwang’s house which Sunghoon didn’t know about until just an hour ago.

Jake was the first to run in. “Oh shit!” He exclaims, “This place is huge!”

White walls, marble flooring, At the end of the entrance hallway, was a gigantic room, staircases on either side as you entered it. There was a kitchen to his left, a living room where he stood, and a foosball table to his right. Jake was in awe, but so were the others. Above the kitchen area was the upstairs corridor that reached over to above where the guys had just come from, a fence blocking the edge though anyone could stand up there and look down into the first floor easily.

“Would you be quiet?” Jay hushed him quickly, “What if someone’s still here?”

“No one is here,” said Niki, “No cars are here except ours. We are totally alone,” but that didn’t sound too appealing to Jungwon.

Heeseung stood by the kitchen. “Alright, can we get this party going? We said 9, right?”

Jungwon intruded. “Wait, are other people coming?”

Jake scoffed, “Duh,” he laughs, “it’s a house party, Jungwon. Of course loads of people will be here to celebrate you,” then he became quiet, “Wait, you’re okay with that right?”

Sunghoon glared, “You didn’t ask—”

“I forgot!” Jake whisper-shouted at the other before turning back to Jungwon. “If it’s not okay, I can send out a mass-text saying we canceled it.”

“What about Kara?” Jay suddenly asked, which caused Jake to become inhumanly pale.

Sunoo stared for a moment, “Why do you look like a ghost?” He suddenly berates the older, “Is this Kara girl a friend of yours?”

“Y-Yeah,” Jake scratched the back of his neck, “but it’s nothing. We’re just friends,”

Heeseung rolled his eyes, “He invited her personally before inviting everyone else, then bought snacks that only she likes,” he told the others before he smirked at Jake, “He’s practically in love with her.”

“I am not!” Jake denied it immediately. “We are just friends! That’s it!” He flailed his hands around defensively, which wasn’t helping his case. Sunghoon judged but let out a laugh before turning around to Jay to talk to him as Jungwon stood by Sunoo.

“Jay, you seeing anyone?” Jungwon hears Sunghoon eventually ask Jay, but he averts his eyes and keeps talking with Sunoo, though he did his best to try and hear what Jay said in return. However, that was cut short when Heeseung walked into the kitchen, opened what he thought was the pantry, but instead found a huge wine cellar. “Guys!” Heeseung calls out for them, “He’s got a wine cellar!”

Sunoo turned and rolled his eyes, “God why do so many of them act younger than us sometimes?” He mutters to Jungwon, though the other wasn’t paying any attention. Again, lost in his thoughts, Jungwon had started to zone out and wonder how tonight was going to go. He hoped it would go well, but that wasn’t always promised.

“They have apple cider!?” Jake’s sudden shouting knocked Jungwon out of his head, returning him to reality — though he kind of wished he was in bed at home right now.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders, pushing him forward a bit but he caught himself, though a grip on his arm latched on for a moment or two. He turned his head and saw Jay standing there beside him, side-hugging him but not letting him go. It felt nice.

“You sure you want this party?” Jay whispered to him, “We can go home if you want,” it’s almost like he could read his mind.

Jungwon nodded, “I’m okay. It’ll be fun,” he tried to sound hopeful, “Relax,” it was obvious that Jay was worried about him then. His eyebrows were furrowed and drew in together, creasing upwards and revealing worry-lines on his cheeks and his forehead. It was very easy to read Jay, especially whenever he’s mad. His jaw would protrude and his teeth would grit while usually tightening a fist or yelling out something, then he’d touch the side or back of his head as he tried to calm down.

Jay shook his head, “Y’know I can’t do that,” he remarked, but Jungwon smiled.

“Just try,” Jungwon said, “for me?”

Jay looked over at Jungwon, but it felt different. His eyes sparkled in a way he never noticed they did before, but nonetheless, before Jungwon could say anything else, Jay looked away and nodded. “I’ll do my best,” he replied, and then a smile appeared on his face. Jungwon didn’t catch this, but while he wasn’t looking, Jay mouthed the words ‘for you’ as he smiled. It was like second nature for the others to notice how close the two were, but it was surprising how neither of them had realized what lies behind what they believe about themselves.

Sunoo grabbed one of the bags that Jake was carrying and took out the lights. He started to hang them around the room with Jake, while Sunghoon started to put out the snacks and drinks in the kitchen, eventually asking Jay to help him. Heeseung then went up to Jungwon and asked him to accompany him as they checked the rest of the house out. Obliging, Jungwon and Heeseung went upstairs and looked around. There was a bathroom, two guest bedrooms, and the master bedroom and its own bathroom. There were a couple closets and another living room area, along with a door that led up to the attic. They didn’t really snoop around, only really peaking into each other before doing the same for the downstairs rooms. It was a really nice house, Jungwon felt pretty jealous. Heeseung didn’t seem that impressed, but his house was much bigger than Mr Hwang’s, same as Jay and Jake’s houses. Sunghoon’s was about the same, while the others’ had smaller houses. Niki had a house just like Jungwon’s—a one story, three bedroom house with two bathrooms and a small backyard. Jungwon’s was only a two bedroom house, but they lived on the same block. Niki had offered to take Jungwon to and from school plenty of times, but Jungwon would always tell him to not worry about it. It was then that Niki realized just how close Jungwon and Jay were, but he didn’t judge them.

Back in the main room, it was 5 til 9 and a couple cars had just pulled into the driveway. Jake and Jay had run out there to figure out where people would park, while the others finished setting up for the party. At 9 exactly, everything was done. There were lights that hung from the upstairs corridor, hanging into the main room, glowing beautiful colors and brightening up the room. The speakers started to play this playlist Jake had made for the party, starting with Already Best Friends by Jack Harlow and Chris Brown.

The front doors open and people start to slowly pour in, some holding beer and others just cheering for the party. Heeseung and Sunghoon always threw the best parties, but it was always Jake and Jay who made it worth everyone’s while. Jungwon sat on the couch, drinking fruit punch in a red cup (just like the movies) as he waited for Jay and Jake to come back inside. It was going to be a while, but the others were too busy getting the party started to notice him sitting alone. He didn’t mind it, however. He knew they were busy so he didn’t mind.

He was used to it.

✧✧✧

Sunoo never liked loud noises, especially blasting music. He was probably the only one that agreed with Jungwon that they shouldn’t have a party, but only because he didn’t like how loud parties could be. He still believed Jungwon’s achievement should be celebrated, just not with a party like this. Not that Jungwon didn’t deserve it, because he did. Sunoo just didn’t like loud things. It was just that simple.

He never liked loud spaces, that was obvious about him. He liked being in quieter, even dead silent rooms where you could hear a pin drop. The others mostly thought it was weird, though Sunghoon and Jay kinda agreed but they didn’t like it all the time, not like Sunoo.

Now, as he sat alone in this one room, apart from everyone else, he drank his fruit punch out of his glass—which he took from the wine glass cabinet because he felt more obligated to do so than the others—and sat in this chair by a short table. He messed with the bracelet on his wrist some, it was one his older sister made for him when they were little. There was no door to this room, which he thought was weird because it had a bed inside it. Maybe it was a guest room, he wasn’t sure.

It was kind of stupid of him to assume he’d be able to stay alone as Niki came into the room and sat beside him, panting like he had been partying for hours on end. His once very combed hair was now messy, almost like a bed-head, and his eyes were narrow, but maybe it was because this room was so much more dim than the other rooms. Sunoo thought the younger boy looked funny, so he chuckled. “Having fun?” He teases.

Niki gives him a glare. “More than you are, apparently,” he remarks, “What are you doing in here?”

“What does it look like?” Sunoo took a sip of his glass, “I’m relaxing.”

“You can’t relax at a party,” Niki replied quickly, “Unless it’s with weed.”

Sunoo scoffed, “You’re such an addict,”

But Niki didn’t think it was funny. “I’m not an addict. I don’t smoke that often anyways. Not like— Like—” He struggled to name anyone else, though once he did, his voice got louder, “Like Jake or Sunghoon! They smoke so much the neighbors think something’s burning.”

That wasn’t true. Jake and Sunghoon only socially smoked, though that may just be as bad as a smoke or two every other day. Niki smoked a couple times throughout the week, really to keep his mind off things and not to worry so much. His carefree side, really, though he’d never admit to anyone how much better he feels when he’s high. He doesn’t like to be called an addict, he doesn’t like to be unintentionally compared to his father.

The older raised his eyebrow, “Don’t they only smoke at parties?”

“Hell if I know,” Niki sat back in his chair, “I just don’t smoke that much. Plus, anyways we have to be careful. You know how Jungwon feels about this kind of shit,”

“I love Jungwon to death, but are you really letting how he feels about shit, dictate how you go on about your life? You sound like a kiss-ass,” it was abundantly clear how blunt Sunoo was, though Niki was used to it. He was Sunoo’s oldest friend.

“I’m not a kiss-ass, wise-ass,” He remarked back at Sunoo, “and for your information, I don’t smoke that much, not because of Jungwon, but because of Jay.”

“What difference does that make?”

“Jungwon swore it off because of shit he won’t tell us, but Jay quit smoking and I try to stay respectful of that. He’s worked hard,” Niki explained, then he turned, “How dare you call me a kiss-ass.”

Sunoo shrugged, “If the shoe fits,”

Niki rolled his eyes.

“Can I ask you something?”

“What?” Niki looked over, though Sunoo was staring at his glass, almost dissociated.

He was quiet for a moment, before he parted his lips and let out a quick sigh before looking over at Niki. “What really happened with your parents this time?”

Niki looked away. “I told you. It was the smoking,” which kind of contradicted his earlier statement about how little he smokes, but that wasn’t what Sunoo caught on about it.

“Oh to hell with that—Your parents are addicts, how could they be pissed about you smoking when they were cooking up meth in the kitchen your whole life.” It was such a blunt way to describe it, and it sure as hell caught Niki off guard. Though, he knew Sunoo was right.

Niki’s parents were addicts, former meth-chefs, though still, very much addicts. They’d get onto Niki for everything under the sun, which is why he always ran away or got kicked out, though it wasn’t long until he’d move right back in again. He’s learned to cope with it, though it’s always thrown in his face for how much of a “failure” he was, despite the obvious factors of how Niki was one of the only two people who got a scholarship to such a prestigious private academy, but of course, his parents never gave a damn about it, or even Niki for that matter. The others felt bad for him, but Niki couldn’t care less. He didn’t care about them anymore than they cared about him. He only ever went back to them because of his siblings. If he could take them with him, he would in a heartbeat. But they’d never leave their parents. He knew that too well.

“I don’t know, they’re fucking weird,” Niki answered, “I never know what they’re going to do or say next. You think you’d know that by now, after the countless amount of times I’ve had to stay with you or Jake over the last year alone.”

Sunoo stared at him. “My house will always be a home to you, but you need to straighten things out with your parents. Either make amends, or move the hell out. Emancipate, even.”

Niki scoffed, “You really think they’d let me emancipate myself? You’re hilarious.”

“Look, it’s not a bad idea,” Sunoo told him, and he softened his voice before he spoke again in a whisper, “I just want you safe.”

The other sighed and turned his head away. “I’ll talk to them tomorrow. Okay?”

Sunoo reached over his hand with his pinky pointed out, “Promise?”

Niki groaned and he hooked his pinky with Sunoo’s, “Promise.”

Sunoo pulled back, “Good. Now that that’s settled, could you get me more fruit punch?” He basically shoves the glass into Niki’s hand before he could even answer. Niki rolled his eyes and nodded before he stood up and headed out of the room, leaving Sunoo alone once again.

✧✧✧

Outside, Jay and Jake were helping the cars find places to park without absolutely destroying Mr Hwang’s yard. Thankfully, nobody had to. Eventually, Jay told Jake to head inside and get the party started while he finished up helping all the cars. After a while, the last car parked so Jay took a second to recuperate before returning to the party. He took out a lollipop, sticking it into his mouth and throwing the wrapper away in the outside trash can before walking in through the garage. Inside the house, he walked down a long, red-lit hallway, people scattered along the way. Most of them greeted him, some even dabbed him up. Everyone knew Jay. If you didn’t, well, you probably just weren’t as cool as everyone else then. Kidding—but seriously, everyone knew Jay, like everyone knew Heeseung, and Sunghoon, and all the rest of them. Even not knowing Jungwon was a surprise, but it’d be hard not to know him if you already knew Jay. They were basically attached at the hip.

At the end of the hall, right where the room blends into the center room, Jay sees Heeseung standing against a pillar, talking to some girl Jay didn’t recognize. In the corner of his eye, Heeseung sees the other and waves him over. Jay, hesitantly, obliges, though he greets the girl first with a quick bow, then a dab-up with Heeseung. The girl eventually walked away, but before Jay could say anything, Heeseung turned to him first.

“You seen Jungwon?”

“No, I’ve had other priorities,” Jay was quick to respond, which was pretty normal. Though, his demeanor changed. “Why? Is something wrong with him?” There was a quick pause in his breath, a shift in his eyes. Heeseung always noticed it, but the others never believed him.

“No, I don’t think so,” Heeseung lightly shoved Jay playfully, “Calm down, man.” He teased, but it didn’t feel like a joke—or at least that it was taken that way. He looked over and saw some of the others standing near the center of the room, “Come on, we need to get wasted,”

Jay smiled then, and the two walked over to the others, arms around each other, as if they were already tipsy, though all they’ve had was fruit punch. They all stand in a circle, but the only person that’s missing is—“Where’s Jungwon?” Jay questioned the others.

Sunoo spoke up first, “I think he’s in the bathroom.”

“It’s a little too loud in here,” Jake commented, “Should we celebrate in another room?” The room was crowded, loud, and very bright. “It might make it easier for Jungwon,”

Sunghoon nodded, “Good idea. And Niki, would you be careful with the cake please?” He remarks at the younger, earning a sour look from the boy.

“I’m careful!” He says just before his shoe scoots against the floor, almost making him trip. He gathers himself and clears his throat, “I’m careful,” he repeats to Sunghoon before walking out into the dining room with the others following behind him. The cake was chocolate with vanilla icing, red whipped cream, and one single red and white candle on top. It was empty in that room, only a china cabinet or two inside, with a large round dining table with seven seats exactly. Niki sets the cake right in the middle, and the others take their seats, leaving one empty seat right in front of the windows for Jungwon to sit in.

It took a minute before Jungwon made his way to the room, taking his seat with a big smile plastered on his face. Like a clown. He took his seat, still smiling as he scooted it closer to the table. Heeseung lit the candles with Niki’s lighter, though it didn’t even pass Jungwon’s mind about the reason why Niki had a lighter, but that was because he was just so enraptured by the cake in front of him. After a count of ten from his friends, Jungwon blew out the candles and the others clapped. For a moment, Jungwon wished time would stop and that he could stay right there forever. Timeless, almost.

What struck him out of his thoughts was a sudden sound from behind him, he turned back as the others continued to talk. It sounded like something, a rock maybe, was thrown at the edge of the window, it didn’t hit the glass, he thought, it would’ve been easier to recognize. When he turned back to the others, he realized he was the only one who had heard it, which almost convinced him that he was crazy. Almost.

“Jeez, this party’s getting out of control,” Heeseung comments under his breath when the room gets suddenly quiet after a bunch of yelling is heard from the other room.

“Would it be bad to say that the punch was spiked?” Sunghoon suddenly asked, earning a weird look from everyone else. “What?” He leaned back, “I didn’t know until just now,” he says as he sips on his drink.

Jay stared. “If it’s spiked then why are you still drinking it?”

Sunghoon glanced at him before looking at his cup for a good minute. “It’s good,” he shrugged and continued to drink it.

Heeseung rolled his eyes, “Anyways. Let’s get back to the party. Hey, Jake, maybe your girlfriend’s here!”

Jake turned to him quickly. “No, she’s not!” Then he cleared his throat, “And she’s not my girlfriend.” He corrected the older, but he just laughed.

“Whatever you say, Jake,” and the group rose from their seats and started to leave the room. Jungwon stayed behind and cut his cake, though he wasn’t alone for long. Jake actually stayed behind and sat beside Jungwon, cutting himself a piece as well and eating it with him. Jungwon and Jake were pretty close as well, he was the second one who Jungwon had met, with Jay being the first (obviously). They always got along more than Jay and Jungwon did, since they would always bicker like a married couple yet spend every waking day together (again, like a married couple—hence the teasing).

In a long list of ways, Jake was a lot like Jay. There were more differences than similarities, but even the similarities appeared more than the differences ever could. Jay was more concluded, to himself and away from most people, while Jake was way more outgoing, he liked to socialize and get along with people, it made him feel included. But despite how talkative Jake could be, when he stopped talking, it usually meant he didn’t want to talk anymore. That was another thing that made him and Jay so alike. They both would just stop talking, almost like they were raised by the same trauma-ridden parents, but they both had such a perfect lives, except the split between their parents—which they both basically bonded over.

With a mouth full of cake, Jungwon turned to Jake and asked him, “Why are you in here with me?” His voice was muffled, but Jake weirdly understood him clearly.

“Why would I leave you alone at your own party?” Jake took another bite, “Plus this cake is the absolute shit,”

“Yeah, but everyone else left.”

“They’re lonely and want to seem like they get bitches so they get bitches. Or at least, Sunghoon and Heeseung do that. Sunoo couldn’t care less, Niki is probably—” He cut himself off, trying not to just outright say that Niki was probably smoking, knowing how Jungwon felt about smoking, though he’s known about Niki’s smoking for almost a week now, “—hanging with Jay who is probably standing by a wall trying to act like he’s all tough and shit,”

Jungwon shrugged, “Maybe,” and he took another bite.

Jake hummed. “You alright?”

Jungwon nodded.

“You sure? You seem kinda off, Won.”

“I’m fine,” Jungwon replied, “I think I’m just tired.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“No, no,” Jungwon shook his head, “I don’t want to ruin the vibe,”

Jake raised his eyebrow, “Ruin what vibe? It’s a party,”

“Yeah, a party for me,” The younger said, “I can’t just leave. What about the guys? They’re having fun, and I don’t want to ruin that.”

“That shouldn’t matter,” said Jake, “Don’t force yourself to stay here for them. I can take you home,”

But Jungwon shook his head, “No, no, it’s okay, I promise. It’s just a little overwhelming but I’m fine. It’s okay in here,” he glances around, then he looks back at Jake, “Don’t you want to join them?”

Jake shrugged, “Partying has never really been my thing,” then he sipped on his water, “And I’m kinda waiting on Kara to get here first,”

“And you’re not dating?”

A pink color flushed across Jake’s cheeks, “Trying to.”

Jungwon looked over at him almost immediately, “So you do like her!”

“Well duh,” Jake laughed, “She’s beautiful, and kind, and smart and funny,” there was a curving smile on his lips, one that wasn’t going to go away for hours, “I just didn’t want to tell the guys just yet,”

“Why? They won’t make fun of you,”

“Yeah but they’re so lonely,”

Jungwon laughed, “True, very true,”

Jake looked at the clock on the wall, “It’s only been forty minutes since the party started? I swear it’s been hours,” he comments. Jungwon shrugs in response. “It’s only 9.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jungwon says, leaning back in his chair, “Today’s been slow as hell.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Jake shrugged. “You sure you’re alright?”

Jungwon nodded, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

But Jake didn’t say anything. That meant the conversation was over.

✧✧✧

After three drinks that felt like seven, Jay found himself stumbling into the master bedroom. He didn’t know how he made it all the way up the stairs, nor did he even remember if he did or not, but his thoughts faded as he lay on the bed, plopping down like he had given up. His alcohol tolerance was usually higher, but today just felt so weird. He didn’t feel like himself. Did someone spike the alcohol? Can someone actually do that? So many questions were racing through his mind. But his head was pounding, he couldn’t think clearly.

The master bedroom was painted a light blue, not exactly baby blue, but around it. It had white borders halfway up the walls. The furniture was antique, though the bed-frame looked straight out of an episode of Bridgerton. It was almost too fancy for Jay’s liking. Not that his opinion mattered, this wasn’t his house, though maybe it didn’t belong to anyone anymore.

There, on the bed, Jay sunk into the mattress. He felt so cozy, enough to drift asleep at any moment. But his stomach started to ache so he sat up and walked over to the bathroom quickly, fast enough to make it in case he threw up, but the pain faded after a moment or two and he leaned against the closed bathroom door, still standing in the bedroom. His eyes glanced around the room more, noticing more and more. There was not a single photo hanging up, except one that sat on the dresser. Curiously, he walked over to it and grabbed it.

It was a photo of Mr Hwang and his wife. She was beautiful, but stupidly, he started to wonder why he hadn’t seen any other photos around the house. Why was it just this one? It was just a photo of them together in front of the house, it may have been special to them but was it special enough to only have this one sitting out? Not a single wedding photo, family portrait—he had kids—nothing at all, except that one. Jay didn’t understand. But it wasn’t his business.

Of course, he didn’t care, so he started to snoop. In the dresser, there weren’t any clothes at all. Instead, there were notebooks, letters, photos (some framed, some not), with an insane amount of torn up pieces of old photos thrown all over the inside of the drawer, but what caught his eye the most was an amulet, a crimson-colored ruby in the middle, embroidered with pure silver with Ochiul Lui Lucifer was engraved into said silver. It was beautiful, so mesmerizing. As Jay was drunker than a homeless guy on New Year's Eve, he put the amulet around his neck and went to look at himself in the mirror. There, he stood in the bathroom, admiring himself as he smelt of booze, but he couldn’t care less. He was, in fact, too drunk to care.

“Jay! Where are you?!”

He heard Sunghoon call in the distance. Jay quickly hid the medallion behind his shirt and headed out of the room. The silver was cold against his bare chest, but after a moment, it became warm. He met with Sunghoon in the corridor, who immediately asked him how much he had to drink, and when he gave him the honest answer of 3, Sunghoon shook his head and called him a liar under his breath, hoping that Jay was too drunk to hear him.

Just like before, his stomach started to turn again, but it didn’t hurt. It just felt so weird, and his muscles started to strain, his eyes becoming watery. He stopped walking suddenly, Sunghoon stopped too and helped him stand up straight. “Dude,” he started to say, “Did you have too much to drink?” He knew the answer, yet he still asked.

But Jay shook his head, “N-No, I’ve only had three drinks, I told you. I just—” He shuddered, “I feel sick.”

Sunghoon tried to lean away as he helped Jay down the steps, “Keep your vomit inside until I get at least 50 feet away from you, will you?” Though Jay didn’t reply aloud, he nodded and that helped Sunghoon feel a little better, despite his fear of being vomited on still growing with each groan Jay let out as they walked.

In the center room, the others were all spread across the room, talking with either each other or other people, though it was quick for Jungwon to notice the terribly drunken Jay being held up by Sunghoon. He headed over to them, Sunoo following him, then Niki and then Heeseung and Jake.

“Is he okay?” Jungwon asks, “Are you okay?” He places his hand on Jay’s bicep, his thumb rubbing itself against his sleeve, trying to get his attention, yet he hadn’t realized that he already had all of it. Always did.

“I’m fine,” Jay forced himself to stand upright, ignoring the sharp pain in his stomach that only grew worse and worse. The look on Jungwon’s face didn’t change, though it shifted a bit as his eyebrows started to crease, knotting together. He knew that look. “I’m okay,” but it was a lie, it was clear as day. He wasn’t okay at all, and Jungwon knew that. There was no way he didn’t. It was almost second nature to him, Jungwon could read Jay like a book, the same way Jay could read him. Sometimes, you would think the two knew more about each other than what they know about themselves. To them, that wasn’t true, but to everyone else, it was their reality.

“Don’t lie to me,” Jungwon remarked, quite loudly actually, “How much did you have to drink?”

“Three cups, that’s it.”

“Jay.”

“Only three!” But just as he exclaimed that, that sharp pain came back, worse this time. He folded and clutched his stomach tight, “I feel so sick,” He grumbled. Jungwon held him up, he practically flew into him the moment he started to clutch his stomach. “I want to go home,” his voice was quiet, soft, breaking as his eyes turned shiny. He swore he felt his heart break.

“Stop the party,”

“What?” Heeseung perked his head up, and the others all turned to Jungwon.

“I said, stop the party,” he repeated, his voice clear, stern. Jake didn’t hesitate.

Jake headed over to the kitchen, turning off the music from his phone before he got onto the island and stood there, getting everyone’s attention. “Alright, I’m sorry to break it to you all, but we gotta cut this party short tonight. We’ll have another soon, but we have a bit of an emergency so it’s for the best that we put a stop to this party now and continue it later on.”

There were a bunch of groans and boo’s, but everyone pretty much left. The place was a bit of a mess, not too bad since the party had only really lasted an hour. Jake walked over to the others again as most of them were sitting on the couches, “Sunghoon and Jungwon, could you guys take Jay home? The rest of us can hang out here and clean up,”

But Jay shook his head, “No, n-no, I can’t get up,” he stuttered, shuddering and rubbing his arms. Was he cold? But it felt so hot in there. He was leaning against Jungwon, trying to keep himself sitting up but he was struggling. “I feel so bad,”

“Should we call an ambulance?” Sunoo asked, “This sounds serious, guys.”

“What’s even more serious is staying a night in jail for underage drinking,” said Sunghoon, “We are not calling an ambulance.”

“Why not? We have bail-out money,” said Heeseung.

Niki scoffed, “So you have bail-out money, but not rent-a-venue money so we just had to have a party in a house that belongs to a family friend of Sunghoon’s? Who—I might add—has been missing for two months now?” He remarked at the others, folding his arms as he leaned back against his chair. Sunoo, beside him, shrugged in agreement.

Jake sighed, “Let’s not get off track. What are we doing then, Jay?”

Jay took a minute to reply. “We could just stay here tonight,”

Jungwon nodded, “Yeah, maybe he can sleep whatever this is off and we can get out of here before dawn tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday,” Sunghoon added, which confused the others. When nobody said anything and all of them just stared at him, Sunghoon furrowed his eyebrows. “The maids are off on Sundays, they won’t be here until Monday.”

“Alright so we stay here tonight and clean the house tomorrow and be out of here by tomorrow night?” Jake described what seemed to be the perfect plan. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Let’s get our beds set up and we’ll go ahead and get to sleeping. Jay can sleep on the couch and Niki, I’m going to assume you’re sleeping in that chair?”

Niki stared at him, “Does it look like I’ll be leaving this chair anytime soon?”

Jake blinked, “Okay it was a question, don’t be rude,” he cleared his throat, “I’ll be back, I’ll go get some of the bedding from the bedrooms,” and he headed off. Jungwon stood up from the couch and helped Jay carefully lay down fully on the couch, placing one of the throw pillows beneath his head. The others settled in quickly, all falling asleep to the quietness of the house that once echoed with loud music and consistent talking. Now, you could hear a pin drop. It was so calming, so peaceful, but as Jungwon lay on the floor beside the couch, with a part of him scared Jay might turn over and just puke on him, but the other part of him worried for him. He hoped he was okay, that this was all just a bad reaction to alcohol. He hoped, more than anything, that tonight would not end with losing him.

✧✧✧

An hour passed. Everyone was asleep. The house was cold, but the blankets were so thick, even Jungwon felt hot. But he still slept peacefully, like everyone else. They all slept in that center room, most of them on the floor, which they didn’t mind, but it was about 10 and yet Jay had woken back up. He was usually a deep sleeper, but his stomach hurt so bad, he was surprised he even fell asleep at all. He sat up on the couch, the pain traveling up to his chest. For a moment, there was clarity where the pain had stopped, but then it came back, worse this time, causing him to gasp and grab his chest. Then, the pain stopped, but he felt different, yet he felt the same as he’s always been. Confused, he shook his head but stood up from the couch. He thought he would take a walk around the house to clear his mind.

When he got up, however, his mind wandered and his heart slowed. He didn’t know what that was, but he stumbled for a second, causing him to slightly bump into Sunoo who slept beside Jungwon. Once Jay had left the center room and entered the kitchen, that was when Sunoo woke up himself and got up. He made sure he didn’t wake up anyone when he did. Curiously, he went to follow Jay, but when he got there, Jay wasn’t there. Though still filled with curiosity and now worry, Sunoo walked through the hallway that was connected to the kitchen. It was dark, only the dim kitchen light slightly reflected into the room. At the end of the hallway, the bathroom light was on, and the door was closed, but the outline still briefly shone into the hall. He stood in front of the door, raising his fist to knock. “Jay?”

“Just a minute,” he hears Jay say through the door. The sink runs for a minute, before it stops and the door opens. There, Jay stood and Sunoo’s face shifted. “What?”

“Are—” Sunoo cleared his throat, “Are you okay? Are you feeling better?”

Jay stepped out of the bathroom, “Yeah. Yeah, I think,” his voice sounded weird, “What are you doing up? Did you have to use the bathroom, too?”

Sunoo shook his head, “No, I just wanted to check on you,” he paused for a moment before he sighed, “Listen. I know things have been tough lately, and I know you didn’t want to talk about this kind of stuff,” he hadn’t realized the darkened expression that appeared on Jay’s face as he was talking, “but I’m always here for you, Jay. You’re one of my best friends and I—”

“What are you talking about?” Little Sunoo giggled as he sat in the sandbox with his older sister, “Why would the castle have only one knight? It’s a big castle,”

She rolled her eyes, “Well, what if one knight wanted to marry the princess?” She suggests, holding one of the knight figurines in her hand with the princess figurine in the other, “Couldn’t he do that?”

Sunoo looked at her, confused, “But what about protecting the castle? What about the Queen? And the King?” He tightened the bracelet on his wrist a little since it kept getting caught on the figurines, but his sister didn’t seem to notice.

“They’ll be protected, but the princess needs to be protected, too.”

“She’s not being protected, she’s getting a husband.”

“And?”

“And nothing,” said Sunoo sharply, “Not all husbands protect their wives.”

His sister looked at him, her eyes shining with her broken heart. She didn’t expect him to say such a thing, not then, maybe not ever. But he was just a kid, he didn’t know any better.

It was nothing that Sunoo would have known about his sister’s future, or even the present then. His sister had always picked the wrong boy to fall in love with, not that it was ever her intention, but she never fought to leave them either. Sunoo cherished the bracelet she gave him with all his heart, he loved his sister so much. She was his best friend, his everything. But now, in the present days, they haven’t spoken in two years.

She furrowed her brows, “I don’t want to play this anymore,” she grabbed the toys and put them into his backpack. “Come on, let’s go play on the swings,” she reached her hand to him and he took it, hesitantly, before grabbing the backpack and heading over to the swings with his older sister as their mother watched from the bench, alone just like she always had been.

His words were cut short, one of Jay’s hands gripped his arm so tight, holding him there, captive in his grip, but the other held a knife, which had been stabbed into his abdomen, cutting the skin, spilling blood. He choked, grabbing onto Jay with tears pouring from his eyes, blood starting to spew from his mouth.

“Jay,” he whispers, “W-What are you doing?” It was a stupid question, wasting what may be his last breaths on such a simple, unspecified question. But the older looked him in his eyes, a hint of red glowing in the dark brown, and Sunoo had never been more scared in his life.

Jay, with a dark smile, leaned over and whispered softly, lowly, into Sunoo’s ear.

“I am becoming God.”

✧✧✧

It was a squeak from a sneaker against a wooden floor that woke Jungwon up. It was distant, from another room, but he still heard it. He had always been a light sleeper, something he hated more than he ever enjoyed. He sat up, yawning. He looked around, but quickly noticed that both Jay and Sunoo were gone. He reached over to Sunghoon, shaking him awake. For a moment, he didn’t, but after a few more shakes, with some aggressive ones, Sunghoon eventually sat up and turned to Jungwon. “What? What could you possibly want?” He was definitely not a morning person.

“Jay and Sunoo are gone,” Jungwon told him.

Sunghoon looked over at him, but he didn’t say anything. He quickly stood up and Jungwon did the same. Then, the two went on to find their friends while the others continued to sleep peacefully, without a single thought of worry in their little heads at all.

Through the kitchen and down the hall, they couldn’t see a thing. Stupidly, they continued on until Jungwon stopped suddenly when a weird, quiet splash sound Sunghoon took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, but as it was pointing to the floor, the first thing they saw was a puddle of blood.

Jungwon gasped but Sunghoon slowly raised his phone along the smeared blood down the hall, shining the flashlight up the wall at the end of the hallway, seeing what appeared to be their own friend, his hands and legs nailed to the wall, covered in his own blood. Crucified, perhaps. Beneath his hovering feet, a pentagram-like circle was drawn out on the floor, with what they could only assume was blood. It was literally like a ritual. Sunghoon dropped his phone at the sight of it, and Jungwon screamed, so loud, he screamed.

The others woke up immediately, all jumping up and running to find whoever had just screamed, finding Jungwon and Sunghoon in the dark hallway. Heeseung flipped the light on, seeing the same as the others had seen before.

“Sunoo . . .” Niki stepped back, his eyes widening.

“What the fuck—” Heeseung pushed through the others, then he turned back and looked at Jungwon and Sunghoon. “What the fuck happened?”

Jungwon snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Heeseung, furrowing his eyebrows. “I don’t . . . I don’t know. I woke up because I heard something but Jay and Sunoo weren’t here so we went to find them a-and . . .” He hitched his breath, “Oh god.” He put his face into his hands and started to breathe heavily, “Do we call the police? What do we do?”

Heeseung nodded, “Yeah. We’ll call the police—”

The light suddenly shut off, it became pitch black again. They looked around frantically, while Heeseung tried to get back to the lightswitch to turn the lights back on. To his surprise, it didn’t work. The power had gone out.

“The power’s out,” Heeseung told the others, “Do you think this place has a backup generator?” He looked at Sunghoon specifically as he grabbed his phone off the ground and kept the flashlight on.

“There should be,” said Sunghoon, “Every house on this street has one. But we shouldn’t worry about that. We should leave before anyone else gets hurt,”

But as everyone starts heading out, Jungwon stops, “Wait, what about Jay? We have to find Jay,” but when the others didn’t say anything, Jungwon’s breath slowed before he took a deep breath, “Fine. If you won’t go look for him, then I’ll do it myself.”

“Like hell, you do,” Sunghoon stepped in front of him. “You’re not going alone. We’ll find him—together.”

Jungwon nodded, but then he turned back to Sunoo’s body and stepped closer to it. The others watched him, silently, but Niki stepped through them and walked up beside Jungwon. He reached up and untied the bracelet from Sunoo’s wrist and held it to his chest. “I’ll protect her,” he whispered, “Rest easy, my friend.” And he backed away. Jungwon stood there another moment before he did as well, following the others back into the center room. Sunghoon and Heeseung headed off to the front door to get help from the neighbors first while Jake and Niki tried to figure out where the generator was to the house since there was no basement.

Heeseung and Sunghoon quickly returned, however. Apparently all the outside doors were locked, even the door to the garage so there was no way they could get in there in case the generators were in there. The only outside door that was left unlocked was the back door.

“Are you saying we have to go out there?” Sunghoon questioned Niki, “Do you not realize what the hell is out there?”

Niki shook his head, “No, but please, please give us the insight, old wise one!” He mocked the older, groaning before he sat down in the chair, just like before. It may appear that Niki wasn’t that much affected by the death of Sunoo, but inside, Jungwon knew Niki was terrified, grieving their best friend without trying to worry the others. Niki never handled his emotions well, but today he did. Maybe it was a final toast to Sunoo.

Jungwon stood behind the couch where Heeseung and Jake sat. Sunghoon stood in front of the four, trying to figure out a plan to get out of the house and get help.

“In the backyard, there’s a maze. It leads out to the shed and the pool, and most likely, the generators are in the pool house,” Sunghoon explained to them, “As long as we get through the maze to turn the power back on, we can call the police and get the hell out of here.”

“Why the hell does this dude have a maze in his backyard?” Jake questioned Sunghoon, as if he had any idea.

“I don’t know! Rich people have weird shit!” An understatement, honestly.

“Okay wait, are we all going through the maze?” Jake asked, “Or are we splitting up?”

Niki scoffed, “What is this? Scooby-Doo?”

Heeseung shrugged. “It’s not a bad idea,” he says, “Sunghoon and I can head out to the pool house, and you guys can keep looking for Jay?”

Jungwon nodded, and both Jake and Heeseung stood up. Niki sat for another minute before he took out the bracelet that belonged to Sunoo and he tied it around his wrist. Jungwon watched as the other three had already started to walk outside. When Niki got done tying it, he stood up and walked outside with Jungwon to join the others, not knowing what could be waiting for them, how this night might end, or more importantly, when they’ll know the truth.

The moon was full, bright and white. It looked bigger than usual, it almost filled the sky. Jungwon felt uneasy, the sight of his best friend’s body still living in his eyes. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He kept wondering, asking himself—Who could have done such a thing to another human being? It was so macabre, so bloody and violent. It was straight out a horror movie, and it did not help at all that it was his own best friend that turned out to be the victim. He couldn’t stop thinking about who may be next, who will be killed—no, slaughtered—next.

He hoped Jay hadn’t been killed, that he was okay, that he was only hiding. He wanted to call out for his friend, but they weren’t sure where the killer had gone. He didn’t want to lead the killer right to them, wherever they were. But he still hoped, wherever he was, that Jay was okay.

Outside, the group stood on the back deck. Jungwon, Niki, and Jake all stood back as Heeseung and Sunghoon headed towards the tall, bush-wall maze, belonging to a man who’s been missing for months. Why did he let them do this party? We shouldn’t be here. We never should have come. Jake looked over at Jungwon and Niki, folding his arms. “Should we go look for Jay?” He asked.

Niki looked at the maze, “Shouldn’t we wait for them? What if the killer is out there? Or inside the house?” He glanced at Jungwon, “I’m sure Jay’s fine. He’s tough. Maybe he made it out and went to get help,” it was a suggestion, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was possible.

Jungwon lowered his head, but Jake stepped forward. “We’ll find him,” he looked over at Jungwon and smiled at him, “swear to it.”

He nodded. Niki turned to the house, “You think he’s in there?”

Jake shrugged. “He’s smart. Maybe he did make it out and went to get help,”

Jungwon shook his head, “He would’ve come to tell us, or we would’ve at least heard the door. He has to be hiding somewhere,”

“Good point,” Jake agreed.

Niki turned away. “What if he’s not . . .” He paused, a moment of silence that ached Jungwon’s heart more than he’s ever felt before, “What if he was killed, too?”

Jake shut him down quick, “Don’t say that. He could be alive,”

“But we can’t get our hopes up,” Jungwon intruded, lowering his head, “Shit happens.”

Jake started to frown, but Niki didn’t get it. “We still need to find him, even if that’s true, even if it’s not. We have to find—”

A screech of a man echoes through the maze, through the yard. Their heads turn like a reflex, eyes wide like a doll’s. Oh this was the end, Jungwon thought, but he knew he should never say it aloud. That scream was deafening, no doubt that it was Sunghoon, despite its higher pitch. But it was Heeseung. Heeseung was a quiet screamer, and it was weird that Jungwon knew that, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was that tonight may just be their last.

✧✧✧

“This was a terrible idea,”

“Stop being dramatic,” said Heeseung, scoffing at his friend.

Sunghoon clutched his chest, offended—“Dramatic? Our friend was murdered, our other friend is missing, and the killer is still out there, but I’m being dramatic? Yeah, okay.”

Heeseung rolled his eyes, “You are just proving my point there, Hoon.”

Half way through the maze, there was a fountain and two ways to go. Sunghoon huffed and turned to Heeseung, “Which way should we go?”

“Let’s split up,”

“Are you fucking joking?”

“God, Hoon—It’ll be fine.” Heeseung patted his shoulder, “I’ll go right and you go left, and if you get spooked, just find your way back to the fountain and go down my way. Okay?”

Sunghoon stared at him, but eventually nodded. “Okay.”

Heeseung smiled, and the two parted ways. Heeseung had gone right like he said, walking through the maze as far as he could until eventually he made it to a two way stop again. He huffed, but went left for the hell of it. Unfortunately, he ended up at a dead end so he turned around to walk the other way when he stopped, seeing a figure in the distance. He could barely see his face, but he knew who it was. His breath hitched, a wave of relief washed over him when he saw it was only Jay, slowly walking towards him with a smile on his face. “Oh, Jay, thank god you’re okay,” Heeseung placed his hand on his chest, sighing, “Where’ve you been?”

“I was in the pool house,” said Jay, chuckling. “I got so scared. I didn’t know where to go. When Sunoo, I—”

Heeseung shushed him, “I know, I know. I was actually coming to turn the power back on. Isn’t it weird they have a generator in the pool house?”

“Oh, it’s not in there,”

“It’s not?” Heeseung cursed under his breath, “Do you know where it’s at?”

Jay shrugged, but it was still too dark to see him, he still stood far back from Heeseung. “Maybe the garage? Or a closet inside the house,”

Heeseung nodded, “You’re right. Let’s get Sunghoon and head back,” but Jay stopped him just as he started to walk. “What?” Heeseung furrowed his eyebrows. “What is it?”

Jay stared at him, and for a split second, Heeseung saw red flash in his eyes. Taken back, Heeseung draws his eyebrows together, but he doesn’t say anything. Jay didn’t say a word for a moment, but then the power turned back on, and so did the maze’s light posts with one being almost directly in between the two. There, Heeseung saw the blood that stained Jay’s clothes and skin. There, he realized that Jay was never hiding. Instead, he was the one they should have been hiding from this whole time. He was the killer. He killed Sunoo, his own friend, and by the cold look in his eyes, Heeseung knew his fate. He knew it too well.

“I do not like this,”

Little Heeseung laughed, “Why? I think it’s fun,” he says, placing down another playing card onto the small pile, “Go fish.”

Little Sunghoon groaned, “You win,” he tossed the cards at Heeseung, “Again.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, “You’re such a cheater,”

“And you’re such a sore loser,” Heeseung chuckles, picking up the cards. Sunghoon stifled his laugh but didn’t say anything. Heeseung and Sunghoon were just little kids then, sitting on the floor as they played Go Fish while they waited to be picked up by their parents. Sunghoon’s parents were always in the back of the line because they didn’t like to come so early and wait for so long.

Heeseung looked up and saw the teacher walk back into the building, wagging her finger at Sunghoon, mouthing his name to get his attention. He grabbed his backpack and stood up, holding onto one of the straps. “Are you sure you don’t want to ride home with me?”

The other nodded, “I’m okay,” he told him, “She’ll be here any minute,” he smiled. Sunghoon waved goodbye and left, while Heeseung sat alone, but this wasn’t nearly the first time at all. It was an understatement how neglectful his parents were, they always paid attention to his older brother and their jobs, never about Heeseung. He spent more time with the maid than he ever has with his mother. He hated it, but he’s gotten used to it.

That day, they never came. Again, not the first time. But it was the last time as Heeseung told Sunghoon about it the following day, as Sunghoon always asks how he got home and was completely appalled when Heeseung told him he walked all the way home by himself—again. Sunghoon then promised Heeseung that he would always have a home there with his family, but even then, Heeseung knew it wasn’t his home. His home was where his pain started, the neglectfulness of a parent that swore they loved him with all their heart. He learned to ignore it, move past it, make the best out of it, even if it still hurts.

His home was nowhere to be seen, but he didn’t care. He was a kid, and even without a home, Heeseung was still happy. He had his friends, the people at school, he made good grades, he was happy. He knew he would have made his parents proud if they ever paid any attention to him. But Ms. Kwan, the maid, always told him how proud of him she was. Her opinion was the only one that ever mattered to Heeseung. The only one that ever will.

His eyes wide, stepping back away but with a quick motion, a knife cuts his stomach. The cut was deep, his intestines started to hang out. He started to choke, blood pouring from his stomach and his mouth as he held his stomach, frozen but shaking. Jay smirked. “I’m sorry,” he spoke coldly, his voice hoarse, grabbing onto him, “I slipped,” and he stabbed him again, letting go of him so Heeseung would fall to the ground.

“J-Jay—”

“It’s no hard feelings, alright?” His voice was deeper, like it wasn’t even his, “I’m just doing what I need to do. Nothing you’ve done, nothing you could have prevented either,” a smirk appeared on his cold, white face, but Heeseung knew it wasn’t him.

Heeseung, barely alive, chokes out. “You’ll never get away with this,” a bold statement, Jay was almost impressed. But the grin faded from his lips, and only darkness grew from his dark eyes now. Jay chuckled darkly, grabbing onto Heeseung’s collar and pulling him off the ground a bit. He smiled, leaning in close.

“Then I will give my all to prove you wrong,” and he lets go, causing Heeseung’s head to fall back against the ground beneath him, bleeding out as Jay laughed before grabbing onto his legs and dragging him away towards the fountain in the middle of the maze, where soon, their friends will mourn another, but eventually learn the truth.

Jungwon ran first, with Jake calling out for him and Niki watching from the back porch. He stood, frozen, as his two friends darted towards the maze’s entrance, running through the maze to find wherever Sunghoon was. Jake tried to catch up to Jungwon, but he was so fast. Through the maze, going the right path every time, Jake was even confused as he chased after Jungwon, eventually making it to the fountain where another one of their friends was dead, hanging on the fountain, like he had been crucified—just like Sunoo. Along the fountain’s circular edge, where most would sit to take a moment of breath, there was blood. So much blood, and the water had turned red, mixing with the blood. His stomach still (barely) held up the intestines that tried to fall out, his legs and hands stained with his own blood. Jake stopped there, just before he ran into Jungwon, who had abruptly stopped in front of the fountain.

“Hee—” Jungwon gasped and covered his mouth, “Oh my god . .” But he saw the blood, and he saw the fountain. It was just like what happened to Sunoo. What the hell was all of this? There’s been pentagrams and crucifixion and so much death. Was this a cult?

Jake stepped back and turned, seeing Sunghoon sitting with his knees against his chest. He was shaking, his eyes dancing. “Sunghoon, Sunghoon,” Jake quickly headed over to him, trying to get him to snap out of it, “Sunghoon, look at me, you’re okay,”

Sunghoon didn’t move. “He’s dead. Sunoo’s dead. We’re going to die.” His eyes were wide, his body shivering. He was in shock, mumbling the same words to himself as he stared forward.

Jake looked up and turned to Jungwon behind him. “Help me get him up,”

Jungwon obliged and stepped towards them, both boys trying to lift Sunghoon off the ground. Jungwon stumbled a bit—Sunghoon wasn’t much taller than he was, but Jungwon was skinny, thin, not as strong as Sunghoon or, well, Jay. They walked out of the maze, completely forgetting about the generator, though the image of their dead friend did not even begin to fade from their eyes and mind.

Into the house, it was still dark. Some light reflected into the room from the windows, its dimness was noticeable, as it was only from the moon above. The full moon—call it a superstition, but Jungwon never liked full moons. They were always crazy nights, stressful or stress-less. There was no in between. Tonight was different. Tonight may actually be the end of everything.

“We’ve lost Sunoo and Heeseung,” Jake began to say, “Sunghoon’s in shock, and we have no idea where Jay is.”

Sunghoon then grabbed onto Jake tightly, startling him. “No, no we can’t,” Sunghoon said hoarsely to Jake, “We can’t find Jay. We can’t.” His voice was shaking, tightly gripping Jake so tightly, it almost felt like he might tear his sleeve.

Jake looked at him with furrowed brows, “What do you mean we can’t?” It was almost asking if Jay was already dead or not, but there was just this feeling in his gut that wasn’t anything close to what Sunghoon meant at all. Jungwon and Niki stood away by the couch in the center room, watching. Jake waited for a response, but before Sunghoon could say a thing, a voice rang out in the room, footsteps approaching from the main corridor upstairs. There, at the fence, stood Jay, clean but sweaty, like he had just been hiding all this time.

“Guys!” Jay exclaimed, “Thank god, you’re okay!” He came down the stairs and immediately hugged Jungwon and Jake, “I was so scared, I ran, I’m so sorry, I—”

“What are you sorry for?” Jungwon said with a raised brow, “You’re safe, that’s what matters.”

Jake nodded in agreement, both of them completely forgetting all that Sunghoon had to say. Even though only Sunghoon knew the truth—the truth that may just cost them their lives.

✧✧✧

“I was hiding in the upstairs closet. I was scared to come out. After seeing . . .” Jay shuddered as he spoke, “I was so scared.” He held his own arms so tight, like he was freezing in that warm room. His eyes shook with each beat of Sunghoon’s heart, because something inside him made him believe Jay didn’t have a heart at all. Jungwon frowned with empathy, and Jake raised his head to say another word. Niki sat away, as did Sunghoon, both watching but only one watched with fear.

“We’ve lost Sunoo and Heeseung,” Jake began to say, “This doesn’t feel real. It can’t be.” He shook his head before burying his face into his hands.

“This has to be a sick joke,” said Niki, “There’s no way we . . .” He trailed off, staring into the floor, “No. There’s just no way.” He stated. As Jake lifted his head, he noticed something shine behind the cloth of Jay’s shirt, a silver necklace with a red gem was all he could make out of it, but his thoughts were forgotten about as Jungwon continued the conversation at hand.

Jungwon glanced over, “Could this be a prank?”

"A prank?" Niki shook his head, "You think our own friends would take their own life and slaughter themselves like animals for a prank?"

"That's enough, Niki—"

"No, no, do you really think—" Niki stepped over, "Do you really think they wanted us to mourn over them just for a laugh?"

"Niki." Jake stepped closer, "Back off."

Jungwon stared into Niki's eyes and wathced as Niki backed up and turned away. Jungwon crossed his arms, "What do we do now?"

Sunghoon looked over, but Jake caught his attention once he said, “We don’t split up. We stick together. All we have now is each other, it’s the only way we’ll get out of here alive.”

Jay stood up, looking through the window out to the backyard. “Where did you see him last?” He asked the others, “Out there?” He pointed.

“I haven’t seen him,” Jake said, “None of us have. We know just as much as you do.”

Sunghoon scoffed, “I doubt that.”

Jay hitched his breath, Sunghoon heard it, but apparently no one else did.

But Jungwon furrowed his eyebrows, uncrossing his arms. “What do you mean by that, Hoon?”

“Wait,” Jay said suddenly, “Wait—he’s coming towards the door, Hoon, help me hold the door!” He darted towards the back door, holding it shut, waving his hand for Sunghoon to help him. Sunghoon shot up and went over, despite knowing the truth, knowing it all but a part of him wished he was wrong, that the “truth” wasn’t true at all.

Jake stood up, “Where do you want us?” Jungwon and Niki stood up as well.

“Go, I want you to go,” Jay said, “Hide, we’ll hold him off as long as we can before we hide, too.” Then, he grinned a little, “I promise, we’ll be fine.”

Jungwon nodded and he ran down the corridor with Jake and Niki behind him. Jay looked over at Sunghoon, and with a smile, he let go of the door, reached behind him and stabbed Sunghoon in his stomach. Sunghoon starts to choke, “J-Jay . . .”

For as long as he could remember, Sunghoon always kept himself busy. It was a coping mechanism, though to most, it seemed like he just didn’t like people and was probably quite shy. All of that was true, but it wasn’t why he would keep himself so busy. He joined so many clubs, did so much community service, worked almost an ungodly and possibly illegal amount of hours for work, all to keep himself away from home.

His parents had an arranged marriage, conceived him for the benefit of their own parents’ money. He was raised by his mother and father, but separately. You’d be lucky to see his parents in the same room as each other. They did love each other, but only platonically and even then, they never got alone. But they couldn’t divorce each other because then they’d lose all their money. But Sunghoon never thought anything of it. It wasn’t his business, not his problem so he kept to himself—always.

He was an independent child growing up, and even though he had a younger sister, he never teased her or poked fun at her, not the way any other older brother normally would. Instead, he protected her. He taught her how to live, how to survive, how to act kind instead of wealthy because they were—they had all the money in the world, but he wanted nothing to do with it. He wanted to be his own person, to not ever be like his parents. They weren’t bad parents, they weren’t even bad people. But he wanted to be free, away from the fake-love, the fake-marriage, the one-on-one parenting. Love could not keep his parents together, but money sure could. But he didn’t want to be like that.

When he was older, his family moved to this great big house, worth about a million USD at least, just down the street from Mr Hwang. His parents met him and grew close with him, and suddenly, everything was different. He noticed how his parents started to act with each other, more loving and caring towards one another, like money never meant a thing to them. Love was there, pure love. He almost didn’t think anything of it, until more and more thoughts started to appear in his mind, making him realize the truth that something had changed.

“You’re just thinking too much into it,” said his little sister with a curving grin and a short chuckle, “Mom and Dad have always loved each other.”

But they didn’t—They never loved each other the way they suddenly do now. And she wouldn’t believe him, or even listen to anything he says about it. He was the only one who knew the truth, that this wasn’t right. Something had changed. But every time he brought it up with his sister, she’d call him crazy. And eventually, it stuck, and he stopped talking to her about it. Instead, he started to wish he wasn’t home anymore. So he made sure, with everything he had, that he rarely ever was.

“I’m sorry, old pal,” Jay said lowly, “You should’ve kept your mouth shut,” and with the same knife, he slit Sunghoon’s throat, his blood spraying onto him, covering him once again in his own friend’s blood, staining his clothes, his face, but it would only get worse as he saw, standing there in the kitchen, it was Niki. Paralyzed, frozen with wide eyes, traumatized from what he had just seen. “What’s the matter?” A sneering, but dark voice echoes through the room, “Don’t feel so left out. You’ll be joining him,”

Niki started to shake his head, backing into the counter behind him. “Jay—”

Then, Jay throws his knife towards him, stabbing Niki right in his chest, causing him to then fall to the ground. He steps over Sunghoon, walking over to the kitchen to where Niki had fallen. But Niki fought back—He kicked Jay back, trying to get up as he pulled the knife out of his chest, trying to use it to his advantage before he bleeds out. Jay charges at him, knocking the knife out of Niki’s hand but Niki pushes against him, throwing a punch, then two, but Jay hits back, hitting him right where he had stabbed him. Niki falls back, grunting loud as the pain grows. Jay then grabs a knife out of its holder on the counter and stabs Niki again, but this time in his stomach, pulling it upwards, cutting up Niki’s stomach, tearing the skin. Niki choked on the blood filling his throat, but he swallowed harshly.

Niki sat alone in the mall’s food court. He was about seven then, watching the people come and go, sitting at the tables, eating their rice, their noodles, before going on to another store, carrying bags upon bags, or maybe nothing at all. He watched every person that caught his eye, observing them closely, noting every piece of their being just sitting there, alone and without anyone to accompany him.

His parents were drug dealers, moved to Korea when Niki was just a little younger than he was then. He didn’t know this until he was much older, but they moved there because they were getting ratted out for selling drugs, so they ran to Seoul, expecting it to be different from their home in Japan. But he was just a little kid, he never paid any attention to anything.

He had always been an eccentric kid, ever since he was just a little toddler. He was so full of energy, always in the mood to play. There was never a dull moment with him. He never gets to play with other kids, so he always plays with his sister instead, not that he didn’t enjoy it. But today was different, she was with the babysitter as Niki had accompanied his parents on a little trip to the mall which led him to where he is now—sitting alone in the food court, not knowing where his parents had disappeared to. He was right next to them, following them as they walked so quickly through the mall’s long, open corridor. There were so many people, such thin crowds however, that Niki almost didn’t realize that he had lost his parents. They weren’t in front of him any longer, and soon, he was lost.

Like any other kid, he found the food court almost immediately. So, he took a seat at an empty table and waited, watching every person in his view, trying to find his parents. It was almost like a reflex, like this had happened before. Because it has. This was not at all the first time this had happened, and it definitely wasn’t the last. They knew where to find him afterwards, which made Niki wonder, once he got older, that this was their plan all along. To lose them along the way to their serving, their dealing, so they’d find him in the food court and make their way home just to do it again in the next week or so.

“Riki, dear,” his mother called out from behind him, close by. “Let’s go,” her hand appeared on his shoulder, but it didn’t startle him. He looked up at her, and she was smiling.

“Can we get lunch?” Niki asked, “Please?”

His father appeared beside his mother, looking to his wife.

She sighed, “What would you like?” She kept her smile, “There’s plenty of—”

“I want ramyeon,”

“Ramyeon?” She expected more, honestly. “Here, or the store down—”

“Can we stop by that store by the school?” Niki asked, lowering his head to the table again, “I like the ramyeon there,”

She nodded her head, “Of course. Come on,” and Niki obliged and rose from his seat.

That store was built a long time ago, just the year before that school was. After school every day, he’d have to walk home, but only after stopping at the store first. He would never have a single cent on him, but the owner always gave him the ramyeon for free. It was almost obvious from the way Niki was dressed that his family was not as “well-off” as everyone else’s was. It wasn’t his fault, so the owner never asked any questions about it. Instead, the only thing he ever asked was what type of ramyeon he would like that afternoon. The school was just down the block from the school, about a five minute walk. It was the school Niki went to for primary school, where he met the store owner’s son. His first ever friend.

He never told his parents about his friendship. He didn’t want them to try and leech off his friend’s parents. He’s never seen them or known of them to do that, but he didn’t want to take the risk either. He was such a smart little kid, it was no surprise when he passed so many exams with such flying colors that it earned him a scholarship to that private academy he goes to now. He’s earned every moment of recognition, of admiration, that he’s ever been given. He’s worked his way to the top, and now, there he goes to school with his best friends—plural.

His name was Nishimura Riki, but he never went by “Riki.” His parents called him that, of course, because they named him that, but to anyone else he was “Niki.” On the first day of school after moving from Japan to Korea, Niki was sat beside this smaller boy with dark hair and curved, but wide eyes who turned to him, looked at the name he had written on the page, so quickly like it was any of his business, and asked, “Your name is Niki?”

But Niki did not correct him. He just smiled a little and nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “my name is Niki.”

And the boy smiled back at him, his eyes creasing into sideways-crescents, appearing suddenly kind, like his aura had completely changed.

“I’m Sunoo.”

“You killed them.”

Jay’s eyebrows lifted slightly, feeling the grip of Niki’s hands around his arms only tighten. Niki stared into Jay’s cold eyes, the brown in his eyes had changed to pure crimson, almost glowing in the shadows of his face. Niki felt his skin continue to tear, this was the end of the line. Soon, he’d meet Sunoo again. Death didn’t seem so bad anymore.

“You . . .” Niki hitched his breath, “You killed your own friends, with your own hands,” his hands started to lose grip, “with no remorse, none at all. You killed Sunoo, and Heeseung, and Sunghoon, and . . . You’re killing me, too. Then you’ll kill Jake and Jungwon, and then it’ll be over,” Niki’s voice was strained as he spoke with his very last breaths, “But you are not yourself, you are—” he chokes again, swallowing harshly, “You’re Mr Hwang.”

There, with a quick twist of his wrist, the knife deepens, and Niki’s heart stops and he croaks out his last breath. His eyes became lifeless as did the others’, and there, another one was gone. His body went limp, his hands still stiff but Jay jerked himself out of his grip. He stood up, covered in blood that had become a mixture of two of his friends’ blood, none belonging to him at all. He did not take the knife out of Niki, no, but he grabbed the last one out of the holder on the counter, the sharpest one it appeared, and he stepped over Niki’s body and headed down the hallway where he had left Sunoo’s body not even an hour before. Down the dark hallway, he stopped midway when he heard the scuffling behind a closed door—the bathroom door. He took silent steps to not be heard, but he knew even the one inside knew he was out there. But it was Mr Hwang who had taken over Jay’s entire being, controlling him, proving Sunghoon’s statement before. He was a nice guy unless you trespassed. He gets scary.

But it was suddenly an idiotic move to try and get the bathroom to open as no one was in it at all, but with a quick glance to his left, Jay saw a foot in the crack of a door, just behind it as if it was ready to run out the moment it needed to. Jay didn’t waste a second. He darted towards the door with his knife in his hand, stabbing who appeared to be Jake, standing behind the door, but behind him a few feet was Jungwon who lifted up a chair and threw it at Jay, knocking him back and blacking him out for a few moments. Jungwon quickly grabbed onto Jake and helped him up, running out of the room and up the stairs to the nearest room—the master bedroom, where Jay was first possessed, not that they knew any of that—yet.

In the master bedroom, Jungwon searched the dresser for any extra sheets or clothing that he could wrap around Jake to slow the bleeding. Unfortunately, nothing but old photos and letters were left in the drawers, along with some old dusty book under most of it. But he did catch a glimpse at the photo sitting on the dresser of Mr Hwang and his wife, though his thoughts were quickly interrupted by the other.

“Jungwon, the blood’s not stopping. I don’t think I’m going to make it,” Jake was panicking, his voice was shaking but Jungwon tried to stay calm for the both of them. Jungwon didn’t glance at him, he just kept looking through the dresser.

“You are not bleeding out, Jake—”

“Yes, yes I am,” Jake breathed heavily, holding his wound tightly with his jacket against it, trying to soak the blood into it, “He stabbed me, Jungwon. I’m going to die.”

“You are not— Jake, listen to me,” Jungwon quickly went over to him, “You are not dying. We are getting out of here, I just need to find a way to get back down to the main floor. Okay?” And after a moment, Jake nodded his head so Jungwon headed back over to the other side of the corner inside the master bedroom, seeing the large board on the wall covered in pictures and strings attached to push-pins that connected a whole bunch of things. It was like a crime-wall. “What the . . .” Jungwon muttered under his breath, skimming over it all.

A few were cut outs of newspaper headings, all revolving around people passing away and a rise of churches preaching about resurrection. There was a photo of a group of men in coats, and there were others of funerals, some of people he’s seen in the obituaries in the paper. There was even a photo of Sunghoon’s parents on there as well. Lastly, in the middle of the board, there was an obituary from seven years ago of a woman, the same woman that was in the picture on the dresser. Quickly to the dresser, in the top drawer, he dug until he found what was a thick, journal-like book underneath the piles of photos and letters. He flipped through the old, stained pages quickly before stopping when he saw the amulet sketched onto the page.

The Ochiul Amuletului Lucifer, or the Eye of Lucifer Amulet, was discovered hundreds of years ago, near the beginning of Romania. One priest, after committing an unknown sin, was struck by lightning twice before collapsing where later, he found the amulet in his hand when he woke up. He believed it was his sign from God to confess his sins and beg for forgiveness. However, from an act now to be marked as a only miracle, an ill child, dead for only a minute, was saved and brought back to life once the Priest had helped him. The Priest sought out how this could have happened, how he saved the child, to come to the conclusion that the amulet had helped him. That amulet was passed down to his son and then to his son, going on for generations, making it all the way to today where it sat in His hands, the ones belonging to someone I thought was my friend, but only to be a cult leader who swore he would resurrect Christ and become God himself.

I should’ve known the moment he taught us how to make those “rituals.” But those “rituals”—that he claimed to be so enlightening—are nothing but unholy. It’s like the worst version of the crucifixion of Jesus. A pentagram underneath them, he says it works best when it’s drawn out with their own blood. He kept telling us to not read the manuscripts. But they hold the truth. How had I not seen this coming? It’s a sacrificial ritual to Hell. He was sending those innocent people to Hell just for the hell of it. I wish I could laugh at my own accidental pun but I’ve lost everything. Again. I’ve lost everything again.

I stole that amulet from him. I thought if I took it, he could no longer hurt anyone, but only I’ve grown with the same power he had. It wasn’t bringing any of them back. It was draining our lives instead. It has dark magic inside of it, that was clear the moment I laid eyes on it. He always told me how it would make him a God. I have those same thoughts now, just like he did. I can feel it becoming me, and it’s locked away. I’m scared if I die near it, I’ll be trapped inside of it, lost for eternity. I only wanted her back. Was I selfish? Was this all just my fault? I’m to blame for this. I had that couple join us, too. Oh the children, what have I done?

I should have never met him. I should have never joined him.

I have to stop him.

Jungwon’s eyes were so wide, he thought they would never close. Mr Hwang was the one who had possessed Jay and made him kill all his friends. The dark magic inside the amulet trapped his ghost inside and corrupted him into an evil version of himself. He set the book down on the top of the dresser and headed over to the board again, starting to take it all down carefully, grabbing it all and throwing it onto the ground near Jake’s feet. Jungwon turned back to the dresser and took out the photos and the letters, took it to the floor where the other stuff was and laid it all out, trying to connect the pieces and solve the puzzle. It took him a few minutes, but once he figured it out, he sat back and stared at all of it on the floor.

“Mr Hwang lost his wife seven years ago so he joined a cult that believed that they could use resurrection and dark magic to bring their loved ones back, but it never worked. It only slowly started to kill them instead, and the rituals they did were sacrifices of innocent people so they could ‘get their loved ones back’ but then it only killed those people and sent them to Hell.” Jake twisted his face, confused at his words but he still followed, “Five years ago, Sunghoon and his family moved down the street of Mr Hwang, and his parents met him and grew close with him, where they were convinced to join the cult as well and because of some dark magic or something, but—” Jungwon raised his head a bit, “It made them fall in love with each other.”

Jake’s eyes widened, “Sunghoon wasn’t lying . . .” He never once did.

Jungwon shook his head, “They couldn’t get the dark magic to resurrect any of their lost loved ones, so Mr Hwang started to convince himself that the cult was draining their own lives to be able to resurrect the lives they lost. The board, all of it—he made it so he could end the cult for good, so he’d have a plan. But then, he was killed for what he was trying to do, and for what he had taken,”

The other grunted, “What do you mean? What did he . . what did he take?”

Jungwon grabbed one of the photos and lifted it for Jake to see, “He took this amulet, where the dark magic was trapped inside of.”

Jake gasps, though it hurts his chest, “Oh god,” he goes, “Oh god, oh god,” he repeats, clutching his chest like a heart attack.

“What? Jake?” Jungwon quickly asks, scooting over to Jake to make sure he was okay, “Jake, what is it?”

Jake is shuddering, shaking like he was freezing, his eyes dancing as his hand twitches with soreness. “That amulet you just showed me, you said it has that dark magic in it,” and as Jungwon nods, he starts to realize what Jake was about to say next, “Jay was wearing it.”

Jungwon felt his heart sink to his stomach. “What do we do?” He shivered, “Fuck—What do we do, Jake?” It had just hit him then, that his best friend, his longest and dearest friend, had been possessed by a ghost with a vengeance. He killed four of their friends, stabbed another, and now it’s only he and Jake that’s left. But even Jake may not make it. He was dying, even if he kept telling Jungwon he would be just fine. His time was running out. “There’s a balcony we can escape on down the hall.” He looked over at Jake, “Should we go?”

“Yeah,” Jake coughed as he nodded, starting to sit up from the wall, “We should head up now, before he finds us.”

Jungwon grabbed onto Jake carefully, helping him stand up. Jungwon had his arm wrapped around Jake as his arm was wrapped around Jungwon’s shoulders, walking towards the door which that slowly, and as quietly as humanly possible, opened and started to head down the hallway. Two doors down was the music room, a single black piano sat against the wall ahead of them as they walked through the door, a chair in the corner to their left, but there was nothing else in there. It was so empty, so spacious. A chill fell down Jungwon’s spine.

Jungwon helped Jake get settled against the wall adjacent to the front-wall where the door was. Jungwon walked over to the balcony, though the only way to it was through a large window. “Okay, we just need to get onto the balcony and we’ll either climb down or maybe jump down? I don’t— We’ll figure it out,”

“No, you go and get help,” Jake scooted up the wall a bit, gasping as he did so, “You’ll get out of here. You’ll live,” a sudden change in tone, completely going against all he had been saying this entire time, earning a wide-eyed look from the other. “Go,”

“What?” Jungwon went over to him, “No, I’m not— I’m not leaving you, Jake.”

Jake lifted the blood-soaked jacket from the wound, revealing the deep cut that the knife had left in his abdomen. It was still bleeding out, not slowing at all. “I’m dying, Jungwon. I’m only going to slow you down.”

Jungwon shook his head, “No, no, I’m not leaving you. Stop being stupid,”

“I’m not being stupid. I’m being realistic. I won’t be able to climb down or jump down—I won’t even make it through the next few minutes,” He coughs dryly, scared he’ll cough up more blood as there was already some that had stained his lips a bit. “I’m not going to make it, Won.”

“Dad? — No, I’m here.”

Jake held the phone up to his ear, sitting beside his mother and brother in the airport’s departure-waiting room. It was the night before Jake’s 9th birthday, his mother had booked a last minute flight for her and her two sons to go back to Korea. Jake was first born there in Seoul, though he and his older brother moved to Brisbane shortly after to live with his father, even though Jake was just a few months old. This was because his parents split up, though they were never married, and the court had (wrongfully) given his father full-custody. They called every week, at least three times, to keep in contact. There were plenty of times where Jake and his older brother both wished they lived with their mother instead. Their father wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t a good dad either. He was always working and when he got home, he would just drink and fall asleep in front of the couch. Jake’s older brother basically raised him up until that week before Jake’s 9th birthday.

Just this past week, however, their mother had come to visit. It had been a long time, but she had been saving up her vacation days and all her money to stay for a whole week with her boys. She was definitely surprised to see how their very wealthy father was living. Jake and his brother went to elite schools, while living in a house that was the equivalent of a crack-house. She was appalled, dumbfounded if you will, but she decided right then and there that she was going to take her boys to a better home, even if that meant leaving their father behind.

Jake had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he was boarding a plane with his mom and brother without his father. All he knew was what his mother had said as she told them to pack their things and get ready to go. “I should’ve never let them give him custody,” was what she had muttered under her breath as she packed her sons’ clothes into bags. Jake was the only one who heard her, but it wasn’t long until he would ask his older brother about it, who just told him to keep quiet.

“Hey, where did you guys go?” He still sounded drunk, slurring his words with a still half-asleep voice. “I was gonna, I was gonna cook some dinner.”

Jake gulped. “Oh, uh, we went out to the store,” he tried to keep himself from crying, but he was so small, he couldn’t control. “We’ll be back later.”

His mother slightly frowned, and his brother had already turned away. She rubbed her youngest son’s back slowly, trying to comfort him as he spoke to his father.

“Oh could you pick up some—what is it called—that cheese your brother likes so much?”

“Parmesan?”

“Yes, yes! That’s it!” He hears his father laugh on the other side of the phone. “Could you get me some of that for me, yeah?”

Jake looked over at his mom, and tried not to start crying but his voice started to break and crack as he replied. “Yeah. I can,” he nodded his head, “We’ll be home soon, Dad.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting. I love you, son.”

Jake stared down at his lap. “I love you, too, Dad.” And the call ended. He handed the phone back to his mother, and soon, it was time to board their plane. Jake felt awful that he lied to his father. They weren’t coming back, and Jake knew that. He loved his dad, he really did, but maybe this was a good thing. Maybe it was a bad thing. He wasn’t sure about any of it. But he did know one thing, that his 9th birthday was his best birthday yet. He had loads of cake and he had so many presents, and at the park that night, that’s when he met Jay and Jungwon.

It never once dawned on him that that phone call he had with his father before they got onto the plane, was his last phone call with his dad—ever. Now, he hadn’t spoken to his father in almost a decade. According to social media, his dad eventually remarried and changed his entire lifestyle. He was now 8 years sober, married with a couple step-kids and kids of his own blood, living in a fancy house with his young(er) wife, completely forgetting about his first two children. He tried to not let it bother him when he found out, but his father had forgotten about him. He thought it was his fault, because he had lied to him before, but he figured he was probably too drunk to even realize that his two sons never came back. He didn’t know. But whenever anyone asks where his dad was, he would always say “on another business trip” because he thought if he told anyone the truth, he’d be seen differently because then, he’d be labeled with “daddy issues” and he didn’t want to be just a guy with daddy issues. He wanted to be his own person, even if his own best friend understood what he was going through, the one that always hid everything from everyone, the one who’s dad was there but not really there at all at the same time. But life goes on, people make mistakes, and people change. Life goes on, even if it’s without you.

“No, I’m not leaving you,” Jungwon stated with a stern tone, “You are going to live, I can’t—” Tears started to form, rolling down his face quickly, “I can’t leave you, Jake. I can’t lose you, too.”

Jake started to cry, but he didn’t seem to realize it. His skin was so pale, and his hands started to tremble. “I never told Kara to not come. I invited her, remember? And she might be here soon. So get out of here and leave with her, just run and get help, or don’t. Just run,” he rambled on, but he hitched his breath as he paused, “I know she’ll think I was brave, that I should’ve lived but I’ve always been a coward. I never told her how I felt, how I’ve a-always felt about her,” he then grabbed his hand and held it tightly with both of his, “I won’t ask you to tell her that, I don’t want to add to her pain, but please,” he shuddered, “watch over her, will you? She’s really smart, but she’s not so good with people. I just want her to be safe, you know?” His eyebrows creased, knitting together as its ends pointed upwards. Jungwon couldn’t disagree with him. He didn’t have the will to. This was what Jake wanted, what he needed to move on and leave this painful life behind. He knew that Jake wouldn’t make it to the end, but he thought if they just hurried, Jake would live. But that was never going to happen.

Jungwon nodded his head, “I’ll take care of her,” he started to sob, “Now, you go now, okay? I’ll be okay. You don’t have to hurt anymore,” he brushed his hair out of his face, “It’s okay, Jake. You can go.” His voice trembled as he spoke.

Jake tried to smile, “Take care of yourself, Won.”

Jungwon sniffled, feeling as Jake’s hands let go of his. He leaned down and started to cry again, his hands stained with his dead best friend’s blood. He couldn’t believe it at all. All of his friends were dead, and Jay wasn’t anything like himself. He had killed everyone, and now he was alone and he had to leave so he could protect himself and Kara and everyone else. But he couldn’t move. He was frozen, stuck there as he sobbed over Jake’s dead body, numb of all things flowing through his heart and mind. Everyone was dead.

“So you’re the only one left, huh?”

Jungwon shook his head, “You killed everyone.” He lifted his head, seeing Jay stand there in the doorway. “You don’t even care. You murdered them in cold blood, your brothers, your best friends and you don’t feel any remorse. You don’t feel anything at all.”

Jay scoffed, “They’re not my friends. And I’m not Jay, but you already knew that, right?” He started to walk over, “There’s something that’s stopping me from slitting your throat right now, so I’ll give you a chance here,” he threw the knife away, it slid against the floor and hit the baseboard right under the window to the balcony. “I will let you fight me. I won’t use anything but my own bare hands, to make it fair. We’ll fight to the death, and whoever wins, will walk out of this house alive, whether it be you or me. But I’ll give you an advantage, too. If you manage,” he continues to explain, using his hands to express it, just like Jay used to do, “to grab the knife while we fight, then you can use it to try and kill me with it. But if I grab it, I can try to kill you with it, too. Ready?”

Jungwon stared at him, no emotion behind his eyes as he stood up, his hands still red and stained. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He raised his fists, and Jay charged at him, but Jungwon blocked the first punch, though he just slightly missed the second punch so he stumbled back a bit before dodging and swinging, punching Jay in his jaw. His face and arms were bruised a little, probably from earlier with the chair that he had thrown at him, but he couldn’t help but hope that it really did hurt him. No one would ever judge him for thinking that way, but Jay was his best friend. This was all just too much, but inside he knew, Jay was still in there, somewhere.

“You’re pathetic, y’know that?” Jay chuckled darkly, pushing against Jungwon, “You are just as weak as he is,” Mr Hwang? Oh, he didn’t know who was speaking anymore. “You are just as stupid as him, too.”

“Look at yourself, Mr Hwang,” Jungwon quickly retaliated, “You joined a cult, trying to bring back your wife, but that cult was never going to help you do that at all. And when you finally realized it, you stole the amulet so you could try to resurrect her yourself. You tried to stop a cult that you knew could kill you in an instant, and for all you’ve done, you will never be granted the chance to reunite with your wife now, right? For all the sins you’ve committed just tonight alone,” Jungwon tightened his grip, “That amulet did not make you a God, nor did it ever make you a better person, but instead, it made you just as weak as you claim that I am.”

He backed up and kicked Jay back, fixing his stance before he swung again but Jay caught his arm and twisted it, causing Jungwon to yell out. But Jungwon grabbed onto his other arm and pinched it, raising his boot to kick Jay in the knee. Out of his grasp, Jungwon ran for the knife, but he tripped when he felt a hand grab onto his ankle, pulling him back. But Jungwon fought back, kicked him as he continued to reach for the knife. But Jay climbed over him and grabbed it first, about to stab the other before Jungwon grabbed onto Jay’s wrist with both hands, pushing him back as Jay sat on Jungwon’s stomach, pushing the knife down against Jungwon’s grip. The knife made it to the edge of his skin, drawing blood and cutting into him just ever so slightly before Jungwon did the last thing he could do, his last chance at living, at surviving all of this—his last chance at saving Jay.

“It’s over,” Jay—or Mr Hwang—said roughly, “You’ve lost.”

Jungwon did not believe that at all. Because he hadn’t lost, at least not yet. He had a plan that could either kill him or save him, so he took a deep breath and spoke with his heart.

“Could you live without me?”

Jay suddenly stopped, his hands shaking as he stayed in place, furrowing his eyebrows. “What?” The knife lifted a little, just over the small cut.

Jungwon took in a deep breath, “I told you I wouldn’t want to live without you, but could you? Could you live without me? Would you—” Jungwon sniffled, tears starting to form again in the corners of his eyes. “Would you want to?”

The older did not mutter a word, but the crimson in his eyes had started to fade. Jungwon was winning, he knew that then. Jay was phasing out of the possession, he was getting his control back. One final thing could either save them both or lead to his death. Jungwon knew what to do. So his grip tightened, the knife just barely hovering over his chest as he spoke.

“It’s not your fault, Jay.”

Jungwon’s only ever seen Jay cry once. It was a long time ago, when they were about eight and nine. Jungwon had stayed the night, like he did every weekend, and Jay was showing him this new game his parents had bought him at the store the day before. The two boys sat on the floor of Jay’s bedroom, playing with Jay’s new game on his Playstation 2. It was pretty old, but it still worked. It was his father’s, and though they had enough money for just about a thousand Playstation 3’s, Jay never asked for a new one. He didn’t really want one.

That night, sometime around 9, Jungwon had fallen asleep in his sleeping bag on the floor. Jay fell asleep shortly after, in his bed right beside him. It wasn’t until about 2 in the morning when Jungwon woke up to a distant slam of a door. His eyes shot open, like a trigger, then he sat up, confused and half-awake. He rubbed his eyes, but could only see the orange outline around the closed door, the hallway light was on. He reached above and switched the lamp on, before stretching and groaning. He stood up to go to the bathroom, but just as he turned to check on Jay, he saw that his bed was empty. The blanket was thrown around and the bed was still dented in from where Jay had been sleeping. His confusion started to grow, but so did his fear. Hesitantly, Jungwon headed for the door and opened it slowly, trying to make sure it didn’t creak or make any loud noise. He stepped into the hallway, his socks protecting him from the cold hard-wood floor beneath him, yet he still shuddered. The house was so cold, but it was the beginning of February.

Jungwon walked down the steps, which felt so much longer now. Muffled voices from the kitchen behind a closed door, but his heart was beating louder in his chest, he swore it. When he approached the door, he stood there, not knowing if he should step in or not. This wasn’t his house, it wasn’t his right to intrude. That was, well, until he heard a familiar voice—Jay.

He opened the door a bit, seeing his friend just in front of the same door, staring at his parents who stood behind the kitchen island. His head poked into the room, slowly squeezing into the room, standing behind Jay—who hadn’t even noticed him yet.

“You don’t get to berate me in front of our child in the middle of the night and think everything’s going to be just fine, Robert.” Mrs. Park remarked at her husband, pointing her index finger into his chest. Her eyebrows were in a thin line, Jungwon had never seen her this serious before. Mr. Park was always the serious one, the one that always ruined the fun or told Jay not to act a certain way, while Mrs. Park loved everything about her son and cared for his happiness and safety, not like Mr. Park ever did. Mrs. Park was a stay-at-home mom, although she only had one child (though she always treated Jungwon like a second son), while Mr. Park was always at work. He was rarely ever home, and when he was, he spent it in his office, working. He had never been there for his son, nor his wife. Jay had a father, never a dad.

Mr. Park scoffed at her words, “Berate you? I have never—in my life—berated you. You are the one shouting at me all because I came home late,” but he stunk of booze, sweat beamed off his forehead and dripped down his face, and there was a good chance it was just alcohol.

“You smell like you’ve lived in a bar for weeks, which you basically have because you spend every night there now,” said Mrs. Park, “You are never home. I have raised Jay all by myself, yet you don’t give a damn at all about your own son.”

“Do not turn this on me, Mary.” His voice was stern, controlling, it sent shivers down Jungwon’s spine, but Jay didn’t even flinch. “You drink your wine like it’s water, but the moment I drink a little, you go batshit crazy—”

“A little? You have gone to that bar every night for the last months, Robert. And you think I don’t know what you’ve been doing, but I’ve known for a long time,” she stepped towards him, “How dare you ever speak to me that way when you have been sleeping with your assistant for months—”

Slap.

The room went quiet. Mr. Park took a step back, realizing what he had done but she had already turned away and saw Jungwon standing there, too. She didn’t walk away, but she stopped there at the end of the island, closer to them now. She shook her head, her cheek turning red, but her tears fell down her face, staining them. “Pack your shit. You’re leaving.”

Soon, Jungwon and Jay were back upstairs, but this time, they were in his parents’ room. But he only called it his mom’s room when Jungwon asked where they were going. Most of Mr. Park’s stuff wasn’t even in the bedroom, and the stuff that was, Mrs. Park had come in and got it. She took it all downstairs before returning to the bedroom to tuck the boys in.

“Where will you sleep, Mommy?” Jay’s little voice was so high, but he wasn’t a baby anymore. He only called her mommy when he was scared. She gave him a soft but saddened smile and leaned over to kiss his forehead.

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll just be downstairs,” and she leaned over and kissed Jungwon’s forehead again, “Get him to sleep, will you? He only ever listens to you,” she tells the other boy. Jungwon giggles and nods his head, though Jay tossed and turned, grumbling. She tucks them in and smiles, “Goodnight, boys. I’ll make a big breakfast in the morning,” and she rose from the bed and left the bedroom. Her cheek was still red, but she seemed so calm.

Jay didn’t say anything for a while. Jungwon thought he was asleep for a bit until Jay suddenly turned over on his side and faced him, startling him. “Are you okay?”

Jungwon stared at him. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“N-No,”

“Jay, you heard what they were saying. You were there. I was, too.”

“So what? They’re just divorcing,” Jay replied nonchalantly, even for a kid, it sounded so weird coming from him, “It’s not like he’s around anyways.” There was this small break in his voice when he said that, revealing to Jungwon that he was sad, but he just wouldn’t let himself feel that way.

“Stop doing that,”

“Stop doing what?”

Jungwon didn’t look at him. He turned onto his back, his hands on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling fan. “Stop pushing your feelings down, like you don’t deserve to feel things. Stop doing that.”

But Jay looked at him. “Okay.”

He laid on his back as well. His elbow gently grazed Jungwon’s, but it was only Jungwon who noticed, yet he didn’t give the other boy a glance. He knew if he did, Jay would leave. But he turned his head when he heard a light sniffle coming from the older, seeing that he was crying. Jay was crying, the tears dripping off his cheek, wetting the white pillow cases. He had never seen Jay cry before. Never. Crying was never something Jay ever did, not even when they were way little. His mother always told him that Jay rarely cried as a baby, not a surprise he would always repress his emotions, but Jungwon always cried. Jungwon was a crybaby, he’d admit to that, not that that ever pushed Jay away, but anyone could tell you that Jay Park never cried.

Jungwon didn’t say anything, it’d only make things worse. But with one single, slow motion, Jungwon turned over and faced Jay and when he noticed this, he almost immediately moved over and hugged Jungwon. Uncontrollably sobbing into his best friend’s shoulder, covering his t-shirt with tears and possibly snot, but Jungwon didn’t mind.

He didn’t mind at all.

Jay took the knife and pulled it away from Jungwon. He reached under his shirt and yanked the amulet off of him, breaking the chain and tossing it away. Jungwon was frozen, but Jay stood up off of him. Jungwon sat up, watching Jay stumble back, almost tripping over himself as he stared forward, blankly. The knife was in his hand, and he looked up at Jungwon, his eyes wide and his skin as pale as a ghost.

“He wanted me to kill everyone for trespassing,” Jay started to say, “but he wanted you to escape, so you could live with the pain for the rest of your life like he had done until the cult killed him for trying to stop them. He was just as bad as them, but I didn’t want— I didn’t want to kill them, I didn’t want to do this, any of it, I— I killed our best friends, Jungwon. I killed everyone, I can’t— What the fuck did I do?” He raised the knife, “What have I done?”

“Jay, Jay,” Jungwon stood up, “Listen to me, okay?” He started to say, but he kept his distance still, “You didn’t do this. It was Mr Hwang, okay? I don’t understand it, but you’re okay. Please put the knife down, please, you didn’t do a thing—”

“I killed them, Jungwon!” He shouts, cutting Jungwon off, “I killed all of them. I hung Sunoo up on a wall, I cut open Heeseung’s stomach, I stabbed Sunghoon, Niki, and Jake— And then I almost killed you! I’m a murderer, Won! I killed five fucking people tonight, all of which were our best friends, and now we’re the only people left. This isn’t right, I’m not okay, I’m not right in the head.”

“Jay, please, it wasn’t you, it was Mr Hwang! You didn’t kill them, he did!”

“But this is all my fault, it still is!” Jay exclaimed, throwing his hands around, “I let them push you to have this stupid party in the first place. If we never had this party, we’d all still be alive, I wouldn’t have gotten possessed and killed all of our friends, you won’t have lost all of us in just one night.”

Jungwon stepped back, “All of us . . . ?”

Jay took the knife and pointed it to his chest, “I’m sorry, Won. I hope you find peace one day,” and with a quick motion, he stabbed himself with the knife.

Jungwon screams, running towards him as Jay falls to the ground. “No, no, no, no, no Jay please, you can’t do this, no,” Jungwon lifted him off the floor and into his lap, “Please, Jay, you can’t die on me. I can’t lose you, too.” Jungwon cried out hoarsely, “I can’t lose you. Not you, please.”

Jay choked on the blood filling his throat and his lungs, “It’s not your fault either,” he whispered, “It was never your fault, and it never will be. I’ll be okay. You go, and take care of yourself. I’ll be with the others. I’ll be okay, Won.”

Jungwon shook his head, “No, Jay, please,” he cried softly to the other, holding him as he brushed his hair out of his face, crying like a baby. “I can’t lose you, too, Jay. Please. I’ve lost everyone tonight. I can’t lose you. I can’t live without you.”

There, he said it. He had been dancing around it for years. He told him before that he wouldn’t want to live without the other, but in truth, it was that he couldn’t. But that wasn’t a surprise to Jay at all. Because he had always felt that way about Jungwon.

Jay started to smile, blood still pouring out of the cut, dripping from his mouth. “You have always been my person, Yang Jungwon. You have never shown me nothing but kindness. You have loved me and cared for me more than you have ever given any to yourself. You are nothing less of my own role model, my muse, my reason to be better. You are the wind that blows at sunrise, the winds that lead me home. You,” he lifted his hand to Jungwon’s face, his thumb brushing against his cheek, wiping a single tear away amongst the tons falling down his face, “You are everything, even if I am nothing.”

Jungwon sniffled, leaning into Jay’s hand as he raised his own and pressed it against his. “I’ll meet you again, Jay. I’ll be there soon.”

His smile started to fade, his eyebrows relaxing as he spoke with his last breath. “I will meet you in every life if I have to,” and there, his body had gone limp, and his heart had stopped beating. Jungwon felt the other’s hand relax against his hand, his face, and more tears started to stream down his face like waterfalls. He cried out, throwing his head back, still holding Jay’s lifeless body in his arms ever so tightly. He didn’t want to let go. Ever.

It was the day after that one night he spent with Jay, the night his parents split up in the middle of the night, the first time Jungwon had ever seen Jay cry. Though, Jungwon didn’t want to go home just yet. He worried about Jay so much. Jay’s father hadn’t even come back by the time Jungwon left the next night, which only grew his worries. But Mrs Park drove him home with Jay sitting beside him in the back seat, talking with him all about the new video games that are coming out soon. He wanted to stay another night, but he promised he would be home that night because his mom wanted to take him shopping in the morning. It was a special occasion.

It wasn’t long until they arrived at Jungwon’s house, but Mrs Park had said something aloud that caught the boys’ attention, she had cursed in front of them, whispering a “What the fuck?” to herself, not realizing the boys had heard her at all as her eyes were almost glued to Jungwon’s house and the wide open front door.

“Did your father get home late again?” She turned back to look at Jungwon once she had parked in front of the house. “The door’s wide open,”

Jungwon shrugged. “Maybe he just got home and left the door open.” He stepped out of the car and grabbed his backpack, bowing to Mrs Park and waving at Jay before he headed inside the house. It was really quiet, not even the TV was on. “Mom? Dad?” It was silent, not even an echo or maybe even a thump or a stomp—it was just pure silence. His little eyebrows furrowed as he walked through the living room, the kitchen, then down the hall. The bathroom light was on, piercing through the cracks and shining just a little into the hallway. There, at the end of the hall, was his parents’ bedroom. The door was shut, but it wasn’t locked. He hesitated but he grabbed onto the doorknob and twisted, pushing the door open.

His mother lays on the floor, what he thought was puke stuck to her lips and cheek, dripping off her face and onto the floor beside her. Her eyes were wide, but she was still, like a statue. Her chest did not raise with a single breath. On the bed, his father had laid back on it, his legs off the bed. He ran to him, shaking him, “Dad! Dad!” He called out to him, but when he looked closer, he saw the blood, and how it stained the quilt his grandmother had gifted them for Christmas last year. His eyes were wide, too, and he, too, did not move at all. But his were still shiny, like it wasn’t that long ago when he had done this. There was still life in his eyes, fading quickly, but if he had just gotten there a few minutes before, then maybe he would still have a mother and father. Did I do this? Of course not, but he was so young, and he had just walked into the deaths of both parents, one overdosed and the other shot himself. But he didn’t know that. He was so young, so innocent. All he knew was that they were gone.

He started to cry, then he started to scream, which was when Mrs Park ran into the house, leaving Jay behind in the car. She grabbed Jungwon and picked him up, taking him out of the house as he screeched for his parents. She held him close, trying to keep him from going back inside as she lowered to the ground. “Jungwon, Jungwon—” But he didn’t listen to her. He just kept screaming and crying out for them.

The police arrived not even five minutes later. They questioned Mrs Park for a while, but there wasn’t much to even ask. It was pretty clear what had happened. His father had planned it all. He drugged his wife and let her overdose and once she had passed, he shot himself. It was a murder-suicide. Jungwon never knew why his father would do such a thing, nor did he ever ask Mrs Park if she knew anything. After all, Mr Park and Jungwon’s dad were best friends.

When they carried their bodies out in body bags, Jay told Jungwon to look at him instead. He thought it was the least he could do, to help Jungwon through this. This night was going to bond them together forever, even if it was a traumatic one. Jay’s parents were divorcing, and Jungwon’s parents were dead. But Jay felt that it was his duty to protect Jungwon from now on, to take care of him and keep him safe. Jungwon was his best friend, his person, and as he lost everything that night, the least he could do was protect him, even if it’s for the rest of their lives, for the rest of eternity. Jungwon meant everything to Jay, even if he never knew how to show it.

“Don’t look,” he whispered to Jungwon, “Just look at me,” he tried to give him a sympathetic smile, but Jungwon just looked down at the grass they sat on. “I’m sorry. Are you okay? Are you feeling any better?” Jungwon just shook his head. “Ma’ said your grandma’s on the way here. Are you going with her?”

Jungwon nodded, “Probably,” he looked up a little, “Do you want me to stay with you?”

Jay held Jungwon’s hand tighter, “That’s up to you,” he said, “you can if you want to. You know my ma’ loves you more than she loves me,”

“That’s not true,” Jungwon playfully pushes Jay.

“Yes it is,” Jay replied, “She always asks when you’re coming over. You’re like another son to her,” and he lowered his head. Jungwon frowned, remembering it, too. A couple years before, Mrs Park had gotten pregnant again but she lost it during her second trimester. It really hurt her, and Jay always wanted a sibling. It just wasn’t in their favor.

“I’ll stay with my grandma tonight,” Jungwon said, “but I’ll stay with you tomorrow night. Is that okay?” He fiddled with his hands a little, starting to feel uneasy again.

Jay nodded, “I’ll ask Ma’ if we can stay up tomorrow. It’s a special day,” he smiled so brightly at Jungwon, everything disappeared around them. The cops, the talks about his dead parents, all of it faded out when Jay smiled at him then. Jay looked at his little TMNT watch and smiled even more, “Actually, it’s past midnight.”

Jungwon tried to smile, but his lips wouldn’t curve, they just tilted downwards and he felt the sting in his nose like he was about to cry. He had lost his parents that night, drowning with guilt of something he didn’t do. He knew what day it was now, and he’d never forget it.

He had turned nine.

There was a moment then, Jungwon saw the same look in Jay’s eyes as he did in his father’s years ago. He felt the same stillness in his body as he did that night, too. This was too real, a flashback gone wrong. He wished this wasn’t real at all, he wished this was just an awful nightmare that should’ve been over a long time ago. All of his friends were dead, their bodies spread throughout the property. Sunoo, Heeseung, Sunghoon, Niki, Jake, Jay. He was the only one left. What was he supposed to do now? If he left that night, he would either be framed for their deaths, or be called a victim and sent to the nearest insane asylum—which was just as bad as being framed because either way, he’d be a prisoner. He didn’t want to live like that. He didn’t want to live with the constant reminder that his best friends were dead. He was alone again, left behind, holding the lifeless body of his oldest friend. Sunoo always inspired Jungwon, Heeseung would encourage him to be the best version of himself, Sunghoon would help him with self-doubt and self-esteem, Niki would listen to him vent and be someone who can actually relate to some parts of his life the others could never understand, Jake always made him feel included and never forgotten about, and Jay was his person. And he lost them. He lost every single one of them that night in the span of an hour and a half. He had to make a choice. He could either leave or stay. Live or die.

He leaned his head back again, looking up at the ceiling, cursing at the universe for all he had lost that day when a single drop of blood fell onto his cheek when his head was still back. He slowly leaned forward, laying Jay down onto the floor carefully so he could stand up and look at where the drop of blood had fallen from. Then, from the ceilings and the edges between the ceilings and the walls, blood started to pour into the room like a normal day in Seattle. It was raining blood, covering Jungwon in it. It stained the walls, the floors, the chair, the piano, it covered Jake and Jay’s bodies, too. He did not know whose blood it was, and a part of him didn’t want to find out. He didn’t care for any of it anymore. He had lost everything.

He had made his choice.

A white dress with long, see-through sleeves and a gentle bow tied on the chest—that was the dress Kara decided to wear to the party that night. She had gotten home from work about 9, finished getting ready by 9:45 and then drove to the address Jake had given her. She had a necklace hanging around her neck, white chain with a pearl at its end, white converse on her feet because she never liked the way heels felt around her feet. Her hair was down, some tied back with a clip. She was excited for the party, excited to see the boy she had been crushing on for years, hoping things will finally work out in her favor, hoping he felt the same as she did.

When she finally pulled up to the address, she parked beside Jake’s. She could recognize it before she could recognize anyone else’s. She almost didn’t realize that the only cars there were Jake and his friends’ cars. Was the party over? Or had it not even started yet? But past the brick wall, along the tall bushes as she walked on the concrete pavement just outside the gate. But the gate was already open, she expected an estate like this would have a password you would have to say into an intercom for the gate to open. She was nerdy like that, the perfect girl for a guy like Jake. The perfect girl for Jake.

But the concrete led to an empty yard, but no house. There was no house at all. It was just a huge yard covered in roses and lilies and the other flowers she couldn’t remember the names of. She first wondered if this was all a prank, that he didn’t like her at all. But then, when she stepped closer, she saw something glisten from the moonlight above her. She knelt down and picked the item up, seeing it was only a necklace. An amulet, a ruby embroidered with silver.

The foundation was the first to collapse, cracking the blood stained walls and shattering all the windows. The roof came next, falling through each floor until the ground floor, shaking up the house so badly that the walls started to weaken and fall with it. Soon, the house collapsed in on itself, burying itself into the ground underneath it. The garden began to spread, roses and lilies appearing over the grounds that once kept a house there. The house was gone, wiped from existence, buried with its memories, its sins, and the bodies inside of it. Jungwon did not leave that night. He may never leave, his fate becoming the same as his friends’ who he all lost. He stood there in that red stained room, covered in blood that wasn’t his, knowing he was going to die. He didn’t mind, however. It was fate. He was going to die. He’s known that from the beginning. But even that did not scare him. Because at the end of it all, Jungwon was okay with dying. He was okay with never waking up from this nightmare, leaving behind everything he once loved, losing the people he cared for most, his future, his academics, his family. It was okay. He was okay. Even as the blood continued to drip down his face, crushed under all the debris, his last breaths were short but his words were shorter. “I think it’s strange you never knew,” it was a lyric from that song Jay loved so dearly. Even as he was dying, he thought of Jay, even as he’s suffocating, as his heart is slowing, as his lungs are filling with blood, Jungwon didn’t care. He knew it was okay. There, he took his last breath before becoming only a memory. There, Yang Jungwon died amongst his best friends, forgiven for his mistakes, remembered for his life, and alive in his memories. There, he will live forever with the people who loved him for him, who became his family, the only people he ever needed. There, he died smiling in his last breath.

fin.

✧✧✧

well, if you made it this far, thank you for reading all of this! i hope you all enjoyed this <3

8 notes · View notes

palajae · 1 month

Text

my name. | nishimura riki

PAIRING ▸ nishimura riki! x reader

GENRE ▸ detective! au, fantasy! au, high school! au, s2ls, romance, fluff, angst, humor, SLOW BURN

WC ▸ 15.6k

SUMMARY ▸ you supposedly get transported to a different world, where you encounter niki. apparently, you already existed here. note: past tense. so now you’re stuck in an alternate universe and technically, you’re supposed to be dead.

AKA after facing the truth, you come to the realization that someone was definitely trying to kill you.

AN/NOTES ▸ mentions of death!!!, a murder mystery/whodunit, profanity, mentions of suicide, depictions of murder, a few curse words, violence, blood, dead bodies, some gorey stuff, kissing, nothing too harsh, excuse any typos/misspellings...

wow... i can't believe it but it is finally out... it's been a long time coming lol. with losing several family members and hospital visits over the past year, i wasn't sure if this was ever going to get released. thank you all for your endless (fr) patience and support. happy reading ❤️

a faceless figure stretches out a hand towards you.

you squint but for some reason, you still can’t make them out. the longer you stare, the more you realize it was a person—a blurry vision of a faceless boy. considering the matching uniform to yours, he must’ve gone to your school …was he your classmate?

you frown. you’ve never seen anyone like him in class before. you stretch out your arm, fingertips barely grazing his-

the sound of the school bell ringing causes your eyelids to fly open. you groan, yawning and getting up from your seat by the window by default.

it wasn’t a nice nap—just one that left you feeling groggy, unsettled, and strangely incomplete.

you pack up your stuff quietly and leave the classroom alone, not bothering to look for your friends. as you walk down the stairs, you hear your classmates chattering about the weather.you glance outside.

it was a dreary, unwelcoming kind of rain—part of the reason why you fell asleep earlier in class—and you suddenly feel the urge to get home. as soon as possible.

you weren’t sure why, but it wasn’t just raining. it started to pour, especially hard, on this spring day. you want to think that was what made your mood all miserable and forlorn.

not to forget the fact that you didn’t have an umbrella, leaving you no other choice but to throw your hood on and tighten the strings of your hoodie over your school uniform. not exactly the most stylish look, yet it was comfortable enough for you.

you couldn’t put a finger on the emotion, but you felt out of place, like for some weird reason… you didn’t belong here. like you belonged out of this circle, away from this life and world.

that feeling always came up when it started to rain, and you always tried your best to suppress it. but it was particularly strong today.

you shrugged it off though. those “phases” weren’t uncommon, right?

though you made it halfway out the school grounds by yourself, hyein and hanni catch up to you as you walk. you give them a half-hearted smile, “hey.”

it doesn’t take much for them to notice your off behavior. hyein eyes you.

“you okay, y/n?”

you debate internally, reminding yourself that they’re your friends. you can trust them, rely on them. you’re allowed to do that. even more so, aren’t you supposed to do that?

but the words that come out of your mouth suggest otherwise. you shrug, “it’s nothing. it’s just been a weird day, you know?”

they share a glance before turning back to you, sympathetic smiles on their faces. hanni pats you on the shoulder, “yeah, we get it. you should get some rest at home, y/n. we’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“be careful on the way back! the rain doesn’t look like it’s stopping soon.” she calls out before they continue, leaving you behind—still as soaked as ever.

you wave before sighing, gripping the straps of your backpack tighter and making your way towards the train station. the sound of the rain almost makes you fall into a daze as you go about your way. all your school stuff and clothes were definitely getting soaked, which probably meant an oncoming cold, but you could’ve cared less.

the only thing that mattered was going home and sleeping off this weird feeling, so it could become tomorrow and you didn’t have to be in this situation anymore.

the train station is strangely busy, you figure the downpour was making everyone go home sooner. you bypass several people, almost getting your soaked and stained shoes stepped on several times. all while muttering quiet “excuse me’s” to practically everyone and anyone who cared to listen.

after what seemed like ages, you manage to make it to your train. although, the large crowd surrounding the entrance effectively prevents you from getting anywhere.

you mutter a curse, trying to navigate through the waves of people. you just barely get on before the doors begin closing. letting out a huff in relief, you lean back against the door and slowing yourself a moment to close your eyes in peace. all the seats were obviously taken at that point, so you had no choice but to stand. that’s fine—you end up drifting off anyway.

you don’t know how long it’s been since you fell asleep. or why you feel even more exhausted when you wake up. but the robotic voice announcing your arrival makes your eyes automatically flutter open. you feel your body getting pushed and shoved around as everyone tries to get out all at once.

so you grit your teeth and tug down your hood further until you can finally get out. you don’t pay much attention to your surroundings, too focused on not getting knocked to the ground. when you finally stumble out of the crowd onto the station platform, you try to collect yourself while shaking your head. then you frown,

wait a second-

something solid knocks into you from the side, a rough oof! escaping out of their--mouth?

you’re knocked onto the ground, bottom first. pain shoots into your palms that tried (and failed) to catch your fall—and obviously, your butt as well.

you groan, eyes flashing in annoyance at your unknown assailant. looking up, you stop at the sight of the… boy in front of you.

you really have no idea why, but a question immediately pops into your head—

have you met before?

you don’t voice it, but it lingers in the back of your mind. the boy—as far as you can tell, he looks around your age— simply stares at you. he’s in a strikingly similar uniform.

a flicker of recognition passes in his eyes before you watch his expression grow flabbergasted. he continues to stare at you for a solid minute, while you only stare back in confusion, still on the floor.

“it’s rude to stare, you know.” you finally state with a furrowed brow as you quickly gathering your bearings.

his only response is a blink.

it's like the two of you are frozen in time, everyone else getting drowned out in the moment.

you frown, narrowing your eyes at him. “hello? did you hear me?” you repeat yourself and this time he snaps out of it.

“y-you’re not supposed to be here.” he gets out shakily, looking around while his hand runs through his dark locks in distress. you cross your arms, “what do you mean? this is my stop…”

you falter when you remember what you saw earlier. when you got off the train, you took a quick glance at the signs and posts. yeah, this definitely wasn’t your stop.

that wouldn’t have been a huge issue- if it wasn’t for the fact that you never missed your station, no matter the circumstances.

“no!” he exclaims and you flinch at the outburst. the boy glances at you again, and this time you involuntarily shiver at the unreadable look in his eyes.

“you’re…. you’re supposed to be dead.”

your mouth drops open.

“what a great first thing to say to someone you just bowled over. not even a sorry..” you mutter off, suddenly finding the strength to get up and wipe your hands.

the boy takes a step back away from you. curiously, you take one forward, towards him. he gestures a hand at you almost aggressively.

“you’re dead. you died. i swear-“

you hold out your hands in half desperation and half exasperation, “i dunno if this is some dumb prank or something i missed, but i hate to break it to you. i’m not dead. i’m literally right here in front of you. i think i would know if i died or not. i’m-”

again, that feeling of being out of place washes over you. this time it steals your breath away.

the strange boy shakes his head. “there’s no way. i know exactly who you look like.”

his next words make your blood run cold.

“you’re exactly like y/n y/l/n—who died a week ago.” he looks you up and down again, hands curling into fists.

“who are you? and why do you look just-?”

“because that’s who i am? my name is y/n! now, if you would excuse me.”

you hold up a hand, you didn’t have the time or patience to deal with weirdos on the street. it did struck a little odd that he knew your name, but then again he must’ve gone to your school and heard of you somewhere. the only thing that unsettled you was his reaction.

it just seemed too real, like he couldn’t have been that good at acting.

he grabs your arm to prevent you from leaving. all he does is shake his head again like he’s just trying to reassure himself. you’re about to protest, so utterly confused at what’s happening-how you missed your stop and why this strange boy is saying that you’re dead. none of it makes sense.

his face looks pale and grim, and you’re sure yours look exactly the same. “you can’t be y/n. and yet, here you are right in front of me.”

“i will scream like a little girl for help if you don’t let me go at this-“

“p-please. this isn’t a joke. you can’t be here. we need to get out of here—where everyone can’t see you.”

before you can even splutter a response, he drags you off.

you can call me niki, his words echo in your head.

his name rolls off your tongue unfamiliarly. in his states of panic—to which niki kept slapping himself and you kept denying that you were a hallucination—

you ended up introducing yourselves and deciding to find a better place to discuss. more like, niki decided. you soon began to regret that decision.

all you wanted to do was go home, but this persistent kid you’ve never seen before wouldn’t let you or your conscience go. maybe it was the weird feeling from earlier, but you have the urge to at least hear him out. but when you walked out of that train station behind him, everything was wrong.

you don’t know how to describe it. it was right but… at the same time, it wasn’t.

to begin with, you ended up at the wrong station but it led you to the right street to get home. the streets name were the same, but the stores weren’t.

and the bus stop—the bus driver that had worked there for fifteen years, the one you had greeted for fifteen years, suddenly became an entirely different person. he never missed a day, no matter what occasion it was.

things weren’t right and you had no idea what was going on.

following niki, you get lost in your thoughts. you shake your head, clapping a hand over your forehead. maybe… you’re just in a weird dream. a really realistic one, because none of this made sense. it wasn’t raining anymore either, which would’ve been fine, excluding for one tiny detail: the streets were completely dry. judging by the strength of the rain earlier, it really shouldn’t—no, it couldn’t have dried up that fast.

It wasn’t physically possible.

you could easily navigate your way around this area because you lived here all your life. and yet, it felt like you didn’t live here. not when this random stranger (only on a first name basis) keeps insisting that you died.

niki—or whoever—leads you to a very familiar library, the same one where you spent hours studying for your finals. you head in, feeling a bit better hearing the familiar entrance chime. you walk ahead of him to take your spot by the back corner. the fact that this place was essentially the same gave you some comfort.

niki seems surprised, but he doesn’t say anything, only taking the seat across from you.

“okay.” you start, glancing at the boy with wary eyes.

“if whatever bs you’re spewing is true, explain.”

he raises his eyebrows.

“me? explain?”

you nod and he scoffs, “i think you’re the one who should be explaining. after all, you’re the one that’s supposed to be dead-“

“i’m not dead.” you grit out, rolling your eyes.

“okay, okay,” he raises his hands in surrender, “but you still need to talk.”

you sigh, rubbing your temples.

“what do you want me to say? that i got soaked, took the train home, overslept, and then missed my stop? then, i bumped into a weird boy-”

he shoots you an offended look, which you ignore.

“-who keeps telling me that i died. oh, and the more and more i stay here with you, the more wrong everything gets?” you barely get the last word out before niki leans in, eyes focused intently on you.

the closer he gets, you more you begin to malfunction. you unconsciously hold your breath, alarm and confusion evident in your eyes. his hand reaches out, slowly, to your head. your body freezes.

his fingers catch a drop of water at the tip of your hair. “sorry. that was bothering me.”

you exhale, glaring at him. “are you serious?”

“yeah. are you?”

“no,” you deadpan, “i’m a ghost and i’m haunting you. of course i’m being serious!”

he gives you an unconvinced look and you roll your eyes, “i’m y/n y/l/n. we live an hour away from the capital. my house is two blocks away in the neighborhood with the broken fountain, and right now we’re at the library that doesn’t open on thursdays.

you harshly tug off your suddenly dry hoodie, displaying your school uniform.

“and by the looks of it, we go to the same school.”

his eyes widen as he leans in closer to study your uniform. you shrug away, caught off guard. then you frown, “but i’ve never seen you before at school. how do i know that you’re not some imposter? that you somehow stole a uniform to get something from me?”

he rolls his eyes while you gaze at him suspiciously.

“obviously not, because that’s dumb.”

you scoff.

“i live here. why would i go through all the trouble to steal a uniform to get something from you? besides, what would i need from some-“

he glances at you and you tense,

“-kid like you? you’re the one who came out of the train looking so suspicious, it’s like you appeared out of nowhere,” he counters.

you place your palms flat on the table, “okay, it’s obvious we aren’t getting anywhere. we both don’t have answers and we’re not even close to one. all i know is that i’m alive,” you shoot him another look, “and that i somehow ended up here. now, can i go?”

there’s a brief pause before niki speaks up, slowly. “i already told you, you can’t be seen. come with me. and keep the hood on.”

you roll your eyes. who was he to boss you around?

he grumbles something along the lines of- “don’t want to be seen walking around with a dead person.”

the only reason you listened was partly due to fear that you would lose your way in this familiar, yet unfamiliar place. except, you know exactly where he’s taking you. because it’s the same neighborhood you live in.

“wait,” you call out, “this is where i live.” you point to your house, and niki grimaces.

“i know. there were police here for days.”

you stop, unsure of what to say or do. police? at your house? when?

you stare at your supposed house, suddenly dark and empty. what in the world happened?

“come on,” niki calls out and you move to catch up. you’re starting to think niki may be telling the truth.

soon enough, you make it to an unfamiliar house about a street down from yours. as niki unlocks the door, you take the opportunity to study him, trying to recall if you’ve ever seen him before. but when he turns to you, you clear your throat and look away.

“this is my house,” he tilts his head while opening the door.

you like the fact that it’s messy. it felt much more homey because of that. it was also a lot bigger than yours, filled with fancy and intricate things. to which you assume this niki guy has more money than he has yet to admit. he tells you to wait in the living room, and he soon returns with a stack of books.

you pause, “yearbooks?“

he nods, “yeah, our school’s.”

strangely enough, most of the covers are different than yours at home.

but everything else is the same, like the name and logo. he pulls out this year’s yearbook and flips through before stopping at a page.

“that’s me,” he points to the picture of him and you tilt your head, frowning.

“huh. so we are in the same year. but i’ve never seen you in my yearbook—or at school before. i swear i would’ve seen you at least once before...”

you rub your temples, this whole situation was making your head hurt. none of it made sense. you study his picture, why in the world did he actually look good in his yearbook photo? your eyes shift toward his name,

nish—

he turns the page before you can finish reading, only to get distracted by seeing familiar classmates in your yearbook. niki stays silent as he flips through pages and you continue to point out your friends and classmates and stare in wonder at the unfamiliar ones-

ones that you’ve never seen before in your life but somehow their faces are printed on the page, in the same grade and same school as you.

just like niki. you were actually speechless.

eventually, he stops flipping eventually and looks at you. you catch his eye and glance down at the page, immediately catching on. you breath hitches.

“no way—”

“—and there’s you.”

it is you. you can confirm, it’s a photo of someone who looks exactly like you. but… it’s not you.

almost everything is the same, your face and clothes. your hair was cut shorter, and your smile wider for the picture. you were even wearing makeup, for crying out loud. you can only stare at the photo.

according to niki, this you is dead?

you look up at him, stomach churning. what in the world was going on?

the silence lasts until niki finally speaks up with a hesitant tone. “i might be tripping, but have you ever heard of… alternate realities?”

you shake your head firmly, “don’t even get me started on that-“

he cuts you off, “i know, i know. but just hear me out.”

you have no choice but to internally whisper a quiet plea of help. he scoots closer,

“wouldn’t it make sense? there’s really no other explanation. maybe it’s because i watched that spider-man movie recently, but you being from another world would explain how you’re alive right now—when in this world, you’re dead. plus, all the similarities and differences that you mentioned can be chalked up to different timelines—the butterfly effect and stuff like that.”

you don’t know what to say.

could it actually be?

what other explanation could there be?

“please say something,” niki mumbles and you release a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

“okay. okay. fine. say the whole multiverse crap is true. then how did i even get here? how did i—”

you do air quotations,

“—switch dimensions to another world?”

niki shrugs, “no idea.”

he scratches his head, “it’s weird to think about but i mean, maybe there’s a reason why you came here.”

his voice suddenly gets lower and you shiver, “you know, the timing’s a bit weird that you showed up right after the other you passed away.”

you clear your throat, “let’s not think about that right now. we should probably focus on the whole me being dead thing, right?”

“what?”

you glance at him questioningly, “what?”

niki raises an eyebrow. “what’s there to focus on? you died.”

you don’t have to rub it in my face, you mumble under your breath.

“shouldn’t we be focusing on how to get you back to your world?”

you roll your eyes, “sure, but still, i kinda want to know how i died? i think i deserve to, you know, so maybe i don’t make the same dumb mistake back home.”

“-if you ever get home,” he corrects and you huff.

“whatever, just tell me. we don’t even know if your dumb alternate reality theory is right.”

“okay,” niki rubs his hands nervously and you wait in anticipation.

“well, it actually happened last thursday.”

you swallow. why was your heart rate picking up?

“at school. on, uh, the rooftop. no one witnessed it, and the cctv was broken so we don’t have any exact answers. but from what I’ve heard,” he gives you a cautious glance,

“the police are about ready to call it a suicide.”

at first, you think you misheard him. but the hesitant gaze and pause proves you otherwise.

at first it doesn’t hit you. but then suddenly you feel sick to your stomach. your hand grips the table for support as you try to take it all in.

you?

a suicide at school?

what about your family, your friends-

“no,” you whisper, shaking your head. “i… i would never-“

you slam your hands on the table, “i know myself. i would never do that.”

his face is grim and sympathetic, which you can feel the dislike churn in your stomach at that. “i’m really sorry… that’s the current situation. it kinda blew up at school, but everything’s still so recent that nothing is confirmed yet.“

unspoken words linger in the back of his head, that he questions if he should say it or not.

that niki really didn’t know you that well, that you were just another classmate of his. one that he passed in the halls without a second glance back. that the you in his world-

was just a stranger to him.

yet seeing you, desperate and alive, right in front of his eyes. he doesn’t know what to do or say. so niki watches you bury your head in your hands. and he waits.

it’s only a couple of minutes later that you look up. his face morphs into one of surprise when he sees your determined expression.

“niki,” you state carefully and he nods, waiting patiently.

“are you sure that i-i did it?”

you can’t bring yourself to say the word but niki gets it. he sighs,

“no. no one’s sure. but from what i’ve heard, the police haven’t found any other motives so… a suicide seemed most likely.” the more and more niki talked, the more unsure he got.

your face hardens.

“so there’s no proof? the police aren’t doing their freaking job and investigating?”

his eyes widen—surprised at your sudden outburst—and you sigh, voice falling to a whisper.

“did i really commit suicide? and why do i care so much?”

something warm falls over your hand and you jump, glancing up.

even for only a split second, his hand covers yours in a sympathetic attempt, “i’m sorry y/n. i wish i had answers but i really don’t know…”

despite the awkward look on niki’s face and overall awkward situation, his words strangely comfort you.

you bite your bottom lip. “i-i have to get to my house.”

he stiffens, “what?”

you stare at him, eyes sharp, “if no one else is going to do something, i at least have to.”

you need to. for yourself.

niki scoots closer, “y/n, you can’t just-“

“i know. but i need to know. something just-ugh,” you rub your face in frustration, “something doesn’t add up. i have to check. it’s like i can feel it deep within me.”

he sits there wordlessly. when you don’t get a response, you stand up. niki splutters, “w-where are you going?”

you cross your arms, “without or without you, i’m going to my house.”

he slaps a hand to his face in frustration. “just how stubborn are you?” he mumbles. you hear it and yet you decide to ignore him.

“thanks for the help i guess,” you give him a (weak) half-smile before turning towards the door

“wait! you’re being serious?!”

his desperate voice calls out and you internally debate if you should listen to him or not. slowly, you turn back around, “yeah. do you need something?”

“no, but you do— a plan. especially since the police closed off your house for investigation. plus, most of the evidence would have been taken already.” he clasps his hands together behind his back.

you shrug. “okay, and? i’ll still find a way. i have nothing to lose. i’m not even supposed to be alive.”

he groans loudly and you raise an eyebrow.

“idiot. i’m trying to say that i’ll help you. i-i want to help you.”

“i didn’t ask,” you raise your hands in mock surrender. annoyed, niki puts his hands on his hips.

“sure, but i know plenty of things you don’t. this is my world. so, are you gonna accept or not?”

“you wish you did,” you retort, yet you can’t help the small smile that grows on your face, “but… i would appreciate it. just be grateful that i’m accepting your dumb theory from a spider-man movie as of right now.”

niki gulps at the sight. it was the first time he saw you smile since you met. at least, the first smile he saw from the you of an alternate universe.

“whatever you say,” he holds out a hand,

“miss imposter.”

you take it gladly, harshly. “don’t call me that-“

“my name is y/n y/l/n.”

you spin around in niki’s chair, having went up to his room to figure out your so called master plan. niki (respectfully) offered to let you stay in his room for the length of your “visit.”

to which you almost punched him.

but he explained that there were no extra guest rooms and you were still technically dead, so hiding in his room was the best bet as to not raise any questions. you could take the makeshift bed in the corner of his room as to not raise suspicion. you were surprised yet grateful.

“i’ll grab extra blankets and pillows. and i’ll sneak you food and whatever you need.”

“what about clothes and toiletries?”

he yawns, “easy. i’ll steal some from my sisters.”

you feel bad, but you realize you have no other choice. you were literally stuck here.

a part of you still wondered if this was a dream. a horrible one, at the least. but while you were stuck here, might as well make the best of it. niki graciously offered and you had no choice but to accept. you almost scoff at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“so basically, i’m like a secret pet you’re hiding from your parents?”

“technically… yes,” niki rubs his hands together, and you can only watch the mischievous expression grow on his face.

“but i like to think that you’re like eleven. you’re different—you’re special, like her.”

you hold back a laugh at the words.

clearing your throat, you try to play it off. “from stranger things? your world has that show too?” he lets out a scandalous gasp and this time you giggle.

“of course, dude. what kind of world would i be living in if i didn’t have stranger things?”

“apparently a horrible one,” you snort.

after the whole living situation was sorted out, you returned to your investigation.

“so you’re saying the police taped off my house for further examination?”

“uh, yeah? that’s how it works?” he raises a brow.

you stuck your tongue out at him, “okay, smartass. then how do we get in?”

“clearly, there’s only one way: sneak in.”

“i don’t think this is a good idea?” niki whisper shouts at you and you shush him.

the sun was barely setting. if anyone knew you, they knew you really couldn’t be deemed as patient of any sort.

niki watches you struggle up the tree in your backyard.

obviously, going through the front door was a no go. luckily this house looked pretty much the same as your house, at least from the outside. you knew your parents weren’t home judging by the darkness. you wondered if they were staying with other family.

or were they at work? so soon after your death?

you grimace, now was not the time to be getting in your feelings.

the best (only) option was jumping the backyard fence and going in through your bedroom window. leading to your predicament now.

you exhale heavily when you find a place to rest, gripping the tree with all your might in hopes that you don’t fall

you glance down at niki.

“can you make it?”

he scoffs,

“easy.”

it was easy— easy for you to watch niki struggle to get up to your point.

you were sort of scared the tree wasn’t going to support both your weights, at the way it was trembling slightly. niki makes it though, by the time the sun is well down.

you can see him sweating heavily and your nose scrunches in amusement,“easy, huh?”

“yeah, for you just standing there and watching me. we don’t have all day, grandma.”

“don’t call me that,” you mutter while stretching out towards your window.

niki’s eyes widen.

“be careful, y/n.”

“i got it,” you stretch out a leg to the ledge and your sweaty hands begin to slide from the bark, most likely from exertion.

without even thinking about it, niki places his hands around your waist to stabilize you. you don’t notice in your concentration to not fall to your death. you certainly didn’t want another dead you.

your foot clicks the lock, and with a grunt you’re able to push the window open.

“you got it?”

“yeah,” you breathe out, clumsily making your way in. you reach out a hand for niki and he takes it, maneuvering his long body in through the small window.

finally, you can breathe.

it’s the first time you have the luxury to desperately wish that you were home right now. your real home. you certainly didn’t mean this home, the empty and cold looking one locked up for the police’s investigation.

after catching your breath, you get up to examine your surroundings. you weren’t not sure what you were expecting. this was the other you’s room.

all you can think is, at least this y/n was much cleaner than you.

a part of you feels like you’re invading someone’s privacy. but then you realize that it’s literally your own privacy that you’re invading, with the addition of niki. you actually can’t believe the absurdity of the situation.

at first glance the room looks pretty normal, an average teenagers room. not what you expected for yourself, but there’s not much you can see. you turn to niki,

“there’s no shot we’ll get caught right?”

he gives you another sympathetic look, “we’ll keep a look out for the police, but i heard your parents were busy with your other family and funeral preparations, so it wouldn’t be them catching us.”

“oh.”

the air feels so glum, you clear your throat to move on. “guess we should look around?”

he nods and begins to snoop around.

“wait,” you call out hesitantly.

niki cocks his head and you cough awkwardly.

“it’s still my room, so like, be careful with what you look through.”

he rolls his eyes. “yeah. i got it.”

you gaze at the photos on your shelf, displaying your happy family and friends. it just made you acknowledge how precious they were. it made you miss your friends and family at home even more.

you’re appalled at the books you read. you shake your head, seriously? you take out one of the books-

“ten days to love,” you voice aloud with disgust written across your face.

you weren’t one to judge, but what kind of cheesy romance novels were you reading?

niki opens your closet and you turn at the sound. your eyes widen-

wait a second,

your closet with clothes? possibly including…. more personal things?

you dash over in desperation, praying that niki hasn’t already seen something that he shouldn’t.

“don’t!”

his wide eyes meet your panicked ones, shocked at the sudden change of events. he doesn’t move until you push past him, blocking the door from his view.

“you didn’t see anything, right?” you stare at niki desperately and he furrows his eyebrows.

“no? am i not supposed-“

“no reason. just being cautious. we can, uh, open it together.”

you carefully examine your belongings inside before deeming it safe for niki’s eyes. you let out a sigh of relief.

he gives you a weird look and you shoot him an exaggerated smile.

“you can proceed!”

he mutters something under his breath as you continue your search on the other side of the room. it didn’t seem like there was anything of importance on the shelves. but, after careful examination, you see a glimpse of something. pushing past some folders, your face morphs into a stunned one.

you pull out…

a pink teddy bear with hearts? why would this be in your room?

and even more so, why was it hidden?

niki calls out your name and you turn around. your mouth drops open.

“a box of chocolates?“

he scoffs, “yeah. stuffed behind some clothes in your closet for some reason.”

“it’s not even the good brand,” you mutter.

niki laughs, “maybe you had secret admirers from school?” suddenly, you give him a suspicious glance.

“what makes you say that? you sure you weren’t one of them?”

he side eyes you, “trust me, you wouldn’t catch me within five feet of you at school.”

you walk over to shove his arm and he only laughs harder. you huff, suppressing a smile on your face as you turn away. but you keep niki’s comment in the back of your mind.

after a solid thirty minutes, you can feel your resolve waning. there was no sign indicating that you felt suicidal. at least, none that you found after the police probably scrounged through everything. some stuff was suspicious—

like the teddy bear and chocolates. and some lavish perfume and makeup in the drawers. that just wasn’t your style. but you supposed this world’s you was just different.

just because you weren’t particularly into those things didn’t mean another you couldn’t be.

“did i have a diary? what about my phone?”

niki frowns, “the police would’ve taken it. it’s their evidence now.”

you suddenly get an idea, and it’s probably wasn’t a good one.

“hey, niki?” you call out. he hums in response.

“what day and time is it, currently?”

“uh…” he checks his watch, “sunday. 8pm. why?”

“when does the police station close?”

dummy, most people would say--why would the police station be closed?

luck seemed to be on your side, because you knew especially well from complaints by locals, that your local police station did actually have a curfew. and you could only hope it was the same here.

niki scratches his head, “in ten minutes? why are-“

his mouth drops open, “no. no. no.” you shrug and he shakes his head adamantly, “y/n, there’s no way that we’re going to sneak in.”

you dust off your hands, “i’m all ears for any other ideas you have.”

you have him at that and he falls silent. after a couple moments, he speaks up albeit hesitantly. “well… i might have a way.“

you grin. “onwards, then.”

“wait, so how did you manage to get access again?”

he coughs, “my friend jungwon is the son of the police deputy chief… so i may have called in for a favor.”

“he managed to sneak in with his dad’s keys and get the files to my case?” you finish.

he nods.

“illegally?”

he nods again.

you tap your chin, “would we get arrested if we got caught?”

he shrugs, “probably.”

“good thing i’m not from this world.”

perhaps secretly hanging outside this jungwon’s house was not the best idea, either. he rolls his eyes before offering the file to you.

“do you want to open it?” to your surprise, his voice comes out quite comforting and soft.

you gulp, “i guess i should.”

you feel sick for the second time that day. luckily, the photo didn’t show too much. not that it made it any better. it was still you, dead.

you had to look at yourself and imagine yourself in that situation. you cover your mouth and niki immediately takes the file away from you. he watches worriedly as you shake your head.

“i’m fine. i-is there anything else your friend managed to get?”

“are you sure?”

“yes.” he doesn’t protest anymore at the tone of finality in your voice.

niki pulls out a bag with your name on it. taking a deep breath in, you open it. you shuffle through some things hurriedly until niki speaks up.

“hold on a sec,” he softly places a hand on your arm to stop your actions.

“we should be careful. someone could notice that we tampered with the evidence so we need to be very careful when putting things back. plus, we have to give it back to him as soon as possible—we don’t want them noticing that your stuff is missing.”

you curse, “that’s right. we can’t risk taking anything.”

“then what?”

you pinch your nose bridge, “we snap pictures and hope it’s good enough. unless we want to take another field trip here.”

you manage to snap a few pictures and go through a few things. you catch a glimpse of your diary and flip to the most recent page. it was about a week and a half ago, and-

it wasn’t finished. you skim through it, reading boring stuff about how your day was and how you met-

you squint.

the rest of the words were scratched out, harshly, with a black marker. seeing how it was getting late and dark, you can’t make out who’s name it was even with your phone flashlight. you wonder, could it be-

your thoughts are interrupted by niki.

“y/n, i think we need to hurry and head home soon. the longer we stay out, the greater risk we’re at for getting caught. oh, and i found your phone.”

he holds it up and the extremely glittery case makes your eyes hurt. you eye it. heaving a deep breath, you prepare yourself to open your phone.

but when you click the power button and nothing happens, you groan. you try again, and again, holding it down for seconds but the screen remains black.

“the phone’s dead.” you sigh again and niki bites his lip.

“maybe we should give up. we can ask jungwon another time,” he suggests

you nod wearily and he closes the box. as he gathers everything, opening his phone to text his friend to come back out, you glance at the time. it was quite late for a school day.

“that’s right, you have school tomorrow?”

he groans, “yeah. i guess you’ll just have to stay home in my room. no one will go in while i’m at school, so you don’t have to worry.”

you nod, “okay.”

it felt weird knowing you were supposed to be at home, in bed and preparing to go to school yourself the next day. instead, you were stuck in another world—in a stranger’s room, forced to hide since you were supposed to be dead.

were you considered missed at home? did anyone notice? call the cops?

more like, if anyone cared?

while you get ready for bed in niki’s bathroom, you stare at yourself in the mirror.

yes, you affirm, you’re alive.

you’re staring back at yourself, dressed in one of niki’s oversized shirts and basketball shorts.

but the image of your dead face flashes in your mind and you immediately squeeze your eyes shut. you breathe heavily, hands planted on the sides of the sink.

everything’s fine. you will get back home. things will figure themselves out. you’re okay. you’re breathing and-

a knock on the door makes you jump.

“y/n? everything okay?” niki’s voice sounds out hesitantly, “it seemed like you were taking a while so-“

the door swings open.

you stand there, face emotionless. he doesn’t say anything, and neither do you. niki tries to keep the image of you wearing his clothes out of his head, but it won’t seem to go away.

“goodnight, niki.”

you slowly walk over to the temporary bed he’s set up on the floor for you. he blinks,

“night, y/n.”

it’s surprisingly comfortable, or maybe you’re just so exhausted you don’t seem to care or question anything anymore.

you hear light footsteps padding to turn off the lights.

in the darkness, your eyes close. but your mind is awake.

you know his is too, judging by the sounds of quite shuffling every couple minutes or so.

“niki?” you say quietly.

another shuffle.

“yeah?”

“this may sound weird, but have you noticed anyone that looked particularly sad?”

there’s a pause.

“about you?”

“yeah, but not like the typical sadness. like, anyone who seems to have changed drastically after hearing about me? let’s say,” you swallow, “any guys or friends of yours who seemed particularly upset or affected?”

niki rolls to the other side of his bed so that he faces you, but in the darkness he can only see the outline of your figure. “y/n, what are you trying to say?”

you tug the covers over yourself a little tighter.

“nevermind, niki. have a good day at school tomorrow, and don’t worry about waking me up. you won’t be able to.”

“wasn’t planning on it,” he snorts.

you fall asleep with a faint smile still lingering on your face.

the next day at school, niki struggles. he struggles when it’s supposed to be another normal day, and all he can think about is you.

especially about what you said.

niki never paid much attention before to his surroundings, there was no reason to. but now he keeps an eye open.

he eyed anyone who passed by your locker, empty desk in class, anyone who mentioned your name. but the fact that you mentioned guys specifically, made him confused.

why did it matter if a guy was upset? a lot of people were shocked and sad at the news. niki shook his head. he didn’t get it.

meanwhile, you stayed at his home.

thinking.

thinking about yesterday. somehow everything that happened was all just yesterday. you took the train and ended up here. then you found out you were apparently dead.

you spent what felt like hours scrolling through the photos you took and waiting for niki to come home. all while eating snacks that niki left for you graciously.

you don’t even know what time it is when you hear the door begin to open. you scramble to your feet before realizing that there was a chance it wasn’t niki.

you go back to your hiding spot, shrinking underneath the covers. next thing you know, the bedroom door flings open. you tense.

however, a call of your name allows you to let out a sigh of relief. you hop up, “niki!”

he grins, looking rather cute in his ruffled school uniform, backpack slung off one shoulder. you stop yourself, horrified at your thought. at your face falling, he cocks his head. “what’s wrong?”

you laugh awkwardly, “nothing! nothing at all!”

he gives you an unconvinced look but doesn’t press further.

“you must’ve been bored without me.”

that was the niki you’ve come to know (in the span of a day or so). sarcasm drips from your lips as you laugh dryly, “sure.”

but you knew he was right and he knew it too.

“i spent the day looking through the pictures, but i couldn’t find much else,” you frown.

“same here. today was pretty normal, no one seemed any different than usual…”

“i mean, the mood has been somber ever since you,” he pauses, “left. but nothing out of the ordinary.”

you seemingly deflate, but niki perks up. “i talked to jungwon and he said he’s going to try and get your phone next time. we can only hope that someone charges it or that we can charge it ourselves.”

you nod, “that’s good.”

“but, don’t you have work to do? what about your family?”

you realized you didn’t see or even hear of them yesterday.

“oh, they usually stay late at the dance academy—me included. but my grades haven’t been good recently, so they’ve been forcing me to go to home and study…”

you tsk as niki gives you a sheepish look.

“you know, while we’re waiting, i’m not too bad at studying myself. what do you need help with?”

niki rolls his eyes, “thanks, but no thanks. i don’t need another person on my back about my grades.”

instead, he falls back onto his bed with an oof.

“don’t worry, i’ll manage. let’s just talk about our next step.

“step? as in, my case?

“yeah,“ his eyes glint, “i have an idea.”

you were starting to believe he was getting more invested in this than you were.

“okay—shoot.”

what was the worse thing he could suggest?

“we should sneak you into school-“

your eyes practically bulge as you gape at him. “excuse me? weren’t you the one saying i was going too far with sneaking into my own house and you want me to do what?”

niki gets up, placing his arms on your shoulders to calm you. strangely enough, it did.

“hear me out first—we sneak into school at night, bust open your locker, and see what you have. that’s better than waiting for jungwon.”

“don’t you think the police would have already looked through my locker?

“well, he looks around nervously, “as far as i’ve heard, the police were already mostly convinced the case was closed and didn’t care to check. but, what can i say? rumors are just rumors.”

you purse your lips. what did you have to lose? being in a different world made you much more reckless than you would have ever thought. but that didn’t mean you were going to be stupid about it.

“fine.”

niki winces at your tone, but you speak up,

“how in this stupid multiverse crap am i going to break into my own locker? and with cameras all around school?

he smirks and you raise an eyebrow.

“i didn’t miss a whole chem lecture for nothing—“

confused, you give him a look as if to say, what in the world are you talking about?

“who said we had to know the combination?” he takes out a pair of keys form his pocket.

you gasp in awe, clasping a hand over your mouth.

you gaze at him with wide eyes for a second, causing him to look at you questioningly.

“you’re actually being smart...”

his confused expression immediately changes to one of irritation.

you stand up straight again, “how did you even get those keys? and what about the cameras?”

he winks and you glance at him, trying to remain expressionless. if there was anything you noticed, it was that niki was actually quite attractive. it made you wonder if he was popular at school…

“it’s a secret. don’t worry about it.”

“you sure have a lot of secrets, niki. like, is niki even your real name?” you squint accusingly.

niki chokes on his spit, “how in the world did you know?”

you falter. “huh? it isn’t?”

he clears his throat, “anyway, i have to get up early for school tomorrow.”

you eye him but decide to let it go. niki shrugs, “usually i’m up playing games, but you look like you need the sleep with those eye bags. you aren’t surprised.

“tomorrow night,” he says shortly after. “i’ve got a plan—you just have to trust me.”

turns out said plan was dumb, but you really had no other choice.

niki made some lame excuse to his teachers about staying late to study- and his teachers, being utterly shocked that he offered to study, immediately agreed to let him linger.

meanwhile, niki would sneak you in, wearing one of his old uniforms that was too small for him so that just in case, no one would question anything. along with one of his totally inconspicuous baseball caps to hide your face and hair.

you sigh, you couldn't believe you were sneaking into school through the boys bathroom. you groan while maneuvering through the window. niki shushes you, causing you to stick your tongue out at him. he raises his hands playfully and you resist the urge to smack him.

on your way to jump down from the window, your left foot gets caught on the ledge. you stumble forward, expecting to be met with the revolting bathroom floor face first. instead, perhaps now was the time to thank the universe (in this case, his universe?) for niki’s quick reflexes.

he inhales, catching you by catching and pulling you towards him instead of the ground, essentially into his arms.

instead of faceplanting into the ground rather foolishly, you fall into his strangely soft and warm chest. you let out a barely discernible squeak, unable to respond due to the pounding of your heart.

after a couple of seconds—that felt like forever— niki lets you go with a shake of his head.

“my god y/n, i had no clue you were this clumsy. please don’t ever do that again.”

please don’t ever make me sneak into a nasty teenage bathroom again, you wish you could retort.

you shake your head quickly, lips pressed thinly together. don’t get distracted, you remind yourself. “yeah-thanks. let’s uh, just hurry.“

you don’t have time to wonder what would the consequences be if you got caught by cameras or anyone else while niki leads you down the familiar hallways.

“how do you know which one’s my locker? i thought you said we didn’t really know each other?“ you eye him suspiciously.

he scoffs, “don’t get too excited. mine’s just a couple lockers down so i was bound to see you at your locker by some point.”

he hands you the keys and you gratefully accept—your hands slightly trembling. you didn’t know what to expect.

niki watches from behind, and you can feel his warm breath on you occasionally, causing you to shiver.

with a slight click and creak of the rusty locker door, the locker opens. you hold your breath at first glance. it’s…. normal?

normal as in any average high schoolers locker one would expect. what catches your eye first are a couple of photos of you and your friends.

on deeper inspection of yourself (it was still weird to imagine and even weirder to see) you see a twinkling, intricate chain around your neck. maybe you were tripping (again, but mentally this time) or that necklace you had on seems really expensive?

“there’s no way,” you suddenly gasp and turn to niki with wide eyes.

“what?” niki starts to panic, “what is it?”

“am i actually loaded in this world?”

niki pinches the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head. “jesus, you scared me. i mean, you didn’t seem like it.. who knows where you got that super expensive, luxury brand necklace? it looks familiar…“

you try your hardest not to roll your eyes. of course, niki would know.

“how much are you talking?”

he taps his foot on the floor, “well, my mom and sister likes that brand. that specific necklace is specially made since it’s a seasonal limited edition, so it’s somewhere in the thousands-“

you truly forgot how rich niki’s family was, you think with a half joking tch and a shake of your head. niki glances at you, impressed.

“-whoever gave that to you must’ve really cared.”

you frown, “sure… or maybe i just really worked hard to get it for myself?”

he’s shoots you an amused look, “you wanted to get yourself the valentine day’s collection necklace?

“what?”

you feel your heart rate begin to pick up, “are you implying what i think you are?

“yes?” he responds with a raised eyebrow, “someone must’ve been really in love with you to gift you that. maybe your parents or friends?”

then niki pokes your side playfully, “-or a secret admirer?”

you don’t answer his question, regardless of if he was being serious or not. you peer into the locker again, “but where is it? it’s so valuable i’m certain we would’ve seen it in the police’s evidence…”

suddenly, niki grabs your wrist. that’s when you hear the footsteps. you turn to him with wide eyes as he mouths for you to hide. panicking, you look around in desperation before he pushes you—

straight into the locker.

your own locker.

you know you should be freaking out over getting caught, but you could only wonder—could this be considered a crime?

in the dark, stuffy locker, you see a glimpse of niki’s silhouette run past through the tiny openings of the door. just barely a second later, you hear more footsteps. squinting, you able to discern a familiar, yet weirdly unfamiliar guy. your eyebrows raise.

no way. park sunghoon was in this world too?

you hold your breath when you hear him call out, “is someone there?”

really, curse niki for shoving you in your own locker. yet it was also a smart move as no one could see into your locker, but you were able to see out.

“sorry. that was me, pres.”

it was niki’s voice.

you can barely see his relaxed demeanor appearing to face sunghoon.

“i was staying back to study and catch up on work—you know already,” he adds hastily.

sunghoon nods coolly, “i was just checking. making sure everything’s good before leaving.”

niki was a little too good at acting, you questioned how often he had done this to those around him. he fake salutes, “i promise to clean up after i’m done. no need to worry, class president.”

“alright, see you later.”

you have a sigh of relief as sunghoon turns to leave.

but you swear, for a split second, his expression changes as his eyes fall on your locker.

your heart rate picks up. did he notice you?

however, sunghoon leaves without a second look back.

you frown—what was that?

after waiting a minute to be safe, niki quickly lets you out. only to be greeted by your displeased face and crossed arms.

“that was the only thing i could think of in the moment!” he immediately defends himself.

“seriously? i could’ve-like-“ you trail off and niki smirks.

“see? nothing bad would’ve happened.”

“doesn’t change the fact you stuffed me in my locker. it’s not even mine, for crying out loud.”

“whatever. just be glad you didn’t get caught by park sunghoon, our school’s super rich, smart, and handsome-“

“i know him from my world. he’s irrelevant, let’s continue on.” you wave him off.

you can’t help but compare him to niki. niki was way more genuine and… boyish in a way? he felt real. you preferred that. not to mention he had a much more tolerable presence, you supposed.

everything else in the locker was useless. random crappy notes, perfumes and hand lotions, along with the pictures you already inspected were the only things that decorated your locker. no sign of that ridiculously expensive necklace.

you rub a hand over your face in exasperation. “that’s it…”

one thought still lingered in the back of your mind. where was the necklace?

“hey, y/n, i think we should get going soon. the lights are going to turn off soon-they’re automatic and we didn’t bring any flashlights.”

you sigh. next time.

it feels like you’ve hit a dead end. by the end of the week, niki has caught up on his studies. you were surprised to find that he was quite dedicated to school, even if it didn’t seem like it.

the days that niki came home with a pile of schoolwork and other duties, you went out to think—with one of niki’s hoodies and a mask on. but the times you spent with niki since you couldn’t go out much, mainly at night, were nice.

tutoring him at subjects he was struggling in, learning new dances together (and learning how talented he really was), simply being around him was enough to distract you from your impending crisis.

niki always came to keep you company and bring you food. you really were his eleven.

niki was gaming while you sat off to the side, watching him play. you admired his side profile, the shine from the bright computer screen enhancing his features, the furrow of his eyebrow as he focused.

he yells as his character dies and you can’t hold back your laughter, “you kinda suck-“

all of a sudden, you hear a knock on the door.

“bro, you good? i swear i heard another voice-“

the door handle begins to turn.

you and niki share a look of panic.

your first instinct is to dive and roll, underneath niki’s bed. you ignore the fact that it’s as dusty as you’d expect for a teenage boy’s room and hold your breath.

“mom said dinner is ready. also, what’s with all the noise? it sounded like someone else was in the room with you.” a girls voice—niki’s older sister, you presume.

“nope. just me.”

you cringe at the fact that niki’s voice is octaves higher. it wouldn’t be that much of a problem if his voice wasn’t as deep as it normally was.

“it was just probably the video i was playing.”

“…sure,” you hear his sister’s footsteps as she leaves and shuts the door behind her.

you let out an exhale of relief.

“y/n?” you hear soon after.

“under here.”

you turn to see niki’s head peeking down underneath the bed.

you meet his curious eyes. cute.

“jeez.” he holds a hand out and you gladly accept it, letting him pull you up with ease. huffing, you dust yourself off.

“jeez, indeed. who knows what horrors you’ve been hiding under there.”

“hey,” niki defends himself, “i’ll have you know i am a very clean person and don’t-“

“oh really? then what’s this?” you hold up the sacred item, jerking your hand back as he reaches out to snatch it.

“hey! haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”

he lunges again as you laugh, just keeping it out of his grasp. however, you feel the bed frame hit your legs, and you gasp.

you fall back, niki over you on his bed. he must’ve underestimated his arm-span and overestimated yours.

niki lands over you with a soft grunt, eyes wide. you peer up at him wordlessly. his arms catch him, but it’s still so close you can feel his hair tickle your forehead.

is this what the movies mean when your heart… skips a beat?

niki snaps out of his trance, “s-sorry,” he hastily gets up. you cough, trying to dispel the stuffy atmosphere.

“so, uh, i had an idea.”

“yeah? what’s up?”

“i was thinking we look at the evidence again. i just want to double check something.”

“come on,” you take niki’s hand. it was habitual by this point.

“you got the charger, right?”

niki nods, taking it out of his pocket.

it was risky asking niki’s friend to retrieve the evidence for you again, but you needed to confirm your suspicions. or, hit a dead end.

when niki returns, carefully holding a plastic bag (and dinner, your grumbling stomach reminds you), your eyes zero in on one thing.

“thanks. i know it must be hard for your friend to sneak behind his dad’s back like that.”

“it’s fine,” niki shrugs, “i promised to buy him lunch for the next week.”

you snort as you take out “your” phone and plug it into the charger.

“okay. now we wait.”

niki looks at you expectantly, and you only stare at him back. subconsciously, a hand raises to your face. “is there something wrong?”

he shakes his head while looking away sheepishly, “nothing, nothing.”

you open your mouth to question him further, but the phone screen flashes. you scramble to open it. thankfully you were able to use your own face id.

as soon as you scroll through your messages, your stomach sinks. you raise a hand to cover your mouth.

“what?” niki jumps up, “what did you find?”

you open the photos app, which only confirms everything. you drop the phone, and that’s when niki sees it.

“oh my god.”

“don’t even-“

“i was secretly dating park sunghoon?!”

you cup a hand over your mouth. “i think i’m gonna be sick.”

niki scoffs, taken aback. “b-but how? you- and him-?”

you rub a hand over your face. “don’t ask me. but the valentines gifts and necklace were so suspicious, i started wondering… i just didn’t expect it to be him.”

niki notices the sour expression on your face.

“oh. you don’t like him?”

you shake your head vehemently, “bro, not even if he and i were the last two people on earth.”

you think about your world’s sunghoon and almost shudder. he was selfish, arrogant, could but would never keep a girl for more than two weeks. yet the whole class still loved him and you never understood it, never understood the appeal of him.

besides getting bro-zoned, niki relished your words.

“good to know.”

“i wish i didn’t,” you sigh.

but that was besides the point. you still didn’t know how it all added up. did sunghoon—unfortunately, your boyfriend in this world—have anything to do with your death? did he really get you that expensive necklace?

and as much as you wanted to deny it, you couldn’t rule it out. thinking as rationally and fairly as possible, suicide was likely-as much as you didn’t believe it. you couldn’t rule it out simply based on a feeling. plus, his expression when he passed by your locker lingered in your mind.

“so, now what?” niki watches you carefully.

“you’ve heard of the saying, keep your friends close but your enemies closer, right?”

“yeah,” he cocks an eyebrow, “why?”

“well, i’ve got a task for you.”

niki has never spoken a word to your friend group in his entire life. the most he’s ever done was send a cold look their way and pretend not to know them out in public.

he had nothing against them—nothing against your choice of friends—but he preferred not to associate with your group. he couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just didn’t vibe with them.

and yet here he was, talking to your “friends” because you asked him to. he sighed, the things he did for you.

danielle looks him up and down with her arms crossed. “why are you asking about y/n? since when did you care about them?”

“please,” he sighs in exasperation, “i just need to know if anyone disliked y/n or was acting suspicious around them.”

haerin steps up, an annoyed frown on her face. “there’s no one. can’t you tell this is a touchy subject for us? now, leave us alone.”

she grabs danielle and walks off, angrily whispering into a distressed looking danielle’s ears.

niki wants to punch someone. besides the fact that surrounding people were catching onto his conversation and whispering about the interaction, he essentially got nothing out of it.��

you were also at a dead end. after scrolling through hundreds of disgusting texts and photos of you and sunghoon, there was nothing remotely suspicious. plus, you had to give your phone back to jungwon soon before anyone noticed it was missing.

everything seemed normal. everything was normal. normal until this world’s you suddenly died.

the only lead you had was the missing necklace. and yet where were you supposed to find it? it could be anywhere—in the police’s hands, with sunghoon, most likely gone.

you couldn’t even go out on your own, you felt like a hopeless rapunzel trapped in her tower, desperately wishing for answers and freedom. it was starting to get to you. the stress, homesickness, and most of all, loneliness.

you throw your phone to the side and bury your face in your hands, trying your best to focus on your breathing. you almost don’t realize how long it’s been until you hear a faint call of your name.

“y/n? y/n, what’s wrong?” niki drops his backpack and rushes to your side.

his eyes carefully examine your body, checking for who knows what. you slowly lower your hands, revealing your bloodshot eyes and tear stained face.

what scared niki the most was the lost look in your eyes, a deep and dark pool void of any emotion.

“niki… i don’t think i can do this anymore,” your words float out carefully, like a whisper of the wind.

“i’m trying my hardest, but it’s so frustrating. i miss my home, i miss my life. i miss myself.” as soon as the words leave your mouth, you feel yourself break down. and right as you do so, niki reaches forward to wrap you in an embrace.

“i want to go home,” you whisper in an small voice.

his heart almost breaks at the sight. you sounded like a little kid—you looked like you were a little kid again, as small and curled up you were when he found you. in his eyes, he saw a lost child looking for their parents, their guidance and their own light in the world.

he resolves to never be the cause of your pain again.

niki holds you for the entire night as you cry and drift off to sleep.

you wake up with a headache and a dry throat. you feel hungover, although you’ve basically never drank alcohol before.

somehow, you’re not sure exactly when, you ended up in niki’s bed. as soon as you’re able to sit up, your eyes fall on the clock on the bedside table.

11 am. niki must be at school still, you note.

you wonder what he’s up to, if he was being a good student while you were stuck all alone at his home, skipping your own school. you wonder what life is like back at home. did time even pass?

niki heads home as soon as the bell rings. he wanted to see you, to comfort you and reassure you. he wanted you to be okay.

when he knocks on his own bedroom door and there’s no response, he frowns. all there’s left is a pink sticky note on his desk.

went out for fresh air. don’t worry and don’t look for me.

niki immediately drops his stuff and runs out. he goes to the train station, the bookstore. he even goes back to school, for crying out loud.

he’s breathless and exhausted by the time he’s arrived back home. niki knows his family won’t be back. it was competition season, which meant the busiest time of the year for the other dancers. you were the sole reason he attended school at this time of the year, studying hard instead of skipping and dancing 18 hours each day.

he’s scared.

niki hasn’t felt this feeling in a long time—he can only recall the time where he was six and went to disney world. his older sister was pressuring him into riding one of the larger roller coasters, and he felt that sickening nausea fill him as he looked up at the towering structure.

he almost gives up. he basically has, until he notices something strange. his balcony door is unlocked, and he always kept it locked for safety purposes.

tense, niki reaches out and slowly turns the handle. what greets him is certainly not what he expected.

you sit on the balcony railing, hanging over the edge quite precariously with your feet swinging. one slight mistake and you would fall.

you stare down at the passing cars, cloudy and dreary skies showing you it was soon to rain.

niki stares at you, and you turn around at the sound of the door to stare back, not a single word exchanged.

then you finally break the eye contact, glancing down at your stilled feet. “i wasn’t going to do it.”

he silently moves closer, hopping next to you on the railing as well. “okay.”

you don’t see the tender way his eyes travel over you. your voice is quiet as you speak up, “you don’t have to say anything.”

“okay,” niki repeats.

it’s not said in a sarcastic way. it’s not sad, either. it’s just..... soft. soft and understanding enough to make a blanket of comfort fall around you, to make it known that niki’s presence is here by your side.

suddenly, the rains starts and niki asks if you want to go down. you slowly nod and he helps you safely off the railing before opening the door for you guys go out in the rain.

the rain doesn’t stop.

and niki doesn’t stop either. he grabs your hand, dragging you along with him haphazardly.

“where are we going?” you ask breathlessly.

“out. like most people our age. we’re still kids.”

“wow, i had no idea,” you mutter sarcastically.

he holds back a smile of relief. good to know you were still your usual self.

“you need a break. you’ve been so caught up in this case, you need to rest.”

“but-“

“come on,” he leads you on, “relax. it’ll give you a clear mind, so we can come back with a fresh start.”

you’re hesitant until he pulls up at an arcade. “what if someone sees me? what if they-“

niki places a finger over your lips, silencing you. “we’re here to have fun like everyone else and not give a crap about anything else. now, are you gonna play or are you gonna get your butt kicked by me?”

a challenge was a challenge.

you laugh at niki’s rambunctious side, yelling as he tries to cheat during competitive games and fight over the better toy gun.

“just so you know, i technically won.”

you playfully shove him, “in your dreams. you’re just saying that because you don’t want to-“

you get cut off by the loudest (and most embarrassing) grumble of your stomach. you both look down at your stomach. you look back up, petrified.

niki almost cackles, “i guess that’s a sign.”

“it’s not my fault i fell asleep before eating yesterday,” you pout.

“what do you want to eat?”

“anything. i’m serious.”

niki watches with a fond smile as you quite literally inhale your food.

“eat any faster, and you’ll make a new record.”

you flip him off as he laughs, putting more food onto your plate from his. you can only watch wordlessly, feeling your heart warm. after you finish eating, niki takes your hand again. you glance at him questioningly.

“there’s one last thing i wanted to do,” he mumbles while avoiding your gaze.

“how’s this one?”

you scrunch your nose in distaste at the sight, reaching to place red devil horns on niki’s head.

“i think this one fits you more.”

as he grumbles, you laugh.

“fine, but i get to choose yours.”

he ends up picking a frog headband for you—which you complain to no avail. his reasoning was, “you remind me of a frog. like the princess and the frog.”

you splutter, “but that means-“

“yes. i’m the princess.”

“obviously,” he adds.

in the photo booth, you sit awkwardly. niki cocks an eyebrow.

“i’ve never done this before, so…"

instead of teasing you like you originally assumed, niki only brings you closer. he wraps an arm around you while posing for the camera. you’re frozen, even as the countdown starts. you can barely manage a smile as the camera flashes.

“what now?”

niki glances at the screen, “we still have three more pictures. what poses do you want to do?”

you’re at a loss for words.

niki leans closer again. he makes a half heart with his hand as he looks at you expectantly. “how about a heart pose?”

“o-okay.”

you never felt so suffocated in that photo booth. and yet, you’ve never laughed harder. you’ve never been so happy in your life with someone else.

“hey, this photo came out good!”

“but what happened to the first one?”

you both lean in to get a closer look at the photos that printed, and you end up feeling niki’s breath on your cheek.

it was warm. it was nice to have someone so close to you and still feel comfortable. it was nice to know you were close enough to someone to feel that way.

it was something you had never felt before.

“..-y/n?”

“huh?” you snap out of your trance.

“i said, you can keep this copy.”

you look at the pictures and then at niki. “what? no, it’s fine-“

“i said keep it,” he forcefully shoves the photo into your hand as he quickly heads over to the cashier to pay.

you stand there for a minute, looking at the photos. you guys looked happy. you guys looked good…together. like you were a real couple, or something. you internally chide yourself while taking off your headband. what a silly thought, you brush off.

on the walk back home, you feel utterly satisfied, humming as you match your pace with niki’s.

“when we arrive, i’ll let you in through the back, just to be safe.”

“whatever you say, mr. responsible.”

he ruffles your hair and you swat his hand away in annoyance.

that night was the first night you’ve felt content. almost like you could stay here—like you belonged. you stare up at the dark ceiling, reflecting on the days events.

“niki?”

you hear his bed shift. “yeah?”

“i just wanted to say thanks. for everything. you’ve been providing everything for me, all while helping me on my case. i’m grateful for everything. i don’t know how, but i promise to pay you back one day.”

“what’s with the sudden sappiness?” his tone is teasing, but light. he clears his throat to add, “but yeah, of course.”

“i dunno, i guess i’m just not used to this type of treatment back home.”

“what? what do you mean?”

even in the dark, you can feel inquisitive stare on you.

“i mean, i’m usually left on my own since my parents are working. and my friends, well, they’re nice and all…”

“but you don’t feel a true connection?” he finishes, and you roll over.

“yeah. i don’t really know what my friends are like in this world. who even are my friends? do i even have any?”

niki grimaces.

“uh, yeah. i don’t know if they exist in your world, but have you heard of danielle? and haerin?”

“nope. what are they like?”

he shifts again, and the bed creaks. “you see, i don’t really talk to your friend group. it’s nothing personal, i just don’t want to associate with them.”

“dang, maybe it really is just a me problem, in every life too.”

you hadn’t thought about hanni and hyein since you got here. but danielle and haerin were two new leads. a new start, perhaps.

now that you had more information from niki, you started your research again. specifically, insta-stalking.

your specialty.

niki hands you his phone with a suspicious look when you casually ask for it. you pray he doesn’t hear the sound of blood rushing in your ears or the pounding of your heart.

as he goes to do his night time routine, you quickly tap on the instagram app and search up danielle’s name. it doesn’t take long for you to find her account since niki followed her. checking to make sure he didn’t come out of the bathroom, you scroll through her feed.

and your heart stops when you see it. in the corner of a photo—a picture of her and haerin posing at school in front of their lockers.

that’s your ridiculously expensive bracelet on danielle’s arm. you’re sure of it.

you felt yourself grow nauseous as you quickly turn off niki’s phone as soon as you hear the door turn.

“hey, are you okay? you look like you just saw a ghost..”

you blink and smile, peeking at him innocently, although the dread grows in the pit of your stomach. “huh? no. what are you talking about?”

“what were you doing on my phone?”

you look away sheepishly, “trying to see if i could call my mom?” maybe niki’s acting skills were rubbing off on you.

“oh, and?”

you shake your head, a fake grim expression plastered on your face.

that night, you lay awake staring into the darkness. when you hear niki’s soft snores, you sneak over to his bedside table to retrieve the key. you know you shouldn’t, but you felt this was something you needed to do alone.

you feel like you’re on the edge of the cliff, about to jump into the water. the adrenaline filled you, you were right there-

it was so close.

the next day, you have to pretend everything is okay. you smile when niki greets you good morning, even peck him on the cheek when he tells you he has to stop by the dance studio for the night.

he visibly blushes, stuttering on his words, “w-uh, w-what was that.. for..?”

you shrug, “i’m just proud of you for getting your grades up. it’s your first time back dancing in a while so have fun, okay?”

he nods, beaming as he squeezes your hand goodbye. as he leaves, your smile fades. it felt too normal. it felt too right to imagine having a life with niki, like this everyday.

and knowing what you knew now, it was wrong. it was wrong from the start, and yet you couldn't help yourself fall even deeper. you had to get back into the right mental state. you couldn't keep deluding yourself.

it was time to confront the truth.

you can’t believe you’re sneaking into through the school boy’s bathroom again. the locker key safely stored in your pocket, you find danielle’s locker. the same one from the photo she posted.

this had to be the one. you can only hold your breath and hope as you unlock it.

you quickly scramble through all the stuff, looking for the shiny bracelet. you don’t find it, but when you go to close the locker door in defeat, a crumpled up piece of paper falls onto the floor.

you huff, taking it and opening it up. it’s a picture of sunghoon, you, and danielle, all smiling as you three posed for the camera. but it wasn’t just an ordinary picture—there was a big, red “X” scribbled over your face, with the words “finally done” written next to it.

and hearts next to sunghoon’s face.

horrified, you clap a hand over your mouth.

during a break at the dance studio, niki doesn’t expect to open his instagram app and see danielle’s instagram show up on his recently searched. frowning, he taps on the account. he never cared to pay attention to danielle, so why was her account the last thing searched up?

just out of curiosity, he scrolls through her recent posts.

and then he sees it. something that is so hard to miss. it’s so strikingly familiar.

he rushes home. when niki bursts through the front door, he doesn’t expect to find you missing. and when niki notices his old school uniform and cap gone, his heart drops.

you sit on the floor next to the lockers with your head buried on top of your knees. you’re sure you could get caught, but you don’t care.

the crumpled picture feels heavy in your pocket.

you stay there, staring at the walls until you see the moon shining brightly outside one of the windows. you haven’t eaten or drank anything the whole day. you’re not sure how long it’s been.

“y/n!”

great, now you were hearing things as well?

furious footsteps stomp towards you.

“why did you leave without telling me? you could’ve gotten caught-it could’ve been dangerous?!”

“n-niki?” your eyes widen.

before saying anything else, he pulls you up to your feet.

“why would you come to school without me?”

for some reason, his words sting. you cross your arms, “what? like i can’t take care of myself?”

he groans, “that’s besides the point! if someone saw you—“

“i don’t care! so why do you care so—“

a sound from down the hall cuts you both off. you turn to niki in panic and he curses. “the custodian comes on weekends to clean.”

you hold back a yelp as niki grabs your wrist and pulls you along in the opposite direction.

he pushes through a door and turns to the left. you don’t stop until you’re inside the.. natatorium?

“why are we-“

“there are no cameras here, unlike in the school building. i thought you would’ve known that.”

after he speaks, there’s an awkward silence.

niki sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “well, are you gonna tell me?”

you feel the frustration flow through your veins, “and what about you? you tell me why i have to let you know my every location? why i feel like i can’t take care of myself, l-like a sick, old dog who can’t go anywhere or do anything? i’m sick of it all!”

“you don’t understand,” his voice raises, and you interrupt him, getting closer and closer to him.

“you’re right, i don’t. i don’t understand why you helped me in the first place. you say that you barely knew who i was, yet here you are acting like you care! like you cared about the dead me!”

at this point, his face is so close to yours, you can feel your breaths mix as neither of you back down.

“i do care! of course i care! about you, standing right in front of me!” he clenches his fists. your eyes linger on a single vein on his neck that sticks out due to the intensity. the fire burning in his eyes, your trembling voices, it all makes you falter.

you don’t know what you asked. you know the truth. niki always cared—more than cared. he always went out of his way to search for you, like the day on the balcony and today. he wanted to find you, he wanted to have you in his life,

you realize it now. to put simply, he wanted you.

and this was the first time you felt wanted.

you don’t know what else to do, so you lean in and close the gap to kiss him. and if anything, niki immediately pulls you closer to him.

when you break apart for air, his dark eyes still staring deep into yours, you think he’s gonna lean back in again. but you hear a faint voice sound, growing louder. your eyes both widen. the janitor.

without a second thought, niki pushes you.

he does it lightly, although it’s still enough to make you lose your balance, and for a second you stare back at him, betrayal evident before you fall backwards—

straight into the pool.

your eyes just barely peek open in the water, and then there’s a splash accompanying yours a few seconds later.

he easily swims to you, cupping your cheeks and bringing your lips to his once more. it was a much different experience from just a few seconds ago.

you stay entwined like that together, eyes squeezed shut, until you actually can’t breathe anymore and you have to smack niki’s arm. you both rise to the top, heaving water and air.

after a few seconds of coughing and gathering your bearings, niki’s raspy voice fills the air.

“at least he’s gone. i’ve always wanted to do that.”

you roll your eyes, splashing water back at him in revenge for pushing you earlier. “seriously? after we got almost got caught? we could’ve drowned!”

you splash him again, “also, you could’ve given me a heads up!”

he grins, wiping the running water free from his face. “and where’s the fun in that?”

you shake your head in amazement, “you’re actually an idiot. i can’t believe you, niki.”

“an idiot who saved us from getting caught.”

after returning home together, you sit and enjoy the peaceful silence as niki dries your hair. your mind can’t help but replay the last few moments, from finding the picture at school to kissing niki, and then finally get pushed into the pool. specifically, the kissing part.

growing sleepy at the soft and warm feeling of niki’s hands running through your hair, you almost don’t hear him when he says, “all done.”

you thank him and he looks around awkwardly.

“what is it?” you squint at him.

“well, i wanted to apologize. i didn’t mean to make to feel that way. i was just really worried about you, and i felt hurt you didn’t tell me why you snuck into school again today. did you not trust me? did i do something wrong?”

you soften, eyes falling to the floor.

“i’m so sorry, niki. i didn’t mean to lash out on you. of course i trust you, i just wanted to do something for myself for once. without needing your or anyone else’s help.”

you exhale, “the reason i left today was for this—“ you take the damp, crumpled picture and unfold it as best as you can.

niki’s hands fall to his side. “oh god.”

“it was danielle. she took my bracelet and i-i think she wanted my boyfriend. i know it has to be her.”

“w-what? but how?”

you shake your head. he goes to hug you.

you feel tears brimming at the corner of your eyes, but you won’t waste any tears on her. you pull back to look at niki, with a determined expression on your face.

“you have to catch her and make sure they get what they deserve.”

niki stares at you deeply, “are you sure? because if you are, i won’t stop.”

he wonders why you say you and not we.

at that, you falter.

“no. i never be sure because she is—was my best friend and i will always hold that guilt in me. but you have to do something about it.”

niki’s hold around you tightens, “and what about you?”

you smile, albeit sadly. “you know i can’t stay here, hiding away forever. i don’t belong here. i already existed in your world, and at some point, i have to leave soon. i can feel it.”

it was the same feeling as when you first came here. that day you felt off. the feeling that you don’t belong anywhere, but this time, you feel fulfilled. complete. like you were ready to go back home.

“it’s not something i can explain, but i know it,” you look at him with determined eyes.

and he looks back at you with pained ones.

niki is able to convince jungwon to get his dad to reinvestigate the case again. the picture is given up as evidence, and danielle and haerin are taken in.

the day they confessed out of guilt, you and niki celebrate by sneaking onto your school’s rooftop. the same place where it all started.

it’s a cold and windy night, but you could care less about getting sick. because it was your last day anyway.

you didn’t tell niki, but you had a good feeling—like the world was patting you on the back and saying, “you worked hard.”

the two of you watch the stars, snuggled up and reflecting on how your lives came to be like this. wondering how far away apart your worlds were.

you kiss niki’s cheek, wishing to remember the feeling of being in his arms forever. his scent, his touch, his warmth, you wish you could keep all of it. you smile at him, willing back the tears.

“there was a reason i bumped into you that day, of all people. there was a reason you came into my life, and i came into yours, niki.”

he bites his lip, “y/n... you changed my life. every day with you was better than the last.”

if this was a dream, you wouldn’t want to wake up. you trace his face, so it will remain ingrained in your mind forever, even when you go back to your world.

“what will happen when i leave?” you whisper.

“how will you even get back home?”

you shrug, “i don’t know how, but i know that i will.”

niki laughs, “that’s the y/n i know.”

as he kisses you once more, a star falls across the sky.

the next day, you find a ticket in your bag. a train ticket.

you don’t recall having bought one, and you don’t question niki. you only ask him to take you to the train station.

while walking hand and hand, you reminisce on the past month or so. “will we still remember this once you go back to your world?”

your body trembles, “i don’t know.”

“then… will i ever see you again?”

you don’t want to meet his eyes, because you know you’ll cry.

yes, you want to say. instead, you say, “ i don’t know.”

niki wipes a stray tear on your face. you don’t even know how you reached your stop already.

“this is it,” he says.

but neither of you move.

“don’t worry, even if i don’t remember you, you’ll always be in my heart. we’ll meet in your world,” he reminds you while the tears start falling down both of your faces.

“don’t forget that there’s another me out there to annoy you. you just need to search hard.”

you sniffle, playfully pushing him away as you furiously blink away the tears that blur your vision. you needed to soak up the sight of him as much of him as you could.

“i promise i’ll find you again.”

he holds onto you until the very end, until you slip out of his grasp once more.

crossing the platform into the train while giving him one last, slow wave was painful. the last thing you can think of is the fact that you never knew. you never asked for niki’s full name. his real one.

you never knew niki’s name.

and then everything fades into nothing.

that’s the last time niki ever sees you. the train passes by in a flash, blowing his bangs across his face while he tries his best to keep that fake smile on his face for you—all for you before you go.

then, you’re gone.

in those seconds as the train passes, niki knows exactly why he did it. why he helped you through all of it, through everything together.

all because you were there in class. you never looked at him, but he looked at you. he saw all of you, everyday—even if you didn’t know it. all your quirks and habits that he couldn’t help but find cute. you made his days interesting.

but he was the coward for never approaching you. that was his fault because one day, you weren’t there anymore.

and he had to pretend like nothing happened. on the outside, that’s how it was. even if he felt the slightest connection, tiniest pull towards you, you were still strangers.

you were strangers until you knocked into him on the train platform.

niki had to be selfish. he thinks it could have been fate that he saw you again, but now he’s just left with the lingering regret and feelings. those memories flash past like the train does. they come and go in the blink of an eye- a split second.

when the train is gone, niki frowns and wonders why he’s standing there.

he also wonders why it feels like there’s a piece of his heart missing.

after that, he attends your funeral in his world. it was an open funeral to everyone who wanted to come- classmates, friends, and him. niki didn’t even know you that well, but he get this unexpalaniable urge that he should go- he needs to go. he brings flowers and gets to see you one last time.

when niki sees the picture of your serene face, he can’t help but get this sense of peace, like everything’s resolved.

and then he’s free.

epilogue...

you sigh, trudging along the walkway on the way to work. looking at your surroundings, you were getting major deja vu. but at this point, you were used to having episodes like that.

there were many, many times where some things simply felt so familiar. but it was like your memory was wiped and you couldn’t remember why. some times you had flashes of an adventure, a feeling of mystery, a boy.

ever since some day in high school, it just happened. and from then on, you’ve always felt like something was missing. or wrong. you can’t tell. it became a part of you, to the point where you almost forgot about it. that feeling of misbelonging, being just out of reach. it’s strange, like a weird occurrence that makes you want to open your third eye or whatever to find out more.

even after graduating, it never left you.

you being so lost in your thoughts, fail to notice when you bump into someone coming off the train you were about to get onto.

“i’m sorry,” you quickly apologize, but you soon falter when you meet eyes with sparkling brown ones. weirdly enough, they draw you in.

they were familiar, you’ve certainly seen them somewhere. the moment lasts for a while, with the two of you standing still in the middle of the passway, staring at each other.

you slowly smile, extending a hand. “i apologize if i’m mistaken, but have we met before?”

he stares at you too, confused yet enthralled.

“i-i think you may be mistaken,” he starts hesitantly and you begin to apologize.

“are you sure?“ you quickly introduce yourself, “and you?”

you swore you were not such a desperate person, but you couldn’t help it, not this time and definitely not in front of this particularly alluring guy.

“me?”

he takes a quick glance at you before taking your hand with a small smile.

“my name is nishimura riki.”

first i wanted to say thank you for reading! this was a rough time coming, and i wanted to apologize for the long wait. this has actually been a wip of mine for years and i finally was able to finish it with riki after months and months of writing. this past year has been the worst one so far, but i'm just grateful to still be here. just feeling super appreciative for those who stuck with me and waited patiently. thank you. can't wait to see you guys again soon with the next oneshot (hint hint)!

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