30th July 2016

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D-Day.

 

It was finally the day of the school fair. Everyone involved was told to report early afternoon to set everything up since the fair starts in the evening - orders from Junmyeon. This year it was organized to be at the huge school field. You were already at your class’s designated area, helping out with the photo booth when you felt a weight on at the back of your head. You froze and wondered who it was. “Uhmm, who’s that?” You asked.

 

You heard a grumble before an arm wrapped around your shoulders. You squeaked feeling your back colliding with a well-toned chest, the warmth radiating was familiar and you had a really good guess of who it is. “It’s me, just...let me rest for a while.” The said male mumbled his breath tickling the back of your neck causing you to flush a little. Your guess was right, it was Jongin. You released the tension from your body and your shoulders sag. His body heat was so so hot you could feel it through your clothes. You tried to stay still for a moment or two before growing worried because Jongin didn’t seem to be feeling well - his body way hotter than usual. You decided to slowly pull away to take a look at his condition. Your eyes gazed on his face and looked fine, just a little pale. When you reached up to place a hand on his forehead he didn’t seem to be burning up. He just looked really tired with his eyes barely open and he leaned into your touch.

 

“Do you feel sick?” You asked and Jongin let out a whine when you pulled your hand away.

 

He didn’t respond but simply grumbled in response. He looks like he could use some sleep “Didn’t sleep well last night?” You tried and you placed a hand on his chest to stop him from actually resting his chin on your head.

 

He sighed out of frustration; eyes still closed shut, “Yeah…”

You moved your hand to his arms for support before looking around to find a spot for him to sit and then your eyes caught sight of a small tent pitched behind your class’s booth. The tent was big enough to stand in but it could probably sleep in only three adults. You tugged on Jongin’s arm and cautiously brought him over so that he could rest. You didn’t bother zipping up the tent since it wasn’t necessary - it was almost dark out anyways. Jongin plopped down and sat crossed legged, swaying left and right.

 

“Hey Haewon, are you done with the props?” Soojung came by and stopped abruptly only to stare at Jongin, “Whoa, Jongin, are you okay? Something wrong?”

 

You handed him a bottle of water from the supply box and turned to Soojung, “He’s not feeling too good; I’ll let Ms Jang know. The props are done; I placed them on the table. Can you look after him for a while though? I’ll be quick.” You were about to stand up and head over to look for Ms Jang when Jongin’s hand firmly grabbed onto your wrist. You jerked and glanced down to see his shiny dark orbs staring at you, eyes almost pleading.

 

“Stay.” It came out barely audible but you heard it crystal clear.

 

A tingly warm feeling spread across your whole body from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and you froze there - staring back dumbly at him before managing your voice to work again “But...I need to tell Ms Jang that yo-”

 

“It’s okay!” Soojung piped in raising her hand a little as if she’s answering a question in class, “I’ll do that for you! You should stay with him Wonnie, in case he needs anything.” She sent you a quick wink and walked out of the tent.

 

Everyone else was busy preparing and getting ready for the opening. There were a bunch of exciting booths set up by the students - food, games, workshops and other fun activities everyone could enjoy. You had settled down next to Jongin while he was clearly uncomfortable. He was constantly fidgeting and groaning as though in pain which made you worried. You had suggested sending him back home but he was pretty stubborn and refused to leave; insisting that he simply needed a few more minutes of rest and he’ll be better. One by one, your classmates started looking for you but every time someone tried to ask you for help, Jongin howls in pain and practically snarls at them. You didn’t know what to do since it was weird of Jongin to be this way. It wasn’t until an hour later; you looked up from your phone to check on Jongin only to see him lying on his side, curled up in a ball sound asleep.

 

He must have been really tired.. You thought.

 

“Haewon!” Another classmate came looking for you and you jerked hoping it didn’t wake Jongin up. You placed a finger on your lips as an indication to stay quiet, the girl understood and you slowly stood up. You took one last glance at Jongin’s sleeping figure before sneaking out of the tent. The fair had started half an hour ago and the sun had fully submerged into the horizon. You were trying to rearrange the props and thanking the customers when you felt a tap on the shoulder.

 

“Boo!” Baekhyun had a cheesy grin plastered on his face and his hands were held up as if to look ‘scary’. He was wearing a costume - a worn out tuxedo with a dark cape attached, face pale and dark smoky eye shadows around his eyes for an added dramatic effect. You could have still guessed what he was supposed to be even without the vampire fangs protruding out between his lips. “Do I look scary enough?” He posed for you, eyebrows wiggling playfully making you laugh.

 

“You look awesome.” You smiled at him before spotting Kyungsoo walking towards the two of you. You almost burst out laughing because never in your life had you seen Kyungsoo this...miserable. He had his hair messed and styled up revealing his forehead, face painted a faint murky green, eyeliner framing his eyes and a bunch of scar details made from makeup all over his face. His clothes were ripped here and there. And the funniest part was that he was clearly not amused.

 

He stood in front of you still sulking and sent a glare at Baekhyun. You exchanged knowing looks with Baekhyun and the two of you burst out in a fit of laughter causing Kyungsoo’s scowl to deepen. His brows scrunching up even more. “Funny guys, real funny. Go ahead and laugh. It makes me feel loads better.” Sassy Kyungsoo had always been fun to tease.

 

You were trying to catch your breath leaning onto Baekhyun wanting to get your words out still stifling giggled behind your hand, “You look amazing too Oppa.”

 

Kyungsoo huffed in annoyance and your breathing was slowly getting back to normal. “Baekhyun made me do it.” Kyungsoo was so close to pouting.

 

Baekhyun slung his arm around his friend and pat his chest lightly. “Hey, don’t blame it on me! We needed more people in the haunted house, besides; all you have to do is chase them to the exit. You’re really good at scaring people anyways, Zombie Soo~”

 

That made you laugh again but immediately contained it when Kyungsoo glared at you.

“Lighten up oppa, you look amazing. Probably would make loads of money once the girls hear they’ll be chased by a handsome zombie~”

 

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes but smiled a little at the comment before snorting, “Handsome zombie.” You grinned feeling good since you brought a smile to his face again.
 

Just then Baekhyun jumped, “Oh! Wonnie! You have to drop by our haunted house later! We have these really cool masks that you and Jongin could try on…but” He stopped his words and looked around, confused, “...where’s prince charming?”

 

At the mention of the male’s name, Kyungsoo’s mood was depleting again. However, it was not noticed by you nor Baekhyun and you replied with a little frown, “He’s not feeling too good so I had him nap in our class tent.”

 

“Aww, hopefully he’ll be better soon...” Baekhyun pouted, “Those masks would make him into a real prince charming.”

 

A voice, probably a classmate, hollered and called out to Baekhyun and Kyungsoo telling them to report to their places. Baekhyun ran off with a quick ‘see you later Wonnie~’ but Kyungsoo lingered around you for a while. You watched him avoid your gaze looking a little shy for a second before he was clearing his throat. You expectantly waited for him to say something. “Uhm, drop by later okay? And…” He paused trying to find the right words, “Don’t...don’t freak yourself out too much.”

 

You felt touched - almost to tears. Kyungsoo remembers everything about you and you felt your heart tug again. He knew you didn’t like being in the dark too much, or Halloween for that matter. You were easily jumpy and scared, vulnerable even. He knew that you didn’t like to admit it sometimes because it made you seem weak. But Kyungsoo always knew the right words to make you feel better. “I won’t.”

 

*

 

It was close to 9pm when you were done with your shift at your class’s photo booth. You had occasionally checked on Jongin only to find him still fast asleep - It’s been hours. You covered him with a blanket Mrs Jang had given you and then placed another bottle of water next to him just in case he needed something to drink when he wakes up. You snuck back out of the tent and decided to join Soojung who was standing by the props table; it was her shift.

 

“Soojungie~”

 

You singsong and pulled her arm around yourself simultaneously. Soojung welcomed you in her embrace and squeezed you closer, “You know you should head over to see the other booths, you wouldn’t want to hang around here all night and not enjoy yourself. Go munch on something and have fun.”

 

You gave it a thought for a bit before realizing you still hadn’t stopped by to visit Kyungsoo and Baekhyun yet. After much thinking, you told Soojung you’ll be back before closing time to help with the packing and went on your way to the haunted house. The whole school fair felt festive. Everything about the place screamed Halloween even though it was a few days early and you made a mental note to praise the student council for all the decorations and planning. You passed by a few game booths where kids were running around with their parents tailing behind. Everyone seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves that you got lost in the moment. Hearing the sounds of laughter and joy made you feel good - and also the reminder that this fair was to help those in need. You felt accomplished in a way.

 

The one thing that definitely stood out in the whole fair was of course, the haunted house - prepared by Kyungsoo’s class. They really outdid themselves with that one, probably because it was their last year in high school wanting to make every moment count. Also, since Junmyeon was also in their class, of course they would be the best. They had turned the first floor of the school, a few corridors and classes into their personal haunted house. Throw in a few students with scary costumes, decorations, switch off the lights and insert a creepy background sound and voilà! It’s a haunted house! Chill ran down your spine as you shivered at the thought of being alone in there. It was just a no-no for you. You shook your head as though you could literally shake of the thought and wrapped your arms around your body suddenly feeling cold.

 

“Excuse me!” A girl with a striking red wig called out to you, with her was a few other girls with similar outstanding wig colours. Were they trying to cosplay some anime characters?

 

“We would like you to participate in our game!” Another girl spoke with a smile, “Don’t worry it’s very easy!”. You didn’t plan on participating in anything since you would rather watch others play. As politely as you could, you decline the offer but the red wig girl stopped you with a sad face on, “You’d just have to put on this blindfold. Please? Our booth is just nearby!”

 

You started to feel bad, they looked like they were from the first year - probably doing some fortune telling or something for their class activity. You found yourself nodding your head and the girls were delighted to have you accepting their invitation.

“Alright, stay calm, we’re just going to put the blindfold on you.” Red wig said.

 

*

 

Kyungsoo was among his classmates, chatting and joking around when suddenly a guy ran up to him yelling his name so loud it had everyone’s attention. He realized it’s one of those new kids from his club and raised a brow to why the male looked a mess.

“Oi Sehun why do you look like you just saw ghost?” One of them snickered causing everyone to burst out laughing. Kyungsoo patted the younger on the back while he bent over to catch his breath. “Kyungsoo hyung! I came running here as fast as I can.” Sehun panted.

 

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo’s brows pinched together, confused to why Sehun sounds panicky.

 

“I-” He coughed and took a deep breath before trying again, “I heard a bunch girls planning...they wanted to lock someone up in the haunted house to scare some girl they hate.” A bunch of them gasped and jumped onto their feet.

 

“But the Haunted house is off limits to others, only our class gets access to it! Junmyeon made sure of it!” A classmate named Minseok blurted out, “We closed down the Haunted house an hour ago, since the lights weren’t working too well. It kept blinking on and off.”

 

“Yeah! They can’t get in even if they want to!”

 

Kyungsoo’s brows were still pinched together, “Wait, Sehun, why didn’t you inform Junmyeon instead?”

 

“I tried to look for Junmyeon hyung but he was nowhere to be found! I ran around looking just now. Then I realized the girls were freshmen and they were wearing these wacky wigs. So I followed them and I didn’t get there on time because the crowds were -blocking me but when I saw them heading to the school building, I realize...” Sehun was a blabbering mess, “It was Haewon. They took Haewon into the haunted house! I just ran here as fast as I could to tell you!”

 

“What?!”

 

*

 

You held onto the two girls (one wearing a hot pink and the other a neon green-ish wig) beside you as red wig girl placed the blindfold over your eyes and secured it behind your head. You were in total darkness as you allowed them to guide you to wherever this game was going to be held at. You grew tense when you heard scary music playing. “It’s okay, it is just for added effect,” One of them said and you tried to remain calm but your muscles were still tense. Your heart was pumping so loudly and you were positive you were about to trip and fall with each step you take.

You heard a squeak door open and you were relieved thinking it would end soon. That they would take off the blindfold and you can get on with playing whatever game they had and then head over to find Kyungsoo. The two girls by your side released their grip and you staggered a little. “Don’t pull your blindfold out yet. I want you to count to 10 as slowly as you can.” You heard a voice from the left and blindly reached your arm out to feel around.

 

Softly, you counted to 10 under your breath but by the time you hit 8 a loud slam was heard,  causing you to jerk violently. There was a click of a lock and you panicked. “Hello?” You called out. You heard cackles of laughter from a distant - slowly fading into the background. Confused and lost you untied the blindfold and looked around. You were alone in a dark room filled with props and mannequins. Your eyes widened and your knees grew weak causing you to wobble a little before running to the nearest door which was the fire escape route. It was locked.

“Let me out!” you screamed but the girls had no plans on doing that.  You banged on the door only to hear more laughter and you frantically looked around.

 

There was another door at the other end of the room and you tried the doorknob, it clicked open. You stumbled out of the room only to lead yourself into the first floor corridor of the school, it was the haunted house. The creepy music and darkness was making your brain go haywire and you couldn’t think straight. Suddenly a bang came from the right end of the corridor and your body instinctively moved to the left, running as fast as you can. You turned into another dark hallway and saw all the creepy props scattered throughout. Spider webs, loose strings falling from the ceiling and blinking lights. You didn’t know if you were alone but you were terrified. Your legs wouldn’t move as you stared at the seemingly endless corridor.

 

Help...someone….

 

Your breathing started to get laboured and your fingers turning cold. Heart beating fast and there’s no one there to help you. Kyungsoo oppa….

 

A light shone next to you and a figure with blood flowing out of its mouth was staring right at you behind the classroom window. You released a loud high pitched screamed before sprinting forward again. Tears were trickling down your face in fear. You shut your eyes wanting to get out of there. You didn’t notice a pile of props that was left on the floor and you tripped on it, falling down and hurting yourself in the process. Your ankle felt like it was twisted. Your groans were muffled by a sob trying to endure the pain. The creepy music felt as though it was right next to your ears. Another bang was heard and your sobs grew louder. Your ankle was throbbing in pain and your body was shivering from fright. Shutting your eyes tight and palms pressed against your ears not knowing what else to do.

 

“HELP ME!”  

 

“Haewon-ah!”

 

Afterwards, you heard glass shattering from a nearby classroom window. A shadow swiftly made its way into the building emitting a deep menacing growl. The next thing you know you felt arms wrapped around your figure - warm and secure. “I’ve got you…” Your eyes shot open at the voice and pull slightly away to see Jongin’s eyes staring intently at you, “I’ve got you now, don’t worry.” Relief spread across your chest as you clung onto Jongin again not caring about anything else at the moment. You were craving to feel safe and right then, Jongin’s arms felt the safest. Your body was still trembling and Jongin gently your back.

 

“Haewon-ah!” A voice rang from the end of the corridor.

 

Jongin’s strong arms slipped under your knees and around your shoulders and naturally your arms circled around his neck. Carefully, he held you up and you snuggled into his warmth with tears wetting his shirt. Jongin heard footsteps frantically running towards the two of you and glanced to the side. Do Kyungsoo stood there, breathing ragged and eyes filled with worry. The two made eye contact and Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at Jongin before noticing that you were in his arms. “Haewon…” He called out, though his voice was too weak feeling relieved that you were safe but at the same time his fist was clenched so hard his nails were digging into his skin at the sight of Jongin.

 

“Yah! Kyungsoo wait up!” Another voice yelled down the corridor. Jongin’s eyes flashed yellow before he moved to the shattered window and leaped into the night.  

 

*

 

You felt the cold night wind brushing against your skin as Jongin ran and ran and ran.  He had no idea where he was heading to but he was seeking a safe zone. After a while, he finally slowed down and settled you down on your own legs, causing you to wince a little from the pressure on your injured ankle. You raised your head from his shoulder and looked around. There were nothing but trees surrounding the area. The half-moon shining brightly above your heads. You were confused, “Where are we Jongin?”

 

You were expecting a reply but Jongin kept silent. You looked up to him, realizing your arms were still holding onto him. His face was so close you forgot to breathe momentarily. You couldn’t help but notice the little details. His eyes were glistening with emotion, eyebrows furrowed and soft pants were huffing out of his plump lips. He had always been so warm despite the night being so cold. Jongin’s right hand came up to cup your cheek and his thumb gently ran across your cheekbones, your tears had dried up. Your body was frozen against his and your mind was still trying to comprehend what was happening.

 

“I heard you scream…” He sounded broken and it made you frown, “I was worried you got hurt again.”

 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He leaned in so that his forehead gently touched yours and he breathed out, feeling slightly relieved. “I was so so worried.”

 

Your heart was hammering against your chest at the proximity. He was so close you could feel his every breath tickling your skin; maybe even count the number of eyelashes he has if your brain wasn’t failing you at the moment. It was so much warmer than any other time he has held you. You felt light headed at the attention. Jongin’s hands held onto the sides of your arms and slowly dragged down before slipping his hands into yours. His grip was firm yet it wasn’t hurting you in any way. You were getting more and more confused by the second. Your heart was beating like crazy and you felt something fuzzy in your stomach. There was that pull again and your mind was screaming. Something deep inside was starting to ignite.

 

“I’m okay now Jongin,” You tried to reassure both yourself and him, “Thank you for saving me...again.” You smiled at the thought feeling touched.

 

Jongin’s eyes fluttered opened and stared straight into yours. The atmosphere turned heavy. There were so much emotion in Jongin’s eyes as though they were trying to tell you something but you couldn’t decipher it. You watched as his eyes shifted down to your lips. You felt yourself freeze only then realizing at how intimate the situation was but you didn’t want to pull away - not right now. You never knew you need it but somehow you wanted this to happen, you were craving for Jongin’s touch.

Jongin inched closer still eyeing on your lips and you were anticipating so much. But just as your lips were about to brush against each other, a loud howl echoed into the night causing Jongin to abruptly jerk back and looked up into the sky. You followed suit and wondered if there were wolves in the area. His emotions changed drastically and he seemed restless. He searched the sky for a few minutes seemingly distressed and you felt confused again. “I have to go. I’ll take you back to the fair.”

 

Without another word said, he took you in his arms and ran again. It took a few minutes and as soon as Jongin placed you down at the entrance of the school fair, he gave you one last look before running off to who knows where. A wave of disappointment hit you as you felt the cold air hit your body already missing Jongin’s warm body against yours. You mentally slapped yourself and felt your cheeks heating up when you realized that Jongin almost tried to kiss you - and it was made your insides go crazy.

 

It was already closing time and you slowly limped your way back to the photo booth. Your classmates were sitting around while others were busy packing up. Soojung was nervously pacing around and Baekhyun looked like he was in a mess, still in his vampire costume but his makeup was smeared here and there. Junmyeon was talking to Ms Jang nearby then your eyes landed onto Kyungsoo who had his phone in his hands looking frustrated.

Soojung was the first to spot you and instantly ran to you - pulling you into a tight hug. The others turned and everyone sighed in relief to see you safe and sound. Baekhyun came next and crushed your body into his embrace. “We were going crazy trying to find you. God, don’t ever do that again.” He murmured into your hair. You hugged him back burying your face in his chest, “I’m sorry.”

 

“No! We’re sorry!” He pulled away and held his hands on your cheeks and hissed, “Those freshmen es will pay for doing that! How dare they mess with you?! I oughta slaughter them like pigs.” An angry Baekhyun was still a cute Baekhyun you noted finding yourself almost giggling at his words.

 

Then, Baekhyun was shoved aside and Kyungsoo came into view, a very pissed Do Kyungsoo. His face was so red you thought he was going to blow up. There were only a few times that you’ve seen this side of him because he had always been calm and composed in almost every situation. If he was this pissed, it only meant that you were in deep trouble.

 

“Where were you?” His voice filled with monotonous but it held venom. You didn’t have a chance to talk, words stuck in your throat before he was yelling again, “You had everyone worried sick! How could you be so stupid and followed those freshmen? Why would you even do that?! I almost died of frustration trying to call you! Where the hell is your phone?!”

 

He was almost towering over you, breathing heavily. He had never yelled at you before. Not once his piercing gaze left yours and you dared not breathe nor look away. The sweet Kyungsoo was out of the picture and you’ve never liked seeing him angry - even if it wasn’t directed at you. Your words die at the tip of your tongue, not knowing what to say. You didn’t have an excuse.

 

“Soo...you’re scaring her.” Baekhyun tried to stop him but Kyungsoo didn’t budge.

 

Junmyeon came into the picture and pulled Kyungsoo back slightly by force. “Give her some space Kyungsoo. It wasn’t her fault.”

 

Tears prickled your eyes and Kyungsoo’s face fell. You tried hard to fight back your tears but you couldn’t help but feel that Kyungsoo was right. You had become a burden and made everyone worried. You angrily wiped off your tears, not wanting to cry in front of everyone especially since you were at fault. Arms wrapped around your body and buried your face into Kyungsoo’s chest. He held a hand behind your head, it lightly.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. I’m a jerk, don’t cry. I...I was so worried.”

 

You clenched your hands into Kyungsoo’s shirt and sobbed into his chest. You mumbled out apologies continuously as though it was a chant. Baekhyun then came and wrapped his arms around the both of you. “What matters right now is that you’re safe.” Soon Soojung joined in and softly patted your back. “We all love you Haewon-ah.”

 

“Let’s pack up and call it a night,” Junmyeon decided. Everyone agreed, too exhausted - wanting to head home and rest.

 

*

 

Kyungsoo had insisted on walking you home stating that your ankle was still injured and it’s too late for girls to be walking home alone. Your ankle was treated and bandaged by the school nurse, luckily it wasn’t broken - just a little swollen. You noticed that it’s been awhile since the two of you spent time alone together. The bus ride home was spent listening to your song and enjoying each other’s presence. He walked by your side, the narrow pathway to your house wasn’t really well lit at night so Kyungsoo stayed close. It was quiet the whole time till Kyungsoo noticed something. “Where did Jongin go after he left?”

 

You shrugged your shoulders, kicking a stone on the pavement “I don’t know. He simply...left.”

 

Silence filled the void again and this time Kyungsoo’s gears were working in his head. You stopped outside your door and looked at him, brows furrowed in deep thought.

 

“Something wrong?” You nudged him.
 

Kyungsoo snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head, “Nothing… I was just thinking.”

You raised a brow and gave him a pointed look. “You’re obviously lying oppa, something bothering you?”

 

It made Kyungsoo smile somehow,“You know me so well.”
You flushed. Then his brows furrowed again, “It’s just that, Jongin’s kind of weird. I don’t like the way he’s been looking at you these days. Like you're a piece of meat or something.”

 

You were taken aback by his words and thought about it for a second before giving a reassuring smile. “You’re just overthinking oppa. He saved me remember? He wouldn’t hurt me.”

 

Kyungsoo still seemed skeptical but let the conversation die down. He glanced at your house and saw that the lights were out. “Promise me you’ll be more careful from now on.”

 

You grinned and held up your pinkie finger, “I pinkie promise!”

 

Kyungsoo’s lips tugged into a smile again and laced his own pinkie with yours. The two of you were stupidly grinning at each other before you pulled away and unlocked your door. “I’ll be going in now. Goodnight oppa.”

 

“Goodnight…” sweet dreams.

 

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