"I can't take this anymore

I keep getting deeper and deeper

Let me breathe."

ENTRY NUMBER ONE

"Untitled" - SandyLy

unspecified

We locked eye contact for a brief moment. I can’t look at you without hurting inside. I’m ruined. You shouldn’t have said those words to me. They pierce through my heart. Just tear off the truth, and cover the lie. I need you…why are you so cold? Why can’t I have you? You’re my everything. Why do I fall in love and get hurt alone? Why do I still love you, still need you, even though you’re going to hurt me again? I’m just an idiot. My own heart, thoughts, mind, they all don’t belong to me anymore. Why does it have to be you who hurt me? Why can’t I forget you? I don’t know why I still remember all our memories that were like a living hell. You were playing around with me. Thanks to you, the side of me that used to be able to laugh doesn’t exist anymore. Love is a joke to me now. I tried everything to forget you, and hoped you would regret it all when you saw me. But, I can't forget you. When I close my eyes, I still see us. You were the light that shined on me, leading me to the right place. I’ll deeply retain the times we had together. Even if pain comes over time, I'll wait for you. I won't ever love someone else. In the end, all I had left was the promise we made, which doesn’t exist now. I hate you...but I love you.

ENTRY NUMBER TWO

"Unreciprocated" - SavorySins

Taeyang centric

“NO! Don't you understand!?! I'm in love with you! Madly, in love with you to the point of insanity! I don't know up from down when I'm around you, and I can barely fu…”

The younger stopped dead in his tracks. His not so silent ranting gone too far. His confession out in the open.

For years, he'd managed to hide his feelings but this had pushed him too far. All these years, he'd suffered in silence. Suffocating from a love never to be returned and now, he was expected to put his brightest smile and play best man. Giving the love of his life away to another.

He didn't think he could…

In fact, he knew he couldn't. 

He takes a deep breath and looks the elder in his eyes, because let's be honest, what else is he to do and begins to speak again:

“I can't.”

“Why not?”

“It wouldn't be fair to either of us. I know you heard me. I love you.”

“And I lo--”

“NO! More than friends. I don't know when, or how, or why. But I am and I can't help it and day by day I die a little because this isn't “right.” It's not supposed to happen this way. 

I was supposed to love a WOMAN. 

Marry a WOMAN. 

Start a family with a WOMAN, and I can't because I'm in love with my best friend and HE'S about to marry A WOMAN.

So, no, I can't. But congratulations, Youngbae.”

ENTRY NUMBER THREE

"Vanilla" - HeeChild

unspecific

 "Do you believe your broken wings can catch you, little bird?" 

They were the last words that I heard another sentient being utter before I was pushed over the edge of the cliff, falling toward what, I assumed, was certain death in the roaring and thrashing water below, rebelling against the rock walls that contained it, trapped it, and eager to tear me apart. The wind whistled around me, my skin gently only for a moment before dragging rough, burning hands along my skin and tugging my hair with malicious fingers. 

'What wings,' I thought as my eyes slid shut and I clenched my fists. 'I have no wings, and was born without wings.'

The water calmed for one moment, and I sensed a lingering (or was it longing?) presence beneath the surface only for a short, fleeting moment before that sensation disappeared and the water began fighting again to break down the walls around it once again.

Moments before I was seized by the water's rage, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist and the smell of vanilla flooded my senses as my descent abruptly halted. I screamed, from shock, from terror, from relief, and opened my eyes to find myself staring into endless, melancholy crimson depths. 

The tiny girl smiled at me, as though she wasn't about half my size and she wasn't the only one keeping us from falling to our deaths, and said, 

"It's nice to see you kept your promise to live, jagi."

ENTRY NUMBER FOUR

"Untitled" - AnjuHimeChan

unpecific

 He could feel the pull. With every breath he took it was getting stronger.. Drawing him deeper and deeper. He couldn't get out.

“What are you doing?”

He opened his eyes. Before him lay the endless widths of the sea. Calm and soothing, yet so incredible dangerous. How could beauty hide such a monster..?

The last rays of sunlight were reflected in his distant eyes. He let the wind caress his skin, listened to the bewitching whispers of life and death.

“Why..?”

It was suffocating. Painful..

“Please.”

His words were quiet. Carried away to the blue depth. He couldn't take it anymore.

“Don't leave me here. I don't want to be alone..”

He could see it. The beloved face of what had been taken away so cruelly.

“Please let me go..”

Tears rolled down rosy cheeks. It hurt so much..

 The face looked at him betrayed. They were promised to be together forever. How could he say to let go..?

“I can't follow you there.”

As much as he didn't want to believe what he said, it was the truth. They both knew it. But one still didn't want to accept it.

“I'm sorry.. Please, let me breath..”

The face finally showed understanding, filled with sadness. He felt the pressure leave his lungs. With sobs that were swallowed by the hungry waves he fell onto his knees.

“I'm so sorry...”

Eyes closed and a small smile appeared.

“Goodbye.. My love.”

ENTRY NUMBER FIVE

"Breath Again" - kimkimsara

Taeyeon+Tiffany

 “Taeyeon-ah…” The soft voice took Taeyeon’s breath away. She jerked her head up to face the voice’s owner. Your voice is the greatest melody in my life.

A pair of eyes formed into crescents, locking her gaze and she lost another chance to breath. Even the moon loses its beauty to your eye smile.

A toothy grin plastered on the flawless face. Taeyeon held her breath. Nothing is perfect but you.

“Thanks for the dinner.” A gentle tap on her arm sent shivers down to her spine.

“You’re welcome, Fany-ah.” A shy smile was drawn on Taeyeon’s face.

Tiffany’s hand reached the doorknob but did not open it yet. “Are you okay?”

Still smiling, Taeyeon gave a nod as an answer. [How can I be okay if this feeling keeps growing and makes me suffocating?]

“I will see you tomorrow. Get enough rest, okay?”

Another timid nod answered Tiffany.

Tiffany smiled at the cute response and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on the cheek. “Good night.”

Time stopped and Taeyeon was barely breathing.

A soft chuckle was heard followed by the sweet voice. “Breath Taetae.”

How can I breath, Fany?

“Fany?” 

This feeling is suffocating.

“Yes?”

I need to breath.

“I like you.”

Please let me breath.

The silence engulfed.

“I thought you would never say that.”

What do you mean, Fany?

“Hmmm...”

That’s all?

“So, what’s next?”

Taeyeon put her last breath into the sentence. “B-be mine?”

“Yes.”

And with that simple ‘yes’, Taeyeon could finally breath again.

ENTRY NUMBER SIX

"Drowning" - gaksitalGaksital

Jaejoong centric

 The first time he met her was during a halcyon day, when the sun would glitter off her boundless waves and she was calm while he sailed the shimmering blue of her horizon. 

It was not long before Jaejoong was enchanted by her temperamental expressions, because he wished to be free but she wished to trap him in the rage of her storms. However, he should have known better when she lured him in and he crashed into the blackened water, sinking further in her vindictive nature. 

He sank deeper within the ocean of her love. Waves pushed him out and pulled him back in. He became surrounded by her ferocious seas, with nothing to hold onto but the dwindling pieces of his fragile sanity. She slowly corroded his heart with the acid of her currents, and her love transformed into a vengeful anger. 

Oh how her sickening, inky words filled his lungs -- and he could not breathe! She circulated through his veins, poisoning him so that he forgot who he was, the very meaning of existence, the honour of identity. 

Jaejoong sank slower down the blackness of her ocean. There was no escape because how could one escape from love? 

A beam of light from the surface glimmered and he recalled who he was: he was Jaejoong, not another wave that she possessed. He learned to swim his way out of her whirlpool turbulence, away from the darkness of her envy, until finally;

he reached the shore of salvation. 

ENTRY NUMBER SEVEN

"Dosirak" - kitkat2099

unspecified

 I saw you sitting at the table having already purchased and eaten your lunch and my heart dropped a little. You know I always bring you a lunchbox. I sat down across from you and pushed the carefully packed lunch in your direction anyway. The frown you gave me made my heart drop.

“You don’t have to keep making these,” you said as you pushed it back towards me. “I don’t need them. I can get my own lunch, hyung.”

“You don’t have to eat it now, but I made it for you, take it to eat later then,” I replied with a small but hopeful smile. I could only sit and watch as you got up and walked away leaving the meal I packed you with so much care, leaving me without a single glance back.

I let you go, gave you the space you desired. I didn’t realize that my love had become so smothering to you. I only watched as you moved on and lived your life without me. Until the day you knocked on my door.

I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there, frozen and unsure. Then the texts from you started to come through on my phone.

-Please let me in.

-I know you are there.

-“I’m sorry, Jagiya.

-Can you ever forgive me?

-I miss you.

-I still love you.

My head is spinning. I don’t know what to do. Am I still to hurt to let you back in?

ENTRY NUMBER EIGHT

"Madness" - epicbrat

unspecified 

 “I want to cry. I want to ing cry.” I say to the moon, throat constricted.

I can’t take this anymore. 

The crippling anxiety.

The loneliness.

The silent agony. 

Their claws keep drawing me deeper and deeper. Every day, I walk in there. Every day, I feel like I don’t belong there. Do I annoy them? The people, I mean. I feel like there is something wrong with me that people are too scared to tell me. Every ing day, I wonder what is wrong with me. Why can’t I fit in? Everywhere I look there’s all these happy people. And I think “What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I be like them”?

“Tell me!” I shout at the moon.

I feel so ed up, so depressed, so useless, I just want to go to sleep and not wake up ever again. It’s getting harder and harder to function every day. I fall apart every single time I’m on my own. I can feel it happening. The truth is, I just don’t want to be here anymore. Not if this is what my life really is. Because I don’t want this anymore.

The fake smiles.

The pain.

The scars.

The emptiness.

The sadness.

“I want to cry.” I say again.

I imagine the moon saying, “so cry, I will listen.”

And I burst into tears.

But crying doesn’t help.

The world is collapsing down around me.

Twinke twinkle in my hands, and then.

Finally.

I can breathe.

ENTRY NUMBER NINE

"The Melancholy of the Alive Ones" - Caniwi

unspecified

Every morning, he dresses up to go to work, where he scrutinizes the people around him wordlessly. Somehow, they all look like black shadows that are destined to go nowhere in his eyes. And as he observes the shades slowly disappear one by one, he can't help but wonder how the world would be in his eyes if that person was still by his side.

Every afternoon after arriving from work, he takes a shower that's supposed to warm him up, but it doesn't in the end. He feels cold. 

Every night before going to sleep, he seeks comfort in a white dress that's buried deep inside his closet. A white dress, decorated with soft laces, that goes together with a veil of a pearl color. The angel whose dress still lingered in his closet was now in heaven, where she belonged. He cries himself to sleep. 

This man walked through the suffocating streets of Seoul, with his necktie tight on his neck, cutting his air. He waits for the light to change to green, necktie still firm on his neck.

Suddenly, an angel appears in the middle of the street where cars are passing, and he decides that he doesn't want to wait anymore. There's screams but he can't hear them, because he can only hear his angel sing. The last thing he sees is a car and then everything goes black. When he wakes up, his angel is there with him. 

He no longer cries himself to sleep.

ENTRY NUMBER TEN

"Toxic" - fefedove

unspecified

 He takes a deep breath and I can see him fall apart. 

His brows furrow, expressions twist, features crumple, caves in and he falls apart.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Accusations, questions and confusion clouds his eyes, but they’re still sharp enough to shoot daggers into my lungs and I can’t breathe. Do I deny it? Defend myself? Explain and plead for forgiveness?

But it’s too late.

This is the turning point, the breaking point. 

The string of fate between us twists and strangles me, the fibers cutting into my skin and my heart bleeds. The thread pulls taut and snaps back, slapping me in the face. Metallic acid bursts in my mouth and the decaying odor of death fills my nose.

I can see, hear, feel, taste and smell the end of this relationship—our relationship.

In my turmoil, he walks over. Each thundering step is a hammer onto the stake wedged between my ribs. 

He’s so close and I can’t breathe, can’t breathe.

He curls his fingers under my chin and forces my head up. I can’t look away but I can’t look at him. I can’t breathe, I—

“It was definitely you who farted. NO one has farts that smell as gross as you! I can’t believe I’m dating someone who can kill with their gas!” he exclaims, exasperated. 

He knocks gently against my head and runs to a more ventilated room.

I take a deep breath and . . . it’s true. I can’t help it.

ENTRY NUMBER ELEVEN

"A Glimmer of Hope" - DGNA_Forever

fx Luna+DMTN Simon

 Staring ahead of her, Luna began walking down the aisle, toward the man she loved. He was tall, handsome, and perfect in every way. This should have been the happiest day of her life, but instead, it was a nightmare.

If this had gone differently, if she had spoken sooner...and if she hadn't KNOWN the look in his eyes, she would be the one standing in front of him, speaking the words that would bind them together for the rest of their lives. The look he had when he was staring at the woman he loved, knowing that no one could ever be the same in his eyes. Everything she knew of him was going to someone else,...His body, mind and soul. Most of all, his HEART. All of the sleepless nights of wanting him to be hers and loving him for the last ten years were about to be dashed away. Sitting numbly through the ceremony, Luna felt a stab in her heart when he kissed his bride. Nothing would ever be the same.

Simon had watched Luna his eyes on her alone. He was in love with her, but he knew that she would never see him in the way that she saw Minho. He was everything that Simon wasn't. However, ther was something he was determined to take advantage of. 

When the ceremony was over and the dances had begun, Simon walked up to Luna. "May I have this dance?" He smiled when she took his hand.

ENTRY NUMBER TWELVE

"Nothing" - luv_kero

Sohyun

Sohyun’s eyes slid over the numbers.

What was wrong with her? What was wrong with her?!

She wanted to stab herself, because god, if she didn’t do it first, her parents were going to.

The moment they caught wind of this, they were going to look at her with disgust, disappointment, anger, and absolute loathing.

Why couldn’t she ever do something right in her life? Why couldn’t she live up to expectations for once? Why was she constantly failing at everything?

A small whimper involuntarily slid out of Sohyun’s mouth as her long fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists tightly. But even when the fresh blood dripped from her hands, down her wrists, and onto the wooden desk, she didn’t feel anything. Physical pain evoked nothing within her anymore. The numerous scars and bruises all over her once pristine body were testament to that.

But seeing this horrendous score… Maybe she should just kill herself now.

She was just a waste of space, a waste of money. All of these resources were an absolute waste on her. Maybe her mother, that spiteful woman, was right when she screamed about how she was flinging money down the drain because of Sohyun.

Even though Sohyun had chanted to herself, over and over, about how her mother was wrong and that she would be able to prove it in the future, it seemed like Sohyun was just slipping further and further down the hole she had dug for herself.

ENTRY NUMBER THIRTEEN

"Untitled" - Meleodiseu

Hyungwon

 In and out, in and out. 

It was a mantra at this point, Hyungwon thought with a bitter smile. He stared at the slowly filling bathtub, the cool water beckoning him ever closer. It was with a certain numbness that he put his first foot in, the shock of the sudden temperature change not even registering fully in his brain.

For years he had been getting more and more apathetic towards his situation, the lies spilling from his lips becoming more and more convincing.

"When I see you... I'm okay." That wasn't a full lie, nor was it the complete truth. Looking at Minhyuk had taken the pain away for a brief moment but when the shorter male left, everything became dark once more, the thoughts plaguing his mind coming back in full force. It was as if they were punishing him for ignoring them.

Hyungwon couldn't take it any more, he just wanted to breathe, he just wanted the weight to be lifted off of his shoulders.

He didn't want to be in pain.

He didn't want breathing to be a chore.

He wanted to be free.

In his mind, this was the only way. He refused to think about Minhyuk and his smile that radiated sunshine, refused to think about the people he would be leaving behind. Guilt would only make him stay despite being miserable.

Sinking the rest of the way into the water, he gasped from how cold it was before closing his eyes to darkness.

ENTRY NUMBER FOURTEEN

"To the Ashes and Back" - DuchessRhea

unspecified

“I can’t take this anymore,” she muttered under her breath. The sleeping body next to her shifted at the sound of her voice.

She didn’t mind it when he came over. Not at all. After all, he was only ever able to truly sleep without dreaming of his past when he was with her.

No, it wasn’t that; it was the fact that he only ever needed that precious sleep when he knew he would be dying the next day.

It hadn’t taken her long to notice that the day after he would come to her, he died. 

The first time it happened, she was so distraught that no one could calm her down. Her entire neighborhood had fallen into a deep sleep because she didn’t bother to control her powers while she was mourning.

That deep sleep ended two days later when she found out he was alive and well. She then realized just how deeply she’d fallen for him.

The second time it happened, she was there. She watched as a bullet pierced his heart. She wailed as she held him in her arms, causing everyone within a mile-radius to drop to the ground, sleep invading their senses.

She also gazed in wonder as he suddenly lit up into flames and was reborn from his ashes.

And so the cycle continued.

She looked down at his sleeping form. How would he die tomorrow? Would it be painful? Would he remember her love for him?

No, he never did.

ENTRY NUMBER FIFTEEN

"untitled" - faithful-lie

unspecified

 "Open your eyes..."

I don't know what wakes me, I just have this horrendous sensation of impending doom and a bizarre strain on my lungs.

And it's pitch black.

The space around me is closed in, pressing against my shoulders, my legs. I try to bring my arms up to my face but they collide with something - cushioned fabric over hard wood - forcing me to slide the up over my chest instead and I can feel the seeds of panic in the pit of my stomach.

I attempt to breathe normally as I wriggle about, pressing my elbows outwards, my palms upwards but it's the same on every side.

I'm in a box.

I can hear the blood rushing in my ears as my breath quickens. I feel frantically around the inside. It's so tight to my form, there's really only one thing it could be and I'm trying so hard not to think it... It can't be...

I'm in a coffin.

The world outside is dull, muffled. Let me be above ground, please!

I turn sideways as much as I can, bending my knees and swinging right arm, my dominant arm up against the top of the coffin with a resounding thump, but it sounds muted, too quiet.

I scream.

"Someone please! Please help me! Let me out!"

I'm breathless now, blood racing as I beat on the roof. Nothing. I hit harder, cry louder but I can feel myself fading.

I don't want to die.

ENTRY NUMBER SIXTEEN

"Change" - starvix

Kan+Yejun

 A single tear rolled down his cheeks; a sight shown to only one person. His longtime friend and lover.

“Cheer up. We will do just fine,” he whispered as he kneel down in front of the brown haired male.

“I can’t take this anymore, hyung,” he looked up at him, eyes swollen from crying. “Why is it so hard? We always try our best, but it seems to never be enough.”

“I never said life is fair, but we shouldn’t give up,” he brushed his thumb along the younger’s skin.

“Sometimes I just want to disappear,” the confession left his lips in a rushed tone; it felt too heavy.

“Don’t say that! Ever again!” the older male rose to his feet, voice louder than intended, jaw tensing and hands closed into tight fists.

The other bit his lower lip between his teeth and sank his head down.

More tears landed on fresh grass.

The blond man sighed and held his lover’s hand.

“I’m sorry, Yejun… I can’t lose you.”

“It seems I’m suffocating and can’t breathe. Let me breathe. Let me rest in peace,” he begged.

The delicate male wouldn’t stop his cries; everything was just too much.

The struggle seemed to never end; it hurt and squeezed his poor heart. How nice would it be to just end life? he asked himself.

“Stop it. I’ll never leave you. I love you so much to let you go,” Younghak kissed the younger’s lips tenderly as he dried away his tears.

ENTRY NUMBER SEVENTEEN

"untitled" - kjdzyx

Jimin centric

 The sky is getting darker by the second. It's nowhere near dusk, yet the sunlight struggles behind a sky of thick clouds until an endless shadow is cast over the busy city.

Jimin stops in his track, glancing up. A shaky breath escapes his trembling lips before the air gets stuck in his throat.

He really tries to hold everything back. But as soon as the first raindrop falls on his left cheek, two streaks of tears roll down both his cheeks.

The tears are not stopping, just like the rain. The tears come as suddenly as the clouds, covering up Jimin's smile just like the clouds blocking out the sunlight. The tears fall as heavily as the rain, destroying Jimin's composure just like the rain eroding marble's beauty. And Jimin's balanced mood fades away in his panic attack just like the way the sunlight disappears behind the thick clouds.

Jimin's hair is becoming damp in the rain, and he cannot see clearly in front of him anymore, yet he doesn't know whether it's because of his bangs or his tears that his sight is a blur. He cannot see. He cannot think. He cannot breathe.

All he can do is feel.

Feel the sadness creeping into his mind and taking control over his entire self. Feel the desperation nesting itself in every vein that runs through his body. Feel the hopelessness taking away his will to command his own limbs.

Jimin feels himself falling to the ground, eyes closed.

ENTRY NUMBER EIGHTEEN

"untitled" - Minini

Irene centric

 Breathe. 

She couldn't breathe. There was water all around her. She was drowning. 

Breathe. 

A floating body. The orange hair was too familiar, too closely associated with long hours of dancing until their muscles were sore. 

She held her breath. 

It was her face. The currents spun the lifeless corpse around like a ragdoll and she saw her, her friend, the woman she considered a younger sister. Eyes open in a silent scream. And she screamed too, water rushing in her lungs, burning her from inside. 

It was so dark. She couldn't breathe. 

She was alone. 

She remembered now, they had been travelling, her companion had died before her. Ripped to shreds by the currents, screaming her name. 

"Unnie?" 

It was a faint voice, drowned by the black ocean. She thrashed around, looking for its source. Did it come from below? Above? Where was she? 

"Unnie!" 

She turned towards the voice, but saw nothing but the black water. Where was she? 

"Unnie! Unnie, help me!" 

A flash of gold shone somewhere in the dark, making her turn as fast as she could. She swam frantically, trying to reach it, but it only got farther and farther away. 

And it disappeared. Streaks of hot water ran down her face. 

And then she saw her. 

The youngest of her sisters, in front of her, smiling kindly. She smiled back, reached out to hug her. One of them was fine. They were safe. 

And then the strands of red enveloped her like claws and the mermaid laughed, baring her fangs.

ENTRY NUMBER NINETEEN

"Never" - restless_maknae

unspecified

 She was so pure and innocent like a magnificent dandelion growing during the most terrifying storm of the year. No matter how many times she lost her petals, she stayed invincible.

He was wild and passionate like an expressionist painting with its lively colours and fathomless lines. It was in his nature to hurt whoever was close to him but she wasn’t afraid to taste the poisoned apple. Her affection was of the best kind; she didn’t ask for a lot but she gave her all anyway. 

Her love set him on fire, he was burning from desire and lust. He wanted her so badly like a starving person yearning after the last piece of meat. She was his light in that rotten, pitch-black world that he had to live in and he was her compass in the maze of her responsibilities. They needed each other like air and it still hurt so much when they were together.

They didn’t want to hurt each other but nevertheless they did. Their love was as fragile as a drop in the ocean, getting lost in the vast amount of water. They kept it closely to their chest like it was the most vulnerable glass bead on Earth but it still slipped through their fingers. It fell to the ground, scattering into dozens of tiny pieces just like their hearts. Just like her. She fell and he couldn’t catch her. He shouldn’t.

Because demons and angels were never meant to fall in love.

ENTRY NUMBER TWENTY

"untitled" - gnohnuj

Zelo centric

 Dear Zelo, 

How have you been? Are you well? It’s been quite a while. I wish I can speak to you. It’s important that you understand that I might not be awake for much longer. 

I have never felt your touch, nor seen your gaze, but why is it that every time I am not around, you engulf my whole being? Loneliness fills my conscious gaps, but fulfilment fills my sleeping state. I want to close my eyes—just for a few more hours, because it's much easier letting you take control.

Everyone around me tells me to fight. I know you don’t want me to fight; I know you don’t want me to ever re-emerge, but truthfully, I am tired of living like this, like I don’t own more than half of a whole. Your lingering presence traps me; your crooked smiles are so real and your glassy eyes so believable, I have stopped trying to act like myself. I am lost in this insular world that I have created—one that is laced with a deadly tranquillity.

Who am I? You or me? When people look at me, I feel as though they are staring at a stranger, and I often do not recognise the person I see in the mirror. I cannot trust myself to be who I am.

I can't take this anymore, I keep getting deeper and deeper. Let me breathe. Let me live. Let me be me again.

Please, just go away.

Regards,

Junhong

ENTRY NUMBER TWENTYONE

"Come On" - Amalya

Hakyeon+Leo

For days, Hakyeon had been practicing his routine endlessly, drilling the moves, counts, music, emotion into his very being. The recital was coming up too soon and he just wasn’t ready. One of his turns was a half-second off no matter what he did, and by the time he finished, the whole thing felt like he was wasting his time.

He just couldn’t get it.

This one was impossible to perfect.

There was no way.

He should just give up now.

“Ugh!” he scowled at his sweaty, exhausted, imperfect self in the mirror: loose, comfortable clothes clung to his lean dancer’s body in wet patches and there was hardly a dry spot on him. “Failure,” he muttered, pulling at his hair in frustration. Movement in his periphery made him look to the door. Immaculate as usual, including the mostly unreadable expression on his otherwise flawless face, Taekwoon was walking straight towards him. “Taekwoon. What’s-” he started to ask before a hand grabbed his, pulling him forward.

“Come on,” was the only thing Taekwoon said as he gently led the unresisting dancer after him.

Hakyeon wanted to say something or ask, but he already knew what the answer was. With unspoken gratitude, he looked at the hand holding his and smiled, feeling the cloying miasma of his self-defeat lifting as they stepped outside into the sunny day. “How did you know?” he wondered softly, staring at Taekwoon.

A smile tugged at his mouth and Taekwoon looked over. “You’re hardest on yourself.”

ENTRY NUMBER TWENTYTWO

"The Broken Seal" - YuYuan

Euna Kim+Yuk Jidam

 A wet tongue jolts the young women awake. Her breath short, her face sweaty and her Hand clung tightly in the thick fur. “You changed again,” Euna whispers still struggling with her breath. She assumed that it still was late or early in the morning as her surrounding was covered in a pitch black that made it difficult to see anything except for the red glowing runes engraved in the thick walls of the Dungeon before them...

“You made me.” It weren’t spoken words but Euna knew, she could hear them clearly in her mind. It wasn’t just something anyone could, it had something to do with the bond they shared due to the summoning and of course she knew the beast’s true name and that she wasn’t as evil as her folk believed. If it wasn’t for her she would still be in that place, which it is even darker than the night and was impossible to survive on her own.

Every breath had hurt and it wasn’t just the pain killing her, but the horrible liquid that was filled with a metallic scent that she had never smelt and despite not seeing the red stains she sensed it to be blood.

“I don’t think I will be able to go back.”

She whispers in sheer panic at the memory, “what if I forget the spell?”

“Then I will remember it…” Jidam spoke with an excited yet wicked grin spread on her face, and this time she truly did.

 ENTRY NUMBER TWENTYTHREE

DISQUALIFIED

 ENTRY NUMBER TWENTYFOUR

"Serenity In Need" - Jimin-Hw0412

Jeonghan+S.Coups

 "Stop it!" Jeonghan said, tears gushing out from his eyes. He then woke up, breathing heavily. He sighed in relief, realizing it was all just a dream. He leaned to his side, facing Seungcheol who's still sleeping soundly. Jeonghan caressed Seungcheol's cheek, muttering "Thank God it was a dream." to himself.

* * * *
In his dream, he saw a silhouette of a man wearing all black. He himself was tied up in a room. Tears start to form at the corner of his eyes, muttering "Seungcheol" as if he was gonna there to save him.

The man approached him, lifting up his chin to face to reveal himself. It was Seungcheol. 
Seungcheol smirked, pushed Jeonghan and pinned him to the ground. Seungcheol began beating him up and with a punch in the stomach, Jeonghan passed out.

He then found himself in a white room with a window. A crow was sitting on the windowsill. 
Darkness started to cover the room and Jeonghan was scared. He felt hands on his shoulders. Again, it was Seungcheol.

Seungcheol beat him again, a lot harder this time. Jeonghan's breath was getting heavy. His body felt numb, and he coughed out blood. Jeonghan was confused and scared at the same time. Each time he told Seungcheol to stop, the latter would beat him harder.

"Stop it!" Jeonghan managed to breath out. His hands was stilled in Seungcheol's grip. "Don't worry, this is gonna end soon." Seungcheol said.

"Stop it!" Jeonghan said, "STOP IT!" then, he woke up.