Well, . This was certainly not what Chaeyoung was expecting. She was totally, embarrassingly unprepared. She could feel Mina’s warm breath on her face as she blinked a few times, mouth open, looking like an idiot. “Uh.” She didn’t know what to say. Was this some sort of trick question? Was it all some sort of test? Was she on some sort of hidden camera show right now? Would Jeongyeon and Nayeon pop out from behind the bed and yell “surprise!” and then laugh at Chaeyoung’s red face, taking turns imitating her shocked expression? What about Mina? Would she step back and laugh with them? Or was Chaeyoung overthinking this? Was Mina Myoui actually asking her if she wanted to kiss her for no reason other than the fact that she wanted to kiss Chaeyoung too?

All this went through Chaeyoung’s head in the span of five seconds. Part of her wanted to run out of the room, then out of the house, screaming all the way to Nayeon’s car. The other part of her, though, recognized how soft Mina’s lips looked.

Before Chaeyoung had time to properly respond, Mina closed the distance between them, pressing the younger girl back against the wall as their lips met. Chaeyoung’s eyes closed as she melted into the kiss. In a blink, Mina’s lips had traveled down from Chaeyoung’s face to her neck. Chaeyoung tilted her head back, taking in the feeling like it was a drug. Mina’s hands were on her sides and then running through the hair on the back of her neck. But the moment only lasted a moment before Chaeyoung snapped out of it, as if she were waking from a spell she was put under. Her eyes opened and she pushed Mina away, gasping for air.

Mina’s features looked almost feral, and she had a dangerous look in her eyes.

“What...what was that?” Chaeyoung sputtered, eyes wide. “This isn’t like you at all!” Chaeyoung leaned back against the wall, catching her breath. She searched the older girl’s face for any sign of an explanation, but it was like looking at someone she didn’t know. A stranger.

“But you liked it, didn’t you?” Mina asked. Her voice was sickeningly sweet as she took a step forward, attempting to close the gap between them again.  

Chaeyoung held up a hand, signaling for her to stop. Suddenly something in her head seemed to click. “You’re...you’re not you. Mina would never do this...she would never...”

“Chaeyoung, you’re not making any sense. Maybe you don’t know me as well as you thought. Of course I’m me, who else would I be?”

“Back in the hallway, with the ghost...you...you’re not Mina,” Chaeyoung pressed her body back into the wall, wishing she could disappear into it. “You’re the ghost...you possessed her.”  

Mina frowned for a moment, but then her lips pulled up into a sort of crude smile and she laughed like a child. “Took you long enough,” she replied, whipping her hair over her shoulder. Chaeyoung’s mouth dropped open. “You honestly think Mina would want to stay in this house after getting up close and personal with a ghost like that? A girl who is too scared to even kill a bug? Are you sure you’re all really friends?”

“Get out of her or else I’ll—”

“You’ll what, kill me? Well, I’m already dead, and unless you want to kill your sweet, little Mina here, you’re not getting rid of me that fast.” Chaeyoung wanted to throw up, hearing Mina talk like that. “Relax, kiddo, I’m not gonna hurt her. I’m just having a little fun, that’s all. It gets so boring around here, being trapped for eternity. Days turn into weeks. Months turn into years.” Mina, or Not-Mina, pouted her lip and tried to look cute but her eyes remained dark and mischievous. She began moving closer towards Chaeyoung again, but Chaeyoung quickly side-stepped closer to the door.

“Aw, don’t be like that Chaengie. I don’t bite. Honestly.”

Chaeyoung put a finger to her lips, rubbing them slowly. “Why did you kiss me?” Her nose crinkled up in disgust.

“Like I said, just having a little fun. And I’m just doing what she would never have the courage to do herself. I know she’s wanted to do that for awhile now, I can hear all her thoughts, feel all her feelings. Talk about a pathetic crush. It’s kind of cute, though.” She eyed Chaeyoung up and down like a lioness looking at her prey. “She should be thanking me, really.”

Chaeyoung turned away, unable to face this person that looked and sounded like her friend but was not. “Please, you’ve made your point, now leave.”

Chaeyoung could see Not-Mina continuing to pout out of the corner of her eye. “God, you’re no fun, are you? Okay, I could just jump into one of your other friends now. Stir things up a bit there. Dahyun could be fun.”

“No!” Chaeyoung shouted, and at this Not-Mina laughed. A harsh, cruel laugh.

“Okay, so should I stay or should I go? You’re not being very clear here.”

“Get out of her and leave the rest of us alone.” Chaeyoung tried to sound as threatening as possible, but in reality she was struggling not run out of the room. “We’ll leave, just get out of her.”

Not-Mina crossed her arms and cocked her head. “You’ll have to be a bit more convincing than that, kiddo. I just got here. Don’t you have any questions for me, like, who I am?”

Chaeyoung scowled. “I don’t care. You’re possessing my friend.”

Not-Mina sighed. “At least let me introduce myself to your friends, why don’t we go downstairs and gather everyone in the foyer? I can put on a show.”

Chaeyoung didn’t like the sound of that. She began racking her brain for any information on how to perform an exorcism. Was this a demon, or a ghost? Did exorcisms even work on ghosts? She didn’t have any holy water, or a bible, or a cross for that matter. Maybe Dahyun had something, she did always wear a silver cross necklace. All she knew was that she had to do something, fast. “Dahyun!” she screamed, hoping her older friend could hear her from the foyer. “Nayeon, someone come here quick!”

Not-Mina rocked back on her heels, looking disappointed in Chaeyoung. “Was that really necessary?”  

Nayeon’s head perked up at the sound of Chaeyoung’s shouting. “Oh God,” she muttered. “What did I tell you all, we should’ve left.” Dahyun immediately jumped to her feet, nearly knocking Sana, whose head was resting on her lap, over. Momo’s eyes widened. Dahyun took a hold of Sana’s hand, pulling her towards the staircase.

“Jihyo, Chaeyoung and Mina need help,” Dahyun shouted, knowing the rest of her friends were only a few rooms over.

Before Dahyun began to ascend the staircase with Sana in hand, Mina appeared at the top of the stairs with her flashlight and a panicked looking Chaeyoung behind her. “Don’t let her down the stairs!” Chaeyoung yelled.

“What, scared I’ll run off?” Mina sneered, but she looked very pleased with herself for some reason, Nayeon noted.

Dahyun and Sana looked like deer caught in headlights, unsure of what to do as Mina began to step down, step after step, and Chaeyoung grew more panicked. Eventually Chaeyoung jumped down the stairs between her and Mina and grabbed the older girl’s upper arm, stopping her from stepping down any further.

“What’s going on?” Jihyo, Tzuyu and Jeongyeon appeared behind Dahyun and Sana, looking up at Chaeyoung holding onto Mina with panicked and confused stares.

“She’s possessed,” Chaeyoung cried, gripping tightly onto Mina’s arm. “That ghost possessed her!”  

Momo immediately stood up. “I knew that there was something off…”

“Wait, are you serious?” Tzuyu remarked, eyebrows furrowing.

Everyone turned to Mina, who stood silently while looking smug. “Alright, guess the charade is up.”

“You have to be joking,” Jeongyeon replied, mouth hanging open. “This is a joke, right?”

“I mean, we did just see an actual ghost...and people can be possessed by the holy spirit so…” Dahyun muttered.

“This isn’t Mina,” Chaeyoung yelled, anger in her voice. “She...she...just look at her.”

Mina threw her head back and laughed, harshly. Jeongyeon felt a chill go down her spine. “You can let go of me now,” Mina commented, ripping her arm from the shorter girl’s grasp.

Chaeyoung gritted her teeth. “Dahyun, can you perform an exorcism?”

“An exorcism?!? I hardly think I’m qualified. You have to be ordained by the Pope...it’s a very long and difficult process…”

“Dahyun! We don’t have any other option here.”

“There’s no need for that,” Not-Mina replied. “I’m not a demon, you know.”

“So this is really happening?” Jihyo whispered. “You’re...you’re not Mina?”

“I told you the ghost flew into her! That must’ve be when it happened! That’s why she fainted,” Momo spoke with conviction, finally feeling confidence in herself.

“Can’t we all just sit down for a moment and talk this out?” Not-Mina asked, smiling sweetly with Mina’s signature closed mouth smile. “It’s been so long since I’ve had an actual conversation with someone.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Nayeon groaned.

“Okay, everyone come down here, let’s talk,” Jihyo suggested, voice laced with suspicion.

“Thank you,” Mina said, sauntering down the rest of the steps with a horrified looking Chaeyoung trailing behind her like a shadow. Tzuyu wondered what it was exactly Mina had done that had tipped Chaeyoung off that she wasn’t actually Mina. Maybe Tzuyu didn’t want to know.

The way that Mina was holding herself was so unlike the girls were used to seeing. Usually Mina had perfect posture, she had done ballet for over ten years, after all, but this was something else entirely. She carried herself with more confidence. She plopped down on her sleeping bag, beside a wide-eyed Nayeon that backed up slightly. Mina eyed Nayeon up and down as if she were a piece of meat and smiled. “Everyone, take a seat.”

Everyone did as they were told, sitting in their sleeping bags which had been arranged in a circle formation, except Jeongyeon, who remained standing with her arms crossed.

“So we’ll talk and you’ll get out of our friend, yeah?” Jihyo replied.

“Hm, sure,” Mina replied, crossing her legs and staring at Jihyo with an unreadable expression. “Wow, this is fascinating really.” Mina bit her lip and glanced up at Jeongyeon, then winked. “I know all of her thoughts. I know what she thinks of all of you.” Chaeyoung bundled her hands into fists, looking furious. She looked as though she wanted to hit Mina, which was a first.

“What does she think about me?” Sana asked, and Momo smacked her friend, looking at her in disbelief.

“Don’t encourage her...er, it,” Momo snapped.

“Her,” Mina corrected.

“So, you’re a ghost,” Tzuyu replied, still looking a bit skeptical.

“Well, I died, yes. It was rather unpleasant, so I try not to think about it. ”

“Who are you?”

Mina sat back and drummed her fingers on her leg. “I was murdered here a couple decades ago, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Are you one of the daughters, or the wife that was killed by her husband?” Dahyun asked.

“No, no. They’re all dull people. I don’t hear from them much. My story’s much more tragic.” Not-Mina sighed dramatically, and everyone leaned in slightly, horrified but yet intrigued.

“I wanted to be an actress. I was born for the stage, and I knew that since I was a little kid. I was planning on running away to Hollywood when I had enough money saved up. My parents wanted me to stay here, in this terrible, boring town. They wanted to marry some dull man and have children. Stay at home, raise them, you know, that kind of thing. The thought of that was torture. I had bought a train ticket and I was all ready to go, when one night a stranger knocked on the door. My parents weren't home then, but he'd seen me in the town's local production. He said he was a fan. He was nice enough, and looked clean enough, but when I tried to end the conversation he forced the door open with his foot. I could tell then that I'd made a mistake by answering the door.”

"Wait, I've heard this story before...you're talking about that Sally girl, right? The one that went missing a couple decades ago? The town looked and looked, but never found out what happened," Chaeyoung replied.

"That's right," Not-Mina said. "The man dragged me from my home, drugged me with something, some cloth he put over my face, and threw me into the trunk of his car. He took me to God-knows-where, some sort of bunker I think. I was there for months. I lost track eventually. The worst part was he tried to be my friend. He tried to make conversation. He brought me food regularly, tried to play board games with me even. He never let me leave, though."

There was a collective gasp. The hairs on the back of Chaeyoung’s neck stood up.

"He must've grown bored with me, eventually. I tried to buy my time by being nice. But he made a move on me. I tried to fight him off, I slapped him, and that made him real upset. I don't remember much after that, but I woke up here, in this house. My parents were gone. Another family had moved in, but they couldn't see me or hear me. It was like I was invisible. It was then I realized I was dead..."

Sana was covering with her hands, looking shocked. Momo looked like she herself was ready to faint. Tzuyu looked interested, but not convinced, like she wasn't quite buying the story.

“Listen, that's a fine sob story and all, but if you try to hurt Mina in any way…” Tzuyu replied.

“Relax, Tzuyu,” Not-Mina patted the top of the younger girl’s head. She shied away from her touch, looking disgusted. “I was just curious to see if I could possess someone. It was an experiment really. I'm just so bored here. The other ghosts aren't fun, I'm afraid.”

“Why Mina?” Jeongyeon asked. “Mina didn’t do anything wrong...she didn’t even want to be here,” Jeongyeon looked like she was about to cry. She felt like she was going to throw up.

Not-Mina shrugged, looking disinterested. “She was an easy target. And she appealed to me. The quiet ones are usually the most fun. They always have secrets…” she tilted her head toward Chaeyoung, staring at her in amusement.

“Okay, it’s time for you to go now,” Chaeyoung declared, scowling. “We heard your story, now give Mina back to us.”

“So pushy,” Not-Mina remarked, looking offended. “Let’s play a game first, shall we? You still have a few hours before sunrise, after all. Don’t you still want your jokbal?” She sounded just like Mina in that moment, and it put Tzuyu on edge.

“No games,” Jihyo replied. “You said…”

Not-Mina ignored her, looking around again at the eight other girls. “How about I give Mina back to you, but I jump into someone else, then you have to figure out who it is?”

“No,” Nayeon shook her head, “No—”

“Catch!” Not-Mina interrupted, and suddenly her eyes rolled back into her head and she was falling backward. Chaeyoung caught her before she hit the ground. Her body was limp in Chaeyoung’s arms. A misty figure appeared from Mina’s body, the same black shape they’d seen before, and Sana’s high pitched shriek echoed through the foyer.

Suddenly all of the girls’ flashlights and phone lights flickered off. They were left in total darkness. There was a collective scream.