“NO!” I shout, trying to break free from the barrier created by the presidential guards but they’re too strong. Seungri complains, “Yah, did you train in a training company?” Even Daesung who’s the strongest, couldn’t even move them more than an inch.

Top starts to move his shoulders mockingly, like he always does when he dances, but the guards still never give in. They maintain their barrier before us, their big muscular shoulders side by side and never moving. I anxiously bite my lips as I watch them slowly moving Dara under.

“Ah, really.” I complain, looking at the leader of the guards. My tears have already gone but still my heart stings.

Suddenly, we hear heavy footsteps behind us and Seungri starts to talk about being rude, but his voice falters. “U-Um, Hyung!”

I turn around and see the mayor with his own guards, which were completely the same as the ones before us. He sighs and places his hands on his hips. “I’ll give you ten minutes to save her.”

“But it takes five years—“

He quickly stops me. “There’s no need for that. Do what you can within the time.” Then he nods towards his guards, and they sort of attacked.

The mayor’s guards stop the presidential guards from blocking our way. It was a close fight between them, because neither of the sides are budging. The five of us run and Dara’s family gasp in surprise upon my arrival.

Aunt shouts, “Jiyong! Don’t do that!”

Seungri, Daesung and Taeyang run towards the guests and keep them from disrupting us. While Top helps me retrieve Dara from the ground. We dig out the dirt above her casket, hoping she’s still alive. I chant it out loud, “Please be alive. Please be alive.”

Top gasps and helps me take the casket out of the hole. I hastily open the lid and find Dara struggling from breathing. Slowly, I take her out, watching for her back and Top moves behind me, protecting me from who-knows-who.

“Dara.” I softly call her, checking for her pulse. It’s weak because she was deprived of oxygen for a long time, and she’s starting to breathe heavily, taking in a large amount of air at one go.

I hold both of her hands and press my forehead against hers. In my mind I call her, reeling her in with what I believe would get her back. I tried calling her by remembering our memories.

“Oh, you’re waiting here?”

I look up from my laptop and see her standing by the door, a tray in her hands. Only I could see was the top of the glass.

I smile, putting down my headphones on my shoulder. “Yeah. Did Top showed you anything again?” It has been a habit for her to go to me whenever Top shows her something again, so that we would watch cat and dog videos together. Dara walks toward me and places the tray on the table. Since she’s always hesitant to come to me whenever I’m in the office, I always stay by the dining room and I guess it’s all worth it.

“Seungri told me you didn’t eat breakfast because you were too busy making a report.” She says, taking the plastic wrap off. “So I cooked seaweed soup and bulgogi.”

“Thank you.” I chuckle, closing my laptop and moving it away from me.

“I heard it is your birthday.” She whispers, shyly. “Happy birthday.”

I nod. “Thanks. It’s not really special. Monsters don’t really celebrate birthdays like humans.”

“But you still have to celebrate!” She complains, pouting. “A very beautiful mother gives birth to a very sly son. You should celebrate that day.”

I grab the spoon and point at her using its tip. “Yah, who are you calling sly?”

She presses her lips and her eyes suddenly lights up. “Mother told me that you’ve been visiting us for 2 years. Why?” When I refused to answer, she moves closer and I am suddenly looking at her with wide eyes, trying to distract my rapidly beating heart. She blinks and with a smile asks again, “Why?”

“Oh,”A I slyly look to the opposite side, turning my eyes to the windows. “Just because.”

Dara sighs in disbelief. “Is it really that secret? Mom told me you’ve been asking her for help. For what?”

I try my best to look at her. “Do you tell your secrets to me?”

She suddenly turns pale, paler than my skin. “No.” She agrees, and pouts. I’m glad it’s over. She’s too cute to resist.

I reach out and take a spoonful of the seaweed soup. Then I taste it, putting the spoonful inside my mouth. Dara looks at me expectantly in the corner of my eyes. “How is it?” She asks, blinking cutely again.

I turn to her and give her a thumbs up. She lights up at the gesture. “You really do hate me, do you?” I say, sticking my tongue out and acting as if there’s an unidentified object inside my mouth.

Dara looks crestfallen.

I laugh at the sight of her cute crestfallen face. “I’m just joking. It’s the best!”

She lights up again and starts urging me to eat more. “Eat! Eat more!”

Dara, please. Please wake up.

Seungri raises his fist in the air and shouts, “I’m going to make it! Top hyung! Top hyung!”

Taeyang shakes his head. “Why am I not getting drunk?” He shakes his head again. “WHY AM I NOT GETTING DRUNK?”

Top raises his glass. “To the new couple, GD and Dara! Hoo—“ He was cut off by a hiccup.

Don’t ask Daesung. He was the first one who got drunk and I had to lift him up to our room.

Dara shakes her head and warms herself up by sipping from her cup of tea. I pull her closer, and draw the blankets to us closer as well. She raises her hands, and I also welcome the bitterness of the drink inside my mouth. Although beer was much bitterer, this is lighter.

“How long we’ve been dating?” I ask, pushing her head to my shoulder. Dara smiles sweetly and says, “12 hours.”

“I can’t believe we are.” I frown, suddenly. “What if it’s something temporal? What if they made us separate? What if—“

She quickly presses her finger on my lips. “The boat only drowns when water gets inside. Come on, don’t think like that.” She gives me a reassuring smile. “Besides, love is something in the moment. As long as we do love, each other that is, everything is a blur.”

“As long as I love you, Dara.” I whisper, my tears dripping on her cheeks. “Everything is a blur.”

“GD!”

“Dara.”

“Look at this, GD!”

“Look at me again, Dara.”

“GD, help me!”

“Dara, help me.”

“GD? Laugh!”

“Laugh again, for me, Dara.”

“I love you, GD.”

“I love you, Dara.”

“GD.”

“Dara.”

“GD?”

“Dara, please.”

“GD?”

I open my eyes and see black obsidian eyes staring back at me, curiously yet lovingly. “Dara?”

“You’re squishing me.” She complains, smiling. “Hi.”

I broke down, and tears gush down my cheeks uncontrollably. And then she hugs me, pulling me closer to her. “Why are you crying?”

This is not a dream. I can feel her. Hugging me. Assuring me with her hands. I should be the one cradling her yet she ended up cradling me. I look at her in the eyes again, placing my hands on either side of her, pinning her down, and she just smiles. As if everything right now is normal, is in right place.

“I think this is a dream.” I whisper, looking her lovely eyes, looking at me as if I was everything she could handle.

She chuckles and places her hands on both of my cheeks, then she pulls me into a kiss. Dara moves her tongue aggressively, swiping here and there, checking through the deepest part of my soul. In response, I try to move mine but she already starts to withdraw. But bites my lower lip strongly before she did.

I swallow and look at her in the eyes. “I missed you.”

She gives me another smile. “I love you too.”

“Sandara?”

We both turn our heads and see her family looking at us with shock, as if Dara being alive was the greatest surprise in their lives. Ahjumma kneels in front of her and starts to cry, bawl, while saying, “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Then she gives her daughter a hug. Sanghyun outreaches his hand and I accept it, then he pulls me up. My knees almost gave in. I can feel a very buzzy, fuzzy feeling, as if there are white noises inside. “You kneeled for half an hour.”

“Half an hour?” I ask, puzzled. The mayor promised to only hold them off for ten minutes.

Sanghyun laughs. “I told mom to let you be. Ever since my sister went inside that haunted house, you’ve been the one in charge.” He claps me on the back, gratefully. “Thanks for saving my sister.”

He pulls me into a tight hug, and I pat his back. I hear Dara cough, but Sanghyun’s hug was too tight for me to even let go. “Yah.” Dara says, warning. “Are you trying to—YAH! Don’t do that!”

I don’t know what Sanghyun was trying to do, but I’ll leave it up to the reaction of the people that it was something naughty or even, nasty.

Five months later

I straighten my tie, checked my face and smiled at my reflection. “Yeah, I look good.” I praised myself, rubbing some creases off my suit. Seungri suddenly appears from behind and comments, “Looking good, Hyung. Dara Noona would love you for forever.”

I chuckle. “She already do.” He huffs, as if taking it as a joke. “Yeah, right. I’ll go change.” Seungri then leaves.

I take a swift look at myself dressed in a suit, something I’d never see. No heavy mascara, dark vampire lips, or even a hint of unruly red hair. It’s already styled away from my face, combed properly. For once, I didn’t know I’d look at least decent.

“Well, this is the start of a new life.” I remind myself and grab the bouquet of roses on the table. “Let’s go guys.” I announce, smiling to myself, going down the stairs of our apartment in Terribilis Locus. We have officially left the haunted house in Dara’s town and lived in Terribilis Locus for quite a while.

As I reach the bottom of the stairs, Top is waiting patiently, tending to his phone. Bom, Dara’s friend, already answered him after months of pursuing. And he didn’t let her have a day of rest since she answered him last week. And I knew she was special, because he never showed her anything .

Top nods when he notices me, and places his phone back inside his pocket. “Let’s go. It’s a bright new day.”

I chuckle. “I never knew you’d say that.”

He shakes his head, amused yet slightly bothered the fact I told him it’s shocking to hear him say nice things. “Life surprises you in many ways. I didn’t even know this day would even come.” Top says. “We’re lucky.”

I suddenly remember my father, who’d be happy to see the world at peace, to finally see a world without labels. He fought so hard to have a safe place for Paxes like him. And he never saw the light of today.

“Let’s go! Let’s go!” I’m suddenly woken up by Seungri running down the stairs, also wearing his suit. Top nods and walks outside, with us following behind. A black car is waiting for us, which we presume was Daesung and Taeyang. They borrowed the car from YG while the three of us were getting ready, since they are a whole lot earlier in getting ready. Top steps in the car and we follow him.

“Yah.” Seungri makes weird noises with his throat. “I can’t believe the center is owning one of these.”

“They’re training future protectors of the land. Of course they would have these kind of things.” Taeyang answers, gearing up. “Setting that aside, let’s just end this day with a very high note. A girl is waiting.”

“Can you drive a little slower?” Seungri asks, his voice cracking. “I’m really nervous.”

“Yah!” Top shouts. “Why are you nervous? Jiyong should be more nervous than you!”

I’m really nervous. He shouldn’t have pointed that out. My palms are sweaty and even if I clasp it together, it doesn’t work. My legs and eyes are shaking, and I absolutely can’t think about anything but failure inside my head. I’m absolutely nervous to the point I can’t even hear them talking.

Top suddenly speaks, but I didn’t really heard it, so I just answered with, “Yeah.” Seungri suddenly chimes in excitedly, leaving me again into shaking.

After a few minutes of torture, Taeyang stops and happily announces, “We’re here. Get out.”

They all get out one by one, until I’m the only one left. Gathering up all the courage inside of me, I heave a sigh and tell myself, “You can do this! Hold everything!”

Then I finally step out.

And it was a good thing my legs didn’t break down below me.

I sigh heavily again, looking at the looming white building before me. The pillars are glistening and even the stairs look harmless. Yet I feel like suffocating from nervousness.

Seungri nods happily and runs toward the double marble doors. We follow him, standing from behind. And on the count of three, he pushes them open.

We are welcomed into a white room filled with floral fragrance. Seungri happily runs over to his chair, next to Chaerin. And as soon as everything cleared, I saw Dara at the far end of the room, wearing a white dress, looking beautiful as ever she will be. I cough and walk towards her, holding the bouquet tightly in my arms. She chuckles, upon noticing me.

I reach her place in no time and I my voice croaks when I tell her, “You look beautiful.”

She gives me a sweet smile. “Should we sit?”

I nod, too eagerly, and we sit down on the chairs. A table is between us.

“I-I bought you flowers.” I quickly say, handing over the bouquet to her. Dara accepts it with a smile, and leaves it beside her.

Then we look at each other, longing. Facetime was never enough to ease the distance between us. Even the texts weren’t enough. And all I can do today is cherish the day where I can hold her, see her in person. This annual visitation day is the only hope for me as of now.

“How’s your job?” She asks, reaching to my hand. She holds it, between hers, and gives it a massage.

I relax. “It’s fine. I really love being a policeman. How about you?”

“Being a kindergarten teacher is the best job in the world.” She says, chuckling. “I get to see kids who have so much in them. Their eyes are sparkling. And I see you in them.”

Tears suddenly fall from my eyes and all I could feel is the missing warmth inside my heart. “I miss you.” I finally say, choking in my tears. “I really miss you.”

Dara reaches up to my cheeks and wipes my tears, moving up from her chair. “I love you too. Don’t cry. We still have a year to wait for the proclamation. We get to marry. We get to have kids. You can be the stereotyped potbellied policeman. I can be the stereotyped gentle, cat-loving kindergarten teacher. Just one more year, GD.”

She kisses me briefly on the lips and hugs me. I silently cry in her arms.

“I love you.” I whisper. “Please marry me.”

“Of course.” She answers. “I love you too.”

A year is long but worth the wait.

Thank you for reading, The Haunted House! Thank you for the subscribers, all 564 of them and also the upvoters! 
You guys are the Paxes of this generation!

I will be updating Kwon Jiyong's Diary from now. Thank you!

And I look forward into meeting you again. 

-Ikalsada

P.S That was a ty ending. I'm sorry.