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I was unease and jumpy the time ever since we got home. The boys, unfortunately, spent the night in Monster Town (I decided to call it that) and I was left to sleep in Chaerin's apartment there. You might think it's better than staying in a hotel full of monsters, but she had roommates, which means I had to act to cover myself up. Their version of the boy’s piercings was their contact lenses, and just from its sight I was scared. They constantly bug me with questions regarding my monstrosity and parents--they even asked me the training school I was from. When I said I was from YG, they asked where my piercing was. It was a relief that Top, who had nothing better to do the other day, pierced my ears purposely without my consent and made me wear his old earrings. Through that, I was saved from fangs and claws.

Chaerin was a different issue. She covered herself up with those fake contact lenses. 

It is just an hour before breakfast, so I have to spend my time cooking with the boys, which made it worse because from what I had learned from Chaerin, it might affect my attitude towards them. 

And I wasn't wrong.

It didn't take a long time for GD to notice, to grab my arm and ask what was wrong. I got scared, remembering his piercings' power and I was taken by too much surprise that I accidentally dropped the bowl of soup I was holding. It became a huge puddle in front of me, and I saw my feet bleed. But all I think of was that I'm in a house full of monsters and there was no escape aside from death. 

", Sandara!" I heard GD cried out, but I was too stunned—petrified, even. I didn't feel any pain. Both of my feet were numb, and I was too speechless to answer every question dropped on me. I can't even hear them, or even see. It was like the only thing I feel, see and hear is fear. 

Suddenly, I felt like I was airborne, about a good five feet and a couple of inches above. My eyes trailed up, and I saw Top's hot gaze. His lips were firmly pressed, and his nose was red. He's angry at me. 

He hastily exited the kitchen and went upstairs, his feet were making inaudible light steps. He moved gracefully, delicately and I felt like I was walking with skates. When we reached the top, he went straight to the infirmary and dropped me on one of the beds. I have felt the pain when my foot bumped with the pillow at the foot of the bed, and I cried. "Ah!"

"Your mind doesn't pick the right moments to shut off." He said, definitely mad as he got the first aid kit. His voice was edgy. "The glass soup pan just slipped out of your grasp and you didn't even show you're hurt. I mean, god, are you a monster?"

I didn't take that as a compliment, yet alone sarcasm. It took time for me to find my voice. "I'm sorry." I croaked, but I know it was too late. 

"If something's wrong, you could always talk to us." He said, going back to me. "You're going to kill yourself keeping it in, and I'm guessing that GD is furious about this wound."

He started to tend to my wounds, bandaging it. I've learned from Chaerin that monsters have regenerating capabilities, which explains that the bandage was already slightly brown in color. But it was still stretchy and in good condition to be used.

I broke the ice. "Would you die if you take your piercings off?"

"No." He hastily replied, his attention still on my wound. "But it's a sign I am from YG and that I'm praestabilis. It's more of like an honor."

"Can I take it off for you?" I asked, fidgeting. "Can you do me a favor and take it off when I ask you?"

Top looked up at me, his eyebrows raised. He was already done bandaging my foot, so I was left to be stared at. But I have to do this, and Top is the first person I could negotiate.

He reached up and shuffled my hair. "Okay, if that will ease what you're feeling inside." He answered. "But only for one day."

I was too happy to hear that that I hugged him tight. "Thanks, Top." I muttered against his neck, and I felt him nod. 

One down.
 

Chaerin visited me in the afternoon, which the boys were happy about. GD made sure I was fine before he went out. 

"Call me when you need something."  He finally said before locking the door. Apparently, he wasn't that mad or furious about the incident in the kitchen as Top. He only told me to be careful next time.

Chaerin gave me an envelope. "We're going to Gyeonggi-do and visit a haunted house."

"Why?" I asked, keeping the envelope sealed with no intention of opening it.

"I researched and found out that my father left a few of his works in the haunted house he formerly lived before he retired. He was under SM training school." Chaerin said, her eyes sparkling. "I know where the documents could be found, but I need you so I could enter. Since I'm a monster, I can't enter a haunted house not of my company."

"But you didn't train." I point out.

"I'm Seungri's girlfriend, which makes it a point that I'm allowed to enter YG's haunted houses. That's a rule. You can't visit other haunted houses unless you're romantically involved with one of its residents or you'll burn. That's one of the roles of the voices: to burn trespassing monsters. Aside from that, you can't be romantically involved with multiple monsters. That's why monsters don't practice polygamy. The government will haunt us down and kill us, even if you're already been burnt. Everything in our law has a death penalty." She explained. 

"Then, why me? I mean, the voices can detect me. The voice here knows where I am." I said, worried.

"Geez, did the boys really orient you." She sighed, and continued on, "Voices are the souls of the haunted houses. They are praestabilis monsters who died from war that are reincarnated to the haunted houses. They can only feel and talk, not see and hear. They can feel us roaming around the house, determine us from each other through our souls but not see or hear us. Since you're a human, you can visit other haunted houses. And since you're a human, the voice from other haunted houses can't feel you. That's also a rule. If you're an offering in the other house, you'd be registered there and therefore, the other house won't recognize you. It's to avoid errors in recording accumulated deaths. You'd be like a ghost there, but then, the monsters there can see you. Only the voice can't determine you."

"Accumulated deaths?" I asked.

"Yeah, aside from giving humans lessons that evil should be prevailed, we tally the deaths of the offerings as to know the house that always prevails evil. Every five years, the haunted house with the most accumulated deaths wins the house cup. For a record, this house won three house cups. When Top was fifteen, they got their first house cup with five accumulated deaths in five years, which was the maximum. The second was three accumulated deaths with two suicides and then the third was four accumulated deaths with one suicide." Chaerin answered. "Suicides were never counted as points, but they record it since they are more likely to happen than persecutions done by the monsters."

"So you're saying that the boys kill?" I asked, stunned.

Chaerin shrugged. "If they have to." 

"GD would never kill--"

"Dara, I said if they have to." She cuts me off, her voice irritated. "Whether they like it or not. Whether with their own free will or not. If that offering should be killed, then there's nothing they could do." 

I pressed my lips, unable to speak with the sudden facts she's giving me. The moment I talked, my voice sounded as if I'm crying. "I'm going."

Actually, I was afraid of going to other haunted houses. I was brought up to be afraid of monsters, and even after months of being with the boys, I still feel the fear. Especially, I'm not at the home base. 

Chaerin nodded, "Let's go."
 

I was shocked to hear such words from GD. He raised a brow at me; arms crossed on his chest and said, "What?"

"You're allowing me to go with CR?" I asked, fortunately not gawking.

GD shrugged, and replied, "You need some of that girly right? I mean, I know it's hard for you to stay with men and sacrifice all that girly stuff away just to bear with us. This would be the only time for you to hang out with girls."

"Not that," Seungri adds. "We feel we've put you to many things with our tiness. It's just that you've been off lately."

Everyone glared at him. Seungri puts his hands up in defense. "Truth." He explains, nonchalantly.

GD sighed, fixed his gaze at me and purposely, I turned away. Whether I like it or not, my view of them changed as fast as my heart softened out for them. "We'll expect you before the sun sets. Summer solstice is near, and I have a meeting with YG today. I need to present you there."

"It's for recording the accumulated deaths for last year." Top added, to explain. "I'll explain everything when you get back."

I pursed my lip, keeping to myself that he didn't need to explain because I knew it from Chaerin.

I looked up again, and found my eyes locking with GD's. He had his arms crossed, and there's something in his eyes that I can't figure out. He wasn't mad, or sad or happy. It was an emotion I'm not aware. 

It almost broke my heart when he turned away, purposely. I held back my tears.
 

Chaerin has this sort of charm that can transport you anywhere with just one click. She got it from her mom since the latter wanted her to keep an eye out for her brother in the monster world. 

She clicked the charm while holding my hand and before I could even blink my eyes, we were transported to another haunted house. 

We were in a dust-covered room, a sign that a long time has passed since the first offering. Maybe he died. 

"We're in the 'bedroom'." Chaerin said, pointing at a huge four-poster canopy bed at the corner. A human skeleton slept on the dusty mattress. 

"The haunted house has a new set of praestabilis guardians. The former guardians transferred to another house at Myeong-dong, they called themselves DBSK. It's now occupied by EXO, and they still don't have a name for their offerings. Super Junior, however, lives nearby. Just at the neighboring town. They call their offerings Elfs. SM likes to place their monsters in rich areas." Chaerin explained, and started to walk. I followed her from behind.

"So, is there a voice here?" I asked. 

"What are you saying?" She asked, her voice sounded rash as the townsmen's voices when they knew I was charged with a crime. "I can't transfer you directly inside the mansion, that's too insane. I could get killed--and worst, you won't get home. We'd be in big trouble if I do that. We're just in a shop just in front of it."

I scanned my surroundings. "This doesn't look like a shop for me."

"For you," She repeated. "This is how a rich town's shop looks like. They're big, and dusty, and unoccupied most of the time. People here preferred auctions better because it shows up your money. By the way, this is an antique shop. You might want to not touch anything. There might be spirits living inside of them and you might free them."

I stiffened up. 

Chaerin walked up to the other side and opened the door, revealing another room but now, has a glass door that leads to the inside. She stepped out carefully, and I followed suit.

"I don't remember you both going inside." An old voice said behind us when we came reaching for the exit. 

Chaerin turned, while I stayed rooted to my spot. Nothing good will come out of my mouth now, especially that I'm clueless as an idiot. 

In my peripheral vision, I saw Chaerin smile. "Gramps, we just entered an hour ago, surely you'd remember that."

"No." The old man said, sternly. "I don't remember anything. Now, the both of you. Rarely do people come in here to buy and surely, I'd be furious if two teenagers try to steal from my collection."

"We're not stealing." Chaerin contradicted, pissed off. She didn't like the idea of thieves. "We were just looking around."

"As if!" The old man shouted. 

I turned around and bowed my head, "We're deeply sorry for raising our voices at you but we assure you we didn't steal anything. If you want, you can search our pockets."

"Dara!" Chaerin hissed, only for me to hear. "He's a ert! Who knows where he'd be touching."

I bit my lip, scared out of my wits. Chaerin won't see that, because my hair obscures her view of my face. She didn't know how much courage I had to put up just to say those words. Now, we're going to be touched by a erted old man. If I just used a filter in my brain! Damn my brain!

Chaerin whispered, "Dara, bow your head down."

I hesitated. "But--"

"Just bow your head down. Now!" She hissed, and frantically, I bowed my head down. Did I make her mad?

Another voice comes in. "Chaerincchi? What are you doing here?"

My eyes immediately widened; my heart leaped. 

"Hey, Woo. You see, your grandfather has been keeping me and my friend from our shopping. He has been insisting that we committed theft." I heard Chaerin reply. 

"Hey Gramps, keep it cool. This is Chaerin, she's my friend. And this is her friend. Anyone who's a friend of my friends are my friends." I heard Wooyoung said. "Only Dara is special."

I blushed, and fortunately, my hair obscures his view of my face.

"Well, if my grandson says so. But, you aren't still safe young ladies. If I find you coming from the second floor again and not from the front door, I won't hesitate to call the police." Wooyoung's grandfather finally said.

"About that, Gramps. I gave Chaerin a key for the back door. So, the chances that she came from the second floor are highly possible." Wooyoung said, and I felt his grandfather emitting an angry aura. “Anyway, I’ll send her off to rest you assured.”

Chaerin suddenly grabbed my hand, and together with Wooyoung, we went outside. I slightly tilted my head to see what was it like in a rich town, and I kind of admit that I am jealous. The whole town emits the same kind of aura, something that only people with sophisticated upbringing can emit. The road was smooth, and instead of man-powered carriages, they have cars for transportation.

Wooyoung whispered, “Hey, Chaerincchi, is your friend?”

I tensed up.

“Yeah, she’s good.” Chaerin answered immediately. “Keep it fast because we’re going somewhere.”

“Well, I was thinking about what you said when Dara went inside that house. Can you bring her out someday so I can hug her?” Wooyoung said with an embarrassed tone. “I mean, I really miss her. And you know we could tell—“

Chaerin suddenly yanked my head up, her hand abruptly pulling my hair up and I found myself looking up at Wooyoung, my face distorted with pain. “H-Hey, Woo.” I greeted, but Chaerin still won’t remove his grasp on my hair so I started to whisper-shout, “Ouch, Chaerin! Take your hand off my hair!”

Chaerin removed her grasp. “Sorry, the sadist in me awakened.”

I rubbed my head. “That hurts. I’m going to tell it to GD!”

Chaerin yanked my hair again. “What are you going to tell him, huh?”

I winced, and again whisper-shout, “Nothing! I swear nothing!”

Chaerin release my hair. On the other hand, Wooyoung laughed carelessly and commented, “You both didn’t change at all.”

“Yeah, she’s still fighting me over you.” I muttered and, “What did you say?!” came an abrupt reaction from Chaerin. I was lucky that Wooyoung immediately stopped her from yanking my hair down again or I would have ended bald.

Wooyoung seemed to look at Chaerin with a meaningful look, and when I turned back at Chaerin to look at her, she suddenly said, “I’m going to buy a pack, so you guys talk while I’m out.” Then she glared at me. “Zip your mouth about embarrassing secrets, do you hear me?”

Out of fear, I saluted and Chaerin briskly walked away.

I leaned into the shop’s wall and said, “So, you’re working here? Did you move?”

“Nah,” came in his abrupt reply. “I’m helping my Gramps from time to time because Mom hasn’t had any time to help him out, so I always come in to replace her. My mother originated from this place and only moved into our town because of her marriage with Dad.”

I paused for a moment. “How’s Bom?” I asked, choosing another safe topic. It has been a long time since we talked and the atmosphere, though I tried changing it, was rather awkward. It wasn’t the same as before.

“She’s fine; getting a little trouble with things now you’re not there anymore. She now works as a consultant due to Chaerin’s influence.” Wooyoung said. “How about you?”

“I’m fine.” I answered, trying to make my voice as firm as possible. “I learned so many things that I don’t regret at all, and for the first time I felt—“

“I can’t,” He suddenly cuts me off. “I can’t let you do this mission with Chaerin.”

I placed my hands behind my back and started to fidget. “I know what you think about this mission since it involves a lot of contact with monsters, but Woo; you don’t know them as much as I do. Maybe the idiom It’s more than meets the eye and Don’t judge the book by its cover is true. Those boys, they are more than what they look and they have been a family for almost six months already. And—“

He had cut me off again, “But what if the other monsters are not like them? What if those piercings of theirs just started to act up and an apocalypse happens? What if you didn’t save humanity at all? What if—“

“Then I’ll make those what ifs as things that are not going to happen. Chaerin and I may be a two-woman team, which is probably not a good combination for detectives, but I assure you that I’m going to do my best to save humanity and the monster race at all costs.” I had cut him off, and I was actually very pleased with myself to do so because he has been interrupting me with my speeches.

I turned and was about to follow Chaerin when Wooyoung grabbed my wrist. “But what will you do if I say I love you?”

So it will eventually come into this huh?

“I know you’re waiting for your destiny to come, but what if—“

I immediately turned to him again and bowed, stiffly due to its abruptness. “I’m sorry, Woo. I can’t reciprocate your feelings.”

He didn’t reply, and I know, even without looking, that he was keeping everything in. Wooyoung had told me countless of times before that he likes me, but all I could do is turn him down. Partly maybe because I believe I’ll meet Kwon GD someday and mainly because I see him as a brother and a friend, nothing more or less.

I straightened myself up again and turned around, but he had stopped me again. “Why can’t I make you mine? Why do you always turn me down? Why can’t we try? Why won’t you love me, Dara?”

I held back my tears. It wasn’t my intention at all to hurt him further, and despite the reasons I have for turning him down, my heart can’t love him more than friends. I sighed, and croaked, “Would it be too harsh if I say that it’s because you’re Wooyoung?”

His grip on my wrist lessened, and he had let me go.

“I’ll make you fall in love with me someday.”

“Don’t worry.” I whispered. “I want you to.”

“Hey, what’s with that I want you to? Are you ditching my brother?” Chaerin hissed as soon as she dragged me out of Wooyoung’s place. We had detoured, infiltrating the mansion through the back rather than from the front gates. I was lucky that right after I whispered those words, Chaerin came out with a cigarette dangling on her lips, but due to her super hearing, she had overheard our whole conversation, including what it seems, my whisper.

“Well, I was giving it a thinking that if the monster apocalypse happens, he wouldn’t remember me at all and—“

“Idiot.” She said, punching my head softly. “That’s why we’re doing this, right?”
 

I nodded, holding my tears back because I couldn’t afford to cry now. I have to get those documents before the sun sets and therefore, I shouldn’t wrap my mind in matters I can solve later.

“Use the ear piece so I can see and guide you on your way in. I found out that this EXO are the first monsters to turn up, meaning their Esurient was already made active by their agency. I don’t think SM did this specifically to start the apocalypse but to protect my father’s old documents. And Dara, in case they see you, don’t touch them by their arms. Their Esurient is their bracelets and holding them where their Esurient is located can be suicide.” Chaerin warned, and suddenly, taking me aback, she kissed me on my forehead. “And be safe.”

I quickly stood up from the ground, brushing my behind from the dust and slowly, went inside through the open gap, which Chaerin miraculously created without destroying the gate whatsoever. She just sprayed a part of the gate with something and the metal bars turned invisible instantly. Putting the crude idea again aside, I went deeper in the back yard.

It was still like home—the back yard garden not trimmed and kept, dead plants everywhere and a lot of human bones scattered. If by possible, the inside can look alike too.

I struggled to open the heavy doors that lead to the basement, and fortunately they gave in but landed with a loud sound against the ground. Several local crows flew away, making their escape as if the door’s sound frightened them. I looked back down again to the basement. I had destroyed the rusted doors completely that they are beyond repair.

I sighed and jumped in the dark basement. There’s nothing I could do anyway because the damage has already been done. All I could do now is keep going.

“Okay, I can now see the whole house. Wait until I scan around.” I heard Chaerin say through the earpiece.

“How can you do that?” I suddenly asked, motionless since I am currently blind in the darkness.

“It’s like the Marauder’s Map in Harry Potter, but I created it myself. It’s my monster gift actually that I inherited from my Dad, the power to invent.” She answered, and I heard her typing on a keyboard.

“So, what does GD have for powers?” I curiously asked. “What did he inherit?”

Chaerin sighed. “He inherited everything from my parents.” She paused. “That’s why obey my commands so you can reach my father’s former research room.”

“I-I reached it.” I declared, breathlessly. “I found the former research room.”

And it turned out to be the bathroom. Chaerin had made me run in circles around the house, avoid being caught by the twelve Praestabilis guardians and find the room with the odd symbol, which is hard by the way because out of all places that we expected, the worn-out symbol turned out to be located in the bathroom located just beside the basement, burnt exactly on the back of the door.

“Find the dragon or courage symbol quickly, Dara.” Chaerin commanded. “And when you find it, say Patefacio.”

I started finding the dragon symbol, which is by mundane means, hard. It was not inscribed on the tiles, behind the tables, on the toilet, on the bathtub and or on she shower curtains.

“Try the medicine cabinet. My father loves medicines.” Chaerin abruptly said.

I went towards the medicine cabinet and opened it. There were hardly any medicines inside since I know that monsters hardly get sick and even if they do, mundane medicines can’t heal them, and when they get wounded, they regenerate quickly. My eyes scrambled through the bottles of Paracetamol, Ascorbic Acid, Advil and Antacids but there is one bottle that looks suspicious enough: Brain Steroids: For Courage.

“Hey,” I said through the receiver. “There are steroids for courage.”

“Take that!” Chaerin immediately said.

I reached up and took the bottle, muttering Patefacio and suddenly there was a small clicking sound. I clenched on the medicine bottle as the cabinet began to bare itself, opening another passage  from the inside, and that was only when I realized that the other medicines weren’t true at all because there is no way a three dimensional figure can be folded up as if it was made from paper.

I stared at the papers greeting me and it took time before I responded, “I-It’s here!”

And instead of Chaerin’s, I heard a ghastly voice from behind. “I know.”

A cold, menacing air ran past my nape and I shivered. This can’t be true!

“What are you doing, mundane? We killed the last Exotic so you must have snuck in.” He said. “Speak to me.”

I gulped. “I-I-I-I.” I stammered. It’s no use; I’m too scared to say anything.

He suddenly grabbed my arm and I felt a burning sensation to the place where he touched. I cried in pain and carefully looked down. It hurts so much that I didn’t know he immediately released his hold. My skin, the place where he touched me with his bare palm, was burnt and flayed.

“Speak to Chanyeol, mundane.” He commanded once again. “Or you’ll have a very painful death.”

“Touch me if you want, but I won’t tell you anything!” I shouted back and hastily with my unharmed hand, grabbed for the papers. Chanyeol grabbed my harmed arm again, and burned another part of it. I gritted my teeth, keeping my scream in and placed all the papers in front of my belt, where in a blink of an eye, disappeared. It must have transported to Chaerin.

“What did you do with those documents?” Chanyeol roared. “It’s a property of SM!”

I turned towards him, which made the burning sensation even more painful and instead of me gritting my teeth to keep the pain to myself, the pain had caused my teeth to chatter and grit themselves.

Holding them where their Esurient is located is suicide

Well, I don’t care anymore.

With all the courage I can muster, I circled my palm around the hand Chanyeol is using to burn me and yanked it off, sending it back towards him. Sure enough, I felt another pain in my palm. The pain made me dizzy and tired, and I know that I am near to unconscious. But I need to fight for my life because—

Dara, come back before the sun sets.

Because GD and the others are waiting for me.

Chaneyeol was still in a state of shock, and using his present state, I pushed him with all the force I am left. He was taken too much aback that his head collided against the hard tiled wall, and his body slumped as he fell unconscious, his blood smearing the wall as he slide down.

“Dara,” I heard Chaerin say through the receiver, but her voice was choppy. “Can you hear me? My inventions have been entered and waylaid by unknown users. That’s why click the ing charm now! We’ve been found out by the agency!”

I fumbled, with all my strength left, with the charm wrapped around my necklace and clicked the button. And before I disappeared like a mist, I grabbed for Chanyeol’s Esurient wrapped around his wrist.

I fell down on the ground as soon as I came back to Chaerin. She grabbed my flayed arm and gushed, “What are we going to do?”

I groaned, which is not the best answer back.

“Dara, we need to get you to Wooyoung. He knows first aid and we can hide—“ Her voice faltered suddenly, making me dart my attention to her than to the pain in my arm. Chaerin had a shocked look on her face—her eyes and mouth were wide as if stupefied—as she stared at my flayed arm. Was the burnt skin that ugly?

Unconsciously, I looked down at my arm and instead of a burnt, turned-to-black skin; I saw my skin regenerating back to normal. While the pain, it was slowly subsiding.

“What—“

“It can’t be. It shouldn’t regenerate because the Esurient contains poison, which is not curable by monster regenerating capabilities or even any medicine. Your cells should be beyond repair. Why—“ Chaerin muttered, and suddenly, she dropped my hand, as if it was the most disgusting thing in the world. She looked at me with an unexplainable fear written on her face, as if we had reversed races and she was already backing up from fear.

“Don’t tell me that-that—“ She stammered, and it almost broke my heart to see her scared of me. So this is how it feels like being feared. “Don’t tell me that you’re a Pax?”

Before I could reply, a slight lightning sensation tickled me, and I fell unconscious.