“Shin? Where are you sweetie?” Tatiana turns the corner and finds the child curled up in between the couch and the wall, bundled up in his comforters. “What are you doing there, sweetie? Are you hiding?” She kneels down as the crying boy nods his head. “Why? What's wrong?”

“I let hyung see my ugly crying face.” Shin tugs the comforter closer to hide his head. “I can't let anyone see my crying face. It's ugly.”

“It's not ugly, sweetie.” She pulls the comforter down and wipes away his tears. “You're adorable no matter what you do. Don't let what people say make you cry, okay?”

“Does that mean I'm cute even when I cry?” Shin sniffles and wipes the tears with his sleeve.

“Of course, sweetie.” Tatiana pulls out her phone, frowning at the unfamiliar number. “Hello?”

“Ye-yeoboseoyo? Is this Tatiana Corazón?” Laced with heavy accent on the name, it’s obvious that this wasn’t the ordinary caller.

“Yes, this is she. Whom am I speaking to?” Tatiana frowns at the familiar sounded voice.

“Um, this is...uh...I...”

“Hyung!” A voice on the other side shouts.

“Is this...Have we met before?”

“Y-yes, we did. We met once before and another time today.”

“Kim...Himchan-shi?”

“Y-yes?” The man replies, completely by habit.

“Is there something you wish to speak to me about?”

“Um...is there a place we can meet? It's a little complicated to speak over the phone.”

“Auntie Tiana.” Shin frowns at the strange call. Anyone who calls after ten is usually screamed and yelled at by his lovely and fantastic Auntie Tiana for interrupting her time with him. Last time his precious Auntie Tiana had to make more calls and yell at the people on the other side of the phone because they were being nin…nin…nincompoopies.

Pulling the phone away from her ear momentarily, she pats Shin’s head. “Hold on, sweetie.” Putting the phone back to her ear, she turns her attention to the man on the other side of the line. “I’ll give you an address of a safe place where we can meet. Can you write it down?”

 

 

 

“Yes, yes.” Himchan motions for the others to gang pen and paper. “Okay, I got it.”

Tatiana tells the man of the address as she pulls the comforter off the pouting boy. “I'll meet you there in twenty minutes. The code for the door is zero-three-eighteen-zero-six.”

“Auntie Titana, are we going somewhere?”

“Get dressed, sweetie. I'm taking you back home.”

“To my home? With Mommy?” His face brightens up like a tree on Christmas. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Nearly tripping over his feet, he pulls on his jacket and heads to the front door. “Hurry! Auntie Tiana~! We have to get home.” Shin grabs Tatiana’s hand and tugs her towards the door. “My bunnies are hungry! They need me to love them.” He pulls out some heals for his caretaker. “Wear this. It looks good with your pretty dress.”

“Oh, sweetie! You’re a great fashionista for your age.”

“That’s because I’m cute. No one in the world is as cute as I am.” Shin exclaims proudly, his hands at his waist and sticking out his chest. “Only Auntie Tiana is prettier than I am.” He grins wider as Tatiana stands up, taking his hand. “The girls at school love me and the boys are jealous because I’m a pretty boy and they all want me to be their friends but I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” She leads him into the elevator, smiling at the look of his sparkling eyes glistening like diamonds. “Don’t you like them?”

“They just like me because everyone else likes me. Some boys like me because the girl they like, likes me and they want the girl to like them so they say they like me. They don’t really like me because they like me.”

“How do you know that sweetie? Did they tell you?”

“I just know Auntie Tiana. I’m smart like you.” Shin smiles cheerfully as jumps off the elevator. “Hello ahjusshi!!” He rushes over to the security guard at the lobby. “Are you feeling better? Is your back okay?” He frowns, looking at the said person’s back. “Does it still hurt?”

“Aigoo! You precious little thing.” The guard pats Shin on his head. “Ahjusshi is feeling better now. I got some rest and feel lots better now.”

“Did you use the heat thingy? Was it good?” After finding out the old man’s injury, Shin had set out with some pocket money to buy the guard a heat pad for his back. He had even packed it in a little box and put it on the man’s table with a note and a smiley face.

“You precious child, you. Thank you for the heat pad. It helped ahjusshi feel much better. I feel like I’m younger now.”

“Does that mean I can call you hyung?”

“Hyung?” The guard smiles and bends down, hugging the child tightly. “If my children have a child like you, I would be blessed.” He places a kiss on Shin’s forehead. “Call me Grandpa, okay?”

“Yeobo.” An elderly woman walks in, bowing her head in greeting towards Tatiana. “Hello.” Her gaze turns to the child in her husband’s arms. “Who’s this?”

“Hello, I’m Shin and I live in this building with my auntie.”

“Hello, I’m Tatiana.” She pulls out her business card and hands it over to the elderly woman. She glances over at the giggling child with an affectionate heart, proud to be his guardian, even if they aren’t related in anyway.

“Omo. You’re a designer?” The elderly woman’s face brightens as she takes in Tatiana’s age into the little fact. “You’re so young. What do you design?”

“I do designs for houses and sometimes a bit of children’s clothes.”

“Isn’t this pretty?” Shin asks, spreading out his arms besides him. “Auntie Tiana made it just for me. No one has it. It’s only mine!”

“It’s so pretty.” The old woman coos, pinching Shin’s chubby cheeks. “You’re so handsome too. Do you live with you auntie and mommy?”

“Y-yah.” The husband pulls her up, telling her to be quiet and nods his head apologetically toward Tatiana. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Tatiana takes Shin’s hand and shifts her bag onto her shoulder. “Ahjusshi, I’ll be back in a few hours and there shouldn’t be anyone looking for us. If there is, please give me a call.” She nods her head and leaves. Stopping at the door, she turns and pats him on the head. “Auntie needs to go find the guard to get something. I’ll be right back okay? You wait right here. Don’t go anywhere, okay?”

Shin nods his head and hugs the bunny close. Feeling the draft, he steps back inside the glass doors. He turns his head towards the old couple just as the halmoni starts to talk again.

“Yeobo, what was that for?” The old woman asks. “I was just talking to the child.”

“Quiet you.” The man scolds and lowers his voice. “He lost his mother two months ago.”

“Really? Poor child. What did she look like?”

The man frowns and scrunches up his face to think. “She was young, like that girl with Shin. I don’t see her much because they don’t live here, but she visits the girl lots of times.” He points to the business card in the old woman’s hand. “They’re very close with each other and when the mother passed away, everything was giving to the friend until the child’s old enough to have them. The mother even trusted her enough to leave her son with the girl.”

“What about the father?”

“I don’t know.”

“You didn’t ask?”

“The child mentioned that no one can know who his father is because it’s a secret.”

“Really?” The old woman drops the subject and hands her husband the meal she’s brought with her. They coo at each other like young lovebirds, sharing the meal the same way they did on their first date. “Yeobo, it’s embarrassing.”

“Why? Is it embarrassing to be in love? Who said love was for the young? Who? Who?”

Shin looks down at his feet, a frown on his lips. A stray tear rolls down his face and he wipes it away just as Tatiana returns with the car. “Sweetie, it’s time to go.”

Shin pushes the door open and heads towards the car. He reaches for the door, his tongue sticking out in the corner of his lips.

“Want any help?” Tatiana asks from the driver side window. She smiles at the pout directly her way and the silent plea for help.

“Thank you Auntie Tiana.” Shin mumbles and sits comfortably on the seat, lifting his arms to allow himself to be buckled in.

“Is something wrong? You can tell me, sweetie.”

“I’m okay.”

The car ride was quiet, yet unlikely the other quiet car rides. Something was wrong and it seems to be from Shin’s sudden change in mood. The car pulls to a haul, the engine stopping. “We’re here, sweetie.”

Shin unbuckles himself and reaches for the lock, pushing the door open with his foot. He turns around and slides down the seat, feeling for the ground with his feet. “Ah!” His foot gets caught in the small space between the tire and the curb, making him fall backwards on his back. He hits his head on the cement ground, its impact lessened by the backpack on his back. Tears swell up and he opens his mouth, filling the street with his crying.

“Sweetie.” Tatiana picks up the crying child, brushing off the dirt and dust. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Panic sets in and her eyes start to become moist. During the time since her friend’s accident and ultimately her death, the child hadn’t cried even once, a smile always on his face. It was strange and sometimes a bit frightening, but she knew it was his way of coping for reasons for the unknown to him. “It’s okay. Auntie’s here.” She slams the door close and locks the car, lifting the child and heading into the apartment building.

Himchan bits his lips, starting at the door in front of him.

“Hyung, it’s been fifteen minutes!”

“Yah.” The leader nudges the vocalist, frowning at his whining.

“Standing here won’t help with anything.” The maknae pushes his way through and inputs the code on the keypad. He pushes the door open and walks in, taking off his shoes as he steps into the house.

“Who knew she was in the same building as us.”

As if Youngjae’s words had stabbed him in the heart, Himchan lifts a hand over the pained organ. He bites down on his lips, as if the action will ease some of the pain away. It’s true, he hadn’t expected the meeting place to be only two floors below them. Does that mean he’ll see the child more often? Would he have to greet him and act normal? What if fans find out? What if the company finds out? What’s going to happen to them? What if they have to stop promotions? Or worse. What if they have to stop being BAP because of him? What if…?

“Are you okay?” Yongguk puts a hand on Himchan’s shoulder, frowning at how he flinches from his touch.

“What’s that?” Jongup asks suddenly.

“What?” Daehyun frowns at the dancer. “Did you see something?”

“I thought I saw a green light move by.”

“Where?”

“There!” Jongup points into the darkness. “Someone’s in here.”

Yongguk puts his hand on the wall, reaching out blindly. He can feel his heart thumping in his chest and the way his muscles tightens.

In the dark, something starts to move around. Once in a while, there will be some sort of light shining in the dark, like some sort of light source. It’s green once, then yellow, then some other color. The lights would move quickly, leaving a trail behind, like watching the tail lights of a speeding car, and trying to capture it on film. There was a low rumble, like the sound of race car engines.

Taking a deep breath, Yongguk finds the light switch, and with a strong ounce of courage, he flips it on to find…nothing. Absolutely nothing is in the apartment, saved for the furniture.

“Don’t scare us, Guppie.” Himchan exhales in relief, leaning against the younger male. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“I really did see something, hyung.” Jongup frowns at being dismissed so easily. He watches as the older members sits down in the living room.

“Hyung, I believe you.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to lie.”

“No, I do.” Zelo inches closer to the slightly older male. “It feels weird here. I feel like we’re being watched.” He mumbles through the hand in front of his face. “Do you think it’s a sasaeng?” He shifts closer, wrapping an arm around Jongup’s more muscular one. “Will we get in trouble? What if they find out?”

“Don’t worry. No one knows about this place.” Youngjae comforts the maknae line. “It’s not like this is our dorm so there’s no reason why they should stalk this place.”

Before Zelo can say something else, the sound of crying grabs their attention. The crying increases in volume before stopping at the front door. It nearly masks the sound of the door opening inside the apartment. Once the front door opens, the crying rings in the apartment.

Jongup stiffens. Now he’s certain. There’s something in the house. Something was moving in the dark and it’s still moving around, watching them. It was right there, around the corner of the hall. It had appeared when the crying filled the apartment, but disappeared as quickly when it nearly turned the corner. Whatever it is, it saw them and it hid.

“Don’t cry anymore, Shin. We’re here. You’re going to wake up the neighborhood.” Tatiana puts down her bag and soothes the boy’s back. “It’s okay now. It’s okay.” She rubs the back of his head. “You’re not bleeding.” She shifts the child in her arms. “Sweetie, you need to stop crying okay? Do you want me to kiss it better?” She presses her lips against Shin’s forehead. “It still hurts? Okay then. Auntie will give you the big super nurse healing boo-boo special.” She begins to rain kisses all over Shin’s face, covering his eyes and everywhere she can.

Giggles erupt from Shin’s lungs and he tries to push the kissing lips away, but his wrist is held captive. “No! Stop! No more kisses! I’m dying!” Shin leans limply against Tatiana’s body, tired from crying and giggling.

“Oh no! Shin’s dead! I have to revive him by giving him my magical kisses.”

Shin laughs and squirms away from the kisses. “I’m alive! I’m alive!” He wiggles and gets out of Tatiana’s arms. “See? I’m alive!”

“Good, now go wash your hands and change out of those clothes.” She hits Shin’s behind, causing the boy to squeal and run away. “I apologize for that.”

“N-no. It’s okay.” Yongguk’s voice trails off and lowers his head. He wasn’t expecting a sobbing child. “Sorry for intruding.”

“It’s fine. Want something to drink?” Tatiana heads towards the kitchen and reaches for the cups in the cupboard. “I hope you don’t mind instant tea. There’s nothing left here after I moved everything to my place.”

“This isn’t your place?” Daehyun asks, a million questions entering his head.

“You said this is a safe place.” Youngjae reminds, his body telling him to flee.

“This isn’t a plan to get us here and in trouble, is it?” Yongguk frowns as Tatiana puts down the tray with steaming hot tea. “Why did you tell us to come here if this isn’t your place? Whose place is this? If this is a joke to lure us out for a scandal, I’ll…”

“Relax. It’s not my place. It’s…”

“It’s my house.” Shin reappears with a red wagon and six familiar looking bunnies on it. “I live here with mommy.” He sits down next to Tatiana and reaches for the cup of coco. He blows and sips on it. “Yummy.”

“Shin lived here with Hanna when she was…” Tatiana leaves the rest unsaid. “So, what did you want to know?” She changes the topic with a smile.

“This.” Himchan places the box on the table. “It’s what was given to me during the…”

“Ah, Shin’s pictures.” Tatiana smiles at the album. “I’ve always wondered why she would make two copies of it.” She opens the cover and motions for the date on the inner cover. “Do you know what this date is?”

Without looking up, Shin answers for them. “It’s my birthday. I’m going to be six soon.” He smiles and looks up from the cup. “Mommy said I have to give it to you because you were really good friends.”

Despite his words, perhaps he’s sensitive, Jongup has a feeling that the words means more than it seems. It didn’t make sense. The child was shy when he first met them a month ago, but he’s completely different. He’s friendly with them.

“Y-yeah. We’re good friends.” Himchan replies and turns back to the album, clenching it in to his chest. “We were really good friends.” The words cause his heart to clench harder, his breathing labored as if suffocating.

 

 

---

Ah... How is Himchan going to get out of this one now? I hope he'll be okay. And what about Jongup? What did he see? Is it his imagination? Is it hallucination? Or is it something else? The house is haunted. No really, it is. It's haunted. :D