Junhong is late. Again.

It’s not really much of a surprise. He’s been having trouble sleeping – he’s been having trouble even being in his dorm room at all – so he’s been running late a lot these days. He’d been late to his first period English class so many times by this point that his teacher, Ms. Jo, had taken to giving him extra homework instead of detention, as that obviously wasn’t helping his tardiness.

He was running down the castle steps when he heard it.

“Behold! I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!”

Junhong stops in his tracks, his heavy bag settling uncomfortably against his thigh. His breath catches in his throat and his palms are suddenly sweaty.

The voice doesn’t speak again.

Gathering his courage, Junhong says, “W-who’s there?”

There’s still no answer.

Balling his fists up, Junhong shouts, “Who’s there, dammit?! Stop ing with me!”

There’s a long silence, no sound except for his own voice echoing off the stone walls of the spiral staircase.

Just when he’s decided that it’s in his head – maybe it’s all in his head after all – he is shoved from behind with enough force that he goes flying down the stairs. He lets out a shout as he bounces down the stairs, and there is a painful snap as he lands on his arm.

Panicked and in pain, Junhong glances around desperately to see who had pushed him, but – as he’d unfortunately known it would be – the stairwell is deserted. There isn’t even a sound aside from his labored breathing.

Then there are footsteps coming up from the stairs, and the next second Bang Yongguk comes around the bend in the staircase. He’s got his nose stuck in some old leather-bound book and doesn’t notice Junhong immediately, but when he does, he gapes.

“Junhong?” he says around a mouthful of cookie. “What the hell are you doing?”

Junhong hesitates, but in the end he decides to tell Yongguk at least part of the truth. “Someone pushed me.”

“Someone pushed you?” Yongguk repeats incredulously. “What, like down the stairs? Who was it? Did you get a good look at him?”

Junhong shakes his head. “I didn’t see him. I don’t know where he went.” If that isn’t the goddamned truth, Junhong doesn't know what is.

Yongguk shoves his book into his backpack and reaches down to help Junhong to his feet. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Junhong winces, cradling his injured arm to his chest. “I hurt my arm. I-I think it might be sprained or something.”

Yongguk curses under his breath. “Dammit, Junhong. Can’t you stay out of trouble for five minutes? Come on, then. Let’s go.”

Junhong hesitates, still holding his arm close. “Go? Go where?”

Yongguk gives him an exasperated look. “To the hospital, of course. We’ll get a doctor’s note so your teachers won’t freak out.”

Junhong follows the senior down the stairs. “Like they’d even care,” he muttered.

Yongguk quirks an eyebrow at that comment but Junhong doesn’t elaborate and Yongguk doesn’t press.

Yongguk’s motorcycle is parked in one of the lots beside the school, and he carefully settles the helmet over Junhong’s curly hair before climbing on. He has Junhong hold onto him with his good arm and promises not to drive too crazily, and then they’re on their way to the hospital.

Junhong clings to Yongguk with his uninjured arm, pressing his face into Yongguk’s back as they speed along crowded streets. He tries to sort out all these strange happenings in his mind: the disembodied voice, the things moving around on their own, Sehun being strange, being pushed down the stairs. Something is obviously going on at Peritia Academy, but he doesn’t know how to prove it. Who would believe him, anyway?

When they get to the emergency room, it’s not long before Junhong is taken back to get an x-ray. They confirm that his arm is fractured and get him fit for a plaster cast.

“So how did you injure your arm?” the nurse administering the cast asks conversationally.

Junhong, who doesn’t want to get the school involved by saying someone pushed him, lies and says, “I tripped and fell down the stairs.” He forces a sarcastic smile. “Clumsy me.”

“You ought to be more careful,” the nurse admonishes him. “It could’ve been your head and you’d be in a lot worse shape than you are now.”

Junhong doesn’t answer.

Once they leave the hospital, instead of returning to school, Yongguk takes them to a fast food restaurant. He orders them both burgers and milkshakes and they settle in a booth at the back.

“Okay,” Yongguk says, fixing Junhong with a level look. “This is the second time you’ve fallen down the stairs, and you don’t strike me as a particularly clumsy sort of kid. So tell me what’s really going on.”

Junhong sighs, pushing around his fries without actually eating any. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“I already think you’re crazy,” Yongguk teases. “You think the castle is haunted, remember?” Then he stops. “Wait, that’s what this is about, isn’t it?” He sighs. “Junhong…”

“I know you don’t believe me,” Junhong says defensively. “Nobody believes me. But I’m not crazy. I’ve been pushed down the stairs on two different occasions. I’ve seen things move around on their own. I’ve heard disembodied voices and seen my own roommate in some kind of trance that he doesn’t remember. I’m too terrified to sleep in my room. I’m on some sort of weird scholarship and I can’t seem to get expelled no matter what I do. So don’t believe me, hyung. That’s fine. But I know I’m not crazy.” 

“Junhong…” Yongguk begins, sighing heavily.

Junhong pushes his untouched food away. “I just want to go back to the castle, hyung. Please.”

So they do.

It doesn’t take long for word about what happened to Junhong to get out. He only tells Sehun about the disembodied voice and being pushed down the stairs by a ghost, but by that weekend it seems that everybody knows Junhong thinks the castle is haunted. He’s become the of everybody’s jokes, but he can’t really bring himself to care.

He’s out on the quad on Saturday afternoon – it’s a warm day and he’ll take any excuse to get out of the castle – when he’s approached by Park Kyung and Ha Minwoo. Junhong doesn’t know them very well – all he knows is that they’re both second years. Minwoo is Sehun’s shepherd, and Kyung is roommates with Baekhyun, Junhong’s shepherd.

He barely glances up from his English textbook. “If you’re here to make fun of me, don’t bother. I don’t care.”

Minwoo and Kyung exchange an anxious sort of look. “Why would we make fun of you?” Minwoo asks.

Junhong fixes them with a flat stare. “Don’t play dumb. Everyone at school thinks I’m crazy because I said a ghost pushed me down the stairs.”

“We don’t think you’re crazy,” Kyung says carefully. “But we would like to talk to you about what happened, if you don’t mind.”

Junhong hesitates, but in the end he gives in. They did ask so politely, after all. “Fine,” he mutters, gesturing for them to sit down. “What do you want to know?”

“Can you tell us exactly what happened?” Minwoo asks eagerly.

Junhong shrugs. “I’d overslept and so I was late to class. As I was going down the stairs, I heard this weird voice even though I couldn’t see anyone. Then I got pushed.”

Kyung leans forward. “What did the voice say?”

Again Junhong shrugs.  “I don’t remember,” he mutters. “Some sort of scary biblical , same as last time.”

“Last time?” Minwoo exclaims. “This has happened before?”

“All sorts of freaky has been happening to me,” Junhong grumbles bitterly.

Kyung puts his hand on Junhong’s shoulder. “Please, tell us everything, Junhong.”

Though normally Junhong wouldn’t confide in people who are essentially strangers, their earnestness wins him over and he finds himself telling them everything that had happened thus far. His voice is hoarse by the time he’s finished.

“I’m sure you guys think I’m crazy too,” Junhong mutters. “Everyone else does.”

“We don’t think you’re crazy,” Minwoo assures him. “But we don’t think you’re dealing with a ghost.”

This piques Junhong’s interest. “What do you mean, you don’t think it’s a ghost? What else would it be?”

Minwoo and Kyung exchange nervous looks again.

“We think it’s a demon,” Kyung whispers, looking around to make sure no one is listening.

Junhong glares at them. “You’re ing with me,” he accuses.

“No, we’re really not!” Minwoo assures him earnestly. “I swear. Just hear us out.”

“Everything that you’re describing fits with a demonic haunting,” Kyung explains. “And we’ve had been suspicious of Peritia Academy for a long time now. There’s something fishy going on here.”

Junhong looks at them. “So what are you going to do?”

“For some reason this demon is targeting you, Junhong, so our first goal is to try and keep you safe,” Minwoo mutters. “But we need to figure out what we’re dealing with. Let’s go into town next weekend. There will be lots of information on Peritia Academy at the public library. In the meantime, you need to keep your head down and try not to attract the demon’s attention.”

Though normally Junhong would scoff at the idea of a demonic haunting, he’s seen enough in the past few months to make him open-minded.

“Fine,” he gives in. “But the sooner we figure out what the is going on, the better. I don’t know that I can deal with this much longer.”

“Do you think he believes us?” Kyung asks as he and Minwoo return to the castle, leaving Junhong on the quad with his homework.

Minwoo sighs. “For his sake, I hope so. We’ve got to get to the bottom of this, and fast.”

“See you later,” Kyung says as they part ways, and he heads into the castle.

He doesn’t get far before he runs into Jiho, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

“What are you doing skulking in the shadows like some creeper?” Kyung demands, heading up the stairs.

Jiho follows him. “What were you doing with that Junhong kid?” Jiho demands instead.

Kyung can’t help but blush at the jealous note in his best friend’s voice. “I told you how Minwoo and I suspected a demonic haunting. We were just talking to him about it.”

Jiho pulls a face. “You’re not still going on about that, are you? I thought you were joking. There’s no such thing as demons.”

“The Bible says-”

But Jiho brushes him off. “The Bible isn’t real, Kyung. It’s just a bunch of fairy stories.” He pouts. “I don’t want you talking to that Junhong kid anymore. He’s putting weird ideas in your head.”

Kyung rolls his eyes. “ off, Jiho, and leave me alone.”

For once, Jiho does as he’s told. 

o.O

So I'd like to apologize for my long hiatus. I went back to America to get married, so everything has been really hectic! 

I promise I'll try to keep things updated regularly from now on!