~AUTHOR’S POV~

She turned back to them, planning to ask them where the door but they were already gone.

“Looking for someone?” a voice from her side asked. She turned to the left.

“Kwon Jiyong!” she rejoiced. “Where are the others?”

“Lurking somewhere” he shrugged. “Let’s go?”

“Okay” she eagerly repiled. “I thouht you weren’t really going to walk me to my car anymore”

He led the both of them to the metal door. As soon as he closed it behind him, Dara suddenly had goosebumps for the eerie silence that greeted ger.

“Why are you being kind all of the sudden?”

“Would you prefer me being rude?” he asked.

“No”she quickly replied, shaking her head. “I’m just curious”

“I’m in a BAD mood that’s why I’m being kind to you” he snorted.

“Are you trying to be funny or you’re just being sarcastic?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

“I’m being sarcastic”

“Oh, I thought you’re being funny” she mumbled.

“You’re being sarcastic yourself” he returned.

“I’m not being sarcastic” she defended then groaned out loud as she saw the spiral staricase again. “How come people still come here? It’s so impossible to reach the top. This’ll be a long climb”

“Hmm” he thoughtfully mumbled. He suddenly faced her, smirked then inclined his head to the side. The girl’s eyes widened as his eyes went all-black again. But then, she decided that it was just a trick of light again due to the dancing flames on the torch.

“Should we start-?” she stopped as she suddenly felt dizzy and sleepy. She yawned. “I feel sleepy”

Her eyes blinked then they finally closed. Kwon Jiyong caught her body in his arms as it swayed to the side.

“What are you doing?!” a hiss came from the shadows. He straightened up, with Dara’s limp body in his arms.

“I’tll take a day to reach the top if we manually take the stairs”

“C’mon, Bom” a male voice sounded. “I jumped from upstairs down here, too”

“You two are fools!” Bom finally stepped out of the shadows.

“They’re just having fun” Youngbae said. “But I must say it’s pretty risky”

“Oh, don’t lecture me about risks” Jiyong scowled. “I’m not as careless as Seungri”

“True” CL joined in. “but you’re becoming one because of that girl”

“It’s getting late” Jiyong sighed. “She needs to go home. And like what I said before, she’s just my neighbor”

“She’s really beautiful, though” Seungri said as he watched his friend faded into the shadows.

“Don’t start” Bom scold.

“What now?” Seungri asked. “I’m just telling the truth. Why are you so grumpy?”

Meanwhile, Jiyong patted her cheeks. “Wake up!”

She slowly stirred awake. She frowned as she opened her eyes, looking very confused. She leaned a hand on his arm for support as she stood up.

“What happened?” she asked.

“You fell asleep” he said. “I carried you all the way up here. But I’m afraid I can’t bear to carry you any longer so I woke you up”

“I don’t know what happened to me. How can I fall asleep just like that? And did you say you carried me all the way up here? How did you do that? It’s-“

“You ask too many questions” he growled. “Let’s get going. It’s getting late”

“But-“

He started walking. She followed.

“How did-?” she started but stopped. He won’t tell her the truth if he doesn’t want to so why bother asking? But his brooding silence annoys her. “Is Bom your girlfriend?”

“Girl friend or girlfriend?”

“The latter” she quickly answer.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I saw you two kissed and she was rude to me” I said matter-of-factly.

“Why do you think she’s rude to you?” he asked.

“I think it’s because she’s being territorial. She doesn’t want me anywhere near you”

“Maybe you SHOULDN’T be really hanging around near me. And you don’t really have self-confidence, do you?” he snorted.

“That’s just what I think” I shrugged. “So, are you two together?”

“Why are you so interested anyways?”

“I’m not interested” she insisted. “I’m just plain curious”

“Aren’t those two the same?”

“Can you not answer my question with another question?” she burst out.

“What would you do if I won’t do what you say?”

“What would you do if I won’t answer your question?” she returned.

“Oh, right” he exclaimed. “I almost forgot your purpose in life is to annoy me”

“You’re really rude! I’m just trying to-“

“-be friendly. You, stalking me isn’t really friendly”

“Why you. . . .! I’m not stalking you! How conceited of you to think that!”

He chuckled. “Get use to it”

“If you think – wait. Did you just say. . . .? does that mean I’ll se you more often?”

“I didn’t say anything like that” he bit out. “Now get inside your car”

“You’re not driving me home?”

“No” he said. “Now go”

“When are you going back to your house?”

“I don’t know” he shrugged.

“See you at school then” she allowed.

“I’d rather not” he snorted. “Now drive”

She scowled. “Wait, you haven’t answered any of my questions yet”

He scowled back. “What now?”

“Are you and Bom-?”

“It’s really none of your business, is it?”

She was about to argue back but changed her mind. “So, what happened? Why did you snap before and are you angry at me?”

He was silent for a while, then he smirked. “Go home. It’s getting late”

Dara started the engine as Kwon Jiyong started heading back to the cemetery. She was drivinh for thrirty seconds when she heard a hissing sound on the passenger seat. She looked down and saw a snake staring at her. She stepped on the breaks and started sweating. She didn’t dare more but when she felt something slippery in her wirsts and arms, she looked down and saw that there were snakes circled around the steering wheel, crawling up to her. They started circling around her wrists, making her scream. She quickly stepped off the car, still screaming whe she felt arms pulled her aside the same time she heard a motrobike zoomed past her. The person who pulled her, hugged her close. She looked up to her car and screamed again as she saw that snakes were all over the vehicle.

“Hey, hey” a familiar voice said. She looked up and saw Jaejoong.

“Jae!” she breathlessly ushered. “There were snakes. . . .” she started but stopped as she looked down at her wirsts and saw nothing. She looked up to her car and saw nothing, too. “I don’t understand” she mumbled. “I swear, there were snakes all over my car! And there was nsakes on me, too”

“You must have been dreaming, Dara” Jaejoong soothed her. “Come here”

“It felt so real” she said.

“It’s alright” Jaejoong whispered. “I’m here now”

He pulled her to a hug again. She was so confused and scared that she let him comfort her, putting aside the question she wanted to ask him. She felt something tugged deep inside her. Still in her boyfriend’s arms, she looked over his shoulder and saw a figure going to the opposite direction. Eventhough she can’t see the face of the person, she was sure it was Kwon Jiyong. But she didn’t c all him. Instead, she hugged Jaejoong closer as she watched the other guy disappeared into the dark cemetery.

“I’ll drive you home” Jaejoong said after a while.

Jaejoong kept his silence as he drove down the road. Dara was spacing out. He was worried and he was wiating for her to say anything/ but she didn’t say a word. When the car stopped in front of her house, she was unmoving.

“Dara?” he called out. The girl jumped a little.

“Oh, we’re here” she mumbled.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I don’t know” she said. “It just felt so real. I don’t know what happened”

“You must have dozed off while driving” he reasoned again.

“Yeah, maybe” she quietly said, frowning. She looked up at him again. “What were you doing there anyways?”

“Your mother called e, asking me if you’re with me” he said. “She sounded worried. She said she can’t contact you. That reminds me, where have you been?”

“I. . . I just went for a wdrive” she mumbled. When he didn’t say anything, she suspected that he knew she was lying.

“Don’t drive too late next time, okay?” he then said. “Now get inside before your mother calls a searc party for you”

“Oh, I better do” she chuckled and leaned to him for a goodnight kiss. She was taken aback as once again, it turned to a hot make out.

“I love you” he whispered.

“I lvoe you, too” she smiled. “See you at school”

“Hmm”

He watched her get inside the house before stepping off the car. He slowly retreated, blending with the shadows and waited for midnight to come.

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