Prologue

The Scariest Ghost

—The Floating Man—

It had been a long travel from Busan to Seoul.

He was a bit drowsy from sleep and his legs were numb but as soon as he opened the car door and stepped outside to breathe the fresh air, his eyes were wide open as he was fully awake and aware of his surroundings. He had a jet black hair and dark eyes, a slightly sun-kissed skin and bow-shaped lips. He wore a black shirt that fitted his lean body and outlined the muscles on his biceps, a testament to his athletic body.

He was undeniably a very attractive young man. Who was this attractive young man? His name was Jeon Jungkook, eighteen years of age and fresh out of high school. What was he doing in this peaceful and quiet neighborhood? He was moving in to the bigger city.

“Are you certain you’re going to be alright here, Jungkookie?” A petite woman who barely even reached past his shoulders asked him, her eyebrows creased with worry that was also evident in her tone. She placed a hand on Jungkook’s shoulders as she offered, “I could stay with you for a few weeks if you want?”

She was a very adorable woman despite her age with her wide, innocent-looking eyes and pouty lips. Who was this very adorable despite her age woman? She was Jeon Boram, Jeon Jungkook’s one and only aunt. What was she doing in this peaceful and quiet neighborhood? Sending off her only nephew that was almost like a son to her.

“Thank you, Aunt Boram.” Jungkook flashed her a small grin that displayed his pristine white teeth and his two front teeth that made him resemble an adorable bunny despite his sharp eyes. “But I have to learn to lie by myself and having you stay with me would defeat that purpose.” He turned to the front and stared at the image of his new home, “Besides, you have already helped me enough preparing my new home.”

His new home was a two-story white house with squared windows and it looked very much like the one the vacation house they had at Jeju. There were plants decorated at near the doors step and it looked beautiful and welcoming. It was very much something his Aunt would certainly do.

“I didn't really do much. This was bought with your late parent’s money.” Aunt Boram said as she turned to the white house, “There’s still a lot of weeds at the backyard and you need to take care of those. Replace it with roses, Jungkookie.” She sighed for a little, feeling melancholic as she turned to Jungkook, “It was grandma who suggested that we buy this place for you. It was her late best friend’s home and she didn't want anyone else to have it because it held precious memories. That's why she suggested that we buy it before anyone else does.”

Jungkook nodded as he observed the place. It was a very quiet neighborhood and this certain house he bought was unlike most of the modern houses and apartments he saw in the main city as he headed to this place. Yet despite that, Jungkook liked it very much for it was peaceful and welcoming. “I like it,” the young man said softly as he continued to observe his new home.

A comfortable silence reigned between the two of them for a moment as they basked under the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze that brushed against their skin. Jungkook closed his eyes for a minute, seeing a picture of his home back at Busan in his mind where he could remember his kind grandmother wearing one of her flower-printed dresses, his father would be laughing soundly. His ever so beautiful mother would be in his father’s arms as she threatens him not to drop her. His older brother would be holding his camera and taking pictures of his terrified mother’s face. Aunt Boram would come in, bringing in a tray of desserts for them to snack with.

He could see the happy times and he missed it so badly.

He opened his eyes, tearing up in the slightest before he turned to his ever kind aunt who was smiling at him with understanding. She knew what he was thinking. This new house of his looked very much like the one they had before his parents died. “Do you want to check inside, Jungkookie?” Aunt Boram offered as she pulled out one of Jungkook’s heavy boxes out of the trunk. “Don’t worry about cleaning those weeds at the backyard for now. I’ll take care of it instead. We can just call a few cleaners.”

The young man walked forward and attempted to help her but was declined. His aunt reasoned that this might be her very last time babying him since he had grown up and would be living on his own from now on. “Let me do this for you before I leave,” she had said, voice soft and trembling as she held back her tears.

He heard the sadness in her voice and it made him feel bad. He was certain to miss his aunt too. She and his grandmother were the only family he had left when his parents died. His brother went missing after the incident and Jungkook never bothered to find him. He didn’t blame him. He understood him completely. Junghyun was always closer to his parents than Jungkook ever was. They were all close but Junghyun was different.

Junghyun was supposed to inherit his father’s company and just before his parent’s died, his father had promised something to his brother. Jungkook didn’t know what it was but he knew that that broken promise had hurt his brother greatly. So he didn’t find him. Junghyun would find himself first before he would return in his own time. All they need to do was wait for him.

And move on with life.

Moving on was what Jungkook would be doing here. Being the maknae of the family, he had everyone’s love and support. He was not arrogant nor trying to show off but Jungkook, in actuality, came from a very well-off family. His father’s owned a big company, his mother was well-paid in her own job and they didn’t struggle financially. It’s just that his family preferred to live quietly outside of Seoul. Busan was peaceful unlike the bustling city of Seoul and despite the fact that his father had to travel during weekdays and weekends between two cities, he very much preferred that Jungkook and his brother grew in Busan.

Jungkook would’ve continued to live there but after his parent’s death, all the things in Busan just painfully reminded him of the past. And thus, he told his aunt and grandmother of his decision to live alone in Seoul and despite their hesitation, they acknowledged that he was growing and needed to make decisions for himself.

Nevertheless, they want to baby him one last time thus why they handled and prepared everything for him before he left. His grandmother bought the house with his late parent’s money for him, his Aunt Boram prepared and already had it cleaned for him. They also loaded his bank account with numbers that was high enough to support him for a lifetime. With his grandmother and Aunt Boram’s gifts as well as the inheritance he gained from his parents’, Jungkook could live his whole life comfortably without having to look for a job.

But Jungkook did not want that life. He came to Seoul to pursue college and find his own path. And he was glad that his grandmother and aunt understood and supported him.

The door to his new home was opened and Jungkook held his breath as reality finally crashed down on him—he was going to live on his own. The interior of the house was still plain but clean. He knew for one that his Aunt was not the best person when it comes to cleaning for she often relied on their maids so she obviously hired some help. Still, for a relatively old house—considering that his grandmother is old and this belonged to her friend—this place was neat and didn’t really have an ancient feel to it, no offence so his grandmother and her antique collections that had been collecting dusts over the years.

“Wow,” his aunt said in awe right beside him, “I should give them a tip. I asked them to start cleaning the house but I didn’t expect them to be so fast and efficient in their task.” She turned to Jungkook’s with a smile, “Seoul is amazing, Jungkookie. I guess businesses here have better services compared to the ones we get at home.”

“Don’t throw shade at Nana, Auntie.” Jungkook shook his head, albeit an amused smile settled on his face, “She’s old and she can’t complete the tasks perfectly at home anymore.”

The petite woman shrugged before she turned to Jungkook and gave him a tight hug to which he reciprocated. “You’re going to be okay here, Jungkookie.” She said, her voice soft as she finally let the tears she’s been holding back go. “Come visit us on vacations, okay?”

“I will,” Jungkook nodded as he took let a few tears escape from his eyes. “I’m going to miss you and grandma a lot.”

“We’ll miss you too,” aunt Boram pulled away, wiping a few tears in her eyes with her handkerchief as she smiled sadly, “We’re so going to miss our baby boy.”

In the midst of his tears, Jungkook groaned as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment, “Auntie, I’m eighteen.” He shook his head as his aunt laughed at his dismay, “I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she smiled at him, “You’re still a baby boy for me. It seems like it was just yesterday when your mother came and showed me a little bundle of joy.” She held an imaginary baby in her hands as she teased Jungkook for how much of a crybaby he was as a child. “You start bawling whenever you were pulled away from your mother and you don’t even allow your father to kiss her. What a clingy baby you were.”

Jungkook was exasperated over her words but he allowed her to walk down the memory lane, knowing that she was doing this to cover up the fact that she would be missing him so. The young man was sure to miss her too so he decided to listen(and groan) as she reminiscence his embarrassing childhood. Time passed, they talked in between carrying his luggage and boxes and sat down for a rest.

Aunt Boram never stopped talking and this was the most she has talked—and that’s saying a lot because she was technically their resident gossiper back at Busan. Jungkook was going to miss her and his grandmother so much. He was going to miss Nana—their old maid who served their family longer than Jungkook has lived—and all the memories he left at home.

But the time to say goodbye had come. Aunt Boram hugged him for the last time and he embraced her tightly for he knew it would be their last. Who knew when would he have time to visit Busan again, he heard that college was hard and left him to be very busy. Before leaving, Aunt Boram reminded him that the truck movers will come by tomorrow and much to his surprise, she said that it will be her parting gift for him.

“You’ve done enough, Auntie.” Jungkook had said but his aunt simply smiled at him as she said, “Come on, you’re like a son to me.” A few tears gathered in her eyes again, “There’s never going to be enough. I could keep giving you things even when you get married and have your own child. You’ll be just a baby with a baby.”

Jungkook groaned. Not the baby talk again. Nevertheless, Aunt Boram decided to shorten his suffering as she kissed him on the forehead for her last goodbye and a statement of which she said that her parting gift is practical and something that he would love—house furniture. Wow. Thanks, Aunt.

He stood there, thinking of what he should do next. His aunt had left him and his luggage and boxes are moved inside the house now. He stared around and observed that despite being clean, colors on the walls were fading and he noted to himself that he needed to repaint it. Sighing, Jungkook notices that the room was spacious and there was a glass separating what he assumed was the dining room on the other.

Might as well check the whole place.

On the left side of the spacious room—to which he decided should be the living room—was another that was almost as bare as the previous one if not for the empty white sink, an old dishwasher, a fridge he doubted would work and a stove that was a little rusty. Nevertheless, he was able to tell that this was the kitchen and there are only a few things he needed to work with. He recalled that his aunt had said that the truck movers would send a few furnitures for this house and back at Busan, his grandmother had also promised to fill in all of his necessities—from his bathroom essentials down to the kitchenware, everything would be covered.

He left the kitchen room and saw that there was a locked room located near the stairs and its door was padlocked. Jungkook eyed the lock with curiosity, wondering if his grandmother’s friend who was assumingly this house’s previous owner was the one who sealed this room and he wondered vaguely wondered why. He reached towards the lock, fingertips tracing the curves and noting that it had become rusty probably over the years. As he was mulling over it, he caught a quick movement of a shadow at the corner of his eyes.

He quickly turned to the side, eyes scanning the room for any presence only to find none. Nonetheless, his eyes traced the room back and forth three times for reassurance before he dismissed it with a shrug. Maybe it was just some mice, he thought to himself, This place is quite old after all. The cleaners probably failed to catch all the mice.

After one last scan, his eyes wandered back to the locked room, curiosity getting the better of him. He crouched down, eyes focused between the gaps of the door as he tried to see if he could peek inside the room. None. There was nothing he could see and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. Jungkook was a curious young man and when he had questions, he wanted answers. He placed a hand inside his pocket, searching for something he could use to pick the lock.

But before he could have the chance to find anything, he flinched in surprise as he felt something hit the back of his head. It wasn’t anything big, almost like a flick, faint but still noticeable. He turned around, scanning the room once more for any mysterious presence but, once again, found none. He glanced down and saw a crumpled paper lying on the floor. He picked it up, wondering if this was the one he was hit with.

He glanced around the room in confusion once more before he gingerly opened the crumpled paper and was met with a single-word message that was written in a neat hand-writing.

What’s this? Jungkook raised an eyebrow at the message, staring at it with a glint of amusement in his eyes. Is this like those horror movies where a ghosts wants you out of his haunted house? He chuckled to himself at the thought. Perhaps he was watching too many horror movies. Unlike most people, Jungkook doesn’t cower nor flinch when watching gruesome and terrifying movies of people getting killed in the most brutal possible way or scary-faced clowns and ghost. And unlike most people who’d probably be running out of the house scared by now, Jungkook was Jungkook and he didn’t care.

“Sorry,” he said unapologetically and almost mockingly as he smiled to nothing in particular, “But this house is mine now.” He must’ve looked and sounded crazy talking to himself but that’s not the case here. Whether he was being pranked by some unknown being or not, he was clearly not alone in this room.

He was met with silence at his words so he decided to shrug it off and turn around, facing the locked door once more. Just as he was about to rummage his pocket for anything to pick the lock with again, he felt another hit on his back and this time, it was thrown with more force. Did he anger the unknown being in this house now?

He turned around and found another crumpled paper at the ground. “Ever heard of the advocacy ‘Save Mother Earth?’” He questioned to no one in particular, voice a little amused, “You’re not exactly helping in the fulfillment of that advocacy. Save trees, you know?” He crouched down and picked the paper on the ground once more. Opening it, he was met with the same neat-handwriting from earlier. But instead of a one-word message, he was met with a three-word phrase.  

“Are you threatening me?” The young man raised an eyebrow at the message, turning to the empty space with a challenging stare, “Or what? You’re going to kill me and haunt my family?” Like some crazy, obsessed ghosts.

Not even bothering to wait for a reply nor scan around the room this time around, Jungkook turned back to the locked door and almost immediately, he felt another hit on his back. “What now?” Jungkook rolled his eyes as he picked up another crumpled piece. Is this thing really making an effort to scare me or just annoy me? This is probably the most stupid ghost—or whatever it is—that ever existed.

“You do know that you’re not supposed to tell the person you want scared to just be scared like that, right?” Jungkook asked, tone sarcastic as he raised an eyebrow at no one in sight. He shook his head, “You’re probably the most stupid ghost—or whatever you are—that ever existed.”

He stood there for a moment, waiting to see if he gets another crumpled paper thrown at him but there were none. Sighing, he thought that this ghost—or whatever—must have given up thus he turned around and alas, there it was—the telltale soft hit against his back that had Jungkook rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time.

Once again, the repeating pattern; he turned around, picked the crumpled paper off the floor—save mother Earth— and opened it to see the message written inside:

“Seriously?” Jungkook was so done at this point as he stared blankly at the paper, “You’re mad now? Am I supposed to be scared?” he stared at the frowning emoticon, feeling annoyed and so done at the same time, “Of what? This emoticon?”

He stood there for a moment, frowning at the paper and scanning the room. He took one quick glance at the locked door, his curiosity growing ten-folds yet at the same time he did not want to deal with this stupid ghost. He traveled a long way from Busan to Seoul and the last thing he wanted to do was get into an argument with a stupid ghost or some other equally dumb creature. “Fine,” he sighed, “I’m not touching the damn door.”

He waited for a second or two, waiting for a form of reply only to get none. Deeming that the ghost or whatever creature must have given up, he shrugged turned to the stairs right beside the locked door. He decided to forego checking the room and see the second floor of this house instead. When he stepped on the stairs, they creaked and the sound echoed in the empty house, making it sound eerie.

Most would have been scared but once again, Jungkook was Jungkook and these things did not faze him in the slightest. He reached the top of the stairs and saw a small hallway with three closed doors—one closest to him on his left and two on the right side of the hallway. He decided to venture and check each room, starting with the closest one on his left.

He opened the door, an ominous feeling settling inside of him at the creaky sound it produced but he opted to disregard the feeling. The inside was a little dusty, making his nose itch a little, but it was less dusty than his grandmother’s antique collection back at Busan. In fact, this room was less dusty for a very old house. If he remembered correctly, the cleaners had come earlier then he did but judging on the dust at the hallway, it was clear that they did not venture the second floor.

What a peculiar house this was, Jungkook thought as he observed the dusty room, making out a study table pushed at the corner with a stack of books and papers on top of it. On the side, there was a mini-library with several kinds of books collecting dust from over the years.

He pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and placed it over his nose and mouth as he stepped into the room. There were several books and papers scattered over the floor and he briefly thought of how much cleaning he needed to work for this room. He eventually reached the study table, his eyes wandering over the stacks of books and noticed that they were all related to medical courses and biology. Was Grandmother’s friend a doctor? he vaguely wondered.

Just as he was checking on the books, he felt a squall of air from behind him and then soft thud came as the door was shut. Jungkook turned around and was surprised to see a faint, transparent man whose feet did not touch the ground. Jungkook blinked repeatedly in confusion and disbelief, rubbing his eyes once before opening them again to confirm whether it was a trick of the light or not. But to his surprise, the image stood—or floated, rather—right in front of him as this slightly transparent floating man—ghost, he realized—picked up a particularly thick and large leathered book from the ground.

The floating man—ghost—seemingly looked like he was having trouble carrying the book he picked from the ground due to its heavy weight and he painstakingly—with the pouted lips and scrunched eyebrows— threw it a few meters between himself and Jungkook. The book landed with a loud thud against the wood, a cloud of dust forming from where it landed, making the ghost cough a little—wait, ghosts cough?

Jungkook wondered what this floating man was trying to achieve. Was he trying to throw the book at his direction and miscalculated his throw? Or was the book too heavy for him?

The raven-haired young man only watched in great confusion and mild amusement as the floating man puffed his cheeks and floated his way towards the lower shelves to take a few smaller books in his hand and began throwing it to his direction again. He easily maneuvered and dodged them all though. He was an active member of soccer back at his academy at Busan and was also a multi-talented athlete. His agility was one of assets.

Another book was thrown his way and he crouched down and he ducked to avoid the throw—his eyes never leaving the now panting ghost who stopped floating by now and is standing on both his feet on the ground. Jungkook wondered if he was imagining things but the slightly transparent brunette in front of him seemingly has both ears red and is scowling at him. Though it looked more like a pout.

He observed that the ghost in front of him was a strange yet alluring mix of pretty—with his doe eyes, and plump lips—and handsome with his broad shoulders. Jungkook sighed when he saw the ghost pick up another book and raised his arm to throw it at him. “You know that you’re just wasting your effort to try and hit me, right?”

“Why aren’t you scared?” The slightly transparent man pouted before their gazes met and he blinked, a sudden realization dawning on him. He froze in his place, mouth slightly agape and eyes widening comically as if he had just witnessed the shock of the century. “Wait, you can see me?”

“Am I not supposed to?” Jungkook retorted, his dark eyes silently judging the strange and stupid ghost in front of him. His voice was slightly muffled by the handkerchief over his mouth but the judging, nevertheless, was clear in his tone.

“But humans usually can’t!” the slightly transparent man released the book he held in his hand and started floating towards him like how one walks inside a pool—slow, “People get scared when I throw crumpled papers towards them and if they come to this room, I throw books at them and they’d leave! You should be scared! Aren’t you afraid of flying books?”

“No.” Jungkook said, face blank, lips curved into an unamused frown as the judgmental look in his eyes intensified, “Besides, I know that these books aren’t exactly flying. You’re throwing them at me.”

“But that doesn’t mean that you’re not scared! You should be scared!” he moved forward, almost invading Jungkook’s personal space and face too close to the human’s that he found himself staring to the other’s wide eyes, “I’m a ghost! Most people are scared of ghosts! That means you should be scared and then you shall leave my house!”

“But I’m not like most people. I’m not scared of ghosts,” He replied with his frown deepening, “And especially not for ghosts like you.” A sound of disagreement erupted from the frustrated ghost but Jungkook paid him no heed, “Why aren’t you bloody and pale anyway? I mean, sure, you’re slightly transparent and you’re floating but you’re far from scary.” Jungkook sighed with an exaggerated exasperation, “And besides, what are you talking about? This house has been bought for me, thus it’s my house.”

“What? No! This house is my family’s, not yours! And this was not sold, so how could you buy it? This is theft!” the ghost whined and slightly smacked his shoulder, “You should leave or I’m suing you for trespassing!”

“You’ll sue me?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow and shook his head in disbelief, this scenario is too stupid, “Excuse me but you’re a ghost. There’s no way you can sue me.” Jungkook paused for a moment in thought, Unless the paranormal world has its own court and lawyers.

“Yes, I can. I—“the ghost stopped himself mid-sentence and blinked as he processed Jungkook’s words. His face fell when he realized that his threat was useless.

So there’s no court and lawyers in the paranormal world, after all, Jungkook thought in slight relief. “See?  You know you can’t.” The human smirked at the crestfallen spirit, tone mocking, “I bought this house and you’re basically dead. I guess you’ll have to say goodbye then.” Jungkook moved to exit the room but his way was blocked by the floating ghost, face too close to his.

“But this is unfair!” the ghost whined, gripping Jungkook’s shoulders that made the human wonder if it was normal for ghosts to be able to touch humans like him or was this just an abnormal one—judging his way of thinking, it was probably the latter. “I’ve been living here for so long, you can’t just take it. Whatever you say, it’s mine!” the ghost pulled away and crossed his arms stubbornly, eyes blazing with determination, “And I don’t care! I’m going to make you leave, no matter what.”

“Good luck with that then.” Jungkook rolled his eyes as he roughly shoved the ghost out of his way and walked passed him, ignoring the yelp coming from the shocked spirit. He went down the stairs, forgetting about the other two rooms he has yet to check in the middle of his irritation, when he felt two fists repeatedly hitting his back. It was light and almost like air—he assumed that it was probably because the ghost lacked a physical body thus why his hits didn’t hurt in the slightest but, nevertheless, still annoying. He decided to blatantly ignore the ghost behind him until he heard it start complaining loudly and his almost non-existent patience slowly started to wane.

“You’re going to leave this house because this house is mine!” The ghost kept hitting his back which each word and then it started to get stronger as the ghost whined louder and harder, “Just leave this place alone, you stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stu—“

“Will you ing quit it!” the raven-haired boy spun round, a scowl settled on his face, eyes ablaze with annoyance and glared hard at the stubborn spirit who, in return, crossed his arms and glared back at him with the same level of intensity and malice.

“I won’t.” the ghost replied stubbornly, childishly sticking his tongue out to tease and annoy the human even more. He started floating in circles around the human, watching down on him with his tongue mockingly still out as he continued to piss him off. He added in a sing-song voice, “Not unless you leave.”

 “Well, too bad for you then.” Jungkook was seething but he tried to speak in a cool manner, refusing to admit defeat by exploding in anger first. With a daunting smirk, he replied, “Because I’m staying here so just—“His words were intercepted at the sound of loud knocks rapping against the main door. The human peeked from the stares, confused as to why someone was knocking at his house when he literally just moved in today. He stood there for a moment, hesitating whether he should open it or not.

What if he’ll open the door and the ghost decided to bother him or do something relatively stupid? He turned around to look at the ghost but to his surprise, the ghost was no longer there. Did he finally give up? Jungkook thought to himself, blinking in mild confusion. The knocking continued at the background, the sound growing louder for every second that passed, immediately catching Jungkook’s attention.

He went down the stairs and maneuvered his way to the empty living room where the main door was located. He brushed the bangs that were covering his eyes for a quick moment before he opened the door to reveal a young man with orange-dyed hair whose fist is raised as if he was about to knock once more, eyes were wide in surprise and wonder. “Uhh,” Jungkook trailed, observing the man stood in front of him before asking politely, “May I help you?”

“Hello!” the orange-haired stranger greeted him jovially, a boxy grin plastered on his face as he held his hand out for a shake, “My name is Kim Taehyung and I live in the house across yours. I heard that someone just moved in this house and I was really surprised.” Jungkook’s eyes were wide as the man took his hand and energetically shook their hands together. “I mean like I was thinking ’someone’s going to live here? That person must be so brave.’” He pulled away his hand and started speaking animatedly, gesturing wildly according to his words, “And that’s why I decided to meet you.”

He ended his introduction with a smile and offered his hand for a shake again, as if they had not shaken their hands a moment ago.  “Hi!” he exclaimed excitedly, eyes glowing like the sun, “What’s your name? Can we be friends? Oh, and are the rumors true? Have you encountered a ghost so far? Are there any paranormal activities? Oh, and—“

“Wait, wait! Slow down!” Jungkook intercepted his neighbor, now identified as Taehyung, in the middle of his fast words, “You lost me there. Can you talk slowly please?” Jungkook added the last as an afterthought. He noted to himself that he must give a good impression to his neighbors if he’s going to live here from now on. Thus, he must hold back all the negative comments he had about his strange neighbor in his mind.

“Oh, sorry,” Taehyung apologized sheepishly, scratching his cheek in mild embarrassment, “My name is Kim Taehyung. I live in the house just across the streets and I’m sorry but I talk fast when I get excited.” Taehyung gave Jungkook an apologetic grin before he offered his hand for another shake. “I just love meeting new people. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Jeon Jungkook.” He replied albeit awkwardly, complying with the hand shake and gave him an awkward smile. Jungkook was not the most social person, even at Busan. People always thought he was aloof and arrogant because he was an outstanding student and athlete, and was born with a silver spoon but the truth was that Jungkook was an awkward bean who didn’t know how to socialize. Because of that, he learned to watch horror movies alone with only a popcorn as his companion. With that said, he uttered a hushed, “Nice to meet you too.”

Seemingly unfazed by Jungkook’s less enthusiastic introduction, a fire of excitement ignited in Taehyung’s eyes as he asked, “So, is it true?” Invading Jungkook’s personal space, Taehyung draped a hand around the raven-haired man’s shoulders as if they were long-time best friends and grinned at him, “Hey, may I come in?”

“Uhh,” Jungkook trailed, uncertain on what he’s supposed to do in a situation like this. He stared at the arm around his shoulders, internally panicking as every shy cell in his body started screaming. What was one supposed to do when they gained their first friend again? Should they invite them into their homes? “Yeah,” he nodded, “You may, I guess.”

As soon as the social butterfly was permitted, he immediately entered the house with excitement clear on his expression. He marveled at the empty house as if those faded walls were so interesting and commented on the cleanliness of the house and at the same time, the eerie vibes—a vibe that Jungkook didn’t feel earlier “I guess it’s true then.”

“What’s true?” Jungkook asked him, wondering what he was yapping about. He always thought of Seoul as a sophisticated and cool place based on his father’s tales told when he was a child. Even when he had grown up, finally discovering the problems in his father’s company due to the lying snakes in his business at Seoul, he always thought Seoul was cool and to live at Seoul, he would be closer with his father.

But ever since he lived in Seoul—or arrived, rather, because it hadn’t even been a day, he was only met with strange things. A stupid ghost, a peculiar house and now, a—Forgive me, dear neighbor—weird friend (?)

“A ghost lives here,” Taehyung stated as he dramatically turned to face Jungkook, literal sparkles in his eyes as his mouth was stretched into a wide green that would look adorable to most but it was scary and weird for Jungkook.

“What about it?” Jungkook asked, feigning interest although his tone made it evident that he was done and wanted nothing about that topic. Is this about that weird ghost? he thought in annoyance.

“Well, you know. Nobody lived in this house for years because they were too scared of the rumors.” Taehyung shrugged, eyes wandering to observe every little detail of the room. Like the faded walls, the little scratches that was a testament of how old the house was and even the water stains. This house was cleaner than he expected but it was still old and Jungkook needed to have a few things fixed or replaced.

“What rumors?” Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows, Is this about the ghost earlier? If so then these people are so wrong. That ghost is far from scary, more like annoying.

“You seriously don’t know?” Taehyung turned to Jungkook, a look of surprise on his face before it morphed into pity when the raven-haired man shook his head. He sauntered close to Jungkook, patting his head as if he was a child and, much to Jungkook’s chagrin, said, “Poor, unfortunate soul.” He cooed, seemingly mocking but he was actually just trying to be nice in his own unique way, “Don’t worry, I’m your friend and I’m here to educate you.”

If Facebook can unfriend friends, Twitter can unfollow—can Jungkook unfriend this new friend and pretend he never existed? Was there a block button in real life too because he desperately wanted it right at this very moment. The raven-haired young man was a breath away to saying get out when Taehyung started speaking once again.

“Well, four different families already bought this house before you did but they all left shortly after staying and resold the land. The longest was the second family where they lasted half a month before they left too because they said that things were flying around and that their children kept talking about a playmate.” Taehyung spoke in hushed manner as if he was afraid to be heard “Before you came, the last owners were a couple who was so excited to live here after marriage. But they immediately left after only one night and the woman couldn’t stop crying. Ever since then, nobody attempted to buy this house or anything. It became a haunted house.”

 “I don’t think so.” Jungkook replied, skeptical of the story, “My grandmother bought this saying that it was her friend’s plus, I don’t think the ghost is that scary. If anything, he’s stupid and a—“He was cut off when Taehyung covered his mouth and placed his index finger in front of him, effectively silencing him.

“ Shh,” he hushed, “ Keep quiet. We don’t want to anger the spirit that lives here.” The other said in a soft voice, his wide eyes comically scanning the room for any paranormal activities that might occur, “Who knows what the spirit might do to us? What if it will possess us? And take away our bodies? Or maybe it will kill us, Jungkook I don’t wanna young—“

“Calm down, Taeyang“, Jungkook said exasperatedly. This was why he had no friends. The world was too dumb for him. He removed the hand over his mouth and pushed his neighbor away.

“It’s Taehyung.” Said neighbor pouted feeling betrayed that his friend for ten minutes got his name wrong.

“Fine whatever, Taehyung.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. He turned away from Taehyung and realized that his luggage and boxes are still in the living room. He looks hesitantly at his friend, who was still searching the room for any signs of the ghost from where he can stand, and wondered if he should ask help from his neighbor or not. It’s not that he can’t do it by himself but he wants to do things as fast as possible and having Taehyung is a chance for that.

Jungkook was an awkward bean. Should he ask or should he not? How does one ask a friend to help them? Maybe he should do it all by himself, he thought. But then he took note of the boxes, thought about having to probably clean the room he had yet to check upstairs and arrange his things, and at the same time, wanting to rest, eat and sleep.

“Hey, Taehyung,” Jungkook called for his neighbor’s attention, pulling the other out of his stupor. When Taehyung looked at him with questioning eyes and a frown, he asked him a bit awkwardly, “Do you mind if I ask for help?”

“Sure,” Like a lightbulb, Taehyung’s frown curled into a happy smile as he beamed, “Ask me anything! We’re going to be neighbors from now on so we should become best friends!” Taehyung slung an arm around Jungkook’s shoulder, grin widening.

“Oh,” Said awkward Jungkook, “Great. Then can you help me carry these.” He gestured to the luggage and boxed then pointed to the stairs, “Upstairs?”

 The awkwardness inside of him dispersed for a moment and replaced with mild amusement as he watched Taehyung’s happy expression shift into a mix of shock and fear, his eyes widening and mouth agape. “Y-you mean that you’re going to make me go up there?”

Jungkook nodded.

“B-but the ghost—“

“It’s okay if you don’t want to help.” Jungkook shrugged and spoke calmly but in reality, he was internally panicking again. Maybe he shouldn’t have asked. After all, they just met and he was not good with this whole friend thing, “I’m not going to force you. But to be honest with you, I don’t think this place is as scary as it seems.”

“No,” Taehyung shook his head, panicking as he realized that he had disappointed his friend. “I’ll help you!” he said, moving to pick two of the boxes on the floor. He smiled at Jungkook, although his smile was kind of strained, “Lead the way. Darn, these are heavy. What do you have in here?”

“Stuff.” Was all Jungkook could offer as an answer. He offered to take the boxes from Taehyung and gestured to the two on the man’s left, “Those two are the lightest.” After he took the boxes from his friend’s arms, he smiled faintly, “Thanks.”

“No problem. Glad to be—whoa, you call these the lightest? They weigh like—how can you carry those as if they’re nothing?” Taehyung gaped at Jungkook and shamelessly ogled at the muscles on his biceps. He grinned at him, “My neighbor is Superman, it seems.”

“Not really.” Jungkook chuckled as he shook his head. He started walking towards the stairs with ease, the boxes were heavy but he didn’t look like he was struggling as he carried them. He has carried things heavier back at Busan and training was hard with a strict coach, “Over here. We’ll place it on the first room on the right.”

Since he hasn’t entered the other two rooms yet, he’ll assume that they’re bedrooms or if not, he’ll turn them into ones. Fingers crossed, he hoped they were not as dusty as the other room because if they are, he’ll be spending tonight downstairs. Opening the door to the room, he sighed in relief and thanked his luck because the room was indeed a bedroom.

The color of the walls were baby blue and the floors were white tiles, a bed was positioned at the corner with white sheets with a blue linen. Settled on top of the bed was a white stuffed toy that resembled an alpaca with a red scarf around its long neck. There was a blue cabinet adjacent to it and a rack that was filled with what seems to be a collection of Mario figurines. He wondered if the previous owners’ children in Taehyung’s story left all of these toys when they sold the house.

“I’m going to shrink down because of the weight of these.” Taehyung entered the room a little bit later and he was already whining. He settled the boxes on the floor, rubbing his arms.

“I hope you don’t. I don’t want to be blamed for anything.” Jungkook replied, “Or maybe I can just say that the ghost made you shrink in fear and you never went back. People seemed to believe whatever they hear anyway.”

“Yah! What kind of friend are you?”

“The best one.”

“Yeah right.” Taehyung huffed.

“Thanks for the help anyway,” Jungkook said as he walked towards Taehyung and crouched down to pick the boxes that he placed on the floor. He moved them aside as his friend started scanning the area once again, commenting on how the room looked very cute.

“Yeah,” Jungkook agreed as his eyes landed on the alpaca stuffed toy, finding the little smile it had on its face to be quite endearing, “It is adorable.” He turned to Taehyung and supposed, “It probably belonged to a child of the previous owner, right?”

“Perhaps they were too scared of the ghost, they left everything in haste.” The orange-haired man nodded in agreement, finding their assumption to be plausible. He turned to Jungkook in question, “What are you going to do these though?” His face suddenly morphed into one of horror’s that made Jungkook panic for a second until Taehyung asked, “You’re not planning to throw them away, are you?”

“What?” The raven-haired man raised an eyebrow, his panic immediately replaced by confusion. “That’s all you’re worried about?” He shook his head, realizing that when he finally made a friend, he had to have found a strange man of all things. He shook his head, thinking of the rest of his stuff from downstairs and decided that they should continue, “Anyway, let’s—“

Jungkook paused mid-sentence when he saw the familiar figure of the slightly transparent man reappearing as his translucent body floated over Taehyung with a book in his hand. He had a mischievous grin on his face before he stuck his tongue out mockingly, an ominous glint in his eyes as he leveled the book over Taehyung’s head and proceeded to drop it on him.

Panic filled Jungkook as he realized what the ghost was doing and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he quickly pushed Taehyung out of the way, making both of them drop on the floor with a loud thud at the same time the book hit Jungkook’s head instead of its target. A muffled “what the hell?” was heard from the orange-haired man beneath Jungkook but he paid him no heed as he looked above him and glared at the ghost who was pointing a finger at him and laughing loudly on mid-air.

It was a squeaky, loud and annoying laugh that greatly resembled the sound of a windshield being wiped. Jungkook wanted nothing more than to tape that mouth and keep it shut forever. The raven-haired human glared at the ghost who returned the stare with the same intensity. From below him, Taehyung didn’t seem like he heard anything nor even noticed the book that fell on Jungkook’s head lying on the floor beside them.

“Are you okay, Jungkook?” He heard his newfound friend ask him. Jungkook broke the staring contest between him and the ghost to glance down at Taehyung beneath him and realized that they have yet stood up from their position on the floor. He hastily got off Taehyung and muttered a small apology but all his friend could ask him was, “Why were you glaring at the ceiling?”

“Oh,” Jungkook turned to Taehyung, trying to come up with an excuse. “I just saw something on the ceiling, that’s all.” He said but as he looked up again, the ghost was no longer there and Jungkook wondered where that weird creature went again. But his wonders were immediately answered as he noticed the ghost’s translucent body landing beside one of the boxes they bought inside.

What is he trying to do now? He watched as the strange ghost crouched down and took hold of one of the boxes. He seemed to be struggling as he attempted to carry them off the ground, slightly transparent face turning a light shade of red as he puffed his cheeks in effort. How hard must it be for him to not have his full strength with the absence of a physical body? Jungkook chuckled as he watched the ghost suffer on his own, not noticing the confused yet judging look Taehyung was giving him.

However, Jungkook’s amusement was cut short when the ghost had successfully carried the box an inch off the ground before losing his grip and dropping it on the ground with a loud thud. He panicked when Taehyung’s head turned abruptly to the source of the sound and Jungkook all but dashed towards it and said, “Sorry,” he grabbed the box and pulled it away from the ghost’s reaching hands, “It was—“

Jungkook was panicking for words. His reasoning skills were and because he never had to reason out before. He was a good student who passed his assignments on time and didn’t get late nor absent, he was open with his parents and close with the entire family so he had no secrets to hide—well, except for that one time their family computer got a virus because he couldn’t control his hormones. But no reasoning skills were needed for that scene because they blamed his brother for it and considered him innocent because “he is too young” at that time. And he had no friends to escape and have fun with so no, he never had to practice his reasoning skills.

“What if—“ Taehyung’s eyes were wide as if some kind of realization hit him. His face morphed into one of fear and panic at the same time that the ghost took hold of the box and tried to pull it away from Jungkook’s hold. The raven-haired man turned to the spirit and glared at him as he tried to pull the box away from him but the other was relentless. They got involved in some kind of tug-of-war with the poor box in between while Taehyung was having a crisis of his own in the background. “Oh my God, Jungkook!” The orange-haired man exclaimed, “It’s real! The rumors are real—there’s a ing ghost in here! And it’s come to take our souls!”

“What are you talking about?” Jungkook frowned as the ghost stuck his tongue out childishly, “This is my house. No one’s taking our souls in here!” The tug-of-war between him and the ghost resumed as Taehyung stopped and finally noticed him. His new friend crouched down beside him and stared at the box in Jungkook’s hands.

“What are you doing?” He asked eyebrows raised in confusion as he watched the back and forth motion of the box with questioning eyes. He noticed that as a tear was forming on the corners of the box and he was about to point it out when Jungkook tried to explain the situation.

“This—“ Jungkook tried to reason but was cut off when he noticed that no one has tried to pull the box on the other side and he turned to the ghost only to notice that he seemed to have given up and released the box. But plastered on his translucent face was an angry pout as he brought his hand up and, much to Jungkook’s horror, flicked a finger hard against Taehyung’s forehead, causing the other to yelp in a mix of pain and surprise.

The orange-haired man had a hand over his aching and reddening temple as his eyes were wide with a question, “What the hell?” he groaned before a look of fear reflected in his eyes. In a hushed voice that was laced with fright, he muttered, “I have angered the ghost.” And added in an even more horrified tone and expression, “My soul will be taken and my body will be possessed.”

“Okay, Taehyung,” Jungkook stood up and immediately pulled the horrified man up,” It was nice meeting you and thanks for helping me but—oh, look at the time!” He exclaimed, looking at his watch that clearly showed 2:45 PMs and started pushing Taehyung out the door, “It’s already late and your family must be looking for you. I need to rest to so I’ll meet you again some other time.”

“Wha—“ Taehyung was awoken out of his fretting and he turned to Jungkook, confused and a mix of hurt on his face, “It’s not that late yet, why are you kicking me out already?” He paused in front of Jungkook and said, “I was just kidding, Jungkook. I’m not even scared of ghosts. Besides, I saw that you still had many things down there so I can continue to help you out—“

“It’s okay, Taehyung,” Jungkook noticed that the ghost was making another move towards his boxes and he assumed that it might be another attempt at scaring his newfound friend. With that, he immediately pulled Taehyung by the hand and half-ran down the stairs, dragging his friend down them. He shuffled a bit so that Taehyung was positioned before him and he’s pushing the other.

He took a quick glance behind him and much to his horror, he recognized that the ghost was carrying some of his shirts and on the other hand—Jungkook’s eyes widened and his heart was beating fast—was his most expensive and treasured Bluetooth speaker. He turned around, much to his heartbreak because in reality, all he wanted was to come up there and save his most beloved but he decided to prioritize getting Taehyung out of the house.

The other was about to turn his head but Jungkook held them, keeping them looking straight. Even if Taehyung claimed that he was not afraid of ghosts, Jungkook didn’t think he would stay calm if he saw floating things—since he cannot see the ghost holding them. Just as they reached the living room, the raven-haired human felt a soft material hit his back and he turned around to see one of his shirts on the floor.

Looking up, he saw that the ghost was slowly throwing things at him and he panicked because—he’s not going to throw my speakers, is he? He scowled deeply, He better not. “I’m sorry Taehyung,” He said as they reached the main door, swiftly opening the door for his friend and leading the surprised man out of the house. The other turned around, eyes wide in shock and mouth agape as he was about to ask a question but never got the chance as Jungkook shut the door on his face, “Nice meeting you, bye!”

A soon as he closed the door, a tinge of guilt filled his senses at his rude actions but he had to fix something first. Turning around to face the ghost, fire in his eyes that was immediately covered by one of his shirts thrown on his face. The ghost could be heard laughing loud as he removed the clothing over his face, a look of annoyance marring his features.

“You know,” the ghost said after he finished laughing at his expense, a haughty smile on his lips as he looked down at the angered human, “If you want to make things easier, you should leave.” His expression shifted into something a bit darker as he said, “Otherwise, I’ll really get angry and you don’t want that.”

“Well, sorry then.” Jungkook spat back, lifting his chin up to challenge the other, “No matter what you do, this house was bought and now belongs to me.” He reached his hand out and said, “Now, give me my speakers.”

“These?” The ghost blinked in confusion, raising the black speakers and waving it in front of Jungkook, “Oh, so that’s why it seemed familiar.” He pouted a bit as he observed the audio device, a questioning look in his eyes, “But they don’t have wires, though? How are you going to attach them to the computer?”

“That’s because they’re wireless.” The human replied with annoyance, rolling his eyes as at the ghost’s ignorance. “That’s the new technology, airhead.” He watched as the ghost glared at him for his insult to which he smirked in response, “Too bad, a spirit like you can’t enjoy these things. Go back to Heaven or wherever, ghost.”

“Don’t call me that,” the translucent man replied, a pout forming and his eyes squinted into a glare, “I have a name and it’s as beautiful as I am.” He raised his chin, a proud look on his face as he said, “My name is Seokjin and I may be a ghost but I’m more handsome than you’ll ever be, human.”

“Like I care,” Jungkook rolled his eyes before reaching his hand out, “Now, give me back my speakers.” He added, “They’re more expensive than your life but wait,” He chuckled mockingly as he stared at the anger growing in the ghost’s eyes, “I forgot, you don’t have a life.”

“No,” replied the seething ghost now known as Seokjin. He crossed his arms stubbornly and demanded, “I won’t give it back unless you promise to leave.”

“No, for the last time, I’m staying.” Jungkook ran a hand to his hair—an attempt to calm himself. But it was failing because the anger and annoyance he was feeling was off the hook. This was not the scenario in his mind when he thought of arriving in Seoul, “Use your brain, oh wait, I’m sorry. I forgot you don’t have one because you’re a ghost.” Jungkook felt triumphant when he saw the other’s face turn red but what was said next made him drop his smirk.

“I’m going to drop this if you don’t leave.”

“No, don’t you ing—“

“Oops.” Jungkook’s eyes widened as he watched the speakers slip from the ghost’s hands and a loud thump echoed throughout the room and his heart broke when he realized that his most beloved had been broken. He was speechless. He looked up to see the ghost with the same triumphant look he had on his face a moment ago.

Seokjin stuck his tongue out childishly before floating back towards the stairs and leaving Jungkook to stare at his broken speakers, an empty feeling in his heart. But as soon as the situation finally sunk in, Jungkook was seething, That’s how you want to play, huh. He thought, slowly crafting his revenge in his mind, Well, two can play this game.