“It´s a little cold today, I walked out in quite a thin jacket and now I don´t even want to go home when the weather´s like this. Maybe I should stay in the studio and talk to you the whole night. Hahaha.

Alright, you are listening to Kiss the Radio and I´m your Eun DJ. The next song is for listener 7455 who wrote: ´I´m just on my way back home from work, please play something for me so I can relax´. It must be nice finally getting to rest after the long day. Please, have a safe trip.

We are going to listen to Beast´s ´Gotta go to work´.”

The song began playing and I put down the headphones. I straightened myself on the spinning chair and the bones of my spine silently cracked as I flexed my muscles. Going home, huh? For me it´s just the beginning. The show ends at twelve o´clock and then I go straight to the club where I work as an after party DJ. I stay until morning and then I have a short morning show in the radio again sometimes. It works just fine for me because I´m already used to this kind of lifestyle. After the song began commercials and a message from the PD appeared on the monitor. It was just a basic info about the next programme. The red light blinked right after.

“Hello! You are listening to Kiss the Radio, I´m Eunhyuk, the honey DJ for your ears…”

When the radio show ended, I put on my unfortunately thin jacket and bid goodbye to my co-workers. I walked out of the studio and by the door I met up with a bunch of fans. According to their placards they were waiting for Lee Seunggi but when they saw me they greeted with a smile. I wasn´t an idol or anything like that, I didn´t really want to be in the show business but I liked music and since I couldn´t sing, I wanted to be a DJ. But I was active on social networks and my evening show was quite popular so most of the young people knew about me. Their idols used to attend my show so I was often asked to take care of them by their fans. I greeted back.

“I´m going to greet you tomorrow too!” One of the girls told me.

“How so?” I laughed, I was in mood to joke around.

“Because of KTR,” she grinned, “your guest tomorrow is my favourite celebrity.”

“Is that so?” I hummed and pretended to be not impressed. “Who is it again?”

“Lee Donghae!” All the girls chanted and I jumped up with my hands defensively up.

“I know, I know,” I chuckled. “Do you want me to ask him something special?” I smiled and all the girls panicked. I heard them whisper and Lee Donghae´s name pronounced at least ten times. After that they turned back to me determined.

“You are a little weird, ask him something no other DJ would!” She smiled. “Surprise us, Eunhyuk DJ!”

“My, my,” I shook my head, “young girls calling me weird. But I will think about it.” I smiled at her anyway before I began walking away. “Go home, it´s cold!” I yelled and soon disappeared behind the corner.

I was quite happy. Today show was comfortable, the guests were fun too. And I got even greeted by some fans. The wet pavement was mirroring the streetlights and colourful signs as I walked through the city centre, clutching the sleeves of my jacket. I passed by some guys that were already drunk and then turned into the familiar alley.

For my second job I chose a club that was close to the radio so I wouldn´t have to travel too far. The name of the club was ´LTE´ and I was friends with the owner, Lee Sangmin. Before midnight there was a substitute DJ, that worked as a waiter too. Once I arrived, I put my things in the staff room. I changed my shirt to suit the atmosphere and temperature, then I walked on the platform and took over the mixing console.

“Hello! Are you waiting for me, party animals?!” I called into the mic, the crowd on the dancefloor roared. “I´m a jewel like guy, DJ Meolchi. Let´s party tonight!”

I finished my introduction with heavy beats and looked below me on the forest of raised hands. People were jumping up and down like a pulsating vein and I smiled. I loved music and I loved what music could do to people. Music was my life; it was my solace from the reality. Reality that was in my case more like a dream or rather nightmare. They saw me, those that were hiding in the shadows and I pretended to not notice them. There were always many of them, looking at me the whole night.

That day I finished at five in the morning, the party went well. I felt very tired already so I was glad that today I didn´t have the morning show. Starting at six and ending at eight o´clock, four DJs were rotating for that shift. It was always someone different when you the radio at six. As I was changing from my wet shirt in the staff room, I was thinking of the refreshing shower and thick breakfast.

“Hihihihihihi,” a low voice ran in an echo, “kukukukuku.”

I shivered, I didn´t like his voice. It was coming from behind me, from his favourite place in the corner. I didn´t turn around on purpose and rolled a sweater over my shirt. Gritting my teeth, I had to listen to his annoying laugh. He never spoke, only made strange noises and his favourite was this irritating laugh. I stuffed my things into my bag angrily.

“Kukukuku,” the guy, well it wasn´t really a guy, kept clicking his tongue and laughing.

“Shut up,” I grumbled under my nose. I didn´t turn around to say it to his face, after all I didn´t know where his face would be. It was sometimes on his head, sometimes on his belly and once he spat at me from his foot. I stopped looking at him long ago, I knew where he was even without having to.

Zipping up my thin jacket, I walked out of the staff room. I waved at Lee Sangmin and at some leftover employees before walking out of the night club. Outside I was slapped by the cold wind, I whined when I felt my ears freezing. How come it was so cold?

“Hahahaha!”

I shook off the discomfort and began striding towards the bus stop. I looked at my phone to see the time and was glad to realise that the bus was coming in only five minutes. Good, soon I will be at home.

“Sururururururu,” the sound changed and it made me smirk. So you´re not laughing anymore? Of course not, you witless bastard.

The bus arrived only a minute after I got to the stop. I jumped up and pulled out the card, then I went to sit down. The bus was almost empty apart from three other people. A man perhaps returning from the night shift, another one already going for his morning one. And there was also a drunkard that was for me the unhappiest encounter.

“Oooooh,” unfamiliar voice, also in an echo, filled the quiet bus. Nobody heard it, only me. “Uuuuh,” it continued in curiosity. Although knowing otherwise, I looked up above the drunk man.

It was watching me, as expected. They all were, they knew even without me telling them. Sometimes I thought that he signalled them somehow. There were five in the bus as there were exactly five people including the driver. Formless dark shadows that tried to put on many different forms and failed miserably. There was a hazy feeling of a parrot, smeared dragon, morphing bug, slippery snake perhaps and my very own drop face monster. Every person, even children carried one around. One monster of doubtful shape but only I could see them for some reason. I hated it, it would always make my day rainy.

“Kukukuku,” he began laughing again. I sighed and looked out of the window.

Asa! He´re we go! I´m quite satisfied, I wanted to make a story with Sukira. I think right now it´s the best timing actually. I hope you are interested in the story and I wish you will stay till the end. Thank you for reading and have a nice day! - PandaHero