I'm. Fricking. Back. Betch. Sorry that I'm gone ,again. Was busy with life. Its sem break right now so I'll try to update more regularly! 

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Not to say that Yoon's household is always calm. Let's be real. A house filled with 10 hyperactive little kids who's always out for mischief and fun can never be calm. But, its not entirely chaotic either all thanks to Mingyu and Jihoon who manage to handle their brothers, in turn helping Jeonghan greatly so that he won't be too stressed. We all know how they fear little Jihoon, the non-certified yet responsible bully. And Mingyu is just such a sweetheart who always helped with the chores.

Back to the story, something weird had been happening around the house. No one knew when it precisely started but Seungkwan swore it happened a month ago. A month ago, a few days after Jihoon's birthday. But then, he had a tendency to exaggerate, so sadly, no one would believe him. And it was not everyone's fault although the movies always taught us that one should never ignore the warning of a haunted house. How could they take his words when no one but Seungkwan experienced it. But nevertheless, the atmosphere in the house did reeks with fear as the other children especially with Soonyoung and Seokmin truly believe that its true. With the addition of a supporter, Seungkwan just will not shut about it and further made the others uneasy. 

"I really heard it! That night I went to drink, the piano just played by itself!" He told the story, ignoring Jeonghan's warning of not talking about it again a few days ago. The other two listened intently, fear obvious on their faces. Minghao and Chan seemed to be greatly absorbed in the story telling too, both being the most interested in scary stories compared to others. 

"If eomma hears you, he'll be mad." Jihoon murmured from his place as he studied the musical notes from a book he got, Wonwoo nodding in agreement beside him. Seungkwan just pouted, annoyed that no one really believed in him. 

"But it does happen..." He insisted and crossed his arms in defiant. Jihoon merely shrugged.

***

Jun swore that the piano was played just now. And he knew its not Jihoon. The melody was too beautiful to be his brother's despite him being quite good in playing. Everyone knew the few songs Jihoon had mastered and this one was definitely not it. The factor that convinced him more is the fact that it was well late into the night for the boy to be awake. Even if he did, playing the piano in the dead of the night will only cause disgruntled Jeonghan to punish him for disturbing their peaceful sleep. 

Its been a while since the melody stopped. When he heard it, he was still in the toilet, flushing down whatever it was in his intestine that made his stomach ache. the sound of the flushed toilet is louder and by the time the water done running down the toilet bowl, the piano also stopped playing. Cautiously, the boy walked towards their playroom where Jihoon's piano was.

As he neared the door, Seungkwan's word came back to him, filling his mind with images of a woman in white dress, hair long and covering her bloody face and crimson eyes possibly standing in front of the door, waiting to grab him when he pushed it open. Goosebumps rose all over his body and his hand freeze at the door knob.

'Don't do it...'  His  heart warned but his mind whispered the opposite. 'Seungkwan must be wrong. We've lived here for months. No way a ghost will appear now of all times.' 

Gulping, Jun touched the cool, silver knob, shivering from the temperature and the spookiness of it all. He took a short inhale and held it before he dared to turn the knob. Except he can't. Frowning, he tried turning it again but the door appeared to be locked. Maybe Jeonghan had locked it so that the hyper, younger kids would not sneak inside to play, abandoning their sleeping time. 

Letting out a sigh because he don't need to open the door, Jun turned around, ready to leave. 'But... If the door is locked, who plays the piano?' 

!!!

Suddenly, a sound much like someone slamming on the piano keys echoed inside the room all the way to the rest of the house, sending Jun jumping in shock. Without another thought, he took off running to his room, not daring to look back as it felt like something was chasing him. He didn't know if there was something but he felt like it.

Getting into his room, Jun jumped into Minghao's bed and got under the blanket before hugging him tightly. The younger were clearly shocked when he was suddenly awakened by the force and continued to ask questions but listening to Jun sobbing, he decided to let him be. Maybe he was just having a nightmare. Although Minghao doesn't really like sharing his bed he let his brother stayed there hugging him until he fell asleep.

***

Soaking the now warm, wet clothe into the cold water, Jeonghan then twist it to let some excess liquid out before putting it again on Jun's forehead. He had woken up that morning to a panicked Minghao who claimed that "Jun Gēgē is burning!" Pulling  at his hand, Jeonghan was shown his eldest son, pale and weak as he lied down on his side, shivering. His mouth was moving, spewing words deliriously. He could not make any sense of what the boy said but it could be because of the fever.

After calling for Jisoo and Seungcheol to help him handling the other children as they still need to go to school, he started to tend for Jun. He doesn't allow anyone to come close in fear of them contracting the virus. Now that everyone was off to school with the exception of little Chan, he was able to really focus on nursing the boy.

How Jun contracted the virus was a mystery to him. He was perfectly fine yesterday and the weather was great too. It wasn't raining or too cold either for him to suddenly fell ill. Nevertheless, he just let the questions be in order to focus on caring for Jun. He wanted to bring the boy to the hospital but he don't want to be too fussy over a little fever. Besides, the temperature was not too high. Maybe he'll be fine with enough rest.

The clock already strike 12 pm when the boy woke up, eyes half lidded from the lack of strength and headache. Jeonghan had changed his clothes by then as the previous one was drenched in sweat. Carrying a bowl of chicken soup,  he gave a soft smile at Jun when he realized the boy finally woke up. He put the bowl on the bedside table before sitting on the edge of the bed

"How are you feeling, Sweety?" The palm of his hand pressed onto Jun's cheek, feeling his temperature. It was still high but not as much as in the morning.

"Hurts..." The boy mumbled with a pout. His glossy eyes looked over at Jeonghan and he suddenly broke into tears. Slightly panicked, Jeonghan brought the child into a hug, asking him what was wrong and cooing him not to cry. 

"Scared..." Was all Jun brokenly whispered between his broken sobs, grubby hands tightly clutching Jeonghan's shirt, face buried into his chest. No words could describe how hurt it felt to see one of his precious child weeping and shivering like that as he hold on to him in desperation.

It was obvious that he was trying to tell him something but it was hard to make out the words that fell out of his mouth as he stuttered a lot and the crying really didn't help. All Jeonghan could do was to whisper, "Its okay... Eomma's here... I'll protect you..." While lightly kissing his scalp and holding him close.

The meltdown slowly came to a stop and Jun was left hiccuping. He was now seated on the bed, back leaning onto the wall as Jeonghan attempted to feed him. The boy kept on refusing, claiming that he's not hungry and that he will throw out. Only a few spoon made it into his mouth before the boy looked away from the food.

After cleaning his mouth and once again changing his clothes, Jeonghan let him to lie down and rest. Just as he was about to exit the room, Jun started crying again, begging for him not to leave. He tried to calm the boy down, saying that he's only leaving for a while but Jun was keen on keeping him from taking a step out of his room. It won't be much problem if he did not have work to do but he can't just take a leave as he want to. Jisoo had insisted on him to stay back but he knew that without him, things won't go as smoothly.

After failed attempt to convince the sickly boy that he won't be long, he finally resigned and stayed with Jun until he fell asleep. All the time, he kept on clinging to Jeonghan's hand, afraid to let go and having the adult to leave him alone.

"I know convincing you won't work so maybe you can just do your work here." Joshua appeared through the door with a laptop in one hand and a cup of takeout coffee in the other. he proceeded to put both onto the children's desk.

"Shua..." Jeonghan said in an overly emotional voice, eyes looking up at Jisoo as if he's an angel who just descended from heaven specially to help him. "My knight in shining armor..."He continued with a swooning smile on his face.

As usual, Jisoo ignored his friend's dramatic antics with a roll of his eyes despite the amusing smirk visible on his lips."Don't you mean your slave?" He asked playfully, earning an enthusiastic nod from his friend. 

Slowly rising from his spot in the small bed, he walked over to Jisoo, a teasing glint visible in his eyes. "You're so helpful today... Maybe I should reward you." Standing close to the other male, he traced his fingers down the middle of his chest before stopping right at the start of his jeans. 

"Maybe you should." Playing along, Jisoo bit his lips and as he leaned forward, until his head is situated right beside his friend's ears.

Glancing to his right, he could see every single strand of Jisoo's hair, proof of how close they were currently. Chuckling, he asked, voice dropping with a little tilt to it. "What do you want me to do?"

The breathe from the other man's suppressed laugh tickled Jeonghan's skin. He waited for the answer, anticipating. 

"For you..." His voice came out like a growl. 

"To stop molesting me you ert!" Jisoo quickly finished before quickly taking a step backward in an attempt to increase the distance between them. 

Giggling, Jeonghan just stick his tongue out. "But that won't be fun. Your reaction is always hilarious!" Walking past Jisoo, he can't help but gave a good squeeze to his bottom as he made his way to the table.

Glaring disapprovingly, the other male just shook his head before exiting the room.

"Thank you for cheering me up..." He had heard Jeonghan said before he reached the door and he only replied with, "That's what friends are for, right?"

***

Typing away at his laptop, he threw worried glances occasionally at Jun, wondering what could have happened. The boy was fast asleep but it didn't look like he's having a good rest at all. He kept on thrashing in his sleep, forehead frowning and mouth moving. If he really listened, he could hear "No..." And "Stay away..." But the rest was too incoherent for him to decipher. It proved to be hard in focusing on his work when the boy didn't stop moving.

Glancing at the numbers written on the taskbar, he sighed. It was late. 2:27 am, the clock said. Only then he realised tthat the muscles in his body started to really ache. He had been focusing on his work when the sun was up straight only now did he stop when the moon came out, taking its place on the dark sky. Seungcheol and Jisoo has been helping with dinner so he just stayed inside, still too worried to leave his child alone. Once in a while, the boys will come to visit and demand his attention, and he'll give them that but not as much.

Jeonghan shut off the device, which was hot from the constant use. He also took off the headphone that he wore around his neck which served more like a speaker to accompany him. It was silent. Too silent. Even Jun had stopped his mumbling although his face was still pale. The silence somehow became too loud and it made him uneasy.

It started to beat fast and hard, Jeonghan felt as if his heart was going to burst right off his chest. Taking a few deep breathe to calm himself down, he gathered all his things and got up. Somehow, his legs felt heavy and the fine hairs on his body erected. He tried walking but it won't budge. His mind raced about what could explain his experience right now. Seungkwan's insistence about something supernatural being in the house flooded his mind.

A terrible stench hit his senses, making him unconsciously scrunched his nose.

Behind you

A voice in his head says.

Its behind you...

Jeonghan did not know what 'it' is and he didn't want to know. Cold sweat gathered on his forehead.

Got you.

He flinched when he felt breathing on his neck. It was quick and cold, as if the winter wind decided to blow on him once, bringing with it the stench of something dead before disappearing as if it never existed.

Turn around, Jeonghan.

His face turned as white as sheets. It felt like the sound in his head was not his. Somehow, it felt like the voice was whispered right into his ears.

Just turn...

He swore he could feel another breathe on the shells of his ear. Jeonghan can't even flinch from the ticklish sensation.

On the count of three.

One...

He closed his eyes.

Two...

He breathed in the cold air.

Three!

Gathering every bit of courage left, Jeonghan bolted out of the room, never once did he look back. The light was still on and so did the door but he couldn't care less. His legs felt lighter now as if the thing that bind his legs had let him go yet his body was still tense from the fear.

Is it just in your head or is it real?

Jeonghan sat at the edge of his queen-sized bed, hand massaging his throbbing head. He was sleepy and exhausted. The dark and heavy aura had diminished when he ran out and now, he was confused.

"I must be too tired..." He whispered to himself.

Are you sure that's the reason?

Grunting, Jeonghan tried to hush the voices that kept on implying that something did happen. After a few minutes, he decided to do what he might regret. He's going back to check if what he felt before was real.

"I hope I'm not being stupid... If I'm in such movie, surely the viewers will scream at me to stay. I know I will." He tried to humour himself in order to overcome the fear.

"I mean, I did work too much. Man... I'm exhausted..." The hallway was still well lit to his relief. From where he's standing, he could see the door which was standing ajar. He sensed nothing from the room until he was only a few steps away. The temperature seemed to suddenly drop and he halted.

"Aish... It can't be..." He muttered to distract himself. Exhaling sharply, he squared himself up, took the last strides bravely and opened the door.

Hands flew to his mouth to muffle his scream, eyes widened. There, on the bed where Jun once slept in, was the boy, sitting with his legs dangling down the sides, eyes completely trained to the door, unblinking. Tilting his head, his stare shifted towards his shocked guardian.

"Eomma? What's wrong?" He asked innocently, the stuttering gone. It was as if he's never sick, although his skin was still ashen.

"J-Jun! Y-you shocked me there, honey. What are you doing up?" Faking a smile, he went to his child and sat beside him, idle hands fell to his small shoulders gently.

"You were coming back. So I waited." The boy answered calmly as if it was not a big deal.

Is this normal? Is this real? Are you dreaming?

Unconsciously, his grip tightened, the smile disappeared.

"Ah... Really?"

Jun nodded and grinned. It looked creepy to Jeonghan's tired eyes.

"I heard you call for me."

Taking a sharp breathe, he clenched his teeth. His white lips set in a straight line.

"I-is that so...?"

He gently pushed the boy back, getting him to lie down. "I'm sorry about that, honey. Why don't you go back to sleep? You still need to rest so that your fever will go away..."

Lucky for him, Jun didn't object and just gave another soft smile before closing his eyes. "Good night eomma." He said softly. Carding his slender fingers through the child's sweaty hair, he waited until he was really asleep before getting up to exit the room.

See? There's nothing to worry about.

Jeonghan flicked the switch to turn the light off. Just when the door almost closed as he pulled it slowly to not disturb his children, Jun's voice said,

"Its not you who called me just now isn't it, eomma?"

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I'm going to make a few parts for this idea. Maybe around three. Thank you for sticking with me and don't be a ghostie! 😊💕