Chaerin's captor tossed her to the floor; she landed hard on her elbow. Metal clicked, locking the door. It turned back to her towered over her dark and menacing.

This was the moment, the moment to choose between fight and flight. She didn't know what this person was capable of, if they had a weapon. She should run, yeah she should definitely run; you'd have to be stupid to try and fight.

Well she must be stupid.

Her foot connected with its shin dropping it to the floor. Extremely effective.

Chaerin took the opening and jumped on them, ready to ask the difficult questions, with her fists if needed.

An oddly hollow chuckling filled the room. A man lay beneath her, his brown hair was sharply styled, he looked about her age. Her fist gripped the lapels of his jacket furiously, the material felt luxurious and silky, the real expensive stuff. Great, a rich kid. 

Chaerin's lipped curled into a snarl. "What you think it's funny scaring the out of people?" Who they hell'd this kid think they were?

His chuckling didn't stop; actual it had advanced to full blown laughter. She pulled his jacket closer, till their noses almost touched. If looks could kill he'd be dead ten times over already. “Who are you?" she hissed.

The guy said nothing, unless he spoke in smirks. One thing Chaerin could not stand. Being ignoring. 

She reeled her hand back behind her head, ready to give him a smack across the face that he wouldn't soon forget. 

Sudden pain flashed across the inside of her forearm. Chaerin's eyes darted to the boy. His hands above his head empty, but the smirk on his lips kept him from looking innocent. 

The pain was spreading. Chaerin pulled her sleeve up and stared in horror as a word being carved across her skin. The last letter finished with a painful flourish. "Jiyong." A name.

-

Bom had kicked, punched, and thrown anything her hands could grab at that door. First the front door know this door, doors must really have something against her.

She raked her hands through her hair, trying to think of some way to get into that room. A bobby pin fell out of her hair, landing on the floor with a clink. Of course, pick the lock.

Just a turn and.... Nothing and a whole lot of it. It had looked so easy when Chaerin did it. Bom shoved the pin back in the lock. Alright from the top-

"Hey what are you doing over there!?" A man's voice yelled. The bright light nearly blinded Bom. She dropped the pin and put her hands up.

"Don't shoot! I'm just trying to help my friend!" Bom wailed, expecting the worst. 

"What?" The light shifted out of her eyes. "Where are they? Are they hurt?" The anger in his voice melted away as quick as it'd come.

Bom motioned to the door. "She's in there, but it's locked," she explained.

His hand gripped the handle finding it to be just as locked as she did. "I have an idea, but it'll take both of us, alright?" His voice was deep, just a bit raspy, but amazingly calming.

Bom nodded, in the dark she couldn't make out his face very well, but she felt like she could trust him. Well she had to trust him in order to help Chaerin.

"Both of us are going to throw all of our weight into the door at the same time."

Bom nodded again. She'd tried the same thing before, but maybe with his added weight the door wouldn't be able to hold up.

"On the count of three." They both took a step back from the door. "One." Bom took a deep breath. "Two." She leaned forward onto the tips of her toes. "Three!" 

-

Chaerin brought a trembling hand to her arm, tracing the stinging letters with her thumb. The cut was shallow, but it was there. “What are you?” As she asked the door burst open, Bom and a man she couldn't recognize flew through it and landed in a tangled pile of limbs.

"Chaerin!" 

Chaerin looked back to the man beneath her to only see the planks of the wood floor. He'd been there just a second before. How was this possible? Her eyes jerked to her arm. The name was gone.

Bom grabbed her around the neck pulling her into a strangling hug. "I was so scared, I thought you were dead,” she sobbed.

"I'm ok," Chaerin choked, tugging at Bom's vice grip. 

Bom finally released her. She sniffed a little bit, rubbing at her eyes.

Chaerin noticed the man would'd come with Bom. He was tall, manly looking, and with a face that looked like it belonged on a Calvin Klein model. 

"Oh, this is-," Her voice trailed off, just realizing she had no idea who he was.

"Call me Top. You must be Chaerin," he nodded at the blond.

"And I'm Bom."

"Bom." He repeated with a smile.

-

"Thank you for the help back there." Bom said brightly, giving Top a blinding smile. Her mood had made a complete 180 as soon as they’d gotten out of the house.

"No problem, but uh you two really shouldn’t hang around that house anymore." 

“I wouldn’t even go back there if you paid me.” Bom said.

Top nodded at her, "I've heard stories about that place, things happen in there."

"Things?" Chaerin asked, drawing both Bom and Top's eyes to her. Guess they didn't think she was listening, which wasn't completely untrue. Her mind had been on overdrive since that guy had disappeared right under her nose, literally.

Top shoved his hands in his pockets. "Things you can't explain. People say it's haunted,” He shrugged.  “You know, if you believe in that sort of thing."

No, Chaerin didn't believe in ghosts, but still that didn't stop the shiver going down her spine.

"So how did you find us?" Bom asked, effectively changing the subject. 

"Well I heard someone screaming," Top cupped his hands around his mouth and did a shrill imitation of Bom's voice, "Chaerin! Chaaaaaaerin!" 

Bom punched him in the arm, but still couldn't help but laugh. "You would have done the same thing if you were in my place!"

Chaerin looked over her shoulder at the house. What had happened in there, the journal, the key, and the man, it was all too weird to forget, but at least it was the last time anything like it would happen. Right? Chaerin answered her own question, yea the last time for sure.

She linked her arm with Bom's. "I can’t believe the queen of food forgot about that barbecue I promised her.”

Bom face lit up like a little kid’s. "Of course not!" Chaerin laughed.

"You wanna come too Top?"

Top smiled showing bright white teeth. "I'm in."

Bom linked her other arm with a surprised Top. "Yah, barbecue for everyone!"

-

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Thanks to everyone who keeps reading and those who take the time to comment, I love you guys! Sorry for the big gap between this update and the last one, the next chapter won't take so long for me to put up.