Boom. Boom. Boom. Someone was knocking on the door.

 

Who would knock on the door of the devil but the devil himself, Seokjin would often think to himself as a child. The house truly was evil. It was filled with black magic that his grandfather claimed was cast by his jealous mistress after he married.

 

Seokjin picked up the oil lamp that Jungkook had left with him minutes before and walked down the spiral-shaped staircase and onto the first floor of the gigantic mansion. He stopped only when he was about an inch away from the large, wooden double-doors that were the only true gates of the hollow home. But, he walked closer a moment later. He walked closer and opened up the doors with all the might in his fragile body. And then--as if it were predetermined fate, for the first time since before Seokjin was born, the gates to the Infernal Palace were open.

 

Rain violently fell from the dark, almost-black sky that Seokjin had only ever seen from the wrong side of the windows in the great hall. Only one man stood underneath the furious clouds that shielded the world from the blinding beauty of the heavens above it. A hooded man. A man who wore a black cloak so long that it touched the earth. “Who are you,” Seokjin blurted out.

 

The man let down his hood and the razor-sharp strands of his white--almost silver hair fell down over his eyes and shined against the moon. He was as beautiful as any of the angels in all of the paintings that Seokjin had studied over the period of his 19 years of life. “I am known as V,” the man whispered in a sweet voice as beautiful as his face.

 

“And what are you in need of,” Seokjin asked, trying to come off as manly and well-able to run such a great estate without the help of Jungkook, his attendant. V was expressionless. Maybe he is cold, Seokjin though in his head.

 

“It would be lovely if you could provide shelter to me for tonight. Though I am lacking money, I can offer my services in labor if you would wish me to,” he whispered even softer. He seemed to be ashamed to be asking a stranger for safehold.

 

“I require none of that. My attendant is more than enough to cover all sorts of labor in this palace.” Seokjin waved his hand, exaggerating his point. “However, I can still provide you with shelter. I see no wrong in doing so.” Seokjin raised his lamp in the direction of the staircase and called out, “Jungkook! Clean up one of the spare rooms. We have a guest tonight.”

 

A bell rang out through the home, it was Jungkook’s silent way of saying that he understood.

 

Seokjin led V through the silent halls of his home, often making tiny comments about the mannerisms of the house. How the stairs would creak and sometimes you could hear someone knock on the walls. The way silent screams would come out of what used to be Seokjin’s grandfather’s chambers. “Whatever you may do, do not get scared. If you get scared you will get scarred. Just think of it all as the, the… the wind,” was the last thing he said to the latter before leaving him and retiring to his own chambers.

 

*******************

 

The shrieks of mourning banshees awakened Seokjin three hours too early. He waddled down the large staircase as if he was a child again and walked into the kitchen. Jungkook could usually be found there early in the morning, peeling apples and frying eggs.

 

“Jungkook, would you pour me a glass of water? My handsome face needs hydration and regeneration,” Seokjin called out as he sat down at the tiny table perched in the side of the room.

 

“Your face is handsome as it is Young Master,” the latter replied.

 

A laugh escaped from Seokjin’s throat, “Did the newsboy come yet?”

 

Jungkook placed one of his perfectly peeled apples on his worn, wooden cutting board and cut it up into slices and onto a plate. When he was finished, he put the plate in front of Seokjin. “‘Tis only dawn, the newsboy will not come for another hour or so.” Jungkook went back to his peeling his apples. “I understand that you have awoken and come down without freshening up. I suggest you eat these apples and brush your teeth Young Master, the odor of your mouth is ghastly.”

 

Seokjin scowled, “Oh how rude you have gotten, my dearest Jungkook.”

 

Jungkook remained turned around, peeling and slicing apples. “It is not rude if I am only stating the truth.”

 

Seokjin pushed the apples away and left the kitchen, to waddle up the stairs once again. Up he went, looking back every five seconds, contemplating on whether or not he should actually listen to Jungkook. After all, the boy was four years younger and his attendant, not anyone who had any kind of authority over him. But Seokjin proceeded anyways.

 

When he reached the summit of the spiraling body of steps he continued to waddle towards his chambers, hoping that the hot water was on by now. As Seokjin walked, he stared at his feet, making sure that he wasn’t in danger of tripping. And then suddenly, his face collided with something firm.

 

He removed his face from its current location and looked up to see forever emotionless V. Seokjin’s cheeks almost immediately reddened. He forced a false cough out of his throat and started to laugh nervously. “I am ever so sorry Mr. V. I didn’t mean to crash into you.”

 

“You need not worry. I am not offended, you, after all, are my benefactor,” he softly whispered.

 

Seokjin was about to rush off when V tugged at his arm, “Sir, I wish to help with the labor. You have only one attendant, no maids, no butlers. Not even a cook. I feel that this is the only way I can repay you.”

 

“So be it,” the former said before quickly running into his chambers.

 

****************

 

The day passed quickly.

 

Jungkook was guiding V through daily chores and Seokjin spent the day locked up in his chambers. Flipping through his books, working on his French (which, sadly, did him no justice), playing with the little tin soldiers that his grandfather had somehow smuggled into the house when he was a tiny tot, and staring out a little crack in the curtains that he had managed to cut open with a butter knife.

 

Right at sundown, Seokjin began to violently cough.

 

Though he had been sickly since childhood, his sudden outbursts of illness were never as serious as now. It was as if his health had completely deteriorated over the course of a single night. Suddenly, blood came with his coughs and his breathing started to fall short.

 

“Jungkook,” Seokjin wailed out mid-cough. Blood was surrounding his mouth like it was a frame and it was only getting harder and harder to breathe.

 

For the first time in his whole life, Seokjin was scared for his life. Though he had gone through random spells of sickness before it had never been so terrifyingly hard to breathe, to call out for help. “Jungkook,” he called out again, hoping the younger could hear him.

 

His screams only grew hoarser and quieter and his breaths shortened and his eyes begun to droop a bit. Jungkook had still not come, perhaps he could not hear him.

 

Seokjin was tempted to close his eyes and fall into eternal slumber.

 

It was then that the door slammed open, hitting the wall with ten times the force as usual. Jungkook came in with a furious glow in his eyes, talking long and fast strides towards the elder who was well approaching death.

 

Jungkook grabbed the soap bucket that was standing in front of the bathroom door and threw in the rag that laid next to it. “Wake up Young Master,” he whispered in Seokjin’s ear as he cleaned the blood stains on the floor and around the latter’s mouth.

 

V stood at the entrance of the chamber, looking shaken. “Does this happen often,” he asked Jungkook.

 

The younger remained silent. V was but a stranger, a guest that his beloved Master had taken in on a stormy night when he had nowhere else to turn to. He had no reason to tell the ward of Seokjin’s sickly nature.

 

Jungkook picked his master up from the cold floor and placed him on the bed. He turned to look at V, “Stay with Young Master while I go fetch some medicine. If he spits out blood again, clean it up.” Giving Seokjin one last look, Jungkook left the room.

 

The attendant felt scared.

 

Jungkook was left at the doorstep of the Infernal Palace’s servants quarters when he was merely just a babe. Attached to the basket where he laid, wrapped in bloody bed sheets (probably the same sheets that were on the bed where he was born) was a note stating: Oh sister dearest I am sorry to say that my husband has passed and I have no one to help me take care of my poor child. I know that the family you are serving has a Young Master, take in my child and allow him to serve him. I will forever be indebted to you if you oblige to my request. Love, Junghwa. From the moment that his aunt, the chief maid at the manor, picked him up and gave him a home in the servants quarters of the beautifully terrifying palace, all she had in mind was to groom him into the perfect attendant for the sickly Young Master of the Kim Household.

 

To be honest, the young boy had never known anything else than taking care of Seokjin, his beloved Young Master. From the moment that he began to make sense of things in the world, he had taken care of Seokjin. Making him tea, peeling his apples, washing his clothes, nursing him back to health after he went through his random bursts of sickness--Jungkook spent all his years tending to the Young Master with uttermost care.

 

The boy rushed out of the servants exit of the Manor and ran into the village. Medicine, I need the medicine, he thought to himself as he ran at a furious speed, heading towards the local pharmacy. At the moment, Jungkook wasn’t even really thinking--he was acting upon conscious command. And though that made no sense, all he knew was that he needed to get the medicine and come back home, though this V person seemed not to be a total hoodlum, he still could not be trusted.

 

He didn’t give off a positive aura--and Jungkook was absolutely right about that.

 

V stared at the man lying on the bed with a taunting smirk on his face. Seokjin had woken up minutes earlier, coughing out blood and wailing for help. V simply stayed in his place by the door though, he couldn’t have cared less about what was happening to the latter.

 

“You know, it was so suffocating acting like I was all pure and innocent. Like I actually wanted to do all of that work--I’ll have you know that I didn’t,” V sat down on the arm chair on the left of the king sized, 4 poster bed. “I absolutely detest work, if you had continued to insist that I didn’t need to do anything then maybe I would’ve let you enjoy one more day of human life.”

 

Seokjin stared at V with a horrified look, “Whatever do you mean?”

 

V smirked once again, “What I mean is that from the moment you were born Kim Seokjin, you were mine.” He tilted his head ot the side and scanned the Seokjin’s face, “My, what a beauty you have grown into. That hag wasn’t lying when she said you had superior genes.”

 

Seokjin grew more and more confused as the minutes passed. He understood nothing of the situation and would continue to understand nothing. He watched the second hand of the big grandfather clock that stood in one of the corners of the room tick and tock. “I still don’t understand what you are trying to say,” he desperately shrieked.

 

“Have you ever wondered why you were never allowed to leave this house? Why you had to cut slits through the drapery to be able to look outside? Why you were so sickly? Why no one was allowed to come in through the main door,” V asked--sounding genuinely curious.   

 

Seokjin stared at the man. He had never told him any of this and Jungkook knew not to tell anyone of his situation. The boy was fiercely loyal and knew nothing of petty human temptation. Jungkook wouldn’t have told a stranger things that he knew not to speak of, he wouldn’t of told even the closest of people. “How do you know of all this?”

 

Boisterous laughter filled the room, V was having the time of his life. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey lying on the small table in front of his chair and took a swig from it. “How do I know all of this,” V repeated. “Oh why I know this because when you were but a wee little fetus I was hanging around these parts and a jealous young women told me that the love of her life had abandoned her and went to reside with his pretty wife and newborn child. In exchange for her life I was ruin your life.”

 

“My grandfather said that it was his mistress that had cursed our family. He said that he was the reason my parents are gone and that I cannot go--for she is a witch who has turned an evil eye on our family.”

 

“How funny you are,” V said while putting the bottle of whiskey back on the table. “Your grandfather never had a mistress. He was as abstinent as a plant before he got married and he remained that way after his wife died, leaving him with a terrible rake of a son. Long story short, your father romanced the wrong girl and after he fell in love with your mother and birthed an heir to the Kim family fortune, she went green with envy and sacrificed something as big as her life to kill your parents and ensure that you will never be happy.”

 

Seokjin gulped, “You can’t be serious.”

 

V sighed, “Precious child, I have never been more serious in my life.”

 

Seokjin felt paralyzed. It was as if he couldn’t move, if this were all a dream he so desperately wished he could just wake up. Was he subconsciously yearning to know why he was so weak, why he was locked inside a beautiful cage, why he was never allowed to leave the house, why he had to cut small, unnoticeable slits through the curtains? If he was, Seokjin wanted his brain to listen to him and wake up.

 

It was as if the centerpiece of Seokjin’s nightmare had noticed his dread--he probably had--and decided to make things worse by continuing with his story. “When you were born,” the stranger started, “I killed your parents. This was back when I had my wings, I was able to transform into a peregrine thanks to them--I can’t now though, you can say that it’s partly your fault. I flew in through an open window and the souls out of your parents.”

 

Seokjin couldn’t take it anymore, “STOP! MY PARENTS WERE KILLED IN A CARRIAGE ACCIDENT WHEN THEY WERE TRAVELLING TO THE CITY!” He tried to move but he still couldn’t get off the bed, “JUNGKOOK! JUNGKOOK,” he roared.

 

V’s boisterous laughter let out again, this time sounding sadistic and somewhat happy. “I consumed every little sin they had ever committed--even in their past lives. After I did this I spilled the blood. Oh how red it was.” V picked up the bottle of whiskey again, “A maid came into the room while I was doing this. Oh how she begged for your mother’s life. By then, I was already done with your father and only she was left. She was crying and lying by his dead and mutilated body asking the lord to bring him back, as if the lord would actually listen.

 

“You’re making this all up aren’t you? I am apart of the gentry, I can have your head if I wanted to. You are clearly insane. JUNGKOOK,” Seokjin called out for his young attendant. “Get in contact with the director of Bedlam!”

 

V pouted, “Oh Jinnie, don’t you make me a madman. Now, to get back to the story, I killed your mother and that poor maid at the same time. It was a bloody mess--not that I mind that, I thought it was a rather nice touch to the bland decor of this home.” V got up, walking up to the old baby cradle that Seokjin slept in as a babe. “After I was done with them I walked into the nursery. There you were, sleeping soundly in your cute little cradle. Right when I was about to be done with you--like I mentioned before, keeping this house full of vengeful otherworldly beings is consuming too much of energy--your stupid grandfather came running in with a knife in his hands and a good witch standing behind him.”

 

“YOU DARE ACCUSE MY GRANDFATHER OF ASSOCIATING WITH SATAN’S PLAYTHINGS,” Seokjin screamed, trying harder than before to get up from his current position.

 

V rolled his eyes, “Satan’s been locked in heaven for years child, the one’s ruling the underworld are the princes. Though I suppose you wouldn’t know that--you are after all a sickly little mortal.”

 

“You are sick,” Seokjin shrieked at V.

 

V shook his head, “Enough of all this explaining. I don’t have much time left before that young fool you call attendant comes back. I must finish the story and dispose of you in the bloodiest way possible.” V looked Seokjin right in the eye, “When your grandfather came into the room with that bloody hag he had her do all these incantations (I don’t bother myself with keeping up with the enchantments of heaven’s mortal helpers). Just like you cannot move right now, I wasn’t able to do that either. The witch told me all sorts of things, she explained the “behind the scenes” of my life before I fell from the 7th heaven. She made me feel 10 times more pain as your grandfather cut off my wings.”

 

Seokjin smiled with a tinge of insanity, “My grandfather did the right thing! If you are what you claim to be you do not deserve the power of flight!”

 

“That’s what they all say when I tell them this story. But anyhow, the witch and your grandfather left me to rot outside, they enchanted this home--making it so that I could not enter as long as the main door was never open. As long as you never welcomed me in yourself. Now that your nuisance of a grandfather is dead I took the liberty of knocking on your door and guess what? You opened it!”

 

There was a vicious gleam in V’s eyes as he ever-so slowly rose from his spot in the chair and stalked up Seokjin. “Now I can finally do away with you,” he whispered in such a soft tone that Seokjin had barely been able to hear it.

 

In a matter of minutes, V’s lips fell upon Seokjin’s and the former and everything dry. He was eating out all of the sins in the weak boy’s soul, cleansing it for a bloody and beautiful killing. When Seokjin was finally as pure as a wedding dress, V killed him. He left only a pool of blood on the bed where Seokjin once laid--but that wasn’t the only thing he had left.

 

Some time later, when Jungkook had finally gotten back home, he heard no noise. He looked around, there was no sign of the ward. Climbing up the spiraled body that lead him to the second floor of the grand manor, Jungkook screamed and shouted “YOUNG MASTER! YOUNG MASTER!”

 

There was never a reply.

 

When he reached the threshold of Seokjin’s room, he smelled the blood. He smelled it’s ghastly odor and it made him want to vomit right there and then. Regardless of the horror he felt he was about to see, he opened the door.

 

On the bed lay his young master, bloody and messy. But that wasn’t the only dead body in the room, next to him lay the body of Kim Taehyung--the village boy that was possessed by a demon last week. He looked strikingly similar to V, except for the fact that his hair was long, messy, and as black as the night sky. His facial features were also not as sharp, but for some reason, he was clad in V’s clothing.

 

“V was the demon that the Old Master told me to protect Young Master from,” Jungkook whispered to himself as he sunk to the floor, crying.