Spring would soon come to an end.

They were back in that haunted house again. Back at that one place where it all began.

This time the band was there for a vacation. Just a nice, simple vacation to freshen their minds after months of busy schedules. And what better way to freshen minds than to visit an amusement park?

And to top it all off, the same amusement park that they had visited the year before?

Jae had asked (read: begged) Brian to accompany him to the haunted house attraction. The latter had looked at him, confused and doubtful. But after Dowoon dragged off Sungjin and Wonpil to buy more snacks, Brian really had no choice but to follow Jae.

And here they were again. With the familiar screams around them. The familiar darkness. The familiar everything.

Jae felt his own heart pounding against his chest, and he willed it to calm the down. Holy , he was actually going to do this.

The haunted house no longer evoked any fear from him. The ghosts with their bloody faces weren’t terrifying at all. The blood-curdling screams weren’t scary in the slightest.

Because confessing to the person he liked was far scarier than anything.

Speaking of the person…

Jae glanced to his left. Brian looked nonchalant as another ghost shrieked in his face. In fact, the bassist actually looked bored.

This time, Jae wasn’t clinging onto his friend. He didn’t need to this time. He didn’t even scream either, though he slightly flinched at the sudden shrieking. Reflexes, he told himself. Chill.

The ghost made a huffing noise and slithered away.

“The jump scares are still the same,” Brian said. He continued walking as if nothing happened. “I can’t believe I actually remember it all.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Jae replied, trying to keep his voice steady. Their footsteps echoed down the long hallway. “When we went here before, I had my eyes closed the whole time.”

“Not the whole time,” Brian mumbled. “Not during what was most important.”

Jae nearly tripped over his own feet. Did Brian just—?

He stared at his shorter friend, who looked back at him straight in the eye.

What was most important. He’s actually talking about what happened last year. When Brian kissed me and my eyes were open like an idiot. An idiot. A complete and utter idiot.

Jae opened his mouth to speak.

But something came over Brian, and he suddenly looked apologetic. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Don’t say sorry, Jae wanted to say.

Brian continued. “We promised not to talk about what happened here, but here I am running my mouth.”

the promise.

“Pretend I didn’t say anything. That was dumb of me.”

No, I’m the dumb one.

“Let’s just hurry up and get out of here.”

Finally, Jae blurted out, “Brian, wait!”

The younger halted in his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder, locking eyes with his friend again. “Yeah?”

Jae stood still, feeling more determined than ever. He was sure his heart was beating loud enough for the both of them to hear. “I’ll lead the way,” he said, and he was thankful of how firm his voice was.

Brian smirked. “What came over you? When did you suddenly get so brave?”

“Let’s just hope I’m as brave as you think,” Jae muttered, and he began walking again, faster this time. Brian let out an amused whistle and followed him.

Soon they were back in that room. The weird, eerie room with the trees and the grass and the statue.

The statue.

The heart-shaped statue with the words engraved upon it, standing tall at the place where he remembered it to be. The words that he would never forget:

“A KISS SHALL LEAD YOU OUT OF THE DARKNESS.”

Holy , he was so scared. But he planted one foot in front of the other until he stood firmly in front of that certain statue. Wordlessly, Brian joined him by his side.

They stared at the glowing words for what seemed like forever.

Everything was so silent. No sound of ghosts. No weird chain-clanking noises. Just the two young men standing side by side.

Jae glanced at his friend. Brian had the most unreadable expression on his face.

Then there was a slight change as Brian looked away, eyes focusing on the floor.

What was it? Did Jae imagine it? Or was there actually hurt written across the bassist’s features?

Jae didn’t like it. He didn’t like it when Brian had that look on his face. Didn’t like it when Brian was hurt. He wanted to take that hurt and throw it away as far as he could.

It was risky. Brian might not feel the same way towards him. The feelings that took Jae months to figure out may not be reciprocated. He could be walking out of the haunted house with his heart broken. And he knew that. He knew that very well.

But he would take the chance. And this was the place where he was going to do it. No more doubts, no more regrets. This was now.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his friend.

“Brian.”

The younger of the two looked up, letting their eyes meet again.

 Silent. Everything was so silent.

“Yeah, Jae?”

“I like you.”

The silence grew heavier.

“…What?” was Brian’s simple reply.

“I like you, Brian.”

The next reply was unexpected. The bassist threw up his hands in exasperation and said through gritted teeth, “Not this again.”

Jae blinked. “Huh…?”

Brian sighed, annoyance all over his face. “I get it. You want to get out of here quickly. Follow the damn riddle—” He jabbed a finger at the heart-shaped statue, “—and we have a shortcut out of here. Hurrah. Good for you.”

Suddenly understanding the situation, Jae said quickly, “No, wait—”

“It all really meant nothing for you, huh?”

“Brian—”

“It’s cool, Jae, really. It’s really nothing, right? Just two friends kissing to quickly get out of a haunted house. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Brian, please—”

“Like I said, it’s cool. Just get over here and we’ll kiss a bit and get the hell out of here.”

“BRIAN KANG, LISTEN TO ME, PLEASE!”

It surprised the both of them. Jae had a naturally soft voice so no matter how loudly he yelled, it would still come out soft.

But in that soft voice, there was the heavy sense of urgency. And desperation. Brian stared at him, eyes wide with shock.

They now stood facing each other, Jae’s fingers gripping tighter on his friend’s shoulders. Since when did his hands get there? Jae could only wonder.

“I mean it,” he said. “I like like you.” The words were tumbling freely out of his mouth. “As in, I want to take back what I said in the dorm last year. About forgetting what happened here. About pretending that what happened here never happened. You know what? I was an idiot. I want to take it all back.”

A pause. He kept going.

“I want us to kiss not because I want to fulfill the riddle. Not because I want to get out of this haunted house quickly. But— But because I like you. I want us to kiss because I like you.”

His hands were slightly shaking now. He ignored them.

“I know. Last year, you told me that you weren’t in love with me or anything. I know.” Oh God, was the hurt in Jae’s voice really that clear? Again, he chose to ignore it. “It was selfish of me to suddenly kiss you that time. It took me forever to realize that it wasn’t nothing. It was something. I stopped denying it. I just… I like you, Brian.”

Yet another pause. He hoped it was the last one.

“I… I know you might not feel the same way and I may have just ed up our friendship. But…” Jae smiled sadly. “Just like Sungjin in our music video… I’m afraid if I’ll regret it if I didn’t tell you.”

The silence came. Each second killed Jae. He wondered if his heart was still intact.

Finally, Brian spoke. His eyes had softened and so did his voice. “And just like Sungjin in the music video, are you giving me the choice of not replying?”

Jae stared at him. The hands that were settled on the bassist’s shoulders finally slid down, hanging limp at Jae’s sides.

“Or do you want an answer?”

Here goes everything. Jae nodded. “I want an answer.”

Brian nodded back. “Don’t turn around, but there’s a ghost behind you.”

“…Wh-what?”

“It’s really, really scary. Holy , even I’m getting the chills.”

Jae’s gaze never left his friend. “Brian, I don’t care about any ghost—”

“Close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes cuz that ghost is ridiculously scary and I don’t want you to get nightmares.”

“I—”

“Seriously, Jae, just close your damn eyes.”

Jae closed his damn eyes.

What happened next was unexpected. Jae felt a hand on the back of his head, pulling him closer, and then a pair of soft lips pressed gently against his own.

This time, he kept his eyes shut. And this time, he didn’t stay still like a statue.

Instead, he gripped tightly onto the back of Brian’s shirt, trying to keep himself steady because this was actually happening.

Brian’s fingers were in Jae’s hair, hands gentle yet firm as he deepened the contact. And this time, Jae kissed him back, feeling Brian smile against his lips.

A blinding white light cut through the darkness, but they kept going. The door was opened, but who cared about the door anyways?

More seconds passed when Brian finally pulled away, out of breath. He had the brightest smile on his face. Even brighter than the light coming from the doorway.

“I like you too, Jae.”

The younger man’s hands still resting in his hair, Jae leaned in and let their foreheads touch. “So are we a couple now?”

“Well,” Brian said with a chuckle. “The door opened, didn’t it?”

Jae grinned. “I take that as a yes.” He paused. “There was no ghost, huh?”

“None at all.”

“You little .”

Another laugh. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

Jae knew that he would never forget the feel of Brian’s hand in his as they ran out of the haunted house.

The same photo machine greeted them at the exit, with the same sign that read:  "Haunted house couple photos: $5" 

Positively bouncing up and down on his feet, Brian pulled out ten dollars from his wallet and fed it to the machine.

Jae laughed. “Well, someone’s excited.”

“Don’t I have the right to be excited?” Brian said. “Aren’t you excited?”

Another score for Brian Kang.

Seconds passed as Jae watched the pictures emerged from the machine’s slot. He took one photo in his hand and examined it.  “Of course, I’m excited.”

Brian grinned. “Good.”

“Let’s not get these crumpled up like last year’s.”

“Hell will break loose if that happens.”

---

Dowoon was waiting for them by the water fountain.

Taking a bite out of a huge pretzel in his hand, the maknae saw s making their way towards him.

Mouth full, he waved an arm in a cheerful greeting. The smile on his face grew even brighter when he realized that Jae and Brian were holding hands.

Dowoon swallowed and began shaking in excitement.

Jae and Brian laughed.

The sky was dark. The sun had set, and it was time for the moon to rise. The amusement park lights made the water fountain glow, sprinkling bright droplets. In the background, the sound of roller coaster rides and chattering of people’s voices filled the air.

“Hey, kiddo,” Jae said, thumping his free hand on the youngest boy’s shoulder.

“Hyungs,” Dowoon replied with a nod, letting Jae ruffle his hair.

Brian looked around. “Where’s Sungjin-hyung and Wonpil?”

“In the restroom,” the drummer replied. “They should be out soon.” Then he fished his phone out of his pocket, quickly calling a familiar name.

Dowoon held out the phone, front camera on, as Bernard Park appeared on the screen.

“Well well well,” Bernard said, his voice loud across the small speakers. “What have we got here?”

“Hyung, hyung, guess what!” Dowoon said.

Bernard answered with the same level of enthusiasm, “What what what, Dowoonie!”

The drummer then set the angle so that Jae and Brian were in frame, then tilting the phone down to show their intertwined hands.

Bernard let out a whistle. With a wise face, he sipped on a can of Pepsi. “Very cute. Did you two lose a bet or are you dating or something?” He took another long sip.

“We’re dating,” Brian replied.

Bernard choked violently on his soda again.

The three band members laughed. Seconds later, Bernard regained his composure.

“Well, congrats to you two dumb butts!”

 “Thanks, man,” Jae said. “Please don’t go blurting it out on Music Access, though.”

“The whole world needs to know!” Bernard bellowed dramatically.

“They just got together, Bernard-hyung,” Dowoon said with a pout. “They need some time.”

Bernard laughed brightly. “I’m just kidding, guys. Really though, congrats.” He then focused on Brian. “Remember my words from last year, Mr. Kang? ‘Only time will tell’.”

“Yeah, thanks for the words of wisdom,” the bassist answered. “And thanks for pushing me to face the problem and not run away from it.”

“I’m awesome, I know.” Bernard then pointed at the screen. “Dowoon, though. You guys should be thanking Dowoon.  He is such an MVP.”

Dowoon beamed with pride.

“Well, I gotta go now,” Bernard suddenly said. “I got a radio show to host. See ya, idiots.”

The three members said their goodbyes, waving at the camera until the screen went black.

Brian then turned to Dowoon. Without a word, he leaned in and enveloped the maknae in a one-armed hug. “You’re awesome, Dowoonie. You know that, right?”

“Aww, thank you, hyung.”

Throwing an arm around Dowoon’s shoulders, Jae joined the hug. He thought that he could just pass out from happiness right there and then. He closed his eyes, basking in the feeling.

Soon, they were greeted by Wonpil’s voice and the sound of loud running footsteps.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I want in!”

And they nearly toppled over when Wonpil slammed into them with his arms open.

Jae couldn’t help it, but he laughed. Everything was perfect, really.

Then they all turned to see Sungjin. The leader was looking at them with the most judgmental look on his face.

They stared back with what must have been very effective puppy eyes. Finally, Sungjin sighed and walked into their warm embrace.

Yup. Everything was just perfect.

“Do you remember when I used to write super sad lyrics?”

Jae glanced to his right, where Brian was laying down next to him. They were sprawled over the dorm floor again, listening to an old rock album that the older had suggested.

“I remember quite well,” Jae answered. “The most painful one was the one you were working on in the studio. The night I went there.”

Brian nodded, reaching out and poking his boyfriend on the cheek. “I have a confession to make.”

“Hm?”

“Those lyrics were about you.”

Speechless, Jae just stared at the man next to him. He opened his mouth, frantically wondering how he should begin to apologize. Waves of guilt had slowly emerged, threatening to drown him.

“But,” Brian continued. “The new lyrics are about you too.”

The waves subsided.

Jae smiled. Day6’s songs had become so much brighter, so much happier ever since they walked out of that haunted house, hand in hand. No longer did the lyrics tell the story of a broken hearted man in a broken hearted world.

Now, they told the story of a man in love. Happily and blissfully in love.

Author's end notes:

Thanks for giving this story so much love, guys :") Thanks for every comment and everything. It really means a lot ❤

I finally finished it! :"D What do you guys think? I hope the ending was satisfying enough >.<

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And wow, Every Day6 project has come to an end as well. It was such an awesome year with so much feels asdfghjkl and let's look forward to the boys in 2018!! :"""") Let's get Day6 their first win!

(What was your favorite Every Day6 song?

I think all of the songs are gold and I love them all so much, but if I were to choose my top 5 favorite songs, it would be: I Wait, Lean on Me, I Would, I Loved You, and Say Wow.

BUT SERIOUSLY, EVERY SINGLE SONG FROM EVERY DAY6 IS SO GOOD, HOW DO THEY DO THAT).

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I also started a new Day6 series:

me in the black and white photo

It's an OT6 story though, about Junhyeok in the survival show The Unit, and Day6 members coping with that fact. 

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you can also find me on twitter: @myday_mytears