Dinner with Chaeyoung and Dowoon was quite awkward for Nayeon. She’d agreed to look for anything suspicious in his belongings—anything that could prove that he not only murdered Sana, but ran over Chaeyoung too. Nayeon had a plan to get into the bedroom alone, because if there was anything suspicious, it would surely be there.

Luckily Nayeon was a good liar and actor—nothing she did gave away that she knew about Dowoon’s guilt...or so she thought. It was nice to see her sister, but it was heartbreaking to see how happy she looked with Dowoon. Nayeon was such a fool to not see through his act. He was almost too perfect. With the timing he came into Chaeyoung’s life, shortly after she recovered from the accident, he was there as if it were a well thought out plan. Nayeon now knew it was, from the very beginning. Everything about her sister’s boyfriend was fake.

Dowoon and Chaeyoung had made some kimchi stew. Along with some soju, it was a great meal. Nayeon could barely stomach it though, knowing she was sitting at a table with a murderer. It took every ounce of her self control to not sock the man in the jaw.

“Nayeon, are you okay?” Chaeyoung asked, noticing her older sister’s hand trembling slightly as she used her chopsticks.

Nayeon looked down and realized what Chaeyoung had noticed, instantly stilling her hand. “Will you excuse me for a moment? Just need to use the bathroom.” Nayeon stood up abruptly and smiled at Chaeyoung and Dowoon before walking away. Dowoon shared a slightly concerned look with Chaeyoung but said nothing, watching Nayeon’s tensed shoulders as she walked away.

Instead of going to the bathroom, Nayeon took her first left and walked into the bedroom. She didn’t have long before Chaeyoung and Dowoon became suspicious and started looking for her, so she had to be quick.

She found a box on top of the wardrobe—much too high for Chaeyoung to reach on her own. It didn’t look out of the ordinary, which made Nayeon all the more curious. Nayeon stood on her tiptoes and grabbed the box. Setting it down on the bed, Nayeon began to rustle through it as quickly as possible. Underneath some envelopes with bills and letters, Nayeon found an old phone. The front screen was cracked as if it had been smashed. The back of it was covered in stickers of shiba inus.

There was also a red piece of coarse paper with words sketched on it—ancient looking words Nayeon had seen scrawled across charms at Jihyo’s place. Was it a spell to ward away ghosts? Did that mean Dowoon knew Sana remembered what he’d done to her or was he just paranoid?

“What are you doing?” Dowoon’s voice snapped angrily, causing Nayeon to jump about a foot in the air before freezing momentarily in shock.

She ripped her hands away from the box she’d been digging through and gave Dowoon the most innocent stare she could muster. His face was cold, and his eyes were narrowed. Nayeon had never seen the man look so frightening before. In that moment, with his tall and opposing structure, she was afraid.

He quickly brushed past Nayeon, snatching the box from the bed she had placed it on, and aggressively slammed the box further back on the wardrobe so that she would no longer be able to reach it.

“I’m sorry, Dowoon,” Nayeon began. “I was wondering if you were planning to propose soon...so I was trying to find a ring. She’s my little sister, you know? Can you blame me for being curious?”

The excuse was a bit of a stretch but logical enough. It had been one Nayeon had prepared in case she had been caught.

Dowoon’s eyes widened—perhaps a bit taken off guard—before he quickly composed himself. His dark expression softened immediately, although there was still a bit of suspicion behind his eyes. “Nayeon, before I propose, I owe it to you to ask your permission first. Chaeyoung is your sister, after all. I would never do that without your blessing, and your parents’ blessing first.”

Nayeon wanted to smile and feel at ease like she normally did around Dowoon, but seeing the cracked and broken phone was not sitting well in Nayeon’s stomach. She somehow knew it had belonged to Sana, which only confirmed that Dowoon had indeed killed the girl. “Sorry to invade your privacy,” she bowed her head apologetically, hoping Dowoon would let her off the hook.

He studied her for a moment, thinking carefully, before he stepped back and relaxed his shoulders. “We should both get back to dinner now—you know how anxious Chaeng gets.”

On that note, he spun around and headed back toward the kitchen. Nayeon sighed with relief. She stuck her slightly shaking hands in her pockets before returning out into the kitchen as well.

“He had a phone,” Nayeon told Jihyo, standing in the younger girl’s apartment the next day. “The screen was cracked badly. It was definitely a girl’s phone too—there were stickers on the back. I wish I could’ve taken a picture before he caught me.”

“Nayeon.” There was an air of warning in Jihyo’s voice as she looked at her friend with concern. “You need to be careful, we can’t let him know we’re onto him. If he feels cornered, he’ll lash out. He had that charm there for a reason—to ward of ghosts. He has to know Sana is onto him.”

“Well, excuse me for not being a world class ninja—I tried my best to be sneaky but it seemed like he was a bit suspicious of me from the start. You know I’m good at lying but, I’m not sure if he bought this one.”

“He knows you weren’t possessed by a ghost but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Just don’t go anywhere on your own—no sketchy parking garages, okay?” Jihyo instructed.

Nayeon crossed her arms and nodded. “What’s our next move?”

“He’s probably going to destroy the evidence or hide it somewhere else, just in case. We know he’s guilty, but the police won’t be able to prove it unless we get our hands on that phone.”

“I still can’t believe that monster has been with my sister for over a year—sleeping in the same bed!” Nayeon’s face had turned pink, and her brows were furrowed into a mask of pure rage.

Lightly grabbing Nayeon’s forearm, Jihyo gave Nayeon an empathetic gaze. It made her incredibly mad too, which is why they needed to expel the evil spirit from Dowoon’s body and make it face justice.

The problem was, evil spirits tended to latch onto their hosts so completely, that it was hard to banish them. They were capable of corrupting one’s soul, bringing out all the host’s worst qualities and amplifying them. The evil spirit had resided in Dowoon for a long time, no doubt, so it must have grown extensive roots into him.

Jihyo would find a way though, and she would reach out to her ancestors for guidance. After all, she’d been keeping Sana out of trouble for the most part, they owed her this much. “Just be careful for now, we’ll talk to Sana and try to formulate a plan.”

Sana had told Jihyo she was taking care of some things, whatever that meant, but Jihyo knew the ghost would be back soon.

Mina was still a bit shaken from feeling the evil spirit put its cold, boney hands on her shoulder, but she tried to busy herself in her normal schedule to make herself feel better. Sana was absent most of the day, which made Mina slightly uneasy. She’d grown used to the ghost’s presence, so being by herself made her feel quite alone.

“I’m gonna go to a convenience store to grab some snacks,” she announced to her members, who were all plopped on the couch in the living room, being rambunctious.

Tzuyu turned her head, giving Mina a small smile. “Can I come with you?”

“Of course, Sungjin is gonna be here in a few minutes to take me so you can come along.”

Tzuyu sighed with relief, excited to get away from the noise.

Sungjin rang on the doorbell shortly after, taking an antsy Mina and a content Tzuyu down to the ground floor where the car was parked. There was a small, one floor garage for residents and a few guests only. Sungjin unlocked the van and opened the side door for Mina and Tzuyu. “Alright, in ya—”

There was a loud whack, making both Tzuyu and Mina scream. Sungjin was now on the ground, and beside him was a man with his face obscured in a black ski mask. A bat was in his hand, shining in the harsh lighting overhead.

“Oh my god!” Tzuyu cried, holding up her hands and backing up. Mina did the same, too scared to even reach for her phone.

“I just need Mina,” the man said in a gravelly voice. He moved forward dangerously. “I won’t hurt you if you just come with me.”

“Run!” Mina commanded, grabbing Tzuyu’s wrist and pulling the younger girl back. The girls made a run for it, but the man was faster, roughly grabbing Mina and yanking her backward so hard that she flew to the ground.

Tzuyu opened to scream but before she could the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun, aiming it straight at Mina. “Not a word from you unless you want me to shoot your friend,” he warned. “Now, stay put and let us leave quietly. Then you can scream to your heart’s content.”

Mina let out a sob as the man aggressively pulled her to her feet, keeping the gun pointed directly at her. He began to back up, slowly, toward what Tzuyu assumed to be his car.

“Please don’t hurt her,” Tzuyu begged, with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Tzuyu, get out of here! Go get help for Sungjin and call Nayeon—”

“Shut up!” the man growled, silencing Mina instantly. They made it to a white van. Setting the bat down, he opened the back door and motioned Mina inside. Mina took one last look at a trembling Tzuyu before she stepped inside and the van door slid shut behind her. The man jumped into the front seat and the engine. Both the gun and the bat were easily within his reach.

Tzuyu immediately pulled out her phone and called the police, moving toward a still unconscious Sungjin who was sprawled on the ground. As the van reversed and sped out of the garage, Tzuyu breathlessly explained to the operator what had happened.

Nayeon was still at Jihyo’s apartment, hanging out and trying to work out Eden’s schedule for the next upcoming months on her laptop, when she received a call from Tzuyu. It wasn’t out of the ordinary, but for some reason she felt an uneasy feeling when she answered the phone.

“Someone took Mina!” Tzuyu cried, barely able to form coherent words. She was crouched beside Sungjin, waiting for an ambulance and the cops to arrive.

Nayeon almost let her phone slip through her hand. “W-what?”

“Sungjin was taking us to the convenience store when a man swung a bat at Sungjin and knocked him out! He pulled out a gun and took Mina away in his van!” The girl’s voice was trembling, and Nayeon, for once in her life, had no idea what to say.

“Is Sungjin alright?” Nayeon asked, after what Tzuyu had said finally sank in. “Did you call the cops? What did this man look like? Why would he take her?” Nayeon’s voice was rising with hysteria.

Jihyo, sitting across the kitchen table from Nayeon, was on her feet, looking alarmed. She couldn’t hear what the person on the other line was saying but she knew it wasn’t good based on Nayeon’s devastated expression.

“He’ll be okay I think, but he’s still out cold. The ambulance are coming and so are the police. He was wearing a mask, I couldn’t see his face. What are we going to do? What if he hurts her?” Tzuyu was crying now, and Nayeon was close to it too. The older girl took a breath and curled her left hand into a fist.

“Stay calm. I’m headed over now. You’re in the parking garage of the apartment, right?”

“Yeah,” Tzuyu said, sniffling.

“Okay, be there in 10.” Nayeon stood up as she ended the call, giving Jihyo the grimmest face she could muster. “It’s Mina,” Nayeon replied to Jihyo’s look of concern—feeling the girl’s name weigh her tongue down. “Someone...kidnapped her. And I think that person is Dowoon.”

Jihyo and Nayeon both rushed over to the apartment. When they arrived, the police were already there, questioning Tzuyu. The medics were looking at Sungjin, who was sitting on the ground but awake. He was holding an ice pack to the back of his head and wincing.

“Good god,” Nayeon muttered, practically stumbling out of her car toward the scene. She interrupted the police’s interview with Tzuyu, pulling the girl into her arms. “Are you okay?” she asked the girl after they let go of one another.

“I’m fine,” she assured. “But Mina…” her voice trailed off and suddenly her eyes threatened to spill with tears. “The man seemed so angry.”

Nayeon gritted her teeth. Why would Dowoon kidnap Mina? She had nothing to do with anything! More importantly, why suddenly do it now, and so recklessly? What could he possibly get out of this? Thinking about it made Nayeon sick.

She wanted to come clean to the police about everything but she knew she had no proof, other than a phone she’d seen a glimpse of and stories from a ghost. For now, she’d have to deal with the nightmare the press would give her and JYPE for letting one of their idols get kidnapped by a mad man. First one of their trainees was stabbed and now this. Her job was surely on the line, but Nayeon didn’t care about that at all. All she cared about was finding Mina…

Besides, because the parking garage was private, the media was kept away. It would only be a matter of time before news broke that an idol was missing...

Nayeon moved through the rest of the day in a haze. Having to break the news to the rest of the members waiting innocently in their apartment was the worst part. They all broke down, crying for a good hour before Jeongyeon was able to take a deep breath and start asking more questions. Sungjin was by Nayeon’s side, on his feet and trying to be strong. He’d suffered a concussion, but he’d be okay.

“This is my fault,” he whispered. “I was useless when she needed me the most!” And just like that, the man held his head in his hands and cried out in frustration.

Everything was falling apart.

Things only got worse when Sana phased through the wall of the apartment, expecting to greet Mina, only to find the members of Eden huddled together on the floor, crying, and a trembling Nayeon and Sungjin.

Jihyo, who had stayed with Nayeon for support, gave Sana a sad look.

Sana’s eyes scanned the room, counting 5 members…

Where was Mina?

“Jihyo?” Sana asked softly, scared to even ask because she knew she wouldn’t like the answer. She was already trembling, too.

Jihyo bit her lip and walked to the kitchen. Sana followed, as if in a daze.

“Mina was taken.”

“What?” Sana cried out, gripping the sides of the island table incredibly hard. “It was Dowoon, wasn’t it!” Her voice was loud and shrill—filled with rage. “I’m gonna kill him—”

“Sana, we’re gonna get her back. I’m sure he just has her because he caught Nayeon looking through his stuff. She found your phone, by the way. He had it…”

Sana touched both of her temples and rubbed them, trying to bury the guilt surfacing. Mina was in danger because of her.

“Where were you yesterday and today?” Jihyo asked, looking at Sana with a bit of accusation.

“I had a lot to think about…” she mumbled. Truthfully, Sana had spent a lot of time just walking on her own, visiting all her favorite places. She knew she was going to have to move onto the other side soon, so she wanted to take everything in one last time. “I’m gonna start looking for her now, okay?” In an instant, Sana was gone once again.

Sana looked all over Seoul, even asking fellow ghosts if they’d seen Dowoon and Mina, but they knew nothing. Frustrated and screaming at the sky, she finally returned back to the apartment, but found both Nayeon and Jihyo were gone. She focused her energy and teleported back to Jihyo’s apartment, only to find it empty, before checking out Nayeon’s.

There the two friends were, sitting on Nayeon’s couch, both looking more lost than ever.

“I couldn’t find her,” Sana sighed, plopping down on the ground in front of Jihyo’s feet and letting out a sob. “This is all my fault...Dowoon somehow linked Mina to me!”

“It’s not your fault, Sana,” Jihyo assured. Nayeon’s eyebrows raised at the mention of Sana’s name.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” the eldest girl muttered, looking totally defeated and miserable. “He should’ve taken me….why didn’t he take me…?”

Nayeon’s phone buzzed, causing her to jump. It was an unknown number, but Nayeon answered it anyway. “Hello?”

“Nayeon,” a man answered. It was a familiar voice. “Meet me at the abandoned warehouse by the lake if you want Mina to live. I’m sending you coordinates. And no cops—the first sign of them and I’m shooting her in the head. Remember, I have access to police radio. I’m constantly listening. I’ll know if you call in and report this—”

“Jesus Christ, Dowoon,” Nayeon cried, jumping to her feet. “Mina has nothing to do with this! If you want to come after anyone, you should come after me!” Her voice was shaking at the thought of Mina alone with this monster—cold and afraid. Nayeon quickly put the phone on speaker so Jihyo and Sana could hear him.

“I knew she was playing host for that annoying pet ghost of yours—the moment I interviewed her at the station, I knew. I was watching and waiting to see if Sana would figure it all out. First, she ruined my plans with Eunha—that insufferable girl doesn’t know how to leave things in the past. And now Sana has you snooping through my things! You could’ve just left everything alone, Nayeon. I had plans—“

“To marry my sister, you piece of sh—“

“We’ll come, okay?” Jihyo stated, semi-calm compared to her seething friend beside her. “No cops. Just us. We’ll talk, and you’ll let Mina go, right?”

Dowoon snorted on the other line. “We can negotiate when you get here. You have one hour.” He hung up the phone, leaving Nayeon shaking.

“We need to go!” Sana cried, looking at Jihyo intensely. “He’ll really kill her…”

“He might kill us all if we go—“ Jihyo started.

“—-but what other choice do we have?” Nayeon cried. “Jihyo, you can banish the evil spirit from him, can’t you?”

“Yes, er, I can try. It’s quite difficult but not entirely impossible. We have to tell someone what’s going on, just in case everything goes wrong,” Jihyo suggested.

“Tzuyu, she knows about everything,” Sana said. Nayeon’s eyebrows raised but she said nothing. She texted the younger girl a brief summary of what happened and received the notification of the coordinates from Dowoon.

“Alright, let’s go.”

What they were doing was very stupid, but they were doing it for Mina. For Mina, anything was worth it.

Once Mina got into the van, Dowoon immediately took her phone and smashed it against the dashboard with a sickening thud. Mina held back a sob as the man reversed and gunned it out of the lot.

“I’m assuming you’re Mina, and not Sana,” he said, looking back at Mina through the rearview mirror. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. You and your ghost friend have caused me quite enough trouble.”

“Where are you taking me?” Mina asked, trying not to show too much fear.

“Somewhere quiet. You see, I just need to talk to your manager. A civil conversation. But I need something to lure her out. That’s you.”

Mina gulped, silently praying Nayeon wouldn’t be stupid enough to fall for this trap.

“That’s right, I know all about your little relationship with your manager. I followed you two after you visited Eunha at the hospital. Sana’s dear friend. Poor thing was too curious for her own good...I almost put her out of her misery, but Sana screwed that up, too.”

“You’re not gonna get away with this, you know.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Dowoon laughed. “I know the right way to get away with murder. I’m a police officer, after all.” His voice was laced with darkness, it was as if Mina could begin to see a sinister cloud forming around his body—the mark of an evil spirit.

Mina was quiet after that, trying to formulate some plan, but the van doors were both locked, and Dowoon had a gun and a baseball bat. She had no phone…

After driving for almost 45 minutes, Dowoon got out of the van after pulling up behind what appeared to be an old warehouse. He opened the van door with his gun in hand and rope hanging over his shoulder. Without a word he yanked Mina forward and out of the van. With one hand around her arm, his fingers digging into her skin, he pulled her with him toward a side door of the warehouse.

Once inside, Dowoon found a sturdy pipe in a small, side room which may have been an office at one point, and bound Mina’s wrists to it so she couldn’t move. All she could do was sit on the cold, cement floor. “Now, you be good,” Dowoon warned. “Your friend will be here later tonight.”

He left the room, leaving Mina alone. That’s when she began to cry, silently. After sitting in silence for about an hour, she drifted off to sleep.

“You’re so cold,” a voice whispered, pulling Mina from her light nap. “It’s so cold here, isn’t it?”

Mina lifted her head and looked around by shifting her eyes, but found nothing. That’s when she noticed she truly was cold—her outfit was not thick enough to keep her warm in a dark warehouse at night. She wasn’t sure how long she’d actually been out, but it felt like hours. That’s when she remembered how exactly she’d gotten here—letting fear and dread fill her once again.

“You poor thing...you could die out here. Your body tossed aside, hidden, maybe even never found. Would Nayeon ever find out what happened to you? Would your parents?”

A tear spilled from Mina’s eye as she shivered. She felt slightly delirious and she was so, so thirsty. Every time she swallowed felt raw.

“You won’t survive this. Dowoon is a killer. You know he killed Sana and nearly Eunha and Chaeyoung too. You have to be smart if you want to make it through this, Mina. You need help.”

The unfamiliar voice sounded warm and welcoming. Mina closed her eyes, letting it engulf her. “Yes, I need help,” she said, weakly.

“Let me help you.”

She did need help right now—any way to get out of this impossible situation. To get back to her life. To get back to Nayeon. Tzuyu, Dahyun, Momo, Jeongyeon. Even Sana!

But it just seemed so hopeless. The ropes around her wrists were bound so tightly she could feel them digging into her skin. They hurt, and her arms ached from the position they were in.

“I can help you.” As if by a miracle, Mina could feel her restraints loosening ever so slightly, on their own. “You just have to let me in...”

After a frantic call explaining their situation to the police on their way to the location Dowoon had given them via coordinates, Nayeon drove quite recklessly through the outskirts of Seoul. They made sure to specifiy that Dowoon was listening in on police radios so it would have to be handled discreetly. Nayeon could only hope the police believed her, because Mina's life was at stake. With white knuckles, she gripped the steering wheel and felt a slight numbness in her fingers.

“I’m scared and I’m already dead,” Sana muttered from the backseat of the car, commenting on Nayeon’s driving. Jihyo didn’t say anything but the uneasy look on her face told Sana all she needed to know.

After what felt like forever, they made it to what looked like an old, abandoned warehouse. “This is it.” Nayeon slammed on the car breaks so the vehicle stopped close to a side entrance. “Let’s go.”

They were each equipped with hidden weapons—Nayeon a knife, Jihyo a knife and talismans that would in theory ward off evil and help her banish an evil spirit. Sana couldn’t hold anything, being a ghost and all, but she was prepared to help in anyway she could.

Taking an anxious but determined breath, Nayeon turned the rusted handle of the side door of the warehouse and pushed the metal thing open. It was heavy and required a bit of effort to open—making a loud squeak as it did so. “So much for any element of surprise,” Sana sighed.

The power was out in the building, in fact there probably hadn’t been working electricity in it for years. It was quite cold due to the lack of heat. Nayeon began to shiver, not only from the cold but from her nerves as well. Using their phone flashlights, the girls moved forward slowly, huddling together.

They reached a large room on the ground floor, leading to many other small rooms. The ceiling was quiet high and revealed other floors with balconies looking down onto the main floor. “Dowoon!” Nayeon shouted, quickly scanning the room for any signs of life. “We’re here, as promised. Now what do you want from me?”

There was a loud clang which made Sana, Nayeon and Jihyo collectively jump. Sana clung onto Jihyo without thinking, looking around in pure terror. She seemed to snap out of it through and rushed toward the sound of the noise, knowing she was the only one who could not be harmed.

“Mina?” Sana shouted. “Mina, can you hear me?” Luckily Sana’s night vision was slightly improved in her undead life, but she could still barely make out anything in the darkness. There was some sort of yell—a man’s voice, loud and angry. Sana felt panic as she stumbled forward and continued calling Mina’s name.

That’s when Sana saw light—more specifically candle light. It lit up the dark blue of the warehouse walls with a warm orange. In the low light, standing with a shovel raised above her head, was Mina. With a slight grunt, Mina swung it down toward a heap on the ground which Sana immediately recognized to be Dowoon. It hit him with a sickening thud, but he made no sound as it was clear he had already lost consciousness.

“Mina!” Sana screamed out, for some reason rooted in place at the sight of Mina with the shovel in her hands. She wore a look of pure rage on her face, it made Mina almost unrecognizable.

At the sound of her name, the girl’s head immediately snapped toward Sana. There was a look of utter surprise—a long and drawn out stare, before recognition seemed to come to Mina and she loosened her grip on the wooden handle of the shovel.

“Oh my god, is he dead?” Nayeon cried, staring down at the heap on the floor that was Dowoon. Her and Jihyo came running at the sound of a man yelling, and Jihyo had heard Sana call out Mina’s name.

Mina blinked a few times, as if shaking herself out of a trance. Seeing Nayeon and Jihyo, the shovel fell from her hands and clang to the concrete floor.

“He’s not dead I just….I just had to…” Mina’s voice trailed off.

Nayeon ran to Mina and embraced her in an engulfing hug. After a moment, Mina relaxed into Nayeon, panting slightly from the exertion of whacking Dowoon over the head. Sana was right behind Nayeon, hugging Mina from the back and nearly crying with relief.

On Mina’s delicate wrists were rings of red—temporarily burnt there from the restraints Dowoon had kept her in.

“Are you okay?” Nayeon asked, quickly brushing the hair out of Mina’s face with one hand and gently examining one of her wrists with the other. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

Mina shook her head. “I had to…” she gestured to the shovel she’d whacked Dowoon with. “He was going to…” her voice trailed off. Her voice was laced with a bit of guilt and fear. No tears fell from her face, however.

He was going to kill Mina, Sana realized. All because of her. The thought rocked against Sana, immobilizing her and making her stomach drop.

“I was able to get out of my restraints,” Mina explained. “From there, when he left the area, I found this shovel to defend myself. I could’ve just tried to run but I didn’t want him to catch me.” Her voice sounded slightly hoarse. Her entire body was hot despite the coolness of the building. Nayeon didn’t want to let the girl go.

“God, we’re just happy you’re okay. I’m so sorry this happened, and that you got dragged into my mess,” Nayeon murmured.

“It was my mess to begin with, actually,” Sana corrected, but she knew Nayeon couldn’t hear her.

“Guys, hold on a second,” Jihyo murmured, standing a few steps back from the group as if there were an invisible barrier between them. “Something’s not right. I can feel it in the air.”

“I think it’s the evil spirit,” Mina murmured as Nayeon continued to examine her wounds with pained looking eyes. “Dowoon...he changed in front of me. The person I knew was gone and the spirit swallowed him up. I’ve never seen such anger. He’s probably still emitting it, now.”

Jihyo chewed her bottom lip, looking from Dowoon’s unconscious body to a surprisingly calm and thoughtful looking Mina. The evil in the room was enough to make Jihyo feel sick. She’d never felt such a disturbing presence before, it was clouding over her vision, even her view of Sana.

“The police are on their way,” Nayeon explained. “They should be here soon, they just had a late start. You’re safe now, thank god.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Sana replied. She looked to Jihyo, who was still rooted in place, staring at Mina with a perplexed expression. “Mina must be freezing. And who knows when Dowoon will wake up. We should wait outside.”

Jihyo slowly began to reach her hands into her pocket to pull out a warding talisman. “Wait,” Jihyo said. “I...feel darkness coming from Mina’s energy. It’s not the same anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Nayeon asked, looking back over at Mina, who reached out and grabbed Nayeon’s hand in her own. She looked perfectly normal, if not a bit disgruntled from the kidnapping and slightly bruised, but she was still Mina.

“I’m just a bit shaken up, that’s all,” Mina explained, looking back at Jihyo levelly. There was something behind Mina’s eyes though, something darker than Jihyo was used to seeing. “I didn’t want to hurt him...but…” She clung onto Nayeon then, burying her head into Nayeon’s chest.

“You did what you had to do,” Sana assured, but Jihyo’s words had her on edge. After all, she trusted the shaman’s judgement.

Jihyo gritted her teeth as she watched her best friend comfort Mina with soft words and assurances. “Nayeon…” she warned. “Let go of her.”

“What is wrong with you?” Nayeon asked, sending daggers toward her friend. “Mina was just kidnapped! We’ve finally found her and this is how you’re acting?”

“It’s okay,” Mina assured, gently turning Nayeon’s head so that their eyes met again. “It’s been a tough night on all of you, I’m sure. I think it’s best if we head home as soon as possible. As soon as the police arrive, that is.”

Watching Mina’s movements very carefully, Sana studied her friend. Mina’s words sounded logical and in character, but something was off. Perhaps it was the way she was clinging onto Nayeon so tightly now, yet looking at Nayeon with almost predatory eyes.

“Mina,” Sana said, and the girl turned to look at Sana with a look of annoyance before it quickly turned into a blank stare. They stared at each other for a moment, wordlessly. Sana took a step forward. Mina’s gaze remained trained on her, unblinking—almost watching Sana in amusement.

Sana’s breath caught in as she gasped. “That’s not her!” she yelled.

“Nayeon, whoever that person is it’s not Mina!” Jihyo cried, curling her hands into fists. At the outbreak, Nayeon couldn’t help but be startled. “It’s an evil spirit—she’s possessed!”

Nayeon froze, unable to let go of Mina and yet she felt her heart stop.

Mina loosened her grip on Nayeon but continued to hold onto her. “You’re crazy,” Mina muttered, staring at Jihyo with a look of hurt. “The evil spirit is him!” Mina pointed to Dowoon on the ground beside them. “We still need to expel it from his body! He won’t be knocked out forever!”

“She must’ve not had the warding spells with her when Dowoon took her...the spirit that was near her on stage must’ve gotten to her!” Sana cried, putting her hands up to fight.

“Nayeon, you can’t possibly believe this. It’s me…” Mina was looking up at Nayeon with wide eyes, the same eyes Nayeon had stared into for awhile now, full of depth and intelligence. Taking a slight step back, Nayeon pulled herself from the girl’s touch. “Dowoon’s spirit is clearly messing up Jihyo’s readings. I’m here, I’m okay. Can we just go wait outside, please?” There was a hint of nervousness in Mina’s voice that made Nayeon’s shoulders tighten.

There was a moment of silence as all four girls looked at one another—Nayeon glanced between Jihyo and Mina, feeling her stomach churn widely. Here she thought she’d just gotten Mina back, but the longer she looked at her the longer she could tell that something was wrong.

“Who are you?” Nayeon finally asked, staring at the girl who she’d thought to be Mina only a minute ago.

At that, Mina’s pout turned into a neutral expression. She opened but paused, as if considering her next move carefully, before she smiled slightly. “Why, I’m Myoui Mina of course. What kind of silly question is that?” Her voice was laced with amusement, causing Nayeon to grit her teeth.

“Give it up, I can see right through you now,” Jihyo warned, ing her talisman in front of her. “I’ll banish you to oblivion!”

“Ugh, how annoying,” Mina sighed, rolling her eyes at Nayeon. “You have a shaman as a friend? Really?” She looked from Jihyo to Nayeon and shook her head. “No matter, I won’t let you two stop me.”

“We’ll force you out soon enough,” Jihyo declared, hands turning into fists.

Mina smirked at that and tilted her head slightly, staring at Jihyo as if she were a child insisting she was an adult. “Poor thing, you actually believe you have any power over me? Mina invited me in. She was weak and vulnerable—just the chance I was looking for. She felt so alone. I could feel the fear rolling off of her in waves...delicious.” Mina bit her bottom lip and smiled wolfishly. “All she wanted was to escape so she could make it back to her dear Nayeon—how pathetic.” The girl snorted, looking down at Mina’s well manicured nails and examining them.

“No matter, things are going to change now. This body has so much potential, it’s about time someone who realizes that gets to take the reins.” She sauntered over to Nayeon, smiling, and drew her finger across the manager’s collar bone. “Aw, don’t be too sad now. Mina’s still here, deep down. I think...I think she can still feel everything.” Mina whispered the last part, looking up at Nayeon through her lashes.

Nayeon looked away, disgusted, causing Mina to laugh more—a sickeningly sweet laugh.

“It’s only a matter of time before the police arrive—you won’t be able to get rid of me by then. They’ll need to question me about this act of self defense, and then I’ll be released.” It seemed the evil spirit had everything all planned out.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Jihyo murmured. “We’re doing this right now.” She stepped closer to Mina, holding up the talisman. “I command you—leave this girl!”

Mina stared Jihyo down for a second and simply rolled her eyes. “Is that really all you got?” She spun on her heel and began walking away. Nayeon reached out and grabbed the girl’s wrist, stopping her in her tracks. “The sensation of touch….I missed that,” Mina murmured, looking back at Nayeon.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Nayeon hissed.

Mina smiled at her, tilting her head slightly and eying her up and down. “It’s a bit chilly in here, don’t you think? I’d like to get some fresh air.”

“Don’t let her go, Nayeon,” Jihyo replied. She moved closer to the girl, holding the talismen against the possessed girl’s forehead. It seemed to have no effect though, because Mina just looked at her with amusement. “I call upon the ancestors,” Jihyo murmured. “Help this girl!”

Sana stood off to the side, watching in horror, unsure of how she could help. She knew she couldn’t get too close to the evil spirit, yet it was killing her to see Mina like that. “Mina, if you can hear me, you gotta fight it!”

Mina side eyed Sana and frowned. “She can’t hear you, pest,” Mina replied.

“C’mon, I call upon the ancestors! I kept Sana out of trouble, didn’t I? I did all you asked. Now help me save this innocent girl!” Jihyo begged, with her hand unwavering from Mina’s forehead.

“Pathetic,” Mina whispered. “Sorry, but you’ll just have to get used to me. I’m the new Mina, now.”

“Mina, you need to fight!” Sana shouted as tears stained her eyes. Jihyo continued to curse at the sky, pleading for help. Nayeon held onto Mina’s wrist tightly, looking back and forth between her best friend and Mina.

“You need to be strong, Mina,” Nayeon said. “Come back to me…”

Mina turned her head and gazed at Nayeon. Her eyes grew wide, and Nayeon could see an internal conflict going on behind them. “You…” her voice trailed off and she suddenly cried out as if in pain. Nayeon gripped harder on the girl’s wrist, making sure she didn’t squirm out of her grasp. Jihyo kept up the prayers until she was shouting and Mina was hissing and writhing in pain, trying desperately to get away.

“It’s working!” Sana cheered. “Mina please—-follow my voice. I know you can hear me.”

“God, it hurts, Sana,” Mina cried out, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. “It hurts so—“

Convulsing in Nayeon’s arms, Mina’s body jerked and twitched—a low growl-like sound escaped . “I did not wait this long just for my plans to be ruined by a bunch of pathetic brats!”

The evil spirit had taken control again, causing Mina to go still. Jihyo took a breath, preparing to say an onslaught of incantations again to banish the spirit from Mina’s body. Sana stepped forward, placing a hand on Mina’s bare forearm gently. The girl stopped breathing and turned to face Sana.

“You’re even more pathetic than this one,” Mina jerked her head toward Nayeon. “...you're a ghost in love with a human—“

Without second thought, Sana pulled back her arm and swung, launching it forward through Mina’s body and shoving out the dark silhouette of the evil spirit from within. In that moment, it didn’t matter that the touch of an evil spirit could make Sana disappear for good—all she cared about was saving Mina and shutting the thing inside her up. The spirit flew backward but managed to balance itself, glaring at Sana with a look so filled with hatred that the girl gulped before curling her hands into fists.

As soon as the spirit left her body, Mina’s legs gave out. She would’ve dropped to the ground had Nayeon not been there to catch her. “Mina, are you okay?” Nayeon asked, taking the now limb girl in her arms. “Oh my god, is she dead?” Nayeon’s voice was high pitched and shaky. She looked at Jihyo with wide eyes.

Jihyo helped Nayeon hold Mina up and shook her head. “The spirit left her body. Just hold onto her while I finish this.”

Jihyo’s voice was strong and confident. Like an avenging angel, she held up her talismen and with all her heart, wished the evil spirit away. Sana clasped her hands together and did the same, although she wasn’t sure what good she would do.

Without even a word, the dark spirit hissed and screeched until its shadow completely evaporated. Jihyo, exhausted, staggered forward but caught herself before falling. “It’s done,” she muttered, taking a breath of relief. “The ancestors heard my prayers.” She closed her eyes, scrunching her nose in concentration. "I sense no evil here anymore...the evil spirit in Dowoon is gone as well!"

Despite being exhausted as well, Sana cheered.

Nayeon lightly shook Mina, cupping the girl’s face in her hands. “Mina?” she asked, gently. Staring down at the girl’s pale face.

“Mmmmm,” the girl mumbled, furrowing her brow and taking a breath before her eyes opened slowly and she was staring up at Nayeon.

“Police!” A man shouted, cause all the girls to turn toward the voice. A few men came running toward the girls, flashlights pointed straight at them.

Sana nearly jumped at the sudden interruption. Feeling slightly faint from helping to expel the evil spirit from Mina’s body, she raised her hands in the air to show her innocence but then remembered the police officers couldn’t see her anyway.

“Officers, Mina took down her kidnapper but she needs to go to a hospital!” Nayeon yelled, voice carrying throughout the warehouse.

The officers moved forward slowly after confirming that Dowoon was indeed no longer a threat. One officer radioed in that paramedics were needed. Minutes later, they arrived with two gurneys. One for Mina, who looked very much out of it when the men and women helped lift her up, and one for a still unconscious Dowoon.

“We entered the building and found Dowoon unconscious, Mina hit him in the back of the head with a shovel after being able to get out of her restraints,” Nayeon explained when being questioned at the scene. “He suspected we knew he was involved in the murder of a JYPE trainee years ago, Minatozaki Sana, as well as the hit and run incident that nearly killed my younger sister, Chaeyoung. He wanted to make sure we didn’t expose his secrets.”

“Do you have any evidence to back up your statement?” the officer asked her, looking at her with a furrowed brow.

Nayeon swallowed hard. “I found a phone in his bedroom. It was cracked and looked like a woman’s phone. It was hidden like he didn’t want anyone to find it…he might have moved it by now though. I think it was Sana’s phone. Why would someone have the phone of a girl who supposedly committed suicide?” Nayeon could only hope that Dowoon didn’t dispose of the phone altogether. After all, she couldn’t exactly tell this cop that her source for all this info was Sana the Friendly Ghost.

Luckily the questioning wasn’t too extensive before Jihyo and Nayeon were loaded into the back of a police truck, riding behind the ambulances carrying Dowoon and Mina.

Jihyo grabbed Nayeon’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “It’s all over now. Surely they’ll find dirt on Dowoon, and he’ll go down for what he did. I mean, kidnapping is a big enough offense as is. He'll go to jail for sure.”

“Does he deserve it?” Nayeon replied, staring out the window at the passing streetlights and car headlights. “I mean, after all, everything that happened was really caused by an evil spirit.”

Jihyo was silent for a moment, staring at her best friend’s side profile. “That’s the thing, Nayeon,” she began. “An evil spirit just brings out the worst in someone, but it can’t make them do something they’re not capable of doing already.”

“So Mina…”

“...could have done a lot of terrible things if we hadn’t stopped her. Thank the gods Sana stepped in,” Jihyo finished.

Nayeon pursed her lips as she thought of Mina in that ambulance, alone. Did she had any memories of what transpired in the warehouse?

“She’ll be okay, Nayeon,” Jihyo assured, patting her friend’s forearm lightly. “The spirit wasn’t in her for long, and Sana is watching over her.”

Nayeon sighed but nodded, leaning her head back against the uncomfortable car seat. She stared out the window and thought of how she’d break the news to her sister of everything that happened.

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Hey guys, sorry this took foreverrrrr to update. I've been very busy and honestly lost inspiration. There will be one last chapter in this fic! What will happen to Dowoon? How will Chaeyoung handle the news of knowing her boyfriend is a monster? Will Sana be able to cross over once her murderer faces justice? Find out soon!