D.O blinked at the creepy looking building in front of him. He turned to one of the directors of WGM, "Do we really have to do this?"

The director nodded. "It's one of the missions that you've been set to do" he explained. "Don't worry, there are only a few people inside that will be scaring you and Minami-ssi" he paused as he his short goatee, "I heard that you did something similar a few years ago in 'EXO Showtime'?"

"Yeah" D.O answered but he was still sceptical. Last time, he had gone in as a pair with Luhan and even then, it was scary. He had ended up running away, leaving Luhan behind to fend for himself--it wasn't one of his proudest moments.

He glanced behind him and saw Nami fidgeting as the stylists fixed her hair. After they had gone to the park, they had been given a mission to complete in the evening. It was a special event that involved going to a haunted house as part of a test of courage. D.O wasn't too keen on the idea. It wasn't because he was scared of ghosts or any of the sort, it was more because he was worried about Nami. Ever since the incident, Nami had developed a fear of the dark and he was concerned that entering a haunted house, that bore a very big resemblance to the warehouse, would trigger her trauma.

He eyed her now and he could see the uneasiness in her eyes. "Surely we can do a different task instead?" he asked the director. He knew that none of the staff at SM or WGM was aware of Nami's trauma.

The director shook his head. "Sorry, D.O-ssi. It's already been planned out. Just try your best. It's not that scary, honestly." The director walked away as he shouted instructions to all the staff to get ready.

D.O sighed as he approached a nervous Nami. She was fiddling with her cardigan sleeve as she gawked at the haunted house in front of her. It was a dilapidated building with glassless windows and unhinged doors. When she saw D.O approaching, she gave him a quick smile. It was already late at night so the haunted house looked even more eerie against the veil of darkness. It also didn't help that the lamppost nearby started flickering, causing Nami to jolt every time the light went off.

"I tried asking the director if we could get out of it," he told her. "But he won't let us."

Nami didn't look too disappointed. "Don't worry, D.O-ah, I didn't think they would excuse us anyway" she looked at the haunted house again and breathed in and out slowly. Cold sweat started trickling down her forehead and her hands were getting clammy.

D.O tried his best to reassure her. "Just stick close to me when we're inside."

She attempted a small smile at him but inside, she was still unsure.

"Nami-ah," he said firmly, his eyes showed a lot of determination. "I'll protect you. Trust me, okay?"

Nami searched D.O's eyes. She'd heard those words before and it gave her a wave of nostalgia from when Chanyeol had told her the same things. The only problem was, she had trusted Chanyeol and he had failed her. She wasn't sure if she could do the same thing again.

Nami nodded in response. "Okay."

"Everybody stand by!" shouted one of the WGM staff. He eyed Nami as he addressed her, "Minami-ssi, you'll be going in first."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean 'going in first'?" queried D.O. "Aren't we supposed to go in together?"

The staff member shook his head. "You will go in separately. There will be three rooms in the haunted house and you, D.O-ssi, will try to guess which one is Minami-ssi in."

"Wait" Nami interrupted, "You mean I have to wait inside that house until D.O-ah finds me?"

"That's right" he answered. "If D.O-ssi gets it right, you can both leave together. If not, then you will have to exit on your own without a torch."

"Without a torch?" Nami repeated anxiously. "So I'll be in the dark?"

"This is ridiculous!" D.O exclaimed. "You can't do that. Nami-ah, forget it. I'll go speak to the director again--" D.O started stomping his way towards the director when suddenly, Nami caught his arm.

"It's okay, D.O-ah" she murmured. "I'll be fine." But D.O noticed her hand was trembling. She gave an awkward smile, "I don't want to cause any trouble."

"But--"

"Well, if that's all. I suggest you start making your way to the entrance, Minami-ssi" the staff member said before sauntering away. D.O glared at him as he left.

"Nami-ah, are you really sure about this?" he questioned. "I mean, you'll be in the dark alone." He saw her shiver at the thought but she looked at him resolutely.

"I can handle it" she replied but D.O was far from convinced. "I'm fine now, honest."

D.O was still unsure. "I'll definitely find you," he told her eventually. "Just wait for me, okay?"

Once the director finally gave the signal, filming for the next challenge commenced at last. Nami hesitated in front of the haunted house as she slowly crept up to the entrance. There was no door so she was able to peer inside and she saw that there were no lights coming from within: it was like entering the mouth of a cave. Reluctantly, Nami took the first step, her heart racing as she forced her wobbly legs to take one step after the other. Her breathing was short and quick as if she was hyperventilating as she proceeded forward.

Inside the haunted house, she could just about see the cobwebbed paintings that hung in tilted angles. The floor, to her surprise, wasn't made of wood so her steps didn't make creaky sounds as she cautiously walked ahead. Instead, her footsteps made tapping sounds that echoed across the hallway. A thick blanket of dust lay undisturbed on the ground and on every surface that she felt with her hands and she managed to accumulate folds of dust on her fingertips. Nami hastily wiped her hands on her jeans as she continued to skulk ahead. Getting her hands dirty was the last thing she needed to worry about.

The sudden sound of footsteps made Nami jump. "Hello?" she heard her voice say. It sounded small and terrified. She looked around, searching for any signs of the ghosts that were meant to scare her. So far she had been coping well. She knew that all she had to do was go upstairs and choose a room and stay there until D.O found her. If she could manage that without encountering any ghosts then, there was nothing to be afraid of. Maybe her fear of the dark was gone now?

Feeling slightly braver, she started climbing up the stairs. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the lack of light and with the help of her outstretched hands, she managed to get to the second floor without too much hassle. "This isn't so bad" she mumbled to herself. "I can do this."

But as she finally reached the top, she suddenly felt an ominous presence behind her.

She turned her head slowly.

Behind her, was a pair of sunken eyes that was masked by tufts of unkempt, wild hair. It was wearing grubby, torn clothing and Nami couldn't tell whether it was a man or a woman. A hysterical smile greeted her, its black lips disappeared to reveal a band of crooked and yellowish teeth. The thing advanced towards her in jerky movements, as if it was possessed by an evil spirit.

Nami staggered backwards in shock at the horrific image before her and her first instinct was to scream. A loud, ear-piercing sound escaped as she scrambled from the floor and up on her feet.

The thing followed her until she reached one of the three bedrooms where she locked herself inside. It banged on the door repeatedly as she whimpered from the other side of the door. She was submerged in complete darkness. The room she was in had no windows so all she could do was listen to her panicked breathing and the drumming of her heart agains