Fairy lights twinkle on the banisters of the grand staircase. By the time Junjin finally arrives, harried and flustered with the topazes falling off his mask, Eric pushes his way through the crowd and ascends the stairs. He’s stately, unhurried, just like a proper host should be. The guests fall silent as he raises his champagne flute.

For a few seconds, he just stands there, eyes sweeping the crowd behind his obsidian-studded mask. “I would like to thank everyone for coming,” he says quietly. “Hallow’s Eve is an ancient tradition to respect the dead, and I trust the best way to honor them is to live for them. Please, enjoy the party.” Then, with a devilish grin on his face, he flings his champagne into the air, and the silence breaks. Suddenly, everyone is tossing their drinks, and liquid rains down like a debauched downpour, soaking everyone in the packed crowd. Andy ducks, trying to take cover beside the taller Junjin.

“What the ?” Minwoo mutters beside them, shaking red wine out of his hair. He takes off his mask with an exasperated grunt. “I liked this outfit.”

Andy’s too busy escaping the chaos to respond. Somehow, he manages to escape unscathed from the wild party and chooses to observe from the sidelines. All the waiters floating around conveniently avoid the large knot of people, catering instead to those like Andy. He gratefully accepts a glass of plain water as the party blasts into full swing.

Suddenly, amongst all the fancy ballgowns and garish colors, Andy spots a single, solemn man. His suit is midnight blue, forming a perfect match with his sapphire-studded silver mask. Andy’s attention is piqued, and he watches the black-haired man navigate smoothly through the crowd, not stopping to speak with anyone. When he emerges into the clear, Andy can see that his suit is slim-cut, velvet, trimmed with simple black satin. It showcases his slender frame, and Andy feels the heat rising to his face.

No, impossible, he can’t be falling for a complete stranger. Andy looks away, pressing the back of his hand to his burning cheeks. He feels lightheaded, but by the time he finds a seat, the man has disappeared from view. A suffocating feeling grips Andy’s heart, but he tries to console himself, convincing his brain that pretty boys are all boys.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” Minwoo’s voice has Andy jumping out of his skin. “Come on, it’s a party!”

“Wait.” Andy hesitates, and Minwoo raises his eyebrows. “Uh, have you seen a guy wearing a blue suit?”

Minwoo scoffs, taking a seat beside him while his eyes scan the crowd. “There are a million guys wearing blue. There, there, there. Your point?”

Andy tries his best to describe the beautiful man, but Minwoo only tilts his head in confusion.

“No, I don’t think so.” He stands up to return to the party. “I can help you look, though.”

It’s odd that Minwoo doesn’t know him. Andy leans back in his chair, contemplating this information. Minwoo knows everyone, and it’s very rare for the socialites to completely not recognize one of their own. Andy looks around, hoping to catch the man again, but instead, his eyes land on Junjin, standing next to the food.

Junjin can make friends with anyone. Maybe he’s seen Andy’s new crush. After a brief conversation, though, Junjin confirms that he hasn’t bumped into the man. In desperation, Andy even seeks out Dongwan, the self-proclaimed expert in matching names to faces, but as expected, Dongwan doesn’t remember seeing such a person. Or maybe he’s distracted by Minwoo’s arms wrapped around his waist. Whatever the case, Andy is utterly defeated, and he goes to Eric in the hope that he at least remembers the guests he invited.

“Uh, sorry.” Eric rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I mass-sent an invitation to all the socialites in the area. I don’t actually know most of them.”

It’s fine, Andy thinks bitterly as Eric drags him into the arms of a young woman. Beside him - for some ungodly reason - Dongwan and Minwoo are paired together, snickering and casting lusty glances at each other. Music begins to play, and Andy mechanically goes through the motions of dancing, twirling and stepping and bowing, without enjoying a single moment. His mind is focused on one person, a man with a slender build and jet black hair, wearing a midnight blue suit and a silver mask. He can picture it so clearly within his mind, almost like… almost like he can see him making his way through the crowd, pulling open the door…

Wait! Rudely, Andy pushes away his dance partner, shoving her into Dongwan and Minwoo, and heads off after his perfect man. The crowd bunches up like compressed waves, and Andy tries his best to force his way through without offending anyone.

But it’s useless. By the time he stumbles out of the chatter and brightness of the ballroom, Pretty Man is nowhere in sight. Andy clenches his teeth and curses quietly; the word echoes in the dark, empty hallway, bouncing around like a malicious hex, dooming him to eternal loneliness.

Andy, however, is not the type to give up what he wants. Whatever he wants, he’ll get eventually, so he resorts to wandering around. Eric’s house isn’t the biggest, and he’s been over more than a couple of times, so Andy feels safe and comfortable walking around alone.

Somewhat. The endless darkness stretching out in front of him makes his heart pound, but when he looks back, the darkness continues, and he can’t return. The only way to go is forward, and Andy goes forward. He doesn’t know how long he’s walked or even where he is. The only thing on his mind is that beautiful, mysterious figure. Andy has to find him.

“What are you doing here?”

Suddenly, a hand clamps down on his shoulder, and Andy nearly screams. Ghost! his mind screeches, and he spins around, ready to fight to the death. Instead, he meets a pair of dark eyes, partially hidden by a silver mask.

“What are you doing?” Pretty Man repeats quietly. “Did you follow me?”

Andy is taken aback. His mind wipes blank, and the only thing he can think to do is remove his mask. “I-I wanted to talk to you,” he blurts out, cringing at the desperation in his voice. “I saw you before the dance started and wanted to…”

He trails off as Pretty Man’s eyes harden. “You should not talk to me.” He turns away, towards the unending darkness. “You should, in fact, go back to the party.”

“Can’t we be friends?” Andy cries out, voice reverberating in the silent halls. Pretty Man stops, but Andy is embarrassed. He lowers his voice and tries again. “I mean, please. I would like to be friends.”

Pretty Man turns back to face him, an odd light shining in his eyes. “You and I, dear sir,” he says, “can never be friends.”

He passes a hand across the front of his suit, almost a movement of habit, and that’s when Andy realizes just how slender he is. The suit barely rests against his stomach; this man isn’t just slender, he’s straight-up thin.

“You’re one of the poor.” Despite his attraction, Andy finds himself backing away. “How did you even get in here?”

His back hits the wall, and the last thing Andy remembers is Pretty Man’s fingers in his hair, and then the back of his head hits the cold granite wall.

the plot thickens? maybe? (i'm pretty sure yall can tell who Pretty Man is LMFAOO anyway anyway hnhnhyjhndh it took so long to write this and i'm currently stuck halfway through chapter 3 ;; cri)

how did yall like kiss me like that??? I nearly ing died fghsejrzfd hyesung's gray hair okay--