2 Hours Later

        Jeonghan felt concerned when, at dinner, they were all told that Baekhyun still hasn’t shown up but left instructions. The weather outside seems to become stormier, you can hear the sounds of the rain hitting the ground and the howling wind making tree branches scratch against windows. After dinner, everyone went about their way. The girls went on a search for the pool while the boys found the home theater to watch a movie. The movie they happen to choose to watch is a horror slasher movie where a lot of screaming is heard.

        “It’s a stormy night so why are we watching a scary movie?” Seungkwan asked, peeking behind a pillow.

        “It’s for the atmosphere, Seungkwan,” Hansol said with a chuckle. “If the girls can do it then we can do the same.”

        “But the girls are having a little pool and spa thing,” Jihoon pointed out. “They’re not having a sleepover where they watch movies.”

        “I didn’t say I want us to do everything the girls do; I just want us to do it similarly to what they do.”

        “As long as we’re not painting our nails,” Mingyu said laying his head on a pillow. “I’m okay with face masks but no nails.”

        The boys find themselves huddling up together when a particularly scary scene comes up. When the girl from the movie lets out a scream, another scream is heard which they all assume is from the movie.

        Seungcheol noticed it and grabbed the remote to mute the TV, “Did you all hear that? It sounded like Joohyun.”

        Another scream is heard, causing the boys to all move, Mingyu is the first to react by running towards the scream. The second scream heard is Minji and despite how terrible she is, Mingyu still cares for her. All of a sudden, the power turns off enveloping the house in complete darkness with the lightning from outside being a temporary light source when it appears.

        “Mingyu, wait up,” Jihoon called out but Mingyu continued running towards the pool. “We might need to split up. Hansol and I will go with Mingyu to check on the girls.”

        “Then Seungcheol and Seungkwan will go with me to find the butler and the cook.”

        Despite the darkness, the boys were able to navigate their way to find the kitchen. They used their cellphones as a temporary flashlight until they could find the butler and the cook to light some candles. The strangest thing is that they weren’t in the kitchen when they look. It could be the butler and the cook left to replenish supplies, they are outside checking on the power, or…something bad happen to them.

        “Let’s just get these lanterns,” Jeonghan said as he lit up two lanterns. “We can come back once we regroup with the others.”

        Since the butler and the cook couldn’t be found they decided to hurry on and find the others. Seungkwan let out a yelp as he suddenly fell to the ground.

        “What did I trip over?” Seungkwan groaned as Jeonghan helped him stand.

        “Don’t look, let’s just go,” Seungcheol said.

        Jeonghan noticed the way Seungcheol look and wanted to look out of curiosity. He regretted his decision once he used the lantern to shine over the area. What Seungkwan tripped over is the bodies of the butler and the cook. Although he didn’t get a good look, he believes they could be dead since they are not moving and he thought he saw some blood.

        Seungkwan wanted to look but Jeonghan and Seungcheol grabbed him by the arm and lead him away. Seeing the tense look on both their faces, he realizes something bad is happening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        When they got to the others in the pool area, they were in for quite a shock. Lying in the pool, right in the middle…is their party host, Byun Baekhyun.

        “We were just playing around in the pool, like trying to scare each other,” Sooyoung explained. “I was underwater, playfully pulling on Joohyun’s and Minji’s feet. I didn’t see the body until I swam to the middle and was frozen in fear.”

        Jeonghan was comforting Joohyun who was crying while Mingyu and Jihoon did the same for Minji and Sooyoung. Seungcheol and Hansol went to get Baekhyun’s body out of the water. Seeing Baekhyun’s eyes are still open, Jeonghan closed them.

        “How?” Mingyu asked, looking at Baekhyun’s body. “How long has he been dead and we never noticed? We were all here!”

        Everyone remained speechless as they all wondered the same thing. Had Baekhyun been dead the moment they arrived for the party?

        “What about the butler and the cook?” Hansol asked. “Did you find them?”

        Shaking his head from side to side, Seungcheol told the others what they discovered in the kitchen.

        “They were killed also when we looked for them. It looked like someone used a heavy, blunt object to knock them out.”

        “You guys know what it means,” Jeonghan said, observing Baekhyun’s body. “It means we possibly have an intruder in the house with us.”

        Everyone looked shocked, not thinking of the possibility that someone unknown to them is in the house.

        “Or it could be one of us,” Minji said, looking at everybody present.

        Jeonghan felt that hateful eyes of Minji’s land on him but when Seungcheol move to hold his hand, Minji turned away with an annoyed expression.

        “Minji, what do you mean by that?” Joohyun asked, suspicious. “We all loved Baekhyun, so there’s no way we would murder him.”

        Jeonghan searched through his thoughts, thinking of signs or any clues that hinted anything about Baekhyun. Nothing comes up until he remembered the party invitation. Most people would send invitations by mail or handing it out to whoever they invited. Baekhyun chose to send an email to everyone here which meant there’s no physical copy of the invitation but only an electronic one.

        Noticing the expression on Jeonghan’s face, Seungcheol’s hand move up to hold his elbow.

        “What’s wrong?”

        “I might be overthinking a theory but do you, does everybody remember when they first got the invitation to the party?”

        Everyone looked confused by Jeonghan’s question, not understanding his reason to ask them.

        “I think it might have been at least 4 or 5 days ago,” Seungkwan answered. “Why do you want to know?”

        Jeonghan gestured for everyone to look at Baekhyun’s body. When he was earlier observing the body, he spotted something from where Baekhyun’s neck is. He reached out to Baekhyun’s shirt and a mysterious foul odor seems to increase the more buttons get .

        “What is that!?” Sooyoung shouted, she suddenly felt the need to vomit.

        What Jeonghan wanted to show everyone is that Baekhyun’s body is rotted. Jeonghan spotted a crawling maggot when he was observing the body earlier. The strangest thing is that Baekhyun’s face remained beautiful but not the parts of his body covered by his clothes. Some of the others began to vomit, the foul smell getting to them and the sight of what became of their friend. The only ones who didn’t vomit were Jeonghan, Seungcheol, and Minji.

        “The question about the invitation is because I believe Baekhyun didn’t send it to us,” Jeonghan explained as he rebuttons Baekhyun’s shirt. “I think he did plan on sending it but maybe he met a mishap and whoever did this send it to us so we won’t suspect anything.”

        “That might explain his body’s condition,” Seungcheol said, holding Jeonghan close to him, protectively.

        “No!” Minji shouted, hands on her head. “No! No!”

        Minji suddenly dashed away.

        “Minji!” Mingyu shouted. “It’s dangerous! Get back here!”

        Mingyu chased after her and the others found themselves following along. It won’t do any good to be split up if there was an intruder on the loose.

        Baekhyun’s body on the ground laid still, he suddenly sat up slowly and opened his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Minji stopped in front of Baekhyun’s portrait, the one she looked at earlier. She was breathing heavily and perspiring, feeling chills run through her whole body. She began whispering to herself, believing no one isn’t around to hear her.

        “I did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. Everything is his fault, not mine’s. Why did he have to make me mad? He should have helped me, not help Jeonghan. It should be me who ends up with Seungcheol, not Jeonghan. Why is everyone always on Jeonghan’s side but never mine’s?”

        Mingyu and everyone else froze in place at what they heard from Minji. The one sentence that caught their attention is “Why did he have to make me mad?”, it sounds like they now know who murdered Baekhyun. Mingyu wanted to reach out to calm Minji but Jihoon pulled him back. Minji looked unhinged and if they weren’t careful, she might hurt them.

        “Why are you doing this to me Baekhyun?” Minji asked, pointing at the portrait. “I may have killed you by accident, are you trying to get me killed on purpose by scaring me to death?”

        Seungcheol, holding one of the lanterns held it up to get a look at the portrait and let out a gasp at the sight. Jeonghan and everyone gasped at the sight of Baekhyun’s portrait, they have all walked by it a few moments earlier and it looked nothing like this. Did it turn ugly as a way to tell them of Baekhyun’s fate?

        “Minji,” Mingyu called calmly. “Let’s talk about this. We’ll let you explain things and decide what to do once we hear everything out. Now just calm down.”

        Minji stopped talking and slowly turned to look at everyone there. She still had a crazed, unhinged look on her face. Even if she tries to pass off herself as normal, it’s hard to do so after what everyone just heard from her. Perhaps it might be due to the lanterns not providing much light from where Minji stood because they all would have seen her hand moved to grab onto a sharp item.

        “Why are you looking at me like that, Seungcheol?” Minji asked, walking towards him slowly.

        Concerned with her behavior, Mingyu tried to steer her away from Seungcheol, “Minji, don’t get any closer to Seung- “

        Mingyu winced in pain, looking in shock to see blood coming from where Minji stabbed him in the shoulder. Minji pulled the weapon out, revealing it to be a letter opener, now covered in Mingyu’s blood. Mingyu staggered back, his left hand on his right shoulder to stop the bleeding. Jihoon and Joohyun grabbed onto him, both trying to help stop his blood from flowing out. Realizing how the situation looks, Minji still chooses to hold onto the letter opener, turning to look at Seungcheol once more.

        “We were supposed to be together, Seungcheol. I don’t know why Baekhyun had to go screw up my plans. He knows how much I love you yet he ruins my plans, just like that time…7 years ago.”

        Minji turned to look at Jeonghan, she tightened her grip on the letter opener. Seungcheol reached a hand to shield Jeonghan, pushing him so he ends up standing behind him. They both slowly back away when Minji moves a step forward.

        “It’s always you, Jeonghan,” Minji said with a smile that now looks diabolical. “You are such a greedy little . You can have any other guy in the world yet you are still hung on Seungcheol.”

        Offended, Jeonghan spoke out, “I think you’re forgetting something Minji.”

        Jeonghan moves Seungcheol’s hand away when he attempts to get him to stay behind him.

        “You make it sound like I stole Seungcheol from you when it’s you who tried to steal him from me.”

        “Yes, you did! I told you about my feelings for Seungcheol and you told me you would support me!”

        Confused, Jeonghan shakes his head side to side, “You never told me any of that. I don’t remember any of that but I do remember being the one who told you my feelings for Seungcheol and that I was going to confess to him. We all know how that went.”

        Minji holds onto her head, shaking it from side to side with a confused expression.

        “No, that’s not what happened.”

        “Of course, that’s not what happened because the person who talked to you at that time…is me.”

        A sloshing sound is heard, slowly walking towards the area. Everyone felt unsure of what they heard; they recognize the voice but find it impossible because they were just looking at that person’s body. It felt like they were in a real horror movie with today’s events. A friend had been murdered, they were invited to party at the dead friend’s house, and now they learn the friend is dead but his corpse is possessed by his ghost.

        “You’re not real! You’re supposed to be dead!” Minji shouted, holding the letter opener in front of her as a weapon. “You were dead when I killed you! Looks like I have to finish the job myself then!”

        “Minji!” Mingyu shouted.

        Minji rushed at Baekhyun with the letter opener, attempting to stab him only for him to knock it out of her hand. He then grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back while his other hand grips onto her neck.

        “Baekhyun!” Mingyu shouted, trying to move but Jihoon held him back. “Minji is my cousin. I know what she did to you is bad but please…”

        “You expect me to let my murderer go free after everything you learned about her so far.”

        Baekhyun looks at Minji’s face as if he’s pondering what to do with her.

        “Nah, I don’t think I will let her go,” Baekhyun said, suddenly holding onto Minji in an embrace. “If I did let her go, it means what I planned wouldn’t work. I will be taking her with me so she won’t cause any more troubles to my favorite happy couple.”

        “Baekhyun,” Jeonghan called out. “Did you kill your butler and your cook?”

        “No,” Baekhyun replied, nonchalantly. “I just knocked them out and added some fake blood to make you think Minji killed them. Although it seems Minji’s craziness made you stray from what I was planning.”

        “Why are you doing all of this?” Seungkwan asked. “We were all great friends, weren’t we?”

        Baekhyun looked sadden by Seungkwan’s question. It was true that all of them did get along and cared for one another.

        “I fell in love, that’s what happens,” Baekhyun said, tightening his hold on Minji. “I fell in love with an evil woman who used me and tried to ruin my best friends’ happiness for her happiness.”

        Seungcheol hugged Jeonghan in comfort when he saw him crying silently.

        “I regret what happened 7 years ago so I planned this party for that purpose. When Minji found out what I was planning, she killed me for it and tossed my body into the swimming pool.”

        Mingyu looked at Minji in disappointment, he knew Minji wanted Seungcheol but never thought she would commit murder just to find a way to get Seungcheol’s love. Minji finds herself crying, not because Baekhyun revealed everything about her but the fact that she was willing to hurt Jeonghan who she was friends with. 7 years ago, she had Baekhyun get her drunk so she can interrupt Jeonghan’s confession to Seungcheol by appearing in front of Seungcheol first. Even if she wanted to apologize, Minji choose to not say anything, she’d rather have Jeonghan hate her for what she did than feel sorry for her.

        Baekhyun’s feet suddenly shined brightly and water suddenly appears to envelop him and Minji. Everyone watched in silence and sadness as the two disappear. Suddenly, the lights turn back on, one by one.

        “Hey, you’re not bleeding anymore, Mingyu,” Hansol exclaimed, pointing to Mingyu’s shoulder.

        Mingyu was surprised, he believes Baekhyun must have been the one to secretly heal him. He found himself crying, fully realizing and having to deal with the fact that Minji is gone now. Seeing their friend cry, everyone huddled together in a group hug, offering Mingyu the comfort he needed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        Jeonghan always believed in the supernatural because it seems that Baekhyun must have done something from beyond the grave. They didn’t need to explain the disappearance of Baekhyun and Minji to their family. It seems a story was cooked up that the two eloped and are currently in a place by the sea where no one can disturb them.

        Everyone went their way after everything that happened. Jeonghan and Seungcheol became inseparable, even Seungkwan and Sooyoung teased the two about it. One thing that Jeonghan remembers from the party is that Seungcheol was always leading him around. This time he wanted to go back to how it was he who always lead Seungcheol around by holding his hand and never letting go of it.

Author's Note

After finishing this, I can't help but think it's terrible because I ended up improvising how the story ends.

It's really hard to concentrate when you have a party to go to and a mom who nags at you on what to wear.