Autumn came knocking and before anyone realised, the most eerie and haunting day of the year had arrived: Halloween. To Jiwoo’s joy, this year Halloween happened to be on a Saturday, and thus she had been busying herself in the kitchen since early in the morning, experimenting and creating enchanted treats that would befit the spirit of Halloween.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d think that you guys were opening a bakery,” Sehun mused as he let himself into the flat.

Jiwoo was too preoccupied whipping the custard to respond, making sure that the red dye she added was spreading evenly and that the whole thing emulsified properly and did not curdle unpleasantly. Chanyeol observed her from the sofa, his eyes darting towards the wacky creations she had made.

“It’s her favourite holiday of the year,” Kyungsoo commented, entering with a large bowl tortilla chips and joining Chanyeol on the sofa. “Goes crazy every year. It’s like she’s possessed or something.”

Sehun approached the kitchen, eyeing in horror at how Jiwoo was dismembering a perfectly baked brownie, stabbing it mercilessly to create a terrain-like effect. She then pushed a tray of tomb-shaped biscuits towards Sehun while pointing at the now less than inviting looking brownie.

“Make yourself useful and arrange the tomb stones on the brownie.”

“You’re making a cemetery?” Sehun gasped in disbelief.

“With zombies digging their way out as well!” Jiwoo chirped, holding up a handful of broken limbs and zombie figures made from sugar.

“Nothing more romantic than a date in a zombie infested cemetery,” Kyungsoo quipped while munching on the tortilla chips. “Or decorating one.”

“They do like their night escapades,” Chaneyol sniggered. “Going on dates at the unlit park at ungodly hours and staying out overnight in an abandoned building.”

“She needed me for work stuff!” Sehun huffed in frustration. “And it was an empty office building, not an abandoned one.”

“Aha!” Kyungsoo exclaimed enthusiastically. “So you don’t deny the going on dates part.”

Sehun clammed up, eyes darting around in a frenzy unable to handle having Kyungsoo and Chanyeol ganging up on him. He turned towards Jiwoo hoping for some back up, however the girl was not evening tuning into their conversation. Instead she was carving something that looked peculiarly like dissipated fingers. Next to her was the bowl of custard that resembled too much like congealed blood for his liking.

“No need to be shy Sehunnie,” Chanyeol cooed. “You have my full approval.”

“Don’t be foolish enough to think that we didn’t notice how much time you guys spend together,” Kyungsoo added.

“But you spend loads of time with her as well!” Sehun protested. “I don’t hear anything about you and her going on dates.”

“Puhlease.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “I already have this fool as my best friend, I don’t need him as a brother-in-law as well. I’ll leave that honour to you.”

The two older males wiggled their eyebrows at Sehun while the young male felt his face growing increasingly red. He knew that him not denying anything outright was simply adding oil to the fire. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo exchanged a teasing look before turning towards Sehun and mouthing ‘good luck’ at him. Sinking down onto the floor, Sehun buried his face in his hands in a vain attempt to momentarily block out reality.

・・・

The sun had set and the moon settled comfortably in the night sky. Inside flat 31, the kitchen island was filled with a haunting feast of zombie infested brownie cemetery, bloody custard zombie fingers, cake pops shaped like eyeballs and a witch’s cauldron filled to the brim with sangria. There were also biscuits with indecipherable symbols written on with delicate icing, done with such intricacy that made Chanyeol worry he would be cursed for real if he ate one. Much to Sehun’s dismay, Kyungsoo joked about Sehun most likely falling deeper in love with Jiwoo if he consumed one.

With a bloody finger biscuit poking out of and settled comfortably behind the electric keyboard,  Jiwoo started playing the Addams Family theme song. Chanyeol plugged in his electric guitar and joined her. Soon a mini concert commenced, with Kyungsoo and Sehun snapping their fingers along to the modern rock rendition of the classic tune from their childhood.

The Park siblings exchanged a glance in that moment, mischief glistening in their eyes. Immediately,