Chinsun had just swept away the last few stray strands of hair from the floor when the sound of a motorcycle coming to an abrupt stop in front of Naesae caught everyone's attention.

“He really meant it when he said he'd be here in a few hours…” Chinsun raised an eyebrow in shock while pulling up the blinds of the windows to reveal that the sun had barely even risen.

“Goddamnit Mark, he's gonna wake up the whole neighbourhood,” Jongin grunted, cracking his knuckles in annoyance.

“That's the drop-out priest?” Baekhyun exclaimed in disbelief.

His eyes doubled in size when he spied the new arrival remove his helmet to reveal a mop of golden hair hidden underneath. From the colour of his hair and the fact that he is called Mark, Baekhyun momentarily assumed that he was Caucasian. After all he was originally on the pathway to become a priest who answered to the Vatican City so it made sense. But then, after Baekhyun absorbed the body-fitting leather jacket and ripped jeans along with the matching Doc Martens, he finally focused on the drop-out priest’s facial features as he pushed the door of Naesae open. What he was greeted by was a face that was most definitely Asian.

“How do you already have a bike when you just landed?” Jongin snapped the moment Mark stepped in, skipping the pleasantries.

“Rented it at the airport. Can’t possibly go around without a ride,” Mark chirped with a wide grin, throwing his duffel bag onto the ground.

Switching his attention to Chinsun, Mark twirled Chinsn's short hair around his finger and playfully grazed her cheeks in the process.

“Which rascal broke your heart darling?” Mark purred. “Let me know and I'll go kick his . It's a pity, your long hair was lovely.”

“You're the biggest rascal that we know,” Jongin whispered purposefully loud enough for Mark to hear.

“You must be Baekhyun.” Mark extended a hand towards Baekhyun, completely ignoring Jongin's comment. “Pleasure to meet you. I'm Mark Tuan, the cool older brother that taught Jongin how to ride his beloved motorcycle.”

“Really?” Baekhyun mused, taking Mark's hand in his. “Interesting.”

“Quit yapping and let's get down to business,” Jongin grumbled as he stormed towards the archive, pulling Chinsun along in the process.

“Still so grumpy and impatient.” Mark shook his head in a playfully stern manner.

“Mr Grumpy, that's who he is.” Baekhyun nodded, following after Jongin and Chinsun.

When they stepped into the basement, Jongdae was still unconscious. This allowed Mark to assess the situation. Placing his hands on his hips, Mark circled around Jongdae, his eyes travelling all over his body.

Baekhyun settled himself in a corner right next to the locked up gayageum as he tried to occupy the least amount of space possible and remain a quiet observer so as to not get in the way. If Chinsun and Jongin were outside of their comfort zone with the current situation, then Baekhyun knew that he had little to offer in terms of usefulness and thus felt satisfied letting the expert — in this case Mark — take the spotlight.

“How long has he been possessed?”

“We're not sure…” Chinsun confessed with shame. “But at least a couple of months... that's when I noticed books had been removed from the archive and placed in the normal section instead.”

“Neither of you sensed anything at all?” Mark’s eyes widened. “Not even you Jongin?”

Although Mark meant no harm when he asked his question, Jongin appeared to have taken offence in his words and folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner. His eyes were cast downwards, not daring to look at the male in the eyes.

“The first time I noticed something was after we had put back all the misplaced books,” Chinsun spoke up, taking the attention away from Jongin. “The spirit probably got desperate since we messed up his plans. Otherwise he was pretty well hidden.”

“What do you know about the spirit?" Mark asked as he stood within arm's reach of Jongdae.

“He's a sneaky bastard.” Jongin frowned.

“He's good at hiding his presence,” Chinsun added.

“And he's looking for someone,” Baekhyun shyly spoke up, somehow being the one giving the most relevant information. 

“That's right." Chinsun nodded. “He's looking for a female spirit that is sealed in the archive.”

“It's always about a woman.” Mark rolled his eyes dramatically.

Jongin glared at him, warning him to be serious. Of course Mark was never one to make matters easy for Jongin and proceeded to send an air-kiss and wink to the grumpy male in response. Snarling at the playful older male, Jongin snapped his head to the side, refusing to entertain him any further.

“When can you perform the exorcism?” Chinsun interjected, her voice vulnerable and laced with concern.

Mark's gaze softened as he ran a hand through his hair, any hint of mischief replaced by seriousness.

“I'll need to have a chat with the spirit first,” Mark hummed, reaching into his duffel bag, pulling out a silver crucifix pendant and dangling it in front of Jongdae's face.

With a twitch of his wrist, Mark swung the pendant back and forth and when the cold cross grazed Jongdae’s forehead, his eyes snapped open. Instead of his usual bright and cheerful eyes, what was