Harin was part of our group and to hear her voice tremble with fear was enough for all of us to worry. Sehun told us that it was fine and that maybe Harin was being dramatic. She got scared at an elephant stopping in the middle of the road when we were in Thailand, he told us, but as dramatic as Harin could be at times (most times it was because Sehun was an , mind you.), it sounded nothing like her just being dramatic. 

We found ourselves on our next trip, sitting on a one-way ticket to Japan, which I thought was Tokyo but wasn't-- It was Osaka. It's not that different from Tokyo, Sehun said. We were all jet-lagged and badly needed sleep but being in a new country somehow buffered all our negative thoughts for a moment.

How we ended up in Japan was beyond me, considering that it was supposed to be a one-country trip. Then again, how Sehun lost his pinky was also beyond me so I had to keep telling myself not to underestimate the spontaneity and the unpredictability of The Bracelet Club and our members. 

Upon landing in Osaka, Sehun brought us straight to a van that was waiting. Baekhyun, once again, was on his phone. He read aloud facts that we had to know and he kept looking over to us, waiting for us to respond to his fact reading session. 

"Home to Osaka Castle that is filled with peach, plum, and cherry blossoms... Osaka is known to be a large port city and a commercial center in Japan. It's an easy train ride from Kyoto which is an ancient capital..." His voice trailed and we all nodded. "It's known for its food and drinking culture."

"Love it already," Sehun spoke, all of us shooting him a glare. "Oh, it's the third-largest city in Japan. That's all I know. Harin kept saying that the first time we visited."

"What's the first largest?"

"Tokyo," Kyungsoo answered Kai's question. "Even I know that. Then it's Yokohama, Osaka and then Nagoya."

"How do you know so much about Japan?"

"Anime fan," Kyungsoo answered briskly, looking out the window. "The Tokyo Ghoul is really good."

"Wow, leave it up to Kyungsoo to watch even anime about ghosts. Do you watch anything else that has nothing to do with hauntings and evil monsters?"

"Yes. I enjoy One Punch Man," Kyungsoo answered, monotone. 

The van had reached a very very very tall building, Sehun looking up in the sky, squinting at how lit up the building was. It was beautiful, different colors shifting through the windows of each floor, dancing along to what seemed like orchestra music. 

"Abeno Harukas." Sehun motioned to the building. "A skyscraper. 300 metres. Tallest in Japan. Art museum, fancy dining place, hotel-- you name it. Harin and I always stay here."

We were forgetting that we were there not to sightsee but to see Harin, Sehun ushering us past through the revolving doors. They seemed to be accustomed to Sehun, which did not surprise us. Sehun's corporation expanded into Japan and with Harin's combo, they were doing pretty well. 

We went up to Sehun's usual hotel room, the male reaching up to knock on the door softly when he heard a scream. Sehun frowned, surprised by his wife's sudden franticness.

"Baby? It's me," he said but we heard nothing but Harin's sobbing. We exchanged glances, Baekhyun mumbling something under his breath. "Baby, I'm coming in."

And with that, Sehun unlocked the door with the keycard.

The room was pitch black, the curtains drawn. Harin was on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she leaned against the headboard. It wasn't rocket science to know that she was terrified. 

"Harin?" I asked softly, the girl looking up. Tears streamed down her face just with how she looked, Sehun rushed over to her side. She erupted into wails of desperation, her arms wrapping around her husband's body while he tried to comfort her. "Harin, what's wrong?"

"I-I'm going to die," she gasped out, her long hair down her back being by her loving husband. "I'm going to die and no one will be able to save me."

"Shhh...," Sehun murmured, Kai already sitting down on one of the extra chairs. "It's okay."

"It's not okay, you don't understand!" She hiccuped, Sehun carrying her so she sat on the edge of the bed with him beside her. "S-Sehun, what happened to your hand?!"

Sehun's bandaged hand seemed to have momentarily snapped her out of her fear for a moment, Harin grabbing his hand to inspect it.

"Where is your pinky?" She gasped, Sehun passing her a meek smile.

"Remember when you said I always broke promises?" He asked, Harin looking up at her husband. "Now, I won't be able to make any!"

Harin buried her face in her hands one more time, letting out a whimper. She seemed overwhelmed and I didn't know what she was going through but I couldn't imagine seeing your husband with no pinky and his conclusion is that he simply won't make any promises.

"Harin, what happened? Why do you look so scared?" Chanyeol went to the point, Harin reaching out to grab my hand. "Did someone hurt you?"

Ignoring Chanyeol's question, she asked me if I saw anyone around the hotel room. I scanned the place, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol doing the same but I saw nothing so I told her so. She placed her hand on either side of her head.

"I must be going crazy...," She murmured when I asked her gently what she was talking about. "Someone died today. People keep dying and I'm next and all of you shouldn't be here or she will take you away, too!"

"Harin, who are you talking about?" I asked, sitting down beside her on the bed. Her hands were cold and they were trembling, Harin squeezing my fingers very tightly. "Who is going to kill you?"

"The woman." She whispered, shivering. "She takes people away."

"Ghost?" Minseok asked, frowning. "I thought you're a buffer?"

Harin swallowed. "I don't feel her, I don't see her. But I know she's around. Last night, I dreamt of her and I woke up, choking on my own vomit. I don't know what happened but she's around. I know she is!"

"Just because someone is a buffer does not mean that ghosts can't hurt them. They can, they just most likely won't be able to feel, hear, or sense," Kyungsoo said from the mirror. He was talking with his back towards us, his eyes on his reflection. "If a ghost is trying to contact you through your dreams and succeeded, it must be a powerful one."

"It's not trying to contact me, it's trying to kill me." Harin shuddered and I pushed her long hair behind her ear. "Why don't any of you believe me?"

"Something has been here," Kyungsoo spoke and we all looked at him, he turned and we made eye contact. "Bora, you feel it?"

I did... I just didn't know how to explain to them how it felt. It was a very dark feeling, very tense. It was suffocating but also made my heart race. I frowned, standing up to walk around the room.

"A feeling this strong left by a ghost is called a ghost trail. A feeling that lingers even after it has left," Kyungsoo mumbled under his breath, his eyes skating over the walls. "But did it leave? Did it leave?"

"Kyungsoo, what are you talking about?" I asked, Kyungsoo snapping back to reality, a hand slamming against his chest. "Should I be worried?"

"Tell us what happened." His question was directed to Harin, Harin looking wary. "Something must have happened to have something follow you to the hotel like this."

"So... it is a ghost?" Sehun asked, Kyungsoo nodding slightly. 

"I... I went to a property that we wanted to buy," Harin said and Sehun looked like he had an idea what she was talking about. "The real estate agent said they were selling it for cheap. When I reached there, I saw that the houses beside the house that I had my eyes on were empty. I already found it weird in a well developed area."

Harin fisted her hands tightly to stop them from trembling.

"It was a normal house and I didn't feel anything. It's beautiful, the first floor with a traditional japanese ambience with sliding bamboo doors. It's safe because it's a gated community. The stairs are a bit too steep but it looked good. Someone was in front, they grabbed my hand and said something but I didn't understand." Harin took a deep breath. "I went in with the real estate agent and the designer. Our plan was to look at the house and then to design it if I agreed." 

She paused, her eyes b with more tears when she began to panic.

"Yesterday, the real estate agent was reported missing. I don't know where she went and i tried contacting her. The designer... This early morning...," she hiccuped. "We were at the office and he came in looking really pale. He was breaking in cold sweat and could hardly form proper words."

I placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped.

"I-I...," she mumbled, Sehun telling her to take it slow. "And then when I went to the bathroom, he ran after me and whispered 'She's coming.'. I had no idea what that meant and when I resumed the meeting, he suddenly appeared and rushed towards the window."

She bit on her lower lip, her eyes closing like she was reliving the memory.

"And he opened it, climbed out and fell down ten stories." 

".," Sehun cursed, Harin's face paling. "Could it be... C-Could it be that he was always kind of suicidal?"

"No, the investigation said he was fine. He had two kids, a wife. I was heading back to this hotel when an old man stopped me. Takashi, our translator said, he said something is following me. That because I entered a place I wasn't supposed to, I am now a victim of the curse." Harin's bottom lip trembled. "I came back, dreamt like I was drowning when my phone rang and I heard someone scream so loud, like she was asking for help except that she wasn't human. I then called Sehun."

We listened to her, Harin's head dropping down.

"And now the real estate agent is gone. I don't know what has happened to her," she whispered. "Anyone who enters that house is going to die."

"Do you want to be cremated or buried?" Sehun asked cheekily as if he was trying to cheer her up, Harin smacking him with all her might. "And she is back, everyone."

"Look, Harin, I know you're scared but we're here now," Baekhyun said, running up to hug her. She patted his arm, nodding. "I think it'll be fine. Worse comes to worse, Kyungsoo will just obliviate the ghost. Right, Kyungsoo?"

Kyungsoo's eyes flickered towards the door before he gave a grunt. 

"Thank you guys for coming," Harin said softly, Kai standing up. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am overreacting."

"Get some sleep, Harin. We'll go to the temple tomorrow if you need some extra cleansing-- I mean, church," Kai faltered when Kyungsoo glared at him. "We'll figure it out and besides, Baekhyun is right. Kyungsoo will obliviate any ghost that will come your way."

Harin nodded, her big eyes finally looking relieved. She stood up, giving all of us a hug and telling Sehun to book a hotel room for us. 

"You're exhausted, go to bed," Sehun told her when we gave her one look and exited the room.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I moved into the hotel room beside Sehun and Harin's. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were rooming together and so were Kai and Minseok. I thought everything was settled; Kyungsoo finished his teeth brushing session and was now on the bed, when I felt something particularly off. The feeling was hard to describe-- it was like something was there but it wasn't.

"You think Harin is overthinking it?" I asked Kyungsoo, our handler looking up from his magazine of national geographic animals. He had gotten it from the closet, a pack of magazines for those who weren't very keen on entertaining themselves by the TV. 

"I think there is a reason as to why she's feeling that way but it's up to us to find out how serious it is," Kyungsoo told me, sliding underneath his blankets before closing his eyes. I sighed, going under the sheets. "Goodnight, Bora."

It has been a while since I have heard that from... anyone, really. I gave out a hum, turning away from Kyungsoo when the atmosphere stilled and I finally tried to force myself to fall asleep. 

I did, and it was dreamless. I, however, had somehow turned to a light sleeper all these years. It may be because I no longer had someone to wake me up in the morning and I found myself jolting with every sound that echoed into the night.

This particular night it was footsteps.

I stirred, my eyes fluttering open when the footsteps slammed against the carpeted area outside my hotel room. It didn't sound like someone walking, it was similar to a child, running up and down the hallways. I groaned, turning over to see that Kyungsoo was deep in sleep. 

I closed my eyes.

And then it happened again, this time paired with a child whining. 

I sighed. I knew people thought they could do anything, especially with the money they had staying in a luxury hotel. The footsteps continued, travelling away then back down the hall when I could hear it stop right in front of our doorway. 

A knock.

I looked at Kyungsoo, the male still not showing any signs of waking up anytime soon when it simply continued. I glanced at the clock, taking in the triple digits. One, one, one. I squeezed my eyes shut, another round of footsteps on the ground when I threw the blanket off when suddenly a voice whispered.

"Do you hear that?" 

I whipped my head around, Kyungsoo looking at me with his big eyes and I nodded. 

I didn't know why I was so jumpy but it was just Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo pressed his lips together with annoyance, falling back onto the bed before dragging the blanket over his head. 

"Take care of that, will you?"

I told him that I would and it kind of felt nice that he found it as annoying as I did-- that I wasn't overreacting. My phone buzzed and I looked down on it, Kai sending us a text in the group chat.

Kai: Some kid keeps knocking on the door. 
Chanyeol: Same. Should I?
Bora: I got it.
Baekhyun: ^^

I finally walked to the door, opening it when the sound of a child speaking made me step outside. The lights on the hallway flickered, a yellow hue on the walls when I felt someone behind me. 

I gulped, turning my head slowly just to see a child standing in the middle of the hallway, two feet away from me. His clothes were wet and he was turned away. What was he doing there? He had his arms splayed out widely like he was feeling for something when he began to run away from me, down the other side of the hallway.

My phone dinged.

Kai: I swear, that kid keeps running.
Bora: Yeah, I got him.
Chanyeol: Tell him to go to bed. 

I looked away from my screen, seeing that the child had disappeared when there was breathing from my right. It was slow and stable and when I turned around, the child stood there, right beside me. 

And he had no eyes. 

A scream threatened to escape when I ran in, shutting the door behind me before I moved backwards. The sound of knocking started once again when it finally stopped and I found myself rushing to the bed to sink myself under the sheets. 

Bora: Ignore it. Try to get sleep. 
Kai: Why? Are the parents acting up? Some rich people are that way...
Bora: Just sleep.

Maybe it was the fact that I haven't seen these ghosts in a while. Maybe it was the fact that ghosts never scared me but this ghost... This ghost felt different. It could be a poltergeist, I thought. A child ghost who enjoyed playing tricks on people. 

But he had no eyes. Did that mean he couldn't see? 

I closed my eyes, basking in the dark when I shifted closer to Kyungsoo, our handler stirring when the bed moved. I tried to regulate my breathing. My fear towards this child was abnormal and it wasn't like I wasn't used to seeing ghosts who were decapitated, missing a limb, or bloody. 

Kyungsoo turned towards me, a leg going over mine like a bolster and it gave me the smallest bit of comfort, like he was protecting me when there was a movement. 

My eyes flew open, my vision already used to the dark when the blanket moved and I felt something creep up my leg. I frowned. Kyungsoo didn't seem to be moving and I kicked him away, Kyungsoo murmuring something under his breath when I saw a bump underneath the blanket. 

My breath hiked up and with trembling hands, I lifted up the blanket slowly just to see a figure on top of me. 

T