“What is it? Do you know something?” Kyungsoo asked, a little worried over how nervous Baekhyun looked. Chanyeol placed a comforting hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, urging him to continue.

“Maybe. There’s one last thing I haven’t told anyone,” Baekhyun said, biting his lip nervously. “I didn’t mention it before because, well… it’s kind of personal, and kind of crazy.”

“You can tell us, Baek,” Chanyeol said, smiling encouragingly. “Nothing is going to make us think you’re crazy.”

“Okay. I’ve told you both before about why I got involved with the paranormal to begin with, right?” Baekhyun asked, waiting for confirmation before going on. “Lately… I think my uncle has been contacting me in my dreams again, just like the night he died.”

“What?!” Kyungsoo and Chanyeol exclaimed simultaneously. That was not exactly the revelation they had been expecting.

“It started around the same time as the rest of this mess,” Baekhyun explained. “At first I didn’t know it was him. I just kept feeling this… I don’t know, presence, in my dreams. It couldn’t really seem to get words through, but somehow I could just sense that it was trying to warn me of something. It didn’t feel threatening at all, so I kept it to myself.”

“And you think that was your uncle?” Kyungsoo asked. His tone was skeptical, but not judging.

“I do,” Baekhyun nodded. “I guess he needed to build up energy or something, because as time went on the communications got clearer. He started talking to me – it was him that made me realize that the pendant was at the root of all of this. It was then that I recognized the voice and the presence as Yunho.”

“Oh wow,” Chanyeol said, thinking back to when Baekhyun had first told him about Yunho. He remembered hearing that he was rather protective of Baekhyun, but he had never imagined that it would extend this far. “You’re sure?”

“Once I realized it was him, I tried to speak back to him the next time he showed up in my dreams. He confirmed his identity, and warned me about how dangerous Heechul could be,” Baekhyun said. He hesitated for a moment. “Honestly, that was when I started to really get scared. Because Yunho sounded afraid… he wanted to protect me, but he wasn’t sure that he could. And if he couldn’t even do anything, then who could?”

“Baekhyun…” Kyungsoo said quietly, unsure what else to say. He, like Chanyeol, chose not to mention the wetness forming in the corners of Baekhyun’s eyes.

Baekhyun took a deep breath, to calm himself. “Anyway, there’s a reason I’m bringing this up now. The last dream I had was different. He showed me memories from his point of view, the same way that Heechul has been doing, but a lot less gruesome. They were conversations, between Yunho and my dad, about his research.”

“Are you serious? What did they say?” Kyungsoo asked, wide-eyed. Had his theory been correct then? Had Yunho shown Baekhyun what they were missing?

“That’s the thing…I don’t really remember,” Baekhyun replied, feeling frustrated with himself. “I know it must have been important, or Yunho wouldn’t have wasted the energy to show me, but the details just aren’t coming to me. I wanted us to go back to the notes because I thought they might jog my memory somehow.”

“Then, did you remember something?” Chanyeol asked, figuring that was why Baekhyun was telling them all of this.

“Yeah. Not much, but I remember my dad talking about editing his notes, because of my grandfather. There was something about a curse, too,” Baekhyun explained. His gaze shifted to meet Kyungsoo’s. “I think you’re onto something. My dad found something that he couldn’t put into his notes, and Yunho was trying to tell me what it was. It’s the key to ending all of this.”

“Then we’ll keep digging, and we’ll figure it out,” Chanyeol said, his voice filled with determination. “Whatever this is that’s been plaguing your family, whether it’s really a curse, or just energy, or whatever, it ends with you. We’ll find a way to stop it.”

“Agreed. Your uncle isn’t the only one looking out for you.” Kyungsoo stood up from his chair and walked over to Baekhyun’s side of the bed, pulling his friend into a hug. “If there’s a curse, then we’ll break it. We won’t let it take you from us.”

“I know. Thank you.” Baekhyun’s eyes were wet again, but he was smiling, thankful to have such wonderful people in his life. He returned Kyungsoo’s hug with one arm, using the other to pull Chanyeol to him as well.

Once the moment was over, the three of them decided to spend the rest of the night going through the materials they had, hoping to find something or at least trigger Baekhyun’s memory. After an hour or so Kai wandered in, looking for Kyungsoo, and ended up joining in. The four of them stayed up well into the night, reading and bouncing ideas off of each other. Baekhyun didn’t remember anything else about his dream that night, but by the time they all headed off to bed, they were feeling hopeful about the situation. They had something to do now, a direction to go in; they weren’t entirely helpless.

Baekhyun jolted awake, eyes snapping open as he sat up in bed, panting heavily. The movement woke Chanyeol as well, the taller man sitting up more slowly and rubbing at his eyes groggily.

“Everything okay? Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asked, voice clouded with sleep. He started getting worried when Baekhyun didn’t respond, blinking a few times for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. His boyfriend was just sitting there, eyes wide and breathing loud. Fear began to creep in, causing Chanyeol’s chest to tighten the longer that Baekhyun went without saying anything. “What’s wrong, Baek? Please say something.”

“Yeah… I’m… sorry,” Baekhyun said finally, though his voice sounded distant. After a moment he seemed to snap out of it, turning to look at Chanyeol. The look in his eyes was all Chanyeol needed to see; he immediately pulled Baekhyun close, wrapping his arms around the older man from behind so that his back was pressed to Chanyeol’s chest. He pressed his lips softly to the back of Baekhyun’s head, trying to soothe him as he began to sob. Baekhyun clutched at Chanyeol’s arms like a lifeline, seemingly lost in emotion.

“Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Chanyeol whispered. He tried to be as comforting as possible, continuing to hold Baekhyun and press soft, sweet kisses into his hair. He waited a few minutes for Baekhyun to calm down, trying to keep himself from panicking as well at the sudden outburst. “Nightmare?”

“Mm,” Baekhyun affirmed, breathing mostly back to normal, though he made no move to leave Chanyeol’s arms. He felt more awake and coherent now, and mildly embarrassed about his crying fit. “Yeah, sorry…I didn’t mean to freak out on you. I don’t think I was entirely awake, I just felt really scared and you were there… thanks.”

“Of course, it’s fine. Are you okay now?” Chanyeol asked, relieved that Baekhyun wasn’t crying anymore. He leaned back into the pillows so that they would be more comfortable, pulling Baekhyun with him. He rested his chin against the top of Baekhyun’s head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m okay,” Baekhyun replied, sinking into the comfortable warmth. “I don’t remember much. Just...a lot of heat, fire maybe? And fear. Whatever was happening, it was really, really scary. I’m kind of glad that I don’t remember it, I don’t think I want to.”

“Do you think it was just a normal nightmare, or…?” Chanyeol didn’t really want to bring up Heechul when Baekhyun was already scared, but he needed to know.

“Hard to say. It felt real enough to be him, I guess, but it was different from the dreams he usually sends me,” Baekhyun said thoughtfully. “It probably would be helpful if I remembered more about the dream, but apparently I’m having a problem with that lately.”

“Hey, don’t start that again,” Chanyeol said. He knew Baekhyun was feeling guilty for not remembering everything Yunho showed him, even though it wasn’t his fault. “You can’t control what you remember, and no one blames you, so you shouldn’t blame yourself.”

“I know, you’re right, it’s just frustrating.” Baekhyun sighed, glancing over at the clock. “Sorry for waking you, at this point we may as well just get up now.”

“Or we could turn the alarm off and go back to sleep instead?” Chanyeol suggested, quite content with where he was; he was far too comfortable to move.

“But what about our plans?” They had planned to go out for the day, just the two of them, before meeting up with the others later that night for their first investigation. Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol had been really excited about it, and he didn’t want to take that from him.

“We can change them,” Chanyeol said, already reaching over with one hand to switch the alarm clock off. “We can have our date here; stay in bed together all morning, order room service, and just relax. If you still want to go out, we’ll have time to go have lunch before meeting everyone else.”

“That sounds really, really nice,” Baekhyun murmured, feeling more and more relaxed in Chanyeol’s arms. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” That was the last that either of them spoke for a while, the pair of them drifting off to sleep, finding solace in each other.

Down the hall, another couple was just waking up, though one of them was far more awake than the other. Kyungsoo sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on the first shirt that he could find. Kai was still lying in bed, watching Kyungsoo dress through half-lidded eyes. “Why the hell are you awake this early?”

“I have things to do, and so do you, so get up,” Kyungsoo replied. He launched the nearest article of clothing, a sock, at Kai’s head. Kai groaned in response, throwing the sock back without actually looking. It flew by more than a foot to Kyungsoo’s right, making the older man laugh. “It would help if you opened your eyes.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Kai pushed himself up, crawling out from under the covers to sit behind Kyungsoo. He placed his hands on the back of Kyungsoo’s shoulders. “You know, we’re on vacation. It wouldn’t kill you to sleep in for once, relax. You’re so tense.”

“It’s hardly a vacation when an evil spirit is trying to kill your best friend,” Kyungsoo said, though he didn’t protest when Kai began to rub his shoulders and back. “Mmm… why don’t you do this more often?”

“Because, it’s a special occasion kind of thing,” Kai murmured, kissing the back of Kyungsoo’s neck. “For when I want,” he kissed another spot, “to convince you to do something.”

“Oh?” Kyungsoo felt his eyes closing of their own accord, relishing in the attention Kai was giving him. “And what would that be?”

“Come back to bed with me,” Kai said. He leaned in closer, so that Kyungsoo could feel Kai’s breath on his ear. “We don’t have to sleep. I can think of a few other things that would be a lot more fun, and take far less time.”

“As tempting as,” Kyungsoo groaned as Kai nibbled at his ear, his hands starting to move southward, “that sounds, we’re supposed to be meeting Luhan in less than an hour, and you’re not even out of bed yet.”

“I can be ready to go in five minutes, we have time,” Kai argued. He smirked when Kyungsoo made a particularly pleased noise at his ministrations. “Besides, Luhan gets to share a bed with Sehun how often? I doubt they’ll be on time either.”

Kai’s hands found the bottom of the shirt Kyungsoo had just put on, his fingers meeting warm flesh; Kyungsoo gave up arguing after that.

“A curse?” Tao asked, blinking at the unexpected news. “Could something like that really exist?”

“Why not?” Kai shrugged. He and Kyungsoo had just finished telling Tao, Kris, and Suho about last night, the five of them having met for lunch at the hotel. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had gone out eventually, after spending most of the morning in bed, and everyone else was off somewhere as well. “It’s strange, yeah, but what about our lives isn’t strange?”

“Well yeah, but that’s a little out there even for us,” Kris said, not totally convinced. “Believing in an afterlife is one thing, but we’re talking magic here.”

“You guys haven’t read those notes. So much death in that family, I can’t come up with any explanation other than a curse,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. “I hate to say this, but honestly I’m kind of surprised Baekhyun’s grandfather is still alive.”

“Actually, that’s a good point,” Suho said, frowning. “From what you’ve said, almost every one of Baekhyun’s ancestors died fairly young, his dad included. So if it is a curse, why did it skip a generation?”

“Who knows, maybe the guy just got lucky.” Kai yawned, suddenly wishing he had chosen to actually go back to sleep that morning. He was going to need a few extra cups of coffee if he wanted to stay awake for the investigation tonight.

“Or, maybe it’s another piece of the puzzle,” Kyungsoo said. He patted Kai’s back sympathetically, not feeling nearly as tired as his boyfriend was. He was used to getting less sleep than Kai, often working late and getting up early. “What if he did something to avoid the curse?”

“Either way, be careful about bringing it up to Baekhyun,” Tao cautioned. “He’s not exactly close with his grandfather, but asking him why his only living relative on his father’s side isn’t dead yet isn’t being very considerate.”

“We’re not idiots, Tao, don’t worry,” Kris said, rolling his eyes. “So, I guess now we have to figure out how to break a curse?”

Suho wasn’t sure he truly believed in curses, but he did know one thing, “We’re not letting him die, so yeah, I guess we do."

The five of them continued talking even after they finished eating, waiting for the others to arrive. Luhan and Sehun showed up first, having only been out at the nearest shopping center to pick up a few things. Jongdae, Minseok, and Yixing wandered in next, back from doing who knows what. Whatever they had been talking about, Yixing seemed thoroughly embarrassed, while Minseok was just grinning and Jongdae looked smug. Deciding he didn’t want to know, Kyungsoo filled the new arrivals in on the latest news, wanting to make sure everyone was on the same page. Baekhyun and Chanyeol finally stumbled into the dining area ten minutes before they were due to leave for the investigation, laughing and joking around with each other. Suho didn’t really have the heart to yell at them for almost being late, but he did urge them to hurry and get ready, so that they could all head over to the church.

“Do you really need to change?” Chanyeol asked, watching Baekhyun digging hurriedly through the dresser drawers to find something to wear. “Suho is going to kill us if we take any longer.”

“Yes! We’re going to be outside for part of the night, and it’s not nearly as warm at two in the morning,” Baekhyun replied. He emerged victoriously from the drawers a second later, skinny jeans and a long sleeved shirt in hand. “Suho can wait two minutes, we won’t be late.”

In his rush, Baekhyun didn’t bother going into the bathroom to change, stripping down to his boxers there in the middle of the hotel room. Chanyeol couldn’t help himself, eyes scanning over Baekhyun’s form as the older man bent over to pull his jeans on. He struggled for a moment with the form-fitting fabric before straightening to button them, only then noticing the way Chanyeol was watching him. Baekhyun smiled timidly, blushing slightly at the attention. “What?”

Chanyeol didn’t respond with words. He pulled Baekhyun to him, claiming his boyfriend’s lips in a passionate kiss. Chanyeol ran his hands down the smooth, bare skin of Baekhyun’s back, sliding them down over Baekhyun’s . quietly into the kiss, Baekhyun moved a hand up to tangle in Chanyeol’s hair, pressing their hips together. He took Chanyeol’s parted lips as an invitation, slipping his tongue into the taller man’s mouth and deepening the kiss. He felt the heat building between them, desire stirring in places they hadn’t yet explored with each other. After a moment Baekhyun reluctantly ended the kiss, resting his forehead against Chanyeol’s.

“As much as I would really, really like to continue this,” Baekhyun said, the shyness from before gone. “If you keep doing that, we really will be late, and I don’t think we want Suho to come looking for us.”

“No, that would be awkward,” Chanyeol laughed, stealing one last kiss before moving away to let Baekhyun finish getting dressed. Part of him could care less about Suho or being late, but he knew it was a big enough step that Baekhyun was even willing to go further. They would have plenty of time with each other later, and for now Chanyeol was content looking forward to that.

Once his shirt was on, Baekhyun went over to the mirror, checking to make sure his hair wasn’t a mess. Combing his fingers through it a few times, he frowned in confusion when he noticed the reflection behind him. “Hey, was that drawer open earlier?”

“Huh? Oh… I’m not sure,” Chanyeol replied. He shrugged, going over to close the nightstand drawer. “Maybe one of us left it open earlier when we put those notes away.”

 “Probably,” Baekhyun said, finishing with his hair. He knew the maid hadn’t been by yet, nor had anyone else been in their room, so it made sense.  He grabbed the hoodie he’d left lying on the bed, checked to make sure he had his phone and his wallet, and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”

Neither of them noticed the presence that followed them out of the room.

The group arrived at the church in the late afternoon, just as the sky was starting to darken. Set up went fairly quickly, with twice the number of people there to rig the equipment, and Jongdae there to help Baekhyun oversee everything. Luhan and Kyungsoo informed everyone else of what they had learned the previous day, and Dana met briefly with Kris and Suho to wish them luck before leaving the group to their work. As usual, Luhan claimed the post at central command, with Sehun opting to join him. Suho stayed behind as well, figuring that with their numbers they could split off into groups of three to start with, and switch around later as needed.

“You know, you don’t have to stay here with me,” Luhan said. He wasn’t really paying much attention to the screens; he’d notice if anything major happened, but otherwise they’d just catch it in review. “I know you like investigating.”

“Well, I like being with you more,” Sehun replied, blushing slightly. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Suho wasn’t listening, and saw their leader absorbed in whatever was on his laptop on the other side of the room. “I don’t get to spend time with you like this very often, I’m not going to waste it.”

“Sehun… maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.” Luhan looked nervous, an expression Sehun didn’t often see on him, but determined nonetheless. “You’re not going to have a roommate soon, right?”

“Yeah, but, your life is here, Luhan,” Sehun frowned. No matter how much he wanted them to be together, he could never ask Luhan to give up so much for him. “Things are fine how they are.”

“But they could be better!” Luhan argued. “My life can change… I could get a job there, and find someone to replace me on the team here. And it’s not like I would be giving up everything, I’d have you. I can’t ask you to move, not when you have school and everything else, but all you have to do is say yes and I’d do it a heartbeat. I don’t want to be apart anymore.”

“Luhan… are you really…?” Sehun paused for a moment, giving Luhan an incredulous look. “You’ve already done it, haven’t you.”

“Yeah!” Luhan broke out into a grin, giggling at Sehun’s expression. “I found a job close to where you live, it’s pretty much a guaranteed thing. And there’s this wonderful girl named Hyoyeon who I think the guys will really get along with; she’s fantastic at research and I think she’d do well here. If you don’t want to live together yet, then I can find my own apartment, but – ”

Luhan was cut off by Sehun, the younger man pulling him into a tight hug. “Of course I want you to live with me Luhan. When…?”

“I asked Suho to buy an extra plane ticket for your return trip,” Luhan answered. “I’ve wanted to tell you since you got here, but I was waiting for the right moment, I guess.”

“I didn’t think I’d say be saying this, but I can’t wait to go home.” Sehun moved away slightly, just to lean in and kiss Luhan sweetly.

Suho, who had remained quiet thus far, saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and sighed. He turned around, smirking a little. “Alright guys, as cute as this is, and as happy as I am for you, we’re on a job. Save the kissing for later.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sehun replied, sticking his tongue out at Suho. “I can’t believe you knew all along and didn’t tell me.”

“And have Luhan kill me for ruining the surprise? No thanks,” Suho said, shaking his head. “He’s not nearly as innocent as he looks, you of all people should know that.”

“Hey! I am so,” Luhan pouted, looking nothing like the twenty-nine year-old he was. Suho just rolled his eyes, turning back to his laptop and tuning the couple out again.

Down in the event hall, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Tao were checking out the area, taking some base readings as they went. They were planning to just sit for a while and see if anything happened, rather than doing any kind of provoking. Kyungsoo had told them that the spirit seen down here was suspected to have committed suicide, and that was always tricky; sometimes, you ran into kind spirits like Jessica at the theater, and other times… you ran into Heechul.

“Sooo, how are things going with you two?” Tao asked. Chanyeol was on the other side of the hall taking an EMF reading, making it the perfect time to do a little fishing.

“You mean since you saw us yesterday afternoon?” Baekhyun replied, not sure what Tao was getting at. “Things are good.”

“I mean, with what you told me the other day,” Tao said, continuing when Baekhyun didn’t catch on. “You know, about being in looo – ”

“Shut up!” Baekhyun covered Tao’s mouth with his hand, blushing furiously. “Don’t say that when he’s right there.”

“Oh come on, you should tell him,” Tao said, though it came out muffled beneath Baekhyun’s hand. He glared at his friend, who sighed and moved his hand. “You two were so great together yesterday, it’s obvious how you feel about him.”

“I told you not even two days ago that I wasn’t ready to say it yet, Tao,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head. “Things are… progressing, yeah, but not quite that far.”

“Progressing?” Tao blinked, then grinned. “Ohh, did you two…?”

“Oh my god, no!” Baekhyun exclaimed, smacking Tao’s shoulder. His face turned even redder, if that was possible. “I mean, okay, I want to… honestly, if we hadn’t had to leave for the investigation, it might have happened earlier.”

“Aww, you really are in love with him,” Tao cooed, ignoring Baekhyun’s protests. “Stop hiding and just tell him already!”

“Tell who what?” Chanyeol asked, finally walking back over to them. He blinked in confusion at the mortified expression on Baekhyun’s face.

“Nothing!” Baekhyun squeaked. He glared at Tao, daring his best friend to say anything. Tao held up his hands defensively, making a zipping motion across his lips. “Just… nothing. Anyway, did you find anything?”

“Not really,” Chanyeol replied, choosing not to question the weird behavior. “There’s a base reading of point one to point three all over, didn’t get any strange spikes or anything.”

“Hmm… well, I guess you two don’t really need my help then,” Tao said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’m going to go find Kris.”

“What? Tao!” Baekhyun called, watching in disbelief as Tao all but ran upstairs. “Why am I even friends with him?”

“Do you… not want to be alone with me?” Chanyeol asked, certain that he was missing something now.

“Oh, no, of course not,” Baekhyun said, smiling at the taller man. “It’s not you, Tao was just being a brat. I love investigating with you.”

“Oh, okay,” Chanyeol replied, smiling back in relief. Just then, he noticed something moving on the other side of the room. “Did you see that?”

“You mean the shadow that crossed in front of the light coming from the window? Yeah,” Baekhyun said quietly. The pair of them walked slowly towards that part of the room, not wanting to scare away anything that might be there.

The closer they got, the more they could make out the shadow. It was well over five feet tall, in the general shape of a person, pacing back and forth in the corner. When they were within ten feet of it, the shadow stopped moving, and turned as if to look at them. Then, before either of them could say anything, it darted forward. It moved right in between the two of them, and in the blink of an eye it had disappeared into one of the storage rooms back at the other end of the hall.

“What the hell was that?” Chanyeol stared at where the shadow had gone, still a bit stunned.

“I’m going to take a guess and say it didn’t want to be anywhere near us,” Baekhyun said, shivering slightly. He had felt a strange breeze when the shadow went past them, raising goose bumps on his skin.

“Are you cold?” Chanyeol asked, watching as Baekhyun shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Baekhyun opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, frowning. “What is it?”

Baekhyun pulled his left hand out of his pocket, showing Chanyeol the pendant dangling from it. “How on earth did this get here?”

“You… you didn’t put it there?” Chanyeol asked, eyebrows shooting up when Baekhyun shook his head.

“Last I checked, it was still in the drawer,” Baekhyun replied. He hadn’t touched the pendant since putting it in the nightstand when they arrived.

“Do you think – ?” Chanyeol began, but was cut off when Baekhyun’s walkie went off.

“Hey guys,” Jongdae called. “We had a few theories about debunking down there, wanna switch so we can check them out?”

“Uh, yeah, why not,” Baekhyun replied, looking at Chanyeol for confirmation. His boyfriend just shrugged, not seeing any problem with it. Slipping the pendant back into his pocket for the moment, Baekhyun headed up to the main chapel with Chanyeol, greeting Jongdae, Minseok, and Yixing as they passed each other on the stairs. They mentioned their experience to the other three as well, letting them know to look out for the shadow figure.

Once they were alone again, Chanyeol went to take a seat in the pews, waving for Baekhyun to come sit with him. “Do you think this has anything to do with that drawer being open earlier?”

“I don’t know, what would that even mean?” Baekhyun asked, hoping deep down that he had just put it there himself, and forgotten somehow.

“That someone or something wanted you to bring it… I just don’t know why,” Chanyeol said, frowning as he considered the possibilities. “Either way, I don’t think you should keep it on you. Go put it in the car or something.”

Baekhyun nodded in agreement, not particularly wanting to risk attracting anymore spirits, and stood to do just that. Suddenly, a strange, warm sensation overcame him. Memories flashed through his mind, of his father and Yunho, a note, something hidden in the back of… Baekhyun gasped at the realization.

“What is it?” Chanyeol asked, worried at the sudden change, but Baekhyun ignored him. He took the pendant out of his pocket and started feeling around, trying to find the hidden seam from his dream. After a few seconds he found it, struggling to pry it open as Chanyeol watched on in confusion. When he realized what Baekhyun was trying to do, he held out his hand. “Give it to me, my nails are longer.”

Baekhyun handed it over, and with a bit of difficulty Chanyeol got it open, revealing the letter that had been hidden inside it for twenty years. Baekhyun picked it up carefully, unfolding it with trembling hands. His father’s familiar handwriting covered the page.

Baekhyun,

If you’re reading this, I can only assume that this wretched thing has made its way to you, despite my and Yunho’s efforts. If it has, I hope that you are well, my son, and that the curse has not yet affected you. Yes, the pendant is cursed. I know it may be hard to believe, but the evidence doesn’t lie. I’m not sure how much you know about this pendant, but it has been passed down through our family for generations. For the longest time, I could not find anything about its origins, but eventually I realized I was missing something. The tale of how it came to be in our family was told in the journal of one of the original owners, which my father had hidden away. I don’t think he believed in the curse, and didn’t want me reading about it. But without his knowledge I found the journal, and with it, the truth. This ancestor of ours came from a moderately wealthy family, and was the youngest of three sons. When his parents died, they left most of their wealth to the oldest son, a few possessions to the second son, and none to him. In particular, the second son inherited a silver necklace that had belonged to their mother, who the third son had loved dearly. Jealous of the wealth his older brothers inherited, and angry when they both snubbed him, the third son chose to take it for himself. He killed them both and stole the pendant; no one could ever prove he did it, and so he inherited the rest of his parents’ wealth as well. With his dying breath, the second son cursed the pendant as a symbol of his younger brother’s greed. He swore that as long has he held that pendant, he would never be safe from vengeance. Nor would his descendants, so long as their greed continued, and they did not repent. It may sound crazy, but I’ve done the research, and I think the curse worked. The third son eventually died in a terrible accident, as did his son, and every Byun descendant after that who achieved wealth or success. Essentially, if they were greedy, they paid for it with their life. Not every one of our ancestors died that way, but generally the ones who survived were either poor, or were moderately successful through honest means. At first I was confused, because one person didn’t fit the pattern: my father. I knew his success was far from honest, and yet he was still alive and well. Then I realized; my father had never cared much about himself – he was greedy, yes, but not selfish. We may not have always gotten along, but he loved one person more than anything else… me. And here I am, sick and dying, from some unexplainable disease at such a young age. The curse has worked it’s magic after all, and I am paying the price. Yunho doesn’t believe me, but I know it’s the truth. That said, I don’t want you to blame him. If my father knew that it would save me, I am sure that he would give up his wealth and his business in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have enough time left to convince him, and I would rather spend what time I do have with you and your mother, not arguing with him. But, I am writing this because I want you to know about it. I know that you must be an amazing man, and that Jihae and Yunho would never have raised you to be the type of person this curse would target, but you are also human. If you do find yourself in trouble, there is a way to break it. It may be hard, but I know you are strong enough to succeed where our ancestors failed. The solution is simple: you must repent for your greed. Whatever you have to give up, do it… it isn’t worth your life. Do that, and you’ll be safe. I wish you a long and happy life, son. No matter what happens to me, know that I will always watch over you, and that I’m so proud of you. I love you, Baekhyun.

Dad

Baekhyun was silent even after he finished reading the letter, a rush of emotions flooding through him. There was so much to take in, but more than ever he just wished that his father was still alive. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now, and he would give anything to have his father there to guide him. Needing a moment to think, Baekhyun handed the letter over to Chanyeol, knowing that he would want to read it as well.

“Baekhyun…” Chanyeol said quietly once he was finished reading. “Are you… okay?”

Taking a few deep breaths, Baekhyun nodded. “Yeah…  I will be. At least we know now, Kyungsoo was right.”

Chanyeol cast him a worried glance, but took Baekhyun’s word. “I just don’t understand… if all of this mess is because of the curse, why you? You’re like, the most selfless person I know.”

“Oh, is that so? I would disagree.” A voice spoke from behind them, making them both jump. Baekhyun recognized that voice, a chill running down his spine as he turned around. Chanyeol’s mouth dropped open when he saw, knowing who it was from Baekhyun’s reaction.

“Heechul…” Baekhyun tried to keep the fear out of his voice as he watched the spirit walking towards them, a wicked grin across his face.

“Hello, Baekhyun. I think it’s time we had a little chat.”