SungGyu stepped out of the bathroom, sweats slung low on narrow hips and a towel draped over his head as he scrubbed at his wet hair.  Once it was more damp than drenched, he threw the towel aside and reached for his phone, sending a quick text to JiYoon.

 

 

He had to laugh when the reply came almost immediately.

 

 

 

Shaking his head, SungGyu typed out another reply.

 

 

 

SungGyu was about to put his phone away when JiYoon replied.  

 

 

With a smile, SungGyu plugged his phone into the charger on the bedside table before slipping beneath the covers and reaching out to turn out the lights.  Settling in, it took no time at all before he was fast asleep.

 

---------------------------

 

”You are to blame…”

 

“I didn’t want to die.”

 

“Not like that.”

 

“ It’s  all your fault!”

 

---------------------------

 

HoWon shot awake, breath coming quickly as he looked around, searching for the owner of the voice that echoed in his mind.  Sitting up, HoWon allowed himself the time to calm down and collect his thoughts as he ran a hand through his hair.  “What was that?” he asked aloud before exhaling, telling himself that it must have been a nightmare.

 

Something in the back of his mind, however, seemed to disagree, tugging at a small tendril of something.  The voice sounded so familiar…

 

Not sure what to do, HoWon dropped back down, draping an arm across his eyes.  After a while, the lack of sleep finally got to him and he slowly fell asleep once more.

 

---------------------------

 

A loud knock on the door woke WooHyun, a usually light sleeper, pretty quickly.  Yawning, he got to his feet and padded over to the door.  Opening it, he blinked in surprise when he saw the woman from the front counter on the other side.  “Um, yes?”

 

She just smiled calmly.  “I wanted to let you and your companions know that a breakfast buffet is set up in the dining room if you’re hungry,” the woman explained.

 

Realizing that it had been quite a while since he had last eaten-the bus station to be exact-, WooHyun smiled charmingly and nodded his head in thanks.  “I’ll wake up my friend in the next room and be down shortly.”

 

Bowing in return, the woman, who introduced herself as JiEun, continued on down the hallway to wake the others as WooHyun closed the door.  

 

“Maybe a shower first,” he murmured, heading toward his bag to grab a fresh change of clothes before walking into the bathroom.

 

Ten minutes later, WooHyun was a bit more awake and happily clean after the long bus ride.  Once he was dressed, he approached the adjoining door and knocked a few times before opening it.  His mouth went dry at the sight of the dancer stretched out on the large bed, still deep asleep and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a tank top that had bunched up during the night to reveal those delicious abs that he had so enjoyed staring at the previous night.

 

Shaking himself from his thoughts before he needed to resort to a second much colder shower, WooHyun walked over to the bed and took a seat.  He reached out and gently shook DongWoo’s shoulder.  A few shakes and a half dozen pokes later, DongWoo was sitting up, Indian style and hugging a pillow, blond hair going every which way with a dazed look on his face.

 

“Is there a reason why I’m awake right now?” DongWoo asked, voice raspy as he rubbed at his eyes with the palm of his hand.

 

WooHyun had to laugh at how cute DongWoo looked first thing in the morning.  “Breakfast,” he answered.  “And it was either I wake you, or the creepy woman who runs this place.”

 

“Oh.  Good call then,” the dancer chuckled as he stretched out and got to his feet.  “I’m gonna shower first, then I’ll meet you there, okay?”

 

Once WooHyun was gone, DongWoo walked across the room and into the surprisingly spacious bathroom.  He dug through the cabinets until he found where the towels were stored and began to undress, pausing for yet another wide yawn.  He had gotten very little sleep due to the dream-no, nightmare-that had yanked him sharply from his sleep.  He shook it off and wrapped the towel around his narrow waist before turning the water on.  Once it was warm enough, DongWoo draped the towel over the bar and stepped in, sighing happily the moment the water hit his body.

 

He had just rinsed the shampoo from his hair when a sudden shiver shot down his spine.  Stopping, DongWoo looked around slowly, the unsettling feeling of being watched pressing against his nerves.  He bit the inside of his cheek before opening the shower door and scanned the suddenly claustrophobic room, still seeing nothing.  Shaking his head at his own paranoia, DongWoo closed the door and continued washing up.

 

DongWoo stayed in the shower a bit longer than was absolutely necessary before finally shutting the water off and getting out.  Securing the towel around his waist, he walked over to the mirror and reached out to run a hand across the fogged mirror.  The moment his reflection looked back, DongWoo let out a startled  gasp, whirling around to come face to face with the vicious and angry eyes of a young woman who hadn’t been there a moment ago.   He let out a scream as his eyes shut reflexively, opening seconds later to find himself alone in the completely empty bathroom.

 

---------------------------

 

They had all noticed WooHyun’s attention being split between them and the staircase, but MyungSoo was the first to voice his thoughts on the matter.  “He said he’d be down after his shower, right?”

 

Turning back to the others, WooHyun flushed at being caught.  He was usually far better than this, but the earlier conversation was still heavy on his mind.  “It’s been a half hour though,” he pointed out weakly.  Maybe he was just being paranoid.

 

“He really doesn’t seem the type to take so long though,” HoWon chimed in.  He and DongWoo were a lot alike as they had discovered, including the fact that they were both quick to get ready and didn’t spend a great deal of time on their appearances outside of special occasions.

 

“WooHyun, is there a reason why you would be so worried?” SungGyu asked carefully, noticing that it wasn’t just WooHyun who looked uncomfortable.

 

After a moment, WooHyun sighed.  “Last night he mentioned feeling uncomfortable here.  He couldn’t explain it, but I think he was feeling almost oppressed, I believe he said,” he explained before looking over at SungJong, who was fidgeting in his seat.  “He also mentioned that you felt the same thing, SungJong ah.”

 

The youngest of the group just nodded.  “There’s just this overwhelming wrongness here…”  

 

“Did-“

 

The five young men all turned to look at HoWon, whose eyes were focused on the plate in front of him as he shifted his breakfast around.  

 

“Did what?” SungYeol asked.

 

“This might sound weird, but did any of you have a nightmare last night?”

 

The silence was deafening before WooHyun spoke.  “What kind of nightmare?”

 

HoWon just shrugged.  “A pitch black room and-“

 

“A woman’s voice,” SungGyu finished, eyes wide as he looked at HoWon, startled when he nodded.  Looking around the table, it appeared that they had all had it as well.

 

More than a little disturbed at the frightening coincidence, WooHyun stood up and made to head upstairs to check on their seventh, but paused when he saw DongWoo head downstairs.  His eyes narrowed when he noticed just how pale DongWoo looked and upon looking closely, noticed that he seemed to be almost trembling.  WooHyun went straight over and placed a hand on the dancers back, startled when DongWoo jumped before relaxing slightly.

 

“Whoa, are you okay?” SungGyu asked, worried when WooHyun led DongWoo over to the table and eased him down into a chair before taking the seat beside him.  “Did something happen?”

 

DongWoo looked at the others before releasing a slight breath.  “You could say that,” he murmured as he ran a hand through his still damp hair.  He hadn’t stayed around long enough to dry it, only getting dressed and leaving the room as quickly as possible.

 

“What happened?  I mean, you’re shaking like a leaf,” WooHyun observed, draping an arm around his shoulders, hoping that the friendly contact would help relax him.

 

DongWoo didn’t say anything at first but soon opened his mouth to speak.  “You’ll think I’ve gone mad.”

 

“You might be surprised,” SungYeol stated, earning an odd look from DongWoo.

 

“I…”  He paused before trying again.  “I think I just saw a ghost.”

 

WooHyun was the first to speak, not once breaking contact with DongWoo since it appeared to be helping calm the dancer down, even just a little.  “Seriously?”

 

“I was in the shower and felt eyes on me.  At first I thought it was you coming to tell me that I was taking too long, but when I looked, there was no one there.”  He continued explaining what had happened, and by the end, DongWoo found himself pressed against WooHyun, soaking in the contact.  Those eyes had terrified him as much as the woman’s presence had, if not moreso.

 

“Should we maybe ask the woman who works here about this?” MyungSoo suggested, to which the others nodded.

 

“Do you want to go somewhere and calm down first?” SungGyu asked DongWoo.  “You look seriously freaked out.”

 

“There’s a practice room down the hall,” HoWon suddenly stated, and DongWoo perked up.  “For real?”

 

The younger dancer nodded with a smile.  “I was walking around this morning and found it.  Apparently, the former hotel owners had the room built for their daughters who studied ballet.”

 

WooHyun smiled before nudging DongWoo.  “You do still owe me a dance, after all,” he reminded before getting serious.  “And if dancing is as cathartic for you as singing is for me, I’m sure it’ll do you some good.”  And WooHyun wouldn’t complain if he got to see the other’s amazing body in action, of course.

 

Smiling at the singer, DongWoo found himself nodding.  “Yeah, let’s do that.”

 

“Eat first, then we’ll get HoWon to show us where it is,” SungGyu said, almost mothering if not for the odd look in his eyes that made WooHyun think that he might possibly be a mind reader.

 

---------------------------

 

The group had found themselves all gathered back in the dining room three hours later with a much calmer DongWoo and a slightly shell shocked WooHyun.  While they waited for JiEun to join them as she was in the middle of some paperwork, WooHyun let his mind wander back to the dancer like it had been doing since the bus.  While WooHyun had enjoyed the popping and locking and even a few moves that he and HoWon had done that left him speechless, it was the much more sensual body rolls that SungYeol had talked DongWoo into doing that left his brain a stuttering mess.

 

He snapped back to attention when JiEun entered the room and took a seat at the head of the table, bowing lightly at the seven as they bowed back.  “You had something that you wanted to discuss with me, yes?” she said, more in the form of a question though it was obvious that it was more a statement than anything.

 

“We did, actually,” SungGyu said, deciding to be the spokesman much to everyone’s relief.  “Forgive me if I sound forward or nosy, but does this place have a history of being haunted?”

 

JiEun blinked in surprise before her expression fell into something much more neutral.  “There may have been whispers about a ghost,” she remarked cryptically.  “Did something happen to bring about such an odd question?”

 

Looking at each other, DongWoo decided to speak first.  “I think I saw a ghost in my room.”

 

“And we all had the same nightmare, as well,” SungJong spoke up, and DongWoo looked startled by that, but didn’t deny it.

 

JiEun was silent as she looked at the young men.  “There was a death here years ago,” she finally began.  “My father was still the owner back then, and you all must have been children then.  Anyway, we were chosen to be the filming location for a low budget movie about a killer in a hotel.  I believe the name was Crimson Path, or something very similar to that.”

 

SungYeol’s eyes narrowed momentarily before widening in recollection.  “Wait a minute.  I was an extra for that movie, but I was only eight then, if that.”

 

“I wondered why this place seemed so off to me.  I think I was, too,” SungJong chimed in, looking a bit creeped out.  

 

“I vaguely remember being an extra in a movie as a kid,” SungGyu mused.  The other four slowly nodded their heads.

 

“My, now isn’t this an interesting coincidence,” JiEun murmured, though something in her eyes had DongWoo shifting a bit closer to WooHyun.

 

“I think I give up on believing in coincidences because it’s just been one after another,” MyungSoo said before turning his attention back to the storyteller.  “So what happened next?”

 

The woman thought for a moment.  “Well during filming there was a fire on set.  I believe that the child extras had left only minutes before, but it spread quickly.  Once it was extinguished, they discovered the main actress’ body in the janitor’s closet.  Somehow she had gotten locked inside and died of smoke inhalation.”

 

“So you think that she’s haunting this place now?” HoWon asked, to which she nodded her head.

 

“There have been a few sightings and those who have seen her say that it’s the actress.  I have her picture displayed behind the desk if you would like to take a look at it,” she said to DongWoo.

 

He bit his lip lightly before nodding, getting to his feet as he followed after the owner.  Once they had reached the framed memorial picture, DongWoo looked at it and shivered as he recalled those haunting eyes.  “Y-yeah, that was her,” he stuttered, averting his eyes as he ran a hand over his arm, not surprised in the least when he felt the goosebumps present.  When he felt WooHyun’s comforting arm around his shoulders, he found himself relaxing a bit, focusing instead on the man beside him rather than the woman in the picture.

 

“Is she dangerous at all, JiEun sshi?” WooHyun questioned.

 

“Not that I’ve heard, but it wouldn’t hurt to be careful,” she advised.  “Now if you’ll please excuse me, I have a bit more work to tend to.  If you have any more questions, please feel free to come find me.”  Bowing lightly, the owner turned and entered her office situated behind the front desk.

 

“Well it’s still early, so any ideas of what to do?” HoWon asked.  “Because I plan on going back to the dance room.”

 

“WooHyun ah owes me a song since he got to see me dance,” DongWoo said with a grin and WooHyun just chuckled.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” he remarked, reaching out to ruffle the now dry blond hair, earning himself a squawk of protest at the action.

 

MyungSoo help up his camera with a small grin.  “I’m gonna wander around and take some pictures of this place.  The architecture is something my teacher would love.”

 

“I need to make a few calls.  JiYoon ah wanted me to give her an update and now I can scare her with tales of a haunted motel,” SungGyu chuckled.

 

“You are a horrible boyfriend,” SungYeol stated before smiling.  “I need to rehearse my lines.”  He then turned toward SungJong.  “If you’re not busy, do you wanna help me out?  It’s easier to have someone to read against.”

 

SungJong brightened up.  “Sure!”

 

---------------------------

 

Are you serious right now?

 

SungGyu laughed at the hesitant tone to his girlfriend’s voice.  Teasing her about her fear of the supernatural is, was, and probably always will be one of his favorite past times.  “Seriously.  DongWoo yah saw it, right in front of him.”  Thinking about it, SungGyu’s voice lost its teasing edge.  “Honestly, there are a lot of things that are going on here, love.  I mean we all have something in common.  We’re all going to the same place, we’re all having the same nightmare and were all extras on the same movie when we were kids, which just so happened to have been filmed right here.”

 

Baby, why are you doing this to me?! JiYoon whined before calming down a bit.  Maybe one of you can have a friend or two meet you there and drive you into Seoul.  I don’t like the idea of you being there.  I mean, what if something happens to you?

 

“I’ll  talk it over with the others, okay?  Nothing is going to happen to me okay?  Or at least nothing more than a little bit of lost sleep,” SungGyu assured with a soft smile.

 

Okay, but ju-

 

SungGyu paused when his girlfriend’s voice cut out.  “JiYoon?  Baby, are you there?”  The line was quiet before a high pitched wail echoed through the line, the rocker yanking the phone away  with a hiss.  “What the hell?!”  When he heard nothing, he slowly returned the phone to his ear only to hear soft breathing on the other end.  “H-hello?”

 

IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!

 

The scream made SungGyu drop the phone in shock, fear settling in the pit of his stomach when he recognized the voice as the same one from his nightmare-their nightmare.

 

…lo?  Hello?!  SungGyu Oppa, are you there?!

 

Hearing JiYoon’s voice, SungGyu hesitantly picked up the phone.  “Hello…?”

 

Oppa, what was that?  We were talking and then I just got static the girl explained, confusion evident in her voice.

 

SungGyu just shook his head, unsure of what to tell her.  “Must be bad reception.  I’ll call you back before bed, okay?  Love you.”  Before she could say anything in reply, SungGyu hung up and brought a hand up, tangling it in his hair as he let out a shaky sigh.

 

“What was that?”

 

---------------------------

 

MyungSoo looked around with a small smile, taking picture after picture of the eerily beautiful architecture.  The building seemed to get more and more interesting the deeper into the motel he got.  He had just turned the corner when his eyes caught natural light.  He turned and approached the large panoramic windows, absolutely amazed by the view.  It was just a simple garden, but the way the light hit it made it seem almost majestic in appearance.  

 

Lifting his camera, MyungSoo began snapping pictures when he felt a sudden chill shoot down his spine.  Something was there with him despite him being alone.  In the silence, he was able to practically hear his heart beat in his chest.  Swallowing thickly, MyungSoo slowly raised his camera and set it on sport continuous before hitting the button, panning the length of the window before stopping.

 

Pursing his lips, MyungSoo took a deep breath and accessed the pictures that he had just taken, jumping nearly a foot backward at the series of pictures he had taken.  Each frame showed a woman-the same woman that was memorialized in the lobby.  And with each shot, she got closer and closer.  

 

MyungSoo let out a startled cry when he felt the frigid air against his neck and did the only thing he could think of; he ran.

 

---------------------------

 

The song had just ended when HoWon fell back into the mirror, the only sounds being that of his heavy breathing echoing through the room.  Opening his eyes, HoWon smiled as he slid down the mirror to the ground, sighing happily.  He always felt his best when he danced until he could no longer walk.  It was nice to have DongWoo around since it had been a long while since he had been near another person as passionate about dance as he was.  He had even gone far enough to try and set up an audition for him with the school he was teaching at.

 

Taking a long drink from the water bottle, HoWon got up to continue when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.  Looking and seeing nothing, he took another, only to have the same thing happen.  Slowly this time, HoWon eased the water bottle down and turned, jumping as whatever it was shot past his vision.  He turned quickly, nearly falling over before he really did when he came face to face with the same ghost that DongWoo had claimed to see.

 

He scurried back until his back was flush against the mirrored wall, eyes not leaving the woman before him.  Not knowing what else to do, he slammed his eyes shut and didn’t move for a minute.  When he finally opened his eyes as saw no one, HoWon didn’t wait before he got to his feet and grabbed his things before running out of the room and not looking back.

 

---------------------------

 

SungYeol stretched out and fell back against his bed, laughing when SungJong did the same.  They had gone over the script so many times that even the younger boy had one of the scenes practically memorized.  “Thanks for the help, Jongie,” he said with a grin.

 

“No problem, Yeol Hyung.  It was a lot of fun.  Maybe I should try taking a theater class or something when I get to school,” SungJong declared.  He couldn’t ever recall being so light and happy like he was with the six others and it was something that he greatly appreciated.

 

“You should!  I mean, you’re really good.  Hell, I might even tell my agent that he should look you up,” SungYeol stated teasingly. 

 

SungJong blushed at that before waving his arms around in the negative.  “SungYeol Hyung, stop being so mean.  You know that I have stage fright,” he nearly whined.  It had been something that they had discussed in between scenes.

 

Still laughing, SungYeol reached out and pet SungJong on the head like he often did to his little brother.  “I know, but seriously, if you can get over that, you’d make a really good actor,” he complimented.

 

“Thanks, Hyung.  I really appreciate that.”

 

“Aish, let’s go get something to snack on, what do you say?” the actor suggested, to which SungJong nodded and got up as well.

 

SungYeol moved to open the door when he realized that it wouldn’t open.  He tried again and even SungJong tried but to no avail.  “What’s going on?  These doors don’t lock from the outside.”

 

As they continued trying to pry open the door, the pair stopped, feeling an eerie cold flood the room.  SungYeol was shocked to see his breath when he let out an exhale.  “What the hell?  It’s barely fall,” he murmured. 

 

 SungJong’s frightened gasp then drew his attention.  “What is it?” SungYeol asked quietly.  He watched as SungJong slowly brought an arm up, pointing at the window.  When he looked, SungYeol‘s blood froze.

 

The two watched as the words ALL YOUR FAULT slowly etched themselves into the fog built up on the window. 

 

Deciding that they did not want to stick around to see if anything else would happen, they turned their attention back to the door.  This time however, it flew open and the two ran out as though the devil himself was on their heels.

 

---------------------------

 

“Well?” WooHyun asked once he had finished singing a couple songs that he had prepared for the audition.  He wasn’t sure how to take DongWoo’s reaction so he just waited for him to answer.

 

DongWoo snapped out of his daze at the question, wide smile lighting his face.  “Oh my God that was amazing!” he practically gushed.  “If you don’t get signed, then they all need their eyes and ears checked, because holy …”

 

Something in DongWoo’s praise caught WooHyun’s attention, a mischievous grin appearing before he asked, “Eyes?  Pretty sure I’m auditioning as a vocalist.  Is there something that you want to tell me?” he teased lightly.

 

Realizing what he said, DongWoo’s cheeks darkened.  “Oh!  Um well, you know…”

 

WooHyun had to laugh, finding a flustered DongWoo absolutely adorable.  “Sorry, but you’re just so easy to tease.  I’m flattered you think I look good, though,” he added, smiling wider when DongWoo let out a huff.

 

“Bully,” the dancer muttered, crossing his arms and refusing to look at WooHyun.

 

Shaking his head, WooHyun nudged DongWoo lightly.  “I’m gonna hit the vending machine in the lobby for a drink.  Want me to bring you back something?”  At the offer, DongWoo gave up on being ‘mad’ and nodded with a grin.  “Anything specific?”

 

DongWoo just shook his head.  “Whatever you get’s fine.”

 

With a nod of his head, WooHyun grabbed some change and left the room.  As he walked down the stairs, he couldn’t stop the goofy grin from appearing.  Hearing that DongWoo found him good looking just brought him one step closer to the dancer that he had very quickly become quite infatuated with.

 

After reaching the vending machine and grabbing two sodas, WooHyun headed back up to the room.  He had just gotten to the landing and turned to head up the last flight when he froze, both sodas falling from his hands when he saw the ghost that DongWoo had seen slowly working her way down the stairs toward him.  With every step closer she got, WooHyun took one back until he jumped when his back met the wall.

 

Realizing that he had nowhere to go as the woman reached the landing, WooHyun just closed his eyes and turned his head away as he pressed himself flush against the wall.  He let a minute pass before cracking one eye open, and then both when he saw the empty staircase.  Another minute passed as WooHyun allowed himself to calm down, slowly sliding down the wall when his legs failed to keep him standing any longer.

 

---------------------------

 

“Can we change our minds now and just sleep in the bus?” SungYeol suggested, slumping over in his seat as the group gathered in the lounge area, all huddled together after sharing their individual experiences.

 

“No, we can’t,” SungGyu said dryly before looking around.  “My girlfriend suggested one of you have someone come get us since were not drastically outside of Seoul, but if the bus company can’t send a new bus to get us due to weather, I wouldn’t want to risk it.”

 

“KiBum’s a daredevil, but he’s not stupid,” WooHyun agreed.  “He said you can barely see five feet in front of you when you get near the city line.”

 

“Which means we’re stuck here with a ghost who seems to blame us all for something,” MyungSoo concluded.

 

“Hate,” DongWoo chimed in, voice far too quiet for their liking.  “She hates us.”

 

HoWon agreed.  “No one’s ever looked at me with so much hatred before.”

 

SungJong reached up to nervously play with his bangs.  “I think I’m glad that we didn’t see her then,” he said.

 

“I am,” SungYeol seconded before sighing loudly.  “So what now then?  I mean, do any of you guys remember that long ago, because I sure don’t.”

 

“I think I remember being teased a lot by this one kid because I was smaller than he was,” DongWoo said with a shrug of his shoulders.  “Not that it has anything to do with someone dying of course.”

 

“I think it’s safe to assume that none of us are sleeping alone,” SungGyu said and he almost laughed at the emphatic nods of agreement.  “How about me and HoWon, SungYeol, MyungSoo, and SungJong, and finally WooHyun and DongWoo?”  As he said the last two names, SungGyu shot an amused look WooHyun’s way hoping that he got the message.

 

“I’m good with that,” WooHyun stated, all smiles.

 

“Of course you are,” the rocker said before getting to his feet.  “We should probably get some sleep.  I know it’s only 9:30, but we’ve all had a long day and have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

 

As they all stood from their respective seats, SungJong spoke up.  “Why is this all happening so fast?” he asked quietly.  “I mean, on TV, aren’t hauntings more progressive?”

 

“Until it’s acknowledged,” HoWon answered.  “My hyung loves all of those haunting shows and they say activity usually increases when you pay attention to it.”

 

“Besides,” DongWoo chimed in.  “She doesn’t have long before we leave.”

 

---------------------------

 

“You sure you’re okay with sharing a bed?” WooHyun asked as he walked into DongWoo’s room, his bag slung over his shoulder and dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top.

 

Tugging the baggy shirt over his head, DongWoo laughed.  “I said I was already.  With how often you ask, maybe I should be asking you that question.”  Slipping into the baggy training pants, DongWoo sat down on the bed and shot WooHyun a teasing smirk.  “Afraid I might jump you in the middle of the night?”

 

WooHyun snorted, dropping his bag and walking over to the bed.  “Hm,” he mused as he dropped onto the bed, chuckling when DongWoo nearly fell over.  Looking over at the dancer, WooHyun just shrugged.  After the day they’d had and with them possibly leaving the next day, what did he have to lose? 

 

“More like hoping actually.”  He paused and stared up at the ceiling with an arm supporting his neck, casually glancing over at the stunned expression on DongWoo’s face.  “Though more to the point, I’d prefer to be the one doing the jumping.”

 

DongWoo blinked at WooHyun, not having a clue as to how he should respond to WooHyun’s statement.  That had been the last thing he had expected if he were to be completely honest with himself.  He chewed on his lower lip for a minute before dropping back onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow.  When he finally spoke, his tone was slow and deliberate with a hint of hesitation.  “And if I said that I wouldn’t mind?  What then?”

 

Turning his full attention onto the older boy, WooHyun pushed himself more upright to mirror the blond dancer.  Meeting his eyes, WooHyun just grinned before reaching out with his free hand to rest against the back of his neck.  He caressed the area there before guiding DongWoo closer and pressing their lips together.  WooHyun just let his eyes close when he felt the kiss being returned, loving the feel of DongWoo’s mouth working so well against his own.

 

“Mm, better than I imagined,” WooHyun breathed against DongWoo’s lips before returning for more, pressing back more firmly when one of DongWoo’s hands clutched at his shirt and the older boy offered up a breathy hum of agreement.  Deciding to see just how much he could get away with before the dancer came to his senses, WooHyun tugged lightly on DongWoo’s lower lip before deepening the kiss, his tongue immediately seeking out DongWoo’s before changing their positions and lightly pressing the blond against the mattress.  

 

Pulling back from the kiss when the need for air became too great to ignore, WooHyun nearly lost it at the sight of DongWoo, flushed and panting beneath him.  ‘God, it’s been too damn long,’ WooHyun thought idly before bringing his mouth down to DongWoo’s neck.  One hand shifted the collar of DongWoo’s shirt to the side before firmly attaching his lips to the crook of his neck, and biting and practically worshipping the area as his free hand slid slowly slid the shirt up, fingers running over the dancer’s gloriously defined stomach.

 

DongWoo’s head fell back as he let out a low moan, arms wrapping around WooHyun and his fingers pressing into the singer’s back.  It had been quite a while since he had last kissed anyone, let alone had anyone do to him what WooHyun was.  The attraction he had felt toward WooHyun was practically electrifying and it was quite obviously reciprocated which he hadn’t been expecting in the least.

 

WooHyun ignored the quiet voice in his head telling him that they’ve known each other for only twenty four hours in favor of focusing his attention on how to get another one of those moans to come out again.  “Dammit, you have no idea how much I want you right now,” WooHyun muttered as he pulled back again, fingers brushing over the vivid mark that now rested against pale skin.

 

Finally able to regain a bit of his senses, DongWoo looked up at WooHyun.  He was no a stranger to one night stands, and from a few of their conversations, he’d assumed that neither was WooHyun.  He wasn’t oblivious to the flirting WooHyun had been doing and had simply chalked it up to the younger singer just wanting to get laid.  Now though, there was something in his eyes that had him second guessing.  One more minute passed before DongWoo’s lips curled into a smile, his decision made.

 

“Well then,” DongWoo said, and WooHyun shuddered, the smoky tone of his voice going straight south.  “What’re you waiting for?”

 

---------------------------

 

He couldn’t breathe.

 

Looking around frantically, DongWoo saw nothing but darkness before him as he curled up in the corner of what appeared to be a closet.  With every attempt to scream or cry out or do something, his throat would close and nothing but gasps and coughs would come out.  He could do nothing but sit there and wait for the inevitable.

 

It was that last thought that startled him into realizing that this was how the woman haunting them had died.  That epiphany choked him up in a way far different than the smoke had been. 

 

The quiet whimper had him turning his head to the left to see that very actress on her knees in front of the door, both hand and forehead resting against it.  Before he could react however, the woman turned slowly, looking him in the eye with both hatred and desperation. 

 

”Please don’t let me die here…”

 

---------------------------

 

The echoing voice startled DongWoo awake and he immediately sat up and began looking around to see if the owner of that desperate voice was in the room.  Seeing nothing, he allowed his racing heartbeat to calm before flopping back down with a sigh.  He wasn’t sure just how much more he could take and all he wanted to do by that point was pack his bags, take his new friends, and get the hell out of there and never look back.

 

DongWoo was pulled from his musings when an arm curled around his waist and pulled him against the warm body beside him.  Smiling softly and shoving the macabre thoughts to the back of his mind, DongWoo shifted closer, lightly running a hand over the firm chest that he was pressed against.

 

“You alright?” WooHyun asked quietly, voice thick with sleep.

 

DongWoo just nodded his head.  “Just a dream is all,” he explained, and at the mention of ‘dream’, WooHyun reopened his eyes and looked at DongWoo, who understood the meaning right away.  “Yeah, it was her again.”  He sighed quietly before shifting closer, tucking his head under WooHyun’s chin. 

 

Hugging him closer, WooHyun dropped a kiss to the top of DongWoo’s head.  He was slightly surprised by the domesticity of the moment, but shook it off in favor of the boy in his arms.  “Want to talk about it?”

 

Silence filled the room for a few minutes before DongWoo opened his mouth.  “I think she showed me her last moments.”  He felt the tears build in his eyes but continued anyway.  “I couldn’t breathe, WooHyun.  The smoke was so thick and I couldn’t get away from it.  She was there, too, though I don’t know how I could see her since the room was pitch black, which only made everything more frightening.”

 

WooHyun must have heard something in DongWoo’s voice because a moment later, the singer had sat them both up and was now looking at DongWoo with concern.  DongWoo started when he felt WooHyun’s thumb carefully brush away a few stray tears that had fallen without him knowing.  He had never before experienced something so mind-blowingly terrifying as the feeling that he was going to die.

 

The only warning that WooHyun had was the sudden sharp intake of breath and the feeling of toned arms tightening around him before the dancer let the tears fall.  It was quiet.  There was no wailing or loud sobbing; just rapid shuddering breaths and the feeling of wetness on his shoulder.  He held DongWoo close, whispering reassurances and sweet nothings as he gently his hair in an attempt to calm him.

 

It had been horribly obvious to all of them that DongWoo was a generally sweet guy, albeit a bit naïve and free spirited.  He just seemed so in love with life that there was no way he wouldn’t be so affected by witnessing something as traumatic as someone dying, especially after experiencing it in part himself as well.  In the back of his mind, WooHyun wondered if that wasn’t precisely the reason why she had chosen DongWoo to see it in the first place.

 

After a while, the sobs died down as DongWoo slumped a bit against WooHyun’s chest, warm breath lightly tickling WooHyun’s skin.  “Hey, feel better?” he murmured softly, smiling as he felt DongWoo nod his head.  “How about we go take a shower and get everything packed up?”  DongWoo laughed at the blatant insinuation in WooHyun’s voice.

 

“You just want round two, don’t you?” DongWoo muttered with a smile.

 

“If I did, would you complain?” WooHyun shot back.

 

“Probably not.”

 

“Well then, let’s get going, shall we?” WooHyun said as he stood and pulled DongWoo up with him.  Neither caring much about their ness, the two shared another kiss before heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind them.

 

---------------------------

 

Once DongWoo and WooHyun had rejoined the others in the lounge, they noticed that they hadn’t been the only ones deciding to be ready to leave.  “How did everyone sleep?” WooHyun asked, squeezing DongWoo’s hand lightly.

 

“Could’ve been better, that’s for sure,” SungGyu chuckled dryly, though he did smile at seeing their hands.  “So when did that happen?” he asked.

 

DongWoo reddened before returning the smile.  “Last night.”  There were a couple startled looks but nothing negative.  As he scanned the room, he noticed that HoWon seemed particularly distracted by something.  “HoWon ah, you okay?”

 

Hearing DongWoo, the younger dancer blinked a few times before looking up.  “Oh yeah.  Sorry about that.  I was just thinking about something.”  Before anyone could ask, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  “Did anyone else dream last night?  Not necessarily a dream about the ghost, but maybe about when we were extras?”

 

SungYeol nodded.  “I did.  I think I was playing around with a few kids.  Nothing spectacular, why?”

 

HoWon shrugged when the others nodded as well.  “Maybe it’s because I’m so used to rhythm, but there was this odd sound in my dream and it keeps echoing in my head,” he explained.  “I’ve been trying to figure out what it is for hours now.”

 

“Well what does it sound like?” SungJong asked.  He had heard something odd as well but would never be able to recreate the rhythm, and it seemed that the same went for a few of the others as well.

 

Shifting, HoWon thought about how to verbalize it.  “Well there were a few different patterns, but I distinctly remember a click, clack, click clack.  Sometimes it was quicker, and other times, slower.”

 

Something about that seemed to trigger something in DongWoo’s memory.  “Did it sound wooden?  The clacking, I mean.”  While he was waiting, he picked up his backpack and ped it.  The others watched him rifle through it while HoWon gave an affirmative hum.  A moment later, DongWoo stopped and pulled out what looked like wooden balls attached with rope.

 

“What’re those?” MyungSoo asked as the dancer returned his bag to the floor and shifted a bit away from WooHyun to give himself a bit more arm room.

 

“They’re called patica.  It’s an African percussion instrument that my grandfather got me when I was like, six,” DongWoo explained before looking at HoWon.  “Tell me if this is what you heard, okay?”  With that, DongWoo arranged them in his hands properly so that he was clutching one of the wooden balls in each hand, the other hanging loose.  He quickly rotated his hands back and forth, the balls slamming together rhythmically as they let out a loud sound that had HoWon’s eyes widening.

 

“Yes!  That was it!” he exclaimed, pointing at DongWoo’s hands as he played them at different rhythms.

 

“I heard that, too,” WooHyun and SungGyu both stated as the other three nodded in agreement.  “I ignored it because I had no idea what it was and just assumed that it was background noise,” SungGyu continued.

 

“But what does it have to do with the ghost?” SungYeol asked.  I mean seriously.  She’s blaming us for her death, but I think Gyu Hyung was the oldest of us at ten.”

 

The seven sat around thinking while DongWoo continued playing, using it as a focal point to keep his thoughts from straying.  After a few minutes, he stopped suddenly.  “What is it?” WooHyun asked, tilting his head to look at the dancer.

 

“I didn’t use these much on set because the adults got annoyed,” DongWoo explained.  “But there was this one time that I did and I was playing them until another kid came over and started teasing me about it.  He took them away and held them up so that I couldn’t reach since he was so much taller than I was at that time.”

 

Suddenly, SungYeol blushed, looking sheepish.  “Um, yeah.  If memory serves, that bully would be me.”

 

DongWoo looked over at SungYeol for a moment before groaning loudly.  “Man, you gave me a height complex that lasted for years,” he whined.

 

SungYeol threw his hands up in defense.  “I’m sorry!  I was only eight, so gimme a break, will ya?!”

 

Shaking his head, SungGyu laughed.  “I remember you two now.  If I’m right, I took your patica from Yeol here and hid them in the prop closet so you two would stop fighting.”

 

WooHyun paused at that information before turning to look at DongWoo.  “You said that in your dream, she was in a closet, right?”  DongWoo just pressed his lips together and nodded his head.  “Could it have been the prop closet?”  He gave another nod, but there seemed to be something else in DongWoo’s eyes.  “What is it, Woo yah?”

 

“I thought they were both bullying me and I really wanted it back,” DongWoo explained quietly.  “Noona was there so I asked if she could get it for me since it was hidden higher than I could reach and there wasn’t anything stable for me to stand on.”  His eyes widened and he paled as things began making more and more sense.  “Did we really have something to do with her death?”

 

Pulling him close, WooHyun shook his head.  “It wasn’t your fault, okay?  It was an accident.”  He then turned toward the others.  “Do any of you remember anything?”

 

MyungSoo was the first to respond.  “I was playing around with another kid and we both ended up tripping over a wire or something and falling into an open door.”

 

“And you started to cry because you hit your arm really hard on the ground,” HoWon finished, extremely disturbed by that point.

 

“How are we suddenly remembering all of this?”  DongWoo asked.  “I mean, it’s been ten years.”

 

“A ten year anniversary is a pretty big event, you know.”  The group all jumped at the new voice before seeing JiEun approach them.  “Forgive me for overhearing, but may I suggest something?” she asked before sitting down in the only available seat beside DongWoo.  When they nodded, she continued.  “Have you boys ever heard of a butterfly effect?”

 

“Isn’t that the theory where a butterfly that flaps its wings here will cause a tsunami in Hawaii or something like that?” DongWoo asked.

 

JiEun smiled.  “Very good, DongWoo sshi.  And how about a chaos theory?”  She laughed lightly at their blank expressions.  “It’s very much like the butterfly effect to be honest.  If we say that everything that had happened led to that woman’s death, then yes, you each did play a part, but individually, none of those incidents could have done it on their own.”  Reaching out, she lightly ran a hand through DongWoo’s hair almost affectionately.  “There is an order to the universe, even with all of the random and unconnected events that happened.  Do you understand?”

 

SungYeol raised his hand.  “You lost me at ‘ten year anniversary’,” he stated, earning a room full of groans and a smack to the head by MyungSoo.

 

“But what do we do now?  She still died and she hates us so much,” SungJong asked softly, wringing his hands in his lap.  “How can we ever be forgiven for that?”

 

“Well, I think that properly apologizing may help,” the woman offered.  “We have no grave, but we do have the memorial photo.”  With a smile, JiEun led them toward the main desk and stepped aside, allowing the young men their moments.

 

Each offered their sincerest apologies and wellwishes into the hereafter before the sound of an engine reached their ears.  Confused, they ran to the window and stared as the bus pulled into the driveway of the motel.

 

“That’s, weird timing,” SungGyu murmured as he turned toward the others, who just nodded.

 

“Ah!  That was a nice rest!” came a voice from the staircase.  Looking over, they all started at seeing the bus driver walk downstairs with his things in his arms.  When he reached the others, he only blinked.  “What’s with those expressions?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

 

DongWoo was the first to laugh. 

 

---------------------------

 

“So what now?” MyungSoo asked the others once they were all on the bus.  They had all huddled together in the back while their former driver sat up front chatting with the pretty young driver behind the wheel currently.

 

“DongWoo got me an audition to work at his academy,” HoWon explained with a smile before looking at DongWoo and WooHyun.  “What about you two?”

 

“Well, I need a roommate and Woo needs a place to stay, so I think things will work out nicely,” WooHyun explained, tightening his hold on his lover, who was sitting comfortably between the singer’s legs as they sat across the two seats.  “What about you, Jongie?  You’re not nearly as shy as you were when we met.”

 

SungJong looked up from his laptop with a smile.  “I think after dealing with a scary ghost, bullies are nothing.  Besides, I have an awesome hyung at school who’ll watch my back,” he laughed as he nudged at MyungSoo with his foot before turning back to the computer screen.

 

“I now have a bunch of epic horror stories to tell JiYoon ah,” SungGyu said with a grin and SungYeol just shook his head.

 

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again.  You’re a horrible boyfriend.”

 

MyungSoo chuckled at that.  “Speaking of girlfriends, I hope yours won’t interview you about what it was like to be in a haunted house and try to convince you to take her like YeRim will when I get home,” he remarked.

 

SungGyu just snorted.  “Mine’s ghost phobic, so I’m safe.”

 

“I can’t wait to tell Gonam Hyung that we’re friends now.  We drive him crazy enough individually, and now we can be like, a team.”

 

“I feel sorry for your agent,” HoWon said with a grin before SungJong’s stunned voice sounded from his seat.  Looking up, they all saw the wide eyed look of shock as he stared at his laptop.

 

“What?” MyungSoo asked.  “What’s with the look?”

 

“You’re not going to believe this, but first, I think I found my and WooHyun Hyung’s parts in the actress’ death.”

 

That got WooHyun’s attention.  “What happened?”

 

“Well the fire was caused by an electrical fire.  Apparently, an exposed wire got wet and sparked, catching the nearby curtains on fire.”  SungJong looked up at WooHyun.  “You must have been the boy that was playing with the prop weapons on set, right?  I remember a kid a little older than me being reprimanded after dropping one.”

 

WooHyun took a minute to think before a spark of recollection passed through his eyes.  “Oh yeah!  The propmaster thought I was going to cut my hand off or something and when he yelled at me, I got startled and dropped it.”

 

“You must have accidentally cut the outside of the cable and exposed the wires,” DongWoo said before tilting his head back for a quick kiss.  He then looked back at SungJong.  “What about you?”

 

“I was sitting at a table with a glass of ice water.  When my mother called me, I probably put it down and either it spilled, or the condensation built and dripped off the table and onto the wire.”

 

SungYeol nodded.  “Okay, so now that everything is all figured out, what’s with the ‘oh ’ face?”

 

Biting his lip, SungJong just turned the computer around so the others could see.

 

 

“W-what does this mean?  I mean, we were just there, right?  It was probably rebuilt,” WooHyun stated, completely thrown.

 

“The article talks about the fire and how the actress died, but it says here that the owner of the motel decided not to rebuild,” SungJong explained as SungGyu took the computer and began skimming the article as well.

 

“’Yoon ShinJae, hotel owner has decided not to rebuild and will instead retire to Incheon’” SungGyu read before his eyes matched SungJong’s.  “Wait, huh?  This can’t be right.”

 

DongWoo shimmied out of WooHyun’s lap and draped himself over the back of the seat.  “What is it, Gyu Hyung?”

 

“It said that the former owner had no children, but isn’t JiEun his daughter?”

 

WooHyun looked over DongWoo’s shoulder, eyes narrowed.  “That’s what she said,” he replied.  “What the hell is going on here?”

 

As the group discussed amongst themselves, SungGyu clicked on related articles until he took in a sharp intake of breath.  “That’s not possible…”  He didn’t wait since he was well aware of the six pairs of eyes on him.  “The actress.  Her name was Song JiEun.”

 

HoWon shook his head.  “That’s impossible.  I mean, JiEun Noona was very much alive, and some of us also saw the ghost.  How would we not recognize her?”

 

The rest of the trip was in silence, the small group lost in their own thoughts.

 

---------------------------

 

“So that’s what happened,” she murmured as she watched the bus pull away with a sad smile before turning back and approaching the memorial.  She ran her hands over the picture lovingly, taking in the blonde wig and black eyes that had made her famous.  

 

“Perhaps they should have used a picture of the real me,” JiEun mused before she, as well as the manor, disappeared.