The cafeteria was, as usual, a total caos. Donghae didn’t really know what were the architets thinking about when they created a  room that at most could contain something like three thousand people, for a school that had more than five thousand hungry and loud teenagers.

He snorted annoyed, while he tried to make himself a way through the mass of students clumped near the counter where a fat lady was still distributing wedges of pizza while shouting with her booming voice for the boys and girls to remain in line and not try to surpass one another.

He was lucky that he had arrived just in time to collect his two slices, before the crowd could drown him. Either way he made a note to himself: always sticking near Donghee in order to protect himself and his precious food. The guy alone was a fantastic shield and with his strenght ( and powerful belly ) he could easily push away everyone who got too close.

Keeping the tray near his chest, he headed towards their habitual table, hoping not to find it already occupied by someone else. When he saw a shock of coppery hair in that sea of people, he sighed with relief and launched himself on the shoulders of the small boy who hadn’t noticed him and was still focusing all his attentions to his cellphone’s screen. Therefore, he was welcomed with a little cry of surprise and a jab in the ribs.

 

« You idiot ! You scared me to death! »

Satisfied, he ruffled his friend’s orangish hair and took place in the seat directly in front of him. «Are you texting someone, ‘Seob ? » curious, Donghae tried to protracted his hand in the phone’s direction but the guy was faster and snatched it away quickly.

 « Not, really- By the way, were are the others ? » the change of argument worked, and Donghae was soon distracted by the question to continue his small inquiry. Yoseob knew too well that his friend had a microscopic attention span and he could be distracted with almost anything. Sniggering, he took advantage of the fact that Donghae was trying to find the restant members of the group in that block of people and slipped away from the other’s plate a piece of pizza.

 

« I don't see anyone- Hey !» Donghae protested, taking his plate and pulling it away from the boy when he noticed that he was trying to rob even the second and last slice of pizza.

« How dare you, that was my only ray of light in a day of obscurity ! And you had the courage to steal my happiness! »

 

« Hey guuuuys ~ what are you two doing ? » the sparklingly happy face of Kim Taeyeon appeared suddently beside them, as she crouched herself down on her legs in order to place her chin on the wooden surface of the table.

« He just stole my happiness ! » Not even bothering to greet the new arrived, Donghae pointed an accusing finger towards the pizza thief while he hurried himself to bolt down the remaining slice in just two mouthfuls.

« Ohw, come on sweety, you know that Yoseobie is a little guy that needs good food to grow up » she patted maternally the brunet's head as she lifted herself just before she slammed excitedly her both hands on the table, leaving Yoseob unable to ask if she had meant that he was short in her opinion.

 « I have some new gossip ! » the girl chirped, suddently changing the subject.

«Don't you always tell those to your little fanclub? Baekhyun and Tiffany will be more than pleased to gawk at you while you're speaking» answered indifferently Yoseob, who had now re-started to tap fastly on his touch screen.

Taeyeon arched a brow in his direction, eyeing the cellphone before letting a little smirk of knowledge appear on her little lips.

« But they're the ones who told me that!» she snapped, snatching the cellphone away from his friend's small hands « And the girls only ramble about make-up and boys, Jessica will kill me if I bring out this story again. They say it scaries them.» with a pout, she quickly scanned the massive amount of messages, taking a step backwards and turning around when Yoseob almost tossed himself over her trying to get the phone back.

 

« Who is scared, by what and.. what is Seobie doing all over you like that, Taengoo ?»

 

Finally, after a tough battle with the lunch lady and the army of students, Donghee and Sungmin had made it safe and sound to their table, one plopping down near Donghae and the other taking place beside Yoseob.

Just as their bottoms touched the chair, they simultaneously reached for the first slice and took a pirahna mouthful of it, still observing the somewhat battle between the two midgets of the group for the boy's device ( not that the others were giants, but still ).

 

The fight eventually ceased when Yoseob succeded in biting Taeyeon's hand, obliging her to let go her  grip on the cellphone. With a fast motion, the copper-head boy took advantage of the fact that the other was too busy mouthing light profanities at him and grabbed  the object, hiding it in his back pocket.

« Yoseobie is hiding something from us ~ why don't you tell them who are you writing to, hon. » the girl sang, stealing a chair from the table nearby and placing herself practically glued to Yoseob, chin propped against her palms and long eyelashes fluttering with false innocence.

Donghae from his seat couldn't miss the way his friend glanced towards something behind Taeyeon, ears suddently turning crimson red. Following his gaze Donghae noticed that some meters away there was actually not a something, but a someone. Jung Junghyun was passing by near the doors connected to the courtyard, smartphone in one hand and teasing eyes fixed on their table until he turned his back and walked away.

 

Turning his attention back to reality, the brunet decided to do a favor to his little friend and distract the pressing girl.

« Say Tae, what's that story you wanted to tell us about? » he asked nonchalantly, taking a sip of his half finished apple juice.

Those few words were enough for Taeyeon to change immediately the topic as she started to ramble of how she learned about the story and how the rumors had spread fastly in the whole school.

Donghae knew that Yoseob totally owned him ( a curious Taeyeon was a scary Taeyeon), but the small smile of gratitude and the mouthed 'thanks' from the other were  enough as a repayment.

 

« ..So they told me that there was this student a couple of years ago, he had a terrible accident during his first year and he came back  with a gigantic scar all over the left side of his face ! He was still coming to school but one day he stopped coming and there's this voice that says that his father, driven mad by his son's scar face, killed him brutally.» she made a suspance pause «No one ever, saw them again. The curtains' house are always closed. But still, there certainly must be someone who lives there, the house is not on sale or anything. And that house..» her eyes trailed gleefully towards Donghae, who had barely had the time to register all the sudden information given  « is near yours, Hae ! Isn’t this exciting ?~ »

 

« ...Wait, what ? » the brunet blinked a few times in her direction « what are you talking about ? I’ve never heard anything of it, not from my mum, nor from my sister and they both are unstoppable gossipers. » he replied, furrowing his brows.

« I don’t really know, but try and think. Is there a somewhat kind of creepy house in your neighbourhood ? » she crossed her arms on the table and leant towards him as if she could hear him better that way in all that noise. She seemed particularly interested in his answer, Donghae noticed, and the others were too. Donghee had even stopped munching on his food to follow the discussion between them, and that meant a lot.

It was incredible how much they were so much used to the usual routine that even the most stupid (and most likely to be fake) of Taeyeon's stories still had them all intrigued. Sighing, he mumbled thoughtfully tapping his index finger on his chin.  

« Mmh, there’s the Park family, the Jungs, the- Ah ! » he jumped a little in his seat clapping his hands once, like he suddently remembered something « there actually is one, it’s not creepy and all that stuff you blabbered about, but I don’t remember one time when that place’s curtains were opened, and I pass in front of it every morning in order to go to the bus stop. Maybe that’s the one ? »

...

« I say we should go and investigate »

 

Sungmin, who had kept quiet until then, was now grinning widly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Donghae knew he loved things like horror stories and solving mysteries; he did too ( and he had always kinda wanted to feel like Indiana Jones to be honest) and from the looks of the others even Donghee and Taeyeon were agreeing with Min, nodding furiously and rambling about how they should have acted and when would have been the right moment to start their researches.

There was one boy that was still silent, back slouched and absent-minded look.

« Yoseob, are you okay ? You’re more white than usual. »  Donghae asked, waving his hand in front of the other’s nose and recieving a small wince as a response.

 « Oh. Yeah. I’m- ‘m okay. It’s just- »

« It’s just that he’s a scared little dip.» Taeyeon finished his sentence flicking his forehead with her perfectly manicured fingers.

« Am not!»  Yoseob snapped back, covering the bruised spot on his head with both of his palms «It’s just- it’s just that I don’t think it’s responsible to pry into someone else’s life, you know.. It- it could be dangerous.»

« Aw, come on! It’s not “prying into someone’s life”, we just want to know if this boy lives there.. or if he’s still alive » he added smirking towards the fearful boy. His grin widened when he noticed that the look in Yoseob’s eyes had changed from wary to completely terrified.

 

« Well, It’s decided then! This afternoon after the end of the lessons, we’ll all go try finding out something about this vanished boy ! » Taeyeon clapped happily catching everyone’s attention and an excited cheer erupted from their table.

Yoseob massaged his temples with his indexes and sighed heavily.

« I’m screwed.»