“…It’s been a while.”

“Y-you… umm…”

You were blinking madly, not expecting to see someone, especially an outsider, at the school backyard. Reckoning how it was nearly five.

The person before you was sporting an all-black outfit; a black tee, with random writings that you somehow failed to understand, paired with black leathered jacket, along with tight black leather jeans and black fancy-looking thudded sneakers.

For a second there, you thought that he was a part of either rock or heavy metal band. That, or an organization full with crazy occultist. But his bright blonde hair somehow convinced you that he might be an aspiring an idol.

He stood pretty tall too, probably shorter than Hyuk but definitely taller than N. Moving to his face, you had a hunch that he was around your age. He had a pair of sharp eyes and thick eyebrows that made him look way more mature than he probably was. But his whole feature was cute -- yet manly and somewhat badass-looking at the same time.

“Uhh… Do I know you…?” You asked cautiously, only to hear the man chuckled, shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets with a playful smirk perched on his pale face.

“Yeah… Sort of…”

You tilted your head in confusion. “Really…? So… we’ve met before?”

His face sure is familiar… But where in the world have I seen this guy before? And he knows my name too…! Could he be… a childhood friend?

“Well…” Again, he chuckled. This time, followed with a wide smile and an affirming nod, “It was a very long time ago, though… I’m not sure that you’d still remember me.”

“Jinjja…? When and where did we meet?”

But I’m sure that I’ve never met him before… Or maybe not?

“That’s not important…” He shrugged and later raised an eyebrow, eyeing you from head to toe before scanning the empty surrounding, “Anyway, what are you doing here? Plus, alone and at this hour?”

“E-eh?! Ah… I… Umm…” Scratching your hair awkwardly, you answered him in a barely audible volume, secretly hoping that he wouldn’t catch what you were going to say, “Uhh… I got placed in detention…”

Much to your unfortunate, the man heard everything and later burst out a small laugh. He then nodded understandingly before shifting into a better topic. Turned out, he was not as rude as his fashion depicted him.

“Are you… a senior in this school?”

“N-no!” You instantly shook your head, “Well… I’m going to be one soon… but I’m technically a sophomore now.”

You bit your lips, silently cursing yourself for saying such an embarrassing thing. You weren’t even sure if you would pass the upcoming final exam, yet you dared to tell a total stranger that you would definitely get promoted to the next level.

All of sudden, you felt weird.

You had never been this comfortable when speaking to a stranger. But somehow, this man had this kind of friendly atmosphere that mysteriously pushed your fear and uncertainty aside. What was weirder, he was certain that you two had met before in the past, though you couldn’t recall a thing about it.

Deep down you wished for what he said to be true, otherwise you couldn’t explain this rather odd familiarity you had been sensing from him.

Why do I feel… so close to him…? This is so strange…

Your daydreaming met an abrupt end when the man suddenly retorted.

“Oh! That’s great! Then there’s a chance that we would be classmates in the next term!” He chimed happily, rendering you to frown in confusion.

“W-what do you mean?”

You weren’t sure that this school ever had such a flashy-looking student like him; well, the boys were beyond flashy but you could say that they were an exception; yet you found him lurking around the school so freely like this. 

Who let a stranger like him went into the school ground anyway?

“You see, I’ve been living in Japan since I was a little kid. But a while ago, my dad got transferred back to Seoul so I had no choice but to tag along with him.” He put his hands behind his back and you could swear you nearly squealed when you saw him pouting.

Hmm? Wait, Japan…?

Up to this point, you wondered if the two of you met during your occasional visit to your brother’s in Japan. Yet nothing registered your mind. Either because you were born slow or things that happened among you and the six voodoo dolls had took the whole space left in your brain.

“I got three days-off so I decided to fly back here to find new school to transfer to. I’ve been to two different schools and so far I’m liking this one. I’ve just finished filling up the form and I think I’ll start enrolling here as a senior in the next semester. I was on my way home though, but…”

His grin widened, “I thought it’d be a good idea to take a stroll around my soon-to-be school— well, I’m glad that I did because now I’ve got myself a new friend! Or… ‘future classmate’, perhaps?” He giggled, ending his rather long explanation with a shy smile, “I don’t know, it feels like a fate to bump into you here.”

It took you a while to take in what he just said since he spilled them out way too fast, somehow reminded you of a rapper. You were about to open your mouth when he, once again, cut you.

“I’m so happy that we meet again, ___...”

Strangely, you felt your heart skipped a beat. Acting the same way like whenever you were around the boys. But the odd part was, there was a mix of sadness behind its incoherent beating. Giving off a feeling of guilt for failing to remember something that you weren’t suppose to forget.

“You are my first friend in this school, then. Annyeong, chingu~”

He chirped in a playful tone before offering a hand to shake with yours, but you just blinked, wondering if you should take it or not. Because as long as you could remember, nothing good ever happened in those encounters you had with a couple of strangers. Either they tried to drown you or squash you with springboards.

But again, you sensed something different from him. You got your hunch telling you that he was without such intentions of harming you in any possible way. Besides, a part of you couldn’t get rid of this familiar feeling.

A mere handshake won’t hurt me… right?

With that, you shook his hand anxiously. Only to soon feel a mysterious spank inside your heart.

W-what’s this…? A déjà vu?

A blurry flashback instantly crossed your mind. You couldn’t really tell what you saw but it was the same with what you were doing right now, shaking this person’s hand. Though in the vague memory, his face looked far happier than he was now.

“…Is something wrong?”

The man slightly leaned closer, eyebrows jerked up as he pondered. You quickly shooed away all the weird thoughts you had been having and briefly apologized for staring at him, cursing yourself for being so impolite. But it still didn’t stop your heart from beating crazily.

 “A-annyeong… chingu.” You whispered.

His eyes sparkled in excitement, “Once again, nice to meet you, ___! I hope you can take care of me once I’ve been officially accepted into this school!”

You had no idea how to respond and ended up smiling. The man then pulled his hand back before bringing it to his neck, rubbing it shyly. A thin line soon formed on his lips, further telling you that he was hesitating to say something.

Awkwardness slowly filled the air and you hastily took the trash bin back, planning to make your escape from the unanticipated meeting.

But right before words like ‘I’ll be going then’ or ‘see you later’ could slip out from your lips, the man, although unintentionally, later ruined your plan of running away.

“Oh—wait—!” He suddenly lunged a hand forward, reaching for your face and you flinched in response. You were close from taking a step back when he took his hand back.

“Uhh… S-sorry… You got something— here…” He touched a certain part on his own cheek, “A chalk smudge…?”

You instantly wiped yours with your sleeve, “O-oh! T-thanks!”

Babo! That was so embarrassing!

“Haha… You are so cute…” His words were followed with a hoarse laugh, forcing you to jerk your face up to see him. But what welcomed you was a plain white handkerchief with thin navy blue stripes.

“Here, take this…”

He offered you with a sincere smile. And you, not wanting to be rude, later took the handkerchief after a brief pause of three seconds after mouthing him an embarrassed ‘thank you’.

“So…” He shoved his hands back into his pockets again and mumbled in a soft tone, “See you again later, ___…”

You were too busy wiping the smudge off on your face that you failed to catch his last goodbye to you. The man was already walking away when you caught him mumbling something weird.

"Just keep in mind… the fun you're having with the dolls will not last forever…"

What…?

Your eyes widened nearly instantly as you yanked your head up.

Huh…?

You whirled your neck around, looking for any signs from your new friend. But oddly enough, the man was nowhere to be seen. He was completely gone from your sight, impossible to find anywhere.

“What the—” You felt shiver running down the spine, forcing you to gulp nervously.

Where is he…? Am I hallucinating…? I-is he a ghost!?

You ended up freaking out and were about to run your off when the handkerchief in your hand fell to the ground.

“Wait… So he is real…” Bending down to grab the handkerchief, your grip on the thin fabric tightened as you sighed loudly, “And I forgot to ask for his name… Stupid.”

Shaking your head, you turned your body back and made your way back to the classroom.

…Will we meet again…? Chingu…?

Sighing, you zipped your bag before tossing it behind your back and slung another one around your elbow. You then turned your cell phone on, taking a quick glance on the digital clock displayed on the flat screen.

5:45 PM… . It’s late. I really have to go back home now…

You were about to slide the door open when a familiar face popped right before you.

“___! I’m sorry! Did you wait long?”

The boy in front of you panted heavily. He was all drenched in sweat. You were rummaging from some tissues inside your tote bag when something hit you — he still looked damn gorgeous with sweats covering his pale face.

Yes, that face. That irresistibly handsome face that never failed to turn your world upside down.

It was him.

Lee Hongbin.

“Sorry… I guess I’ve made you angry, huh…” He smiled apologetically as he took the bag from your hand. His delicate fingers soon found their way to the back of his head, creating awkward scratches. He looked really sorry and you wouldn’t even dare to imagine what would happen if you said ‘yes’.

“U-uh… no! It’s okay, really!” You stuttered, fixing his dampened bangs. “You’ve worked hard. It must be really tiring to clean the whole court, right?”

“Yeah… Those teachers are no joke sometimes… All we did was skipping school for a day and look at what they made us do.” He groused, later took your hand and dragged you back inside the classroom.

“Umm… Hongbin—what are you doing? W-we need to go home now…”

“Sorry, but I can’t feel my legs anymore. Why don’t we just sit down and rest for a bit?” He plopped down on one of the chairs, motioning you to sit on the desk next to him.

“Besides… I have something to tell you…”

It was rare for Hongbin to be so pushy like this. And the idea of him having something to spill out further bewildered you. So there you sat idly, eyeing him with a pair of confused eyes.

“So… What is it going to be…?”

Nearly 15 minutes had passed yet not even a sound came out from his tightly shut lips. To be honest, you didn’t mind spending some time with him like this, but it was already late and the sky didn’t go any brighter. Worse, you didn’t want to make the others worried.

Faint noises of thunders rumbling echoed in the distance and that made your body went stiff on your seat.

Oh no, please don’t rain now… Not when I’m alone with Hongbin…

“Uhh… Hongbin-ah, I’m sorry but I think we really need to get back now…” You pleaded softly after catching another roar from the gloomy sky outside. Fear was slowly building inside you as you reckoned what his trigger was.

No response.

Hongbin remained still. Eyes glued to the floor. You knew that there was something wrong with him and you were hoping that the he wouldn’t return home all soaked.

Soaked in your own blood from having his trigger carelessly and going full rampage.

“Hongbin-ah, let’s go home. It’s going to rain soon, so—”

“—Do you remember when we went to Idae last week?” He suddenly interrupted. Gone were his gentle voice and the heartwarming smile on his face.

For a second there, you thought that he had turned.

“Yeah, of course… ” You tried hard to look calm.

“Do you remember when we were ordering cakes at the cake shop…” He continued, “…and you asked me to pick one for myself?”

“For God’s sake— Lee Hongbin! W-what’s with these questions?! You’re scaring me!” Your heart thumped even louder, feeling the rising tenseness. “You know what, you’re being weird right now, I—“

“—DO YOU?!”

He suddenly raised his voice, forcing you to slightly jolt in shock. That Lee Hongbin, who always soothed everyone around him with his softness and sweet-temper, just yelled at you.

You used to think that among the six, Leo was the scariest. He barely spoke and you could never guess what was inside his head. He never smiled and you always thought and he secretly hated you.

At least, not until today.

But the terrified look on your face made Hongbin’s eyes gaped wider in the very next second. Biting his lower lip, he dunk his head in shame when guilt instantly struck him.

“I… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry, ___…” His voice was shaking, as if he were crying.

You suddenly remembered the small talk you had with Hyuk a few days ago. Back then, he mentioned something about Lee Hongbin being the total opposite of what he was in the past. The youngest said that the first time the six of them met, Hongbin was way bitterer and surprisingly hostile. He was even muter than Leo and wouldn’t let anyone step inside his solitude wall. And when the others risked everything they had to break free from the curse, Hongbin didn’t even lift a finger. He simply gave up on his life, or at least, what was left of it.

“Ravi and Hyuk have told you everything, haven’t them?”

Hongbin broke the long silence. His voice was no longer shaking, but it still sounded as flat and somber as before.

“…W-what do you mean?” You meekly retorted, somehow hesitating to look at him in the eyes again.

“Their sins… They’ve told you about that, right?”

The second you heard that word, your body went limp that instance, leaving you with no choice of what to do.

You stayed silent. You didn’t say anything.

More like, you couldn’t say anything.

As it was too suffocating.

“Then… Shall I tell you mine too, ___?”

—WHAT?

You nearly couldn’t believe what your ears just caught. The last time you had Hyuk telling you everything about his past, he looked so stressed like he was going to die. So of course, you didn’t want the same thing to happen to Hongbin. Simply because you couldn’t stand to see anyone suffer again.

“It won’t do you any good, Hongbin-ah… You’ll just end up getting hurt. So please, don’t…”

“It’s okay.” He shifted his gaze to you, “That’s why I asked you to stay anyway…”

He looked so much in pain. Yet his eyes were blazing in determination. Hongbin was ready to share himself with you. And up to this point, there was no turning back again.

Truth to be told, you were dead curious on what had happened to the six of them. They told you that you were their only saviour. The only key to their long awaited freedom. The only one who could break the never-ending curse. But how could you save them when you didn’t know anything about their past?

“Fine… Please tell me.”

“I can’t even remember when it all happened. No… more like, I don’t want to remember.” Hongbin looked up and rested his head on the chair’s back support.

He softly blinked, giving you a clear glimpse of how sad his eyes had become. Yet the sorrow in him didn’t stop you from finding the boy close to flawless, as he was indeed irrefutably beautiful.

Miserably beautiful.

“I was— I used to be what people called as ‘Casanova’… Cheesy, I know, but back then, I really couldn’t satisfy myself with only one girl…” There was a brief pause before a smirk spawned on his well-sculptured face

“…I always craved for more.”

He chuckled, “I changed girlfriends like I changed my clothes… I got enough girls to date for a whole year yet I still looked for more. I didn’t know what I was after, but there was one thing for sure… It was a thirst that couldn’t be satisfied…”

His words left you speechless, leaving your shocked self to stare in total silence. To be told that someone like Hongbin was once a thick-skinned jerk wasn’t any different from being told that angels are actually as wicked as devils.

…Is this some kind of joke? I-is he pulling a prank at me?

But even if it was, how come that you weren’t even laughing?

“So… your sin is… the same like Ravi’s?” There was reluctance in your question, hinting that you actually didn’t even bother knowing the answer.

A loud laugh echoed inside the cold classroom, breaking the weighty atmosphere. The boy returned his gaze to you, this time with dejection smeared all over his front.

“No… I’m not a maniac like him.”

He forced himself to smile. Too bad it looked far from sincere, “Our case is a bit different… It wasn’t ‘’ that I after. I simply wanted more than I’m supposed to have… That’s all…”

“S-so… what is it…? —Your sin, I mean…”

Then he warily dug deeper,

“…Gluttony.”

His cold stare pierced you, “That’s what my sin is.”

Gluttony. It’s not even a pretty word to begin with.

You couldn’t bring yourself to believe that such abhorrent word had somehow become a part of him for only God knew how long. It didn’t take you to be a genius to realize that the boys were far from ‘ordinary’. No, they weren’t even technically ‘boys’. There was a chance that they had lived even longer than your father, grandfather, or maybe your great ancestors. Worse, they were all burdened to live in blasphemy for committing an unforgivable sin in the past. Cursed for being a bunch of criminals.

Wait— ‘criminals’?

“Wha… what did you do…? Did you… k-kill someone… t-too?”

Your legs were slowly giving up. Good thing that you were perfectly seated right now.

 “…Yes.”

His answer was short and simple. Yet had enough pressure to make your heart cease from functioning for a good three seconds. It felt like someone his hand inside your chest and squeezed your lungs hard, both leaving a gaping hole and you dying from failing to breathe.

“I killed someone…”

He began to tremble in his seat, “I killed my girlfriend— I-I mean… one of them.”

Regret and shame were already piling inside him as the boy continued to recall what was left of his darkest memories, “That day… I’ve just returned from my f