Ch. 4
Say Love [DISCONTINUED]
SHOUTOUT TO OUR NEW SUBBIESSS!!
Puff_Michelle
talesfangirl
rawritsaturtle
klovepeps
kaipopones
I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER <33333
-teenfinite1221
-jungkook-biased
NORMAL POV
The one day of bonding passed fairly quickly and all the trainees and their mentors returned to the company’s large auditorium. A white screen descended from the ceiling, revealing the tournament board. The girls sat with their partners, all staring at the white screen.
“You guys are up against the girls with BTOB,” Hongbin mentioned. “Hmm… Haven’t I heard the name Kim Mina before?” he asked reading the name from the chart of members.
Soo Hyun clenched her fist, “Mina had one of the highest scores at the audition only because she had looks, but you guys probably heard of her because she debuted as a model.”
“Even hearing her name makes me wanna slap her...” Eun Jae said, “but we have the highest scorer at the audition in our group.”
“Who?” VIXX inquired.
“I maybe awesomely talented,” Chi Hae jokingly bragged, “but Mina’s with Choi Chae Young too. They’re the “in it to win it” type of people.”
Stopping the side conversations in the audience, the CEO walked onstage to the mic. “Welcome. I will get straight to the point. In pairs, you will compete here in exactly a week. We will score the pairs individually and also each person individually. Totaling the scores, the group with the highest score will move on, while the others...” There was a pause. “...get cut.” He emphasized that last two words by moving his hand across his neck in a slicing motion.
“Ugh… It’s like a second audition.” Hyuk whined.
His partner faced him, “At least you’re not the one competing, oppa” Jiyoung retorted.
The old man continued, “The round will be announced via text message. Today, you will make a group name and turn it into the box by the deadline within twelve hours from now.” The group turned to the clock. It was 8:30 A.M. “The meeting is now over, you are dismissed,” the CEO finished before stepping down from the stage.
“Let’s go to a practice room and discuss this,” leader N said authoritatively. The groups of twelve walked to the nearby dance practice rooms and entered in the last one. Sitting in a circle, they discussed the team name.
“How about Starlights?” N suggested, earning hits from Ravi, Hongbin, and his partner. “Oww!”
“We’ll totally name our group the same name as your fanbase,” Boram hissed sarcastically.
A silence filled the room until it was broken by the sound of an opened door. They turned to the entrance to see one figure of a girl standing at the door frame.
“Mina!” Mei Yun shot up from her seat.
Mina put a hand on her hip, “Oh good, you’ve heard of me”. She looked in the middle of the circle that had the application for the group name and scoffed, “Making a name? Don’t even bother. You’re not gonna make it anyways.” The girl finally exited the room, slamming the door.
“Wow, she’s mean,” Ravi said.
“Oh, did I not mention that she’s a bit of a ?” Chi Hae hatefully snickered. Taking one deep breath she attempted to continue their conversation. “Any other ideas?”
Eun Jae stood up. “Excuse me for a sec,” she said before storming out of the room. She peaked out and saw Mina’s long hair swishing behind her. “Yah, Kim Mina!” she shouted.
“Mwoh?” The other girl turned around.
Eun Jae smirked. “Don’t think you’re gonna win this easily, arraso?”
Mina propped her hand on her hip again and raised an eyebrow at Eun Jae. “You think you can beat me?” She scoffed. “Yah, Cha Eun Jae. Who’s the supermodel here?”
The brunette rolled her eyes and sneered. “You think being a supermodel means anything here? Kim Mina. You can’t sing, can’t dance, you trip every five steps when wearing heels, and you stuff your bra and to make it look like you actually have something other than a face to show off. You can’t make it in this business unless you have some talent. So don’t even say that you’ll win, arraso?” She flashed her a smile.
Mina looked around to see the other people in the hall jeering and snickering from the scene. “I… You… Aish!” And off she ran, tripping on her heels as she did so.
Eun Jae flipped her hair and made her way back into the practice room.
“Oi Eun Jae, what happened?” a concerned Mei Yun asked.
“Just gave Mina a piece of my mind. Nothing big.”
Chi Hae lifted one eyebrow, “Ha. Nothing big. You probably made her cry.”
“Maybe~” the brunette replied smugly, sitting back down.
The other members and VIXX exchanged confused and worried glances with one another. After a moment of silence, N cleared his throat. “Ahem, so… Back to where we were! Any ideas?”
“Um…” Jiyoung began, “How about Sixes?”
Hyuk laughed. “Yah what is--OW!”
“Don’t make fun of it!” Jiyoung shouted after hitting Hyuk on the head.
One brunette’s eyes widened, “Oh! I think I got one!” Then she blushed, “It’s kind of embarrassing…”
“Tell us,” Ken pressed on.
“How about… A-Game?” the girl muttered, but loud enough so that everyone heard.
“A-Game?”
“Yeah, we’re bringing our A-Game to win this competition, and not to mention, to completely destroy and annihilate our opponents until they burn and fall into a dark abyss full of despair,” referring to her hatred towards Mina.
“Nice. I like it,” her partner said supportingly.
“It’s definitely better than Starlights.” Soo Hyun laughed.
“Yah!” N yelled earning giggles from the group.
Chi Hae looked expectantly at the group, pen poised to fill the application form. “Agreed?”
“Agreed!” everyone chimed before Chi Hae wrote the name down.
“I’m going to turn it in now before I forget.” The girl got up from her seat and exited the door. A few minutes after she left, Leo stood up and walked out the door.
Walking the long distance of the narrow hallway, a door suddenly opened, hitting Chi Hae’s face.
“Oh! Chesunghaeyo! I didn’t see you!” the person apologized.
“It’s okay” she looked up and saw the person’s face, “Myungsoo-oppa?”
“Chi Hae-ah?” he recognized her face and smiled. Helping her up, he mentioned, “I thought I saw your name, but I didn’t know it was you!” he patted her head like old times.
Giving each other a friendly hug, Chi Hae smiled up at him, “Yeah and Eun Jae’s here as well.” She looked down to his hand holding the application, “Turning in your form?”
“Yeah. Shall we go?” he started walking towards the auditorium. Little did they know that Leo was following Chi Hae out and was now looking at Myungsoo with little hatred.
She smiled again. Wait. Myungsoo, L from Infinite? She called him oppa… Is he the ex-boyfriend? He broke out of his thoughts when he saw them walking again.
Turning in both of their forms, Myungsoo asked, “Did you change your number?”
“Oh? Yeah. You did too since you’re so popular now,” she replied.
The two took out their phones and traded numbers, “Let’s hang out again like old times. Bring Eun Jae too.”
Leo’s eyebrows met and he cringed at the thought of them meeting with each other again. Suddenly his chest was hurting slightly; he put his hand over it, feeling himself beginning to relax.
“Of course!” She put her phone back in her pocket and bid Myungsoo goodbye, since he had a separate schedule. She turned around once hearing someone’s footsteps. “Leo-sunbae! When did you get here?”
“Just now. Did you turn in the form yet?” he lied.
“Oh. I did. Shall we go back now?” she started walking and Leo followed once again, shoving his hands in his pocket.
What was that feeling earlier? Leo thought, confused.
After lunch, the group decided to gather around for a mini talent showcase--or as N called it, “The Wonderful Talent Show Full of Talented Girls.” So far, Jiyoung had shown off her dancing skills while Soohyun sang.. Mei Yun, with the help of everyone constantly pushing at her, demonstrated her rapping skills; Ravi was thoroughly impressed. Boram jumped up and performed an amazing dance mash-up of many popular and difficult choreographies. Then, it was Eun Jae’s turn.
“...Can’t I just withdraw from this talent show?” she whined for the umpteenth time.
Boram sighed. “Just go up and do something! Even Mei Yun was able to rap. We’re all sure you can do whatever you wanna do.”
The brunette’s pout only grew. “But I don’t want to! You’re all just gonna laugh and I’m gonna get cut and I’ll never see any of you again…”
Chi Hae patted her friend’s back. “Eun Jae, just sing. Pretend we’re in high school like the old times. Myungsoo-oppa would play his guitar, you’d sing, and I’d dance. Alright?”
Upon hearing the name ‘Myungsoo,’ Leo stiffened slightly.
“...Okay,” Eun Jae said softly with a small nod. “I’ll sing…” The group cheered loudly as she got up. “Play the one I’ve been singing for the past month, unnie.”
N cleared his throat, “And now we have Cha Eun Jae who will sing a song for us!”
Eun Jae looked to Chi Hae who nodded to her and gave her thumbs up before pressing the keys of the grand piano. The beautiful melody of Kim Sunggyu’s “60 Seconds” (acoustic version) began to resound through the dorm. Eun Jae took a deep breath before finally letting her out for the group to hear.
“Jongjong georeooda meomchwo”
Her voice was soft and quiet as she started due to her nervousness.
“Duribeon daedaga neowa majuchin siseon
Hwanggeuphi gogaereul dollyeo
Bal kkeunman bodaga
Cheoncheonhi ollyeobwa
Keojineun nun
Jogeumssik beoreojineun ipsul
Nae simjangi gwitgareul ullyeo”
Eun Jae took a deep breath while Chi Hae paused for a moment to prepare for the chorus. Finally, feeling comfortable and confident, Eun Jae sang louder.
“Yuksib chomyeon chungbunhan story
Nae mameuro neon deureowasseo
Nan uisimchi anha
Nal gajyeogan geol
Jjarpji anheun time.”
The members of VIXX were clearly impressed, especially the main vocals. Leo’s eyes had widened at the start of the chorus, and he nodded his head to the beat slightly, showing his approval. Ken, on the other hand, had been enchanted from the start. He couldn’t take his eyes off Eun Jae, and he found himself loving her voice more than he had expected.
“Neon geureon saram
Naegen chungbunhan story
Iyu ttawi nan pillyo eobseo
Nal seollege haetgo neol chatge haesseo
Cheoeumui geu time.”
Chi Hae played a few more keys to end the song smoothly, nodding and smiling at Eun Jae who ducked her head down to let her hair cover her blushing face. The group clapped and cheered, especially the “ahjummas” of VIXX.
“...Yeah, that’s my song,” Eun Jae muttered while taking a few short bows. She quickly scurried back to her spot beside Ken.
“Unnie, you were amazing!” Jiyoung smiled.
When all Eun Jae did was nod of her head, Ken gently cupped her face and forced her to look at him. The brunette blinked at him and found herself expecting him to do something.
“O-oppa?”
“Eun Jae~!” he cooed while pinching her cheeks that were still soft with baby fat, “That was amazing!”
Eun Jae blushed and tried to turn away from her mentor who only laughed and playfully slung his arm around her. “Oppa, let go! Yah!”
He only laughed harder.
“It looks like the only one left is Chi Hae,” N announced. He looked over at the girl on the piano, “Well, whenever you’re ready, go ahead.”
“Aye Aye Aye!” Jiyoung cheered loudly before she started.
Chi Hae introduced her song, “I’m going to continue the Sunggyu mood. This is Only Tears by Kim Sunggyu.” She started to play the melodic intro.
“Saranghanda mianhada
Geurae deoneun andoegesseo;
Nan dagagal jagyeok jocha eobseo
Nal saranghaji ma;
Naegen maeumeul naeeojul yeoyudo eobseo
Maeireul himgyeopge salgo
Haruga beogeowo ulgo
O nan.. Nege jul su inneunge eobseo
Missing u
Ttatteutan maldo motae
I missing u;
Gamhi baral sudo eobseo
I missing u
Ireoke mireonae;
Naegen gajingeon simjangppun motnan nyeon mira”
Chi Hae continued to play the piano and sang. Her voice held the feelings she felt during her past relationship with Myungsoo. She thought of herself as a bad girl for causing him pain, even though she faced the same pain.
“Chamgoisseo apeujiman
Naegen nunmuldo sachiya
Neol barabol jagyeok jocha eobseo
Nal barobaji ma;
Ara neo inneun geugose nae mami isseo
Sumgyeori daheul georie
Eonjena gateun jarie
O nan.. Nege jul su inneunge eobseo
Missing u
Ttatteutan maldo motae
I missing u
Gamhi baral sudo eobseo
I missing u
Ireoke mireonae
Sesang nuguboda
Neoreul saranghagie chama deo”
Recalling all the suffering she felt while facing all his fangirls, and the nostalgic feeling of breaking up, a tear slipped from her eye. She continued to play and sing the last chorus with all the emotions she felt in her heart.
“O nan.. Ni son jabajul suga eobseo
Missing you
Nunmulman angilkkabwa
I missing you
Hamkke hajal suga eobseo
I missing you
Ireokke doraseo
Naegen gajingeon simjangppun motnan nyeon mira,”
Chi Hae played the final chord and looked up from the piano. Feeling the tear on her face, she quickly wiped it off. “Oh? What’s wrong with me?” She laughed it off and sat back down with the others.
Concerned about her tears, Leo looked at her once again, but she was already smiling like nothing had happened. He wondered, Chi Hae. Who was that song for? Who were you shedding your tears for? But he felt like he already knew the answer.
Everyone was clapping and cheering after her performance. Again, the cheerful leader stood up to grab everyone’s attention. “Hmm… Shall we decide roles?”
“It’s obvious that Chi Hae and Eun Jae will be the lead vocalists,” Boram stated bluntly.
“And it’s a given that Mei Yun will be the rapper…” Soo Hyun added quietly.
"Jiyoungie's pretty good at rapping too. I heard her in the shower," Mei Yun said, "she can be a rapper with me."
"I think she's better as a dancer, like me," Boram smiled.
"Can't she do both?" Soo Hyun asked.
"So I'm a dancer and rapper?" Jiyoung asked. The others nodded in agreement. "Cool. Boram unnie's a better dancer, so she'll be the main."
"Okay, what do we have so far? I can't keep up," N said.
"That's because you're old, N-jumma," Ravi said before reciting the current roles, "Chi Hae and Eunjae will be the lead vocals, Mei Yun will be the main rapper, Jiyoung will be a rapper/dancer, and Boram will be the main dancer."
"What about me?" Soo Hyun asked.
"Soo Hyun should be a vocalist too," Hongbin said.
"Hold on, we're forgetting some of the most important positions," Ken said.
"What's that, oppa?" Eun Jae asked, her attention solely on him.
"Visual-"
"Like me," Hongbin winked, only to get a smack in the head from N.
"Visual, leader, maknae," Ken said. "You could also have the umma or appa of the group."
"Isn't it kind of obvious that I'm the maknae, oppa?" Jiyoung asked, "I mean...I am the youngest."
"Okay, maknae down," Ken said.
"That was honestly a given, hyung," Hyuk agreed.
"What about the leader?" N asked, "who's my twin?"
"I vote Chi Hae unnie," Soo Hyun mumbled.
"I second that," Boram agreed with a nod.
"Me? the leader?" Chi Hae asked, surprised. "What makes you guys think I have the potential to lead our group?"
"You're the oldest, that's for one. Which means, you're the wisest," Mei Yun reasoned.
"You're also the most mature, unnie," Jiyoung added.
"Unnie can also be the umma--she's been scolding me since high school," Eun Jae said.
"That's because, you deserve it," Chi Hae retorted, making the other girl pout and cross her arms.
"Chi Hae-noona it is," Ravi clapped his hands.
"What about visual?" Hongbin asked
"I think it should be Eun Jae," Ken complimented her. "She's gorgeous."
"Ooh~ Does hyung have a crush?" Hyuk teased along with Jiyoung.
"Eun Jae is pretty," Soo Hyun agreed. One by one, the rest began to nod their heads.
"Eun Jae's the visual," Hongbin smiled patting her shoulder, "welcome to the beautiful club."
______________________________________________________________________________
After deciding the positions of the girls' group, A-Game, everyone agreed on ordering pizza for dinner. The food arrived around eight o'clock and was gone within an hour. Gathered in the living room, the group of idols and trainees watched some T.V.
Hyuk sighed, breaking the silence. "I'm really bored guys."
Boram, who had been braiding Soo Hyun's hair, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, can't we do something?"
Eun Jae rocked back and forth from her spot on the couch, "Wanna play a game?"
Everyone shook their heads, leaving the brunette pouting.
"Oooh!" Jiyoung squealed, "Let's tell scary stories!"
"No," Eun Jae immediately responded, eyes wide with fear. "No no no."
"Oh c'mon noona," Hyuk groaned. "Let's do it! It'll be fun!"
N smirked. "Whoever tells the scariest story doesn't have to wash dishes for the week, arraso?"
"I'm in!" Boram chimed along with Ravi.
"N-hyung, I thought you hate scary stuff," Ravi teased, earning him a hit on the head by his leader.
"Yah, who told you to talk?"
Hongbin laughed lightly before looking over to a concerned Soo Hyun whose face looked paler than usual. "Scared?"
Soo Hyun smiled sheepishly at him, "Just a bit... Mei Yun-unnie and I can handle certain levels of scariness," she confessed.
Eun Jae groaned and curled up into a ball. "God, it... you all and your scary ... it all... . It. All," she hissed under her breath.
Upon hearing her profanities, Ken and Chi Hae turned to look at her, the former looking at her with an amused smile while the latter looked more concerned.
"Eun Jae-ah, do you wanna just go into your room and watch T.V.?" Chi Hae, being the mother she is, asked.
Eun Jae shook her head. "I don't wanna look like such a wimp, unnie..."
Ken wrapped an arm around her and pinched her cheek. "Don't worry, Eun Jae-ah~" he sang, "Oppa will protect you."
The brunette only looked unamused.
Boram and N took the liberty of closing the blinds, curtains, doors, and lights. The only light was a small candle that sat on the floor in the middle of the circle the group had created.
"What is this, are we gonna start satanic rituals or something?" Ravi joked, only to get a smack from Eun Jae who reached all the way across the circle just to do so.
"Yah, don't joke about this, oppa!"
Chi Hae faintly smiled, making Leo glance at her. "Do you get scared easily?" he questioned quietly.
The girl jumped slightly, surprised that the man next to her even dared to speak first. "Uh... Um... I-It actually depends on the story."
Leo nodded and hummed in response.
"Okay, I'll go first!" Hyuk shouted with a raised hand.
N nodded, "Okay. Let's hear it, Hyuk-ah~"
The maknae cleared his throat before smirking mischievously. "It was a dark and stormy night-”
“Oppa, I’m going to stop you right there,” Jiyoung put her hand up, “all stories that start with that are so not scary.”
“Yah, at least listen to me first,” Hyuk scolded as he cleared his throat. “It was a dark and stormy night, everyone was inside their homes, except for one man. He had to go visit his grandmother who lived in a small, rural village. She was as frail as a wilting plant stem, so he had to visit her. The man got lost and went door to door to ask for directions. The people told him to take the tunnel, but to stay away at night, he best be off in the morning. The man was stubborn, he wouldn’t listen to the others. He got in his car and drove towards the tunnel, thinking that nothing could happen. His engine suddenly stopped, and the lights of the tunnel crashed, surrounding him in pure darkness.”
Hyuk stopped and took a swig of water, almost spitting it out in laughter at the scared facial expressions of his elders. “Where was I...Oh! The man heard a tapping on the window. He first thought it was the rain, but then he remembered that he was in a tunnel. Pfft, idiot. The lights again and he saw handprints on his window. The next day, he took the car to the washers. The guys said that the handprints weren’t from the outside...They were from the inside.” (Thank you Sunggyu on Ranking King for the scary story =D)
Jiyoung let out a horror-filled scream and the girls jumped in terror, clutching whoever was next to them. Then the group heard laughter from the two maknaes.
“That was great,” Hyuk laughed high-fiving Jiyoung.
“Unnies, you should have seen the looks on your faces!” she roared.
“Are you kidding? N hyung screamed higher than Chi Hae noona!” Hyuk clapped.
“You two are so childish,” Leo stated boredly.
Jiyoung smiled and put up a V sign, “maknaes are supposed to be childish, oppa.”
“Devil children,” Mei Yun hissed in Chinese as she let go of Ravi’s arm.
Eun Jae began cursing under her breath, her body curled into a ball as she tried to calm her pacing heart. "Stupid... ing... Scary... ... ... ... I hate this... it..."
“Anyone else wanna give it a go?” Jiyoung asked excitedly, “if not, it’s my turn.”
“Hm, I have one,” Boram said crossing her arms, “this actually happened to me.”
“What did?” Hongbin asked
“I was out in an abandoned studio, it was around midnight-”
“Why would you be in an abandoned studio at midnight? That’s calling for something stupid,” N said.
“I was dancing!” she defended herself. “Anyway, I was practicing and then I heard a thump on the wall. I ignored it at first, I thought I was just hearing things. About...10 minutes later, I heard the thump again, only louder.”
“What did you do?” Soo Hyun asked using Hongbin as a cover.
“I explored of course,” Boram shrugged.
“Why would you that?! That’s a death sentence!” N scolded.
“Yah! Stop interrupting me!” Boram complained. “I explored and found the sound coming from the bathroom, I slowly walked towards the bathroom-”
“Did you have a weapon?” N asked
“Cha Hak Yeon, I am this close to biting you,” she turned to him, hitting his arm. “I was walking towards the bathroom and someone touched my shoulder, but I was the only one in the building.”
“Did you die?” Ken asked looking as scared as Eun Jae.
“If I died, would I be here right now?” Boram rolled her eyes.
“You could be a ing ghost for all we know...” Eun Jae hissed, glaring at her from under her hair.
“And then what happened?” Jiyoung asked completely intrigued with her story.
“Oh, it was just a night guard, he was wondering why there was music coming from the studio, haha.” Boram laughed.
“Noona, bwoyah.” Hyuk booed, “I am very disappointed.”
“I was scared that night,” Boram said. “I’m serious.”
“Your fault for practicing at midnight,” N muttered only to get hit by Boram.
Jiyoung happily smiled and used the flashlight on her phone to shine under her face.
“I-I think I’ve had enough for tonight,” Chi Hae said, completely oblivious to her hugging Leo’s body. The maknae protested, using aegyo as her weapon.
“Jiyoung-ah, some of your unnies would rather go to bed now,” Leo said monotonously.
“You guys are no fun, tch,” she pouted, crossing her arms with anger.
“C’mon hyung, just one more.” Hyuk said, “Jiyoung’s been waiting.”
“You okay?” Ken said turning to Eun Jae, who was shaking beside him. He gently pulled her into a tight embrace. She shook her head, burying her face in his chest as she tried to hide the tears that began to fall.“Jiyoung-ah, tell us another night... Please... The girls are pretty scared now...”
“Not just the girls,” Mei Yun said looking at Ravi who turtled himself up in his sweater. Soo Hyun glanced at her maknae and saw the disappointed look in her face.
"Please?!" Jiyoung whined. "I promise this will be the last one! Pretty please?"
N cleared his throat. "I think it's only fair for Jiyoung-ah to go."
The group sighed and nodded. Jiyoung smiled.
"Okay... Well..." she started, "This is a story from a few years ago, it happened when I was 17 and I'll never forget it...". Jiyoung leaned in closer towards the middle of the group and her expression turned gravely serious. "...When I was seventeen and living in Busan, there was an abandon house on a hill near by where I lived. It was notorious for ghost sightings and various paranormal activity and all kinds of people, mostly teenagers, would go there to creep out their friends and mess around. So the story goes that in the 1960s there was a family of four living in that house, and everything was fine until one day the dad suddenly snapped and locked his two children in a closet. Then he killed and cannibalized the mother, and dumped her body in a river. After that, he killed his children and dumped them too. Some say the father must've been mental or had some undiagnosed mental illness, others say it was because of marriage troubles or serious debt. No one could figure out just what would drive a man to murder his whole family in cold blood for seemingly no reason... When my friends and I visited, the house looked as if nothing had happened there, and it really didn't. It was as if the family just one day disappeared into thin air, and left everything as it was.
"Well, being stupid high schoolers at the time, my friends and I decided that we would sneak into that supposedly abandoned haunted house and try to catch some 'ghosts' on camera. We planned it out really well, and all five of us met on a chilly night in November and walked up the hill in anticipation of what was to come. While we were walking up the hill my friend Kyungji kept making jokes and saying she was hearing weird noises coming from the surrounding woods. The rest of the group shrugged it off and told her to shut up because we hadn't even made it to the front porch yet. When we got to the front porch, we saw that the door was cracked open and everyone told me to get the camera ready, so I got it out and turned it. It had a night vision feature which allowed me to see in the dark, through the camera screen. I was quickly designated to be the leader since I had the camera, and my friends told me to go in first, and that they'd be right behind me.
“It was pitch dark in the house so the camera screen acted as my eyes , and as soon as I walked through the door a cold wind sweep over my head and I hear a low, almost inhuman, growl come from somewhere inside the dark house. I freaked out a little bit and almost screamed, and backed up into my friends standing behind me, all as freaked out as I was. My one friend who was making jokes earlier shrugged it off easily and said, ‘It's an old house, it must be breezy and the floorboards must squeak’. We all 'agreed' with her and walked into the living room right through the front door and my friends their flashlights to look around. The house was for the most part a normal house, but there were some bizarre paintings on the walls, and a hospital like bed right in the middle of the room, and everything looked pretty outdated.
“After a few minutes of searching around, my friend said, ‘Alright, we're going to go through with the dare. We'll all split up and explore different rooms, and the first one to scream and run out of theirs is the loser’. The air seemed to stiffen and everyone was seldom silent as they decided in which direction they would go. Lucky me, I got stuck with the only room upstairs, where the children supposedly died. Walking up the stairs they creaked and I remembered that this house hadn't been inhabited since the 60s. When I made it to the top, I heard a rustling sound and pointed my camera immediately to the right, and saw a black mass on the floor look at me, then quickly retreat into the darkness. I stopped breathing in that moment, and I just wanted to scream and run out of the house, but I was reminded that if I lost the dare I would probably have to treat everyone in the group to a ridiculously expensive dinner.
“So, I held it in, and reluctantly went further into the house. I finally made it into my assigned room and once in there, I just stopped in the middle of it and took a deep breath. I kept trying to reassure myself that ghosts didn't exist, and that there was nothing life threatening in that house. After my few moments of rest, I began to look around the room and saw what appeared to be a children's room, with books and toys scattered all across the room. I walked along the walls and noticed through the camera that each side of the room was painted a different color, and all with different textures as well. It struck me as eerie and odd, and it sent an almost paralyzing shiver down my spine.
“All of a sudden I felt like I wasn't alone, and quickly turned around to walk towards the closet to catch what I was told would be there. I walked to the closet opened the door and got inside and sat down. I pointed the camera at the door and saw what I was told I would see: the infamous scratch marks of the trapped children before their slaughter, desperately trying to escape. I was shocked that they were actually there, and hugged my knees to my chest, out of instinct. The closet door inexplicably slammed shut and made the loudest BOOM I thought I'd ever heard in my 17 years.
"I dropped my camera and covered my ears because I heard children screaming in both my ears as loud as they could; blood curdling screams. I started crying and tried to open the door as fast as I could, but it wouldn't open. I thought that I was now trapped in the closet just like the two children all those years ago, and I started banging and screaming my head off on the door, trying to get it to open. After a few minutes I stopped banging, backed against the wall and hugged my knees tightly in the overwhelming darkness, thinking it was futile. Hot tears were streaming down my face and I felt really uncomfortable trapped in that small space. After a few minutes, the door slowly rolled open on its hinges, and I slowly crawled out, being as cautious as I could in the darkness. I grabbed my camera which was still rolling, got up not caring to film anymore, and got out of that house as fast as I could. I almost tripped going down the stairs because I was running so fast. My friends had heard my steps coming down the squeaky stairs and followed me as I bolted out of the house and down the hill to the main road.
"When my friends had caught up to me, Kyungji was making fun of me for losing the dare, while my other friend looked at me, horrified, and shined a light at my neck. She gasped and backed away, saying there were three distinct claw marks running down my throat onto my chest, hidden by my coat. I freaked out myself and looked down, saying that I hadn't felt when it had happened or who did it. Everyone in the group went silent, and we all walked each other home that night.
"We never spoke of that night again, but I still have the footage on my camera. When I looked back at it earlier this year, I found some unnerving things on the tape, like the 'creature' that scratched me, which appeared as a transparent ghost of the child, and the thing I saw when I walked up the stairs. I have slight scarring on my chest, and I will never forget that night as long as I live, I don't think anyone a part of that group will."
Jiyoung straightened her back and her expression lightened up as she looked at the pale, frightened faces around the circle and smiled, satisfied with her work as she blew the small candle.
An eerie silence hung in the air. Everyone was truly scared. Chi Hae's arms around Leo tightened. A soft whimper broke the silence as Ken look down at Eun Jae who was tucked under his arm, shaking and crying silently.
"...So," N began, "Let's call it a night."
Hyuk laughed. "Oh that was great~"
Hesitantly, everyone got up and headed off to their respected rooms.
"Have a nice night everyone~" Jiyoung sang.
Chi Hae let out a sigh of relief as the maknaes exited towards their rooms, “Oh thank Jesus.”
“Were you that scared?” Leo asked.
“You weren’t?” Chi Hae retorted. He glanced towards her arms, which were still wrapped around him. Her eyes widened and she pulled away with a jerk, “M-Mianhae.”
“It’s okay,” Leo replied quietly.
“That’s enough excitement for tonight,” N stood up.
“Excitement? You almost peed your pants, hyung,” Hongbin said
“Yah, you too,” N scoffed. “Anyway, let’s all just sleep now. I’m beat.”
Eun Jae curled up under her sheets, her eyes still wide with fear as she scanned the dark room. Every shadow, every small sound, every slight movement made her squirm in fear. The girl whimpered softly and hugged her Rilakkuma bear tightly. Walking to Chi Hae's room would mean she would have to cross through the living room. She slowly sat up and eyed the door to Ken's room.
Maybe... Maybe just this once... she thought.
Eun Jae slipped out of bed and tiptoed as quickly and as quietly as she could to the door to her mentor's room. Carefully, she opened it and closed it, making her way over to where her mentor slept. The moonlight was the only light Ken had in his room, but it wasn't enough for Eun Jae. She crept slowly, eyes wide as she scanned the room for any mysterious shadows, her ears open for any odd sounds other than the pads of her feet. Finally, she met her mentor's bed.
The brunette swallowed the lump in , watching as Ken slept. She felt bad for coming here, but the fear she felt was too much for her to be alone.
So she spoke.
"O-Oppa..." she croaked.
Nothing.
"K-Ken-oppa..." she whimpered a little louder.
"Mm..?" the vocalist stirred, rolling over as he cracked his eyes open sleepily. "Eun Jae-ah..? What are you doing here...?" he slurred.
"I... I'm scared..." she admitted sheepishly.
Ken yawned and stretched before slowly sitting up. He scratched the back of his head and looked up at her. "Is it because of the stories?"
She nodded.
Ken stared at her for a moment. Eun Jae's arms were wrapped around her Rilakkuma bear tightly, and her eyes looked into his, pleading for him to allow her to stay. He smiled.
"C'mere," he scooted over and lifted the covers for her to get in.
Eun Jae blinked. "I-Is it really okay..?"
He chuckled. "Just get in here, Eun Jae."
The brunette found herself slowly sliding in next to him and laying down. Once she was settled, he pulled the covers over the both of them and turned to face her, propping his arm up and rested his cheek on his palm.
Eun Jae peered up at him. "Oppa..?"
"Hmm?" he hummed softly.
"C-Can you sing to me...?"
Ken nodded, still smiling at her. "Alrighty. I'll sing you something. Will that help you sleep?" His hand moved on it's own and began to her hair soothingly. She nodded and sighed softly in content. He chuckled softly and hummed. "Arraso~" Ken tugged her closer to him and began to sing "Don't Go" by EXO.
Eun Jae's eyes met with Ken's as he sang to her softly. His smile turned softer and gentler, making Eun Jae blush. The hand her hair never stopped, and only eased away the fear she felt. Her eyes began to close, but Eun Jae fought to stay awake, still wanting to listen to Ken's tender voice.
"Eun Jae-ah," Ken whispered, pausing the song and making Eun Jae jerk slightly. He leaned in close and touched his forehead to hers, "Just sleep, okay?"
And with that, the small brunette let her eyes close as Ken continued his solo ballad of "Don't Go." By the time he was done, Eun Jae had fallen asleep. The vocalist sighed, hand still her hair. The song he sang made him remember. Eun Jae made him remember. She made him remember the happiness he felt when he fell in love. He remembered the joy when he held his lover's hand, kissed her, held her. But she also made him remember the pain. The pain of choosing, of letting her go.
"Yah, Jaehwan-ah!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's more important?! Me or the company?!"
"It's not the company that's important!" he shouted back. "It's the fact that I'm this close... This close to fulfilling my dreams..." He clenched his fists. "Please... Please understand... I'm not breaking up with you because I care about the company... I care about you... I'm breaking up with you because I want to follow my dreams..."
Ken pulled his hand away from Eun Jae and slowly let himself lay down. He shook his head at the memory.
No Jaehwan. It's over.
The sound of Eun Jae's whimper broke his thoughts. Panicking, Ken began her hair again, humming the EXO song for her to calm down. She inched closer to him, curling up in her sleep. Ken slowly brought her closer to him and sighed.
It's okay, Jaehwan. He told himself, letting his eyes close as he lightly tangled his fingers into Eun Jae's brown locks.
It's okay.
A/N OOOOHHHH KEN'S PAST!! Its based off of "I Don't Want To Be An Idol" if you didn't notice. What's going to happen to Jae-squared??! HUUUUhh??!!
Lemme use this time now to fangirl on my bby's song "Blossom Tears". This song is sooo emotional. I cried watching the m/v TT^TT. It's so sad watching him push the girl away. But I am so jealous of her!! She gets to backhug him and Leo gets to carry her bridal style to the bed =3 huehuehue and caress her skin with his face omomomo! HE'S JUST TOO HAWT! I just love this song and the combination of voices. Lyn X Leo fighting! Here's the link if you didn't watch it: "Blossom Tears" by Lyn X Leo.
UGH MY LEO FEELS ARE ON A HIGH RIGHT NOW
MY HARDWORKING BBY!!
I'll go now...
~teenfinite1221
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