Friday the 13th

O_O

 

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Created: 1/13/'12

 

 

 

Hyun Joong

“Deal?” my friends asked in unison.

 

I sighed and looked at the bottle in the middle. The last time we played spin the bottle, I chose truth and the question they asked me? Nothing much to be memorable actually. They just wanted to clarify if I was gay. They are indeed my real friends, who know me very well. Now, can you feel the sarcasm on that statement? I’m sure you do.

That’s the reason why I picked dare this time. But I guess, luck will never be on my side when it comes to this game.

 

“Hyung?”

 

Oh, okay. I forgot that I’m in the middle of a 'dare' among my so-called friends.

 

I looked at the four of them.

“Fine.”

 

“We said, deal?” that was Young Saeng who asked it.

 

“Deal,” I said full of determination.

 

During the last time, they asked me if I was gay because Kyu Jong and Young Saeng both have girlfriends, while Jung Min and Hyung Joon are currently pursuing the girls they like. Me? They don’t hear anything about it so they suspected my ual orientation. See how much of a set of real friends they are?

 

Well, honestly, I have someone I like. It’s just that she’s too high for me to reach. I mean, I’m too shy around her.

 

“Hyung, who is the girl you like again?” Jung Min asked.

 

I told them I like someone just so they would stop nagging about the gay issue. But I don’t remember a time when I told them who is it. I know how impulsive they are and they’re gonna reveal my feelings to her once they’ve known her identity.

 

I chuckled at his question. “Let me repeat that. Who is it again? AGAIN? Why? Have I ever mentioned her name to you?”

 

“Ha! I told you, Hyung Joon! Hyung hasn’t told us yet!”

 

"What? Why are you passing the blame to me? It was your idea to ask him because you thought he’s going to tel—hmph!!!” Hyung Joon wasn’t able to continue as Jung Min covered his mouth with a hand.

 

“Let’s put some thrill into this dare.”

 

I scoffed at Kyu Jong. “So entering that haunted house alone isn’t thrilling enough for you?”

 

“Yah, yah! Hyung! Calm down. Don’t eat me yet! That’s the thing we’re going to talk about. Being alone. We’ll chose someone who could accompany you there.”

 

“That’s cool!” Young Saeng retorted.

 

I glared at each one of them. Their expressions saying that they all agree to it.

 

“I don’t think babysitting any of you while playing with the ghosts there would be thrilling. As a matter of fact, it would be annoying.”

 

“Who says one of us will be chosen?” Kyu Jong snapped back. “We’ll be choosing among our classmates. It’s up to you how to convince him… … … or her.”

 

I narrowed my eyes as I thought of it. Hmm.. Having someone with me inside that creepy place doesn’t sound so bad. At least there’s something I could have to distract myself from the spirits wandering around there.

 

I slowly nodded my head at them.

 

“Great. Then we’ll pick one. Yah, Kim Hyung Joon! List the names of all our classmates in small pieces of papers and roll them!”

 

Hyung Joon followed Jung Min's order. Poor kid always being bullied by his hyungs. While he was doing so, the three continued spinning the bottle. I counted myself out because I don’t think that damn bottle wants to be my friend.

 

“Done!” the youngest yelled. The three stopped playing and scattered the rolled papers in front of me.

 

“Pick one and think of a way to persuade that person to come with you,” Jung Min excitedly instructed.

 

I scrambled them first before picking one. As I unrolled it in my fingers, the name written on it almost made me fall off from the chair I’m sitting on. Seriously?

 

Jung Min snatched it away from me. “Let’s clear it,” he said. “You two will enter and if you’re still not back within an hour, you have to confess to the girl you like.”

 

Aish! That is so like Jung Min to say.

 

Oh, but wait! We can enter and stay still in a place while waiting for the time to pass by. Then we can go out before the clock strikes an hour. What a brilliant idea, Kim Hyun Joong! A genius indeed! A genius.

 

“Be careful, hyung. There are beliefs that once you’ve entered there, it’s not easy to find your way out. It seems like the house does some trick and even if you stay still in front of the door where you’ve just entered, you will be lost in some way. It looks small on the outside but not on the inside.”

 

Thank you very much for that awesome explanation, Kyu Jong. Give him a round of applause! Bravo! Bravo! Excellent! Your initials really suits you. K.J. for Kill Joy.

 

“HA!”

 

“YAH!”

 

The four of them laughed at me. I was too engrossed at Kyu’s words and little did I notice Jung Min was slowly approaching me from behind and startle me with his famous ‘HA!’

 

“You’re nervous, hyung! Don’t worry, we’ll be the ones to ask your companion to go with you, so that your task will be diminished,” Jung Min said.

 

“Why is this dare too much?” I asked with an irritated tone.

 

“Hyung, if you succeed, you don’t have to pay the ₩5,000 you borrowed from me last month,” Young Saeng said.

 

“And you also don’t have to be the one to wake up first every morning!” Hyung Joon added.

 

“And we won’t tell our professor that you really didn’t have a headache the last time you cut his class!” Kyu Jong finalized.

 

Oh my God. Have I told you before how JOYOUS I am to have them considered as my REAL friends? Oh, I think I did. I can read it from some info up there on the first part.

 

Just what exactly did I do to deserve this punishment?

 

I put my hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, you guys! I’ll do it.”

 

“6PM tomorrow. In front of that house. We’ll bring that classmate with us,” Kyu Jong stated and we all decided to call it a day-slash-night.

 

 

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1210 Monster street.

 

So this is it. I’m now in front of this abandoned house. I brought a small back pack with my flashlight and some snacks.

What?! I don’t want to be hungry while the ghosts are chasing us in there, you know.

 

“HYUNG!” I heard four voices called me. I looked in there direction and froze the moment I saw her.

 

Yes, my companion is a she.

 

“You ready?” Kyu Jong asked her.

 

She curtly nodded and the four pushed her gently towards me.

 

“Good luck, hyung! We’ll wait for you here. Timer starts the moment you two are already inside.”

 

They confiscated our cellphones and other gadgets. All we have are our flashlights and of course, the snacks in my bag. Once we were inside, I checked the time. It was 6:10 in the evening. That means we have to be out on or before 7:10PM.

 

“We can just stay here and wait for the time,” I told her.

 

“Really?” she asked.

 

“Yes. I mean, they wouldn’t find out, would they?”

 

She nodded and turned around. “But…” she began speaking. “…where is the door behind us?”

 

“Huh?” I turned around only to find out that yeah, the door disappeared.

“What the..?!”

 

‘…once you’ve entered there, it’s not easy to find your way out. It seems like the house does some trick and even if you stay still in front of the door where you’ve just entered, you will be lost in some way…’

 

Kyu Jong’s words went back in my mind. Okay. A door that was just behind us and suddenly disappeared was outlandish enough to make me believe that this house will not go easy with us.

 

“What are we going to do now?” her trembling voice asked.

 

I know. I know she was starting to get scared. Well, me too. But it wouldn’t help us if we both panic. So I tried to calm myself.

 

“So Min?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Do you trust me?”

 

“No, uhm, I mean… I mean… Yes, I do… Trust you,” she stuttered with her speech.

 

“Okay. Then we’ll try to look for our way out,” I calmly said.

 

“Okay.”

 

She glided her hand on mine and gripped it tightly. I can feel her shaking.

Calm down, Kim Hyun Joong. It’s just a hold. You can resist the temptation. Besides, the place is really inappropriate.

 

“Uhm. How did those punks convince you to join me?” I asked to avoid the awkward silence that she created by holding my hand.

 

“They kidnapped my calculus book,” she answered coolly.

 

“Nerd,” I muttered unintentionally.

 

“What?”

 

“Uh. Was that the only reason you agreed to come here?” I asked again thinking how ridiculous her reason was.

I mean, she could just forget about it and buy a new book instead of risking her own fear by joining the ghosts and I.

 

“Actually, the name of  the one I like is written in that book.”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

“Shh! You’re going to wake every spirit here!”

 

I stopped walking to look at her. Even though it’s kinda dark in here, I was able to see her face turning into a pinkish tint.

 

“So you do like someone?” I restated in the form of a question.