My eyes slowly fluttered open to the warm, bright sunlight. I turned over in my bed to the desk where my phone had started to vibrate with a call. The very reason of my awakening too early in the morning. With sleep heavy eyes, I picked up the device and looked at the caller ID. It was my boss. After a yawn and a debate whether I should just ignore it and go to back to sweet blissful sleep, I answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Ah, yes, Youngjae. Sorry to disturb you, but is there any chance that you could come in today? Jongdae called in sick today. I know you’re taking time off, but we couldn’t find anyone else.”

I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, thinking it would rub the sleep away, contemplating. I was too tired, but I needed to do something today instead of lounge around like I was planning to do. I sighed before replying.

“Sure, I’ll be there pretty soon.”

“Thank you, Youngjae. I knew I could count on you. Goodbye! “

I put my phone back down on the desk and buried my face in my pillow momentarily before sitting up. After finally getting my eyes to function properly, I pulled my blankets back and stepped onto the cold hardwood floor before stretching my arms upwards, popping a few back joints in the process. I made my way to the bathroom where I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and started the shower water.

After almost falling asleep in the shower, tripping down the stairs while I was struggling to tie my tie, almost forgetting my phone, eating a small breakfast, I was finally heading out the door to the bus stop. While waiting for the bus, I looked around in nervousness. I didn’t see the Jaguar F-type anywhere. I was both relieved and scared. Relieved that I didn’t start my day off with anything traumatizing, and scared because I couldn’t shake the feeling that what was going to happen next would be ten folds worse than what I was being put through.

Trying my best to shake the feeling off, the bus appeared and I boarded. I sat near the back and plugged my earphones in. It wasn’t long before I felt a light tap to my shoulder and I turned to meet a very handsome stranger. With his slick black suit and styled hair, I could tell that he must be some business man. He smiled and I only stared at him until I realized my earphones were still in. I took them out and he spoke.

“Hi, mind if I sit by you? All the seats are taken.” He said and I only nodded. He smiled before taking the seat next to mine, holding a black briefcase. “Thanks.” He said before smiling again. A silence overcame us and I felt slightly uncomfortable.

“What’s your name?” He asked after a while, breaking the silence that became suffocating.

“Y-Youngjae.” I stuttered and cursed myself for stuttering. The man only smiled and nodded.

“You have a nice name. My name’s-“

The man was cut off by the bus driver’s voice. “Channel Six news building! Anyone getting off!?”

I quickly stood and the man moved his legs out of the way to allow me to leave. “I’m sorry, this is my stop. It was nice meeting you.” I said before scurrying off the bus. I entered the building and rode the elevator to my floor and was greeted by a string of hellos and welcome backs. I smiled and nodded before meeting Yongguk who gave me his warm, gummy smile.

“You ready?” He asked and I nodded. I took off the jacket I was wearing and a stylist took it before I went over to my spot in front of the camera. The stylist came back and beautified my already beautiful face. Then Hyoseong showed up, her usual rose perfume invaded my senses, and she took her spot next to me. The director gave me the papers where it had what I was to discuss on the news before taking his place back beside Yongguk where he started a countdown. He reached one and I took a deep breath.

“Good morning, Seoul. This is Yoo Youngjae reporting to you live from the Channel Six news building.” My voice wavered but remained strong while I discussed the first topic. Being here gave me a sense of dread and fear. During commercial break, I overlooked my notes, my hands were trembling. Before I knew it, it was time to come back on. It was going to be a long day.

<< * >>

Himchan sighed tiredly as he rubbed his drooping eyes. He’s been here all night with no rest, looking at Youngjae’s case files and Daehyun’s, finding nothing helpful; no leads whatsoever. He put his head down on the table and remained that way until Jongup barged in. Himchan jumped in fright, knocking a few papers to the floor in his startled behavior. When he saw it was only Jongup he glared at the younger.

“Jongup! Don’t do that again. You scared me.” Himchan said and Jongup smiled apologetically before holding up a brown bag and an iced Americano.

“Sorry, hyung. I just came in to give you some bagels and coffee.” Jongup set the brown bag where a tasty scent wafted and a coffee in front of Himchan who smiled at Jongup.

“Thanks Jongup.” He said before bending down where he started to pick up the papers he knocked off of his desk. Then he saw the notes he took the previous night at Youngjae’s house about the mask that terrified Youngjae to great extent. Then he finally, after hours of endless work, got an idea. He took the paper and left the other ones on the floor and stood up abruptly.

“How could I be so stupid?” He mumbled to himself before walking out of his office, Jongup trailing behind him.

“Stupid about what?” Jongup asked and Himchan showed him the notes and he was confused for a second before finally getting what Himchan was on. “Oh, I see. What do you need Junhong and me to do?” He asked.

“Call Youngjae and get him down here. I’m going to get the sketch artist.” Himchan said as he started walking away, straightening out his Raven black hair, and Jongup called out an okay before heading to his desk that was connected to Junhong’s. He sat down at his desk, but stood back up and peered over at Junhong.

“Hey Zelo, what’s Youngjae’s number? Himchan told me to call him and get him over here, but I don’t know his number.” Jongup said and Zelo laughed.

“Pabo,” He said before finding Youngjae’s number and giving it to Jongup. Jongup sat back down with a small smile and soft thanks before grabbing his phone, and he dialed Youngjae’s number.

<< * >>

We just finished the morning segment and were waiting for the afternoon to come around to start the next segment when my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Jongup’s caller ID. I answered it quickly.

“Hello?”

“Youngjae, is it okay if you could come down to the precinct?”

“Um, I’m not sure. I’m at work now because Kim Jongdae called in. We’ll be starting the afternoon segment here in about an hour. What do you need me for?”

“Oh, we need you to describe, in the best detail you can, the mask you saw last night. Himchan brought a sketch artist in so we need you to come in.”

My body instinctively shuddered at the mention of that wretched mask, but, if it helps my case, I’ll do whatever they needed me to do. I sighed before replying.

“How long will this take?” The young detective paused on the other side of the line before replying.

“About fifteen to twenty minutes. It varies.”

I bit my lip in thought as silence overcame the phone conversation.

“So, will you be able to come down then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

“Okay. Thanks Youngjae!”

The call ended there and I put my phone back in my pocket before walking out of my dressing room to go find Yongguk. I asked him for a ride to the precinct and, being the best friend that he is, acquiesced. After telling our boss, he let us go as long as we get back before they started rolling, and we made our way to the precinct.

“So what did they want you for?” Yongguk asked after a while of driving in silence.

“Himchan wants me to describe the mask I saw last night when my home was … intruded.” I said and Yongguk abruptly looked over at me before looking back at the road.

“What are you talking about ‘intruded?’?” Yongguk asked with brows furrowed in concern. I just shrugged.

“My stalker intruded my home, and he almost hurt me.” I said, looking down, and Yongguk glanced back at me.

“What? You should’ve called me. You could’ve spent the night at my house. Are you okay?” Yongguk said as I nodded slightly at his question of concern. Before I knew it, we arrived at the precinct, and, after parking, we entered the building. We rode the elevator up to the floor Himchan was on and I was led to an interrogation room by Jongup who greeted me with his usual smile while Yongguk waited in the room on the other side of the mirror glass.

I walked hesitantly to the silver table and sat on one of the chairs facing the mirror glass. While waiting for the sketch artist, I took the time to look at my features. Without the makeup from the stylists, I looked extremely exhausted with my eye bags and rough complexion. I leaned back in the chair and rested my hands on the cool metal of the table, fiddling with my fingers.

After a few minutes, Zelo came in accompanied by a younger looking man. He looked younger than Zelo, maybe they were the same age. Zelo smiled warmly at me before standing by the table.

“This is Kim Taehyung. He’s the sketch artist who’ll be drawing for you.” Zelo said before gesturing to the man who took a seat in front of me with a soft smile.

“Hello, Mr. Yoo. How are we today? I’ll be drawing what you give me, so make your details very sharp and there won’t be any problems.” Taehyung ended with another soft smile. I nodded before watching him bring out his sketch book and pencil from within the confines of his black briefcase.

“Alright, shall we begin?” He asked, and I nodded, suddenly feeling very nervous. Zelo noticed my hesitance and reached over his long arm to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll be alright hyung. Just give him the best details you can, we’ll see what he has, and from there we’ll do our best to find anyone who recognizes the mask.” I nodded and smiled at the warm smile plastered to Zelo’s face.

“Alright, Youngjae, the first details?” Taehyung asked, his pencil hovering over the paper.

I took a deep breath before I started talking.  “The face of the mask was white. It had dangling things-“

“Like this?” Taehyung showed the outline of the mask I saw last night and I nodded slowly.

“The weird dangling things alternated red and black and it had little bells at the end of them. The face had a sinister smile with yellow teeth, the nose was red, and the eyes, the eyes …” I trailed off and both Zelo and Taehyung gave me warm smiles.

“It’s alright Youngjae. Take your time and continue when you’re ready.” Zelo said and I nodded.

After taking more deep breaths, I continued. “The eyes were wide and were yellow with red pupils. Around the eyes, there was something that looked like black paint.” I paused for a moment, and then continued. “That’s all I remember.”

Taehyung nodded and continued his sophisticated sketching in silence, the sound of the pencil filling the silenced air. Zelo gave me an encouraging smile before Taehyung put his pencil down and sighed. “Is this the mask?” He said as he turned his sketchpad towards me. When I laid eyes on the paper, my breath hitched and my hands subconsciously started to tremble. Taehyung drew exactly what I remembered, although a few details here and there weren’t accurate, but overall, the mask was exactly as I had seen it the night before. I nodded and he showed Zelo the sketch. Zelo took the sketch, thanked Taehyung and I before exiting the interrogation room with Taehyung trailing behind, not without telling me that I was free to go.

I stood up on trembling legs and made my way to the door where I opened it to meet Yongguk, Himchan, and Jongup. “You ready to go?” Yongguk asked and I nodded. “See you later Himchan.” Yongguk said with a smile before leaving and I followed. “You okay?” Yongguk asked and I nodded before getting into the car. He knew and I knew that I really wasn’t okay. I was scared less, and I was tired of living in constant fear, but it’s become a typical thing in my stressful life. The fear never goes away; I just had to make more room for it.

<< * >>

“That’s all for tonight folks. Good night.” I said as Hyoseong followed, saying her good night as well. When the camera stopped rolling, I yawned and Hyoseong turned to me.

“Are you okay, Youngjae?” Hyoseong asked in concern and I turned to her before nodding. “Are you sure? You seemed a little shaken up tonight.” I nodded once more before walking to my dressing room, totally unaware that Yongguk was following me. I entered my room and sat down on the white couch with a deep and exhausted sigh before burying my head in my hands. I only looked up when I heard the door open and close. It was Yongguk. He sat beside me.

“How about we go for something to eat? You look like you haven’t eaten for days.” Yongguk said with a laugh when he heard my stomach growl at the mention of food. I chuckled lowly before replying.

“Sure, food sounds great.” I said and Yongguk stood up, grabbed my coat, his car keys, and then he grabbed my arm. I let him drag me, too tired to walk on my own. We exited the floor after yelling goodbyes to everyone and before long, we were out the door and on our way to a food place.

I was honestly starving, not having eaten a lot the past few days. The days that were filled with crippling fear and stress that just didn’t seem to go away like an itch that won’t stop itching. Oh, how much I desperately wish for it to go away so that I can live peacefully. I wanted this to end, for Jung Daehyun to leave me alone. I want my life to go back to being normal. But I know I can’t change that. My life took a left turn from normality when that house fire happened. It was an accident, said the police, but the firemen said otherwise.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Yongguk shut the ignition off of his car in front of a diner that was also a bar. We stepped out of his car and entered the food place. There were only a few customers scattered here and there. It was pretty late anyways. Yongguk and I took our seats at a booth. The waiter came around and took our drinks. Yongguk ordered for two beers, ignoring my protest because the only thing I wanted running down my throat was water. When the waiter left, a silence overcame the two of us. Then Yongguk spoke.

“How are you?” He spoke with such heavy concern and brows creased. He looked older than before.

“I’m fine.” I lied, but I know that he knew better when he shook his head.

“I know you’re not fine. Look, if you need anyone, I’m always here for you. And you know that.” Yongguk spoke and I nodded. The waiter came with our beer. I immediately downed mine with a wanting of getting a few things off of my mind, forgetting my need for water. I asked for another, and the waiter complied. Yongguk only looked on with concern. Forgetting about food, I downed more beer and asked for more.

“Youngjae,” Yongguk said, hoping to stop me, but I ignored him. The bittersweet liquid becoming all that I wanted to consume. Before I could get crazy drunk, I stopped. A look of relief washed over Yongguk’s face.

“I think we better leave before you doze off here.” Yongguk said with a deep chuckle when I was consumed with yawns. I stood, thankfully not drunk enough to not be able to walk. We exited the diner and Yongguk started the drive back to the Gwangjin area where I lived, but first said that he had to stop by his apartment to grab a few clothes, announcing that he was staying the night at my house. I told him no, afraid of putting him in danger, but he was persistent. So I had no other choice but to comply.

We were at his house when I heard the whimpers of a nearby dog. I stepped out of the car, that was still running, and walked to the noise where I saw a German Shepard’s leg caught painfully between a fence.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” I said with a hazy, drunken voice.

After struggling with my trembling hands, I was finally able to get the dog free.

“Shoo, now go home.” The dog didn’t move and only growled lowly before barking. “Hey, I helped you out, now go home.” The dog barked loudly and I was going to say something else when a gloved hand unexpectedly clasped tightly over my mouth. I screamed, but it was muffled. The dog ran away in fear. I did the only thing that felt right, I bit the hand, and it immediately let go. I pushed whoever it was, away from me before attempting to run, only to be pulled back. My wrists were grabbed and held tightly, a knife was unsheathed and I panicked, thrashing aggressively to get free. When I realized my mouth wasn’t being covered anymore, I screamed loudly.

“Help! Someone! Please help!” I yelled and I turned my face to the perpetrator to see the clown mask again. The man started to raise the knife, and I thrashed again. “Help! Please someone help!” I yelled desperately again. A lady stepped onto her porch across the street. She exclaimed before scurrying back into her house where I noticed, through the silhouetted curtains, that she was picking up her phone. Then, my thoughts, though hazy from drunkenness, remembered Yongguk.

“Yongguk! Please help! Yongguk!”

Tears were pouring their way out and my heart beat quickened as I did my best to avoid the knife. It felt like an eternity until I heard running footsteps on pavement, and I was glad to hear Yongguk come running for me. But what I heard next, not just shocked me, but made me feel more confused than I ever had.

“Youngjae!” I froze. That voice. I’ve heard it many times. The voice that was the terror of my dreams, the voice that caused stress to build more than it ever could, the voice that belonged to the last person I thought would be saving me. The deep, Busan accented voice that yelled my name again before he punched the figure on top of me.

The man was knocked onto the ground, and I yelled in pain as the knife sliced my forearm during the man’s fall, leaving a deep, severe gash where blood started to gush out. The man’s mask was knocked off by the impact of the impressively hard punch, but he was quick to shield his face as he turned away from me.

 Growing weaker with the loss of blood, and the hazy drunkenness, all I saw next was the man fleeing down the street, red and blue flashing lights illuminating the night in the distance, the goddamned clown mask lying on the street a few feet in front of me, and Jung Daehyun’s concerned face as he yelled what could be my name. His voice was distant, and he took off running when the police came nearer. Then everything went black.

<< * >>

A/N:

And I strike again! Just a heads up that I will be changing my username as soon as I receive 500 karma points. Anyway, thanks for reading my fic so far, and thanks for the love you lovely people give this story!

Also, a playlist will be coming your way! Please look forward to it! :)