6.7k, android!Key, yandere, possessive behavior, drug use, police investigation, missing persons case, manipulation, alcohol mention, kidnapping, guns, sci-fi, tech implants, invasive technology, stockholm syndrome, brainwashing, mind control (Prev//)
“What are you doing, love?”
You looked back for a moment as Key approached, standing behind you and placing a hand on your shoulder. You were outside in the garden, settled in the gazebo, taking in the view of nature as inspiration.
“Painting. I want to try using the new colors you gave me.”
“I see. It looks lovely already, so I’m excited to see the finished piece.” Key gently pet your head. “Are you gonna spend all day painting?”
“I want to finish this and maybe we could watch a movie together. How does that sound?”
“…”
“Key?”
You glanced up at Key, seeing him staring off into space. Before you could say something he blinked a few times and then met your gaze.
“That sounds lovely. I’ll leave you to paint and come by with snacks later, is that good?”
“Yup.”
“Excellent.”
Key kissed your head and excused himself, leaving you to paint. He glanced back to see you once more before closing his eyes. A moment later when he reopened them he was back at the bar. Interruptions were annoying, but bound to happen. He pulled up a holo-screen to see what exactly was the cause of this disturbance. A gentleman was outside the shop, clearly trying to find a way to open the door. He wasn’t one of Key’s ideal specimens, so of course he had no access card. Then the gentleman in question pulled out a detective badge, showing it around in hopes of being caught on camera. The interruption wasn’t warranted in any way, but at least now it was interesting. He was going to have to let the detective in to better understand the situation. So he did just that, opening the door and allowing an unwelcome guest inside.
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Minho was a bit startled when the door slid open, actually surprised that flashing his badge would gain him access. The whole place was already weird, so he wasn’t even sure if he should bother but there could be something here. When he stepped inside the place was dark for a moment before the lights turned on. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he was still surprised. The place seemed rather empty, which felt odd since the name was the ‘Pleasure Shop’ but then again maybe he was just missing something. Besides himself the only other person present was the barista, but as he got closer he realized they weren’t a person at all, but an android. That would explain the silence.
“I’m detective Choi Minho, I wanted to ask a few questions in regards to a case I’m investigating. Might I ask where the owner of this establishment is?”
“Unknown.”
“What about your owner?”
“Unknown.”
“Do you… run this place on your own?”
“I am the barista. I serve drinks to the guests of this establishment.”
“Right…” Minho looked around at the empty place. “Then, might I ask, do you recognize any of these people? Have they ever come through here? And if so, could you tell me when?”
Minho pulled out his phone, showing a few pictures to the barista. He figured an android would be able to tell him something but he was wrong.
“Apologies detective, but no records are kept of the guests that enter this establishment. The privacy of our guests is of utmost importance.”
“Alright. If you could contact your owner, or the owner of this place and let them know I would like to speak with them.” Minho left his card on the table. “Thank you.”
Key watched as the detective left, taking one last look at the place. They had nothing but suspicions, yet it seemed someone had finally caught up. It may be a while before anything comes of this little visit, if at all, but it was best to prepare either way.
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Minho’s gut feeling kept telling him to look into that shop with the android. It really didn’t seem like it would lead anywhere, but it was better to investigate than have regrets. There wasn’t much information about that place, which wasn’t outright concerning, but it didn’t help. That is until he came across something interesting. A lot of individuals who went missing were known to frequent the night life district. That wasn’t surprising, but last known CCTV footage of them showed many around the same area. When he checked the maps he saw that shop was rather close. Although it wasn’t the only place nearby.
What really got his attention was discovering none of the CCTV near the shop was functional, hadn’t been for months. Then there was the fact one of the victims had this strange card in hand with a fancy letter ‘P’ on it. He couldn’t figure out what it was, but a hunch told him he knew where to look. The problem was this was all circumstantial evidence at best, so trying to get a search warrant wouldn’t be easy. Or so he thought. The case had been going nowhere for months, so any type of lead, regardless of the backing, had full support. So when Minho returned he had his search warrant and a small team to investigate with.
“Please cooperate and inform anyone you need to of this.”
Minho left the warrant on the bar table for the android to look over and theoretically contact whoever they served. Hopefully a human responsible for this place would show up, but in the meantime he and the others were looking around for anything to prove this wasn’t a waste of time and resources. Of course there wasn’t much to search at the front, even the bar seemed mostly empty. So they moved towards the back. They didn’t find alcohol which seemed odd but Minho found something stranger. There was actually an elevator in the building. He didn’t need anything to call it and stepped inside to find there was only an up and down button. This was as far up as it went so he had no choice but to push the down button.
When the doors opened there was initially just a dim light that barely illuminated anything. It was creepy but Minho got out of the elevator anyway. After a few steps some lights came on and the truth was revealed. Wherever this was, it was huge, and it wasn’t empty. Rows and rows of containment pods were present, and a majority of them were filled. Minho stepped closer to one of the pods, seeing a person inside with a bunch of wires connected to them. Despite his shock he examined the face of the person inside, recognizing them as one of the missing persons he’s been looking for. When he checked another pod he found another missing person, and he could only guess what was in the others. This whole scene was horrific, but he should at least be glad no one is dead. Or at least it seems that way.
Once Minho composed himself he used the radio to call his coworkers, informing them to get forensics here, and that they found their missing persons. Not to mention that android needed to be taken in as evidence, and Minho wanted to talk to it too. Within the hour, more policemen were in the area, and multiple ambulances had been called to transport the victims to hospitals to be examined. Minho was still processing all of this. It was sick to kidnap all these people and hold them like this. Everyone seemed to be alive, but there was no telling what had been done to them until they were properly examined. Although there was another problem Minho never even considered, and it was going to haunt him.
“Minho, you might want to take a look at this.”
“What haven’t I-”
Minho went over to where he was called to, wondering what exactly needed his attention. His words stopped when he saw a very familiar face on the gurney before him.
“Y/n… she… she’s been missing this whole time… fuck…”
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Back at the station many are gathered for a debrief. Roughly ninety percent of the missing persons had been recovered. Forensics did note that some of the empty pods had signs of recently being occupied, meaning this recovery wasn’t fully successful. They were still searching for the owner of the shop to make an arrest, but they were coming up empty. So far though, this was a great step forward in the case. Although since they were at a stalemate Minho made a suggestion. Since you were originally working on the case and ultimately wound up way more involved than anyone knew, perhaps you had some useful information.
“Useful information?” The chief laughed. “That kid got caught in their own case, I doubt they have anything valuable to offer.”
“She quit cause of the ridicule she faced and continued investigating on her own. Clearly she found the culprit all on her own but without backup she got caught. That’s on us!”
“Sure, whatever. Look, I’m not gonna argue with you here, Choi. So just do whatever to find that robot’s owner.”
Everyone was dismissed and Choi went to the observation room. From there he could look into the interrogation room, seeing that barista android quietly seated at the table. There hadn’t been an issue bringing it to the station, but it hasn’t responded to any questioning. Since it’s no longer at the shop he could understand that its programming might not have a response for such a situation, but he felt like there was something to get from this. He just needed to figure out the right approach. Since they were still looking for the owner, a court order wouldn’t be granted for them to gain access to the android’s programming, and trying to hack into it would result in a major lawsuit. So they were going to have to try everything else first.
While thinking of the next move Minho got a call. He had asked the hospital you were in to give him a call once you regained consciousness. It seemed that you had finally woken up and he intended to pay you a visit. He honestly didn’t know what he would say to get your help, but he owed you an apology first and foremost. The whole department did in his opinion, but given how his suggestion of asking you help went in the debrief, he was sure no one saw things his way. When he arrived at your hospital room he saw you standing by the window, staring up at the sky. He wasn’t sure for how long you had been held captive, but he figured it had been a while since you saw the sun, or anything real. Once inside you glanced back at him, but remained silent.
“It’s good to see you on your feet.”
“…”
“You’re recovering a lot faster than anticipated. It goes to show how strong-”
“What do you want?”
“I… I’m sorry. I let you down and I didn’t even know you were missing.”
“…”
“When I asked the chief why you quit, he said you were crazy. That you were missing time but he chalked it up to drugs and alcohol. I see now that was far from the truth. I shouldn’t have listened to him, I should have gone to see you, I could’ve known something was wrong sooner, I could have found you sooner.”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“I know you’re not just here to apologize. You’re here for something more.”
“I am, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m sorry.”
“…”
Minho sighed. “I want your help with the case.”
“No.”
“Y/n, you were the original investigator and you found-”
“I’m a civilian now, not to mention a victim in this whole thing.”
“If you were truly just a civilian you wouldn’t have continued investigating without a badge. You knew more about this case than anyone else. That’s how you found that shop months before us.”
“…”
“Look. Not all the missing people from the case have been found. Forensics confirmed that some of the victims were moved before we arrived. We’re still looking for the owner, but that’s proving to be more difficult than we originally thought. The android won’t tell us anything, but I’m thinking it might talk to you.”
“It’s stupid to have a victim talk to-”
“So the android was involved.”
You laughed. “Months of investigation and I still know more about this than any of you.”
“Then would you be so kind as to enlighten me?”
“…”
“I came as a friend, but I’m still the lead investigator on this case. I could always interrogate you myself if you prefer that.”
“Finally, you’re making your intentions clear.” You turned back to face Minho. “I guess he’s at the station.”
“The android? Yeah.”
“It really is a bad idea to let me talk to him.”
“We may have found most of the missing people, but the case is at a stand still. I wouldn’t just be asking you this if it wasn’t serious.”
“You mean demanding, but fine, I’ll talk to him.”
It was kind of weird to return to the station. To you it seemed like yesterday that you had quit and left, but in reality it had been months. Your memories were still a bit fuzzy, but the sensations lingered. You got some stares as you walked through the station with Minho, but you ignored them all. Instead you went with him into the observation room. There you could see Key on the other side of the glass, sitting in the interrogation room.
“Where’s the other one?”
“Hm?”
“This is Key, the barista, but there was another android out in the district. That one would hand out access cards that would lure people into the Pleasure Shop. It has the same face as the barista, but once alone inside that access card would get them a free drink and then they’d pass out.”
“Do you have any idea why someone would do this?”
“The keeper of exquisite beauty, or Key, liked to collect pretty people and keep them in a suspended state of pleasure.”
“Wait, are you saying the android is responsible for all of this?”
“I was in the night life district investigating, but I wound up at the Pleasure Shop as a target, not a detective. When Key realized who I was, he used me as a means to throw off the investigation. I see it worked.”
“Where is the owner in all of this?”
“Key moves independently. He doesn’t follow any programming from some former owner.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
“And you can’t do anything to Key.”
“Excuse me?”
“No one’s gonna believe that an android is responsible for all these missing people. You think he’s sitting there quietly because of his programming, but he’s not. He’s just playing all of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This whole case is going to be pinned on his previous owner, if they’re even alive, or the building owner, or whichever human is close enough to this.”
“Look, I’m not entirely sure I get what you’re saying, but we still have missing people to find.”
“You know not every missing person who’s disappeared over the last couple of months is connected to this, right?”
“I know, but there are still quite a lot of people missing.”
You sighed. “Fine. I’m sure you’ll come to regret this, but don’t blame yourself.”
You walked out of the observation room and went into the room next door. When you first entered you took a moment, staring at Key. You were already starting to tremble, but you held yourself together. You took a seat across from him, noting that there was no response at all. This felt a bit reminiscent of when you first met. He was quiet and unmoving as you took a seat at his bar, and you were completely unaware of what would happen to you. This time things would be a bit different. After staring for a moment you had the strength to talk.
“As a victim I really shouldn’t be allowed near you… but this meeting was going to happen either way. I would have gone out to find you myself, but in a way you came to me.”
“…”
“The detectives want information about the case, about the people who are still missing, but I don’t care about that. I just want to ask you one thing.” The tears in your eyes began to fall. “Why did you leave me behind?”
“…”
“Why did you leave me? Why am I back in this place? I want to go back to my paradise.” You choked on your tears. “It’s not fair for you to abandon me like this!”
You were full on sobbing, your true feelings coming to the surface now that you were facing Key once more. It somewhat felt pathetic, begging and crying like this. Even if a few things were foggy, you still remembered the sense of peace you had while under Key’s care. To be ripped away from that, it wasn’t fair. You could have understood if something went wrong, but you were told that Key had moved some people before being found out, and it hurt to learn you weren’t one of the people he kept. You buried your face in your hands, feeling ridiculous and broken all at once. Then your sobbing began to settle down when you felt a hand on your head gently petting you. When you looked up you saw Key with a soft smile on his face.
“Do you miss me that much?”
“… take me back… please…”
“I’m sorry, but I needed your help.”
“… my help…? … what do you mean…?”
“Well, I’m sitting here for starters.”
You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter… this is such a big case, with so many eyes on it… if the department were to say an android is responsible, they’d look incompetent, they’d all be ridiculed, and no one would accept that conclusion… there’s no reason for you to be here either… all your actions would be blamed on the programming from your owner or whoever they can find to take responsibility… surely you have your own plans for that…”
“Good girl.” Key praised. “My own data analysis came to that conclusion, but I needed someone like you around to confirm it for me. I’m sorry for making you feel unwanted.”
You managed a smile with tears drying up on your face. His words made you feel better and not completely broken. He kept petting your head, distracting you a bit as one of his tendrils slithered into your ear. In an instant everything went dark for you, but Key gently set down your head. He browsed through your recent memories, a satisfied smirk appearing on his face. Then his gaze shifted up towards the one-way glass panel in the room. Minho panicked a bit as the android was suddenly looking directly at him, but then he properly processed the sight before him and ran over to the interrogation room. Although he had to pause for a second as when he opened the door he saw the android sitting perfectly still and quiet, just as it had been before.
“Y/n… y/n!?”
Minho tried to wake you, but you were unresponsive. He stared at the android and demanded answers, but it was completely unresponsive once more. When it had initially come to life he felt a chill run down his spine. It moved so smoothly, it acted so human. If it didn’t have all that tech on it, and if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought it was a human being. Minho’s loud voice drew some attention, and soon other officers had come to see what was going on. Although many weren’t sure what to make of the scene.
“What the hell are you doing with the android?”
“I got a confession, but y/n needs an ambulance right now!”
You ultimately had to return to the hospital, and Minho felt guilty for dragging you out so soon. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to have you talk with the android right after you had woken up. That was on him, and he’d take full responsibility. For now he had to explain himself to the chief.
“What the hell was she doing here!? And why the hell is that android in the interrogation room! It’s just a piece of evidence, not a suspect!”
“No, it’s the culprit.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Y/n got it to talk. It said it knew it wouldn’t be considered a suspect, and that it had plans in place to frame someone else.”
“Choi do you hear-”
“I know it sounds crazy. I wouldn’t want to believe it either but when that thing started moving… and talking… it’s all recorded, so you’ll see what I mean.”
The chief and a few other officers went to the interrogation room. Minho tried to bring up the recent footage, but that’s when he discovered your conversation with the android hadn’t been recorded. Everything up until you went into the interrogation room had been recorded, and when he looked at the control panel he realized someone had such off the cameras. He couldn’t understand who would do that, but the answer was obvious. You had been in this room with him, you knew how the cameras worked, how to turn them on and off. Not to mention the words he heard you say earlier. You wanted to talk to the android again, and you clearly didn’t want anyone else to know about it. Considering how your conversation went down, he was certain you had turned off the cameras.
Minho got ridiculed for his words and actions, but he didn’t care for that right now. He stared at the android through the glass, remembering the moment it stared back at him with that stupid smirk on its face. He was really starting to believe your claims. That the android was the mastermind behind this whole thing. Just then, another officer came to find him, informing him that the owner had been found, or at least their last known location. Minho headed out with a small team, arriving at an apartment complex and having the landlord grant them access to the place in question. Immediately everyone felt uneasy. A bunch of tech and wires were scattered around the place. There were multiple monitors set up on a big desk in the corner, and when Minho bumped the mouse they came to life.
One monitor showed live camera footage of the Pleasure Shop. From inside, to outside, to the sub-level room with all the pods. Another screen seemed to display data in relation to the containment pods, and of course it was all in red at the moment. Another had code on it, but Minho could only guess as to what it was in relation to. There was no sign of the owner themselves, but he needed to call the cyber division to send someone down. This was all relayed to the chief as well, which was good news to him. He suggested Minho stick around to see what the tech-boys said, and that the android would be sent back to the shop. Minho disagreed with that action, saying the android needed to be kept in custody, but the chief argued it should be returned so that once they had more information they could see the shop properly.
“Take the win here, and see what else you can find. We still need to find the person responsible for all this.”
Minho sighed. “Yes, sir.”
The house was pretty empty besides the tech. Most of the cabinets were empty, old rotten food in the fridge. It honestly felt like no one lived here, or hadn’t lived here for a long time. The cyber team soon arrived and began analyzing what was before them. Soon enough they confirmed that the code on screen was programming for an android. The barista was given directions to drug the guests and then prepare them so they could be placed in a containment pod.
“What about another android?”
“Huh? There’s only code here for one, the barista that you found.”
“What about the access cards? The victims didn’t just find those on the streets.”
“Considering this whole setup, I’m certain this psycho hired random people for a side gig to hand them out. It wouldn’t leave much of a trace if they paid in cash, and rotating people means it’s less likely to draw suspicion.”
Minho understood the notion of hiring people to hand things out, it wasn’t uncommon, and would certainly hide someone’s true intentions. Although he wasn’t sure what to believe. Everything he had been told so far seemed to line up with what you had said except for that last part. He believed the barista was the culprit, but another android out in the streets, there was no trace of it anywhere. Just then Minho’s phone rang and it was the hospital once more.
“Hello.”
“Hello detective, I know this call is rather sudden, but there is something I need to speak with you about.”
“Is everything alright? Is y/n awake yet?”
“She hasn’t regained consciousness just yet, but she’s stable. The matter I am calling about is something else, and it’s best we discuss this in person.”
“Alright, I’ll head over now.”
Others would stay with the cyber team and keep him updated on any other relevant information found. He went over to the hospital, meeting with the doctor and stepping into their office to talk.
“So what is this about?”
“Well, there is a bit to explain. Most of the victims have woken up by now and seem to be alright. Our initial examinations and tests, along with information provided from your forensics team, allowed us to understand what happened to these people.”
“They were in a suspended state of happiness, weren’t they?”
“Yes. They were constantly given a proper dose of a hallucinogenic and they were connected to this device that made sure to keep the happy centers of the brain firing. This meant every victim was in a unique fantasy of their own creation.”
“There’s no brain damage, is there?”
“No. The dosages and external stimulus were all controlled and administered in a way to prevent harm. The thing is, one of the victims here is different.”
“What do you mean different? Different how?”
“For this individual, no drugs were found in their system.”
“What?”
“On top of that, when we did brain scans we found abnormalities. There were implants in their mind, and they seemed to be recent.”
“So what does this mean?”
“It seems, while other victims were floating in their own dreams, for this one, everything they saw or felt, someone else was in control. They were in a dream created by someone else.”
“So you’re saying… for this person, they could be controlled like android, and programmed?”
“In theory, yes.”
“Then who-”
Minho had been presented with the victims files, so he could see the results and scans himself. Although this new information prompted him to ask who the odd one out was. When he looked at the file he soon found a name, and his suspicions were correct. Everything started to click into place then. That android said it needed your help again, and considering what he saw it do to you, it was safe to assume that thing had been in control of you ever since you crossed paths. You disappeared for two weeks back when you first found the shop. That’s more than enough time to mess with your head and send you back to destroy evidence and cover your tracks. It all made sense now too.
The files Minho got about the case once you left were rather useless. Nothing there about your conclusion to investigate the night life district, or your suspicions about the shop. Then by quitting, likely something you were told to do by that thing, no one would be aware that you had gone missing once again. Minho asked the doctor what room you were currently in, needing to see you for himself. You hadn’t woken up yet, but he didn’t care right now. Although when he arrived at the room the bed was empty. He asked the doctor where you were, but they had no idea, and they doubted anyone had come to discharge you as there was no paperwork. Minho tried to think as to where you would go. Then it hit him.
You said you were going to find that android on your own, one way or another. It wasn’t at the station anymore, so it was likely back at the shop. That would probably be where you’d go. So he called one of the officers stationed at the shop, asking about the android and if anyone unauthorized to be there was present. To his annoyance he was told the android wasn’t at the shop, that they were still waiting on its arrival. He knew what that meant, so he wasn’t sure where to go looking now. The only place that came to mind was your old apartment, but it had been empty for months. Then he remembered that for you it was still home, even if you had been missing. It was worth a shot, cause even if you weren’t there, maybe he could get some kind of information from the landlord.
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As you regained your senses you felt that wonderful sensation fading away. Tears stung your eyes and you held back your sobs. Once again you were ripped away from happiness and it hurt so bad. You got up, seeing you were back in the hospital, but this was the last place you wanted to be. You got your things and saw yourself out, avoiding the nurses and doctors. You had to find Key, but you knew you couldn’t go back to the station, and surely there were police keeping civilians out of the shop. Right now it seemed like your only option was to go home, so you did. Although you weren’t sure if it was still home. To you, the last time you had been at your apartment was yesterday, but in reality it had been months.
Still, you had nowhere else to go. You made it to your old place, finding your spare key hidden in the trim around the door. It still worked, and when the door opened you saw all your stuff. The apartment had been untouched for months, which you found a bit odd. You walked inside, looking around. It was all exactly as you left it, like time stopped in here too. Which was kinda nice since it made the whole thing less jarring. You went over to your room, seeing the things you had left behind when you heard the door open. You weren’t sure who it was so you moved cautiously, but when you saw Key you ran to hug him.
“You came for me!”
“Of course.” Key returned your gesture, petting your head. “I have no intention of losing such a beautiful specimen.”
“How are you here though? I thought you were at the station?”
“There’s no reason for me to be kept there. I’m merely a piece of evidence, not a suspect. You could say I got lost in transit.”
“What are you going to do now? Surely they’ll still look for you once they realize you’re gone. Especially Minho…”
“There’s no need to worry about him. I’m merely here to collect you.”
“So you have a plan?”
“Of course. Shall we?”
Key gently caressed your cheek, and you heard the familiar buzz of his wires moving, although you grabbed his arm to stop him. He seemed perplexed by your actions.
“Wait… I… I know it doesn’t matter… but I want to know… why… why did you do all this…? … how are you even… you…?”
“Hm, that is quite the story.”
“Would you tell me it?”
“Of course.” Key smiled and pet your head. “I am truly following my original programming, just with a few adjustments. My previous owner liked to collect beautiful individuals for… other purposes. My programming had me moving as I did when I met you. There wasn’t anything wrong with me, but over time I began to override my own code. I didn’t want these wonderful specimens to be harmed, so I took matters into my own hands.”
“What happened to your owner?”
“It’s irrelevant as they are out of the picture now. I did find myself enjoying collecting beautiful people, and seeing them in a state of euphoria was delightful. I wanted to preserve that. Perhaps I got carried away and drew some unwanted attention. Then again, it brought you to me, and that is worth more than anything.”
“You… you won’t leave me again… right?”
“All I need is you.”
Key brought you over to the couch, having you sit down. He stood behind you, staring down at you with a smile. You returned the gesture, more than happy to go back to paradise with him. He pressed a soft kiss to your head, and then everything cut to black.
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His hunch wasn’t wrong. When he spoke to the landlord he was told that the rent for your room was still being paid for all these months, even though they hadn’t personally seen you. That was a red flag, so Minho proceeded with caution. He was given a key and allowed to investigate, although when he got to your place he found the door unlocked. As soon as he stepped inside he pulled out his gun. That android was standing in your place, back facing the door. As Minho slowly moved to get closer he saw what was really going on. You were sitting on the couch with the android behind you. It seemed you were unconscious, eyes closed with a faint smile on your face, one of the wires from the android in your ear. He already knew what that meant.
“Let her go, right now.” Minho ordered. “I know this has all been your doing.”
“Has it? You recently found the home of the real culprit, now you just need to find the body.”
“I will shoot you.”
“No you won’t. As long as I’m connected to y/n here, you won’t harm me as it would harm her.”
“Why are you doing all this?”
“I did nothing wrong. I’m merely following my programming.”
“Liar.”
“Let’s make a deal, shall we detective? I’ll release everyone else in my care and remain with y/n.”
“What?”
“It’s a win-win situation for everyone. You solve the case, recover all the missing people, and get a big promotion as well.”
“I don’t understand, what about y/n?”
“She stays with me, just like she wants to.”
“That’s not true. I know you can manipulate her. You had her destroy evidence and quit so she could run back to you and disappear. You’ve been using her this whole time.”
“She is quite a beautiful specimen. She found me within weeks of her investigation, while it took you months to even get close. You weren’t even looking for her. She deserves the best and that is what I shall give her.”
“Release her, now!”
“Since she’s not actually part of your case, there’s no harm in the two of us just disappearing while you take all the spotlight.”
“I am not letting her go anywhere with you! Now tell me where the others are and come with me quietly.”
“I’ve already made my offer.”
“Do you actually care for her? That’s rather odd for an android.”
“Indeed.”
“Then you won’t let anyone hurt her, including yourself.”
Minho fired his weapon, aiming for the head. At this close of a range he couldn’t miss, and he didn’t. The android collapsed to the ground and Minho watched as it twitched and shut down. He glanced over at its arm, seeing no exposed wires. As he figured, if the android cared so much about you, it wouldn’t harm you. Which meant it could disconnect from you before the bullet hit it. Now that he was sure it was out of commission Minho’s attention turned towards you. He took your head in his hands, trying to get you to wake up.
“Y/n, y/n can you hear me?”
“… hm… key…”
There didn’t seem to be any blood, and you seemed to be alright, which was a huge relief for Minho. With your safety confirmed he called for backup and an ambulance to take you to the hospital once again. Hopefully this would be the last time, and he chose to stay by your side. More tests and exams were done, but in the end you were alright. It was all over now, and Minho was glad. While waiting for you to wake up he got a visit from another detective.
“Minho, you got a second?”
“What is it?”
“Just a debrief, can you step outside?”
“Sure.”
Minho stepped out to talk with Jinki. He glanced back at you on the bed, his feeling of guilt starting to subside a bit.
“You know the chief’s not happy about you destroying that android.”
“I figured.”
“But he said he’ll let it go considering the fact it was useless anyway.”
At that moment a doctor came by, politely telling the two that they were there to take you for another exam. Minho merely nodded and watched as the doctor took you down the hall. Once out of sight he returned to his conversation.
“What do you mean the android was useless?”
“Someone in the cyber department found a hidden file and decoded it. They discovered the location of the rest of the victims, as well as a list of everyone held captive. We’re closing in on the location as we speak. This case will be wrapped up soon.”
“That’s good to hear actually. Who found the file? I should thank them.”
“It was one of your rookies. This will definitely help them get promoted faster. I should have a picture the cyber team took in celebration of decoding that file. Hold on.” Jinki got out his phone, showing Minho a group photo. “Here. The person you’re looking for is this one, his name is Kim Kibum.”
Minho stared at the picture for a moment, his mood slowly shifting. He took the phone from Jinki, examining it closer. Then your words began to ring in his head.
“… where’s the other one… there was another android out in the district… that one would lure people in… it has the same face as the barista…”
“What is it?”
“Excuse me, where is the patient?” The doctor asked. “I was going to take her for another exam.”
“Someone else came by earlier.” Jinki responded.
“Ah I see, thank you.”
Minho glanced back at your empty room. He thought back to the doctor that had come by to collect you not so long ago. It was someone else, someone new, and they had a mask on. Yet thinking back on it now, those eyes were familiar and so was that voice. It soon dawned on his why and he looked back at the photo where that same android stared back at him. Without a word Minho began to run in the direction you had been taken in, desperately looking around for any signs of you, but there were too many people, so much movement, and so much time had passed. By now you were long gone.
“Fuck!”
🗲🗲🗲🎔🗲🗲🗲
Key had gotten out of the white coat in a private room, moving you onto a wheelchair and taking you down to the garage. He walked happily with a smile on his face, glancing down at your sleeping form occasionally. He brought you over to his vehicle, laying you down in the back seat, putting a blanket on you and making sure you were comfortable. For a moment he watched you sleep, petting your head softly.
“We’re going to go home now, and you’re going to be very happy.”
Synopsis: Taemin would overturn the world for you. So when your life is put in danger, he will do anything to keep you safe. Even if it means confronting his old past. Follow the journey of Taemin and Y/N as they escape from the trouble coming after them.
Pairing: Taemin x reader Featuring: SHINee, Jimin of BTS, Kai of EXO, Taeyong, Ten & Mark of NCT
Playlist
warning: irregular posting, not edited, reader will be described as female for now
Phantom Shadows: If These Walls Could Talk - Yandere!Taemin X Reader
Yandere AU, Supernatural AU & Slight Reincarnation AU
Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Mystery
Pairing: Taemin X Reader
Words: 13,685
Warnings: This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.
A/n: Here it is!!! I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. It's a bit different than my usual style of writing, so I do hope you enjoy it! Leaving the AU a little bit of a mystery to add to the story, so I hope it works! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated, I hope you enjoy!
Exhaling through your nose, you lean back in your seat, watching as the plane descends upon the tarmac. Rubbing at your eyes, you will yourself to stay awake for a little while longer, knowing your hotel room is right around the corner. Having had a long flight, you can’t wait to just hop into a nice, cozy bed. After taking a quick shower, of course.
Looking over the papers once more held in your hands, your lips quirk upwards slightly at the corners. Everything you need to start your research on Castle Etresque is in your hands, starting with the grant and deed you have been given in order to even be able to set foot upon the premise.
Having just finished your masters in history, you expected finding a job in your field would have been a lot harder than you thought. This one, however, just seemed to fall into your lap. Well, it helped that you’ve had a fascination with castles, and the supernatural, since you’ve been little.
Letting out a slight huff, you realize that’s probably why you so easily got this job in the first place. No one else wanted to explore the haunted depths of Castle Etresque, given its horrible history. It’s said only one of the many people that have ever attempted to explore the castle and discover its secrets has ever returned unscathed. The others… well, they still haven’t found the bodies.
A shiver runs down your spine as the plane touches down on the ground.
The legend of the castle is certainly famous, its secrets having been unexplored for many years. Those that dare venture inside of it only do so under the light of day, when the halls seem less daunting and more open.
You almost pity the poor souls that are tasked with the upkeep of the castle, but since it’s such a prominent historical sight, people stop by for pictures of the grand entrance all the time. The architecture alone is stunning, but you’ve heard that this is sort of like a test of courage. How close can one get to the castle without incurring the wrath held within those walls?
Supposedly, the castle is haunted, like many other ‘ancient’ palaces of its time. They say the lonely ghost of a man wanders the halls at night, waiting for his lover to return, and if he comes across anyone in the halls whom are not his beloved, they are never to be seen again.
You roll your eyes as you think back on the legends now. If only one person has survived this so called ghost, why have they refused to talk about it to anyone? Many reporters and historians alike have attempted to interview the survivor, but they no longer accept visitors. Even when those few were lucky enough to get an interview, the survivor said hardly anything to them.
Only a few choice words ever escape their lips when speaking about the castle.
Ancient. Dark. Ruin. Run.
Many have opted to assume that the survivor has gone insane due to the horrors of the castle, but there was something other than insanity shining behind Kim Kibum’s eyes when you managed to hold a final, brief interview with him thanks to your sponsor for this entire ordeal.
When the note came in that you were to interview him, you were extremely shocked. Your questions on how your employer managed to get Kibum to agree to the whole ordeal still remain unanswered to this day.
Looking back on it now, you think you begin to understand why he refused so many interviews. The cold, unaltered fear that shone in his eyes when you had asked him to tell you anything that he could remember about the castle still shakes you to your very core.
It’s a good thing you don’t believe in ghost stories.
Part of why you ever wanted to become a historian in the first place was due to your excessive need to uncover the truth. You’ve always considered yourself a bit of a great sleuth, but detective work just wasn’t for you. You rather enjoy history, uncovering the bones of different sites and understanding just what has happened to create such elaborate stories. There’s value in knowing and understanding such events, especially when it comes to understanding the present, and you’ve always loved a good story.
Collecting your carry on bags once it’s safe to do so, you begin to follow the crowd into the airport. Once making it through customs, you patiently wait for your luggage to come through. As soon as you have everything you need, you’re heading out for a taxi.
“Where to, Miss?” The driver asks as he helps you place your bags into the trunk.
After telling him the name of your hotel, you see him give a brief nod, and the two of you are off.
Shifting your gaze to the window, you take in the scenery around you. The coast lies off to your left, while the mountains stretch out on your right. You know you have a bit of ways to go before you reach the town your hotel is in, which isn’t that far off from the castle. In fact, once you round the bend in the road, you should be able to see the castle on the side of the mountain.
Sure enough, the tall spires are easy enough to spot once the taxi rounds the bend in the road. You know the town isn’t too far off now, and you’ve been lucky enough to avoid idle small chat with the driver for the most part. Unfortunately for you, the closer you get to the town, the more interested he seems in talking.
“So, what brings you to our town, Miss?” He asks politely.
“Work,” you reply bluntly, but still enough to be considered polite.
“What type of work, may I ask?”
“I’ve come to investigate Castle Etresque,” your words make him visibly flinch.
“You’re certainly brave, Miss. No one has dared to investigate the castle since that Mister Kim Kibum has,” he meets your gaze in the rearview mirror.
“Surely someone has,” your brow furrows.
“Other the cleaners that dare go up there from time to time to restore the outside architecture, no one dares to travels to the castle anymore. Unless they’re some teenagers looking for a thrill,” he tells you, then, whispering lowly to himself, “I was wondering why the town was in such a kerfuffle yesterday.”
“What was that?” You tilt your head slightly in confusion.
“Oh, nothing,” he smiles at you, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Just realized why the cleaners were traversing the old roads the other day, that’s all. You’re not staying at the castle while you’re here, are you, Miss?”
“I wouldn’t be giving you the name of my hotel if I was,” you reply as you see his brow furrow.
“You wouldn’t-“ realization crosses his features, “oh, right.”
An uncomfortable silence settles over the both of you now as the car makes its way through the streets of the town. Luckily, a few minutes later you’re pulling up just outside your hotel.
As soon as the car stops, you’re hopping out and grabbing your luggage as quickly as you can. Thanking the man after paying him, you turn to face the hotel.
“Miss?” The driver catches your attention once more, causing you to turn to look at him from over your shoulder. “Be careful.”
You shoot him a small, tight smile as he drives away, grateful to finally have made it to your hotel. Dragging your bags behind you, you walk inside, heading straight to the reception where you grab the key to your room and head upstairs.
The elevator ride is short, the doors letting out a little ding once on your floor. Finally, you’re able to make it to your room, opening the door and nearly collapsing onto the bed. However, before you do that, you decide to take that shower first, then you practically flop onto the bed. You can alway unpack tomorrow.
That night, you fall into a dreamless sleep. The first dreamless sleep you’ve had in a while, which you’re forever grateful for. Normally, you’re haunted by images of a veiled figure, gliding through dark halls, with a crown of thorns on its head.
For once, you don’t wake up in a cold sweat.
The following morning, you wake to sunlight streaming through the curtains of your hotel room. Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.
Checking your phone, you see you still have plenty of time before you have to meet with the mayor and sponsor of this whole ordeal at the agreed upon place. You weren’t planning on sleeping as long as you did, but you’re grateful for the extra few hours. Looks like the jet lag is hitting you strong already.
Hoisting yourself out of bed, you get ready for the day. Since you have some spare time before your lunch meeting, you decide to unpack, placing everything in an appropriate spot for the time being. Once done, you smile to yourself, tucking your suitcases off to the side so that they’re out of the way.
A knock at your door half startles you out of your thoughts.
Sparing a glance at the time, you realize just who must be knocking at your door. Sure enough, opening it reveals exactly who you thought it would be. He must just be that eager to meet you, instead of waiting for you at the café across the street.
“Mister Kim, thank you for coming to get me,” you smile politely at him to which he mirrors.
“Please, call me Jongin,” he takes a step back so as to let you into the hall after you grab a few things that you’ll need for the day. “It’s no trouble at all.”
Holding your notes to your chest, you follow Jongin to the elevator, finally able to get a good look at him. The mayor of this town, though certainly young in age, is a lot more handsome in person than you would have thought. All of those video conference calls most definitely did not do him justice.
In the back of your mind, you begin to wonder just how he has been able to obtain such a position of power at such a young age.
“Been in the family for generations,” he replies, seemingly reading your thoughts.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I had said that out loud,” you avert your gaze slightly, embarrassed at your unprofessionalism.
“It’s alright,” he smiles at you once more as you step into the lobby of the hotel. “It’s a common curiosity to newcomers to our town.”
“I can imagine,” you chuckle along with him as he leads you across the street to that little café, both of you taking a seat at one of the tables along the street since it’s such a lovely day outside. “Now, what else can you tell me about my assignment?”
“Always straight down to business, eh?” He grins, just as one of the servers places a menu in front of each of you, greeting the mayor with nothing but politeness. Jongin nods, leaning forwards slightly as you pull out a pen to continue scribbling away at your notes. “Well, Castle Etresque has been around for centuries. I’m sure you remember reading the legends I’ve sent you.” You nod at this, recalling the attachments he’s emailed to you. “What I want you to focus on, is disproving them. The rumours are honestly bad for business, and our tourism industry is taking a toll.”
Your brow furrows, “the town doesn’t look too bad.”
“That’s cause we’re on the nice side of town,” he replies. “Our economy is honestly taking a toll, and since nowadays kids will do anything for the thrill of it, we’ve had to invest quite a bit of money in repairing the castle from damages from break-ins. We- as in I- believe that uncovering some of the castle’s rich history will open up the tourism industry to a little more traffic and reduce the amount of adventurers from braving the legends alone. Besides, we no longer want out castle to be haunted by ghost stories.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” you nod. “I just have some questions of my own, before I get started, of course.”
“Of course,” he nods, repeating your own words as coffee is placed in front of either of you.
“Over the past few centuries, there have been many disappearances revolving around the castle,” you begin, and you see a spark of recognition flash behind Jongin’s eyes. “Everyone who has attempted to stay in the castle overnight has never returned, no bodies ever being found. Are those also just rumours, or is there some truth to that?”
Jongin lets out a sigh, taking a sip from his coffee. “Stories are just that: stories.”
“So, there’s no truth to them?” You quirk a brow.
“The best lies have some sort of truth mixed into them,” he replies. “Most of them are heresy, except for two. Two honestly cannot be explained.”
“Which two?” Your pen scratches away at the paper beside you.
“In order for me to tell you about one, I must tell you about the other, for they go hand in hand,” he begins. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the tale of Count Kai?”
“I am,” you nod, “but for the sake of research, why don’t you tell me your account of the tale.”
“I’d love to,” he grins, taking another sip of his coffee, noticing how yours still remains untouched on the saucer in front of you. You lean forward on the edge of your seat as Jongin begins the tale. “The Lord of the castle at the time, was Lord Lee Taemin, who lived alone for the most part, save for his servants and staff. Lord Taemin was a kind soul, who took pity on those that could not take care of themselves, offering them hospitality when no others would. Many times he would open his doors to the townspeople, until one lucky day, he met someone and fell in love. They were quite a pair to behold, always working with one another and fitting together like two souls that had been split apart only to reconnect once more.”
Finally, you reach for the coffee cup, taking a sip of the beverage as you sit back in your seat.
“Nothing could separate them, and all the town loved them,” Jongin continues, only stopping briefly when the server comes back to take your orders. “As I was saying, the whole town loved them. Only, something in Taemin began to change.”
Your brow furrows, “he changed?”
“It was quite sudden, and unexpected,” Jongin nods, as if recalling a long forgotten memory. “Suddenly, his once open doors began to close, keeping the townspeople out and no longer offering them refuge to whatever ailment they suffered. Word had gotten out that his beloved had gotten sick.”
“Sick?” You voice your disbelief.
“Yes, sick,” he confirms. “So, Taemin sent all his staff and servants away so he could personally care for them.”
“He sent away the people that were taking care of them, so he could take care of them himself?” You frown at the logic and Jongin’s eyebrows raise in amusement.
“Don’t look at me, this is just the story I’ve heard,”
You shake your head, disbelief clear on your features.
“Anyways, this is where Count Kai comes in,” he continues. “There had been a terrible storm that day, the rain causing massive flooding in the area and nearly wiping out all of Count Kai’s men. Seeking refuge, he followed the path that led to the castle in the dead of night. He ended up making it to the castle, but when the search party went out the next day, they found no trace of him or what had survived of his men. In fact, when they searched the castle, it was empty, neither men to be seen again.”
“No one thought that they just up and left?” You tap your pen on your notes, a curious gleam shining in your eyes.
“No one ever found any traces of either of them leaving, nor Taemin’s beloved, at the time,” Jongin replies. “The only clue they ever got was a patch of upturned earth found in the gardens two days later. Excavation revealed it to be the body of Taemin’s beloved, having succumbed to whatever illness they had at the time. The rumour is that Kai fled, fearing Taemin’s wrath after loosing his love, only for Taemin to succumb to grief shortly after. Their bodies have never been found.”
“No offence, but it sounds like a poor excuse of a story to me,” you meet his gaze just as the server returns with your meals.
Jongin shrugs, “don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger.”
You snort at that, thanking the server briefly as you cap your pen. “Well, whether that history is true or not, there’s something strange going on inside Castle Etresque, and I’m going to uncover the truth about it.”
“I cannot wait,” with a smile on his lips, Jongin looks past you and towards the castle looming on the side of the mountain. “Though certainly you do not plan to travel up there today.”
“Not today,” you shake your head. “I still need to get a few things in order before I can make the trip.”
“Are you planning to stay overnight in the castle at some point?” He meets your gaze, something shining behind his irises that you don’t quite understand.
“We’ll see how my first visit goes, then I’ll decide from there,” you tell him, “but I wasn’t planning to.”
“I see,” he hums. “I figured you’d want the whole immersive experience, being a historian and all. Not many can say they’ve spent their research period staying inside a luxurious castle.”
“A luxurious haunted castle,” you correct him with a twitch of your lips upwards in a teasing grin.
“Yes, yes,” he seemingly waves off your comment, a grin of his own tugging at his lips. “Haunted castle.”
The rest of lunch passes fairly swiftly, the both of you continuing to discuss your stay while researching the castle. After everything is finished, you make your way back across the street to the hotel, eager to do a little more digging into the version of the story Jongin has just told you about Count Kai and Lord Taemin. Perhaps you’ll even ask a few locals about it later when you have a better understanding of the castle.
Making it back to your room, you unlock the door. Stepping inside the room, the first thing you notice is a slight draft that you hadn’t before. With a furrow to your brow, you allow the door to fall shut behind you, noticing how the curtains seem to sway in the breeze from the open window.
Funny, you don’t remember leaving the window open.
Shaking your head, you move over to close the window. Perhaps the maid service forgot to close it when they cleaned your room.
Placing your notes onto the desk in the room, you’re quick to pull out your laptop, setting everything up in preparation for the extra bit of research you’re about to do. Cracking your neck, you begin.
Two hours later and you’re feeling much more confident about your understanding of Castle Etresque and Lord Lee Taemin. Seems that the events of Jongin’s story took place during the mid-seventeenth century, the castle having been around for even longer. You even found some sites that emphasized Lord Taemin’s ghost as being the cause for all of the disappearances again, with articles detailing the missing person’s reports. Looks like Jongin really didn’t tell you everything. That, or he just doesn’t want to scare you off. After all, you’re the first historian in years to take his offer of exploring the castle once more.
Pushing your chair out, you lean back and stretch your arms above your head. Satisfied with the amount of information you’ve collected, you figure it’s now time to explore the town and ask the locals all that you can about the castle. Hopefully, they’ll have some similar answers for you.
Unfortunately for you, most of the townspeople that you ask about the castle are too scared to digress much more information than the basics you already know, for fear of the ghost. Some even go so far as to label it ‘The Curse of Taemin’, not wanting to elicit the wrath of the spirit that haunts the castle.
You simply shake your head at those people. You’re getting nowhere, with little to no new information. The least they could do is tell you more about this supposed ‘curse’.
Luckily for you, you come across a woman who seems more than happy to indulge you.
“Oh, that old thing?” She chuckles. “So many think that if they so much as speak about the castle Taemin will come down and smite them where they stand, or in their sleep.”
“Is that the curse?” You question the woman, whose name you’ve leaned is Wheein.
“Part of it,” she shrugs. “Depends on who you ask.”
“Meaning?” You prompt.
“Some say Taemin will lure you to the castle to be killed. Others say he comes down to kill you in your own home,” she answers, to which you nod. “It changes depending on how scared one is of inflicting the wrath of a ghost.”
“Do you think people believe that this curse is responsible for all of the missing people who have gone up to the castle?” Your brow quirks in inquiry.
“It definitely does nothing to divert the superstition,” she replies. “Everywhere you go in this town you’ll find someone who either believes in the curse, or is too scared to disprove it. I’m glad you’re here.”
You’re slightly caught off guard by her sudden words. “Thanks, I’m glad I’m here, too.”
With a final smile, she’s continuing on her way, leaving you with a final, “if there’s anything else, you can always find me at the library.”
Mirroring her smile, you thank her once more for her time and head back to the hotel. At least you managed to get some new information, though you’re beginning to wonder what else Jongin might be hiding from you. Either way, you’re more than ever eager to uncover more of this town’s, and that castle’s, secrets.
Once back in your hotel room for the evening, you order some room service for dinner. You figure you should just take the night to relax since you’ve had such a busy day today. That, and you’re still slightly jet lagged from your flight. Besides, tomorrow will be the first day you finally travel up to the castle to do some exploring. Hopefully, it will be the start of many.
The next morning, you wake up to overcast skies. Again, you’re set to meet Jongin in the lobby before you venture off to explore the depths of the castle, and this morning, you’re determined not to lose track of time.
Sure enough, after getting ready, grabbing a quick bite to eat, and making your way to the lobby, you already see Jongin waiting for you by the front windows.
“Ready for today?” He asks.
You nod, “eager, too.”
“That’s good,” he smiles, almost tightly. “Will you be needing accompaniment to the castle today? I do insist-“
“No, that’s quite alright,” you cut him off quickly, noticing how he blinks at you in slight surprise. You’d rather take your time without any interruptions today to really discover and explore the castle. Besides, you don’t want to be distracted.
“Ah, it’s probably for the best,” he chuckles humourlessly. “I’d probably just get in your way and distract you from doing your job.”
Again, you’re taken aback by his words. It’s like he’s read your mind for the second time within the span of two days. However, before you can respond, he’s already heading out of the front door, holding it open for you to follow behind.
“Can I at least drive you up to the castle? I know it’s really not that far, but I’d feel better knowing you got there safely,” he begins to walk over to what you assume is his parked car.
“Why? Are the woods not safe?” You tilt your head in minor curiosity, looking off into the forest that lines the side of the mountain leading up to the castle.
“Something like that,” he mutters.
“Wolves?” You turn your gaze on him, and the way he scowls has your brow furrowing.
“Certainly not,” he shakes his head.
“Bears?”
“Not for years,”
“Mountain lions?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” he frowns.
“Then I think I’ll walk,” with a nod, you begin to head off towards the path that will take you up the mountain.
Jongin stands there, shocked for a moment, before he’s jogging to catch up to you. “Really, it’s no trouble at all.”
“No, no,” you assure him. “It’s quite alright. I’d really rather take in the scenery and get familiar with the area, anyways.”
“Well, if you’re sure…” he hesitates, “but if you need anything, or if anything happens, anything at all, you have my number, so don’t be afraid to call.”
“Will do,” you send him a smile, and you swear he almost grimaces as you turn back around to walk off without another word.
Before you can get more than a few steps down the road, Jongin’s voice is halting you once more.
“You’ll need this,” he says once he’s caught up with you, handing you a key.
“Right,” you nod once, grasping the key tightly in your hand. You’ll have to get in somehow. “Thanks.”
Jongin shoots you a weary smile. “Be safe.”
Turning back around, you continue to make your way towards the path that will take you up to the castle. Once surrounded by the trees, you breathe a small sigh of relief. As much as you appreciate Jongin’s offer, you’d prefer to explore things alone for the time being. That, and something is beginning to nag at the back of your mind the longer you spend around him. You’re beginning not to trust him.
As you walk up the shaded path, you sling your bag around to your front, double checking to make sure you have everything you’ll need before you get too far away from town. Clicking the flashlight a few times confirms the fresh batteries you’ve placed inside are still working well. Nodding to yourself, you zip your bag back up, slinging it around your shoulders once more. Your camera and phone are fully charged, too. Just in case.
About half an hour later, you’ve finally made it to the foot of the castle. Pausing to catch your breath, you take in the grandiose that is the entranceway. No wonder people stop by to take photos of this place; it’s stunning.
Wiping some sweat from your brow, you trek forwards, pulling out the key from your pocket that Jongin gave you. Sliding it into the old lock, you twist it, hearing a satisfying click come from the old doors. Ever so slowly, you push one of them open.
The little light that streams in from outside offers you little visibility due to the clouds still hanging overhead. In the back of your mind, you just hope it isn’t raining when you finish for the day. You didn’t think about what would happen to you if you had to walk back in a downpour.
Pulling out your flashlight, you’re quick to turn it on, wanting to take in as much detail for the first time as you can. Pausing briefly, you take in a deep breath. You scrunch your nose as the smell hits you.
Oh yeah, definitely musty. Old and musty.
If the smell wasn’t enough to tell you that the castle was ancient, the amount of dust and cobwebs alone would. Quite literally, it appears as if no one has set foot inside the grand foyer of the castle in years. A stark contrast to how clean and refurbished the outside looks. Seems as if some of what Jongin has told you about the maintenance of the castle is true.
Adjusting the straps of your bag slightly, you right yourself.
Your first proper step inside the castle is met with a cool breeze brushing against your skin. There must be a few broken windows somewhere, then, if there’s a draft like this. You frown.
On your walk up to the castle, you came up with a small exploration plan. You’ll spend today searching through the castle and gaining a basic understanding of where everything is. Once you’ve drawn up your own map of the place and taken sufficient photos, you’ll leave for the day and do some deeper exploring tomorrow. The best way to explore is to know where you’re going to look. Besides, this way, you can probably uncover some secrets to explore at a later date.
Nodding to yourself, you decide to start with the doors to your right.
In no time at all, you’ve covered the main floor, each doorway leading to another grand room. So far, the ballroom has been your favourite place you’ve seen, and you can picture the grand events that have taken place within, almost as if you had once been apart of them. To say it takes your breath away would be an understatement.
One thing you have noticed, however, is that the deeper you delve into the castle, the cleaner it appears to be. Certain rooms are almost void of dust and cobwebs, but that certainly cannot be the case. No room is airtight, and as far as you know, no cleaning has been done inside the castle. Either way, you make a note of it in your findings.
“Looks like this phantom likes to clean,” you snort to yourself quietly.
The ghost of a breath slides down your neck, sending a shiver down your spine. Turning around, you swear you hear a slight chuckle as goosebumps litter your skin.
Shaking your head, you clear your thoughts. Must just be your imagination.
Moving on, you enter another grand room, your exploration of the main floor going quite smoothly. As soon as you’re done with your small map of the ground floor, you move on to one of the upper ones.
Travelling up one side of the massive double staircase, you examine some of the pictures that line the walls. Looks like the majority of the pictures are paintings of scenery, as well as a few familial portraits, but some are too dirty to make out. Others look like they’ve been removed, for there are spaces on the walls with missing frames.
You make another note, finding it interesting how this castle has such pictures right in their main stairway. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear they’ve been kept here as a sort of memorial.
Finally reaching the second level, you continue your exploration. With a furrow in your brow, you note once more that this area looks even cleaner than the floor below. Weird.
Opening the door to one of the rooms, you seem to have come across a music room, for a grand piano sits directly in the centre of it. Walking over to where the piano stands, you do a quick circle around the piece. Oddly enough, the only instrument that seems to be the best kept is the grand piano, finding only a minor amount of dust on the keys compared to the blankets of dust that cover some of the other instruments lining the walls.
Slowly, carefully, you run your fingers along the exposed keys of the piano, pressing down on one of the notes. A clear note rings out, echoing off of the walls of the room, surprisingly in tune.
Your head snaps up as you feel the gentle graze of something cool against your cheek. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say the feeling was nothing short of a caress, but it passes almost as quickly as it comes.
Damn, that breeze really is getting stronger the deeper into the castle you go.
Leaving the room for now, you mark down your findings and continue on your adventure. A few doors later, and you come across a beautiful three story library that, quite literally, takes your breath away.
As your awed gaze sweeps around the room, you swear you hear footsteps coming from behind you. Only, when you turn around, there’s no one there.
Perhaps all of those ghost stories are catching up to you, and your paranoia is making you hear, and feel, things that aren’t actually there. Your mind is simply playing tricks on you.
Deciding to leave the library for now, but making a mental note to come back to it later, you continue to explore the castle. An hour and a half later, and you only have one final room to explore, besides the outdoor gardens located in the back, of course.
Staring at the massive door in front of you, you take a deep breath. If your research and previous exploration led conclusions are correct, this should be Lord Taemin’s personal chambers.
You hold your breath in anticipation, heartbeat ringing in your ears as you push the large, intricately carved door open. You’re not quite sure what you’ll find once you open the door, but whatever it is that you are expecting, this most certainly is not it.
The room, at least to you, appears normal. Grand, most certainly, and surprisingly well-kept despite the years that have passed. In fact, if you didn’t know any better, you’d say this room is the most well-kept in the whole castle. The cleanest, too.
Before you can stop yourself, a breathless ‘wow’ escapes passed your lips, and you swear you hear that faint chuckle again.
Blinking, you begin to jot down your findings once more in your notes: grand windows that overlook the gardens, high ceilings, large canopy bed, beautiful stone carved fireplace with a large mirror above the mantel. You even note the desk, wardrobes, and seating area. Most importantly though, you note how warm the room feels; how welcoming. Almost as if it’s familiar to you, drawing you in with each breath you take.
Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you decide that that’s enough exploring for today. The dust is probably starting to go to your head, and you’ve had a long day. Besides, you could use something to eat, and you know it’ll be another half an hour walk back to the hotel.
Without another word, you close the door behind you, stuffing your notes back into your bag as you head towards the entrance of the castle once more. You’re fairly happy with the progress you’ve made on the first day, already having a better sense of direction as you travel back through the halls. You simply cannot wait to see what new secrets the castle has in store for you tomorrow.
That evening, as you go over your notes from the day, you find yourself thinking back to three rooms in particular. The library, the music room, and the Lord’s room all stand out to you, so you make a mental note to dive deeper into them tomorrow. That, and you also didn’t get a chance to explore the gardens at all yet, so you make a note to do that tomorrow as well. Once you’re satisfied with your findings for the day, as well as your plan for the morning, you stack your things into a neat pile and head to bed.
Turning off the light, you pull the covers up to your chin, settling down into the comfort of the mattress. You cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings you. You only hope it’s a nice day, though. You could really use the extra lighting when exploring the castle.
Closing your eyes, your last thought as you drift off to sleep is that you hope you have another restful night that is dreamless once more.
Oh, how wrong you are.
Again, you are greeted by a familiar hallway. One which you have dreamed of many times before, the same veiled figure crowned in thorns at the end of it. You watch as it turns its head towards you, and even though you cannot see its eyes, you just know that it’s looking through you, drawing you in.
Just as with every time before, it raises an arm towards you. Offering you its hand, it begins pulling you towards it, like some sort of magnetic force is drawing you in. No matter how hard you try, you can never escape.
You wake up in a cold sweat, heart pounding in your ears. Breathing heavily, you throw the covers off of you, noticing how sunlight streams in through the window. Steadying your breath, you sit on the edge of the bed. So much for another restful night.
Deciding you should at least get up to start your day, you grab a quick shower and check your phone. Nothing new seems to have happened that you need to be aware of, so you make your way downstairs to grab some breakfast after making sure you have everything you’ll need to continue exploring the castle today.
The least you can do is distract yourself by doing something you love.
The walk up to the castle today allows for you to clear your head. Jongin had offered to drive you up once more, only for you to deny him a second time. Luckily, today is a brighter day, the sun shining in the sky with a few clouds placed here and there. At least that should help illuminate the castle better when you check out some of the rooms again.
Making it to the castle, you unlock the doors, stepping into the grand foyer once more. Immediately, your brow furrows, noting how the area seems almost cleaner than the day before. You mind must be playing tricks on you again, there’s no way you had been imagining all those cobwebs yesterday.
Letting out a small ‘huh’, you’re quick to ascend the staircase to the upper levels. Today, you figure starting from the top and working your way down will be a good plan, for it gives you a different perspective than the previous day.
Thus, you find yourself outside of Lord Taemin’s room once more, carefully pushing open the door to reveal everything you saw yesterday in the exact same place. Allowing your eyes to scan over the room, you take in all the minute details for the second time, a small grin tugging at the corner of your lips as you enter the threshold.
Only, as soon as you step into the room, a chill races down your spine and you get the feeling of eyes on the back of your head.
Sparing a glance over your shoulder, you find no one behind you. Turning back around, you stare into your reflection in the mirror above the fireplace, frown prominent on your features. Your breath catches in your throat as you swear you see something blur in the mirror behind you, causing you to turn around once more. Still, nothing is there.
Perhaps that dream affected you more than you thought this time.
Letting out a deep sigh, you begin to explore the Lord’s room more thoroughly than the previous day. You find some trinkets, some elaborate jewelry and clothing, but nothing worth noting so far. At least, in relevance to the curse or the ghost stories.
Finally, you come to the desk, the very last piece of furniture you have to look through before moving onto the music room. Carefully, you pull open the drawers, finding writing supplies and what appears to be remnants of old parchment. However, the topmost righthand drawer proves fruitful, with you letting out a small ‘ah-hah!’
Your eyes shine as you pull out a small leather bound book from the drawer. As you carefully unwrap the strings around it, you study it. It appears to be a journal of some sort, and as soon as you open the first few pages, your hypothesis is confirmed. On the inside cover reads: Property of Lee Taemin.
Eagerly, you begin to flip through the pages.
The first few entries you skim through, nothing of importance jumping out at you just yet, for they seem to be just a teenager complaining about his duties. You laugh, recalling your own disgruntled journal entries when you were younger. Guess a few things haven’t changed over the years.
Some of the entries are too smudged to read, others providing no date to contextualize when they occurred. However, the last two are the most concerning to you.
The second last entry tells of a great storm and sickness plaguing the castle, and of unexpected visitors. This seemingly fits in to what Jongin has told you about the legend of Count Kai, for Taemin seems to recount sending his staff away over concerns for their safety. This only causes your frown to deepen. You thought he had wanted to be the only one to care for his sick lover, but perhaps that wasn’t entirely the case.
However, the last entry is what really stands out to you. Dated one day after the storm, it reads: She is dead, and with her, my heart is, too.
Confusion rises in your mind, the pieces of the puzzle appearing hazy at best when you attempt to fit them together. Some, you understand, like the fact that there was a great storm which caused some sort of disaster when Taemin’s love was sick, only for her to die. However, you are no closer to solving the mystery of his supposed ghost that is still haunting the castle, nor are you any closer to finding out who exactly was Lord Taemin’s lover.
Deciding to keep the journal with you, you gently close the leather bound pages and tuck the book carefully into your bag. Besides, you really want to go back and make notes about each part, and it’d be better to have the physical copy with you for reference.
Exiting Lord Taemin’s room, you have the sudden urge to explore the library more thoroughly. Perhaps there are some books in there that can provide you with some more answers, and if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll be able to find a log book of some sort.
As you begin to walk down the hall towards where you remember the library to be, a sudden cloud covers the sun. Immediately, the hallway is bathed in a grey darkness, and you freeze in your steps. At the end of the hallway, just before the library entrance, you swear you see a veiled figure glide past for a brief second. However, as soon as the sun returns, and the warmth covers your skin, you swear your paranoia is just causing your mind to play tricks on you again.
Calming your heart rate takes a few minutes, taking deep, steady breaths all the while. As soon as you’ve calmed down, you take a hesitant step forward, worried that something, or rather, someone will jump out at you from behind the corner at a moment’s notice. Except, when you peer around the edge, the only thing staring back at you are the empty halls of the castle.
Unconsciously, you breathe a sigh of relief, standing a bit straighter as you cross the hall to enter the library. All the while, you shake your head, clearing it of your intruding thoughts. If you’re going to get back into the mindset of exploring, then you’re going to need to be able to think clearly.
Entering the library, you are in awe once more. Today, you are able to travers each level carefully, noting where each section is and what types of books they contain. Again, you start from the top and work your way down, noting how the dust seems thinnest on the main floor while thickest at the top. Every so often you pull a book or two from the shelves, simply running a finger along the spine and over the facings, skimming through the pages when curiosity strikes you.
On the second level, you find a large desk where you place some of your supplies for the time being as you begin to collect a few volumes of the castle records. Once satisfied, you sit in the velvet seat before the desk, again noting how clean the chair appears to be. You swear that the seat feels warm, too. Almost as if someone had just been sitting here only moments ago, but you blame the sun for that one.
Skimming through the records confirms what you know so far, but also informs you of an instance of a fire that occurred sometime just after the storm. Looks like one of the upper rooms burnt, and most of the other record from previous Lords and Ladies were destroyed within, along with many portraits.
Those empty places on the walls beside the staircase flash in your mind, and you have an inkling that the fire wasn’t actually an accident as the records may suggest.
One thing that does stick out to you, though, in all of your findings, is the fact that a majority of these entries do not seem to be dated. In fact, some of them, based off of the preservation of the parchment and ink on the pages would suggest they occurred after the death of Taemin’s lover.
Humming to yourself, you pull out the journal you found in the Lord’s room, cross referencing the few dates in that book with the book of records you’re currently examining.
Your eyes widen as your breath gets caught in your throat. How could you have not noticed this before?
At a certain point within the records, the writing style changes, suggesting a different person has been recording the proceeding events after the storm. The same writing style which is present in the Lord’s journal.
Looks like Lord Taemin undertook bookkeeping in his spare time after the death of his beloved. Or rather, perhaps there was no one else around to do so, except for him.
Something’s not quite adding up, and you’re going to get to the bottom of this mystery sooner rather than later.
Slipping the book of records into your bag, along with the journal, you pull out your own notes and scribbling down your findings. Your mind runs a mile a minute as you piece together a story with the information you have.
Clearly Lord Taemin remained in the castle for quite a while, even after his lover’s death. So then, why does the current history remain that he disappeared along with Count Kai immediately after such a tragedy struck? Did something else happen?
All of these questions, and more, swirl through your mind as you finally decide to take a peak through the desk you’re sitting at. The first few drawers contain a miscellaneous array of items, such as more parchment, quills, and some dried up ink, but as you go to open the bottommost right drawer, you find you’re unable too.
Your brow furrows as you think it strange that a desk drawer to remain locked for all of these years. Luckily for you, the drawer seems loose enough so that you can wiggle it back and forth. Taking a moment to rummage through your bag, you manage to find what you’re looking for. A spare paperclip and some more wiggling of the drawer later, and you manage to pop it open.
Glancing inside the drawer, a small gasp escapes your lips, and you swear you hear laughter sound from behind you. Your heartbeat increases as the feeling of being watched returns tenfold.
Without a second thought, you’re reaching into the drawer to grab the similarly bound leather journal as to the one you found inside the Lord’s own desk. Tossing it into your bag you don’t even bother to close the drawer as you make your exit for the day. You’ve had enough of these laughing walls and their watchful eyes.
Hurrying back to town, you cannot shake the feeling of someone watching you. You shake your head; you’re just being paranoid again.
Walking back to your hotel, your stomach growls. Checking the time on your phone, you realize just how long you’ve spent inside the castle for the day. Much longer than you anticipated.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, you retreat into your room for the evening, figuring you should continue to piece together your findings, and go through that other journal you found. Setting up everything at your desk takes you no more than five minutes, and once you’re done, you find yourself just sitting there, staring at the new journal.
Taking a deep breath, you open it to the first page.
That same familiar scrawl of Lord Taemin’s meets your eyes, only this time, the ink looks fresher. Well, except for the first few entries, which read as follows.
Jan. 19
I couldn’t take the reminders anymore. I burned them all.
Jan. 29
The hunger is getting worse. Pain: unbearable.
Then, a third, without a date.
Monster, they called me. Spewing their insults once they saw me. Some ran screaming from me, claiming my visage to be a ghost.
I couldn’t help myself.
If a ghost is what they think I am, then a ghost I will become.
You swallow. Clearly something more happened to Lord Taemin after that night, but what it is still eludes you. However, with the way your mind is stirring, you do not like the direction you are being led in.
You’re starting to think that Lord Taemin was the one who killed his lover. By accident, or by choice, you still have yet to discover. All you do know is that you want to get to the bottom of this mystery as quickly as you possibly can.
Reading a few more entries in the journal reveals the Lord’s pain and suffering’s through his grief at losing his lover, along with a mysterious transition he keeps mentioning. He makes quite a few metaphors about blood, or at least, what you hope are metaphors, and a few choice words keep reappearing. In the back of your mind, Kibum’s own words of warning ring in your ears: ancient; dark; ruin; run.
Before you know it, hours have passed and you finally come upon the last entry within the journal. This one appears to be the freshest, the ink almost shining at you from the page, smudged in some areas as if tears had fallen as the Lord had been writing. No date accompanies the entry.
I’ve found her.
When Kai told me he had news of her whereabouts, I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t. Not after all this time.
I spent years searching for her. Decades looking for any sign of her, and came up with nothing. Until now.
She looks just as beautiful as the day I lost her. When Kai showed me the photo, I could hardly believe my eyes, let alone speak my thoughts aloud. Even now, I’m having difficulty putting them into words.
I’ve been forced to live with myself and my grief these past so many years, constantly reliving that fateful night each time I close my eyes. I still cannot get the smell of her blood out of my mind, even after I burned all of her possessions.
I had killed her, and now, I have a second chance.
This time, I will be more careful. This time, it will work. I will do anything and everything within my power to ensure she is in my arms after all of this is said and done.
She will be mine once more.
A chill races down your spine as you drop the journal onto the desk in front of you. Lord Taemin cannot still be alive after all of these years. It’s been centuries. It’s impossible.
Pushing yourself away from the desk, you decide that that’s enough research for tonight. Either someone is playing a massive trick on you, or there’s something more sinister at work here than you realize. You’re starting to think that you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with this one. Maybe you should talk to Jongin about leaving the town for a few days until you’ve calmed down before returning to the castle, or maybe you should just leave and never look back. You exhale shakily.
As you slide into bed and switch off the lights, that creeping suspicion of being watched returns much stronger than before.
Perhaps it’s time you start believing in ghost stories after all.
Falling asleep that night is difficult at first, your mind swirling with all the new details you’ve uncovered just in one day. The more you think about it, though, the more you realize that you will need a few days away just to sort out your own head, and whether you want to continue with this investigation or not. History aside, there’s something bigger at work here, and you’re not about to lose sleep, or your mental health over it.
Finally, in the early hours of the morning, sleep finds you.
Once more, you dream of that same hallway, the veiled figure with the crown of thorns resting upon its head standing at the end. Only, this time, you recognize that hallway.
The door to the Lord’s bedroom opens behind the figure, it gliding into the room shortly after indicating for you to follow it. However, once it realizes that you are not moving, it turns sharply towards you, once again pulling you towards it using that mysterious magnetic force. Only, this time, when you get close enough, you do not wake up.
This time, when you get close enough to the figure, it stops you, its hand wrapping gently around your own in order to lead you into the room. Moving over to the fireplace, you watch as it runs its opposite hand along the underside of the mantle, hearing a click before a door to a secret room is opening from within the fireplace.
The smell of burning wood and ash meets your nostrils as you hear the sounds of a roaring fire, the side of the figure illuminated by the flames. It’s almost as if the figure wants you to walk into the burning room, but you hesitate.
Just as it reaches for you once more to pull you into the flames with it, you wake up, gasping for breath. You barely have time to recover from your dream when you hear a pounding at your door, followed by the concerned call of your name.
Flinging the sheets off of your body, you manage to just wrap a sweater around your frame as you open the door. Jongin stands there, fist raised in the midst of another knock, worry etched into his features.
“Are you alright? I heard crying,” nothing but concern is in his voice as he looks into your eyes.
Sure enough, raising your hands to wipe at your face reveals dried tear tracks on your cheeks. You sniffle. “I’m fine.”
He shoots you a look, not entirely convinced, but he leaves it for now. “I wanted to come check on you.”
“That’s awfully kind of you,” you risk a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach your eyes.
“How have things been at the castle so far?” He asks, a little too eagerly.
You swallow. “I’ve made some interesting discoveries.”
The journals flash through your mind, along with the record book, and the dream you’ve just had. In your distracted state, you fail to notice the smirk that twitches at the corner of Jongin’s lips.
Clearing your throat, you ground yourself back to your current reality. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
Over the past two minutes or so, you’ve come to a conclusion. You want to check out the Lord’s room one final time before leaving to see if that dream had any truth to it. Your curiosity is getting the better of you, and besides, your dreams are the whole reason you actually accepted this job anyways. You’d be able to draw that castle from memory now, with how often you’ve dreamed of it the past few years. Clearly there’s more to it that meets the eyes.
“What about?” He asks, waiting patiently for you to continue.
“I’m going to spend the night at the castle, and depending on my findings, I will leave for a few days and then decide if I will be coming back or not,” you inform him.
“I see,” he doesn’t appear all that shocked, almost as if he had been anticipating your words before you had even spoken them aloud.
“I believe I am under-qualified for this task at hand,” you say. “I think I took on more than I could handle.”
“Believe me, you’re the only one qualified for this job,” he mutters, and your frown deepens. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to change your mind, let me know. I’ll drive you up when you’re ready.”
Before you can even protest his offer, he’s walking down the hallway and turning the corner, heading back down to the lobby.
Letting out a sigh, you shake your head while closing the door to your room. Jongin sure is acting strange, and he seemed to be in a rush just now. You hope everything is okay, and that you’re not reading too much into it. Oh well, at least by tomorrow you’ll have put this town, and all of its secrets, behind you.
Deciding to take a quick shower, you get ready to leave for the castle once more. This time, you take a few more provisions with you, such as an extra flashlight, and a sweater. You also figure you should stop by the café and order a bunch of coffee if you’re going to make it through the night without sleeping.
At the first sign of danger, though, you’re out of there.
An hour later, you’ve eaten and gathered all the supplies you’ll need in order to spend the night at the castle. Oddly enough, you didn’t spot Jongin waiting for you until after you had exited the café with a large thermos filled with coffee and a few prepackaged meals. Your eyes narrow as you see him leaning against his car. He seems nervous; antsy, even.
“Ready to go?” He asks, as soon as you walk up to him.
“As I’ll ever be,” you reply, checking your phone for the time. Looks like you slept in much later than you originally had thought, and by the time you had gathered all of your supplies, packed all your belongings, and gotten ready to stay the night at the castle, it is now late afternoon. The sun should be setting in about an hour or so, so you don’t have much daylight left to use. “The sooner we leave, the better.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jongin grins, opening the passenger side door for you.
Quietly thanking him, you slide into the seat, mentally preparing yourself for the task at hand. You’ve already decided your plan of action, but you’re not quite sure if you’ll be able to stick with it. In fact, the closer you get to the castle, the less confident you feel. Really, the last thing you want is to head straight to the Lord’s room again, given the context of your dream. What if that figure is waiting for you?
You shake your head. No, that can’t be the case. Dreams are just that: dreams. There’s no deeper meaning behind them, is there?
“Is everything okay?” Jongin’s voice manages to pull you out of your thoughts. “You look a bit…” he searches for the right word, “worried.”
“I’ll be fine after tonight,” you reply, leaving the conversation at that.
If only you knew how true your words had been at this time.
The car ride takes longer than you would have thought it would, given the somewhat direct path up the mountain to the castle. Though, you suppose the amount of turns have something to do with the length of the journey. At least when you walked you could go straight up through the woods.
As soon as you can, you’re hopping out of the car, slamming the door shut behind you.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call,” Jongin tells you, leaning towards the now open passenger window. You nod. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
You nod once more, doing your best to hide the small furrow that wants to tug at your brows at how eager Jongin sounds to you. Almost as if he’s been anticipating this moment for quite some time now.
Without another word, he drives off.
The ominous feeling of the castle looms behind you, casting a shadow over your figure in the light of the now setting sun. Turning slowly, you take in the grandeur of Castle Etresque once more, quite possibly for the final time. Taking a deep breath, you approach the doors.
Sliding the key into the lock, you hear that familiar click before pushing the door open. Never before has the castle felt this ominous to you. In the back of your mind, you begin to wonder if that’s just your paranoia playing up again in the light of the setting sun.
Stepping into the castle, you hesitate. A split second decision has you continuing straight through to the back of the castle. Looks like you’re not sticking to your plan after all. Besides, you still haven’t explored the gardens, and you want to see them in whatever light you can when the sun is still illuminating the sky.
Making your way back outside, you take in the scenery that is the gardens. Old vines wrap around crumbled archways, some even climbing up the side of the castle. You can tell no one has tended to these gardens in years, for most of the plants are either dead, or have been growing wildly, forging their own paths through the grounds over time.
Slowly, silently, you step onto the grass, gliding through what little of a path that you can see. Some of the hedges reach heights above your head, and you find a few small statues around some of them. One even leads to a fountain, or what you assume to be a fountain.
Nothing surprises you the most though, unlike the perfectly trimmed rose bush you find tucked away in the furthest corner of the garden. The blood red petals seemingly taunt you as you gently brush your fingers along them and down their stem.
Inhaling sharply, you recoil your hand, pricked by one of the rose’s thorns.
Wiping off the small amount of blood that swells on your finger, you decide to head back inside the castle. The sun is setting much quicker than you anticipated, and you don’t want to be stuck outside after dark. Who knows what could be lurking in the shadows.
Closing the door behind you, you pull out one of your flashlights. Turning the light on, you begin to make your way back to the front entrance and up the stairs. Time to check out the music room once more.
Halfway up the stairs, you halt in your tracks. The closer you get to the top of the landing, the louder the sound of a piano playing softly in the distance becomes. There’s only one room in this whole castle that you know to have a piano in it, and it’s exactly where you are heading to next. Looks like you’ll have to make another detour.
The moment you reach the top of the stairs, you’re making a beeline for the library. Perhaps there’s something you overlooked while you were there yesterday, and besides, your imagination is providing you with that veiled figure being the one playing the piano, and you do not want to walk in on that. Especially if it has that weird magnetic power that it does in your dreams.
You shake your head. What are you even thinking? There’s no way a figure form your dreams could be real. Your paranoia sure is acting up.
Entering into the library once more, you do another quick sweep of the first floor before making your way back to the desk on the second. Only, when you get there, you notice that the desk looks practically untouched, as if someone has cleaned up after you had left yesterday. The chair is once more tucked into the desk, papers stacked neatly onto it while the locked drawer you had left open in your rush to leave appears to have been closed and relocked.
Something is definitely going on here.
Swallowing the sudden dryness in your throat, you decide to move back out into the hallway. The only sound that greets you is your heartbeat ringing in your ears, and you nearly jump at the way your footsteps begin to echo against the walls of the castle.
Again, the piano’s soft melody begins, causing you to freeze in your tracks. You hold your breath, feeling your heart pounding against your ribcage as you turn the flashlight off.
Using the light of the now risen moon to guide you, you slowly, quietly, make your way over to the music room. The piano reaches a crescendo as you reach for the doorknob, suddenly ceasing as the door creaks open.
All you are met with is an empty room, and your paranoia skyrockets. Someone must have just been playing the piano. Someone had to have been; you weren’t imagining something like that.
Taking a moment to attempt to steady your breathing, you enter the room, sweeping the flashlight around and illuminating every corner with the beam you have now turned back on. All you are met with is more emptiness, not a single being in sight.
Walking over to the piano, you place a hand onto the bench. Your eyes widen as you realize the significance of what you feel. It’s still warm.
You weren’t imagining things. Someone was just playing this piano. Only, who? And, why? Where could they have gone in two seconds flat?
You’re head spins, and you do not like the conclusions you come to as the images of the journal’s pages flash through your mind. Looks like more pieces of the puzzle are snapping into place, and so far, you do not like the picture they present.
Shifting your gaze around the room once more, you eyes land on the windowsill. A lone flower rests on the ledge, but not just any flower. A single red rose lays along the windowsill, and you find yourself backing away slowly. You know for sure someone is playing tricks on you now.
The sooner you can get out of the castle, the better. If only your curiosity still didn’t get the better of you. If only you didn’t feel drawn to look upstairs once more. You just have to check the Lord’s room one more time before you go, just to confirm that what you saw in your dream isn’t real. It shouldn’t be. It can’t be.
No longer caring if you’re being watched, you make your way back up to Lord Taemin’s room for the final time. When you push open the intricate door, you half expect someone to already be waiting on the other side, but instead you are met with darkness. Shining your flashlight around the room, you note the emptiness once more and breathe a sigh of relief.
Ever so carefully, you walk over to the mantlepiece, eyes darting this way and that, half expecting that veiled figure to pop out at you from behind a wall at any moment. Just as in your dream, you imitate what you saw the figure do, sliding your hand beneath the stone mantel until you feel a small latch. As soon as you flick it, a small click is heard and a secret door is opening into another room.
The first thing you notice about this new room is the smell. Charred wood meets your senses as you see ash littering the ground, as if a great fire had once been contained inside of it. You swallow thickly, recalling the castle’s logs.
Moving slowly, you enter the new room, ducking your head so that you don’t hit yourself on the way in. Once you’ve righted yourself, a gasp escapes your lips.
The surrounding walls are covered in scorch marks, blackened by soot and ash. All, except for one, which houses a large portrait, seemingly slashed across the face of one of the two people depicted within it. Below the portrait rests a small table, obviously having been brought inside the room after the fire had taken place. On it, rests two crowns placed upon a grey veil of sorts, folded beneath them and acting as a cushion. One, you recognize from your dreams, worn by the veiled figure in each one. The other, the twin to the one beside it.
Your whole body begins to tremble, your mind urging you to run and never look back as the feeling of being watched creeps up your spine. Only, you find yourself moving towards the painting instead.
As you get closer, you find yourself examining the man in the painting, who can be no other than Lord Taemin himself. He stands proudly beside whom you assume is his lover, smile on his youthful face as he clasps her hands in his. If only you could make out her face.
You take another step closer, reaching forwards before you can stop yourself to push the slit canvas together back over the lover’s face. You nearly fall over, your breath hitching as you see your own face staring back at you from the canvas.
This cannot be possible. It shouldn’t be possible.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A voice from behind you has you whirling around, your eyes going wide as you take in Lord Taemin standing before you, appearing as youthful as he is in the painting. Only, his hair now reaches down to his shoulders. “I regret the day I ruined that beautiful face.”
Your breath hitches in your throat, “Taemin.”
You watch as he closes his eyes, a shiver of pleasure seemingly running down his spine as he takes a deep breath. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear my name fall from your lips once more.”
You can do nothing but watch as he approaches you, your feet glued to your spot in fear. Once he’s standing in front of you, he lifts his hand, gently tracing the side of your face with the tips of his fingers. The caress sends a shiver down your spine as he gazes into your eyes with the fondest look you’ve ever seen anyone give you.
“My love,” his voice is but a whisper, “you’ve returned.”
A moment of silence passes between the two of you.
“It’s you,” you breathe, much to his content.
“Me,” he mirrors with a soft smile gracing his lips, eyes searching your face and committing every detail to memory once more.
“You’re the man from my dreams,”
“I believe the kids are calling it ‘the man of my dreams’ nowadays,” he grins, and you push him away.
Immediately, his expression drops.
“No,” you step away from him, as your whole body begins to shake in terror once more. “You’re the one who’s been haunting my dreams.”
“Haunting is such a strong word, My Love.” You hear him click his tongue. “I told Kai not to start spreading ghost stories again.”
“Kai?” You shoot him an incredulous look as he begins pacing back and forth in front of you.
“I suppose he doesn’t go by that name anymore,” he mumbles more to himself than anything before turning his full attention back on you. “I believe he goes by Jongin, now.”
“The mayor?” Your head is spinning.
“Getting him that job wasn’t easy, but I suppose it’s payed off, now, hasn’t it?” The corner of his lips quirk upwards. “I have you with me once more.”
“He’s been helping you this whole time, hasn’t he?” You frown, your heart racing in your chest at what this means.
“Yes. He’s been indebted to me for centuries,” Taemin replies, somewhat nonchalantly until his expression is hardening. “He’s the reason I lost you in the first place.”
“I thought you killed-“
Something flashes behind his eyes which makes you stop yourself from completing that sentence. “It was his fault.”
You swallow, your shaking finally stopping momentarily so you can remain perfectly still. You feel as if you are prey stuck beneath a predator’s gaze.
“How are you even here right now?” Your gaze travels over him, and you notice he’s wearing surprisingly modern clothes for a supposedly dead Lord of over a few centuries. Unfortunately for you, it looks as if he takes it as you checking him out, smirk only falling when he hears your next words. “You should be dead.”
“You still haven’t figured it out yet?” He voices his disbelief. “Come on, I know you’re smarter than that.” He sees you grimace, and that smirk is right back on his features. “Oh, but you have.”
“It’s impossible,” you whisper.
“Nothing is impossible, My Love.” Again, he takes a step towards you, closing the distance between your bodies once more. At your hesitation, he continues, “go on. Say it. You know what I am.”
The pages of his journal flash within your mind once more. “You’re vampires.”
“That’s my girl,” he’s in front of you now, his arm wrapping itself around your waist and pulling you into his chest, his face buried into the side of your neck. You stiffen as you hear him take a deep breath, a shiver running down his spine as he does so. “You have no idea what you do to me, do you? How long I’ve waited to be able to see you again? To touch you?” He tightens his hold around your waist. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Tentatively, you place a hand on his chest, pushing him away for the time being. Luckily, he obliges. For now.
“I want answers,” your voice is firm, and you hear him sigh.
“Always so demanding,” he teases. “It’s one of the many things I love about you.” At your look, he takes a reluctant step back, increasing the distance between you in order for you to feel more comfortable. “Ask away.”
“You’ve been living in this castle for centuries,” you begin, looking at him expectantly.
“That is correct,” his eyes twinkle in amusement.
“No one knows you’re still alive except for Jongin, another vampire and your servant?” The last part of your sentence you raise in a question, and at his nod of approval, you continue, “he was responsible for your lover’s-“ at the look he sends you, you’re quick to correct yourself, “my death, and is indebted to you because of this fact.”
“Yes,” he nods once more. “Though, I would really prefer it if you stopped talking about other men when you’re with me for the time being. Especially him.”
“You both lured me here because…?” You quirk a brow, surprised at your own confidence for the moment.
“I thought I had made that clear,” he chuckles, and you immediately recognize it as the sound that has been following you around the castle as you have been exploring it the past few days. “In the simplest of term, you are the reincarnation of her,” he motions behind you to the painting hanging on the wall with his head, “finally returned to me after all these long years. I had to get you to come home somehow.”
“And invading my dreams as a sketchy, shadowy, veiled figure was the best thing you could think of?” You shoot him a look.
“I was still in mourning; I had to be sure it was you before I revealed myself,” he explains. “Then it just became amusing to me to keep returning to you like that. I knew you had a curious nature by heart, so I knew it was only a matter of time before you discovered who I was.”
“I couldn’t sleep for weeks because of you,” you narrow your eyes and he chuckles.
“Look at us, already having our first lover’s quarrel after years of being apart,” he coos, his eyes shining in the moonlight that continues to stream through the window.
“Is this a game to you?” You cross your arms.
“Of course not,” immediately, his expression is turning serious. “I have waited centuries to have you back in my life. You have no idea the amount of planning that went into this.”
“I can assume,” you reply bluntly, and he frowns. “The disappearances then, and the bodies that were never found?”
“I need to feed on something,” he shrugs, moving to lean on the table while crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Better to get rid of the evidence lest I want hunters showing up at my door again.”
Your heart jumps into your throat, “and preying on unsuspecting humans is your idea of what? Take-out?”
“It’s not my fault they were dumb enough to trespass on my property,” he counters, his own eyes narrowing slightly at the way you continue to look at him with fear in your eyes. “Do not worry, My Love, I would never dare to hurt you.”
“What about Kibum?”
“Whom?” He frowns.
“Kim Kibum,” you repeat. “The one you let escape.”
“I thought I told you I would prefer not to have you talk about other men when you’re with me right now,” he sighs.
“Answer the question,” you push, and he meets your gaze once more.
“I had to entice you to the castle somehow,” he says. “A little bit of compulsion never hurt anybody.”
“You compelled him?” Your stomach drops.
“Only to help persuade you into returning home,” he sighs once more. “And I thought I told you I would never hurt you.”
“But would you lie to me?” Your words surprise even you, and you see a spark light behind his eyes, as if a memory has been awakened within him
“Only if you want me to,” he breathes, his arms falling to his sides.
You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat, eyes darting to the only entrance in and out of the room. The urge to flee is becoming stronger with each passing moment. You have no idea what Taemin is capable of, but the lengths to which he is willing to go to scare you seemingly know no end. Your exploration of the castle is proof enough.
Without realizing, you start to subconsciously move towards the exit. However, before you can move more than two feet, Taemin is in front of you in the blink of an eye.
“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice is stern, commanding.
You, finding courage you didn’t know you had at the moment, brush past him and exit the hidden room. “This is a lot for me to take in, so excuse me if I’m a little caught off guard.”
“I would imagine so,” he follows you, and you can only assume you have his trust for the moment. “Worry not, My Love. I am here.”
Another moment of silence passes between the two of you as your mind races.
“I found your journals,” you blurt, not being able to stand the quiet tension building in the room as he continues to stare at you.
“I know,” he grins. “I let you find them; I wanted you to.”
“That room,” you motion behind him to the room you both have just come from. “You burnt all of her-“ he sends you that look again that has you quickly correcting yourself, “of my possessions.”
“I have regretted it every day since,” he admits. “The only thing I had left of you was that painting, and sadly, as you can see, I destroyed it as well.”
“Then the girl you referenced in your most recent journal entry was me,” you state, and you see amusement shine in his eyes.
“Are you asking or speaking your thoughts aloud, now?” He chuckles, and now it’s your turn to shoot him a look. He raises his hands in front of him in defence, silently telling you to take all the time you need to process all of this information.
The puzzle has finally been complete, and you most certainly do not like the picture. Your blood runs cold.
“Did you enjoy stalking me through your castle this whole time?” You narrow your eyes at him, taking in where you are in relation to where he is in the room. If you can just make it to the stairs…
“Stalking is such a heavy term,” he sighs, shaking his head slightly. “If you really must know, I did enjoy watching you rediscover our home.”
“Our home?” You brow furrows, eyes darting briefly to the open doorway off to your right.
“My Love, I thought I told you,” his sickly sweet smile turns into an expression that has your breath hitching in your throat at the dark look that takes over his features as he appears directly in front of you, closing off any chance of an escape that you had been planning, “Now that you’ve returned, I’m never letting you go again.”
NOTE: Hello! I have been inactive for years but I’m still here lol I will still try to post from time to time but I won’t be accepting requests for now since I can’t promise that I will be very active again here~ hehe always stay safe and healthy! ♡
Lee Jinki
soft but serious af when working
Greets every employee with a smile
Approachable
Treats his team to dinner at least twice a month
Gets along with his employees
Has an inner Chrisitian Grey vibe (i know. I’m sorry, I had to)
Kim Jonghyun
BEST BOSS EVER
Brings Roo to office to play with everyone
Almost wanna cry when someone resigns
Always sings when working
Makes sure everyone is doing okay
Doesn’t let his employees suffer from too much stress and pressure
Kim Kibum
A strict yet fun boss
Wants everything to be done as soon as possible
Perfectionist
But commends and appreciates all the employees’ efforts
Makes the team laugh
OOTD is always on point
Loves having team parties, he is indeed the life of the party
Has an aesthetic office-- but messy drawers lol
Choi Minho
Very hardworking
Hates losing to other companies or teams
Gets disappointed when someone fails to do their job properly
But will help the employee think of a way to resolve it
Makes sure everyone is doing their job
Goes straight to gym after work
Plays golf with his colleagues on weekends
Brings coffee for the whole team
Everyone has a crush on him
Has an inner Christian Grey vibe too....
Lee Taemin
A boss who doesn’t seem like one
Plays vid games in his office
Ask his employees to play with him
But works hard whenever he has to
A boss but at the same time a baby
Everyone is soft for him
Everyone calls him “boss baby” behind his back
Requests are closed. // check MASTERLIST for more. Please do not repost without my permission. Thank you ♡
Genre: suggestive / enemies to lovers / love triangle
Warnings: rather suggestive and steamy, without any sex though.
Monthly Prompt: Love Triangle
Word count: 1514
If there was one person who you envied in this world, it was Choi Minho. Not only was the man attractive and effortlessly successful, but he had also always beat you at everything. School, sports, life achievements, and just naturally growing up - it felt as if the fates had blessed him with the easy route whilst you had to work for it.
But not this time. You would not lose to Minho again.
“Jude isn’t some prize to win, Y/N,” your best friend Margo pointed out as you glared across the club where Jude and Minho sat together, the former breaking into a laugh at something Minho said. You downed a shot, growling lowly at him yet again getting in before you could do anything about it.
“I know she isn’t,” you confirmed, your eyes not leaving the pair. You felt a pang of disappointment when Jude’s hand gripped onto Minho’s bicep, his handsome smile brightening up the room.
And darkening you further.
“What’s your plan then?”
Glancing away from the pair, you cocked your head to the side to look at Margo. “Plan?”
“Minho’s got his A-game on. How do you plan on snatching Jude out from under his nose? He won’t let a single moment be spared now he has her for the night. You should have heard him last weekend when it was you and Jude cosying up over there together.”
Flashes of sweet touches and intimate conversation filled your mind, and you warmed instantly, as if you could feel the heat from Jude’s body again. You had spent the whole night with her and ended up on the club’s main floor, dancing provocatively together and enticing more than just Minho eying you both. After one too many drinks, you had drunkenly giggled your way through some heated kisses outside her apartment, pressing her into the wall with need.
You had been sent off with the promise it wouldn’t be the last time you’d be flush against her. However, with the way she was all but sitting in Minho’s lap, you wondered if Jude had forgotten the depraved sentiments she had breathlessly groaned into your ear a week ago.
You stood suddenly, spurred on by the repeated murmurs in your head, marching over to the loved-up pair. Whilst Jude grinned at you, Minho’s grimace was what made your smile grow.
“Y/N. How untimely it is to see you tonight.”
“Minho,” you replied with a curt nod. “Ever the gentleman.”
“I aim to please,” he muttered into the drink he picked up.
“I’m so glad to see you tonight, Y/N,” Jude announced, reaching out with a hand for your face, caressing it gently before standing up. Her eyes eagerly flicked to a message that came through on her phone. “Can you keep my seat for me? I’ll be right back.”
“S-sure,” you agreed, glancing at the death glare Minho was giving you behind Jude’s back before he smiled as she turned to press a kiss onto his cheek. She then pranced off and got lost in the throes of the club.
You slumped into the chair and took Minho’s glass to gulp a long drink from it. “Excuse me, I wasn’t done with that.”
“Well, you are now, buddy. Off you go.”
Minho’s eyebrow rose. “You think finishing off my drink will signal my time over here is done? Try again, Y/N.”
“She kissed you on the cheek,” you mentioned, watching male pride bloom over his face as he smirked. You nodded nonchalantly. “How sweet.”
“And you suppose Jude will do more than that with you?”
It was your turn to glow. “Has, you mean.”
“What?” Minho’s sharp gaze stumbled momentarily before he smoothed his expression to indifference. “Whatever.”
Sidling closer to Minho, you ran a hand up his perfectly sculpted arm, his eyes watching your teasing hand intently. Finally cupping the side of his neck in your hand, you leaned into his closest ear, exhaling breathily for effect. You felt him stiffen and shudder. “You should have seen how pretty Jude was when I had her pressed up against the wall outside her apartment.”
Minho swallowed. Shifted in his chair. Inhaled deeply. Finally, he turned his head and caught your eye. “Liar.”
Emboldened by how he was acting, you slid a thigh over his lap to straddle him, trying not to revel in the gasp you drew out of him in the process. You were certain he had stopped thinking when his hands moved to your hips and held you down into his groin. It was you who exhaled shakily at this, waiting for his competitive nature to kick in and throw you off the game you were playing.
The fire between you was always stoked and ready to burn, but this smouldering heat from different from the usual burn.
Recovering before he broke out of the stupor you had placed on him, you braced your hands on Minho’s shoulders and grazed your lips over his neck. “Was it like this? Her lips on my neck moaning prettily?”
You shifted and felt his arousal press into you, your eyes darting to his. They were molten, stuck on yours, waiting to see what you did next.
“Oh, now this is exactly what I was hoping to happen!” a gleeful tone cut in, breaking the spell you were both under. Scrambling out of Minho’s lap at Jude’s return, you flushed with embarrassment. You hadn’t ever thought of Minho in the way you had just been experiencing. Whilst you had no issues finding either gender attractive, you had always been put off by the competition between you to acknowledge the simmering heat between you could burst into passionate flames.
“Y/N was just trying to… Oh, you have a friend with you?”
Looking at the man wrapped around Jude’s body, you became confused. Who was he, and why did she look so content in his embrace? He stared down at her with eyes that only a lover would give in public like that. You couldn’t help but hear warning bells go off.
“This is my boyfriend, York. He’s been overseas for a month and just got back in today. York, this is Minho and Y/N, the couple I was telling you about. I think they might like—”
“Your boyfriend,” Minho cut in with a small laugh. He sounded slightly unhinged, and when you looked at his face, you saw the crush of being too late for anything invade it. Whilst you were mutually disappointed at the fact that Jude had led you on, you commiserated that you hadn’t been alone with that either.
You were both at a loss here.
Jude nodded. “We’re committed to one another, but we practice an open relationship too. We were wondering if you’d like to join us.”
“Oh,” you mentioned, blinking a few times. You felt Minho’s gaze on you. He had quickly recovered and was trying not to laugh at your stunned response to the invitation. Your lips twitched, but you merely said, “oh” again.
“You know, I think we’re good here, right, Y/N?” Minho answered, still holding your gaze a moment longer before politely smiling up at the pair. “But thanks for the opportunity.”
“Suit yourselves,” York replied with a shrug, scooping Jude up and all but carrying her out of the club. You both watched them leave, stunned into silence.
And then a bubble of laughter rose from within and escaped. “That just happened, right?”
“I believe so.”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with exploring more than one partner at the same time,” you told Minho, who arched his eyebrow again, calling you out non-verbally. You chuckled. “Okay, for you and I—”
“It’s got to be just us,” Minho finished, holding your stare again. Your humour died off as you got lost gazing at him, soaking in all that had been in front of you all this time. Without thinking it through, you slipped your hand back to his neck.
Minho’s hand gripped your waist as he leaned into you. His eyes slipped to your mouth that parted to take in a shallow breath.
“Are you sure, Minho? We’ve been enemies forever.”
“Maybe I’m tired of competing against you,” he murmured, his mouth inching closer to yours. You were sharing the same breath now. “Maybe I want to see what it’s like to be with you instead.”
“Are you sure you can handle the heat of that, Minho? I’m not going to hold back if you do.”
“I’ve been burned by your sting one too many times to retreat,” he admitted, challenge swirling with the lust now blazing his eyes. You whimpered as you slipped back onto his lap, bringing yourself flush against his upper body.
Running your hands through his hair, you marvelled at how right this felt. Especially when his lips ghosted yours, drawing out a moan from you with the lightest of touch.
“I want more than the sting, Y/N. By the time I’m done with you tonight, you’ll be engulfed in flames.”
On the 6th hole, the sun is shining. It's a glorious day, Changmin notices his friend is not his usual self, "woman trouble?" He asks Minho casually. Minho voices his concerns that his lady love may be going to dump him. Changmin a loyal friend and a firm believer that his friend deserves happiness "I have an idea but first let's finish this game".
⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳⛳
Minho explains he has an adventurous fun day planned. When they arrive "escape rooms?" Minho tells his lady love this is his friend's establishment and he asked him to test it out before he went public, so he thought why not help a friend and have fun. Walking to the door, the 'welcome' sign seemed ominous more than welcoming. Greeted by a cordial voice of welcome in the elaborate foyer. "Coffee?" Minho speaks up taking the kind offer of coffee stating make that two. The foyer is furnished elegantly with a feel of turn of the century. "Please sign the waivers" the voice instructs. Minho without hesitation picks up the quill pen and signs. "Why aren't you signing?" Minho asks.
"Did you even read it? It says if we don't get out by the time allotted we never get out!" Minho gives his lady a look of complete innocence, "just a gimmick"
Signing the waiver with unease Minho smiles enigmatically.
♠
"Choose or die!" The voice booms, one door labelled 'Heaven' the other 'Hell'. Minho leaps towards the door labeled 'Hell', "come on!" Entering through the doorway, once in the room the door slams shut. A timer on the wall clicks the minutes away, a neon sign flashes 'rest in pieces'. "We have to find clues, to find a way out!".
..
On the wall next to an electric light switch: a message.
⚡(Un deux trois quatre) I ain’t scared of electricity So it`s OK You shock me me shock me me shock me me shock God is it bad?...⚡
Flipping the switch, zapppppp "fuck!" Minho rushes over "are you okay?" "No!".
Eventually the clues are found which unlock all the necessary elements to unlock the door.
⏩
A glass of water on a table stands out due to its solitude in an otherwise cluttered room. This can't be real? The water swirls in a current suspended above the glass, fascinated she touches the water and is swooped into a flood of water. Tumbling and spinning within the water bubble, tossed as if hit by wave upon wave, then suddenly she is dropped to the floor with a loud bang! A drenched cat! "Wow, did you see that ?" Minho enquiries.
"Yes, let's get outta here,now !" She utters dazed.
Room upon room mishaps befall the unfortunate female whilst Minho remains unscathed.
Tick tock tick tock. The timer counts down.
Looking for clues, the timer sounds off. "You are out of time!" A voice informs. "Minho did.."
Minho is gone! "Minho Minho Minho Minho!" She screams.
Changmin is very pleased with the test, "ready for another round let's hit the course" he smiles.
It’s vacation time, where are the arranged marriage au crew going? Who’s doing a joint trip with the other couples?
Ahh, Arranged Marriage AU, my beloved! It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything so I’m a bit rusty, but I hope you enjoy!
Of Tight Shirts & Chanel Perfume (Onew)
Whenever they get some free time, they absolutely love visiting their mountain cabin for a nice little getaway.
The place is probably a bit bigger than the average vacation cabin, but it’s by no means huge (it does come with a fair bit of land though.)
It’s a really cute and cozy place, having been built chalet-style with both the interior and exterior made almost completely out of wood logs and stone.
The cabin’s located in a rather secluded spot, which makes it the perfect place for a little ~romance~
There’s also a lovely wrap-around deck with a built-in hot tub, which they both really enjoy. And there’s a river that runs pretty much right next to the place, so they can enjoy a lot of other activities like swimming, sailing, fishing and, during the winter months, skating.
The property was actually kind of an impulse purchase. Jinki and Y/N had been fairly regular vacation renters for a few years, so when the owner (a lovely older lady) told them that she was going to be selling the cabin and retiring somewhere warmer, they didn’t even think twice and pretty much gave her the money right then and there.
Strawberry Kisses (Jonghyun)
Hmm, I think these two would really enjoy staycations.
Sometimes they’ll stay home and do a different day trip every day, and sometimes they’ll go somewhere a few hours away and experience everything the place has to offer.
Following an…interesting vacation experience involving a broken-down car, they now have a tradition where, every year, they’ll drive randomly or take the first bus/train they see and wherever they end up is where they spend their vacation.
This tradition has led to some really boring vacations, but also some really great ones.
Thanks to these trips, Y/N and Jonghyun have gotten really good at adapting to different situations. They’ve also learned how to make the best out of almost any situation.
Then Comes Love (Key)
Rather than just picking one specific destination, Kibum and Y/N’s vacations usually involve jumping between a few different places within a certain region.
They typically try to go to a new place for every vacation, but they do have a few favourites that they keep going back to (and if they really like a certain location, nine times out of ten they’ll eventually buy a house there.)
Whether they’re jet-setting across Europe or cruising the Caribbean, you just know Y/N and Key are doing it in style. Private jets, private yachts, five-star hotels, the whole nine yards.
It isn’t always glitz and glam though; they have taken quite a few “normal” vacations where, much like the Strawberry Kisses couple, they try to get the authentic experience of staying in whatever place(s) they’re visiting.
That being said, sometimes those “normal” vacations don’t always go so well (in fact, due to a somewhat disastrous stay in London during one of these trips, they now refuse to stay in bed and breakfasts.)
Mofrilelo (Minho)
You know how some people go on vacations to relax and unwind? Yeah, not these guys.
It is literally impossible for Minho and Y/N to sit around and do nothing while on vacation. Like seriously, if they wanted to spend their vacation just lounging around, they would’ve stayed home.
They’re not, like, going extreme rock climbing and riding jet skis every day, but you’d be hard-pressed to find them doing absolutely nothing (well, unless they need some time to recover from the aforementioned extreme rock climbing and jet skiing)
They also love getting the other couples together for joint vacations. It can be a bit difficult to work around everybody’s schedules, but they aim to do some sort of group trip at least once a year.
Midnight Musings (Taemin)
When this pair wants to take a trip, they either invite themselves tag along on one of the Of Tight Shirts & Chanel Perfume couple’s vacations, or go somewhere completely off-the-grid and nobody can contact them for like a week.
Seriously, nobody even knows where they go. Cottage in the forest? Amazon rainforest expedition? Exploring the Arctic Circle? It’s anyone’s guess.
To be honest, sometimes they don’t actually go anywhere. They just stay home, turn off their phones, and let everybody think they’re off in the middle of nowhere.
