+ JUNIOR +

Jinyoung pranced down the familiar street with a goofy looking grin on his face. His favorite Superman backpack — a gift he had received from this particular best friend last Christmas — was strapped to his shoulders securely, although his tiny little hands still strangled the two fasteners like his life depended on it.

(But seriously, who didn't love Superman? He was the coolest mutant of all time, after all. Batman didn't have shit on him.)

Junior rocked back and forth on his heels, puffing up his cheeks like a blowfish while he waited at the front door. He stared at the doorbell, wondering if he had pressed it enough times already. Five was a good number, right? Yeah. He nodded to himself with a reassured (and slightly ignorant) expression on his round, chubby face. His vacant eyes soon brightened as the door swung open, revealing a hyper Soojung and a rather grumpy looking Sooyeon. He threw his arms up towards the younger and yelled in unrestrained excitement. "YAAAAAAH SOOJUNG-AH! LET'S EAT EVERYTHING AND STAY UP ALL NIGHT!"

His arms enveloped the other in a tight hug as he bounced up and down and spun around everywhere. They nearly hit a vase placed near the entrance way as his arm grazed against the object, but he quickly let go when he realized he had forgotten something. Tilting his head upwards to look at the stupid loser giant Sooyeon — yes, that was her nickname — he grinned widely, showing both rows of his pearly whites without shame. "And good evening to you, Sooyeon-ssi." Even though he had practically known the older girl for just as long as his best friend Soojung, Jinyoung drew a careful line between them when he greeted her. He only talked to her formally at these times because he thought he was a hilarious smart ass. But when he gets enough caffeine in his system, he's spilling drinks everywhere in sight and "accidentally" hitting Sooyeon in the face with all kinds of food particles. Thankfully, he had Soojung to participate in these activities with him and be his shield (most of the time).

Only recently had he been able to catch a break with the newly formed alliance between the clan and the Brotherhood. He would've spent more of his time training his small group of students, but you'd be surprised by how much they had come to hate him in such a short span of time.

[text] ofc, i'll be there soon.

Junior headed out without a second thought about whether or not Krystal would require his assistance as her right-hand man for the day. But even if a huge incident ended up occurring while he was away, he wasn't going to be held responsible. Frankly, he could care less if some tsun Brotherhood member decided to push her buttons today just for fun. It was his self-proclaimed day off, after all.

His footsteps were light as he strolled down the sidewalk, the soles of his shoes hitting the hot pavement and a melodic tune filling his ears as he whistled a summer song. To be perfectly honest, it was great day for Starcraft, and it couldn't hurt to catch up with some old friends. After all, Myungsoo was pretty much the only gaming friend who lived on Jeju Island as well. A pair of bell rang a tinny sound as he opened the door into the familiar building. His eyes scanned up and down the short rows of computers, nerds of all species leaning in closely to their flashing computer screens.

……… huh.

( /I mean she really gets a look at him )

.... (/ he feels stupid)

Junior's eyes widened slightly as he watched an identical silhouette appear from behind the older man. It was an exact replica of himself, detail for detail, and he felt he was looking at a reflection in the mirror. Except as the second Junior called out for Changwook, the twin figure smirked at him before his friend had the chance to turn around, obviously confused by this new dilemma. Junior hadn't thought that ghosts could go as far as copy the form of living humans, but it seems he was caught in yet another one of their traps. Shit.

The look of hesitation was clear in the gaze of his friend. There wasn't anything he could really say to help the situation at the moment. If he tried to convince Changwook that he was the real Junior without any significant proof, it would only worsen the confusion and turn things into a mess. Keeping a hand behind his back on the hilt of the knife, he wasn't sure if he would end up attacking him at any instant. But he decided to raise both of his hands in front of his chest, palms outwards, to hopefully calm the other and prove his innocence. "Hyung, don't do this... I would say I'm the real Junior, but I know that the ghost would only tell you that I'm lying."

The fake copy seemed to be whimpering as he called out for Changwook once again. "H-Hyung.. please help me." The cry was desperate, and it sounded nothing like Junior. But with the way the older man always worried over him, it could definitely pull at the older man's heartstrings. Put my memory to shame while you're at it, fucking bastard. Searching his memory bank to remind Changwook of their friendship, he decided to bring up their first meeting.

"Don't listen to him. Since when was I ever that pathetic? Nevermind —" Jinyoung grumbled to himself before returning to the point. "Remember when we first met hyung? You walked straight into one of my dreams—" Before he could continue with explaining the details, the ghost interrupted him and picked up where he left off.

"I was sitting all alone while the other kids played together. Remember?"

Junior and the ghost switched back and forth with every sentence. Neither was about to back down just yet.

"The kids were playing soccer, and the ball ended up hitting me in the face."

"I was crying alone on the sidelines."

"And then you came along, hyung..."

"Hyung, believe me."

A moment of confusion struck him, he wasn’t exactly sure what he had done but from what he could figure out - his presence had apparently scared off unwanted guests on the other boy’s side. “No need to thank me, I really did nothing.” Looking around the small room, he realised that the boy must have been hiding here all by himself -just like him moments before. It clicked then when the words ‘pester’ registered, “The ghosts, they spoke to you too?” He suddenly looked seriously at the other, as if trying to piece clues together or something, “Did they talk about certain things?”

"Ah, well then.." His voice drifted off into an awkward silence. Truthfully, he probably would've gone insane by now if the stranger hadn't offered a surprise entrance. He was more grateful than he could put into words, but this didn't seem like a good time for a polite push-and-pull of thank you's and no problem's. However, his attention was once again centered on the ghosts that surrounded him, and apparently, he wasn't their only victim of the night. The ghosts, they spoke to you too? Junior nodded slowly, confirming the other's questions. "They spoke to me about — well, it was actually kind of personal, but — they talked about my parents. I hadn't given much thought to them lately, but they were trying to open up old wounds..." His voice seemed to be failing him as he started to reveal the ugly truth, piece by piece. He quickly turned the conversation back to the other dark figure. "But, um, they talked to you, too? I hadn't met anyone else who had the same problem as me."

He felt a bit out of his mind by saying these things. His whole life, no one ever needed him. When he was younger, he always desired the aid of the other Renegades. But in the clan, you have to fend for yourself and your own pride. He never thought in a million years that he would be stuck in these circumstances with Jiyeon. In the few weeks that he had first known her, she was tough and unyielding. Maybe it was because the environment was making everyone a little bit crazy, but was she ever this afraid of anything? As they finally stepped out into the hallway, his gaze swept from the left to the right, almost immediately deciding on the right. "I think the stairwell is this way." His hand still held onto hers securely, tugging her along gently and raising the lantern as high as he could to see the path ahead of them.

Three long dark days had passed, less than 72 hours since waking up in this school - trapt in a horror inspired nightmare and still, far away from finding a way out (if there ever was one). More often than not, the strength of men are tested from within. Wonbin was not a man without fear. To have no fear would be stupidity, it would be reckless but he did not however fear anything of the physical nature. No, his fear lied deeper than that, down to the crux of his soul - it was a fear born in the past, secretly carried on into the present and there taunting him in his future.

He feared darkness, for within it he felt alone.

The words rung so clearly in his ear.

Although it wasn't the ideal rescue he had been hoping for, surprisingly it was exactly what he needed to snap back to reality. The sudden and loud entrance of the older man had been enough to startle both himself and the ghosts that had surrounded him before. The whispers that had been haunting him that day were completely silenced as he stared back at the other with a dumbfounded expression. He blinked, letting the question sink into him for a moment before responding. "Of course I'm real." His voice was hushed but his words were still coherent in the overwhelming silence. His vision was gradually becoming clearer as his mind returned to its normal state.

Rubbing the back of his neck, his heavy gaze fell to the floor and the film of dirt that covered it. He felt slightly ashamed and embarrassed about what had happened just moments before. He didn't want to admit his weakness, especially when he had worked tirelessly to erase those thoughts from his mind his entire life. Despite his reluctance to reveal anything personal, he still showed a small sign of appreciation. "But thank you.. for scaring off the ghosts. Even if it was an accident." His voice trailed off until he eventually uncurled himself and stood up from his pathetic little corner. Reaching down for the lantern, his tone returned to normal as he collected himself. "You don't know how much they were pestering me..."