paracosm.

Pushing the door open, you took off your shoes, noticing the smell of food. It was the middle of winter, so the heat irradiated from the kitchen made you almost feel like crying. Holding the lump on your throat, you walked carefully to the kitchen, watching the back of your loved one. He had a white shirt, folded from his sleeves up on his elbows, he was wearing the black pants of work and his black socks matched. His hair was brushed back his forehead, and, although you couldn't take a look at his face, you know he was furrowing his brows and slightly biting his tongue outside his mouth. The clear representation of concentration. 

Flashing a smile, you took a step closer, knocking on the little table inside the kitchen making him jump a little. He was wearing a deep blue apron and, now looking at you, you could appreciate his beauty under the yellow lights of the kitchen. 

“Welcome home, love!”

His enthusiastic tone made your heart swell. Waving lightly, you caught his shining eyes, while he started serving the food. Cleaning his hands with a cloth, he took off his apron and hung it beside the fridge. 

You knew, outside the house, you were the psychoanalyst, but inside of it, he was the real mvp. With just one look, he could tell your emotions, just like now. 

After turning off the stove, he turned back at you and opened his arms, making his way towards you. His face was mixed with emotions, but the most evident ones were concerning and love. You knew how much he loved you, after years of marriage he had shown it to you in the most beautiful ways. Your favorite way? His attention. 

At work, you needed to pay attention to a bunch of people, making them feel better with what you wanted the most. But that's how you were. And you loved your job, even if sometimes it became too much, you were willing to give everything for the people at your consulting room. 

His arms engulfed you in a warm and loving hug. Your arms found their way to his waist, hugging him tightly as if he was going to disappear if you didn't hold him correctly. 

“Sweetheart, you look a little tired. When did you last eat?” The sweet, slow and deep voice of your husband rang into your ears. Holding a sigh, you just hug him tighter, denying the tears that threatened on coming outside its place. 

“Tell me, is something wrong? If something’s wrong you can count on me.” Once again, his voice broke the silence making your knees quiver. You were so weak, oh so weak. But you weren't supposed to say it. You weren't supposed to be feeling weakness. You needed to be strong. 

You… Must be strong. 

Taking in your silence, his right hand found its way on the back of your head and started rubbing your hair, swinging you left and right slowly, humming lowly. 

He knew how hard you were sometimes to yourself. Considering your job required you to be focused on different storylines across the day. You were drained. 

“It's okay if you can't find the words, I'll take your coat and this weight off of your shoulders.” His hands started taking off your long brown coat, sliding past your arms, showing your grey turtleneck shirt. 

Finding his way to the bedroom, he hung the coat on the closet. Going back to where you were, he hugged you one more time. You could take in the scent of his deep perfume. Roses, but not fresh roses, something more like, musky roses. It had a wooden scent, manly, he smelt like home. 

After a couple of minutes more, you both sat at the table. Taking in the visuals of the food, you couldn't help but feel blessed to have such a person as your soulmate. 

Holding the fork and digging into the pasta, he waited for your reaction. After the first bite, your brows shot up and a smile adorned your face. 

“It's amazing, Kyun!”

He smiled, feeling like the best cook in the world. Both of you started eating your meals, glancing at each other every once in a while. You used to have a little chat while eating, but the food was too good you couldn't help but stuff your mouth with more food every time you swallowed the current bite you had. 

When you were done and you saw he was done too, he took a sip of his red wine and looked at you. “Tell me, how was work?” He wanted to know. More than anything. He wanted to help get rid of the things that were bothering you. 

Taking in a big sigh, you pressed your lips before denying with your head. “It was good, tell me about you, could you find the solution to the problem you told me about?”

Tilting his head, he looked right into your eyes sighing deeply. “Baby, I don't want to talk about myself.” His tone was serious, reaching for your hand resting on the table, he gazed with his thumb at the back of your hand. His skin was warm, showing love with just a single touch. “Tell me where it hurts. Please.”

You knew you were caught. Since the moment he first took a look at you, he knew what you were feeling. He knew. He always knew. 

“I don't even know where to start,” making your head rest on the back of the chair, you looked at the ceiling avoiding his eyes. “already tired of trying to recall when it all fell apart, I guess…”

His eyes traveled to your hand, where the engagement ring laid, and under it, was the marriage ring. Without wanting to say anything, and instead, trying to give you time to think on your next words, and you were forever thankful for his patience. 

There was it, silence again between the both of you. The heartbeat was thumbing hard and strong in your ribcage. The tears were threatening to spill again. Trying to contain the emotions, blinking repeatedly looking everywhere but your husband. 

“I just want to love you well,” You said between a broken sob. Your voice was already affected and you couldn't help but keep going, because in the end, he had seen you in this state more times than you'd like to admit. “I just want to learn how, somehow, to be loved myself…”

With a rapid pace of breathing, your chest was violently going up and down, but no sound came from your mouth. Across time, learning how to swallow the pain, the emotions down her stomach, and the noise that came with such events, became a speciality you had. And you didn't know whether to feel proud or concerned. 

“Like a tidal wave, I'll make a mess,” His voice spoke above the war in your head. Your mind was a mess, a mix of threads with no beginning or end that only caused more damage than good. Your right hand covered the one he was using to cover your left. “or calm the waters, if that serves you best.” Continuing, he reached with his free hand for your face, cleaning the tears with his fingers. 

Watching his face, the adoration in his eyes everytime he looked at you, only made your chest become more tight and ready to explode. You loved him. With all your soul.

He was your advocate. 

Getting up his seat, he held your hand making you mimic his actions. Face to face, he cleared the rest of the tears, and closed the distance, kissing the frustration and anxiety out of your system.

He knew, oh God, he did know how you functioned. How the emotions that sometimes drowned you, could take the best or worst out of you. 

The warm touch of his lips made your head spin once, twice, thrice, until you were intoxicated by his love. And then, there wasn't silence anymore, there wasn't pain. There wasn't… Evil. Nothing could hurt you now. 

A sweet melody embraced your bodies, making you feel like floating. Maybe when you both would take a breath, and your breathing becomes erratic, everything would go back to what it was, but it didn't matter anymore. Because you had him. 

"Happy birthday Minnie!!" the blonde guy smiled at the girl and hugged her tightly. "I hope you have an amazing day!"

"Thanks," he was about to say something else when the figure of his best friend showed behind the girl "Jooheon! Man, it's nice to see you!" Minhyuk said approaching to him.

As it seemed, it was Min's birthday indeed. He liked to organize his own birthday parties because "nobody could do his party better than he himself". And like that, that's why no one ever tried to make a susprise party because he would be a step ahead.

Sighing while walking inside of the big house, she couldn't hide the amusement at the amazing decoration! Minhyuk seriously was good at this.

"Well! I'll be right back, love," Jooheon, your boyfriend, appeared holding his phone with slight furrowed eyebrows. "Changkyun wants me to give him a ride to the store so he can buy some ice, I don't know why he can't go alone, we just arrived." He said with a pout.

"Don't worry baby, it'll be a quick trip since the convenience store is not too far away." You said, reassuring him by patting his shoulder.

"Would you like to stay? Because if you want we can go together, all three-"

"Uh, no thank you, I want to talk to my friend please!" One lilac haired girl said, turning at her, you can see it was Changkyun's girlfriend, who was also your friend.

"It's okay honey, I'll wait for you," you said before the other girl tried to take you away from your boyfriend. "don't look at other girls while you're at it!"

Jooheon smiled and nodded. "Promise, I'll be back in a minute." Kissing your cheek quickly, he started walking away until he reached the door.

"Aaah, they're good for each other." The girl at your side said with a huge sigh, getting an arm on your choulders.

"Who?" you asked looking at all ways.

"You and Jooheon! You're so perfect for each other, like... How do people call those? Ah! Yes, soulmates." she said making you laugh.

"Yeah, guess we're made for each other, just like you and Changkyun!" You complimented back.

The girl smiled flashing dimples just like his boyfriend. "Yeah, we share a brain cell but I guess that's fine. Now! Let's get something to drink! Tell me about everything you've been through since you started dating Jooheon!" She insisted, pulling you to the bar.

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU MADE ME DO THIS!"

"OK, HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO SAY I'M SORRY?!"

"WELL I HAVEN'T HEARD YOU SAY IT ENOUGH TIMES!"

"OH MY GOD, JOOHEON, I'M SORRY I MADE YOU WATCH THAT SCARY MOVIE!"

So, your day didn't quite started on the best way and, like people say: what starts bad, ends bad.

To say the least, you were supposed to watch some movies with Jooheon, but firstly, you wanted to test his nerves because you didn't knew at what extent he could resist. Sadly, he started to tremble when he heard the little creepy tone of the beginning of Coralie.

You were not on the worst part of the movie where the mom became a huge metal arachnid thing, but you were sure you were far to go to that extent.

And, if traumatizing your best friend wasn't the worst, the electricity went out, apparently, in all the city. To say Jooheon was dying inside was an understatement.

"Would you like to stay?" You said taking his hand between yours, trying to reassure him.

"As in your house?" he asked, and you knew he was closing his eyes tight to mask the obvious darkness with his closed eyelids.

"No, the streets, of course I mean my house!" You whisper yelled at him. "You can't even move because of the fear, I might as well invite you to stay the night to compensate the situation." Getting up with his hand between yours, he got scared.

"W-Where are we going?" He almost screamt.

"To my bed, dummie. I'm not gonna let you sleep on the couch."

"I'm gonna get nightmares because of you." He said gripping one of your hands with force. "Please don't let me go..." His voice was trembling and you couldn't help but feel so guilty.

"It's us against the world, Honey, don't worry, I'm not letting your hand go." You said entering your room and sitting him on your bed.

"Are you gonna fight the monsters for me?" His question was cute, that made you ruffle his hair.

"Yeah, now get some sleep."

"No..." he denied with his head, eyes still closed. "Sing to me so I can sleep."

Rolling your eyes, you started humming. It was the least you could do after exposing him to such strong trauma.

“Now, you packed the food?” He asked, grabbing the keys of the car from the table. 

“Yup, it's all on the car.” 

With a nod, he opened the door of the house and made her leave first. After closing the door and getting in the car, he started the engine and that's when we knew we were about to have an amazing night. 

After a good thirty minutes listening to good music and laughing at everything and nothing, he parked at the side of the road, where a thread of trees showed up blocking the way of the car. You turned to see Kyun but he was already on his way to open your door. 

“Are you gonna kill me in the woods?” You asked, jokingly. 

He laughed denying it with his head, reaching for your hand. Taking it and getting outside the car, he smiled at your way. 

“I found this place a few months ago and I thought this was about to be our place.” he said before kissing the back of your hand. “You'll love it.” his deep whisper reached to your ears, making your cheeks heat up. 

“Well, let's take a look then!” You said looking at the bunch of trees blocking the view of what was far away. 

You both started to walk, leaving the car behind. Soon, you started seeing light, but from where? Taking advantage of the way, you increased the pace of your feet, reaching for what it looked like the reflection of a big light. And when you had the perfect view, you saw the reflection of the moon on a lake, surrounded by a diversity of trees and rocks where you could sit down and appreciate the view. 

Looking back at your boyfriend, you noticed he had one of the blankets you packed on his hands, unfolding it, he extended it over the closest rock, for you both to sit down. 

You sat, holding your legs close to your chest, and he took advantage of your position, sitting behind you, pressing his chest on your back and spreading his legs on either side of your body. Resting your weight on his chest, you both took in the view of the moon and the stars in front of you. 

“You know, Kyun…” You started, without taking off your eyes from the moon. “I never thought soulmates were real, until I first saw you back in school. I didn't want to approach to you because you looked very unreachable but… Now that we're here…” letting out a sigh, you just didn't know how to feel, but one thing was clear. You felt happy. Truly happy. 

“Now that we're here, I'm not gonna let you go, soulmate.” His voice echoed on your head, making you smile widely. In that position, you showed your pinky making him intertwine his with yours. 

“I'll promise, ‘til death do we part, that I'm gonna be the perfect soulmate for you. Even in my worst days, I'll help to make this work until the end of our days.” You said, twisting your back so you could see even a glimpse of his face. 

You, indeed, could see how his dimples showed. “We're saying our vows, that early? I couldn't plan them.” he said, pouting. Laughing lightly, without separating his pinky, he leaned so he could see you to the eye. 

“I'll promise to be the perfect soulmate for you, with my highs and lows, but with everything that my soul can give, I'll take care of you and love you like nobody would, ‘til death do we part.”

And to finish our improvised vows, we kissed under the bright moon, where we didn't need to impress anyone.

His hair was always messy, because it was straight and he used to run his hand through it at all times. Not that I was constantly looking at him but, it was a twitch I had gotten used to seeing since I had known him.

The boy had been my neighbor for two years now, and every Saturday it was the same, he would leave the house and not come back until the next day. Whenever I told my best friend about him leaving, he told me to just stay away from him, that if I really wanted to keep his trust I should just forget about that boy and move on with my life. But, it was so easy to say or think about it, but not do it. Somehow, being neighbors was making my life difficult because now it seemed that my walls wanted to know about him too and they were getting thinner so that I could hear from when he was leaving until when he arrived.

My best friend's older brother, Jooheon, was the neighbor's best friend. I knew this because I had already seen him in front of the boy's door with his car, a black '69 GTO convertible and a beer in his hand. The two of them got along great because every day since I lived there, they always went out at the same time, no matter what.

That night I was partying with my best friend and a girl with whom I had started to form a friendship because she was in the art department, although she was just a year younger than us.

“You're crazy if you think we're going to let you go.” And there I was, another Saturday night wanting to go wherever my neighbors were.

“I see you've been very interested in him for a long time, what do you think they are doing?” asked the girl while Jooheon and the idiot went inside their house.

“I really don't know, but since he came to this place I want-”

“You want nothing, God, stop making her get any ideas." scolded the boy to the other girl.

The room suddenly became silent, and then somehow, I started to feel my throat and stomach warm. “I don't understand why you don't want me to go.”

“We've talked about this a million times. I'm just protecting you.”

“But from what? I won't know if you don't let me come closer.” My voice was getting louder and louder until it exploded. “You won't let me get close but I know you're as curious as I am, Jooheon is your brother!”

“Jooheon comes back every morning smelling of alcohol and cheap women's perfume. There are always cigarettes in his car and I've found underwear in the glove compartment, do you really want to continue with that curiosity? I don't know exactly what those two do but, believe me, they don't go to a lake to drink and have fun, they have their plans, do strange things and then come back as if nothing had happened.”

“Didn't you try to tell your mother?" asked the younger girl, suddenly causing the boy to deny instantly.

“One of the rules Heon gave me was that I had to keep silence, first of all if, I wanted to continue living with him. Until I'm legal, I can't buy an apartment on my own." he said with a shrug.

Silence reigned again somehow. There was only the faint music of an American artist whom we did not really know.

Staying out until the morning, I can hear the door.

I can smell all the whiskey and the smoke on your breath.

A chill ran down my back and I sighed. “I'm sleepy guys, the day was really exhausting from the beginning and we have a test on Monday so I want to take tomorrow off at dawn to study." I said faster than I planned.

Because tonight, sleep was the last thing in my plans.

Once they had left my house, I went to my room to change my clothes. I put on something comfortable to keep up with them. With my shoes on, I left my house taking my car keys. The boys were leaving the house so I had to hide quickly behind the vehicle. I felt the heaviness in my chest from doing something against my morals.

The sound of the GTO engine took me out of my thoughts. They came quietly out of the parking lot, giving me time to get into my car and start it. My heart started pounding but I stayed focused and started following the boys' car with some distance. They were getting further and further away from the circle of places I knew, but my curiosity seemed to dominate at this point over reason. I knew that was a bad sign, but I had gone far enough to take it back.

The car quickly drove off the road into some black buildings. Now, I knew that if I followed them in there I would look very obvious, so I drove past the place and saw that there was no way out. They were parked in front of a wall that was purple because of the neon light up there. Debating whether to go or not, I finally turned off the vehicle and started getting out of it.

I walked to the large green door which was lit by the purple light, noticing that, from the wall, a strange vibration could be felt. Music. That's all it could be.

I opened the door and instantly smelled the stench of nicotine and liquor. There was a certain mixture of lotions and perfumes that made everything more intense. The door closed behind me, making me shudder. Hell, I wanted to go home.

Resigned, I began to walk around the place watching my feet because there seemed to be unevenness everywhere. The place was painted red, although it was because of the coloured lights on the sides of different walls. Red was the only thing you saw, everything was tinted and it seemed to be a much scarier place than it really was.

I took the first glass I saw, smelling the strong smell of tequila and mint. I grimaced a little and took a sip, as I put it back in its place again. I couldn't see the boys anywhere and that was starting to scare me. What if they were somewhere else and had deceived me?

I was overthinking the situation, when I felt a strong pull on my arm. Someone had taken me in a very firm manner. Before I could protest, the person who had alienated me showed his face.

And I saw him. I was dazed at seeing his face tinted by the red lights.

“I told you not to come, why don't you ever listen to me?”  my best friend, the one who always prohibited me to come to where his brother was, asked almost above the level of the music. My mind was beginning to wander, but I held on.

“What do you mean, don't come? You had told me that you had no idea what they were doing, and now it turns out that you are one of them?”

The boy rubbed his face lightly and took me by the shoulders. “You're crazy, they're going to kill you. Get out of here, now.”

That made my world stop. Kill?

“What are you saying?” But before he could even answer, the light went out making the music go away, causing all the people to scream. Several people beside me ran past, knocking me to the ground, and I feared the worst.

I squatted in fear without really knowing what to do, when I suddenly stopped and hit someone running in my direction. I felt a camera flash in my face and my stomach turned over. The flash went off leaving me stunned. The person took my hand and started running towards what appeared to be the other side of the room, opposite the direction of where the exit door was. Suddenly the screaming stopped and the door lock was heard being set. My legs shook and I swallowed hard. I didn't know anything about self-defense, so I thought about the only thing I was supposed to protect myself and that was my car keys. I grabbed, with each key I had between my fingers, making a fist with spikes in case this person got too far.

Then the light came, but not the artificial light. A natural light. A candle.

I looked at the back of the person who had lit the device, noticing a snake on his back. Oh God.

“You're lucky I brought you this far. People usually die in the state you were in, not to mention that it's your first time in the red house.”

My mind was spinning. Death? Red house?

“I'm sorry, I…”

“I know you don't understand anything, you don't have to worry, (Y/N). Things are simple…”

“Wait wait, how do you know my name?”

The boy smiled, but only because he didn't answer my question. “I am Changkyun, so we are even.”

A small silence formed. There were hasty footsteps on the other side of the door and desperate hands trying to find a room, I supposed.

“Quiet," he said, "no one is going to come in, but they can’t know that we’re here.”

“So, are you going to explain to me what this is all about?” I asked, anxiety in my voice.

“Listen, this place isn't for people like you," he said with a dark look in his eye. “Every Saturday there is a massive party where people come to play something like hide and seek," he said with a touch of mockery, but there was more to his voice than that. “There are people who are the "seekers", those who look for people to catch them, when the lights go out, people have ten minutes to run and hide without being able to leave the place, and when those ten minutes are over…”

A loud noise that made the whole building rumble was heard loud and clear. Changkyun smiled and looked at me. “It is time to play.”

The boy reached inside his jacket and looked at me before taking the goatee. “Don't leave here until I come back for you. Don't open the door for anyone, understand?”

My nod did not reach his eyes for he had already left the room and locked it again before closing the door behind him. I turned around to look around, finding a couch that looked warm, a rug in the middle of the room, and a mini-bar. I didn't want to wonder what the room was for because there were other strange surfaces.

I sighed as I sat on the couch with the candle in my hand. The idiot was into this kind of game, but I still didn't understand enough, what did he mean when he said it was time to play? The idea that this was a deadly game haunted me, but it couldn't be that murky. I unconsciously denied it by huddling more in my place. A few screams were heard outside the room, causing me to shiver. Good Lord, what was all that about?

I couldn't just stand here, what if I'd just been set up? Yes! That had to be it.

I approached the door slowly, removing the latch and preparing to leave when I felt the door open from the outside. It was Changkyun rushing in, panting without facing me. I looked at his back with curiosity, without blowing out the candle, he turned to see me. I could see the drops of what appeared to be blood on his shirt and face.

My body froze.

"Run"

My movements went faster than I thought trying to go around him to escape through the door that was still open, however a gust of wind hit my face when I noticed the door closing with twice the speed I was going. I closed my eyes in fear and lowered my head. Was I really going to die now?

“Raise your head, we must get out of here," he said, puzzling me.

“Aren’t you gonna kill me?” I asked, but he didn't answer. He walked past me and opened the only window in the room wide, tore the spring and squatted on the frame. And out of nowhere, I lost sight of him.

I screamed as I saw him fall. Rushing to the frame, I saw him standing in the grass on that side of the place. I wondered how come we were on the second floor if, in my memory, I hadn't walked up the stairs.

“Jump!” He shouted from below, showing his arms in front of him.

“You're crazy!” I shouted in annoyance looking behind me. There was no way he could make me jump.

“They're going to kill you. Come here.”

“How do I know you won't kill me?” I asked, scared, my throat tightening. I looked at the free fall I would have and felt the air get stuck in my chest.

”We'll go home, I promise, I'll tell you everything, but please come with me," he begged, and it was the first time I'd seen him this worried. He always used to look relaxed and without any worry in him, but the reality just now was different.

My shoulders fell in place. I would die anyway. The screams kept coming from the door, when it suddenly opened. The latch had never been set and now it was just me and death. I looked over my shoulder, noticing a figure approaching.

“Please!" was the last thing I heard before I fell freely through the door frame.

And everything went black.

A severe headache was constantly poking at my head. The back of my eyes hurt, as if I had been looking at the artificial light for a long time. I was cold and somehow I could think it was midnight. Hearing noise in the distance, I sat down where I had been lying. It was my living room, but there was someone else. My heartbeat quickly started to increase when I remembered a little of what had happened.

“You woke up. Here, I made you some tea, but I'm not good at anything that has to do with cooking so I don't think it tastes like anything," said the idiot, suddenly appearing with a half smile, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

I tasted it and indeed, it tasted like nothing but bitter water, but I didn't tell him. I just took a deep breath and looked at it. He was looking at me so intently that I almost forgot what had happened. The stains on his shirt gave him away and he wasn't wearing his jacket.

“What happened," I asked, holding the cup in both hands so that he could give me some warmth. Changkyun sighed and sat down beside me. “You fainted, I think from the fright and the mixed emotions. I had no car, so I went through your pockets and found your keys and brought us home.”

Listening at his statement, I took a look outside my house seeing the car perfectly parked in the driveway. “Did you put your hands in my pants?” I asked with a scowl.

The boy instantly raised his hands in fright. “No, the keys were in your sweatshirt," he said, clearing his throat after that. “I'm sorry you were there, you really can't go back…”

“I want to know everything about that place, though…” Changkyun looked at me with doubt, and I put the cup down on the small coffee table. “You said you would explain everything if I threw myself out of the window, and here we are so start talking.”

“Well,” he was a bit quiet after that, as if trying to find the right words. “every Saturday there's a massive party at that place. Everyone knows about that party because of its high class alcohol and good vibes, but everything has its price. When it's eleven o'clock, the lights go out and people have to hide, of course, the ones who know what the game is about, the ones who don't, just run around senselessly. You have ten minutes to hide wherever you want in the house and when those ten minutes are up, the seekers come out to have some fun. What we call, "the wolf." Have you ever heard the nursery rhyme of, "We'll play in the forest while the wolf is away? Well, that's what it's about. They go out at ten past eleven to kill anyone they can get their hands on, lights out. When another ten minutes go by, the lights come back on and the party's over.”

My surprised face seemed to alarm him as he got nervous and looked down. “Once you enter the red house parties, you can't stop attending, because after that day, they know all about you and will do his best to see you die. The red house is a secret, no one should tell the police, and there has to be a winner. One that's left alive among all of us…”

“Then you and Jooheon…”

“Yes, he and I went into those parties three years ago, but after the first one we were as scared as anyone else. We left intact and tried to just forget about it and move on with our lives, but the seekers were smarter. They started sending us letters threatening to come back or kill anyone we came in contact with. We tried to move but nothing worked, so... We had no choice but to play the game.”

“But why are you the one who's full of blood? I could bet you're carrying a knife in your jacket right now.” I accused him, staring at his stained shirt.

“I'm carrying a knife because we've formed a clan. We're seven people from different places and ages who are willing to kill the seekers to end this nonsense, but... They have lots of henchmen, too, and every Saturday it seems to get harder.”

I looked at the clock on the wall in front of us striking twelve in the morning. I felt somehow agitated and helpless. “Jooheon’s little brother told me that you were beginning to be interested in going to the parties, but he never let you because we knew what you would be exposed to. He is an ally, not a member of the clan, but because of Jooheon he ended up in trouble. You were really warned, you have to run away, or dig a hole and stay there…’

‘What if I fight with you?’ I said but I felt I should have kept quiet. His gaze became darker as his breathing became heavier.

“I would never let you expose yourself to that, you are crazy.” His tone was so authoritative that I did not know whether I wanted to challenge him or obey his order.

“Listen, you said that somehow the seekers know who you are. Before I jumped out the window a man saw me, they know who I am already... I might as well die so let me fight for my life.”

“I can't let those bastards hurt you.”  his voice seemed to get deeper as time went by. “I won't let them touch a single strand of your hair.”.

His attitude took me by surprise. “Changkyun…” I tried to negotiate with him, come to an agreement.

My voice was interrupted as I was whipped on my back, with both of his hands around my wrists pinching any possible movement. I had him so close, God. He smelled of pure masculinity... of heavy, dark perfume mixed with sweat. I inhaled without wanting to look too harassing, but it was impossible to go unnoticed by the boy's eyes, who smiled so charmingly.

“You are not going to die... Not tonight, not ever," he whispered close to my lips. I stuck out my tongue as a reflection and that drew the boy's gaze upon me. His eyes connected with mine, directing them a few milliseconds to my lips and back to my eyes, as if to say let me kiss you.

I inhaled hard again filling my lungs with his scent, starting to feel the weight of his lips on mine. I closed my eyes on contact and I could swear I had tasted an aphrodisiac. The texture was so similar to silk but the depth with which he took me was so mesmerizing that my brain threatened to fade again. I opened my eyes, noticing her eyelashes lying so thinly on his cheeks, which were slightly flushed. His black bangs tickled my eyebrows because of the closeness. Slowly he let go of my wrists, giving me way to touching his shoulders and running my arms around his neck, as I felt his muscles contracting. One of his hands went down to my waist in circles, while the other remained steady on my cheek, not letting its weight fall entirely.

His back muscles tensed and relaxed as my tongue gently traced his lower lip, seeking to deepen the kiss. Changkyun gladly agreed to begin a delightful dance, each taking his time to delve into the other's body. Changkyun pressed his body against mine, causing me to gasp, which separated me from the kiss, causing us to open our eyes to see each other. His lips were tinged with a light and beautiful red, while I happened to notice a glint above his left eye. I reached out with one hand to clear his bangs and found a striking detail on eyebrow. A captivating perching that lit a flame inside me.

I brought him back to my lips and we enjoyed each other's company all night long. Maybe this game thing could be a reason to see each other more often.

I woke up in my room, in a horrible heat. My neck and back were sweating, which made me instantly sick. It was 7:00 in the morning and it was already so damn hot. I took a shower and went into the living room to find Changkyun's body lying on the couch. His jacket was on one of the kitchen chairs, so I went over to check it out. I reached into the first pocket, instantly pulling out the knife I knew he was carrying. It was partially covered in blood. Feeling an electric shock down my spine, I couldn't help but sigh deeply. At any rate, Changkyun was the good guy, right?

I found his cell phone, but I felt his stare on the side of my head. I turned around to see that Changkyun had woken up but not only that, he was looking directly at me.

“Are you looking for something that proves the opposite of what I showed you yesterday?”

“I am.” I said, nodding.

“Damn it, I thought everything was all right," he said in a hoarse voice, snatching his cell phone from me.

I frowned and shrugged. “You always have to be careful.”

That seemed to insult him as he looked at me skeptically. Not giving a second glance at him, I headed to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice. The boy quickly went to the refrigerator to pour himself the same drink. I noticed the smell of last night with more intensity and turned around to see it. He wasn't wearing a shirt.

The liquid froze in my throat making me feel the sudden acidity, causing my body to cough slightly. The image that I had in my kitchen was worthy of admiration but I simply could not stand it at seven in the morning. Changkyun laughed and tapped my back.

“I'm sorry to surprise you, it's just that it's hot," he said as if it were the most normal thing to do. My eyes rolled back in their narcissism and I headed for my living room.

“Don't you want to take a shower?”

The boy moved his eyebrows suggestively. “Do you want to see me all wet and naked?”

My face turned a deep red and I had to refrain from throwing the remaining juice in the glass. “At your house, you idiot.”

“Yes, try to fix your horniness.” He said, taking his clothes. “I'll be back in a minute, princess.”

I fake gagged at the pet name and rolled my eyes. He put his shirt back on and left my house giving me time to breathe. God, couldn't I be in the same place as him for one more minute without thinking about indecent things?

After a few minutes of searching for something to watch on netflix, I settled down on my couch when the doorbell rang.

“It's still open.” I yelled because I assumed it was Kyun, but no one came in. Strange. I got up from my place opening the door, finding Jooheon’s brother.

“Can I come in?" he asked hesitantly. I looked at him in surprise, and without saying anything to him, I moved away from the door to let him in. “I only came to apologize for having lied to you about not knowing anything. I also came to see if you were all right.” His look never connected with mine, which bothered me to some extent. I crossed my arms and looked at him.

“I don't understand why you did it, but I guess it doesn't matter now, it just matters to get out of that silly game.”

“Did Changkyun explain everything to you?” I nodded and cleared my throat.

“Yes, he brought me home.”

He played with his hands and reached into his jacket bag. Taking out a small envelope, he gave it to me. “Don't trust anyone.” He whispered before he left, making me scoff. Yeah right, look who says that.

Once the boy left my house, I took the envelope in both hands and sighed. There was no sign of Changkyun returning from his home, so I tore the white envelope and found a half-wrinkled note with somewhat illegible handwriting, but which clearly said, "Welcome to the game.” with my name in the bottom right corner. There was an extra note that made my heart start beating fast. I was beginning to think that my best friend, if I could still call him that, had more ideas about the game than others might have. I shook my head and sighed, I couldn't do that to Changkyun and Jooheon, they had somehow kept an eye on me all this time.

The doorbell of my house rang, making me shudder, to quickly put the letter in the first drawer I saw. I took three deep breaths and then approached the door. I opened it to find the boy with a purple hoodie and a gray pantsuit. I smiled at him as calmly as possible and invited him in.

Saturday again. I had contacted my best friend several times after that letter. He assured me that he did not know absolutely about its contents but I knew that he was lying to me. Now he would take me to the building, winning over Changkyun whom I had to refuse the offer.

Speaking of Changkyun, we had both had meetings at the other's house, more casual than I would have thought. He rarely went over the line and always used to make the times much more comfortable. We had not reached the stage where we had gone to bed for any purpose other than sleep, and somehow he felt that he was waiting for something.

At ten o'clock, the car parked in front of my house. I was just about to leave when I noticed my best friend coming into my house at a fast pace with a box in his hands. He scanned my body, noticing my red satin dress and my silver heels. He smiled and took my hand.

“I think I have something for you," he said, pulling out a black dress that was supposed to be attached to my body, halfway up my thigh and angel wings of the same color. I looked at him skeptically and he laughed. “Come on, it's part of the deal if you want to come to the party after all, and I know Changkyun will not resist you with this on.”

I took the garment in my hands and took a big breath of air. Would he really?

I didn't think about it anymore. Going to my room and putting on my clothes. A chill ran down my back but I did not let the feeling of fear win over me, just taking a couple of deep breaths before returning to the room where my friend was sitting on the couch with his cell phone in his hands. When he saw me, he smiled broadly and took my hand to walk on my feet. “Damn, you look beautiful. Let’s go now, there’s a boy you must conquer tonight.”

That night I felt that I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life but at the same time I thought… Do I really have to do this to come out alive? Could the game end after all?

We entered the building. The walls were moving at the sound of the song playing currently...

My breath got stuck in my throat when I located the boy I was there for. Changkyun saw me with such a penetrating and seductive look. He was wearing leather jeans alongside a short-sleeved satin shirt with different colored patterns, purple, blue, yellow and red. There was a chain on his pants and from his neck fell a necklace of what appeared to be a gold chain. His hair was disheveled, although it had a specific direction and that was his right, raised slightly upwards allowing me to see his forehead and his piercing to perfection. As we connected glances, he smiled openly at me. My throat closed for a moment, leaving me breathless, but I managed to look normal to his scrutinizing gaze.

Apologize, never apologize

You hate the way I lie

So here you go, I'm being honest

“Hey, are you a fallen angel?" he asked, touching his fingertips to the wings tied behind my back. I smiled and denied that question.

“No, I only came to find a demon with which to play tricks in this destroyed world." I said, approaching him tentatively. At my boldness, I noticed how his gaze darkened a little.

“Then it's your lucky day, because I'll be the one to deny you entry to heaven, honey.”

Narcissist, come on, give us a kiss

Let's have some fun with it

It's kinda sweet...

Both of us, with the look of some children with a new toy, starting to head for the same place. It was still early, so the seekers and his henchmen didn't worry us at all. Once inside the room we had been in a week ago, Changkyun locked the door, his back at me. At the sight of his legs inside those leather pants, I couldn’t help but bite my lower lip. Thoughts of impurity began to tingle in my mind, causing my temperature to rise constantly.

Once the boy began to approach me, I felt that I still had a way out and that everything could change at any moment. That I still had time to take it back. But then he planted his lips on mine and all I could think about was "Shit."

The situation was getting deeper and more exciting. It tasted bitter, as if it had tasted blood itself before it kissed me. The slight taste of alcohol flooded my taste buds as his tongue investigated my palate. Our tongues brushed against each other, sending shivers down my spine. Jesus.

His scent was beginning to make me dizzy. Too manly and addictive, it made me want more, like nicotine straight into my bloodstream. I gasped for air, which the boy agreed to do by separating himself from me. In less time than I thought, my back was on the couch in the room, my eyes looking directly into his irises that I could hardly discern from the lack of light, since the only light there was the red LED light that was all over the building. His skin was slightly pinkish. His touch traced my figure in an exquisite manner, making me feel a warm path where he posed his fingertips.

Four in the morning, you're changing the locks

How could you do this to me?

I placed my hands around his neck and brought my lips close to his, nibbling on the soft, tender skin. His moles covered some extremities of his body provoking me to mark each and every one with marks that could become darker for the next morning. He was mine. Changkyun was mine for the night.

I only love you when you don't love me

Oh, baby, so, why do you love me?

His hands pulled the wings off my back in a slow and torturous manner causing the air to get stuck in my lungs with no escape. His lips went to my collarbones making me separate from him. His tongue began to trace the exposed skin smiling on the way. With his hands, he slipped the straps over my shoulders to drag the dress to my lower body. That's when I leaned on the bed with my feet pushing my hips up so he could finish pulling the garment out.

He smiled at the sight and stood on his knees on either side of my waist to remove his shirt. Every button he undoes means one more step towards one of my deepest fantasies. His torso was exposed, with only his chain resting lazily on his torso. His marked abdomen prompted me to run my tongue over it to taste his sweet flesh and be ecstatic about the ragweed.

I sat up on my elbows looking at the belt that clung to his pants, asking permission with my eyes to help him with that task. Changkyun took the hint and laid down beside me, letting out a gasp. I smiled as it dawned on me that we were at the edge of the cliff, but if it was with him, I would give it my all.

I sat on his lap, feeling his bulge against my core. I gasped at the sensation and made my way to unbuckle the black belt with the silver buckle. I removed the garment in two moves and now, I needed to unbutton his pants. I ran my tongue over my lower lip, directing my hands at a slow speed to tempt his patience, which did not seem to last long. The boy raised his hip to me, grunting underneath.

“What's the matter, kitty, do you want me to help you with your torturous pain?" I asked in a voice that was as if in velvet as I squeezed the right places to make him delirious. “Learn how to beg, darling.”

My index finger began to sway over the boy's covered member, which drove him crazy. He looked at me with his lust filled eyes. “Do it. Please.”

He mumbled that last word, more against his will. With a smile, I removed the button from his leather jeans, dragging the cloth down his thighs. Then I stared at his underwear with a hungry look. The boy noticed my glance and with one movement I was at his mercy again under his body.

“Well played, angel, but in this game you must learn who is in charge," his voice so damned hoarse made my body eager with the sound. The boy took off my bra with one hand, looking agitated. My head dropped back quickly at the sensations. My center began to vibrate with the music in the background.

Without being able to wait a second longer, he removed my underwear by tapping the middle finger of his left hand on my bundle of nerves.

“God..." I hissed at the feeling of that digit, groping on forbidden ground.

The boy smiled as he took off his only remaining cloth, positioning himself on me. We looked at each other for a minute. A long minute, where I could read his eyes. Pure, raw lust.

His member was slowly and pleasantly buried inside me. My hip was raised by the reflection, making me take a big breath of air. I was not a virgin but, it had been so long and the sensation was new and delirious.

“Welcome to hell, little angel," he whispered as he began his deep pounds on me. My face broke into pure moaning and unexplained sounds as I enjoyed the sensation produced by her touch.

The moment reached its peak, approaching with a great electric shock that ran from the tips of my feet to the surface of my head. We both came in unison, creating an exquisite harmony to the contrast of his deep voice and mine. Our gasping and gasping breaths spoke for themselves. Our glances spoke what our mouths couldn't. The connection we created in that instant was so strong and powerful that I thought it would fade. The red light around us fell in a minute, leaving us in darkness. The smell of liquor and sex surrounded us without shame.

In the face of that darkness. The boy came out of me causing one last tremor. And that was the sign. I crawled to my clothes strewn over the arms of the sofa, pulling a knife from the wings of my costume.

I'm fucking crazy, you're fucking crazy, we're all fucking crazy;

I held my breath for a minute.

And then, exhaled hard.

I couldn't see anything at all, and that made everything strangely interesting. I gasped away, crawling to the edge of the sofa where the light was slightly off. And then I saw him.

I noticed how his skin glowed with sweat and his eyes darkened. The light coming in from the window helped me to identify his eyes. His torso was still naked but the bottom was on the dark side of the sofa.

“Pity angel, you decided to be seduced by the ideas of living in a world of lies.”

I drew my knife dangerously close to his naked abdomen. His breathing became faster and his heart began to beat erratically. The metal device I held in my hands began to trace his chest slowly, delineating his skin, his outline. The boy looked at me, some kind of mix between horror and pleasure on his features. Happy in how the game had turned out, I took his jaw with my free hand looking directly at him. A smile spread across my face and I instantly noticed the boy's eyes opening wide, looking up at me, like begging for mercy.

I began to apply more pressure on his chest by opening a slight cut. The air got stuck in my throat, forcing me to continue.

“Only then will we set you free. Kill the leader of the snake clan. Kill Changkyun. It's an easy job, don't you think?"

I closed my eyes trying to make the seekers boss' voice disappear from my ears. My jaw clenched tightly as I struggled with my subconscious about the real right decision.

“Please...” his voice came out in a thread of voice as I felt the burning in his chest, but maybe not because of the physical wound but because of the wound in his heart.

“Oh no," I said with a smile, denying in the process. “No. Your glory days are over, kitty.” I took the impulse, and then, to add more drama to the matter, I asked. “Your last words, Changkyun?

Great was my surprise to see him looking much darker than ever before. With a confused look on my part, I heard him say. “Do you know what they say at the end of every game?”

I jumped up and down as I felt his hand grab my wrist. He dropped me on the arm of the sofa using my own hand, now in the opposite direction, showing the edge to me. With a serious and firm look, he approached my ear whispering the words that were about to dictate my death.