"Don't they fly away if you leave the cage open?" I asked, glancing at the open pigeon cage.

Hoseok shook his head smiling, "They grew up like this, they don't know anything else. Even if they flew away, they'd always come back here."

"That sounds... upsetting." I thought out loud, "Being attached to one place by nature."

"To us, maybe," Hoseok agreed, "But they wouldn't know how it felt to be free to go, would they?"

"So they aren't missing anything." I concluded, tracing the wooden cage with my finger tips.

I watched as the boy closed the cage safely. He looked ridiculously good in his leather jacket, I really could get used seeing him in this instead of his obligatory coat.

"We've been up here for quite a while, do you wanna go back downstairs?" Hoseok proposed and I threw a glance over my shoulder, down to the roofs and streets of Seoul.

"Can we stay here for five more minutes?" I asked, "The sun's setting."

His lips twitched, "Course we can."

As he was moving in my direction I noticed something moving along with him and I could barely scream when shadows wrapped around his ankles, pulling him down onto the floor.

"Fuck!" He cussed, hands instinctively flying to his sword.

"If I was you I'd let that toothpick where it is." An awfully familiar voice chimed up.

There, right on the other side of the roof, stood Jimin, where mere seconds ago had been nothing.

Shadows were oozing seemingly out of him onto the floor, a snide smirk plastered over his deadly handsome face, "What a pleasure to meet you again." Those words were directed to me, but my eyes were set on Hoseok who was by now being held down by what looked like multiple strings of shadows.

He wasn't even able to grab his sword.

"F-Fuck off." I hissed stuttering, earning a cackle from Jimin.

"What happened to the intimidating street kid? Did Hoseok tame it?"

I heard Hoseok grunt, but he wasn't able to speak, the influence of those damned shadows making him unable to.

I was like frozen on my spot, eyes twitching between Jimin, who was still oozing shadows and Hoseok.

How was Jimin able to do this? The last time I saw him he wasn't even as strong as Hoseok, now he easily overpowered him.

By now, shadows had enveloped the entire roof, it felt like I was in a whole other place, no sunlight breaking through the thick layer of darkness, the only source of light being Hoseok's blue shining sword and a slight silver shimmer that radiated from Jimin.

"What did you do Hoseok?" Jimin asked with a Cheshire-like grin, "Did you break her? Or-" he gasped theatrically, "-or did you get her cute little soul?"

I flinched at his words. Why the fuck would he say that?

"Oh" Jimin cooed, "Did you really made her think you're human?"

"D-Don't listen to him-" Hoseok hissed out between gritted teeth.

A laughter like ice chimed up, Jimin's eyes back on Hoseok, "Oh Hobi, why are you even trying too-"

"That's enough Jimin."

My entire world froze.

No

Nononono

This voice. The voice that had been haunting me in my nightmares.

Jimin seemed to fade, molding into the shadowy background in the presence of the one who had cut him off.

"Will you hold my hand Mr. Ghost?"

A lean, tall man in an old-fashioned black suit, with a black fedora and a weird looking mustache leaned against the pigeon cage.

"So, we meet again, little one." He said with a smile.

I whimpered, actually fucking whimpered, as he addressed me.

"But this time, I won't keep you alive," His smile grew and with that, Jimin faded away completely, "This soul of yours is way too precious."

He strode forward until he stood in front of the still held down Hoseok, making me realize that he'd been the one holding him down all along, "And you-" The ghost spoke, kicking into the boy's side until he crouched together, "You really thought you could be taking her for yourself?"

He laughed coldly, "How foolish of you."

The ghost must've sensed my confusion because he looked straight at me all of a sudden, sending shivers down my spine while my already racing heart seemed to pick up on pace.

"Yeah, that's right," His voice was oozing satisfaction, "Your oh so dear friend is, just like the rest of us, after your precious soul, little one."

He kicked harder into Hoseok's side, making him tumble to the side, "This fucker made a pact with a fucking demon." Again this cold laugh, "He's the least human of us all."

I didn't believe him. Of course I didn't.

Because Hoseok was the only source of safety I've had in... since ever. There was nothing demonic on him. He liked to spend his time with fucking Pigeons!

"Oh, you don't believe me?" The ghost sounded surprised.

He moved within a blink, pulling out Hoseok's sword, in the same moment my body momentarily unfroze from its state of panic, making me stumble forward, "No!"

I wasn't fast enough, because the ghost rammed the tip of the Hoseok's own sword inside the boy's chest. I screamed, feeling the shadows around us inching closer.

"Just look, little one, what this fool did to himself."

I felt tears running down my cheeks, but realized in the same moment that - there wasn't any blood.

I shrieked when Hoseok's hand moved to pull away the sword, eyes a bright, furious blue just like his sword, when he moved to stand up, shadows now fleeing away from him like they usually do.

The ghost chuckled lowly, "You're tougher than I thought."

"No..." I choked out stepping backwards, until I felt my back hit... a wall? My hands reached behind me. No. A door. The exit.

Hoseok turned around, blue shining eyes holding a desperate plead, "Y/N..."

Y/N

He knew my name. He knew my fucking name all along.

The ghost laughed and my hands scrambled frantically for the doorknob, a loud click resonating over the pitch black roof.

In the same moment in that I opened the door, the ghost jumped forward, probably to keep me from leaving, shadows moving toward the exit where I was standing and I screamed, hysterically shut the door, locking it in the process.

The last thing I saw was Hoseok attacking the ghost.

◆♤❦

◆♤❦

My had was spinning as I stumbled down the stairs in the way too huge building, heart racing and lungs feeling like they were about to combust.

"Just look, little one, what this fool did to himself."

I gasped, almost loosing balance before regaining my composure, finally reaching the end of the staircase.

 "This fucker made a pact with a fucking demon."

I practically jumped the last meters, before finally pushing open the doors, fresh air and orange sunlight flooding my senses.

"He's the least human of us all."

My knees buckled and I broke down on the pavement, gasping as I tried to suppress yet another panic attack.

this all wasn't real

I tried to convince myself

there are no ghosts

there are no demons

My hands were shaking so hard, it was a wonder that I even managed to take out my phone.

Mr. ghost isn't real

It rang two times before Chungha picked up, "Hello?"

He can't harm you

"H-Hey Chungha. It's- It's me. Can you pick me up?"

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