A few days had passed ever since the incident in the church, but Hoseok's promise of meeting me again didn't take long to be fulfilled.

In fact, I met him sooner and - more importantly - more abruptly than expected.

A heavy dark cloud had made its home over Seoul for the whole day, dimming the sunlight and spreading an all over gloomy mood, that would soon infect the citizens.

I crumpled the money Taemin just payed me with in my pocket, while watching the sky, which promised nothing but mischief.

My face was covered by a mask, barely visible under the black hoodie. No one was looking at me when I strolled through the streets, eyes trained upwards to the dark skies.

I had a bad feeling, as if the clouds would fall down onto the earth all of a sudden and crush the city - but I knew this was an irrational thought and my paranoia talking.

I shivered, the cheap hoodie doing nothing in protecting me from the cold. Perhaps, I could ask Chungha for a new one, but I didn't really want to talk with her at all right now, so I just left it like that.

I blinked confused when I saw my breath condense in front of my face, which was extremely weird considering that it was early summertime, not the right time for it to be that cold.

Wrapping my arms around my body, I glanced around having a bad feeling already.

And then I saw them - scratch that - I saw it. The oh so familiar shadows pooling into the streets.

My breath hitched but I caught myself pretty quickly, feet moving on their own accord before my brain could catch up.

They had been so far away when I saw them. This was good.

Soon, my lungs burned due to the ghostly coldness and lack of oxygen, feet rushing over the street in a hurry to get away from these things.

Always, everywhere, every time. These fucking shadows haunted me, more than anything else and they scared me even more, because they haunted only me.

I wasn't even sure what they were, but they ignored every other passenger, who wasn't me and this was really scaring the fuck out of me - something only I could see, that repeatedly bothered only me, made every proof for its existence being non-existential

I was alone with it and it made me feel even more like I was crazy.

I wasn't in the right mind to realize that I was wrong - that I was not alone with it - and fate really wanted to remind me of that, because I promptly ran into the arms of now-guess-who.

"Woah, slow down." Hoseok said with a grin, "I get the feeling that you're following me around, sweetie."

I didn't even have time to question what he just said, or how it was even possible that we met accidentally in a huge city like this, because the shadows seeped into the empty street behind me, making Hoseok's eyes fill with realization.

The shadows would've killed me, if I was alone, but now Hoseok was with me and I knew he'd help me.

- or, well, so I thought.

Because he glanced at the scene behind my figure with some sort of interest and he let go of me, making a few steps backwards.

"What- Hoseok, please help me!" I urged in slight panic, seeing how his hands dangled on his sides uselessly, "Please. Or they'll... they'll- "

I got swept off my feet, into the air, skin immediately freezing to ice at the contact of whatever these shadows were.

Just like in the warehouse, when I met Hoseok for the first time, I lost my ability to move, ears going deaf as well, besides an insufferable hammering in my head.

In disbelief I watched Hoseok stand there non committing, feeling panic and betrayal seeping into every part of my mind as he just stood there, eyeing the scene with open curiosity.

finally there

precious meal

Tears streamed down my cheek, but I still couldn't move while the voice cut through my mind like a burning knife, abusing my whole being, yet seeming terrifyingly familiar.

I felt how I was getting sucked in deeper, deeper and deeper and tried to move, wanted to scream and to cry, but still - I couldn't move, had now power over my own mind and body, while the man who'd been my only hope just watched me struggling.

His face scrunched up as he obviously had heard the voice as well, "Ah, thought so. How unfortunate." And my puzzled, aching mind wasn't truly able to pick anything up.

- Until I heard the familiar sharp zing of a sword and was suddenly falling, shadows curling around me.

A pair of strong arms caught me and just like that I regained my ability to move, causing me to immediately wrap my arms around Hoseok's neck, afraid of falling.

While my ears got used to the sounds around me, hearing sense slowly coming back as well I watched the shadows curling around us in a quite wide radius, as if they were too scared to come closer and I needed to close my eyes, feeling like throwing up when I kept on watching the strange peculiarity.

After some time of just staying the way I was, eyes closed, I noticed that Hoseok was rocking me in his arms as if I was a baby and my eyes flew open scandalized. I squirmed out of his arms, back onto the floor, merely noting that the shadows had disappeared, "What the fuck was that about?!"

Hoseok cocked his head to the side, radiating amusement, "You're welcome?"

"You- what?!" I didn't know how to act, feeling torn between being thankful and angry, "You just left me there and watched me suffering without moving a finger!"

A snide grin tugged on his lips, "But I saved you now, didn't I?"

"Y-Yeah, you did and I'm thankful for that..." I tried to regain my composure and explain myself calmly, "But you- why the fuck did you just watch me at first, when you could've helped me right away?!" I had never been so scared.

He chuckled, "I wanted to see what they'd do once they caught you. I would've never let you get actually hurt, darling. I could never watch a lady get hurt without taking action."

I huffed exasperated, "And what the fuck where you hoping to reach with that?"

A small, quite satisfied smile formed on his face, "Last time we met, you told me that these ghosts talk to you and I... I kinda had a feeling what all of this was about." He made a dramatic pause before going on, "Well, I think that you - or your soul more precisely is especially, uhm- this is gonna sound weird, but it's especially tasty for them?"

I blinked, because yes it did sound weird.

"Let me explain-" Hoseok began when he saw my puzzled expression, "Some people, like you and I, are born with the ability to see these things we like to call ghosts or monsters. Now, this is scary but is actually a protection mechanism for people who are... special. They and their minds and souls are so special that, if these 'ghosts' consume them, they'd feel... alive I guess?... for a moment. And these cheeky bastards would do anything for this."

I watched the dark haired with wide eyes, mouth agape while I sucked in every bit of information he gave me.

"So, us being able to see these things is actually our only chance to stay alive." He looked down at me softly, "Because we can't run from something we can't see, right?"

I gulped and nodded, feeling like vomiting. 

Our only chance to stay alive

Fuck that. I'd rather die than living like that.

I flinched away when I felt Hoseok's hand touch mine, looking up to him questioningly, only to meet eyes with a soft smile.

"You're freezing." He stated, "Let's get you some hot chocolate to warm you up, alright?"

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I won't be able to update within the following days, so sorry in advance

xx