Time: 11:34, Tuesday, October 18

"Well, well, well... Kazuha, you've found another hunter."

...

Sunghoon woke in a daze. He had no idea where he was; he seemed to be in a dark room, with pendants overhanging under an upwards circular window. He was lying on a bed, perhaps a little bit more luxurious than his usual bed. The room was modern; with nice polished walls and a clean nature to it.
Despite the room being completely unfamiliar to him, he felt no sense of fear for safety, for the abode was humble and welcoming in a way.

Sunghoon rubbed his head, pushing away the migraine that lingered. He was able to recall what happened the night before, where he nearly met his demise in the presence of a spirit, but yet could not comprehend how he came here, or yet even better, if he was even still alive.

"Is this the afterlife? Am- am I dead?" He said to himself, concerned.

A voice, near the corner of the room answered him.

"No, you're not dead, I can assure you that. I mean... you nearly did die though. But no, you're not dead."

Kazuha stepped into the light, her long black hair nearly blending in with her all-black kit. She smiled, in a sort of friendly way.

"Oh... I see. But, can I just ask though... who exactly ARE you?" Sunghoon asked, in a small voice.

Kazuha clapped her hands in acknowledgement.
"Oh... right. We can't forget introductions, right? Well, I'm Nakamura Kazuha, and I'm a hunter, just like you. Last night, I saved you from that spirit."

Sunghoon's eyes perked up in surprise.

"You saved me? Well- I mean- thank you for that... but- I still don't know where I am..."

Kazuha said nothing, but instead walked over to the side of the room, placing her hand on a metal plate on the wall.
Then, multiple lights turned on, revealing a huge room, almost a headquarters of sorts. There were five different doors all lined up on the far side of the room; one blue, one green, one pink, one red, one gray and one a bright, matte white. Of all of the rooms, that one was the most striking to him, as the varnish seemed untouched compared to that of the other doors; it was in pristine condition.

"This is where you are. It's our hideout. Only hunters are allowed in here, of course. As hunters, people who are blessed with the gift of being able to see evil spirits, should make sure to keep our business a secret from humans. It's a private job. So, we are hidden from both society and monsters here." She said, proudly smiling at him.

"Oh... ok." Sunghoon said, unsure of how to respond.

Suddenly, the green room opened, and Yunjin came into the room, taking big and happy strides towards Kazuha.

"You sure have got a big smile on your face now, haven't you, Kazuha? I'll be making some refreshments and snacks, I think it's probably the right time for it, don't you think?"

Kazuha smiled at Yunjin.

"Yes, perhaps it is the right time. Thanks Yunjin!"

Yunjin nodded and patted the other girl on the shoulder before leaving, making sure to give a friendly smile to Sunghoon.

Kazuha watched her as Yunjin went over to another room, through a small curtain, (quite like a white veil) into the kitchen, before turning back to Sunghoon.

"Anyways, I just wanted to ask you a question too, if it's alright with you?" She said.

Sunghoon nodded at her. He thought it would've been rude to decline, given the fact that she had answered everything he had asked.

Kazuha came closer to Sunghoon, bringing up a small white stool to sit closer to him, who was sitting on the side of the bed.

"I just want to know... where did you come from? And, you're a hunter, but you hunt spirits alone, so I'm assuming you don't know any other hunters that aren't us?"

Sunghoon took a second to think about it. Of course, he knew about his life, definitely much more than anyone else would ever be able to recall. But, the only thing holding him back was that he didn't really know where to start; for he had a past which mostly only consisted of school life, living alone and staying as inconspicuous as possible in his day-to-day life.

"I've mostly lived alone ever since I was 16. My grandparents were my parent figures ever since my mother and father went missing. I don't know what happened to them. But, when it was my 18th birthday, something completely strange happened to me."

Sunghoon took a small second to take his breath.

"I had... something. Like, it was weird, like a simulation of sorts. It was-"

"It was like a hallucination, right?" Kazuha says, finishing his own sentence.

"Yeah. Exactly what you say."

Kazuha edged forward in her seat, leaning forward to get closer to Sunghoon.

"In that dream, you signed a pledge, right? Like me." She said.

Sunghoon nodded.

"And that's how we both became hunters. It kind of just snaps, like you suddenly get this combat knowledge, and sometimes get small visions of the evil spirits around you, walking about like everyday humans."

She paused a little bit before continuing.

"How long have you been hunting for?" She asked.

"Maybe nearly a year." Sunghoon replied.

Kazuha nodded in acknowledgement.

"I see... You're lucky you even get to see a year pass as a hunter..." she said, her voice starting to sadden.

Sunghoon had a lot of questions that came up during this statement. He wanted to know.
"Wait, what do you mean, did something happen?-"

Yunjin cut him off, her voice going across the whole room.
"Everyone! Come eat, I've set the table!"

...

"You can sit here... sorry, I never asked for your name, but you can sit here." Kazuha said, beckoning to a seat in the middle of her and Yunjin's at the table.

"Oh, I- I'm Sunghoon by the way." he responded.

The other girls entered soon after, each sitting down, most of them, apart from Sakura trying not to lay eyes on Sunghoon.
He didn't blame them though; he knew it wasn't easy when you're next to someone you haven't even talked to yet.

"Wow, Yunjin, the food looks great!" Sakura said, giving a thumbs up to Yunjin.

Yunjin smiled in response.

Once everyone was at the table, Sakura picked up a cup, and said, "Alright, everyone, good job today, let's cheers!"
Yunjin started handing out glasses to everyone, each cup having a designated color. The colors matched those of the doors, Sakura getting pink, Kazuha getting blue, Yunjin getting green, Chaewon getting gray, and Eunchae getting the red.
There was one last cup; the white one. Yunjin hesitated, holding the cup in her hand, slightly hesitant to give it.
"It's OK, Yunjin. I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Sakura told her in a small voice.

After a few seconds, she gave it to Sunghoon, gently putting it in front of him, as if it was precious.

Sakura then poured everyone a glass of juice, while an awkward silence filled the room.

Sunghoon tried to start a conversation to light up the mood.
"So, there's five of you in total, right?"

They responded, nearly at once.

"Yes, five."
"Mhm."
"That's right."
"Yeah."

"No."

Someone's response was different.
Eunchae stood up.
"Eunchae, please, not now, we-" Yunjin started.

"Six. There are six of us. We will always be six." Eunchae said, cutting her off.

Then it was Sakura's turn to join the conversation.
"Eunchae, please-"

Eunchae refused to listen. She immediately turned away and left, storming through the red door, slamming it behind her.

Sakura placed her head in her hands with stress and sat down in despair. Yunjin sat down with a sad face.

"I- I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to..." Sunghoon said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It's not your fault. You didn't know." Kazuha said, setting her glass down.

A very awkward silence filled the room, everyone not daring to move a muscle, no matter how hungry they were.

Sunghoon felt bad, for he felt he had ruined a happy moment.
But he was also curious. He wanted to know what happened. And why they're so sensitive about it.

He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again soon after. He didn't want his curiosity to get the better of him.
But Sakura could see right through him; she knew he wanted to know.

"You're curious, aren't you? Right? You want to know what happened." She said, standing up.

"Sakura..." Chaewon warned.

"If you don't want to be in this conversation, then leave, Chaewon. But he has to know. So he doesn't make the same mistake." Sakura shot back.
Chaewon didn't move. Nobody moved. They were all there to listen.

Sakura took a breath in, trying to ready herself for what she was about to say.

...

"I'll tell you about Kim Garam, our late sixth member."