"... you look like shit."

"Sheesh, thank you – exactly what a guy wants to hear."

To say Felix had had a bad week would be a terrible understatement.

He'd been late to almost all of his classes, for one. The alarm system on his phone stopped working for some reason, and then he outright dropped his phone while running to his class, and the device had practically exploded upon impact – he'd had to buy a new phone in a hurry, which made a serious dent in his savings, and now he was going to have to live on cup ramen for a week if he wanted to have enough to pay his rent.

In addition to running late, he'd been caught in an unexpected storm when coming back from class one afternoon and, the next day, three cars had unceremoniously splashed him at three different times in the day. Also, his favorite brand of coffee upped their prices so he could no longer afford to buy it, the strap of the bag in which he'd been carrying all of his dancing stuff for years had snapped the other day, and he'd even lost his favorite bracelet while out shopping.

He'd kept on mixing up the orders at the restaurant, one particularly rude costumer had outright throne his champagne at Felix's face, and he'd also just learned that one of his favorite dance teachers had gotten injured and would thus retire, which definitely sucked.

And of course, all of that was without mentioning the sudden increase in hallucinations.

He barely got a wink of sleep, for one, his nights always troubled with nightmares or weird dreams he could hardly remember the details of when he woke. He also couldn't sleep in his bed because every time he tried, he'd open his eyes to find the terrible entity staring right at him with its dead eyes. 

He kept on getting glimpses of it in the mirrors – in his bathroom, in the elevator, in the dance studios, everywhere. All he ever saw was either a shadowy silhouette or the same pair of pale blue eyes tainted with blood, and neither of those visions were exactly fun to witness.

And the music – the music, God! – was driving him mad. He kept on hearing it, always somewhere in the background, just loud enough to be noticeable. Felix would never be able to pinpoint the source, and it just came and went completely randomly.

So yeah. Felix's week had been, in short, absolute hell.

"I know what could cheer you up!" beamed Jeongin. "Why don't we have a sleepover at my place? Like the old times!"

At that, Felix instantly perked up. "That... that sounds great, actually."

A sleepover with other people meant he'd be able to sleep, right? Since he wouldn't be alone, surely the presence of others would keep the hellish hallucinations at bay – and if not, well, he could always take a sleeping pill and count on the others to watch his back, right?

"Great!" grinned his friend. "I'll text the others. How about this weekend?"

"Sounds perfect."

As they continued to make their plans, Felix tried his hardest to ignore the shadow he could seem from the corner of his eye, in the small mirror that hung from Jeongin's backpack.

.

Minho and Seungmin were also free during the weekend and so, the four of them gathered together at Jeongin's place for their sleepover. It'd been a while since they last hung out like that, and Felix couldn't help but wonder why that was. He knew they were all busy with their respective lives, but this was so much fun!

And, of course, it was the perfect opportunity to rant about how miserable his life had been in the past week.

(Of course, he entirely omitted mentioning anything about his visions – he didn't exactly want to get committed to an asylum, thank you very much.)

"Wow. You've really had a rough week, huh?" cringed Seungmin.

"My poor baby," cooed Minho, pulling Felix into a hug.

"Hey, I have a theory!" gasped Jeongin, clapping excitedly. "What if Felix's so unlucky because he broke that mirror?"

"What are you talking about?" frowned Seungmin.

"Well, remember that night he arrived late? He said he'd gotten hurt by accidentally breaking a mirror... Well, isn't there a myth that says that breaking a mirror guarantees bad luck for like, seven years or something?"

"That's just a baseless superstition," huffed Minho, half-glaring at him. "Don't go putting ideas in his head, you know he's sensitive to that stuff."

Jeongin offered an apologetic smile at that. "Ah, sorry. Forget about it, Lix."

Felix mutely nodded, sinking a little more into Minho's warmth. The older's arms had tensed slightly, but the freckled boy didn't pay it any mind – Minho had always been crazy protective of him, after all, and he couldn't deny that he quite liked having someone so kind and reliable looking after him—

"Ack!"

Pain spiked in his head, and he practically lurched out of Minho's grasp, gritting his teeth as his head kept on pounding. What the hell was happening to him?

"Oh, Lix... You're burning up," sighed Minho, checking his forehead. "You've been pushing yourself too hard. Come on, off to bed you go – you'll take some painkillers, and then you'll get some sleep."

Still in pain, Felix only nodded in agreement, and Minho led him to Jeongin's room while their host went to fetch him some painkillers. As soon as he swallowed the pill, Felix laid down, his eyes closing by themselves while Minho tucked him in.

"Night night, Lixie," the older murmured, kissing his temple. "Rest well."

Felix simply hummed under his breath, letting himself drift away.

.

The prince is dancing, still. He's closer now, but his face is shrouded in shadows every time Felix tries to take a closer look. But Felix doesn't need to see his face to see the pain the prince expresses in every single step he takes, every single twirl he makes.

The prince looks lonely.

.

Felix wakes up with tears streaming down his face.

Moving as quietly as possible so as not to wake up the others – Jeongin had taken the other half of the bed while Seungmin and Minho had settled on a mattress on the floor – he made his way to the bathroom. He locked the door and turned on the light. Then, letting out a shuddering breath, he leaned over the sink and splashed cold water over his face, rubbing his skin to get rid of the tears – and that's when he felt it, the unease sinking in the pit of his stomach.

The entity was there.

Steeling himself, Felix slowly straightened up, and gazed straight ahead.

Pale blue eyes and blood. Like always. Felix's reflection nowhere to be seen, replaced by that grotesque entity made of shadows and nightmares and pain – but this time, Felix didn't look away.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the shadows started ebbing away. Felix kept on staring until, at last, the shadows cleared completely, revealing a strangely humane face – a handsome man, really, if it wasn't for the blood streaming down his pale cheeks and the sheer pain written all over his face.

Felix kept their eyes locked, gulping as he tried to find his voice—

"What do you want from me?" he whispered, his voice breaking on the edge.

The entity stares right back. And then, it opened its mouth—

"Felix."

Felix's eyes go wide, his hands almost instantly slapping over his ears as he stumbled backward until his back hit the wall and he slid down to the floor, the melody he hadn't even noticed up until now only becoming louder and louder and louder and louder—

"Felix!"

Loud, urgent knocking startled him back into reality, and the slightly panicked voice of Seungmin was enough to make him move. He unlocked the door, and was almost instantly swept off his feet by his frantic friend.

"Don't do that, you idiot!"

"Do- do what...?"

"Disappear like that! Locking yourself in the bathroom! You can't- you can't do that! I thought- I thought you were gone—"

"Oh, Minnie... Did you have a nightmare?" softly asked Felix, feeling himself relax in Seungmin's arms as he started rubbing his back.

"I- I did. I don't know what happened... just- just that you were gone—"

"It's okay, I'm okay. I'm sorry for scaring you. Let's go back to sleep, hm?"

"Y- yeah. Okay. Yeah."

Seungmin was visibly still shaken from his nightmare, so Felix took his hand and led him back to the bedroom, staying by his side until he fell asleep again – and trying his hardest to ignore the heart-wrenching melody that had once again faded in the background.

.

Felix can see him, now. The prince is really handsome, just like he thought. The light shining upon him isn't as strong as before, though, and the loneliness the scene exudes is almost too much to bear.

Felix wonders if maybe he should dance too, if only to keep the prince company.

.

For all of the nightmares and visions becoming more and more troubling by the day (or night), no matter how much all of it scared and confused Felix, he'd never thought he was actually in danger, so to speak. He was still half-convinced that this was just a major hallucination caused by stress and exhaustion, and he was determined to go on with his life, figuring he'd grow out of that weird horror phase eventually.

Or at least, that's what he thought until this morning.

One moment he was waiting on the sidewalk for the pedestrian light to turn on and, the next, someone roughly shoved him smack into the street, just as a car was speeding by.

He fell on the ground and scraped his hands and knees, but the car thankfully managed to swerve just in time to avoid hitting him. His heart beating so fast in his chest he thought he might throw up, it took Felix a moment to notice the people that had rushed to his aid.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you hurt?"

"Why did you do that!?"

"Stop crowding the poor boy, he's obviously in shock!"

"Where- where are they?" he gasped out, frantically glancing around.

"Where are what, love?" asked gently the woman kneeling next to him.

"The- the person that pushed me!"

"Boy, no one pushed you," frowned a man in a suit, standing in front of him. "You're the one who jumped into the street like a—"

"N- no! No, someone pushed me, I felt their hands on my back, I... I..."

He trailed off as he realized that no one around had actually seen anything, nor did they look like they believed him. For a reason he couldn't fathom, no one had seen how he'd been pushed into the street, and they all seemed to assume that he'd jumped of his own volition.

I'd never do that! Why would I try to take my own life!?

But of course, those people didn't know that – didn't know him. So, he resigned himself to apologizing for the scene and promptly walking away. As he turned the corner of the street, though, he felt them – hands on his shoulders, nudging him forward.

He turned around, but didn't find anyone. All he heard was the troubling melody, playing in a morbid tempo with the throbbing in his palm—

No. Felix felt sick as he gazed down at his palm, where a thin, red line smeared with blood could be seen. This was a superficial injury, it was already healed, why is it back!?

The music grew louder, the hands were on his shoulders again, and panic settled in as he realized at last that he was in much greater danger than he first thought.

.

"You need to help me!!!"

Felix had returned to the antique shop, knowing it was where he'd find his answers. The old woman obviously knew more than she let on, and he fully intended to get to the bottom of this.

"And what, exactly, can I help you with?" asked calmly the owner.

"The- the mirror. Last time. I cut myself and now I think it's trying to kill me."

There was a moment of heavy silence as the old woman stared at him with an unreadable expression. Then, she shook her head with a heavy sigh.

"The human mind is truly a work of wonders. You should leave—"

"I'm not crazy!" he cried out, showing her his bleeding palm. "It's not healed! I cut myself weeks ago and it's still there – still bleeding! And- and I keep having these creepy visions and there's- there's something following, I just know it! I see it! And now- now it just tried to kill me!!!"

She obviously didn't believe him, so he changed tactics.

"What can you tell me about the mirror?" he asked, almost desperately. "Please, anything, I—please. Just- just anything will do. Please."

"... maybe it is cursed after all," she murmured, gazing at him sadly. "But you will not find the answers you seek in this shop. This mirror... belonged to someone who was very dear to me. It only carries pain and misery. You shouldn't latch onto it, young man."

"It latched onto me!" he protested. "It's driving me insane! What's the story behind that mirror? Why is it cursed!?"

"You'll only hurt more if you learn the truth. Please, just let it go. I'm tired."

The old woman walked away, and Felix's protests died in his throat – he couldn't find the strength to chase after her, not when her shoulders practically slumped under the weight of an emotional burden he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

Whoever the mirror used to belong to had been gravely hurt, and something told Felix that that person's pain had tainted the object – and, if such was the case, then he needed to find a way to appease them before their pain tainted him, too.

.

"Felix."

"No."

"Felix."

"Shut up!"

It started talking. Now, in addition to the music that just wouldn't stop, he had to hear its voice. It called his name, over and over again, and Felix found it harder to resist every time. He didn't know what the entity wanted, but he refused to give in so easily.

"... are you alright, Felix?"

Felix slowly straightened up, the coldness of the bench he was sitting on now seeping through his clothes as he leaned against it to find two familiar men standing a few meters away and gazing at him with palpable concern.

"Chan, Changbin," he greeted, a tad breathlessly. "What- what are you guys doing here? We haven't seen each other in forever."

"Ah, actually..."

Changbin trailed off as he looked down, and it's only then that Felix noticed the leash he was holding, and the little white dog attached to it. The dog barked cheerfully, almost instantly running to him and jumping his lap, startling a laugh out of him.

"Kkami, no!" scolded Chan. "That's bad manners!"

"Aww, it's okay," chuckled Felix, feeling himself relax as he petted the dog. "He's such a cute little thing! And your name is... so cute..."

A weight fell on his chest as the melody in the background became just a tad louder, his gaze locked with that of the dog. The animal's eyes were of an all-too-familiar blue, and they looked eerily smart, as if the dog recognized him...

He's possessed, he thought, suddenly feeling sick. That monster is everywhere.

Carefully, he put the dog down. The animal protested, but Changbin shushed him and gently tugged him back. Felix got up, suddenly eager to leave, and Chan shot him an unreadable look, biting his lower lip.

"Felix... are you okay?"

"Err, yeah. Sorry. I just remembered that I have somewhere to be," he lied, hoping they'd buy his lame excuse. "But let's- let's keep in touch, okay? Let's go out to dinner soon – all of us! It's been a while since all of us gathered together, hasn't it?"

Changbin offered him an awkward smile while Chan smiled softly. "Of course. We'll talk later, then."

With a nod and a wave, Felix quickly left the pair behind, hurrying his pace the slightest bit when he heard Kkami bark after him.

.

The prince is still lonely. There are tears streaming down his face, Felix notices. They shimmer in the dimming light, and Felix wishes he could simply wipe them away and make the prince smile instead. But the prince can't see him, and Felix can't move, and the two are frozen in time.

Felix wishes he could help, lessen the prince's burden, but he can't.

.

Felix stood in front of his parents' house, unsure of what exactly he was doing there. All he knew was that he wanted to see them and, with how much of a mess his life had become, he couldn't deny that some parental love and guidance would be greatly appreciated.

So, without further ado, he went to knock.

"Felix!" happily exclaimed his mother, quickly welcoming him in. "Just in time for dinner! I'm surprised you're not late this time, hm?"

Felix gazed at her, confused. "Late?"

"Why, yes! We have dinner together every second Friday of the month. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Right, that's right. Felix had completely forgotten about that. He'd been so caught up trying to deal with that abominable curse all the while keeping up with his life, he'd barely been keeping up with the time – but his mother was right, they had dinner together every month.

Even when I forget, my instincts are there to save my ass, he thought dryly. I'm going to start believing I have some supernatural powers or something. Hey, maybe I'm a psychic? That could explain a lot of stuff...

He quickly shook off that train of thought as his father welcomed him home as well and, before long, the three of them were settled in the dining room, eating a wonderful homemade meal while catching up on life. Of course, Felix didn't mention anything in regard to the visions he'd had, and he blamed his palpable exhaustion on his work.

"We're preparing really hard for the showcase," he said with a smile. "Are you still going to be there?"

"Of course, sweetie," smiled his mother, patting his hand. "Though, speaking of dancing... Honey?"

"When don't we?" joked his father. "But yes, I suppose now would be a good time to bring it up."

"Bring what up?" asked curiously Felix.

"Well, I've been in touch with some old friends of mine and... one of them happens to have an old gym to sell. It's pretty small, but in good condition, and he's ready to offer you a good price if you're interested. You know, for your own studio?"

Felix gaped at his father for a few seconds, before deflating. "But... I- I don't have a lot of money right now... I'm still saving up..."

His parents exchanged a smile at that before his mother spoke up. "Yes, we know that you're working really hard – and that's why we decided to help you out. We're ready to pay half of it if you're willing to give it a shot, sweetheart."

"You can't be serious..." But they were, and Felix suddenly felt like crying. "Oh my God, I love you so much...!"

"Oh, come here, baby," chuckled his mother.

While his mother pulled him into a hug, his father left to fetch the contract he'd apparently been hiding in their room for three weeks, now, as a surprise. When he returned, Felix was already looking through pictures of the place with his mother and, needless to say, he was speechless. 

It was small, as warned, but it was a start. He wouldn't even have to invest much in terms of equipment, the walls were already covered in mirrors, and it was also pretty close to where he currently lived.

Frankly, it was perfect.

"Alright. We're doing this?" asked his father with a grin, handing him a pen.

"Don't." Felix stiffened at the hollow voice echoing in his ear as he grabbed the pen, scorching his eardrums. "Don't take it."

"Yeah," he breathed out, shaking his head a bit. "Let's do this."

"Don't take it," it repeated, but Felix ignored it and signed his name on the lease. "Not like you'll get to enjoy it."

It was the first blatant threat the entity made against him, but Felix didn't have the time to linger on it as his mother engulfed him into another hug.

"We're so proud of you, baby," she murmured, rocking him a bit.

For some reason, the loving words left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, but he tried his best to ignore it and simply hugged her back. Things finally seemed to be looking up again, and he'd be damned before he let that stupid curse get in the way of his future.

.

A sharp pain in Felix's palm snapped him awake. He gasped, light flooding his eyes and almost blinding him, and it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in his room. When had he entered the bathroom?

The pain became more insistent. Looking down at his hand, he cursed loudly when he noticed the scissors he was holding, pressing the blade down onto his open palm and drawing blood. He felt sick, he tried to pull the scissors away, but a greater outside force kept him completely still.

He felt dizzy. There was blood tainting the white tiles and the carpet on the floor – how much had he already lost? His panic finally managed to win over and, with a pained cry, he pulled the scissors out and threw them on the floor. Stumbling back, he closed his fist and held it to his chest, panting heavily.

"Felix."

"Shut up," he muttered, fighting back his tears. "Shut up!"

He was scared, and angry, and in pain. Looking up, he fully expected to find the entity staring at him from the mirror – what he didn't expect was to find letters written in his own blood all over the surface.

The music was playing again, and the shadow was dancing, and on the mirror was messily written a single word.

Hyunjin

Its name. The name of the ghost or curse or whatever entity was haunting him. The music grew louder, and Felix clasped his hands over his ears, collapsing to the floor with a gut-wrenching sob.

"Leave me alone... Leave me alone!!! LEAVE ME!!!"

.

The prince isn't dancing, and Felix doesn't know what to do other than watch as the prince stands in front of a familiar mirror. He's still so far away, but Felix can see the pain in his reflection.

Felix wishes the prince would simply start dancing again.

.

Felix saw Hyunjin everywhere.

He only ever saw his face in mirrors, but his shadow haunted every reflective surface he came across, and his presence loomed threateningly over his shoulder every other second. He felt him every time he had to cross a street or go down a flight of stairs, every time he walked over a bridge or near an edge.

He felt him push and pull, calling out to him with his hollow voice as if begging him to just end it all and join him.

No! I'm not going to die for you!!!

He needed to talk to someone. He needed to tell his friends, he needed to get their help to get rid of the curse before the curse got rid of him. And so, that's why he gathered all three of them at the café so they could have a serious talk.

"Felix, you look terrible," frowned Seungmin. "What's going on with you? Please, just talk to us."

"I- I think I'm in danger," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. How could he even explain any of it without sounding like a madman? "There's someone – something – trying to kill me."

His three friends exchanged unsure glances before Minho eventually spoke up.

"Felix... what are you talking about?"

"I- I know it'll sound crazy, but hear me out, okay? The time I went to that antique shop and broke the mirror, I ended up getting cursed or something, and now the spirit that was trapped in the mirror is haunting me and trying to kill me! I keep having nightmares and seeing him everywhere and he's hurting so much but I can't help him—"

"Who, Felix?" insisted Minho, grabbing his hand.

"Him! Hyunjin!"

There was a pregnant pause, his friends sharing yet another look that Felix couldn't quite decipher before Minho spoke up again.

"Felix... I think the stress is getting to you. You should look into getting a prescription for your anxiety again—"

"No, no! It's not that, I swear it's not!" He hadn't had to take anything for his anxiety in years, and he certainly wasn't about to give the entity yet another way to mess with his head. "Please, I swear I'm telling the truth! He's everywhere and I keep seeing him and..."

He wanted to tell them how Hyunjin had pushed him in the street, how he'd made him cute himself. He wanted to tell them about how much the spirit hurt him, about what he was trying to accomplish... but there were two hands clasped around his throat, blocking out any words or air.

Felix started panicking as he realized that he couldn't breathe.

"Felix? Felix, you're having a panic attack – just stay calm, take a breath—"

I can't, I can't! He could feel Hyunjin's presence behind him, his grip on his throat tightening, and he started scratching at his neck in an attempt to pry off his hands, only to be met with air. He's killing me...!

Dark spots started dancing before his eyes as he slowly suffocated at the hands of the entity, the worried shouts of his friends barely more than a buzzing noise in the background as the chilling melody grew louder... and louder... and... louder...

.

Felix woke up in the hospital with thick layers of gauze wrapped around his throat – he'd seemingly hurt himself with his nails while trying to fight off his spectral attacker, not that anyone would believe why he'd done that.

When he was finally released, he found his mother waiting for him in the lobby, talking on the phone with someone.

"—a small relapse, but he's going to be okay. Who can blame him, after the incident? No, no, he's going to be fine. Yes, talk to you later, honey."

Felix frowned as he reached his mother, just as she was putting her phone away. "Mom? Did Minho relapse?"

She startled a bit before offering him a sad smile. "Minho is going to be just fine, baby. Don't worry about him. He was pretty shaken up by what happened at the café, is all – you should give him a call later."

"Right."

While Minho only took drugs for fun, there were times when he wasn't exactly in the best mindset for it, and he tried to use drugs as a coping mechanism. He'd done it a few times in the past, and it was always pretty bad – if he'd used while stressed because of what had happened with Felix, then it was no wonder that he'd had a small relapse.

"Alright, let's get you home, sweetheart," urged gently his mother, linking their arms together. "Do you want to stay the night with us?"

"N- no, I'll be fine. Sorry for the trouble, mom."

"Nonsense, sweetie. As long as you're okay."

If Hyunjin could get to him even in a public space while surrounded by friends, then he wasn't safe anywhere, and the last thing Felix wanted was to bring that monster into his parents' home. He didn't know if Hyunjin could harm other people, but he'd rather not find out.

He couldn't tell anyone. What had happened was a warning.

Felix was alone, now – exactly like Hyunjin wanted.

.

The prince still isn't dancing. He's on the ground, now, rocking back and forth as he stares deeply into the eyes of his reflection, still facing the mirror and still keeping his back to Felix. He's crying again, and Felix wishes he could simply wipe his tears away.

When he tries to reach out, though, his arms refuse to move. He's completely helpless to the prince's pain.

.

.

.

OMG thank you guys so much for the 100 followers! Hope you enjoyed this new chapter!

PS. The drawing is the work of the lovely creepy-otaku-girl so make sure to give her all the love~!