「it's sunset in ghost town
hold your holy ghost now
there's blood in the streets
with your grave underneath now」

♫hollywood undead; renegade

✩ h o n g j o o n g ✩

"Ye-Yeosang?"

For the second time in his life, Hongjoong found himself staring into the eyes of someone he thought was dead – and he did not like how it made him feel, although the relief of seeing Yeosang still being alive was rushing through him.

"Oh! What are you two doing here?" Yeosang asked from the other side of the door step. His silky locks fell in soft curls and a baby pink apron was tied around his slim waist.

His grey eyes quickly darted towards the armed men standing behind San and Hongjoong, amd Jongho who clenched his fists, but despite his brows furrowing down Yeosang didn't comment on it at first. San made a quick hand gesture for the men to put down the guns, and to step aside, which they did immediately.

"You... You are s-still..." Hongjoong stuttered, and he felt the warmth of San's hand finding his own – but as soon as he noticed how Yeosang glared at the entwined hands, Hongjoong pulled his own away.

"Where is Seonghwa?" San then asked with a cold voice, and the men behind him took one step forward which made Yeosang raise a brow.

"He is inside; would you like to speak with him?" The younger replied politely, but the way he spoke so calmly was sending shivers down Hongjoong's back.

It had taken some time, and a lot of patience from San, but Hongjoong was slowly starting to find himself again, although right now he wished he hadn't. Because with his old self came all the things Seonghwa had tried to remove from his mind - the things, such as fear.

It still required quite a lot for him to actually become who he used to be, and now he was standing in a crossroad of fire, wondering if it actually would be worth it to save himself from what he had been turned into.

The look in Yeosang's eyes was clear; not everyone was invited inside, and after a few seconds of silence, where San's face scrunched up, he finally signaled to his men to wait outside. Stepping inside the cottage house, placed right in the middle of the most beautiful scenery, everything felt as messed up as Hongjoong's mind.

Chaotic, but hidden behind a calm facade.

Then he saw it, and it tore away any weak attempt of acting collected. Hongjoong's face went pale and his body shivering by the horror sitting at the dining table. Too shocked to even move, he fought against his own body to even make turn his eyes towards San next to him, watching how the older's stared at the very same thing.

"Holy sh-" San whispered under his breath, stopping himself from speaking further, when Yeosang threw a quick glance over the shoulder.

"My love, we have company," Yeosang hummed sweetly, with a hand stroking Seonghwa's chin. "Please excuse my fiancé's rude behavior, he is a little tired today."

The pink lips pulled up in an apologetic smile, as he turned his head to look at San and Hongjoong, while his fingers danced lightly down Seonghwa's neck. A touch so gentle, so natural, as it moved on to take one of the flowers from Yeosang's hair and place it in Seonghwa's dark locks.

"Please, sit down, I'll go make us some tea," Yeosang said, gesturing towards the empty chairs around the white table.

Hongjoong unwillingly sat down, when San carefully nudged his arm, but the look they shared revealed the mutual confusion and fear of what was actually going on. When Yeosang disappeared into the kitchen, Hongjoong's face screwed up and he felt how his body began to tremble all over.

He didn't want to look, but his eyes still found their way to Seonghwa's - dark, terrifying. Hollow.

"Is he..." It was barely a whisper when Hongjoong finally had the first words forced over his lips.

"Yes..." San whispered back.

Dead.

Seonghwa was dead. His eyes were still as dark as the night, but just like staring at the sky during the latest hour of the day, they saw nothing at all. Down the skin, which had turned pale and cold, were several deep cuts with dried lines of blood drawn all over. Tied to the chair, he was placed at the end of the dining table, looking as terrifying as when he was still alive.

"What the fuck is going on..." San mumbled, but the answer to that question was something neither of them knew.

"San, I'm-" But Hongjoong was cut off by the sound of Yeosang opening the door to the kitchen and returning with a tray of the fanciest china.

Scared, Hongjoong was scared and he felt it in every part of his body, as he moved around so uneasily on the chair. The person in front of him, who was placing the porcelain cups on the table, had the same grey eyes and the same sweet smile, the same soft voice and the same way of moving - it was Yeosang, but as a complete stranger.

"What happened?" San suddenly said, and Yeosang's eyes narrowed down while Hongjoong felt his heart stop.

"What do you mean?" Tilting his head to the side, the blonde hair following the move, he looked at San as he put down the teapot.

"With Seonghwa." The tone in San's voice was hard to figure out, it was cold and demanding, but still with the undertone of confusion and actual fear.

"As I said, my fiancé is a little tired today. Now, enjoy your tea while it's still hot," Yeosang replied promptly, sitting down in front of the two and slowly raising his own cup with the hot steam flowing in front of his face.

Hongjoong peeked at San, hesitant on what to do, and he noticed how San was watching Yeosang intensely - waiting for him to take the first sip of the tea. The two of them kept the eye contact, as he finally did so, staring at each other in a way that made Hongjoong's skin crawl even though neither of them was looking at him.

The cup was clinking against the saucer with the pretty floral pattern, when Hongjoong followed San's move and raised the cup towards his lips. Outside the windows, which had been opened just slightly to let the wind in to dance through the thin curtains, were birds chirping and the sound only made the entire situation even more absurd.

While nothing was said between them, Hongjoong looked around the room - avoiding the side of the table where the dead eyes were staring at him from, and he desperately hoped that San had some kind of plan.

Glancing at his surroundings, his eyes suddenly found Yeosang's, and in sudden but short moment it felt like it was just the two of them, in the entire world.

Looking into the grey ocean, Hongjoong was taken back in time, back to when getting his heart broken was the biggest worry in his mind. And maybe it was simply his foolish imagination, but he was certain that he saw a glimpse of the boy he used to know.

Someone who acted so strong, as a cover for the vulnerability he was too broken and too scared to show.

But with the blink of an eye, it was gone - and Hongjoong felt his heart sink, at the same time as the teacup fell from his hand. It hit the table, and the liquid splashed all over the surface and dripped down the edge.

"S-San, I don't fe-..." Hongjoong mumbled, as the entire room started spinning around him. His fingertips felt numb, and soon the numbness had spread to his arms as well. He could barely even turn his head to look at San, who did his best to hold onto the edge of the table, while swaying from side to side.

"Fuck..." The older whispered, and his eyes opened and closed so very slowly.

"You guys look tired," Yeosang said from the other side of the table, but his voice was distant and sounded as if he was inside a bubble.

Hongjoong struggled to keep his eyes open, and with his last remaining strength he looked at the younger, who was now standing up - head tilted to the side and with eyes staring back at him so empty and dead that he might as well have died back in the mansion.

And maybe he did...

"Why don't you take a nap?" Yeosang asked with a terrifyingly sweet smile. "Seems like you need it."

✩