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Chapter Text

If the growing stars, the new sensation, The Saja Boys, didn't have a manager, wouldn't it be weird? An actual manager. Someone who knows what they're doing. Someone who doesn't try watering plants with coffee. So, naturally, they set off to find one. And by they, I mean Romance, who can flirt water into milk.

They managed to do a lot with their demon minions, like the first impression and the new hit Soda Pop. Still, they couldn't go further without someone who knew their schedule, reminded them of important dates, made new plans, solved the problems that the guys had no idea how to solve, pushed the popularity of Saja Boys into the sky, and stayed oblivious to the fact that they're Hellspawn.

And on a Tuesday, on a slow and boring Tuesday, the kind of free day before something big, like the fan meeting, Romance walked into their living room with confidence and smugness fit to his hairstyle. They lived in quite a fancy apartment. And on the highest floor at that.

"Gentlemen, attention please" He spread his arms like wings, his grin would probably blind a few mortals. But the guys didn't react, except maybe for Jinu, who looked up for a second. Abby stood in front of a full-length mirror, flexing his arms and especially his abs. Mystery was on his phone, and Gwima knows how in hell he learned to use it. Baby was watching a boring show on TV because he didn't know how to use the remote yet, and it looked like it might explode if you pressed the wrong button.

Romance groaned. "Attention!" He clapped his hands together, only then did the others look up, and only half listened anyway. "I went out of my way to find us a manager. A professional, I might add" It was like he was introducing his success in completing a task, rather than a person. "Let me introduce you to..!" He forgot her name.

A young woman walked in, wearing wide-legged pants and chunky heels. She held a tablet in her arms, a stylus in her ring-adorned hand, and an earphone in one ear. "It's Sanhee, but you'll know me as your manager" 

"Huh, you actually did it?" Jinu said, for he was sure he'd have to find some demon for this job, too. Someone who was at least a little bit intelligent.

"Duh?" 

"I'm glad to work with you" Sanhee bowed, but as quickly as she did that, she rose back up and immediately started to swipe on her tablet. "I have to say that I'm impressed by how far you managed to get without a manager, but from now on, you don't have to rely on luck only. Now, you have me"

She sat on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. Her tablet already had everything written down, stuff the guys didn't know they had upcoming. "Okay, listen up" she said, then looked at Abby, Baby and Mystery, who were still not fully listening. She reached for the remote and turned off the TV, which caused Baby's protesting Hey!

Then she took Mystery's phone, turned it off, and gave it back. Lastly, she turned to Abby, who caught her look in the reflection. He smirked.

"Yeah, I know. These bad boys are addictive" He said, before Sunhee tossed a blanket at him. It didn't even cover him properly, but made the message quite clear. She then cleared her throat.

"Let me explain how this works," the guys finally sat properly, actually listening "I'm your manager. I remind and arrange, I do not babysit you. When I say listen, it would be advised to listen. When I tell you to show up at rehearsal on time, it would be advised to come in on time"

"So, you're like the boss, or something?" Baby said, his voice deeper than one would expect, considering his looks and his stage name.

"Something like that" Sunhee said. "You're the orchestra, I'm the conductor. Get it?"

The guys mused in response.

"Great" She turned her tablet to show them the screen. On it was the plan for tomorrow's fan meeting. She told them when to wake up, when the Saja Boys Van is going to pick them up, how long the ride will be, where they're going to get off, how much time they have before the meeting starts and where they're going to sit. Yes, there was a special seat order.

"Jinu, you're in the middle" Sanhee pointed at the plan she made "To your left is Abby, next to Abby is Romance. To Jinu's left is Baby, next to Baby is Mystery" 

"I don't like it" Romance chimmed in "Why is Jinu in the middle?" 

"Because I'm the fans' favourite?" Jinu smirked.

"He's the main vocalist," Sunhee said, "and yes. He's the fans' favourite"

"Whoa! No, he's not" Abby flexed his arms suddenly, almost knocking against Mystery's head. "Look at these" the wind blew at his short shirt, flashing his abs. "They're fans' favourite, let's be honest"

"My fans are artists, creative individuals who know art when they see it. Your fans are single and lonely mortals" 

"Horny, too" muttured Mystery.

"Horny, too" repeated Jinu with a grin.

"Back to the topic at hand" Sunhee said, as Abby threw his hands in the air in disbelief. "You already have an image, so stick to it. The Internet doesn't take change well. Mystery, you're mysterious. Baby, you're..? I don't know, cute? And so on. Your stage names are what you are on stage, understood?"

"You got it" Abby cheered.

And that's how the story of Sunhee and the Saja Boys starts, but it begins fully tomorrow, at the fan meeting.

Chapter Text

The fans screeched loudly as they particularly ran into the meeting room. The room was simple, truly, just posters of the Saja Boys, a stage at the end of the room, and the members of the K-pop group standing on it. The seating order Sunhee chose applied to the standing order, too.

Romance, Abby, Jinu, Baby, Mystery

Sanhee worked backstage, if you could call it that. She was definitely not visible to the fans, but she was the glue holding this place together. Her tablet, that little device, that fragile thing, held every important information in it. Time management was one of them. This venue was booked for 2 hours, and maybe plus 20 minutes. Just in case.

Sanhee tapped her stylus against the screen. It was very tightly scheduled. First was the intro, aca. The opening. The guys stood on the stage, microphones in their hands, greeting their fans. Casual talk, really. Some of: We're honoured to have you here, and some of: Thanks for coming and on and on. The opening would take 10 to maybe 15 minutes.

"There are so many of you here", Jinu said, half laughing, half breathing out in a bashful way. That was a tip from Sanhee. Fans love seeing their idols bashful, she said earlier. And she was right, for the crowd laughed too. Cameras were rolling, lights were on. Right after the opening came the Q&A.

The Saja Boys sat on the couches on one side, a famous Korean host on the other side. "The fans are curious about your first song, Soda Pop. It was such a hit! Who composed the song?"

"Well, we try to write together" said Jinu.

"Yeah. The song is our love towards the fans, we can't just let one of us write it," said Romance, earning applause from the audience.

"But, I have to say that Mystery did the most" The crowd cheered louder, loving to hear that the one who talks the least is the one coming up with the rhymes and words.

"Well, that's a surprise!" The host laughed "Is it your passion, Mystery?" She asked.

"Yeah, kinda" Mystery answered flatly. He didn't want to dwell on it. Sure, writing lyrics was one thing, but talking about it? He didn't want to do that. It brought back memories, the ones he tried to bury deep inside of him. Luckily, the host moved on. He tried to sink into the couch without actually sinking into it. 

"Next question, shall we?" 

"Yeah" said Baby

"Let's go" said Abby.

"What was your childhood dream job?" The host read off the little pink card. The guys thought for a moment. Maybe the question struck something other didn't see, but Sanhee saw the little hesitation. Then came the answers.

"I wanted to be a cook" said Baby.

"A poet" said Mystery.

"Hm, I have to say a gardener" said Romance.

"I never dreamed of having a job" said Jinu, making the audience laugh. "I always had a passion for music, but a job? Yeah, no. That's not for me," he laughed, and Abby joined him.

"I have to agree, " he smiled ", I did wish to start a family, though" The crowd let out a loud Aww. The fans didn't know the answers came from somewhere buried deep inside of them. Sanhee didn't know either, but kept a mental note not to mention it in the future.

The fact that she knew nothing of these guys unsettled her. There was nothing about them on the Internet. Not a name, not a mention. Until suddenly they appeared out of thin air as a new K-pop group with a new catchy song. She would have searched them up by their real names, but there was a catch. She didn't know their names.

Romance, Abby, Baby and Mystery were obviously stage names. She guessed Jinu was the main vocalist's real name, but she doubted she would find any information about him through one name only. Maybe she could ask them. Maybe they would share their real names. They should let her know. She was their manager, after all. What kind of manager didn't know the names of her K-pop group members?

But then again, if they wanted her to know, they would have introduced themselves properly in the beginning, right? Maybe Sunhee was just overthinking.

After half an hour of Q&A, it was finally over. The stage was put down, and instead of it, a table was carried to the middle, where the members sat and were ready for the fan interaction. Fans lined up, holding up stuff like shirts, photos and even their arms for a simple signature.

"OMG, I'm such a big fan!" A girl cried while Romance signed a photo of her and her friends.

"I didn't know I had such a beautiful fan", said Romance, making the girl practically combust. Then they took a picture and the next fan walked up. That's how the fan interaction went. Fans line up, get a high five, get whatever they want signed, can talk to their idols for 5 minutes, get to take a picture with them, and then they have to move on. And by move on, I mean they have to drag themselves mentally away from the guys.

Suddenly, in the middle of the fan interaction, Mystery rose from his seat, and to Sanhee's shock, walked out in hurried steps. Her jaw fell (alongside everyone else) for a moment before she got a grip on herself.

"Don't worry, Mystery will be right back", she said to the crowd, who were visibly curious where their idol went. Sanhee then immediately hurried after him. He couldn't just leave. They had a whole schedule! A very tight one, I might add. They can't have a member just disappear.

Sanhee noticed the door closing to the men's restroom. She couldn't believe it. Wasn't she clear about restroom time? They had 10 minutes before the fan meeting began. 10 minutes for a snack, getting ready, checking yourself in the mirror, and especially going to the restroom. Hell, even for a nap. They could do anything in those 10 minutes, but they had to be ready for the fan meeting after that. 

She even asked them the last 4 minutes if anyone needed a drink, or anything else, which obviously included going to the restroom. Mystery didn't say anything, which she took as a no. Which was a no. He could have at least warned her about wanting to go, instead of just standing up and leaving as if he were feeling sick.

Oh lord, Sanhee thought. She quickly put her tablet into her big purse and knocked on the door. "Mystery, are you okay?" She called, but there was no answer. Only coughing. Coughing. Now she was panicking. There were over a hundred frustrated fans out there. With a quick prayer, she opened the door into the men's restroom.

There wouldn't be anyone in there but Mystery, for the whole building was rented for them. One cabin was locked and Sanhee could see his legs. Literally. He was kneeling on the floor, probably coughing into the toilet. His breath was heavy and Sanhee couldn't tell if he might have thrown up. 

"Mystery? What's going on?" She knocked gently on the door. Maybe he had eaten something wrong, but she was sure she hadn't seen him take a single bite the whole day. Maybe that was the issue.

"I'm fine" he rasped, before it was cut short by another series of coughs.

You sure as hell don't sound like it, Sanhee thought, but didn't say it out loud. She had to stay professional, especially now.

"Okay, stay put" She looked through her purse for a bottle of water "Here, drink a little" The door was still closed, so she had to hand the bottle through the gap under the door. It took Mystery a while to take the bottle. She heard him drinking and silently hoped it would help.

"Do you feel better?" she asked and heard a quiet hum of agreement. Not a confident yes, but it was better than nothing. She looked down at her watch. They have been here for 5 minutes, which didn't sound long, if this wasn't a Kpop fan meeting.

"Okay, I'm going to wait for you outside" 

It took him maybe another 5 minutes to leave the restroom. Sanhee couldn't tell if he looked better, because he didn't look sick 10 minutes ago, when everything seemed to be fine. And his hair was genuinely making it harder to see. He handed her the bottle back, most of the water gone. Then he walked back to the meeting room, where the fans cheered when he appeared again.

At least he drank something.

Chapter Text

In the Saja Boys Van, Sunhee sat beside the driver, Seung. He was a gruff man, never talked unless necessary and followed every rule like religious law. But even he was curious about what happened to Mystery today. The news of the new idol feeling sick all of a sudden was all over the Internet.

"Is he alright?" He asked, not looking away from the road. There was a black glass shield between the driver and the people in the back, which is why they couldn't hear what the guys were talking about. But they were definitely chatting.

"I don't know, actually" sighed Sanhee. "He looks fine to me" but he also looked fine a minute before he suddenly left, so it wasn't really her place to tell whether he was fine or not. Maybe he had allergies?

She clicked on the button which slid down the black glass. The guys stopped talking.

"Listen up," She said "I need to know if you have allergies. I can't have you disappear or die during important events. No offence" 

"None taken", muttered Mystery.

"I've got no allergies", said Baby, then as if it clicked back to memory "Oh, wait, I do. It's milk"

Sanhee wrote it down on her tablet. "How can you forget your own allergy? Is it, like, deadly?"

"No, but it will be the death of my career if the fans see my face after milk" 

"Great, who else?" She looked around, then landed on Mystery. She should've started with him. "Mystery?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you allergic to anything?" She sighed, "Maybe you've got something else? Should I carry water bottles with me at all times, or does something else help better with whatever that was?"

He shrugged. Shrugged. Sanhee gripped her stylus tighter, but whatever. She will ask him later, when they're alone.

"Okay, anyone else?" 

"I've got nothing" Jinu raised his hand while drinking strawberry milk with such delight, as if he had never tried one before. She wrote down that Jinu was allergy-free.

"Romance? Abby?"

"I'm clean" said Romance.

"Having no allergies doesn't mean you're clean," snorted Baby, then looked at Sanhee ", right?"

"Yeah, I guess?" Sanhee shrugged, writing it down. "Abby?"

"Do I look like I've got allergies?" He said, flexing his body, again.

"You look like you're on steroids" said Sanhee.

"What?"

"Do you have allergies, yes or no?" She repeated.

"Kinda, to dogs" 

Sanhee wrote that down, too. All in all, she had Baby allergic to milk and Abby allergic to dogs. Jinu has nothing, the same goes for Romance, and Mystery she still has to ask. Again.

They arrived at the apartment. Beautiful place, proof of the money the Saja Boys were making every day. It was huge on the inside, and because Sanhee lived further away and couldn't go back and forth every day, she received an empty room, which hopefully soon would look more like an office.

She had a simple table, a laptop, some framed pictures of her family and a big shelf with books. They weren't necessarily, but Sanhee wouldn't be herself if her place didn't have books. The framed pictures were of her little brother and her grandmother, the only family she had. She should visit them. Someday, when she gets a holiday.

When she put her laptop to charging, she called into the living room: "Mystery, can you come into my office?"

It took him long to appear, probably because he didn't want to be there. Sanhee decided not to sit at her desk, for it would look way too intimidating. Mystery was in casual clothes. A grey hoodie and purple pants with yellow dots. Maybe he was working on his clothing choice, who knows?

"So.." Sanhee mused. She really needed a couch in this room. Just standing felt way too awkward. "What happened?" She asked, knowing that he knew what she was referring to.

His head was tilted down. Not in a I feel guilty way. More in a I don't want to be here, let me leave, way. He didn't answer. She thought of letting it go, clearly he didn't want to talk about it, and how could she pressure one to open up? But then again, she couldn't have him feeling sick every now and then and not know why.

"I can imagine that this isn't particularly your comfort zone," Sanhee started "but I have to know what happened. Or you could tell me when to expect your.. sickness attacks?" 

He was quiet, and as she started to suspect that he wouldn't speak and this was a lost cause, he spoke up.

"I don't like talking about myself" Mystery's voice was so quiet, Sanhee wondered if she imagined his answer. "I don't like talking about my past" he added.

Okay, that's something, Sanhee thought. That was an issue, though. He's an idol. Events like Q&A happen more often than not, and with his.. anxiety? It would get in the way. But fine, now she knew. Knowing has always felt better than overthinking.

"I'll keep that in mind, and make sure to exclude you from future Q&A, alright?" She said and Mystery nodded. After he left, she quickly wrote down 'Mystery has social anxiety, keep water bottles in purse (maybe some anti-stress toys, too)'.

It would be hard to exclude him all the time. Maybe she'll have to talk with the host about the questions next time? Request to ask as little as possible about the past and childhood. Ask stuff that Mystery could answer as short as possible. That would take some arranging to do, but she would manage. 

This was her K-pop group now. If they failed, then it would be her failure, too. Failing wasn't something she did. It wasn't on her schedule.

What was on her schedule though, was making social media accounts for these guys. For some reason, Sanhee suspected they didn't know how to use mobile devices. Yes, she sounded silly, but she saw Baby trying to use one, and he looked at it as if it might overheat and melt if he held it the wrong way. 

Jinu seemed to know his way around, which was great. He could help the others. Meanwhile, she had to come up with names, bio descriptions and profile pictures. It wasn't particularly hard, but she looked up other idols' accounts to take some inspiration. There were so many, yet somehow the Saja Boys were on top. They were great at singing, and they looked handsome, too. Exactly what the fans needed.

The next big event on her schedule was.. The guys would go on a trip and film it all. Yeah, sounded 'bout right.

Chapter Text

Seung was truly a miracle. Somehow, he agreed to drive a car fitted for a road trip, instead of his beloved limousine. He took care of his limousine, which he named Lee-Bin, as much as one would take care of his wife. And it wasn't even the car change that made him a blessing of a man, but the fact that this car didn't have a bulkhead, the panel that separates the driver from the passengers.

Sure, the panel in the limousine was meant for safety, but it might as well be Seung's and Sanhee's shield from the guy's endless chatter. About what? Sanhee never knew.

"Hi fans" Jinu smiled into the camera "we're going on a road trip. I don't know where we're going, because our manager—" He put the camera basically into Sanhee's face "—refuses to tell us" 

Sanhee rolled her eyes and gently pushed the camera away. The destination was a surprise for them as much as for the fans. This trip was her idea, meant to bring the group together. She had a feeling that their relationship was more professional. No, professional doesn't sound right, but they didn't act like true friends, either. Sunhee wanted to change that. If she had to deal with these men, they might as well be friends.

Romance snatched the camera away. "Hey, ladies and gentlemen ~" 

"What is this? An intro before a scarification?" Said Baby, making Romance groan.

"Can we cut this part out? He ruined it" Romance asked Sanhee. He had to call for her, for he sat in the third row. Sanhee and Seung sat in the front row, one behind the other. Jinu and Abby, then Baby and Romance, and Mystery alone in the back.

"Yes, sure" Sanhee muttered. She was writing on her tablet, stylus moving fast, clicking loudly against the screen. "30 minutes from the road, arrive sharp at 1 pm, unpack for 10 minutes—No, scratch that.." she mumbled. Sometimes she wished for the day to be longer. Why are there only 15 hours of working time? She needed more. Like, a few more hours without her sleep time being affected.

"Do you always act like that?" Abby asked suddenly, making Sanhee jump in her seat.

She sighed. "Like what?" She turned back to her tablet. Great, now she was out of her flow.

"Like a work alcoholic?" Said Abby.

"Like you're summoning a demon?" Chuckled Baby and got elbowed by Romance.

"Baby's got a point. If you go on with mumbling like that, you might actually summon something" Jinu said, like he was sharing some common known fact, rather than something silly. 

Sanhee really missed that black little button that slid up the panel between them.

"I'm trying to keep this road trip together" she said "just keep filming. I'll cut out the useless parts" or maybe she would hire an editor. Yes, that would be wise. She wrote it down in her notes app to do that.

For the rest of the ride, Abby and Romance snatched the camera from one another, trying to get as much screen time as possible. Sanhee did have a few more cameras in the back, but bickering was one of the ways to friendship, right? 

"Isn't this just the perfect view?" Abby pointed the camera at the window behind him, while shamelessly flexing his muscular arms.

"Are you serious?" Jinu asked flatly.

"We get it, you have muscles, do you have to flex them all the time?" Romance clicked his tongue.

"I was blessed with these, alright? You can't expect one to have these beauties and stay humble" Abby flexed into the camera again "and the fans love it" 

"Did we arrive?" Mystery's voice made the others look out of the window. There, in the middle of nowhere, stood a simple house. Cute, if you asked Sanhee. Ugly, if you asked Romance.

"What is that?" Romance said as they all stepped out of the car. The house was two stories high, with white-ish walls and flowers and vines growing on the walls. Sanhee wouldn't mind living here.

"This is the place you're going to stay in for a few days" she said, forcing one of the bags into Romance's arms. "4 days, to be precise. Apparently.." she turned her tablet for the guys to see, showing numerous comments "the fans have been asking for the Saja Boys to visit this house. Many want it, it's good content, it doesn't take much time, and it was easy to arrange"

The guys looked at her as if she were talking in another language.

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong," Baby raised his hand "We're all going to stay here, film much of nothing for 4 days, and call it a day?" 

"Sounds boring" Abby crossed his arms.

"People want to see that?" Jinu said.

"It's going to be fun" Sanhee said while taking out the cameras in her bag. "You five are going to film everything, then you'll send it to me and I'll be in my office, editing the material—"

"You're not going to stay?" Mystery asked suddenly. Their eyes turned from him back to her. They looked at her all surprised, as if they didn't know. They did know, probably.

"Yeah?" 

"Why not?" Asked Jinu "I thought you'd stay"

"Me too," said Romance "like, you'd be reminding us to film and all, no?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to listen to Jinu here" said Abby.

"Excuse me?" Said Jinu.

"I agree with Abby" said Baby.

"Why would I stay?" Sanhee handed them the cameras. "This whole thing is about you. I doubt the fans want to see me, I'm not an Idol. And anyway, I don't want to stay in a—" she stopped herself.

See, the thing about the house was that it was rumoured to be haunted. Did she believe it? No. Did the fans still crave to see the idols get scared? Yes. And Sanhee herself wouldn't mind seeing them scream a little. That would be fun to watch.

"I'm not staying, that's it" She said, putting an end to this topic. She didn't have time for it. "Anyway, film everything. And take your luggage out of the trunk"

With that, she sat back into the car, immediately thinking of all the things she had to do. She would probably hire an editor, look at the dates to decide when to post the finished clip, and oh, she also had to make a YouTube channel. Should she name it Saja Boys? Keep it simple? And—and why weren't they moving?

"What are we waiting for?" She asked Seung. He nodded his head behind her, and when she turned, Jinu was standing at the window. She screamed, then immediately covered her mouth with her hands.

"You can't just leave, we don't know how to film" he said. Bullshit, thought Sanhee.

"Yes, you can" she breathed out, her heart still racing. "You filmed the whole ride"

"Yes, but we don't know how to do it right" chimed in Abby.

"You want us to waste 4 days on a video that'll be filmed badly?" Said Romance.

"Bad angle? Bad lightning?" Added Baby.

"That would be a waste of time" muttered Mystery. Were they really using her obsession with time against her? The audacity.

"I—how? Seriously?" Sanhee gaped at them. "I don't even have my stuff with me!"

"I could bring them" said Seung "It's only half an hour away" Traitor.

Sanhee glared at Seung, then at the guys who looked way too proud of themselves, and eventually she stepped out of the car.

"Fine, whatever. You'd go lost without me" She muttered, stomping towards the house. Then stopped. Yeah, no. She wouldn't step inside all alone. Only that she didn't believe it was haunted didn't mean she wasn't scared.

Great, now she was stuck here.

Chapter Text

There shouldn't be this much luggage for a 4-day stay, but somehow, half of the living room was filled with bags. The lights were on, for the night was coming. Thankfully, Sanhee's stuff was finally here. Just a simple suitcase and a bag with devices for lighting and filming.

"Okay, does everyone have a camera?" She asked while going through her bag with extra cameras. They were small and simple, but she didn't know if these guys would be careful enough not to break a few, so she took a few extra ones.

"Yeah", said Jinu, pressing every button the camera had.

"Does this angle catch my good side?" Romance turned his face to show his side profile ", or this one?" He tilted his head the other way.

"Both are bad" said Abby, while trying to set the camera on the table just right, so the light would frame his muscles better. Mystery was sitting on the couch, filming the view outside, instead of himself.

"How do I turn this on?" Asked Baby, making Jinu groan.

"I explained it 5 times"

"And you've done a bad job each time" Baby rolled his eyes. He clicked a few buttons, but nothing worked. "Ugh, fuck it" he tossed the camera onto the couch.

"Language!" Said Sanhee. With a sigh, she took the camera and walked up to Baby. "Look, you press the button on the top, between these two small ones", she pressed, and the camera turned on. Baby leaned in with a huh.

"It's that simple?" He muttered.

"Yes", she handed the camera back "Then you click this button and it starts recording" Baby pressed the button, and a little red light started to shine. He stretched out his arm, filming them looking into the lens.

"Jinu's bad at explaining" said Baby, making Sanhee smile despite herself.

"No," said Jinu "you just understand when you want to understand"

"Maybe you should try sounding nicer while explaining. I feel like a child being scolded whenever you explain something" Baby said back.

"You are the baby of the group", said Romance, and Baby immediately flipped him off, for which his shoulder got smacked by Sanhee.

"Baby! The cameras are on!" Said Sanhee "If you can't act civil in private, you won't be able to act normal in front of your fans either"

"Okay, okay" Baby sighed.

When everyone packed their stuff out and moved into the chosen rooms, Sanhee thought of how badly she wanted to return to her apartment. There was no way she would sleep well tonight. Apparently, a whole family was murdered in this house. Sad, really. Now, everyone believes this place is haunted.

And it's not the hunted part that scares her, though it certainly plays a big part, but the killing part itself. She wouldn't feel at peace in any house that had a family murdered in it. But at least her room is believed to be the least active one. That was a comfort.

Suddenly, she heard murmurs in the next room. Was it Jinu's room? For a second, a sudden scare got the better of her, making her think that those were spirits talking. But she quickly composed herself. It sounded like the boys.

Seriously Sanhee, get a grip, she thought. Then, despite better judgment, she leaned her ear against the wall. She hated herself for her curiosity, but why would all of them murmur like that? 

She couldn't make out the words, not really. The walls were thin, though.

"—Fans—" she heard Romance say. Okay, they were talking about their fans. That was fine. She didn't know why she expected to hear something not fine.

"—Energy—" said Baby, which sounded weird. And then:

"—Demon—" that took Sanhee aback. Did they know this place was haunted? Were they pretending not to know for her sake, for some reason? But Demon? Of all things, they had to say demon..

Chills ran down her back. She didn't believe in that stuff, but her grandmother sure as hell used to. All her warnings and stories left a tiny imprint and now it was making itself known. 

She heard a door opening and closing. Maybe one of them left Jinu's room. She would rather have someone to talk to than stay alone in her room with only her thoughts to accompany her. She opened the door into the dark hallway, turning her head right.

Instead of one of the guys, she saw a tall figure. It had purple skin and weird pinkish patterns that looked like scars. It wore a black hanbok with a long hat. And even though Sanhee couldn't see the monster's face, she saw its glowing yellow eyes.

She screamed and ran into her room, slamming the door shut and running to the furthest corner she could find. Her heart was slamming in her chest so loudly, as if trying to escape this haunted house as well.

She heard banging on the door, which seemed to be the voices of the boys, but she didn't trust it anymore. Maybe It could mimic voices? Maybe It could walk through walls? Maybe—hell, It could be able to do anything! Sanhee doesn't know! She didn't inform herself about the spirits of this house.

Suddenly, the door flew open and instead of the demon she expected to see, there stood Abby, who got the door to open, and the others, who looked shocked to see her curled in a corner.

"What happened?" Jinu moved first, and others followed.

"Are you alright?" Romance said, crouching by her side.

"We heard screaming and then—"

"I saw a fucking demon!" Said Sanhee, taken the guys aback with her language. But she didn't care, she was about to throw her heart up. "I swear! There is a purple figure, in black hanbok, and—and patterns!"

The guys exchanged looks and Sanhee couldn't tell what they meant.

"Okay, let's calm down" said Jinu "There is no one out there"

"Yeah, we were in the hallway. It's empty" Added Baby, helping her get up.

"I'll go check again" said Mystery and disappeared in the hallway, making Sanhee panic a little for him.

"But I saw something! I swear, I'm not crazy!"

"Maybe you're just tired from the day?" Asked Abby, making Sanhee actually think. "You take care of a lot, so maybe it's just getting to your head?"

"I don't—maybe?" She let out a shuddering breath. Maybe Abby was right. She was tired, her mind had been on the whole day. But could simple exhaustion make her hallucinate? Mystery walked back in.

"I check the hallway and the other rooms and there's nothing", he said. Did she actually just imagine it? Now she felt stupid.

"Alright, guys.." she took a deep breath to calm her heart "I'm fine, thank you" She actually let some stupid children's fear get to her. And she was curled up like some coward in front of them. Would they ever take her seriously again?

"I'll get you some water" said Jinu and walked out. Baby, Romance and Abby were still at her side, Mystery standing at the door.

"I'm fine now, you can go" she said. The last thing she wanted was their concern over something so stupid. She hushed them all out and only let Jinu hand her the cup of water, for which she thanked him, and closed the door. She gulped down the water and lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Her mind raced from one failed explanation to another. Maybe the darkness took a shape in her head? Maybe she was actually going insane. But that figure was so clear..

No, she didn't hallucinate. She saw something. Something not human. And that thing had eyes similar to Abby's.