It is a known fact by the entirety of the RFA that he hacks shit for a living when he could easily pretend he has a regular (((legal))) IT job but noooo
Claims everything to do w his job is a secret but will constantly drop hints about how dangerous it is and will even go into story tangents about his various adventures whenever he feels like it
Talks about a hacker group that constantly chases him, making it very clear that he does ILLEGAL SHIT
Hell even invites them to the party
Openly only uses cash
Speaking of cash, makes a shitton of it somehow
Again, he openly admits he’s a hacker!!! Hackers don’t do that!!! They say they’re a techie for some random firm, or something else entirely!!!! They’re not this open!!! If saeyoung were really so secretive, only V would know mfs a hacker and everyone else would think he works at some start up or something
Makes it very clear hes not in a normal work environment? Pls it screams “illegal secret agency” omg
Admitted to running away from home and having a brother the moment someone asked him
Will tell you his thinly veiled allegorical dreams about his origin story whenever he feels like it (mother cat and brother cat dream, the pirate ship and planet one, etc.)
“Why didn’t you feed us, mother cat? Oh well, if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have gone on so many adventures” pls
After playing all the routes leading up to his, the only surprise in his backstory would probably be the prime minister thing and his name tbh
Some might say it’s foreshadowing, I say it’s the fact that he needs validation and needs to feel seen so he drops so many ‘hints’ about his life.
Author’s Note: Please be safe, this story includes mentions of Self Harm, blood and possible depression.
Please do not read if any of those topics are upsetting or triggering <3
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You promised yourself you wouldn’t do this anymore
You promised. But yet, you couldn’t stop yourself. One moment you were brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed and the next you were reaching into the all too familiar tin in the back of the bathroom cabinet. You stopped yourself for a second; what would you say if anyone saw you right now? They’d probably ask you why.
Why? You didn’t know. It was just.. Something you did sometimes. You just needed the slicing pain to know you could still feel pain. Almost as if you needed to remember there wasn’t just happiness in life. But no, that wasn’t it. It was because you felt deep down that you didn’t deserve the happiness. You took out one of the thin razor blades and placed it against your thigh, just high enough to be unnoticeable unless you were naked. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes and sliced. You hissed and went in again, slightly higher this time. Two was enough, you told yourself. You rinsed the blade and placed it back in the tin, tucking it away back in the cabinet. Just as you were grabbing a cloth to clean up the thin lines, now with beads of blood popping up and trailing down, you heard a knock at the door. “Honey, you’ve been in there for a while,” You heard Saeyoung say through the bathroom door. “Are you getting dressed all nice just to sleep? Or did you have something else in mind?” He was teasing. “Oh, um no I-I’m okay. I’m just… Cleaning up.” You stammered, trying to stop the bleeding, but the beads kept returning. “…I’m going to come in, is that okay?” He said, a serious tone in his voice. “Um, just-” You tried to say, holding the cloth under cold water, trying to wash off the blood and use the cold to stop the bleeding. You looked over at the door, noticing you forgot to lock it. Just as you were about to reach for the knob, the door slowly swung open. Guiltily, you pulled up your pajama bottoms and held the cloth behind your back. “Hi.” You said, cheeks flushed and hands behind your back. You were sure you looked guilty, but you still tried to act normal. “Honey, what happened? Are you okay?” He said, cupping a warm hand against your cheek. “Um I…” You started. He kissed your forehead, and seemed to spot the cloth behind your back. “MC,” He said, gently reaching for the cloth. He rarely ever called you by your name, only reserved for serious conversations. You didn’t fight him, and handed it over. “What happened?” He was calm, but you could tell in his eyes that he was worried. “I… I’m sorry.” Was all you could muster. You started tearing up. “I’m so sorry, Sae.” “Hey. Come here.” He wrapped you in a hug. You laid your head on his chest and could hear his heart drumming away in his chest while his shirt was getting more and more wet with your tears. He tossed the cloth in the sink and held you, both tightly and gently. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to do it, but it was habit, and- And I just wasn’t strong enough not to. I’m so sorry.” You sobbed, grabbing the back of his shirt. He could figure it out from your ramblings what had happened. “It’s okay honey, you’re okay.” He stroked your hair, and slightly rocked side to side, holding you close. “Do you need to be cleaned up?” “I don’t know, that’s what I was doing when you came in but…” You said, sniffling and trying to calm down. “Okay, hold on for a second,” He bent down, and lifted you up, placing you gently on the small counter behind you. He placed a soft kiss on your lips, and tucked your hair behind your ear. “While I clean you up can we talk for a bit?” He talked quietly. “Yeah.” You said, taking a deep breath. “Okay, where is it?” You wiggled your bottoms down, so he could see the- still bleeding- cuts. You turned away, ashamed at the wounds. “So,” He started, grabbing the cloth and wringing it out so it was only damp. “What happened, My Love?” “I just felt a random urge and I figured I’d done it before without getting caught… I told myself just this once and then never again.” You said, turning your head to look at him. He gently wiped the cuts and the blood around them. “Tell me if I’m hurting you, okay?” He said, rinsing the cloth and wiping your legs again. “Okay…” He nodded, urging you to continue.
“Anyways, I figured I needed to.” You closed your eyes, not able to meet his. “You needed to? Why did you need to, baby?” “I needed to remind myself that there’s more than just happiness in life.” You felt ashamed to admit it, feeling your eyes filling again. “Can you look at me for a second?” He said, placing the cloth over both wounds and pressing it firmly. You opened your eyes, and tried to blink away your tears. “You’re right. There are things other than happiness and love in life.” He smiled, bitter-sweetly. “But that doesn’t mean you have to feel all of it. I told you before and I’ll say it again, I don’t ever want to let you be in pain. Especially not because of me. When we first met, you told me that you wouldn’t be in danger because of me. Do you remember that?” You nodded. “So, I don’t want you to feel like the love that I give you needs to be evened out with pain, okay?” He kissed your cheek and wiped your tears. “Okay.” He picked the cloth up off of your leg and grabbed bandages from the cabinet. You spotted the tin at the same time he did. You looked away in shame. You heard the rattling of the tin and the small bandage box. You looked back at him, his hands holding only the bandage box. He carefully unwrapped a few and gently placed hem on your leg. You noticed his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth, as he always does when he’s focusing. After he placed the bandages, he lightly fluttered kisses around your wounds. When he placed the box back in the cabinet you noticed the tin was gone, but you didn’t see where he’d moved it to. He helped you pull your bottoms back up and wriggle off the counter. “Are you feeling better?” He said, lifting you in his arms. You wrapped your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist. Nuzzling your head in the crook of his neck, you nodded. “Good.” He carried you back to your shared room and placed you carefully on the bed. “I’ll be right back, okay?” He said, kissing your forehead and stepping away from the bed. You almost asked him what he was going to do or begged him to stay next to you. But you were too tired to press, and you figured you knew what he was doing anyway from the way his pocket rattled. You could just wait for him with your eyes shut. After a few minutes, you stirred back awake to feel the bed dip. “Sorry to wake you up.” He said softly. You just turned to face him and nuzzled in closer. “S'Okay.” You hummed. “I love..Sae..” You said, drifting back to sleep. “I love you too, Honey.”
“I am the Pumpkin King!” Saeyoung declared to the crowd bellow him. They cheered. He noticed MC in the back, there was something about her that always made him feel serene. It was an odd feeling. He had no time for those feelings, however. It was time to start planning for next Halloween. And the one after that, and the one after that…forever. He sighed as he turned to go back into his castle.
MC sighed; her stitching itched but she ignored it. He looked so sad. She wished she could do something to make him smile. Lately, he hadn’t had the same vibrancy during Halloween as in years past. She wondered what weighed so heavily on his mind. As the crowd dispersed, she meandered around the fence, watching as lights came on inside the castle. Holding on to the bars she stared as the light in the highest room came on. Saeyoung’s silhouette came into view, and she took a deep breath as the curtains were thrown open and he stood there in all his glory.
It was ridiculous really, falling in love with the Pumpkin king. She was nothing, nobody, stitched together from a graveyard of body parts. Her creator, V, preferred for her to belong to him and only him. She sighed yet again and walked away. No use obsessing about something she could never have. Her life, such as it was, did not belong to her.
Saeyoung watched her walk away, noticing how her head hung low. She glanced back once before disappearing behind a building. He momentarily hated that building. Why did he continue to keep her at arm’s length when she so clearly cared for him? For her own good? Or for his? V would certainly not approve, though as the Pumpkin king he could demand he hand her over. The thought recoiled in his mind. She was not an object.
Shaking MC from his mind he tried to relax. It had been a long night. Halloween had been a success and he was proud of the people in his town who made it wonderful. But he was feeling dissatisfied. It was too easy, there was no challenge. Not that there needed to be. Making Halloween spooky and creepy was his job after all. The shrieks of children and adults alike were like music to his ears. And still…
He paced his room, restless, unable to unwind. He grabbed his cloak and headed out, walking into the forest, his mind chaotic, like a hurricane swirling every single thought in his head. There was something lacking in his life, but what? The more he thought about it, the less he understood, until there was nothing but an emptiness that seemed would never be filled. Suddenly he walked into a clearing he’d never seen before. The snow was perfectly white and pristine. He realized he stood in the middle of a circle of very large trees. On them there were oval doors with paintings of different things. There was a rabbit and colored eggs on one, a pine tree with baubles on another, and so on. Curious, he reached for the door handle on the pine tree door, opening it and hurriedly stepping through. Something new. Something exciting. A new adventure in his hum drum life.
“My darling, let me hear it!” Saeyoung begged his beautiful wife.
“Mon amour.“ MC smirked, holding out her arm.
“Ah, your French is so divine!” Saeyoung took her arm, holding her wrist delicately and kissing her creamy flesh, moving up her arm to her neck where he nibbled. A sigh escaped her throat at the intimate act.
“Can you not!” Saeran rolled his eyes while Yoosung snickered at his side.
“Oh come on, we’re just having some fun.”
“Movie night was a mistake!” Saeran complained.
“I think it’s sweet. I know the Addam’s family is creepy, but the way Gomez loves Morticia is so romantic!” Yoosung sighed, making Saeran feel funny again.
“Romantic?” he scoffed.
“I agree.” MC said, patting Saeran on the cheek. “You could use a little romance in your life Saeran.” She said, pointedly looking towards Yoosung, who was oblivious.
Saeran turned bright red, almost matching his hair. “Yeah, right.” He deflected and walked into the kitchen.
“Come my love, let’s leave these people and make love until morning!” he grabbed MC’s hand and swung her into his body, pressing her back against his front. He nibbled her ear and they danced down the hallway to their bedroom.
MC laughed and waved at Yoosung, who just shook his head, wishing he had someone who loved him that way too. He envied them but was also happy that they had each other. He sighed again and fell onto the sofa. He’d worried about coming to movie night, knowing it was close to Halloween and the Chois would probably be watching horror movies. But the Addams Family was actually more about family and familial love than horror. It was a good choice.
Saeran plopped down next to him and handed him a bowl of ice cream. He’d added sprinkles, nuts, banana slices, and hot fudge. Saeran was always prepared well for ice cream. He felt special seeing how the older man had remembered all the things he liked in his ice cream. He took it gratefully. “Thank you.”
Saeran grunted in response, his own bowl in his other hand. He reached for the remote.
“Wanna’ watch it again?” he asked. “Or we can watch something else.”
“Can we watch Halloweentown?” he asked excitedly. Saeran flushed as Yoosung settled back into the sofa, his body pressed to his side.
“Uh, I’m not sure we have that, let me see.” He flipped through their digital movie library and found it. Of course Saeyoung would have every single Halloween movie there was. He pressed play and set the remote back on the coffee table.
Yoosung broke into a grin. Saeran’s warmth was comforting, without realizing it, he snuggled closer to him, his head on his shoulder as he slowly ate his ice cream.
The red-head tensed as he felt Yoosung actively touching him. His head on his shoulder felt like molten lava. How was the blond so oblivious to the affect he had on him? Affected him so much so that his bowl of ice cream sat on his lap completely forgotten.
“Is something wrong with your ice cream?” Yoosung asked, noticing how full the bowl was once he himself had finished his.
“No, I just…I’m not hungry.” Saeran choked out, gluing his eyes to the movie, completely unaware of what was happening in it.
“Not hungry? For ice cream?” Yoosung laughed and held the back of his hand against Saeran’s forehead. “Are you sick?”
“Stop it!” Saeran shoved Yoosung’s hand away, but there was a smile on his face. He placed his bowl on the coffee table and sat back, hoping Yoosung would lean against him again.
“Is that a smile? Oh my goodness, the rare moody Saeran smile! I’m honored!” Yoosung joked. He giggled, almost like a schoolgirl, making Saeran’s blood heat up in a good way. He felt sweat breaking out all over his body and tried to shake it off before the blond noticed.
Yoosung leaned back into the sofa and snuggled close to Saeran, wrapping his arm around the other man’s.
“Must be nice huh?” he said, suddenly serious.
“Nice?” Saeran swallowed, his mind too muddled to think.
“Having someone love you that much.” He answered.
“You mean Gomez and Morticia? I don’t know, seems like infatuation, not love.”
“What do you mean?”
“Real love isn’t always that passionate. It’s a lot of work. Sure, in the beginning of a relationship it’s all lovey dovey, sex all over the house, can’t keep your hands off each other, but that dims. I mean, nobody can keep that up. It’s not healthy I don’t think. But the love grows into something more, something lasting, something better.”
“Better than sex all over the place?” Yoosung teased.
“Yeah, exactly. Not that I’m saying there’s anything wrong with sex all over the place.” Saeran grinned, squeezing Yoosung’s hand.
“I wouldn’t know.” He said softly. “But I think I like your idea of love better.”
“Me too.” Saeran whispered into the blond’s hair as they settled in to finish watching the movie.
Meh, I feel like I haven’t done my best on these. They’re OK. Not sure I’ll be able to even do half the month at this point though. But at least I have something, lol…
“Go ahead Yoosung, we all know you’re still a virgin.” Saeyoung laughed as he pushed Yoosung towards the black flame candle.
“Ha ha, very funny!” Yoosung shoved Saeyoung back and clutched onto Saeran. The brothers were twins, but their personalities were almost polar opposites. Saeyoung was a joker who didn’t know when to quit but Saeran was quiet and shy. They had been friends for as long as he could remember, and while he loved Saeyoung, there were times when he wanted to punch him in the face.
Saeran was different of course. Yoosung had begun to have romantic feelings for him as a middle schooler and they just seemed to have drifted closer and closer until it was inevitable that they were a couple. It was never formalized, spoken, or confirmed in any way except by their actions. He held onto Saeran’s arm now, trying to hide his embarrassment. He knew for a fact that Saeran was also a virgin, and that Saeyoung was not. Not that he bragged, but he seemed to use sex to numb his emotional pain.
“Knock it off Saeyoung.” Saeran rolled his eyes as he pulled Yoosung closer to him. It was intriguing he had to admit. They’d never been in the museum before but growing up in town they’d all heard the legend of the Sanderson sisters. He stepped up to the thick black book of spells that was on a pedestal behind glass. It was open to a spell that summoned a familiar. The museum itself had been closed since before they had been born, but there was a way in that the local kids had always known about. He was actually surprised there weren’t any kids here now, it being Halloween night. But he figured the novelty of the Sanderson sisters had pretty much worn off.
They were only here because Saeyoung had kept pestering them. Saeran had always been too scared to come when he was younger. Yoosung would have never come without Saeran as well. It had been a couple of years since Saeran had been scared of anything. When he was young, he had been afraid of everything and everyone, but he’d matured and with his brother and Yoosung’s help, he’d learned how to take care of himself.
“How about you little brother? Care to give it a try? Don’t you want to see the Sanderson sisters?” Saeyoung took out a lighter and flicked it on, hovering over the large candle.
Saeran rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Idiot!” Yoosung shoved at Saeyoung. The red head stumbled into the candle, the fire in his hand touching the wick and causing it to ignite.
“Whoops!” Saeyoung said, shrugging, beginning to grin. That’s when they heard the cackling. It surrounded them, swirling around and rising in tempo. In front of them appeared three female figures. Three brunettes. The Sanderson sisters, Jaehee, MC, and Lillie.
“I thought you weren’t a virgin!” Yoosung squeaked, realizing what had happened.
The blue liquid swirled around before being flushed down the toilet. More than two weeks. It had been more than two weeks. Two weeks since he’d started flushing the elixir down the drain. The first time he’d done it because he was angry with the Savior for yet again refusing to let him just kill Seven. That night he’d had terrible nightmares, his head pounding like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. He vowed to take the elixir the next day as soon as he possibly could to make it stop.
However, in the morning the head pounding had lessoned, and he realized that the nightmares had been memories. He began to remember his childhood. Though it was painful, it was also the most real thing he could remember experiencing in years. When it came time to take the elixir again, he once more flushed it down the toilet and more memories resurfaced. His mother. The beatings. The drunken diatribes where she blamed him for everything that had ever gone wrong in her life. And then…the memories of his brother. Saeyoung, before he had become Luciel and Seven. Saeyoung, who held him when he was weeping. Saeyoung, who brought him books he scavenged to teach him how to read. Saeyoung, who snuck him out while their mother was in a drunken stupor and showed him the clouds in the sky and introduced him to ice cream.
His heart had begun to ache. His head had begun to clear. There were still residual effects, his body was going through withdrawals and he had to spend most of his days locked away in his section, coming out only at nighttime when most of the disciples were in bed. It was getting better. There were no more shakes and the sweating had lessoned considerably. Enough that he felt comfortable leaving his area during the day.
Most of the disciples were afraid of him and gave him a wide berth anyway. It was getting harder and harder to maintain that illusion of strength. Thankfully he didn’t have to do much since that fear was pretty much ingrained in everyone he had ever come in contact with, and even the ones he hadn’t, as the stories about him abounded throughout the compound.
The savior had given him time to hack into the RFA, but Saeran had done nothing on that front since that first day of not taking the elixir. He knew he was living on borrowed time and he had to get away. The last two days he’d spent downloading everything that had to do with Mint Eye and the elixir. Rika kept most of her plans secure where only she had access to them, but anything that had been uploaded into a computer, Saeran had been able to obtain. Because she understood how easily something could be hacked given the right person, she opted to have much of her plans on paper and close at hand at all times. What he had was enough to make sure she would never be able to touch the RFA.
Walking down the hallway he marveled at how quickly things had changed for him. There were still mixed feelings about his brother, but intellectually he knew all the negative feelings had been induced through brainwashing. Unfortunately, just because he knew they weren’t real didn’t mean he could stop thinking them.
“Saeran.” Rika called from behind him. Saeran stopped and turned towards her slowly. “I didn’t expect to see you out and about. I was told you’ve been sequestered in your office 24/7.” She walked up to him, security escorting her. She never went anywhere without them. They were her elite, willing to take a bullet for her. He wondered how he never saw how paranoid she was. Even here, among those who adored her, worshiped her, she would never feel safe.
“I have been. But I need to go out and get some more equipment.” He said, hoping she would let him go.
“Don’t be ridiculous, you can have someone else do that for you. I need you here. Every second counts when your trying to outwit someone smarter than you.” She smiled at him.
Saeran’s jaw clenched. This is what she did, pushed him, needled him, jabbed at him the way his mother had, as the weaker of the twins. He clenched his fists and reacted the way she expected him to.
“He’s just lucky! Not smarter. And I can’t trust just anyone to get what I need. There are specifications that are important and need to be met. If just one thing is off then the components will be useless to me. The functionality of the…”
“OK enough. I have no idea what you’re talking about but fine. Take some of my security with you.”
“Why?” he dared to ask. She had sometimes made that request, but often he would be allowed to leave on his own. Most of the time he didn’t care, but extra people would make things more complicated.
“Because I must protect my best asset.” She grinned. Leaning over on tip toes she gave him a kiss on the cheek and patted it with her hand. “And because I care about you.” Her words were sweet but meaningless. The carrot after the stick. Perhaps if his mother had learned that particular technique, Saeyoung might not have run away.
“Fine, but I will leave them behind if they get in my way.”
“Of course, hurry back, I’ll miss you.” She nodded to two of her men who peeled off from the rest and stood next to Saeran. He turned on his heels and continued down the hallway. Great, now he had to deal with these two nitwits.
They were silent as they all got in the car, Saeran in the back, using them as chauffers. He gave them the address of where he wanted to go. In the back seat he took out his jammer and turned it on. The last thing he wanted was for them to be able to contact Rika, or anyone else at the compound.
“Are you sure this is the right address?” the driver asked.
“Positive, just park outside the garage.” The man put the car in park but was still dubious. The two men looked at each other, unsure what to do. Saeran opened the door and stepped out, before he closed it he threw a canister of sleeping gas into the back seat and walked around towards the front door. The two men started coughing, holding their hands over their mouths and noses attempting to stop breathing in the gas. They yanked on the door handles in desperation with their free hand but Saeran had overridden the electric locks. One man began to hit the window with his elbow to no avail. By the time the driver thought of taking out his gun and shooting the window it was too late.
Seven watched his security camera. An alarm had sounded as soon as the car had turned onto his long driveway. At first he had assumed it was Vanderwood, but he didn’t recognize the car. There appeared to be three people in it, two men in front, and someone in the back. He watched as the car parked and someone got out of the back seat and stood fascinated by what happened next. There was nothing he could do about the men in the car, he didn’t even know who they were, but the scene made it plain that the third person was not to be taken lightly. His cameras followed the man as he walked around to the front door. He looked up, as if he knew someone was watching.
Seven gasped and dropped the PhDPepper he had been holding. The man just stood there, not even attempting to knock on the door. Was this a joke? It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be! This man had white hair with pink tips and green eyes. Hair could be dyed of course, and there was such a thing as colored contacts. He shook his head in disbelief. If it was him, how had he found Seven? He shouldn’t be here, he should be living a different life. He grabbed the gun holstered beneath his desk and held it at his side on his way to the front door. Once he was in front of it, he hesitated. What if this was a trick? But what if it wasn’t? he opened the door before her could change his mind.
The man met his gaze, something warry and strained in his eyes. They didn’t look like contacts.
“Why would anyone want to get rid of me?” Zen complained. “Look at me, I’m gorgeous!” he ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at himself in the mirror. Thankfully, he was still able to see himself. The world would never be so cruel as to forbid him to ever view himself again.
“There!” a beam of green light passed an inch from his beautiful face. Saeyoung scowled having missed him again.
“Stop it! Don’t you remember who I am?” he screamed at them, but they didn’t seem to hear him.
“I told you you should get new glasses! Your aim is way off!” Saeran complained as he trained his own beam at the ghost and pulled the trigger.
Zen pushed through the wall with a resigned sigh. Maybe he could get through to Jaehee instead. He floated down the building to the first floor and went through the wall back inside. It was relatively empty but the few people in the lobby took note of him and began to scream. Zen slumped his shoulders, he’d never had people run away from him like this, had he really changed that much? Was he no longer beautiful? But no, that couldn’t be it, he’d seen his reflection, he was still stunning, even dead.
“What are you two doing up there? The ghost is in the lobby!” Jaehee said out loud, she much be wearing an earbud and communicating with the twins. He couldn’t hear their response, but he didn’t need to. There was very little time, what could he do to show Jaehee who he was before they annihilated him.
A lightbulb when on over his head and he began to do the choreography from his last movie. Jaehee had helped him get the timing and rhythm down so she was definitely familiar with the moves. Jaehee had begun to back up away from him but had not run like the others. She didn’t appear to have a weapon on her, which was good because Zen was out of options at the moment, unless he wanted to just leave.
He was in the middle of his routine when he noticed that Jaehee’s body language had changed.
“What the hell?” she uttered. Good, it was working, she was questioning.
“Come on Jaehee, it’s me! You know me!” he kept up the routine and watched as her eyes blinked rapidly, her head shaking in disbelief.
“No…it…it can’t be.”
The elevators opened up behind him and he increased his pleading though he knew she couldn’t hear him.
“Oh my God!” Jaehee’s hands covered her mouth as her eyes widened in understanding. “STOP!” she ran towards the twins, passing within inches of Zen. She pushed their weapons down and turned to face the ghost.
“What the hell?” Saeran said, still trying to raise his weapon, he could clearly see the ghost and it was not moving.
“It’s him. It’s Zen.” Jaehee said, leaving the twins stunned.
“How do you know? His form is just vaguely human shaped.” Saeyoung asked, conflicted on what to do.
“It’s him, I can see him clearly now. Oh Zen!” she walked towards him. “What happened to you was so unfair, you had so many years ahead of you.” Zen could only agree as he nodded. Had he been able to, he would be shedding tears now.
“Well…fuck.” Saeran dropped the weapon by his leg, “What do we do now? I don’t want to vaporize Zen, but…he can’t stay here.”
“I can talk to Mr. Han, maybe we can accommodate Zen in some way.” Jaehee suggested. Zen rolled his eyes. He’d come here so he could haunt the CEO in line. It was the only thing he could think of that might bring him some happiness and pleasure in the afterlife, things were boring on this side. But what fun would it be if Jumin Han allowed him to stay? He gritted his teeth.
“I don’t think he liked that.” Saeyoung laughed, noting the expression on the ghost’s face. “Wait! I can see him clearly now too!”
“Me too.” Saeran said. Zen smiled at them all. Thankful that at least his friends recognized him. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you Zen.”
Zen nodded, grateful for the commiseration. The accident had happened so fast it was over in a matter of seconds. There was very little left of his motorcycle and it was a miracle he had not died instantly, unfortunately, he had gone through a grueling few days before his brain finally gave out. He hovered above his hospital bed and watched as the doctors tried everything they could to bring him back. He felt the pull of it but didn’t surrender, deciding he was happy to end where he was. He was a success, and you know what they said, the good always die young. He would remain forever young in the eyes of his fans; it wasn’t so bad.
He had however not considered what his death would do to his friends. His funeral was devastating to witness, though even Jumin Han said nice things about him. The way the three were now looking at him began to make him uncomfortable, he didn’t want them to be sad.
“What are you waiting for? It’s right there, get rid of it so my employees can get back to work.” Jumin walked up to the three surrounding the ghost.
“Mr. Han, they can’t…it’s…it’s Zen.” Jaehee said.
“What nonsense, it’s just another ghost, get rid of it! That’s what I’m paying you for isn’t it?” Zen clenched his jaw. “Just like usual, trust fund kid, only thinking about yourself.” All four turned towards Zen, mouths gaping open.
“Did…I…” Jaehee couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Wait, did you hear me?” Zen asked. The four looked at each other, then back to him and all nodded. “Well isn’t that something. Now I can really have fun.” He grinned and winked at Jumin.
“Great.” Jumin said.
“Do you still want us to uh…vaporize him?” Saeyoung asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.
“Of course not! Assistant Kang would probably quit on me if I allowed that. If you’re going to hang around here from now on, maybe I should have more mirrors installed.” Jumin huffed and walked away. Zen grimaced, but he had to admit, there was a lack of reflective surfaces.
“Welcome to C&R Zen.” Saeyoung laughed. Zen felt a sudden rush of warmth. Ok, he was dead, but it wasn’t all bad. And he had eternity to torment Jumin and hang out with his biggest fan. Not such a bad after life after all.
Saeran sat against the tree watching the clouds float by. Yoosung was by his side, their hands intertwined, his head on his shoulder. It was a lazy afternoon, and they were enjoying the cool breeze in the air.
“Remember ice cream?” Yoosung sighed.
“Don’t remind me, of course I remember ice cream. It’s what I miss the most.” The coolness as it touched his tongue, the sweetness that infused his mouth. There was nothing like that here and he mourned the loss.
“I know, I was just thinking how jealous I always was that you could eat so many sweets and not gain an ounce while I just looked at a piece of cake and gained five pounds.” Yoosung exhaled.
Saeran laughed, “I guess you don’t have to worry about that anymore huh?”
“Yeah, be careful what you wish for…” Yoosung stated.
“You just might get it.” Saeran finished.
They commiserated. It was sad to think of their old lives, but there was peace here and they were among friends. In fact, they could see Jumin walking up the hill towards them even now.
“It’s almost time, you should get down to the buildings.” He stated, though it was a steep climb, the businessman showed no signs of sweat on him.
“Is that why you came all the way up here?” Saeran asked as he stood and helped Yoosung up as well.
“No, it’s a beautiful day and since there was nothing else that required my attention, I decided to take a long walk. Saeyoung and MC are already at their place.”
“Of course they are, it’s exhausting trying to keep up with them. Although, I’d rather deal with them than Zen!” even Jumin’s stoic visage showed a smirk. Zen never missed a chance to be dramatic.
They walked down together, Yoosung stopping a few times to pick some wildflowers that he insisted on placing in Saeran’s hair. He scowled in disappointment whenever one of the flowers would disappear, but it didn’t deter him from continuing to do it. Saeran allowed his boyfriend to continue to use him in this diversionary fashion, it hurt nothing and made him relatively happy. If only he could give him something more permanent.
Arriving on their street Saeran kissed Yoosung on the forehead and headed towards the ice cream shop, Yoosung made his way to the flower shop and Jumin to the tallest building, which had once been a subsidiary of C&R. Jaehee met him in the lobby and they took their places behind a desk to wait.
Further down the street Saeyoung and MC stayed busy in the toy shop, Saeyoung tinkering with a new toy he knew he would never finish while MC absently swept, her eyes distant and wistful.
“What do you think our children would look like?” she asked.
Saeyoung stopped working and sat up straighter, watching his beautiful wife. He smiled, contemplateing that very thing. “If it was a girl, as beautiful as you.” He stated.
“No, I think they would have your hair and freckles, that would be adorable. I bet you were the cutest little boy.” She smiled. The thought made Saeyoung sad, he never felt cute, adorable, loved as a child.
“Wouldn’t matter what they looked like. They would be loved unconditionally.” He said. MC set the broom against the wall and kissed the top of her husband’s head.
“You’re right, that’s all that matters.”
Across the street in the theater Zen stood on stage in full costume, his face painted white, eyes as crimson as blood, his silver cape almost the same color as his hair. He ran through his lines and danced the same dance he had perfected now for so many years.
They waited. Waited for the bus full of people who came almost every day to walk and be terrified by their ghost town. They didn’t have to participate of course, not every spirit that resided in the town did. Some pleaded for help, some, angry at their lot attempted to harm the living breathing humans that walked through the streets. Others, like the RFA members, tried to give those alive an experience they would never forget. It was fun and kept them energized. Not all would be able to see them, most adults could never fathom such a rich spiritual world, and those that did see them were not believed. Mostly it was the children whose minds were still open to the possibility possessed the necessary sight.
Saeran would try and give them ice cream, winking at them and putting a finger against his mouth in a shushing motion. Saeyoung and MC would play with them, showing off the myriad of toys on the shelf. Yoosung would place flowers in their unaware parents’ hair and dance around them, making the children giggle at the antics. Jumin and Jaehee would pretend not to see the humans, passing through them and sometimes sitting on them. They would argue about cat projects, Jumin acting like a jerk and tossing papers around while Jaehee ran around trying to pick them up. The antics were comical enough for the children to enjoy, while terrifying any adult who could see. Finally, Zen, who had the strongest aura of them all, would spellbound his audience with his acting, even those adults who could not see, could feel his presence, the emotions he was trying to convey leaching into their skin making the hair on the back of their necks stand on end.
It was a peaceful existence, but it was a dead one. Perhaps one day they would tire of this playacting. Or grow angry with it. As it was now, they had each other, it was all they could ask for.
