Spirit Animal[Jiyoo]

Daydream N' Scream

A/N: Disclaimer, this chapter is a bit dark, so please read at your own risk. I'll mark the dark content with a "* * * *" On a brighter note, we have a guest appearance from Kim Sejeong! Former I.O.I and Gugudan member and current soloist! You'll get to see the YaSe (short for perverted Sejeong) side of her towards the end of this chapter. Enjoy!

"However long the night, don't be afraid, Yoohyeon-ah. The dead, the undead, and the spirits. They're all our strongest allies amidst the darkness."

Yoohyeon's POV

Running his hand through my hair, my father hummed a gentle lullaby, snuggling closer to me under the covers. Minutes prior, I had just woken up in the middle of the night, parched and in need of water. Trying to rub away the sleepiness in my eyes, I got up from my bed and opened the door to the hallway outside. Right outside my door stood a young man. Couldn't be over the age of 30...but half of his face was gone and both of his arms clicked and clacked as he stepped out of my way.

"Hello young mistress. Would you perhaps like something to drink?"

His voice, unlike his appearance, as neat and silky. However, I had never once seen this man in my life! Suddenly I was very awake. Any semblance of grogginess disappeared from my body as I let out a shrill scream, running to my parent's master bedroom in tears. 

Apparently, my scream woke up half of the people in the small estate. Looking back on it now, this was possibly the most pivotal moment of my formative years. After I somehow managed to find my way into my parent's room, I shut and locked the doors behind me, curling into a small ball as I rested my back against the door. My parents were already awake, 2 more armed unfamiliar servants dressing them while looking around constantly, prepared to defend my parents to the best of their ability. Seeing me in distress, my mother quickly said something to both of the strangers, making them disappear with a single wave of her hand. Meanwhile, my father came closer to me, his face full of concern. As he spoke to me, he softened his voice, speaking to me in the tone he always did when I was sad.

"Knock knock~ Hey there kiddo. Are you alright?"

Still too scared to respond, all I could do was shake my head. Picking me up, my father brought me over to the bed and sat me down in between him and mother.

"What happened kiddo? Don't worry, your father and I are here for you."

"I-I saw someone I did not know outside my room. *hic* I j-just wanted some water, but right outside my room there was a man with no face!"

Suddenly, the door to the bedroom flew open. On the other side stood 5 living servants, armed and ready for anything that came their way.

"Sir! We heard a scream from downstairs and your dau-oh thank goodness. The young mistress is alright."

"Thank you for your concern, Lieutenant Hwang. It would seem that Yoohyeon's abilities have started to awaken, but she sure did give herself quite the scare."

"Remarkable! At such a young age too? Congratulations sir."

"Thank you my friend. Sorry for the inconvenience. Please, tell everyone that they may rest easy and go back to sleep. Tomorrow at noon we will hold a special meeting to further discuss these events. You all are dismissed. Take care."

With a bow and salute, Lieutenant Hwang and his men and women took their leave. Directing his attention back to me, my father gently wiped away my tears and brought my mother and I in for a tight embrace.

"As terrible as this may sound Yoohyeon, this is a good thing. Your brother was like this too when his ability awoke a few years ago. That man you saw is one of our undead servants, Agusto. Don't worry, he doesn't want to hurt you. He was probably just doing one of his periodic check-ins. Remember how Papa and Mama would always introduce you to the invisible servants? Well he's one of them, except now, you can actually see what he looks like. He's one of the scariest and biggest guys here, so we wanted him to guard your door and scare the bad people away, but it would seem that he gave you quite the scare instead! I'll dismiss him for the rest of the night, and you can sleep with us in this room for tonight, ok?"