𝙋 𝘼 𝙍 𝘼 𝙉 𝙊 𝙄 𝘼 - ᴡᴇɪ

chpt 1

*No POV*

I hate this stupid class, im not gonna draw maps for a living for fucks sake..

Seokhwa wasn't dumb, he knew that they were drawing the same map over and over again because the school didn't have a set curriculum and gave the teachers free reign until exams started. The class was currently drawing the same map over and over again, not a real map, but of a story map or something, Seokhwa could care less. He just wanted to get out of here and go home, since he didn't have work that day. History class seemed to be dragging on forever, like a dog that won't let go of a stick.

It was the last class of the day already, so he shouldn't be this annoyed, but the kid in front kept picking the worst songs to play. Not that Seokhwa was a violent person, more blunt really, but he wouldn't hesitate to chuck their phone out the window if he heard one more goddamn party song. They all sound the same and they never sound unironically good.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was ticked a bit, as one of the students started ripping their papers up and just straight up left. It wasn't unlike that student though, they often left class randomly.

"...well then, there goes Junseo again... okay kids, hand over your finished pieces, if you need more time, just try to get them done by Monday, thank you. Now, it is raining a little bit so make sure you don't get anything soaked haha....... Right okay, have a great weekend!" The teacher quickly dismissed the class and went back to sorting the maps, a bit embarrassed, eyes wandering over to a photo sitting on his desk, his wife's smiling face stuck in time. He smiled sadly, looking back up to a now empty room.

The silence of an empty classroom is slightly calming.

Not really.

Seokhwa makes his way to his locker, a bit down the hall, sighing as he probably had to kick the door again. Not to mention the fact that the kid next to him hasn't washed her gym clothes in a while and he hasn't seen her in a few days, a bit concerned. He made his way down the hall, ignoring all the small accidental shoving, the sour smell of cheap cologne, and obvious stares. Even though he's been doing it for years, people still ask why he wears a mask and doesn't talk to anyone. It doesn't bother him too much, just annoys him to the point of glaring back.

He reaches his locker, a small space barely large enough to fit his textbooks, which never really saw the light of day but they were mandatory. As usual, it doesn't unlock and after 4 tries he resorts to kicking the bottom of the door to try and "shake" whatever could be stuck and let him go home already.

The kid on his other side, a larger kid with glasses, just watches in amusement, as he gives the door a stronger kick and it pops open fast enough to hit Seokhwa in the face. He just shakes his head, grabs his shit, and runs out. Finally free from school... for the weekend. He gets Fridays off from work, mostly stocking shelves, cleaning, and helping people find things in a not-so big grocery store, so he can rest up and get any homework done. Thankfully, those maps were easy to find online so he already had a printed copy to trace at his apartment.

Since it was past 3pm, Seokhwa didn't have any plans on going out after he got home, but before he could even get there, he remembered that his fridge was still empty, has been all week, and he's been living on takeout because he'd been too caught up with those stupid maps to really think about it. He sighed, knowing he'd have to spend the money he was planning on getting new clothes with, as the ones he has are getting snug on him and he likes baggy, loose clothing.

He set on his way to the nearest store, not needing a whole lot, but enough to last a few days before he regrets not getting a lot and having the cycle repeat. He quickly grabs a variety of fruits, fresh bread, milk, a few ramyun cups and a box of tea bags. He doesn't exactly care what he eats, if it shuts his stomach up then everything's fine. If anything, he finds himself snacking throughout the day in place of eating meals, it's easier than cooking something and not eating all of it and throwing it out a week later. He passes the meat section, contemplating on if he should get some. He decides to just get some later, perhaps because the store owner had been watching him the whole time, probably suspicious of his hidden face. He counted the items, making sure to double check so he didn't have to use laundry money, that corner pile in his room has been bugging him and he planned on finally doing something about it that night.

"Hey kid, you gonna buy something or what?" the store owner spoke up, making Seokhwa jump a little. He quickly walked up to the counter with whatever he had in his hands, not making eye contact with the very unamused face of the guy in front of him. He had his stuff scanned and left right after, almost bumping into a group of students on his way out. With a sigh he opens the crumpled receipt to count how many quarters he had left for laundry, just enough to get it all done, thankfully.

It wasn't that long of a walk to his apartment, only about 2 blocks, but it was getting dark out and it looked like it would rain soon. Seokhwa wasn't afraid of the dark or the rain, in fact he loved it and often opened his window to listen better. As he neared the alleyway that led to his apartment, he stopped to take in the now bright moon light as it illuminated his surroundings with it's glow. He didn't go outside too often, but without any people around, he felt like staying there forever.

The cool smell of the night air, though worn down by his mask, still felt nice to breathe in as he looked around. He could hear faint sounds of cars, probably someone going to their night shift job or on a sudden trip for food. Watching people live their life was something he loved to do. Not sure why, but something about people going about their day while he is in the background made the world feel real and alive. It 's nice.

Of course, that would be if a sudden shuffling and then clinking sound coming from the alleyway he was about to enter hadn't cut his train of thought short. Seokhwa quickly peaked his eyes out from behind the brick wall, trying to see if anything was there while still being hidden. From what he could see in the dark, there was what looked to be someone climbing a metal fence that separated the nearby woods from the small area.

They had just gotten to the top, about to jump down, when Seokhwa's phone reminded him of his laundry by releasing a loud, unfortunately timed ring.

shit-

The stranger immediately spun their head to stare at the poor boy, who was frantically trying to hide behind the wall and turn it off even though he was already seen. He heard the sound of feet hitting the ground, but not anything else, so he knew the stranger had probably left to go do whatever they were planning on doing in the woods before some random dumbass got caught watching them.

There wasn't any other sound, so Seokhwa turned to run to his apartment, but ended up colliding with someone. He didn't hear anyone walking, where the hell did this guy come from?

The new stranger, bigger than the one he saw on the fence, just stood there and stared at him, his face unclear in the dark, but his eyes glowed with a golden hue. It freaked Seokhwa out more, he just wanted to go home man.

"O-oh i'm sorry, excuse me.." he quickly rushed past the taller guy, not even trying to hide his fear, and double checked behind him. The man just stood there, staring after him. He sighed in small relief, but the fence was coming up, and he had a gut feeling. When he got there, he braced himself and looked while trying to run faster. At least 4 pairs of eyes stared back into his soul. He stopped dead in his tracks as he could make out a group of people watching him, staring at him with the same golden eyes as the other guy. They didn't fucking blink.

Only when one of them started walking up to the fence did he finally turn and run into the building, almost tripping over the gravel, making sure to not look back as he quickly bowed a hello to the receptionist and booked it to the stairs. He ran as fast as he could, a feeling of panic creeping up his spine as he finally got to the third floor and quickly found his room, 318, and made sure to lock the door as soon as he got inside.

That was the fastest he's ever ran in a while, his breathing uneven as he tried to calm down. He took off his now scuffed from running shoes and set his bag down on his bed, trying to recollect his mind. He rubbed his eyes and sat down, their eyes still burned in his mind. Their unblinking, glowing eyes.

The window had a clear view of the woods and he felt like opening it tonight isn't a good idea. He quickly made his way over to it, preparing for something to happen, but when he looked, there was nothing. No one near the fence, nobody looking back at him, nothing. With a sigh of much bigger relief, he closed the curtains and dived into bed. The forgotten laundry still sat in the corner as he contemplated what just happened.

What in the ever loving fuck was that.

( okay hi, i hope that wasn't too fast paced, it took me a while to write, mostly due to school but i hope future chapters are better )