Insanity

< tricked >

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Sunwoo asks. He, Hyunjae, Juyeon, and Changmin are going out to meet with another company, leaving me at the house.

"Sure!" I respond.

"Remember, if you go out into town don't follow anyone, don't make eye contact with anyone, don't speak to anyone, and act mean." Sunwoo says for the fourth time. "And call me if something happens."

"I know, I know." I say.

"And most importantly..." He grabs his jacket. "If you die, it's not under my responsibility, remember?"

"I won't die." I reassure him.

"Not that I care. I'm just saying," Sunwoo says.

"Sunwoo hurry up." Changmin calls from the door.

"Okay, we'll be back in a few hours." Sunwoo says, turning away. As soon as they're gone and out of the house I grab the phone that Sunwoo lent me and pull up a map.

At first I was nervous at being left alone, but now I'm excited to see what's out there. Now that I know it's not all horrible.

I walk a mile until I spot a busier part of town. To my surprise, the stores look relatively normal. Sure, the colors are more dull than in my world, but I was expecting full on haunted houses.

I make my way through the crowd where people bump shoulders and don't apologize. I enter a small boutique where I pick out a few clothing items that aren't my personal style, but if I have to blend in then I would wear them.

Next I go to the outdoor mall section and I have a thought: should I get Sunwoo a thank you gift for letting me stay in his house? Do they do that here?

I decide that nothing's wrong with getting a gift, so I walk over to the counter where a boy around my age is standing. He has blonde hair, emerald green eyes, and pointed ears. I notice a tattoo of a snake on his wrist.

"E-excuse me," I say.

"Hm?" He asks, not looking up.

"Er... may I- I mean, can I get some help?" I ask, trying to make myself sound intimidating.

The boy looks up at me finally and studies my face for a second.

"Help?" He asks, leaning over the table. "Why would I do that?"

"Oh I thought... I thought you worked here." I say.

"I don't."

"Why are you behind the cash register?" I ask.

"Are you dumb? I'm stealing obviously," He grabs some cash and slams the machine shut.

"That's not- I mean... cool. Um, never mind then," I turn away. The blonde boy hops over the table and turns me back around.

"I can still help though." He flashes a bright smile.

"Oh! Really? Thank you!" I say. "I mean... er, thanks I guess."

The boy lets out a small laugh. "What's your name?"

Should I tell him? He doesn't seem dangerous. He seems friendly even.

"Iseul." I say.

"I'm Roland." He says. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm looking for a gift for my... for someone." I say.

"Okay... be more vague would you?" He scoffs.

"More vague?" I ask.

"That was sarcasm." Roland glances at me. "Wow you are dumb."