tainted love || lee heeseung

Part 1

you were excited when you first moved into your new home. it would be the first time you lived alone in your entire life. you loved the house you bought. it was old, ancestral and just perfect for you, right on the edge of town where it was the perfect mix of loud and quiet.

once you were all moved in, you were excited for your best friend, mary, to come over and see it. you had spent all day decorating and organizing, so the house felt like 'home' to you. the house had felt so welcoming to you, so you wanted it to feel welcoming to mary as well.

just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the new neighbourhood. mary arrived at your doorstep, excitement radiating from her whole body.

you greeted mary with a broad smile, happy to have your best friend over for the first time, "mary! i'm so glad you're here!" mary's hair was as long as ever as it stopped right above her hips. The few beauty moles she had around her eyes and cheekbones gleamed out at you.

mary's eyes crinkled as she smiled hard at you, "me too, y/n! let me see this house you bought then!"

you beckoned your friend into your house, wanting her to follow you as you led the way through the new halls adorned with antique furniture and delicate wallpaper that was left behind for decades. you ascended the sweeping staircase, your footsteps bouncing off of the walls.

"girl, this house is like a time capsule!" mary remarked from behind you, her voice and eyes filled with wonder and curiosity. "where'd you even find it?"

you shrugged as you showed room by room, "just online. it was cheap– i guess because it's so old."

"how old?"

"really old." you both laughed, "so old that i can't get a door to budge open." you glanced down to the last door at the end of the long hallway.

"really?" mary's head tilted.

"yeah, the one on the very end there, with the faded floral patterns." mary walked past you to the door and stopped in front of it. "i've tried for a few days now, even one of the movers couldn't get it to budge. he said something about the hinges being rusted down."

"let me try," mary declared, her delicate hand reached out to the ornate brass doorknob you had tried to turn for hours.

as she turned the doorknob, the door swung open easily. too easily.

"hey, what?" you exclaimed, moving closer to see it better for yourself, "how did you do that?"

mary shrugged with a concerned look on her face, "i don't know. i just opened it."

"what the hell, i've been trying for days, mary!"

mary chuckled, "well, let's see what's up there then." she pointed inside the newly opened door which reveals a narrow flight of stairs leading to an attic. "an attic filled with mysteries." mary said in a fake scary voice.

mary let you go in first, climbing up the creaky, dusty steps, anticipation building with every reak and moan from the old house. the air grew thick with dust, swirling around them like ethereal spirits. both of your eyes widened at the sight before you at the top of the stairs. the space was illuminated by a single beam of light filtering through a small window. it cast long shadows on the faded wallpaper and illuminated the forgotten items from the previous owners.

"there is so much shit up here," mary said beside you; both of you were standing still and taking in the scattered items spread about. she stepped around you, brushing off the layer of dust from an old trunk. she ran her fingers over the tarnished lock, contemplating what lay inside, "shall we see what's in box number one?"

your eyes sparkled with anticipation, "absolutely."

with a click, mary opened the trunk, revealing a trove of memories. it was full of sepia-toned photographs, delicate lace gloves and a journal with yellowed pages.

"look at this photograph," mary showed you, holding up an image of a young couple embracing, looking madly in love. you peered over her shoulder, a wistful smile spreading across your lips as you looked at the pair.

mary continued to skim through the first box as you stood straight again. your eyes scanned your new attic, and you felt your heart skip when you noticed a dusty, wooden box tucked away in the corner. you walked towards it, your hands starting to tremble for no reason.

you could hear mary shifting with excitement as she found something new in her box, but you were too interested in the box in the corner in front of you. you knelt on the floor, your hands traced the chest, feeling some magnetic pull to it strangely.

you carefully opened the box, revealing an ancient wooden board intricately carved with symbols and letters. you realized that it was a ouijia board. its surface adorned with faded letters and a small wooden planchette.

mary gasped behind you, her eyes widening with awe and caution, "y/n, isn't that a ouija board?"

you nodded, your voice filled with wonder and uncertainty, "yeah, i think so. i wonder why it's been left up here, ya know, because they're like a window to the other realm, right?"

the two of you exchanged a nervous glance before mary spoke again, her voice barely audible, "what do you say, y/n? should we use it? break in your new house?"

you hesitated, your mind starting to understand the fear that this board could evoke, "i don't know, mary. it's risky. what if we unleash something?"

mary placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, "we'll be careful. we won't stay for long. we'll just ask a few harmless questions, and if things get weird, we'll stop, okay?"

you sighed but slowly nod, "alright, we can try it. who knows, it might not even work."

"probably not, but it'll be fun to try."