until you find me, upside down

The loud music could be heard a block away, but on a Halloween night like that, no one seemed to mind.

Among all the decorated houses, there was one that stood out more than the others. Whether it was the loud music, the colorful lights shining, or the impressive decoration that ranged from fake spider webs on the window, Jack-o'-lanterns scattered in the garden to skeletons dancing and ghosts hidden around. However, the large number of costumed teenagers entering and leaving the house, ignored all of this, preferring to go straight to the table containing a variety of alcoholic beverages.

On the opposite side of the drinks table, there was a huge spread of food, from snacks to different flavors of pizza. But what caught the most attention was the enormous candy table. Decorated with Halloween items, most of the candies look like fingers, eyes, brains, and blood. Like a scene from a horror movie, even though there were chocolates and other candies scattered around. The tray of chocolate brownies that Ryujin had made and brought to the party was the only thing that stood out differently on that table.

The loud music, commanded by a DJ stationed on the balcony behind the large pool, made the windows tremble.

"I can't believe your parents let you throw a party like this." Ryujin almost had to shout to be heard.

"They didn't let me, that's why they don't know," Jisu replied with a big smile. "What I don't do for you. You're welcome."

"I thought you would do something small, not all of this," Ryujin replied, looking around.

Despite the masks and makeup, she recognized the faces of some people from her school. Most had chosen costumes related to horror movies, from Freddy Krueger to Jason, and Ryujin was sure she had seen at least five different Ghost Faces. There were also many vampires, zombies, mummies, and skeletons. Some costumes were related to animations, some were Marvel heroes, and others were from DC. People had spared no effort in their costumes.

And everyone seemed to be enjoying the party. They were dancing around the pool near the DJ, around the food tables, in the kitchen, in lines for the bathrooms, and people coming in and out of other rooms. Ryujin knew that even though Jisu had left a warning that going upstairs was not allowed for anyone, at some point, things would get out of control.

It wasn't quite the type of party Ryujin enjoyed. Typically, she preferred staying at home playing video games or fooling around with her piano rather than attending a large party like that. She liked smaller gatherings, with a few people where she could chat, eat, and sometimes play some games. It was a much more pleasant kind of party than the one she was at.

"But it's small! There are barely 300 people here," Jisu said, sipping from her drink. "By the way, have you seen her around?"

And by her, Jisu meant Hwang Yeji, the reason why this party was happening in the first place.

Although no one except Ryujin and Jisu knew this little detail.

Yeji was the new girl. She had moved in her last year of high school to Seoul because of college next year. Although she had arrived only a few months ago, Yeji had quickly carved out her space. She had been the captain of the soccer team in her hometown, so getting the position of starting striker had not been difficult. In fact, Yeji had just arrived and was already the best player on the team. Her sports scholarship for college was almost a guarantee.

And because of her impressive soccer skills, Yeji also gained admirers. Ryujin being one of them.

The first time Ryujin saw Yeji was at the first game of the season. Although they didn't care much about sports, Jisu was an enthusiast of the cheerleading shows that happened at halftime. For someone still in the closet, Jisu had an immense ease of talking to and being with girls. Ryujin was amazed to see how she was always with a new girl and still managed to pretend to her parents and the rest of the school that she was straight.