It was the weekend, and Ara was enjoying a rare opportunity to sleep in as she felt more tired than usual. Just as she was drifting into an amazing dream about chicken nuggets, she was abruptly startled awake.
"BOO!" Someone yelled beside her.
She jolted upright. "Yoon?" Ara exclaimed as Jeonghan sprinted out of her room. Without thinking, she grabbed her plushie and chased after him, ready to exact revenge.
"Oppa, he disturbed my beauty sleep!" Ara exclaimed to Scoups, who had intervened to calm the situation.
"Jeonghan, what are you doing?" Scoups asked with a hint of amusement, trying to hold back laughter as he restrained Ara from pummeling Jeonghan with her plushie.
"He scared me awake! With dreams of chicken nuggets, no less," Ara protested, her plushie poised threateningly in her hand.
Jeonghan grinned mischievously, feigning innocence. "Just trying to wake you up, sleepyhead. You looked too peaceful in there."
"Well, next time, try a gentler approach," Ara retorted, finally lowering her plushie as she realized Jeonghan's antics weren't worth a fight. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for the day without any more surprises."
Jeonghan chuckled, backing away with his hands up in mock surrender. "Got it. No more surprises from me."
As Ara headed back into her room, Scoups shook his head with a smile. "You two are like siblings sometimes."
"Yeah, annoying ones," Ara muttered under her breath, earning a laugh from Scoups as he followed her inside, leaving Jeonghan to contemplate his next prank elsewhere.
After not being able to go back to sleep, we woke up to find Joshua had brought breakfast over.
"Thanks, Shua," I said, giving him a grateful hug as I walked over to the plates of delicacies.
"No problem, A," he replied, smiling warmly with his cute, crinkly eyes that always seemed to shine with kindness. "Ah, what an angel," I thought to myself appreciatively.
Suddenly, an aggravating voice interrupted my reverie. "Ah, what a little demon," I said with a smirk as I turned to see Jeonghan lounging nearby, his usual mischievous grin plastered on his face. He pretended to look hurt but couldn't hide the amusement dancing in his eyes.
"A, you're exaggerating," Jeonghan teased, reaching for a piece of toast. "You know I'm an angel in disguise."
"Yeah, right," I replied with a playful eye-roll, knowing his devilish charm all too well.
Joshua chuckled softly, mediating between us effortlessly as he handed me a cup of coffee. "Here you go, A."
"Thanks again, Shua," I said, taking the cup gratefully.
"What should we do today?" I asked, realizing we had no plans whatsoever.
"Hey, how about we try an escape room?" Jeonghan suggested, his eyes lighting up with mischief.
"Yeah, we have two smart people in this room, should be easy, right?" Scoups chimed in, smiling optimistically.
"Sure, I'm down," Joshua said, looking at me as I was busy stuffing my face with food. "Are you in, A?"
"Sure, using my brain again," I replied with a sigh, giving in to their enthusiasm.
After breakfast, I washed up and changed into a cute outfit. As usual, my fashion sense never failed me.
We made our way to the escape room place, and upon arrival, I couldn't help but voice my concern. "Wait, no one bothered to tell me escape rooms are scary?" I exclaimed.
"Oh, don't be a wuss," Jeonghan teased, earning an annoyed glance from me. "How is my brain supposed to function if I'm scared?" I retorted.
"Don't worry, A, we'll protect you," Joshua reassured me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, sis, just use your brain, and I'll look out for you," Scoups added with a reassuring smile.
"Ugh, what a way to spend the weekend," I muttered sarcastically. After paying for the tickets, we entered the escape room, which had a theme about a disappeared horror author that we were supposed to solve.
Inside the escape room, eerie music played softly in the background as we surveyed our surroundings. Dim lighting cast shadows across the dusty shelves filled with old books and mysterious artifacts.
"Alright, team, let's figure out where to start," Joshua declared, taking charge with his usual enthusiasm.
"I say we check that desk over there," Scoups suggested, pointing to a cluttered desk tucked in the corner.
Jeonghan wandered towards a large, ornate painting hanging crookedly on the wall. "Maybe there's a clue behind this," he mused aloud, carefully inspecting the edges.
I hesitated near the entrance, scanning the room warily. "Guys, are you sure there aren't any ghosts in here?" I half-joked, trying to mask my nerves.
"Don't worry, A, no ghosts are going to get past us," Jeonghan replied, grinning mischievously.
As we began exploring, Scoups stumbled upon a hidden switch, triggering a series of events that plunged the room into darkness. The sudden blackout was accompanied by eerie banging sounds, causing me to panic. Without thinking, I grabbed onto the person closest to me, which happened to be Jeonghan.
In the darkness, our hearts pounded in unison, and for a moment, our faces were just inches apart. Before anything more could happen, the lights flickered back on, and I quickly pulled away, feeling flustered. "Erm, so let's find another clue, yeah?" I stammered, eager to move on after that unexpected encounter.
As we delved deeper into the room, we uncovered hidden compartments, solved puzzles involving cryptic messages, and deciphered clues hidden in the author's journals. Each challenge brought us closer to unraveling the mystery of the missing author.
Despite our initial fright, the team was making progress. Jeonghan, knowing I was nervous about the potential jump scares, kept subtly reaching out to hold my hand, offering reassurance whenever we encountered something particularly unsettling.
At one point, we encountered a locked chest that required a code. "Any ideas?" Scoups asked, scratching his head.
"I think there was something in one of those letters we found," Joshua recalled, flipping through a stack of letters scattered across a desk.
As we delved deeper into the room, we uncovered hidden compartments, solved puzzles involving cryptic messages, and deciphered clues hidden in the author's journals. Each challenge brought us closer to unraveling the mystery of the missing author.
Despite our initial fright, the team was making progress. Jeonghan, knowing I was nervous about the potential jump scares, kept subtly reaching out to hold my hand, offering reassurance whenever we encountered something particularly unsettling.
At one point, we encountered a locked chest that required a code. "Any ideas?" Scoups asked, scratching his head.
"I think there was something in one of those letters we found," Joshua recalled, flipping through a stack of letters scattered across a desk.
Just as we were piecing together clues, a hidden panel slid open with a creak, revealing a dark passage. Startled, I took a step back, only for a scare actor dressed as a ghostly figure to suddenly emerge from the passage with a loud shriek.
Terrified, I instinctively grabbed onto Jeonghan, burying my face in his shoulder. "Y-Yoon, I'm scared!" I managed to squeak out, feeling my heart racing.
Jeonghan, caught off guard but trying to keep his composure, put a reassuring arm around me. "It's okay, A, it's just part of the game," he said softly, shooting a smirk at the scare actor who was now apologizing and retreating back into the passage.
"Maybe I should have brought my plushie for protection," I muttered, trying to laugh off my fear as we continued with renewed determination to solve the remaining puzzles and escape the room.
YOU ARE READING
Reputation
Romance"You know what's the most attractive thing about you?" I whisper into his ear, my voice barely a breath. "Your brain." "I know, love, that's why I can keep you entertained," he replies softly, his grin filled with promises that send shivers down my...
