He's got the whole world in his hands | Jeongin

Chapter fourteen

"Can't you take out loans? I know you don't want to do that, but it's only for a year." Han's fingers tangled themselves through Minsi's hair as he played with it. She was still half-asleep and woke up rambling about not wanting to leave the college she was attending. 

The world was hazy, but the warmth provided by Han and Minho wrapped around her body caused comfort. She didn't remember being carried into their apartment. She didn't even remember the drive to their apartment. All she knew was that this velvet couch was molded to fit the three of them.

Minsi was never a fan of physical contact to begin with. Even when she was a kid and her mother found her hand in hers, she didn't like it. Her mother's skin radiated too much heat. To make it even worse, her mother squeezed her hand way too tight.

With Han and Minho, it started the night she was assaulted. She so desperately wanted to hate the hug from Han, but it was like the warmth of a cocoon. Safe from harm, shelter from the chill of her bones, a soothing balm amongst the sting of hickies.

It didn't take Minho long to join and after that, the three had become inseparable. It was the only kind of touch she welcomed. Physical contact from anyone else was a huge no-no. 

In their eyes, Minsi was like a soft teddy bear. Sure, she could be aggressive at times, but it was just for show. She was soft and mushy underneath that hardened exoskeleton. Her heart was bruised, but still beating. 

"I don't want to take out loans. The year has already started and it's probably too late, anyway. We go back after the cops tie up their investigation." 

"You could get a job," Minho suggested. "You have three years of psychology beneath your belt. What about a paid internship or something like that?" 

"Oh! That's such a good idea!" Han added. "Whatever you do, we'll be rooting for you. You've totally got this." 

She shut her eyes again and shifted. Her legs were strung across Minho's lap. He was slouched back and texting on his phone. "I can't believe she's being such a bitch over a ouija board. It's a stupid wooden board and-" 

"Actually, one time my friends and I-" 

"You're not helping her feel better, Han." 

"Oh, right, right. Sorry, sorry." He gave her sleepy squint a sheepish smile and gently patted her forehead. "I'll shut up about the time we opened a portal." 

"You did what?" 

Even Minho glanced over at his words. He turned off his phone and shifted his body to look at Han. "What do you mean you opened a portal? You actually had something happen?" 

Han shrugged, "it's why I refused to touch the ouija board, actually. It happened at a birthday party back when I was in high school. A few of my friends and I went over to another friend's house to celebrate his sixteenth birthday. It was a big event and he really liked horror movies." 

Minsi's eyes opened wider. Staring at the bottom of his chin, her curiosity began to perk up. "So what happened that night?" 

"We stayed up and waited for the clock to hit three in the morning. You know what that means, right? The witching hour?" 

"The time when the veil between dimensions or life and death or whatever is thinner," Minsi responded. She pushed a hand beneath her and sat up, so she could see him better. "People say a ton of supernatural events occur at that time." 

"Why three am specifically? What makes it so special?" Minho asked. 

"Because Jesus was crucified at three in the afternoon. The opposite of that is the middle of the night. People say the devil likes to mock God, so it became a huge thing in horror movies and stuff. Every time my mom wakes up during that time, she prays for protection." 

Minho rolled his eyes, but it didn't sway Han's story. "Right, so it was three in the morning and we sat down with an old ouija board. We were young and dumb. Sixteen-year-olds never take anything too seriously. In the darkness, we set up candles and placed our fingers on the planchette." 

"It didn't work at first and I expected it to do that, but then we got a response. We asked if anyone was there and it responded. It wasted no time jerking around the board." 

"Who was it?" 

"Lucifer." 

"You've gotta be kidding me. There's no way that wasn't one of your friends screwing around. Don't tell me you really believe that bullsh-" 

"That's what I thought too," Han interrupted Minho. "It was a joke until it wasn't. It started with a candle going out. I know, I know. Just a crazy coincidence. Maybe the wick burnt out or there was a draft from the air conditioner." 

"The questions were stupid. I don't remember all of them now that I'm older. I think someone asked how he died. Someone asked how hell was and we were all laughing." He frowned and wrapped his hands around one of Minsi's. She squeezed it lightly to comfort him. 

"And then someone asked where he was." 

Minho leaned forward. "Don't leave us hanging. What did it say?" 

"H-e-r-e. Here. It said it was here and it meant it was in the room with us." 

A silence fell over the living room. Minsi's stomach twisted in knots and Minho was closer to cracking a joke until Han went on. "The room went silent and one of the guys got mad. He started to ask which one of us was screwing around with the board. His best friend was in attendance and was freaking out." 

"It was supposed to be stupid and mean nothing," he shrugged. "While we argued, there was a faint hum in the room. Above us, the ceiling fan was spinning and then it stopped. I was the first one to realize it, so I glanced up. When another guy realized my attention was on the ceiling, he glanced up too and it caught the attention of another." 

"Soon we were all staring up at the ceiling fan with our fingers still on the board. The planchette  began to move again. Over and over and over again it visited h-e-r-e. Someone accused the birthday boy of setting up an awful prank, yelling broke out, but our fingers never left the board." 

Goosebumps began to crawl along Han's arms as he recalled the scene. His heart knocked against his ribs in a rapid beat. He hated talking about this, but he kept going. 

"One of the guys finally got everyone calmed down and we took our attention back to the board. He asked what Lucifer wanted and the board responded again. H-i. Hi. We sat there looking at each other in bewilderment and then..." 

"And then?" Minho echoed. 

"The candles all flicked out at the exact same time. Sometime at three in the morning, we were left in a blanket of darkness. Someone screamed and it was a fight to get to the door first. We all freaked out and booked it out of the room and downstairs to recollect ourselves." 

"Definitely had to be a prank." Minho crossed his arms, but there was a look of uncertainty in his eyes. 

A silence swept over the three of them. The faint ticking of an analog clock could be heard in the background. Minsi shifted and swallowed. Her hand was still in Han's, but she sank between the pair of her friends. After growing up with her mother, she hated talking about demons. There were some things that people shouldn't mess with and her feelings about God were fickle. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! 

Minsi gasped and Han shrieked. He dived towards Minsi and squeezed her hand tightly. Fear flickered over Minho's face until he relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Oh my fucking god, you asshole! You and your stupid demon story scared the shit out of all of us." He pulled away from Minsi and stood up. "I forgot we ordered pizza." 

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Han pulled away from Minsi and gently patted her leg. "I'll try not to jump into your lap again." 

Minsi nodded, but she couldn't shake the feeling of terror that gripped her still. The heaviness sat in the pit of her stomach and didn't shrivel. She didn't recall exactly what happened the night of Suki's death, but she couldn't shake the feeling now. 

Maybe the ouija board really did have something to do with her death.