The Cursed Gathering (Sope, Taemin, Taekook, Namjin)

6• The Mystery of the Imposter

Authors pov

Jimin’s eyes fluttered open, the dim light of the mansion’s eerie hallway coming into focus. His head throbbed, and he groaned as he slowly sat up, rubbing his temple. The last thing he remembered was... well, fainting after seeing that courpse.

Jin was kneeling beside him, his face a mixture of relief and annoyance. “Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty?”

“Ugh, what happened?” Jimin mumbled, his voice groggy.

“You fainted,” Jin said matter-of-factly, standing up and offering a hand to help Jimin to his feet.

“I didn’t faint. I was just... temporarily unconscious,” Jimin huffed, trying to regain his dignity as he dusted off his pants.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Jin replied with a smirk.

As Jimin wobbled to his feet, he noticed Namjoon curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth, muttering to himself. Jin sighed and walked over to their fearless leader, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Namjoon, you okay, buddy?” Jin asked gently.

Namjoon’s wide eyes met Jin’s, filled with terror. “I don’t want to die... I don’t want to die...”

“You’re not going to die,” Jin reassured him, though his own voice wavered slightly. “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

Namjoon nodded weakly, and Jin helped him to his feet. The group, now somewhat less shaken but still on edge, gathered themselves to continue their journey. They couldn’t afford to lose their nerve now, not when they were so close to finding answers.

“Alright,” Yoongi said, his voice steady, “let’s keep moving. We can’t let whatever’s in this house break us.”

“Easier said than done,” Hoseok muttered, glancing nervously at the flickering shadows on the walls.

The group trudged down the hallway, their flashlights barely piercing the darkness. Every creak of the old floorboards made them jump, and every distant echo set their hearts racing. But then, as they turned a corner, Jin’s flashlight beam caught something on the floor.

“Wait, what’s that?” Jin asked, pointing to a small piece of paper half-hidden under a dusty old rug.

Yoongi crouched down and carefully picked up the paper, holding it up to the light. The paper was old, yellowed with age, and the writing on it was faded but still legible.

“It’s a riddle,” Yoongi said, squinting at the text.

“A riddle?” Taehyung repeated, tilting his head curiously. “What does it say?”

Yoongi cleared his throat and read aloud:

“In the midst of the eight, one hides in plain sight, 
Their true nature concealed by the shadows of night. 
Trust not what you see, but question what’s real, 
For the imposter among you is part of the deal.”

There was a brief silence as everyone processed the riddle. Namjoon furrowed his brow, staring at the paper with deep concentration.

“I don’t get it,” he finally admitted, shaking his head. “What does it mean?”

Before anyone could offer an explanation, Jungkook, who had finally snapped out of his trance from the earlier encounter with the succubus, snatched the paper out of Namjoon’s hands.

“Seriously, hyung?” Jungkook said, raising an eyebrow. “We could just ask the internet.”

He pulled out his phone, quickly typing the riddle into a search engine. The others leaned in, watching the screen with bated breath. After a moment, Jungkook’s face lit up as he read the results.