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

29• Fainting Fits and Ghostly Quips

Authors pov

Hoseok looked at the group with sad, guilty eyes, waiting for their reactions. The silence was almost unbearable until Namjoon finally blurted out in a shaky voice, "Did you use the code name Sunshine?"

Hoseok gasped, frowning as he asked, "How do you know that?"

Namjoon tensed, and the pieces began to fall into place for everyone. Hoseok's eyes widened as he stood up and pointed a trembling finger at Namjoon. "You… you were my internet friend?"

Namjoon nodded, but his expression was filled with guilt. Hoseok noticed immediately and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Namjoon sighed, standing up as well. He bit his bottom lip before confessing, "I was the one who… who harassed you in the room that night."

The entire room gasped in unison. Taehyung, always the dramatic one, rolled his eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and said sarcastically, "Really? This is the plot twist she came up with?"

Hoseok shook his head at Namjoon, disbelief etched on his features. "Why?"

Namjoon couldn’t speak, the guilt too overwhelming to form words. Hoseok sighed deeply. "It’s all in the past now. As long as you’re sorry…"

"I am!" Namjoon immediately nodded, his eyes pleading.

Hoseok rolled his eyes again but sighed in resignation. They all then turned to Jin, who had been silent throughout the exchange. Jin sighed, looking at Namjoon. "I don’t know what to say."

Namjoon, feeling the weight of his actions, knelt in front of Jin. Jungkook, sensing the gravity of the moment, slid off Jin’s lap to give them privacy.

"I never meant to hurt Hoseok like that," Namjoon said softly. "I was just drunk."

Jin eyed Namjoon carefully but then sighed. "I know you wouldn’t do that on purpose."

Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief, the tension easing. Jimin looked up, clasping his hands together as if in prayer. "Thank you, gurl, for not ruining the Namjin ship."

They all chuckled at Jimin’s comment, momentarily forgetting about Hoseok’s confession. But then, as if remembering, they turned back to Hoseok. He sighed, the weight of his actions pressing down on him again. "I know what I did was wrong. I’m sorry every day for it."

He continued, "I had a panic attack that night because I recognized the face of the woman who asked for my help in the car. That’s when I knew… I didn’t just kill ordinary people."

Before Hoseok could say more, Yoongi suddenly blurted out, "That woman… she was my mother."

Everyone turned to Yoongi in shock as he stood up. Jungkook tilted his head, staring up at the ceiling. "Uh, author? Where exactly is this going?"

Yoongi sighed deeply, and to everyone’s horror, his body started turning transparent, his clothes shifting to appear burnt. Blisters and burnt marks began to mar his skin, and half of his face down to his neck looked grotesquely charred. The rest of the group stood up abruptly, stepping back in horror.

"Are you guys seeing what I’m seeing?" Jungkook asked, his voice shaking.

The others nodded, gulping in fear. Yoongi opened his eyes, now fully white, and looked like a ghost—pale and transparent.

Yoongi smiled faintly, turning to Hoseok. "Hoseok… you killed my family. I was part of the family that lived in this house. You killed me and my family in that ghastly accident."

Before he could continue, all seven of them fainted simultaneously, collapsing onto the floor like dominoes.

Yoongi groaned, facepalming dramatically. "Seriously? You all faint at the exact same time? Is this some kind of synchronized fainting contest?"

He looked up at the invisible author, exasperated. "I can’t believe I have to wait for them to wake up before I can continue my sob story. Honestly, this is just rude."

Yoongi huffed and paced around the room, arms crossed over his chest. "I finally get my big dramatic moment, and what do they do? They faint! All of them! What am I supposed to do now, just sit around and wait? I swear, if I were still alive, I’d have a headache right now."

He plopped down on the floor, crossing his legs as he stared at the unconscious group. "You’d think after everything they’ve been through, they’d have better tolerance for ghost stories. But nooo, they just faint like it’s the 1800s."

Yoongi sighed again, shaking his head. "I bet if I started singing right now, they’d wake up just to tell me to stop. Typical."

After a few more grumbles and sarcastic comments directed at the ceiling, Yoongi finally gave up and leaned back on his hands, staring at the ceiling with a resigned expression. "Well, I guess I’ll just sit here and wait. Take your time, guys. It’s not like I’ve been waiting for years to tell this story or anything."

He sat on the floor patiently, occasionally rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath as he waited for them to wake up.