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

30• Farewell

Authors pov

The seven others slowly began to wake, feeling disoriented and confused. Hoseok groaned as he stood up, rubbing his head, "I had the worst dream... Yoongi turned into a ghost and said I killed his family."

Taehyung nodded as he staggered to his feet, "Same here... What a nightmare."

Jimin laughed nervously, "Uh... guys?" His eyes widened in alarm as he pointed at Yoongi, who was sitting on the floor, glaring at them with hollow, white eyes. "I don't think it was just a dream."

The group turned in unison, their faces draining of color as they saw Yoongi exactly as he had been before they fainted—burnt skin, transparent, and eyes like an empty void. They collectively took a step back, preparing to faint again, but Yoongi's sharp voice cut through the air, "Don't you dare!"

They froze, gulping audibly. Yoongi ran a finger through his uneven, burnt hair, his expression filled with exasperation.

Hoseok’s eyes filled with tears as he processed Yoongi’s earlier revelation. His voice trembled as he asked, "Is it true? Did I really kill your family?"

Yoongi met Hoseok's gaze, his expression softening for a moment before he nodded, "Yes... We were going on a trip, and you ran into our vehicle. You killed my family, Hoseok. My father, my mother, my sister... And me. We all died that night because you didn’t help. If you had tried to get us out of the car, we might have lived."

The room fell into a heavy silence, each person absorbing the weight of Yoongi's words. Yoongi continued, "When my soul couldn’t rest, I planned my revenge. I brought you all to this mansion to punish Hoseok, to torment him until he lost his mind. But... spending time with you all... I started to see you as a family. I couldn’t go through with it, so I changed my plan. I just needed Hoseok to confess, to finally set things right."

The others were beyond furious. Jimin marched over to Yoongi and attempted to push him, but his hands went right through Yoongi’s ghostly form. Gasping, Jimin pointed accusingly at Yoongi, "You’re an asshole! Because of your revenge, I had to leave my comfort zone and come to this godforsaken mansion!"

Yoongi looked guilty, "I know... I’m sorry. I just wanted peace. But spending time with you all... it made me realize I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to be free. And y'all have to admit, we still had fun."

They reluctantly nodded, understanding the complexity of Yoongi's emotions. Hoseok approached Yoongi, tears streaming down his face. "I’m so sorry, Yoongi. I never meant to hurt you... or your family."

Yoongi smiled faintly, "I’ve forgiven you, Hoseok. It’s funny... I didn’t expect to have a tiny, tiny crush on my murderer." Hoseok choked on a sob, reaching out to hug Yoongi, but his arms passed through the ghostly form.

Yoongi’s body started to dim, his figure becoming more transparent. Jimin's voice wavered, "What’s happening?"

Yoongi sighed, "Since Hoseok has confessed and is truly sorry, my soul is finally at peace. I have no more reason to stay in the human realm... It’s time for me to go."

Hoseok gasped and burst into tears, pleading with Yoongi, "No! Don’t leave us, don’t leave me!"

Yoongi's own eyes filled with tears as he tried to hug Hoseok, their forms passing through each other, but still, they held onto the connection. The others gathered around them, joining in the embrace as they all cried, knowing they would miss Yoongi dearly.

As Yoongi began to fade away, he smiled warmly at Hoseok, "I love you, Hoseok. And I love y'all too. You too jungkookie, take care, okay?" And with that, he vanished completely.

Hoseok screamed in anguish, collapsing to his knees, "No! Don’t leave me! I love you too!"

The others surrounded Hoseok, offering comforting words as they all grieved the loss of their friend. But then, they flinched when the mansion's front door suddenly clicked open. They gasped, wiping away their tears as they stood up, sharing glances of disbelief.

Jungkook was the first to react, bolting out the door and screaming, "We’re free!"

The rest of the group smiled and followed, rushing outside, laughing and shouting in pure joy. As soon as they were outside, the door slammed shut behind them. They turned to mock the house, sticking out their tongues and high-fiving each other in celebration.

Hoseok walked over to his car, which had been parked in front of the mansion since the beginning, and hugged it tightly, relieved beyond words. Jimin dropped to his knees, cupping the soil in his hands as he laughed breathlessly, "Soil... I missed you."

Jin hugged a nearby tree, exclaiming how much he missed nature. They were all filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness and relief.

Namjoon gathered them together, "Let’s get going before the author changes her mind and locks us back in that mansion."

They piled into Hoseok’s car, with Hoseok in the driver’s seat. As he started the vehicle, he glanced back at the mansion one last time, sadness washing over him at the thought of Yoongi’s departure. Jimin, sitting beside him, patted his back, "It’s going to be okay, Hoseok. You’ll move on."

Hoseok nodded, smiling sadly as he put the car in reverse and drove off, leaving behind the horrors and bittersweet memories of the mansion.

The End•