Namjin Oneshots

Epilogue: The Silence of the Forest

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The first rays of dawn pierced through the dense canopy of trees, casting long, golden shafts of light onto the forest floor. The mansion, once towering and ominous, was now reduced to a pile of crumbled stone and rotting wood, its dark legacy seemingly buried beneath the earth. The air, once thick with malice, felt lighter, as though the curse had finally lifted.

The group stood at the edge of the debris, battered and bruised, their clothes torn, and faces smeared with dirt and ash. They were alive—but barely. Suga, who had been at the heart of the curse, stared at the remains of the mansion with haunted eyes, still gripping Jungkook’s hand as if afraid to let go. His chest heaved, not from exhaustion, but from the weight of what had transpired.

The once sinister mansion, filled with ghostly echoes and tortured souls, had fallen in on itself, leaving nothing but rubble. But the forest was eerily quiet. No birds sang, no wind stirred. Only the soft crunch of leaves underfoot as the group shifted uncomfortably in the stillness.

Jimin, his face pale and drawn, glanced at Taehyung, whose once playful demeanor had been replaced by a somber, reflective silence. The two shared a look—one filled with unspoken relief that the ordeal was finally over. Yet, the silence around them was unnerving. The forest, like the mansion, felt abandoned, as if it, too, had been under the mansion’s dark influence.

Hoseok clutched the journal they had found in the library, its brittle pages still fluttering slightly in the morning breeze. “It’s really over, isn’t it?” he asked quietly, as though afraid to say the words too loudly, fearing they might tempt fate.

Yoongi, standing beside him, didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixed on the ruins of the mansion, lost in thought. The memory of the twin boys in the portrait still haunted him—their story intertwined with his own in ways he didn’t fully understand. He had been the shadow, the one marked for darkness. And yet, here he stood, alive, the curse broken.

Jungkook’s voice broke the silence. “We should go,” he said softly, pulling Suga closer to him. The others nodded, still dazed, and began to turn away from the ruins, eager to leave the nightmare behind.

But as they made their way back through the forest, Suga hesitated. His eyes lingered on the spot where the mansion had once stood, his mind racing. It felt too easy, too simple. Was it really over? Or had they only scratched the surface of something far darker?

Just as he turned to follow the others, a cold gust of wind swept through the clearing, sharp and sudden. It seemed to come from nowhere, rustling the leaves and swirling around the rubble. The group froze in their tracks, turning as one to face the mansion’s remains.

The wind carried with it a whisper—soft at first, barely audible, but growing louder, more distinct. It was a voice they all recognized, a voice that sent a chill down their spines.

“Until next time…”

The whisper echoed through the trees, chilling and familiar, like the voices they had heard in the mansion’s darkest moments. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with the weight of something left unfinished.

Namjoon, ever the leader, stepped forward cautiously, his jaw clenched. “It’s gone,” he said firmly, more to reassure himself than the others. “The mansion, the curse… it’s all gone.”

But his words rang hollow in the quiet of the forest. The others exchanged uneasy glances, their nerves on edge. They wanted to believe Namjoon, to believe that the nightmare was over. But deep down, they all felt it—the mansion wasn’t done with them yet.

Suga’s grip on Jungkook tightened. He felt it more strongly than anyone—the lingering presence, the shadow that still clung to him like a second skin. He had escaped, but only just. The mansion’s dark energy had seeped into his soul, and no amount of distance could change that.

“We need to go,” Seokjin urged, his voice low but urgent. He didn’t look back, but his shoulders were tense, his eyes fixed straight ahead, as though the forest itself might turn on them at any moment.

The group picked up their pace, moving quickly through the fog-laden trees. With each step, the mansion faded into the background, but the memory of what had happened—of the twisted reflections, the cursed journals, and the haunted voices—remained sharp in their minds.

As they reached the edge of the forest, the sun broke fully over the horizon, casting warmth over their chilled bodies. The world outside the mansion felt normal, almost peaceful. But none of them could shake the feeling that they were being watched.

Before they climbed into their car, Jungkook turned back one last time. His eyes searched the distant treeline, where the mansion’s ruins lay hidden behind the fog. For a brief moment, he thought he saw something—a figure standing among the rubble, watching them leave. But when he blinked, it was gone, leaving only the shadows of the trees.

With a heavy sigh, he slid into the passenger seat, glancing over at Suga, who sat beside him, lost in thought. The others settled into the car in silence, each lost in their own turmoil.

As the engine roared to life and they pulled away, the forest stood still behind them, bathed in the soft light of dawn. But the silence was deceptive. The mansion might have fallen, but its echoes lingered, waiting, watching.

And in the distance, barely audible over the hum of the engine, a whisper trailed after them on the wind, a chilling reminder that their story was far from over.

“Until next time…”

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The End