𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐒𝐚𝐡𝐢)

Ch. 2: The Deal of Flesh

The days that followed felt like a blur to Asahi. He moved through them in a haze, his mind constantly drifting back to that horrifying night. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Jaehyuk-the Ghostface-standing over him, his cold eyes glowing behind that ghostly mask, the scythe's blade hovering above him, ready to end his life.

But Asahi was still alive.

He found himself glancing over his shoulder, jumping at the slightest sound, his heart leaping at the rustle of curtains or the creak of a floorboard.

The air around him felt thicker, colder, as if the presence of Jaehyuk lingered in every shadow. He couldn't shake the feeling that his life no longer belonged to him, that it was merely borrowed time.

Despite the terror that coursed through him, there was something else-something dark and confusing that crept into his mind late at night. Asahi couldn't forget the way Jaehyuk had touched him. His cold, possessive fingers on his skin, claiming him without hesitation.

It made him shudder to think about, but it was impossible to push away. Every time his mind wandered, it returned to that moment, to that strange mixture of fear and submission.

One part of him hated it-hated Jaehyuk for using him, for taking what wasn't freely given. But another part of him, a smaller, quieter part, couldn't help but wonder... why had Jaehyuk spared him? Why had he returned the next morning, leaving Asahi alive when he could have easily killed him? What was it about Asahi that had intrigued the Ghostface, an ancient entity known for his cruelty?

The nights after Jaehyuk's visit were filled with restless sleep. Asahi would toss and turn, waking up in cold sweats, his mind haunted by nightmares of the masked figure standing over him, scythe in hand, waiting to claim him again. But each night, Jaehyuk didn't return.

Not yet.

It wasn't until the fourth night that Asahi began to feel like himself again. He forced himself out of bed, trying to shake off the fog of fear that had wrapped itself around him. He had classes to attend, mundane responsibilities that pulled him back into the world of the living. He couldn't let himself be consumed by the fear, not if he wanted to keep moving forward.

But as he walked through the crowded streets on his way to the university, he couldn't help but notice how the world seemed... off. The sunlight, though bright, felt cold. The people around him, laughing and chatting, felt distant, as though they existed in a different reality, untouched by the darkness that had crept into his life.

They didn't know. They didn't see.

Asahi wondered how many of them would believe him if he told them. That he had come face to face with a living nightmare, with a being that had stalked the shadows for thousands of years, a blood-stained scythe in hand. They would probably laugh, dismiss him as crazy.

But Asahi knew the truth.

And the truth was, Jaehyuk-the Ghostface-was real. He was out there, and he had chosen Asahi.

That night, as Asahi lay in bed, he found himself staring at the window, waiting. It was the same window Jaehyuk had silently crept through just days ago.

His heart raced as he watched the curtains sway gently in the evening breeze, a part of him dreading the possibility of another visit. Yet another part of him-the part that had grown accustomed to the fear-felt an odd pull, a strange curiosity about the ancient entity that had invaded his life.

Hours passed, and the room was filled with nothing but the ticking of the clock. Midnight came and went, and still, nothing. Asahi began to relax, his eyelids growing heavy as sleep threatened to claim him once more.

But then, just as he was on the edge of unconsciousness, the room grew colder. The air shifted, heavy with the unmistakable presence that had haunted him for days.

Asahi's eyes snapped open, his breath catching in his throat.

Standing in the middle of the room, the shadows clinging to him like a second skin, was Jaehyuk.

The Ghostface.

This time, there was no scythe in his hand. His long, black cloak hung around his body, the edges brushing the floor in a way that made him seem as though he were floating. The mask covered his face, white and smooth, devoid of any expression, and his glowing eyes were locked onto Asahi with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound in the room was Asahi's shallow breathing, the rapid beat of his heart thudding in his chest.

Asahi sat up slowly, his body trembling, though not as fiercely as it had during their first encounter. He forced himself to speak, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Why... why are you here again?"

Jaehyuk didn't answer right away. He simply stood there, his presence filling the room, suffocating in its weight. Asahi waited, his body tensing, waiting for whatever cruel fate the Ghostface had planned for him.

But Jaehyuk's voice, when it finally came, was soft. Cold, but with a strange undercurrent that Asahi couldn't quite place.

"I couldn't stay away."

Asahi's breath hitched in his throat at the words. His hands clenched the sheets beneath him, his mind reeling. He had expected threats, cruelty, perhaps even violence. But this? The idea that Jaehyuk had come back-not to kill, but because he couldn't resist the pull that had drawn him back to Asahi-left him stunned.

The silence stretched between them once more, thick with unspoken tension.

Asahi's fear still lingered, but something else was there now. Confusion. Curiosity. Perhaps even a flicker of something darker, something he didn't fully understand.

He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to steady. "You didn't come to kill me?"

Jaehyuk tilted his head slightly, his glowing eyes narrowing behind the mask. "Not tonight."

Asahi couldn't hide the shiver that ran down his spine at those words. The promise of death still hung in the air, a silent threat that Jaehyuk could carry out at any moment. But he didn't. He had chosen not to, and that left Asahi with more questions than answers.

"What do you want from me?" Asahi asked, his voice quieter now, almost pleading.

Jaehyuk took a step closer, the weight of his presence pressing down on Asahi, making it hard to breathe. His hand reached out, his cold fingers brushing against Asahi's cheek. It was an almost gentle touch, but it carried the same possessiveness as before.

"I've already told you," Jaehyuk whispered, his voice low and dangerous.

"You belong to me now."

Asahi's heart raced, the truth of those words sinking in.

To be continued.......