Snatched ⟿ k.seokjin

- 01.

ONE
GHOSTS

"You're... you're aware ghosts aren't real, right?"

Hyosung could practically hear the grind of her best friend's teeth through the speaker of her phone and she swallowed back the urge to snicker.

"You know what, whatever, if you get possessed, that's your fault." Minhee muttered bitterly, though the tips of her words were numbed by her alcohol consumption, "It's literally three in the morning on Halloween, you're testing your fate, Hyo."

The young woman rolled her eyes, tugging her coat tighter around her body as a sharp midnight chill swept by her. The black heels she had worn out clicked obnoxiously against the pavement, echoing down the idle street, "I swear, you're the only person in Korea that actually loves Halloween to the point you're convinced monsters really exist."

"Yes, continue to make fun of me, we'll just pretend that you refused to join us with the Ouija board."

"You may as well have been playing Monopoly."

Minhee scoffed loudly, the faint sound of rhythmic bass drowning out her voice as she replied with an insult of her own, "Anyway, just try not to get killed by a serial killer or a rogue clown."

"Our apartment is walking distance from the party, don't worry I'll be fine, I've walked home on my own many times before." Hyosung mused, tilting her head up to look at the sky.

It was dark, but the swirling clouds had tints of lurid orange almost glowing around the outside, brushing across the silver crescent moon and casting ominous shapes as it did.

"Don't worry... I'll be fine." She finally answered her friend, reluctantly dragging her eyes down from the sky and back to the street in front of her. Maybe leaving alone wasn't such a great idea after all, but she just wanted to get home and cling onto the few hours of sleep she could salvage before her shift. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was worry her only friend who inherently worries enough as it is.

"Text me when you get in." Minhee demanded with a tired sigh, knowing that her superstitions wouldn't be enough to sway Hyosung back to the party.

"I will." Hanging up, Hyosung tucked her phone back into her pocket. Inhaling deeply, the bite of the icy atmosphere in her lungs sobered her up a little, though her vision was still slightly blurry.

As the space between each lamppost began to grow further and further, and the more dark spots she had to walk through, she suddenly felt more cautious. Maybe it was because Seongmin decided to spew utter nonsense about the supernatural, but there was something off about that night.

She halted in her steps and stared through squinted eyes at an oval opening in the trees on the other side of the road, swaying slightly as she did. It was a short-cut back to her apartment, one she had taken before, but the path was narrow and bumpy with jagged protruding roots and forest debris.

Was it really worth breaking her ankle as she fumbled in the dark for the exit? Probably not.

Signing, she continued down the road, making sure to stay aware of her surroundings when suddenly, she began to hear the whisper of distant voices fill the silence and Hyosung slowed her pace, trying to decipher the flurry of words.

She wouldn't have usually bothered so much... but it was 3am.

Even if she was a skeptic, she had seen enough horror movies to know this wasn't the time to trust random people hiding down the alcove alleys of an empty street.

Grabbing her house keys from her pocket, she wedged the tip between her middle and index fingers, tightening her grip around the makeshift weapon as she approached the voices, hoping it was just a pair of fumbling drunks that'll leave her alone.

"Why are you back here? I told you to leave me alone." One of the voices spoke up, their voice was a jilted mix of apprehension and irritation.

Hyosung stopped waking, moving closer to the wall, hoping to be veiled by the thickness of the shadows as a man walked out of the alley she was next to, his short, stocky body shifting awkwardly as he turned to face the man Hyosung couldn't see, the one still obscured by the alley.

"Leave you alone?" The voice snickered darkly, "But we're just getting started."