The Specter's Guardian • jhs✅

04

"I have been a guardian for centuries, Hoseok. That is the only information I can disclose." Hoseok nods, understanding that you prefer not to discuss your past as a human.

"Now, I have devised a plan to secretly enter your dormitory."

The specter's eyes widen, "Are you truly going to do that? What if you get caught?"

Vera smirks, "Just trust me, and you can follow me since I believe you can pass through walls."

*

"I have a bad feeling about this, Vera," Hoseok whispers from behind.

"You can stop whispering, no one can hear you," The specter pouts and observes as she closes her eyes to concentrate. Heightening her senses, a white ball of mist floats in the air, it enters the thick walls of the dormitory; snoring, music playing in a soundproofed studio, someone who fell asleep after crying, and one playing a game on his mobile phone but fell asleep amidst of doing so, are the things that the ball of mist has passed by.

"Someone is awake, but I don't think they will hear me entering." Vera opens her eyes, meeting the other's hazel brown eyes that seem to entice her but she has to shake it off.

"That's probably Yoongi Hyung inside his studio."

Hoseok was taken aback when a purple orb leaves her body and vanishes into the air. He immediately notices that she has become faint—a sign that she is now invisible.

"Let's go," Vera says, grabbing the specter's wrist. Their bodies floated in the air, the full moon serving as their background, and their hair dancing with the cold wind. With their hands holding onto each other, having no plans of letting go, they enter the balcony of Hoseok's room.

When their feet touch the floor, Vera uses her mist to unlock the balcony and enters. Darkness greets the two, but Hoseok quickly turns on the lights since he knows where the switch is located. He also locks the door for additional security.

He realizes something and looks at his guardian with wide eyes, "Did you see that?! I can touch things!"

She nods, "You are not an ordinary ghost, then."

"Huh?"

"Some ghosts can interact with physical objects, and that is extremely rare. It seems you possess that ability." He smiles widely at her.

"Do you know anyone who despises you?" She asks, scanning the clean and organized room. The other members had already tidied it up, not wanting anyone else touching their friend's belongings, and there was Vera who was about to touch everything.

"No..." Hoseok hesitates, eyes widening after realizing something, "But my parents do! I overheard them discussing the need to keep it hidden."

She furrows her brows, questioning, "Were you given something to hide?"

The other pauses. Approaching him, Vera places both hands on his shoulders, making sure to make eye contact with the taller, "Hoseok, you can't keep secrets from me, especially in this situation. You want to know what happened to you, don't you? That's why I'm here to assist you, and you must also help yourself."

Hoseok nods slowly, his gaze shifting towards a specific direction. His gaze gives it away as Vera follows the way he is looking, "What exactly are you hiding?"

"I don't know the details, but my family instructed me to hide it and never disclose it to anyone. It's a relic, a golden circle with a surrounding ring that cannot be opened."

"Is it still here?" She asks as she approaches the vault at the corner of the room, "How do you open this?" There was no passcode or anything in the vault.

"Um," Vera looks back at Hoseok who is currently fiddling with his non-existent fingers, "My fingerprint serves as the passcode."

"We need to open this vault to determine if they indeed took that relic. Come here, Hoseok." The guardian gestures for the spirit to come next to her. The specter complied, approaching her. She grasps his hand without saying anything and presses his index finger against the scanner. Hoseok flinches out of surprise when his hand regains a human-like color.

"Open the vault."

"Hey, are you alright?" Hoseok checks, noticing her blurry appearance—as if she's about to disappear at any second. The other simply nods in response.

Following the guardian's instructions of pressing his thumb against the fingerprint scanner, it illuminates green and the vault clicks open. However, Hoseok's hand immediately lost its human-like color and retreated to its translucent state.

Vera opens the vault, only to find it empty which confirms her suspicions. "These individuals took the relic and knew that your fingerprint was the password. That's why they rendered you unconscious to use your finger, without even realizing they had caused your de*th unless it was part of their plan."

"But how did they discover the relic and the password? I never disclosed it to anyone."

"Unless..." She faces Hoseok, locking eyes once again, "Someone who lives with you has been spying on you."