The Specter's Guardian • jhs✅

05

"Who the fuck are you?" Vera remains silent, waiting for the man to make a move. The sound of footsteps coming from the outside of the room made Hoseok anxious even more. Soon, a group of men stand behind the pale man at the doorway.

"I thought you were invisible?!" Hoseok questions, but the guardian chooses not to respond. Before they even knew it, they had been surrounded with Vera's wrists being bound. She furrows her brows as Hoseok steps aside, clearly not accustomed to being a specter or perhaps forgetting about that fact.

The two tallest men among the group hold onto her arms, one on each side, and forcefully drags her out of the room. Just before she loses consciousness, someone screamed.

*

"Why did you hit her, Jungkook?!" Jimin, the eldest among the youngest members, asks.

"Uhh, I thought it was necessary since she managed to sneak into Hoseok hyung's room. I assumed she was dangerous," Jungkook replies, voice lacing with an 'as-a-matter-of-fact' tone.

The other members exchange glances and shrugs. "Where should we take her now?" Jin, the eldest, inquires, looking at Namjoon who was holding the girl on the other side.

"We need a soundproof room to lock her in, so that no one will hear her if she screams," Taehyung suggests and they all turn to the only member who owns a studio as of the moment.

"No— Fine, as if I have a choice," Yoongi grumbles, rolling his eyes as they make their way to his studio.

Hoseok trails behind them, a hint of sadness flickering in his eyes. He was so close yet still distant.

It took Vera about half an hour before she started regaining consciousness. Blinking her eyes several times to clear her blurry vision. Realizing later on that her body was tied to a chair, she looks around to find herself in a studio. However, there was no one else present.

"What the heck!" She exclaims when Hoseok suddenly pops out of nowhere. Being a ghost that he is. Vera thought.

The specter pouts, "Sorry."

"Help me escape from here."

"How? You can touch me, but I can't touch you. I can only interact with objects."

"I'll find a way for you to touch me," Hoseok's eyes widen with the way the guardian phrases it and immediately pushes it at the back of his head. Not the right time for that, Hoseok! Scolding himself.

"No, Vera! You haven't regained enough energy yet." She sighs, knowing the other is right. The two fall into a pit of contemplative silence, brainstorming ways to free her.

"You turned faint earlier due to overexerting your abilities, which resulted in your inability to remain invisible." Hoseok explains making Vera nod to acknowledge what he has said. Surveying the unfamiliar room, her eyes land on a shirt hanging on a swivel chair with the name "Suga" and a number written on it.

Hoseok's attention diverts to her when she mentions his friend's name, following her gaze leading to the shirt, "Oh, that's Yoongi's. This is his studio. I heard they placed you in here because it's soundproofed," he explains.

The guardian chuckles, dismissing the previous idea of screaming for help (yes, she sort of reached that point), "Do they really think I'm that helpless? I can escape on my own,"

Hoseok questions why she hasn't done so already, prompting Vera to give him a look that conveys the obvious answer. When he continues to appear innocent, she rolls her eyes and replies, "You'll find out soon enough."

Just then, the door to the studio clicks open, and six strikingly handsome men enter the room. Falling silent as Vera takes in their features, even though it has been years since she has seen such attractive individuals.

"We've already contacted our agency to have you arrested for trespassing," The pale man says, reminding the guardian of his earlier confrontation with her.

Unfazed, she challenged their attempt to intimidate her. Yoongi, in particular, was taken aback by the guardian's powerful and confident response. "Who are you, and why did you sneak into our friend's room?" he asks, genuinely curious.

She glances at Hoseok, who watches his brothers with longing eyes, made her feel a surge of determination to help him, "I'm Sooho, and you'll learn more about me soon enough,"She replies, smirking in a way that sends shivers down the spines of the six men before her.

Jimin whispers to the leader, Namjoon, that that woman is a psycho, unaware that she could still hear him. Undeterred, Vera proceeds to assert her presence. "Let's get some rest. We have a long day ahead," Jin, the eldest, announces, and the other members complied.

Except for Taehyung, who engages in a staring contest with Vera until Namjoon intervenes and pulls him away. Otherwise, the two would have spent the entire night locked in that silent battle.

"Can I go and watch them?" Turning to Hoseok who's giving her puppy eyes and even if he doesn't do that, the guardian has already reached a conclusion of letting him.

Besides, you know that feeling too well.