𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 (MINSUNG/HYUNLIX)

"I mean look at him, you can't seriously have a crush on THAT, Jisung," Felix scoffs, scrutinizing his cousin at the other table, with his nose scrunched up in disgust. He proceeds to scold his friend, but Jisung doesn't pay attention. No, not at all, as he gradually starts to tune out the cafeteria noise, and his eyes wander off to the boy with the dark red hair and leather jacket. Bits of hair, slicked with sweat, parted in front, droplets falling onto the book he read as he listened to the music in his earphone.

Beautiful. He looked beautiful.

Jisung barely catches it, but a dark shadow flashes behind.

He blinks, shaking his head, but nothing was there.

"It's just your imagination", he thinks, putting his palm against his forehead and rubbing the migraine away.

"It's not your imagination, Jisung... I'm here."

Jisung, a quiet average boy who has never sat at the front of the class, nor the back. Was never at the top of the class, nor a troublemaker. Was never athletic, nor brave. Jisung, simply, was average. When his childhood friend had gone quiet from his family's unsolved murder, he never expected the day they would come together again. Like when they were little, fighting imaginary beasts on a playground after hours. This time, they were against whatever lurked in the dark.