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<<<
"but it looks like it's going to rain," soobin replied, looking up to the gray sky.
yeonjun proposed that they should go shooting that day in the target practice area behind his family's estate. he had just finished a competition with a friend of his. unfortunately, he lost—he hates losing. the arrow had been a mere centimeter from its mark.
beomgyu on the other hand, agreed with soobin. it did look like it was going to rain. but after the eldest of the three whined persistently, dramatically draping himself over beomgyu, the two wondered who really was the oldest one here.
and so they went off into the woods where the targets had been set up in front of a large hill. anticipating some rain, all three of them wore cloaks.
however, the amount of rain wasn't something anyone had expected—rain was rare in itself and when it did, at most it was a normal shower. the weather had started out like this but as the minutes passed it got worse.
lightning struck in bright bolts of flashing lights and the wind was blowing the water from what felt like all directions.
beomgyu called out to his friends, but his voice was drowned out by a clash of thunder.
the rain was so heavy, he could barely see—it was almost like trying to look underwater. wiping his eyes didn't work because soon enough, his clothes had been completely soaked through.
a bright light struck very close to where he stood, and another clash of thunder came. he swore the sound was loud enough to shake the ground. not knowing what to do, and not knowing where the right direction was, he ran.
he ran far into the woods, slamming his shoulder into a tree in the process. underneath the branches and leaves, he could see better. but that didn't matter much.
he had no idea where he was, not to mention he was freezing.
and so he kept walking until he stumbled upon a mansion hidden by trees. the large black metal gates were covered in vines—it looked abandoned...
it couldn't be, he thought, peering through to the "haunted mansion." there were stories about this place but no one really knows what happened. people were too scared to even look for it.
lighting struck a tree, leaving the spot singed black. he wrapped his cloak tighter around his shoulders and checked to see if his sword was still at its hilt at his side. it was, and that was reassuring. if there's a ghost, he'll just kill it... yeah, he thought. are ghosts immune to blades?
he shook his head. no time for questions. at this rate, he was going to freeze to death. as much as he was trying his best not to shiver—though there was no one to act like nothing could touch him for—he was starting to shake all over.
knocking on the door, he waited for any response—if there was, perhaps, someone actually living there.
but before he could peek inside himself, the doors swung open. no one was there to greet him. eery, he thought. inside, it was empty and a bit dark but it was lit by some candles. that's a good sign, right?
someone cleared their throat. alarmed, he looked around for said person.
"down here."
he screamed, stumbling back and his hand ready to draw his sword. down there was a talking clock with eyes and a mouth, it's twined arms crossed.
said clock gave him a look. what did he think she was? a cockroach? however, the excitement was only growing—for her and the others watching and listening.
"would you like to come in or freeze to death?" she asked, echoing his earlier thoughts as he stood there, having processed that it was indeed a clock speaking to him.
sensing his wariness, she continued:
"it's warm."
<<<
inside, it was warm. he was led to a guest room and given some dry clothes that he found to fit him pretty well—including a loose black button up shirt and dark gray pants.
"i'll come fetch you for dinner soon," the clock, yeji she introduced, said before leaving. "until then, it would be best if you were to stay in this room."
he wondered why. with that thought, he peeked outside. maybe it's his need to do what he isn't supposed to, maybe it's curiosity. but all he saw was emptiness. with a shrug, he stepped into the hallway—of course, he had his sword with him.
it happened when he rounded a corner. in the half lit hallway, there was a large shadow.
and so they met.
he screamed in terror and ryujin followed suit. they screamed in unison for a good five seconds.
he pulled out his sword, making her stumble back.
"what—who are you?" he asked, creating safe distance between them just in case she were to attack all of a sudden. this beast, per say, was wearing a dress now that he noticed.
ryujin narrowed her eyes.
"who are you?" she repeated, crossing her arms. already she didn't like him, but she eyed his sword with caution. this is her house for crying out loud.
it turned out that they were stuck with each other and were going to be so for longer than they expected.
