Spellbound ◆ ParkJimin

Two - School Wonders Aren't So Wonderful

Hey, did you know?

This school has seven mysteries.

Some also call them the seven school wonders.

Oh, you don't know any of them?

Okay, I'll tell you one, just one. The most famous story.

The story of Jimin-unnie of the school toilet.

In the very last stall of the girls' bathroom on the third floor of the old building...

...you will find Jimin-unnie.

She will grant one wish to anyone who summons her spirit.

But in exchange, that person will have to give up something precious.

___

Oh, I wish I could go back to the days of blissful unawareness. That is, like, back to around two hours ago.

"What's up with you, you look a little tense." One of my classmates - Ryujin - slumped down in front of me, carefully choosing her words while eyeing my continuously bouncing leg and clenched fists that were resting on top of my table.

I smiled up at her, "What makes you say that?"

I'd like to say that I was only acting so disturbed because I had just had my first encounter with the after life, but the probably worst part was that I forgot my damned phone, that was still laying around somewhere on the toilet floor, with cracked screen and all.

"Oh, I don't know." The blonde eyed me unimpressed, worn sneakers kicking against my (until now) clean shoes, "You don't wanna tell me what's up?"

I scratched my head a little clueless. There was no way I could tell her that Yuqi's stupid story had actually gone somewhere. And I mean - I hadn't really understood what happened there in the girls' bathroom in the first place. In retrospect it was probably just a weird guy seeking for alone time in the... girls' toilets for some reason. Yeah, nothing too bad.

"I lost my phone somewhere in the old building." I decided after some intense mulling-over, because this does sound like e a plausible reason to be stressed. I mean, it was the main reason for my tense state anyways.

How am I supposed to google "are ghosts a thing" without it?

"Aw damn." Ryujin pouted very helpfully, "D'you know where you could have lost it?"

I narrowed my eyes at no one specific, nodding slowly, "I have an idea."

"Great!" Ryu beamed, "Want me to help you look for it?"

I coughed out surprised, "No!" Her beam faltered and I cleared my throat, repeating more composed: "No, uh, it's fine. But thank you."

She grinned, "If you say so."

___

A feeling of familiarity crept up my back when I climbed the stairs to the third floor.

The chattering of students was slowly ebbing out as the school emptied, everyone happy of being freed from classes and ready to spent the rest of their day under the nice summer sun.

Of course I was the one dumbass who was waddling down the old building, my ugly black pullunder stuck to my back after the straining way up here.

My hands were shaking when I reached for the doorknob to the girls' bathroom, willing myself into calming down, because I was really being an idiot.

No one's gonna be in there. The asshole from this morning left with the others. No matter how strange he was, he isn't going to stay longer in here than needed.

Albeit my brave thoughts did I hold my breath when entering, exhaling slowly when I was indeed standing inside a very empty bathroom.

"See?" I said to no one specific, voice echoing hollowly against the tiles, "You're a dumbass, Y/N." I grunted when bending down, looking for my phone that must've slid under one of the toilet stalls.

A little grossed out did I crawl over the ground, looking underneath the stalls and checking under the heater in front of the window.

"Looking for this?"

I shrieked startled, flinching back violently, until I landed on my butt, now directly facing the reason for my utter shock.

There he was, sitting on top of the windowsill, back leaned against one side of the frame and one foot resting against the other side, his other leg dangling down over the ground while he was holding up my phone between his thump and index finger.

I narrowed my eyes, glaring up at him, "You little--"

The black haired boy laughed, throwing his head in his neck. It was a childish, mischievous sound that was dripping of glee.

"Give it back, dickface." I demanded, reaching out my hand.

He turned his head slightly in my direction, sly smile sprawled over his lips, intelligent eyes narrow as he gazed me up and down, "What if I don't? Hm?"

Oh god, how much I wanted to punch this stupid little grin.

"Listen here weirdo, just give me back my phone and I won't snitch on you for hanging out in the girls' bathroom like a pervert."

His smile dropped and he pouted theatrically, "What are you talking about? I told you already, this is just where I died. Nothing to do with being a pervert, meanie!"

Ah, right. I nearly forgot about this. It's kind of funny, how in my mind I had tried to tell myself explanations for all of this, but ultimately there wasn't a logical explanation for why this boy in this old-fashioned school-uniform arose from the windowsill without touching the ground once, feet floating in the air while he leaned down to me, making me flinch back a little.

A wicked grin split his face apart, "What is it, girlie? You look scared."

I closed my mouth that I hadn't noticed I opened, training my expression back into an angry one, "Shut up, I don't care about your- about your death, okay? I don't care about what you are, okay? Just give me back my phone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He mumbled softly, melodically high voice nearly nothing but a whisper as his lips were really close to my ear, "I've been waiting for someone to summon me, you know? I can't just let this opportunity slide."

Goosebumps formed on neck, even though there was no breath coming from his lips. No warmth either, but neither coldness. It was as if he wasn't even there. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"So, kid, won't you just let me grant you a wish?" This velvety voice, like liquid silver mumbled and I felt like a cornered deer, about to get shot by hunters.

Something in the urgency of his tone told me that I shouldn't, under no circumstances say yes. Why else would he be so desperate for something like this? It was like the men my mother had always warned me of as a kid - „Don't take sweets from strangers." She'd always said.

This wish were the sweets I wasn't supposed to take.

"There is no wish." I opened my eyes, waving my hand in front of my face, a little disgusted by how it swished through the boy's body as if he was made of air.

Jimin backed off at this, partially because my touching-through-him seemed to annoy him, but also because of my words, "That's not true." He frowned, "Everyone has wishes or at least a goal."

"No."

He cocked his head to the side, smiling slyly, "Then why did you tell me to find out about your deepest wish, hm?"

"I was bluffing to get you off me."

He giggled, "I think that's a lie." His grin deepened, something demonic edged into it as these ember eyes shone almost red through the curtain of ebony hair, "I'll make sure to find out sweetheart, don't worry. I'll grant you your deepest desire."

___

what wish would you want him to grant?

xx