trouble - evnne

15

Onepact was having a different reaction to being sealed inside a dungeon. "This is fine," Jongwoo smiled languidly, the others were wondering if he was having a mental breakdown but masking it excellently. When the dungeon sealed, there was a brilliant flash of white, absolutely blinding, and when the light died down to a tolerable level, they were unpleasantly surprised to be in a strange, unfamiliar room.

"This place is smaller than our toilet," Taegyun complained. "Fantastic observation," Seongmin dryly remarked. Indeed, they were cramped into a pitiful studio apartment, seemingly a roof apartment, given the low, sloping ceiling. To the right, a cluster of rolled-up futons were tucked in a corner, against a cream wall, paint peeling off slightly. There was a small kitchenette and a couple of desks, laden with a tremendous pile of books, lamps and stationery. It was a tiny but lovely, warm space.

"This is...cozy," Jay offered.

"What a generous word."

"If cozy means shoebox then sure," Yedam snarkily remarked. Then they took a second to register themselves. "Why are you wearing nerdy glasses?" Taegyun wrinkled his nose at the sight of Jay donning wiry, round-rimmed glasses. Jay scrambled to find a mirror, and upon gazing at a small hand-held mirror, he cracked a smile, "Hey, I kinda like them!" "Taegyun, you've got some nerve to comment on Jay's hair when yours looks fried," Jongwoo added.

"We should probably get up," Seoungmin suggested, when they realised they were all sprawled on a soft worn carpet that cloaked the entire floor. "Could afford an entire carpet but not a bigger unit?" Taegyun scoffed, earning an exasperated look from Jay.

"Where the hell are we?" Seongmin asked, slightly groggy. Yedam shot to the open window, with thin billowing curtains, beholding the view outside, of foreign-looking people walking through the streets and signs in a language he couldn't understand. "Holy shit, this isn't Korea," He exclaimed. "Of course not, this is a dungeon," Jongwoo frowned.

"This is...the most normal dungeon I've ever seen," Seongmin said nervously, "It's as if it's a different uni-"

The door to the apartment burst open, interrupting Seongmin. Standing at the entrance was a visibly Caucasian man, grinning from ear to ear. "Aren't you guys coming?" He asked, his Korean accent shaky and foreign. "Uh," Jongwoo, startled by the stranger, didn't know how to respond. Jay immediately took over, saying, "On second thought, we'd stay home."

The man looked crestfallen, "Aw, really? The drinks are on me, though? The whole class is gonna be there."

"Yup, we discussed it," Jay pressed on, patting a confused Seongmin on the back to push the story, "We gotta...uh...catch up on stuff."

The man let out a long breath, sympathetic, "Yeah, that additional credit project. Your scholarship really sucks, huh?"

"Yep," Jay nodded, his smile forced. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it," The man ended off, carefully shutting the door after a wave goodbye.

"What the fuck was that?" Taegyun said the second the man was deemed far enough out of earshot. "I have no clue. Scholarship? Project? I haven't heard those words since university," Yedam said, "Oh my god, are we university students?"

"We're all university drop-outs," Jongwoo added jokingly, flopping on a futon after checking its condition.

"You want to nap?" Jay asked their leader with a raised eyebrow, "In this situation?"

Seongmin had approached one of the multiple tables, thumbing through the books. Then, he sucked in a sharp breath, "Hey, there's a paper here. You guys might want to see this."

Gathering around and reading over his shoulder, Onepact read the paper Seongmin felt was out of place.

Welcome to the first dungeon of the dungeon of realities. If you'd like to leave, do find the key, and remember to feed the cat. Otherwise, please enjoy your stay here.

"What in tarnation," Taegyun spat out.

"I love that," Yedam had the time to laugh at Taegyun's ancient utterance in this abysmal situation.

"Okay," Jay shifted his weight from one foot to another, "This is the easiest dungeon raid ever. There's literally no beast."

"Let's save that for when we actually get out," Jongwoo said as he swept his eyes across the room, "There's no trace of a cat, so I assume we have to get out."

"Well, lead the way then, leader."

As they cautiously stepped out of the little apartment and out into a dingy pathway, Seongmin wondered out loud, "How do we feed the cat? I guess we'll have to find it first."

"I suggest Yedam."

"What! Why not Seongmin?"

"You're pocket-sized. A snack, if you will."

"I'll take that as a compliment, but I object to being fed to a cat."

"A cat won't eat you," Jongwoo sighed, as though baby-sitting a handful of ridiculous kids. "This place might," Jay noted, eyeing a mould-infested damp wall. "This place..." Yedam squirmed a little, used to the clean and sterile environment of their headquarters.

"Looks like there's a ton of levels here," Taegyun whistled, peering down the sliver between the staircase railings as it spiralled down. "It is an apartment block," Jongwoo sighed. So the hunters took the stairs. "Maybe we should start on the first floor. I'd reckon cats are most likely to be there," Jay commented.

When they did reach the first floor, they were disappointed to see only a cupboard fixed under the stairs, the obvious entrance of the apartment that led to a bustling street, and a lone door at the wall to a side.

Wordlessly (and recklessly), Taegyun tried the door handle at the side, letting out a pleased "ah" when the door clicked open. "You sure about that?" Seongmin asked worriedly, peeking through the little gap, "It looks dark."

Jongwoo quickly raided the cupboard under the stairs, retrieving two dusty electric torches and funnily enough, a candlestick. "Cute," He snickered, holding the candle as though it was a prized trophy. Taegyun swung the door open as Yedam flicked on one of the torches, the remarkably strong beam of light disappearing into the dense darkness behind the door.

"Cool, cool, cool," Yedam murmured, so Taegyun snatched the other torch and stepped right up. "You fearless guy," Jay teased. Taegyun shrugged, "I have never feared death in my life."

"When you first started training and got stuck on a high ledge, I heard you cry and squeal for the first time," Jongwoo teased.

"Damn you with your good memory," Taegyun snapped back, but his shoulders drooped and he relented, taking the first step through the door. "Oh," He noted, "It's a staircase down."

"Fantastic, a basement, what could go wrong?" Yedam sarcastically said.

"Just go," Jongwoo said, lightly shoving Yedam forward. Seongmin followed behind, and after Jay scoured around for a lighter, he lit the candle and crept behind Seongmin.