The Ashes of Stars

Chapter 2: Jaehwan

 The only problem with living in a huge mansion was that it was awfully quiet. It was one of the many reasons why I thought it should be illegal for a fifteen year old kid to spend his summer vacation in it alone.

 The mansion itself was undeniably beautiful. It was a creamy ivory color, a huge artwork of billion-dollar fabulousness, complete with a huge lawn decorated with beautiful flowers. A large driveway fanned out before a huge gate, and there was a stone path that led to the front doors. The inside of the mansion was even more miraculous. Clean white walls lined with expensive paintings, an elegant glass staircase swirling up to the second floor. Rooms the size of an apartment house.

 To me, however, the luxuries had never appealed to my liking. The presence of such riches did nothing to reduce the gaunt and lonely feeling that settled within it. People may take a look at the mansion and think it equal to a castle, but no one would know the feeling of being haunted unless they lived in it themselves.

 I had never asked for any of it. It wasn't my fault my father was the most famed celebrity in the country. Nor was is my fault my sister had run away more than 5 years ago, leaving me in the company of a baby gold retriever and a possible ghost-infested house.

 You got used to the ghosts when they have haunted you for years, remnants of the happy memories this house used to hold. Before it had started filling up with darkness.

 Two weeks into a lonely summer vacation, I woke up feeling particularly sentimental. I had spent a good part of my summer watching Netflix and reading books, which was fun but still drove me crazy. I believed it was past time I had some human contact.

 Over the years I had made many friends, but I had two guys I was closer with than any other. They had been my friends for over 10 years now, and they felt more like family than any of my actual relatives ever had.

 I scrolled through my phone and pressed call. He picked up on the fourth ring, sounding severely bent out of shape.

"Dude." said Sunghun groggily, before I had the chance to say hi. "It's like, 12 o' clock. You better have a good reason for waking me up, or I'm setting your ass on fire."

"What's so wrong with calling you at noon?"

"Really dude?" There was a rustling sound from over the line. "It's SUMMER VACATION. It's the only month in a year where you get to sleep your soggy ass in and get some well deserved rest. Seriously, if this is less important than my need to hibernate, I am setting your ass on fire."

"Wow. You sound really pissed." I said, grinning.

"That's cause I am. Now state this important business of yours or I'm going back to bed."

"Sunghun." I said seriously. "I am suffering from a deadly disease known as chronic boredom. You may be my only hope."

 There was a long silence. I was starting to think Sunghun had fallen asleep on the line when I heard a crackling noise, small but audible.

"You hear that buddy?" said Sunghun, sounding wide awake now. "This is the sound of me holding a match over a fire. A gas fire to be precise."

"What the hell?"

"3 minutes." I could hear the manic grin in his voice. "I'll be over in 3 minutes."

 He hung up.

 After changing out of my pajamas (just in case), I called my other friend. This one picked up right away.

"Hey how's it going?"

"Chanyeol, I have an emergency." I said. "I have been sent a death threat. A crazy midget has just threatened to burn my ass alive."

"Huh." said Chanyeol indifferently. "I'm pretty sure all asses are dead."