“You’re not going in alone, right?”
Sangjun spoke first in a trembling voice, asking what Siwoo wanted to ask.
“If we do that, when are we going to get off work today. First, let’s do rock-paper-scissors, and whoever loses first goes in alone. The remaining four will decide teams by ‘flip it or lay it’ and go in. This mission is to find the name tag with your name written on it while passing through the ‘haunted house.’ Got it? If you find the paper and bring it back, three free passes. If you don’t bring it back, naturally you won’t get any. Okay! Rock-paper-scissors.”
Chan, who quickly read the cue sheet, presented rock-paper-scissors without a break, and the hands of the five people who were caught off guard concentrating on his story popped out simultaneously.
Siwoo’s eyes, who instinctively threw out a fist, quickly looked at the remaining members’ hands.
“Well, Siwoo-gun will go in alone. Flip it or lay it.”
As soon as Chan, who checked the members’ hands, spit out his comment, he immediately played the game, so the hands of the rest moved busily again.
“Sangjun-ssi and I, Yechan-ssi and Evan-ssi will go together. Shall we enter then?”
“No! Hyung, give us time to speak too. Where is there such a unilateral situation?”
“What’s unilateral? Aren’t you going to get off work? At this rate, we’ll be up all night. The people here also need to get off work.”
Looking at the haunted house, Sangjun complained, but Chan put his arm around Sangjun’s shoulder and entered the haunted house.
Evan didn’t even have time to do anything. While standing with his arms crossed listening to what Chan was saying, Yechan next to him tapped his back twice with his palm. That was definitely a sign, and he threw out paper according to the sign Yechan gave him. And then he extended his palm facing upward.
But Siwoo ended up going in alone? Before he could protest or reverse anything, everything happened in an instant, from Chan and Sangjun entering the haunted house.
There was no way to know the situation inside from outside. Two camera directors also went in together, so they had to wait until everyone came out.
“Are you okay?”
Evan, who approached Siwoo who was hugging his body with one arm and fiddling with his lips with his other hand, asked in a small voice. Siwoo, who was staring somewhere at the floor, lost in some thought, showed no reaction.
What happened last night was something Evan didn’t expect either.
Unlike in England where they spent time thinking only of the two of them, after entering Korea there wasn’t much time to be together. The time they saw each other in the practice room to practice the performance to show at various year-end awards ceremonies was almost all.
It was because of the many individual activities that came to Evan, from movies and dramas to various CFs. He conveyed his intention not to do movies and dramas, but the company’s position asking him to at least check the synopsis was firm, and he at least had to pretend to look.
They also started preparing for the mini album to be released around spring to summer. He desperately wanted to leave everything to the agency and spend time with Siwoo, but he couldn’t do that either.
At least he had to directly check with his own eyes how things would proceed. If he let go and things flowed in the wrong direction, it would be harder to turn back.
Naturally, the time each spent increased, and it wasn’t neglect but time passing that way. It became frequent to see Siwoo who had fallen asleep first in his bed late at night.
His heart sank at the words that he was coming to the dorm alone without a manager. From the disgusting sasaengs camping out in front of the dorm to all the worst situations that could happen to Siwoo alone floated around complicatedly in his head.
Since Siwoo insisted he couldn’t take the bitter herbal medicine anymore, he was taking the suppressant Fayden sent.
But if a crazy alpha marked Siwoo who couldn’t recognize others’ pheromones…
After returning from England, Chan and Yechan also didn’t put their pheromones on Siwoo. It was because of Siwoo who kept pheromone deodorant within arm’s reach and constantly sprayed it. When going out, he definitely packed it in his bag too.
In Evan’s eyes, who had put on the padding he’d taken off and gone out in front of the villa, a small figure walking with quick steps came into view. The moment he saw that face smiling brightly as soon as seeing him, he couldn’t contain his rampaging emotions. The thought that fortunately nothing happened came first, but before he knew it, nagging came out.
Please be careful. You’re not a beta. He wanted to clearly tell him that it’s different from how he’d lived until now.
But what came back were cold words piercing his chest. Was it for Siwoo? Was it for self-satisfaction? It might have been for Siwoo at first, but he too was an alpha who couldn’t help it. He might have wanted to keep him where he could see him and control everything from head to toe, no, even Siwoo’s emotions.
To be happy without any discomfort. To have no worries or hardships.
He wanted to fulfill everything he wanted.
But such actions might have felt like shackles to Siwoo. That’s why he couldn’t hold onto Siwoo who shook him off and turned away. Not even once had he thought his actions were interference or control.
Evan stood for a long while in front of Siwoo’s locked room door past the darkened living room. His desire to open the door and enter burned, but that too seemed like it would look forceful to Siwoo, so in the end he had to turn away.
Even when Evan knew that what was in the mug held in Siwoo’s hand talking with Sangjun was strong coffee, he kept his mouth shut tight. He knew he always had just coffee lightly in the morning, but still he wanted to get him to eat even a little. Was that also his greed?
He couldn’t catch Siwoo who quickly entered his room as soon as their eyes met.
As Siwoo said, it was all his fault. Even making him feel such uncomfortable emotions was something that happened because he forced his thoughts on him.
It seemed like he barely apologized and his mood got better.
“Coco.”
Knowing Siwoo would dislike it, Evan who approached to the side stroked Siwoo’s back with his hand.
“Ah! Uh.”
Whatever thoughts he was so deeply immersed in, he could fully feel through his hand the small body being startled. Siwoo’s eyes looking at him with his head jerked up were round.
“I’m asking if you’ll be okay. Should I tell Yechan to switch teams even now?”
“No. It was decided by a game, I’m fine.”
It was truly puzzling. Was it because he’d habitually said he was fine? There were many times when Siwoo saying he was fine felt more anxious.
“Worry about things worth worrying about. You know I’m good at riding attractions.”
“This is different from an attraction.”
“I’m much sturdier than you think, than people’s preconceptions, so you don’t need to worry. Plus, the two camera directors are going with me, so what.”
At Siwoo’s words pretending to be calm while shrugging his shoulders, Evan’s jawbone protruded. Trying to do everything alone was also Siwoo’s habit. He hated causing even a little trouble to others.
Since Siwoo constantly sprayed pheromone deodorant on his body and even used perfume he hadn’t used until now, he couldn’t properly smell the sweet plum scent.
“Kyaa! Uh. Really almost died.”
With a clattering sound, he saw Chan who burst out from the haunted house exit and knelt on the floor, followed by Sangjun walking out leisurely. Wasn’t Chan the one who was full of energy before entering? Along with the contrasting appearance of the two, smiles hung thick on the lips of the camera directors who followed out.
It seemed quite a lot happened inside.
“Crazy.”
While muttering that it was really scary, Chan was tightly gripping the card with his name written on it in one hand.
“Who’s going in next?”
At Yechan’s question, who had been sitting on a chair waiting for those who went in first to come out, the PD pointed to Yechan and Evan.
“Don’t come out crying that it’s scary, hurry and go in and come back. We have to get off work quickly like Chan hyung said.”
Evan looked down blankly at Siwoo who was smiling brightly while tapping his arm. The anxiety he’d shown yesterday and this morning couldn’t be found anywhere. There was no nervousness or such that he’d felt from him who was just spacing out looking somewhere a moment ago.
He even pushed himself, who wasn’t budging, toward the entrance with that bright appearance of leisurely humming while riding the roller coaster.
It definitely seemed like he was missing something… Evan’s gaze, which was heading toward Yechan who was walking ahead calling him to hurry in, touched Siwoo once more. Before he knew it, Siwoo was squatting next to Chan who was sitting on the floor.
As expected, the haunted house was the usual common appearance. Dolls moving here and there, or people dressed up as ghosts or zombies popped out briefly. Wind suddenly blew, and there were devices that made the floor with squishy material so feet would sink in a bit.
There was no special change in Evan’s expression snatching the card with his name written on it held by the ghost that popped out. Occasionally Yechan made a “huk” sound startled by the wind or squishy floor, but rather Yechan welcomed the ghosts and zombies rushing in.
Since there was no hesitation or stopping, Yechan and Evan passed through the haunted house in an instant.
“But Siwoo, will you really be okay?”
At Chan’s words coming out and gulping down cold water, Siwoo shrugged his shoulders as he did to Evan. Whether it was scary or not, it was a place he had to enter anyway. There was nothing good about being scared beforehand from the start.
They’re all just dolls and people in costumes.
Creepy unpleasant sounds will be heard, wind will suddenly come out, and the floor will be laid with something like sponge so he’ll sink in and stagger. Siwoo kept repeating the same words to himself. Just walk forward.
“The directors are going with you too.”
Seeing Evan coming out with an indifferent expression and Yechan laughing while raising his hand and waving the card with his name written on it, it didn’t seem like something to worry that much about. Wasn’t it a place even Sangjun, who screamed to stop saying he was dying while riding attractions, walked out from lightly?
“Shall we go in then?”
It seemed like Evan was trying to say something to him, but Siwoo smiled brightly toward the camera following him and stepped into the entrance. He also heard from Chan and Sangjun that people dressed as ghosts or zombies rushing out from somewhere were holding cards with names written on them.
It’s a place he came to a few times long ago. And Siwoo also quite enjoyed haunted houses at one time. Since it was a place he often came to on school trips during middle and high school. So he’d already been to this haunted house several times. Each time he giggled and went in and out with friends.
Though he was a nobody idol, they definitely filmed things like this. And each time, Siwoo bounced around this place like Yechan. No, he used to.
Darkness instantly covered him. Unable to see anything, he stood at the entrance for a moment with his eyes closed, then opened them. Though it was dark, the faint reddish light lit to show people the direction to proceed was pushing back the thick darkness a bit.
Strength entered Siwoo’s two hands hanging down. It’s all fiction. Something people deliberately made. Siwoo, who swallowed the saliva pooled in his mouth, barely lifted his heavy feet from the ground.
Regression was like that.
Making what’s not scary at all become scary.
Creating fear that didn’t exist.
Making truth and lies blurry.
Making one think that since the impossible regression is true, all of this might really exist.
That’s why ghosts and zombies seemed like truth rather than lies to Siwoo.
“Kyaa!”
With a clattering sound, the moment the doll hanging on the wall fell and blocked the air, a scream burst from Siwoo’s mouth.
