The girl spread her bare arms over her head, while she watched the cars rolling down the busy streets underneath her.

It was cool up here, on the rooftop of her host's home. Cold even, but it didn't really bother her.

Nothing bothered her lately, what was probably the reason why she decided to skip classes that easily.

It was Y/N's first time to do so, but she didn't feel bad for it in any way; she'd change to another school soon anyways, knowing that her new host family would live far away, in Seoul.

The eleven year old had nothing to worry about in the moment, the only one around her being the shadows that had become a constant companion of her's over time. 

Not that she enjoyed their company, no, in fact she didn't really care. She recalled her earliest memories, back when she was scared of all these shadows and dead people she kept seeing and chuckled, thinking how foolish she had been to be scared of them. They were harmless after all, right?

A ray of sunlight laid itself onto her and for a moment, she felt like it'd be a good decision to stand up and join her classes, but clouds covered the sun soon and with the light, her worries and doubts disappeared.

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◆♤❦

If someone would've told me that my life would develop the way it did lately, I would've punched them, surely.

My current host mom was crucially nice to me - which was a first, as far as I can recall. Yoongi had started asking stuff about my personal life - in a very friendly and respectful way - and I had a mysterious ghost-buster texting 'good-morning' every day.

On top of all these incredibly odd proceedings didn't I experience any otherworldly ghost-adventure ever since the incident in the subway station one week ago - which was a first as well.

I had barely left the house - it was 4am - when I got a text from my all times favorite sword-swinging idiot, whom I believed wasn't nearly a nice as he acted to be by the way.

You know the old cinema at Jawang Street?

Meet me there

I scoffed

What a demanding way to ask me out. 

The cinema was a dilapidated, deserted place, that belonged to an old couple who tried their very best to keep the place running, but never really succeeded in it.

I wondered why Hoseok might want to meet me there, but I wondered even more why the fuck I was following his demand without any questions.

Jawang street wasn't as far away, only a fifteen minutes walk and I soon spotted the tall, slender man in front of the brittle building.

He flicked a cigarette with his index finger, dropping it to the floor and crushing it under his worn out boot the moment I reached him.

"You smoke?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged, turning towards the cinema's entrance already, "Occasionally, yes. It's not a habit or something like that."

I nodded, following him. Not that I, out of all people, really cared.

"Why'd you wanna meet me here?" I wanted to know.

"Uhm- well, you know any movie that played in the 80s?"

"No...?" 

"Well, me neither but I'm afraid they don't play any movies after that time period, so I thought we could do something more interesting."

"...?"

Hoseok laughed at my puzzled expression, "Look, Flower. You seem to always see the bad things in these ghosts - and I admit, many of them kinda wanna see you dead - but there is a beautiful side to this rather gloomy world, you know?"

I remembered that one night at the cemetery, where we danced together, between the silver shining couples, surrounded by the enchanting music and thought that I knew what he meant.

"And what does that have to do with a decades old cinema?" I asked while we made our way through the thick carpeted corridors.

"Well..." Hoseok stopped in front of a rusty looking metal door, before kicking it open with force.

The door banged open to each sides, revealing an... interesting sight.

The entire room was empty, besides the very front row. Right in front of the screen, there was a projector throwing the picture of a pretty meadow with blooming flowers onto the empty white space, an old lady sitting behind the projector, one hand gently resting on the old, dusty item.

She stared stubbornly at the screen not acknowledging Hoseok's quite dramatic entrance, and it took me only so long to realize that the old lady was in fact a ghost lady.

"What-" I glanced at the reason of my current situation, "I don't know why but I feel weird invading this ghosts space like that."

Hoseok snickered, "Believe me, nothing in this world could make her notice us." He waved at me, signalizing me to walk faster down to the front rows, "Hurry up!"

I followed him warily, even more so when he jumped onto the small stage in front of the screen.

"You're going to like that, Flower." The older said with that charming smile of his, holding out his hand to help me up

I ignored the offered hand, feeling nervous all of a sudden when I climbed onto the stage, not having an idea of what could possibly happen now.

Hoseok looked down onto his still outstretched hand, "C'mon, you might want to hold my hand for this."

I frowned, "I don't think s- "

He pretty much cut me off by interlocking our hands forcefully and pulling me forwards, into the fucking screen.

I shrieked surprised, hearing the boy's laughter ringing in my ears.

We were now standing on this beautiful meadow I'd seen through the screen only a few moments ago, hands still intertwined tightly. 

Hoseok shook his hand which was holding mine, "Don't let go or you'll regret it." I gulped at his dead serious voice and nodded, "That's the... eh, realm of the ghost you saw outside. I found this by accident once and thought that it was pretty fascinating."

He was right. It was fascinating indeed.

Together we started walking down the meadow, enjoying the warm sun on our skin. It all felt so real - the sun was pleasantly warm, the grass tickling my ankles or the fresh air you never got to breathe in in Seoul. 

I think the last time I breathed in air so fresh and healthy was when I was with my... my grand mother.

sike

Hoseok swung our interlocked hands back and forth while walking, beaming happily, "Don't you too think that it's so sad to know that there are people who never get to now this? That there are people who never leave Seoul?"

I shrugged, having never truly thought about it, "I guess so, yes."

He glanced down at me, "Have you always lived here?"

I looked to the side, "No..."

"Oh?" He seemed surprised, "You strike me as such a... big-city person y know? Where you from then?"

I felt a pang in my chest and subconsciously retracted my hand from his, "It's really none of your business..."

"Flower... you're smart but sometimes you really are an idiot." My eyes went up to Hoseok's face who looked in horror at a point behind me, "I told you to not let go of my hand."

I followed his gaze and spotted them - shadows pooling into my sight like dark paint pooling into a painting.

I heard a static buzzing coming closer and closer with each breath I took, anxiety flooding my system quickly.

"Fuck..." I cursed, turning to Hoseok in search of help, watching a twisted smile spread over his lips.

"Well, there's only one way to get out of this-" He gently grabbed my hand again, "Run!"

I didn't even got to react when he already pulled me behind him, actually fucking laughing as we were running into the direction of the spot where we had entered the movie in the beginning.

While running, I felt the oh so familiar coldness of the shadows licking up my bones, stumbling in the process but feeling Hoseok's pull steadying me somehow.

"You good Flower?" He asked, barely glancing over his shoulder.

"Y-Yes." I gambled.

There was this wicked grin on his face, eyes fixed onto a spot in front of us.

"I need you to jump when I say 'now', can you do that?"

I hummed, busy not to stumble over my own legs while running for my life.

We quickly reached the familiar spot on the meadow and Hoseok shouted 'now!' 

The world turning a lot darker when we jumped,  a soon as we were back in the cinema, silence engulfing us.

I stumbled over the stage, catching the old ghost switching the film with another one nonchalantly.

Hoseok giggled besides me like a damn six year old, until his eyes fell onto me, "You're okay, right? You're not hurt or anything?"

"N-No, no I'm fine! No, I'm fine."

He cocked a brow, "You sure? Cause you're repeating your words, you're pale and you look like you're about to topple over."

"Yeah, you might wanna catch me."

He cackled, again securing the hand around my side that had held mine a few moments ago.

Yeah, let's add this day to the endless long list of unnecessary near-death experiences I had with Hoseok.

Not in a negative sense though, I think that's called bonding.

◆♤❦

I finally started watching Sex Education and almost finished it (pros of Corona) and I'm completely in love with the show, like it's teaching us so many important things, covering so many important topics. Why aren't their more shows like that?

xx