"Princeps gloriosissime caelestis militiae, sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio et colluctatione, quae nobis adversus principes et potestates, adversus mundi rectores tenebrarum harum, contra spiritualia nequitiae, in caelestibus,"

I struggle against the ropes around my tiny wrists, tied to a bench in front of the church podium. I start whimpering, trying not to panic.

"It's okay," I look to find my grandmother smiling down at me, tears in her eyes. She looks like she hasn't slept in a week.

"We'll get the demon out of you," She whispers, gently wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"No, please..." I whine, pulling harder and harder. But it's no use.

My grandfather stands in front of me, reading from the bible.

It's Latin, Namjoon, Z explains, He's performing an exorcism on you.

"Will that make you leave, Mister?" I ask. My grandmother and grandfather look at each other, fear in their eyes. My grandfather continues reading, speaking words I haven't heard before.

No, it won't. Z responds factually.

"He says it won't work..." I sniffle. Suddenly, my head whips to the side as my grandmother smacks me across the face.

"Leave him demon!"

"Stop it!" I scream, a high guttural scream. Will they kill me?

Don't worry, I won't let them kill you, kid. Z responds, easing me of my fears.

"Please don't let them kill me, mister," I sniffle, sobbing violently.

"BE GONE DEMON!" My grandmother bellows as my grandfather pulls out a cane.

"AHHHHH!"

. . .

"Oh fuck!" Namjoon's eyes spring open. He sighs as he sits up in his bed, looking around to confirm he is still in his little apartment.

When will the nightmares stop?

One day, Namjoon.

TING, TING.

Namjoon looks at his phone, frowning. He has just received a message. It's almost 6 am, who is messaging this early? He grabs it and opens the notification and immediately regrets it.

MOM: I prayed for you in church. You need to come and repent.

"After all this time... she still thinks I'm possessed?" Namjoon sighs.

Yes, the exorcism... that was an interesting day. Z chuckles lightly. I had a nice conversation with Jesus that day... I don't think I ever told you that.

"I'm sorry... you had a conversation with Jesus?" Namjoon scoffs, "What did you talk about?"

Nothing too interesting. He was just watching nearby. He looked pretty done with humanity.

"Yeah, me too," Namjoon grumbles, "I'm pretty done with... whatever you are as well,"

Namjoon climbs out of bed and stretches. Day 2 of university and he's already exhausted. He heads to the bathroom, ready to start his morning routine and get this day over and done with.

. . .

Hana:

"Good morning, Hana!" I squeal as someone bear-hugs me from behind, lifting me off my feet.

"YAH! Jeon Jungkook!" I yell, wriggling in his arms, "Put me down! You're going to break my laptop!"

"Sorry," He responds sheepishly, placing me gently on my feet.

"Morning," Jimin smiles, side-eyeing Jungkook as usual.

"Hey, guys," I respond, already winded.

"Hey!" Taehyung pats me on the back as he reaches us, grinning cheerfully.

"Are we ready for class?" I ask, looking between them. They nod, so we begin making our way into the building, chatting comfortably.

This morning, my first class will be English again. Everyday English class is first, which I think sucks, but is also quite nice. At least I'll get the boring subjects out of the way.

Luckily for me, I have this class with my three best friends.

Jimin and I became friends in early elementary school. His charisma and confidence enraptured me instantly. He approached me, introduced himself, and continued to hang out with me. We have been best friends ever since.

I met Jungkook and Taehyung in High school. Jimin has always been incredibly social, so once he met them he introduced them to me. Jungkook was silent for our first year as friends, but he soon gained confidence and found his place in life. Taehyung has always been a free soul, just enjoying the little things and focusing on his happiness. Ever since then, we've been inseparable. We all attended high school together, graduated together, and are now attending university together. I could not wish for better friends.

Soon, we reach our class and find our seats. The guys I met yesterday are already here, sitting in the row behind us.

"Hey! Seokjin!" Taehyung cheers, hugging the broad, handsome man from yesterday.

"Hey, Tae," He responds. He looks at me and smiles, "Hey, Hana,"

Oh? He remembers my name?

"Hi" I smile. I have only known Seokjin for a day, but he is incredibly gentle and funny. Plus, Taehyung gets intensely excited every time he sees him. If Tae likes him, then I do too.

I look at the other guys and smile.

"Hi," I wave.

"Hello," Hoseok greets. We had our second class together yesterday, so I was able to get to know him better. He reminds me of Jimin with the way he holds himself and how he lights up the room with his energy and his beautiful smile. He's my favourite kind of person.

"Hey, Hana," The taller one greets me, a small smile on his face. I don't know this guy too well. He has these dark eyes that appear to look right through me. He is very handsome, especially when he smirks secretively to himself. He is quieter in comparison to the other two, and he seems incredibly intelligent, especially with how much he interacted in class yesterday. But I can't remember his name.

"I'm sorry," I chuckle, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly, "I don't remember your name,"

"Kim Namjoon," He responds, still smiling kindly.

"Nice to meet you, Namjoon," I bow slightly, beaming at him.

"Nice to meet you too," He glances at Taehyung before turning his attention to me again, "How are you?"

"I'm great! Well, once this class is over I'll be better," I roll my eyes. I have never been good at learning languages, but I really need this class.

"You're not a fan of English class?" Namjoon asks, sitting down in his seat. I sit down as well, turning so I am still facing him.

"Yeah, I have a hard time recalling the words when I need them," I chuckle, "Do you actually enjoy this class?"

"Of course he does, he's so smart!" Hoseok chimes in, making Namjoon blush, "He graduated top of the class in high school,"

"Oh, wow!" I exclaim. Namjoon starts to look awkward, smiling nervously.

"Yeah, I guess... I just like learning things, that's all," He explains.

"Don't be modest!" Hoseok chuckles, "He's just naturally gifted,"

"Well, I suppose that means I need to talk to you if I start struggling?" I ask, making him blush even more.

"Of course, if you ever need help with anything I'll be there," He says firmly. Hoseok raises his eyebrows at him, smirking secretively.

"Wow... he must really like you. He refused to help us in high school," Hoseok teases. Namjoon begins stuttering, gesturing at Hoseok as his ears become a dark shade of red. I laugh at their antics as it slowly escalates to Namjoon playfully hitting his shoulder.

"W-Why would you say something like that, huh?" Namjoon mutters to Hoseok, avoiding eye contact with me.

"Alright class, settle down now. Let's begin," The professor calls out in English as he enters the room.

I turn to face the front, still grinning at Namjoon's embarrassment.

. . .

"You see, it's pronounced 'though' but here, this one is pronounced 'through' yeah?"

"But... they have the same letters..." I frown, staring at the paper in awe. Namjoon's handwriting is beautiful, in English and Korean. I'm so envious.

He chuckles, leaning back in his chair.

"These are just the basics... didn't you guys have English class at your school?" He asks.

"We did, but it was a lot simpler than this," I explain, turning to look at him, "We are not all as smart as you," I roll my eyes. This time he doesn't blush. He smirks, accepting the compliment comfortably.

We are sitting in the food area of the university, going over Namjoon's English notes. Jungkook watches over as well, looking equally awed at Namjoon's intelligence. The others are eating their lunch, talking about a movie that was recently released. Jimin is sitting silently beside me. He appears to be brooding but I'm not sure why.

Namjoon has been incredibly helpful with this class, which I will be forever grateful for. He is a strange guy though. I overheard him talking to himself in class, but I couldn't quite pick up on what he was saying. Hoseok said earlier that he has always done that and that it could be the reason for his intelligence.

I look up from his notes to find him watching me, his arms folded. His dark eyes meet mine, but he doesn't look away. I feel my cheeks heat up as I maintain eye contact. He smiles and tilts his head.

"What's up?" He asks, "Are you okay? Any more questions?"

Oh wow... my heart thumps hard in my chest. For a weird guy, he is just so effortlessly attractive. Did he do that on purpose?

"Y-Yeah, I understand now," I say quickly, looking away, "What about you Jungkook?"

"Yeah, I think so," He frowns, looking away from the notebook as he sighs. Jungkook is great at most things, but some things really frustrate him.

"It's okay, school is for learning. You'll pick it up," Namjoon encourages, gently patting Jungkook on the back.

"Says you," Hoseok jumps in, joining the conversation.

"Yah, you guys aren't stupid you know!" Namjoon frowns, pointing at Hoseok.

"I know," Hoseok grins, "But next to you, we look beyond dumb,"

I laugh as I watch them tease each other.

I turn to Jimin, starting to become concerned by his silence.

"Hey, Jiminie?" he looks up as if I just awoke him from a daydream.

"Oh, hey..." He smiles gently.

"Are you okay? You have been unusually quiet today," I scrunch my nose at him and he chuckles in response.

"I'm fine, just thinking about stuff," He explains, leaning forward, "How is the studying going? Is it helping?"

"Of course!" I beam, "Namjoon is a good teacher,"

"I see," Jimin gives me a strained smile. I give him a look that clearly expresses my concern for him. He smiles in response, turns, and joins Seokjin and Taehyung's conversation. What was that about?

Soon, lunch is over, and we head off to our respective classes. My next class is with Jungkook and Jimin. In each of my classes, I have at least one friend to keep me company. I even made a new friend in one of my classes just so I'm never sitting alone. His name is Lee Minho. I don't seem to have any more classes with Namjoon, just the English class.

Soon, the day is over and I'm leaving the university by myself. Taehyung left earlier as he had no class for the last lesson. He was excited to head home early so I told him it was fine if I go home alone today. The subway is right next to the university and my house is very close to my stop. I don't have to walk far.

"Hana!" I turn to find Namjoon rushing after me, smiling happily as his laptop bag bounces beside him.

"Oh, hey," I give him a small wave, "What's up?"

"Taehyung told me yesterday that you ride the same subway line that I do," He explains, shuffling nervously.

"Oh, really?" I chuckle, "Well, do you want to walk with me?"

"Sure," He grins, relaxing immediately, "Where is Taehyung?" He looks around as if expecting to see him hiding nearby.

"He left early today," I explain, turning towards the university gate, "Let's go,"

We start down the street and down to the subway, talking about class and our mutual friends. The conversation becomes more lively the more comfortable we become with each other.

As soon as my stop is announced on the loudspeaker, Namjoon moves towards the doors.

"Uh... is this your stop too?" I ask nervously.

"Yeah..." Namjoon grins uncertainly, "I forgot to mention that... Taehyung told me yesterday that this is your stop too..."

So Tae is just telling random guys where I live now? I frown, making a mental note to talk to him about that later.

"You look nervous... I can show you my ID so you know I'm not following you or anything," Namjoon begins rummaging in his pockets. I stutter, feeling bad for making him uncomfortable. But I would be lying if I said seeing his address didn't make me feel better.

"Sorry... but thank you," I smile.

"It's okay, I understand," Namjoon responds as we exit the train and head up to the street. As soon as we get to the top of the stairs, he turns in the same direction as me, and we start down the street.

"You know..." Namjoon clears his throat, obviously looking for the right words, "I can walk you home if you'd like... unless you're feeling uncomfortable..." he mutters. I chuckle, looking up at his concerned pout with mirth.

My mother always taught me to be wary of strangers. So, of course, I am wary of Namjoon. However, I know my dad is home and he's expecting me soon. Not to mention the tracking app on my phone. Plus the pepper spray.

Okay, maybe my parents are paranoid, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

"If you'd like, but I'm only nearby," I explain, gesturing down the street to my home.

"Just down there?" Namjoon raises his eyebrow, "I'm a little further down, the next street over,"

"I thought I recognised your address!" I exclaim. I allow him to walk me home, feeling more comfortable for some strange reason. It doesn't take long for us to reach my house.

"Well, this is me... thank you," I smile.

"No problem... uh, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" I turn to him expectantly.

"Can... can I have your number?" He says quickly, his ears slightly red. I grin and pull out my phone, reading out my number. He types it in and puts his phone away, looking back at me.

"Thank you," He bows, "Do you want a subway buddy? I can meet you out the front here in the morning,"

"Sure," I nod, "I'll text you later, okay?"

"Sounds good," He grins and begins walking backwards, giving me a little wave before he turns away from me. I walk up the path to my front door before turning back to watch him go. Something about him is strange, but I don't know what it is.

What a weird guy. I shrug and head inside.

(A/N) 🫰🫰🫰