"If you can't be next to me, your memory is ecstasy."
~Justin Bieber~

Ghosts.

The supernatural extensions of a dead specimen used by elders to scare children to make them behave.

The distorted images told in every bonfire camping in the middle of the woods.

The screeching beasts that give jump-scares to boys and girls after watching a horror film.

Ghosts, are many things.

They could be souls that hadn't found the peace in their eternal rest.

They could be vengeful spirits looking for victims to express their frustrations and anger of not being able to live the borrowed life again.

Or,

They could be figures from the past.

Ghosts, are memories of the people we met, the decisions and actions we've done, and the unspoken words we've longed to say.

The people in our lives weren't ever permanent. They come and they go. Whether we experienced the best or the worst part of our lives with these individuals, they all leave with their ghosts lingering in our hearts. All of them don't leave without leaving behind something that makes us remember them when they are gone.

The decisions and actions we've done are ghosts murmuring the 'what ifs' in our heads each time we felt like we have chosen the wrong choice. If I had done this, if I just settled with that, if i was brave enough, if I just listened, maybe, I wouldn't be in the middle of a predicament like right now. The regret we feel after executing a mistake are ghosts that haunt our minds to no end because of the disappointment we faced after.

The unspoken words that should've been said are ghosts that mock our consciences, leaving us in a situation of grief where we weep for our internal battles that managed to end something special that we held close to our hearts. The unspoken words that could turn the matter upside-down but was never told, never heard.

These ghosts haunts everyone, including you and me. Specially, the half-naked man lying on the king-sized hotel bed, his bare chest pressed against the mattress.

It was the earliest hours in the morning where most people are probably sleeping, college students still studying, and night-workers just doing their job as best as they could.

Jungkook, although lying on a comfy hotel bed, isn't one of those who had the pleasure to snore until the sun makes its presence above the horizon. He was wide-awake even after the long night he had just a few hours prior. However, his eyes are glossy and he had a solemn expression plastered on his handsome face.

"I wish I had proposed to you sooner instead of subtly hinting my interests of marriage with you, sweetheart." Jungkook whispered into the silent atmosphere.

"If I had just actually got down on one knee infront of you, even with the fear of rejection, maybe I'm actually having a honeymoon right now." He sighed, shifting to look at the ceiling of the hotel room.

"I didn't know that my life before us and the life when you're not around anymore could be the same, sweetheart." He said, biting his bottom-lip at the thought.

Suddenly, the door of the hotel bedroom opened, revealing the newcomer who looked very much excited at the sight of Jungkook on the bed.

Jungkook shifted once again and after getting a glimpse of the newcomer, his solemn expression morphed into mirth. He sat up, the sheets falling, displaying his naked upper-half body. He opened his arms with a smile and uttered four words.

"Come to daddy, baby."

"You did leave me after all. That's why you've always turned down my marriage advances."

I halt hearing the voice of my lover from behind. It's been quite some time when I've managed to part ways with the captain and the huntsman. I figured that if I kept them with me during this quest, I might have to watch the both of them suffer too. I admit that I'm still emotional and upset because of the hatter's sacrifice but I can't stay mad at those two, knowing that they just did what they thought Hoseok wanted to be done.

When we began this journey, the two princes of Pangaea decided they'd have a brawl to which ended up to the both of them not being to accompany us at all and to the sorcerer getting stuck in their castle to continue the peace and order.

In Evergreen, Hoseok lost his cat and now, in the Mountain of Whispers, Hoseok, himself, was lost and never to be found.

There's so much loss already and I don't have a clue if we're halfway the journey or the journey was halfway life. If I lost the huntsman and the captain, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

Also, my heart was in a havoc lately. The captain clearly relayed his interests on me in Evergreen that night the meteor shower occurred. That moment never left my mind and it made me question my feelings. Sometimes, I feel like I needed to get out of here because this is not where I belong but whenever the captain crosses my mind, I couldn't help but wonder if I really know where I belong. I'm lost after that night so I decided to avoid the captain until I'm sure of what I really want.

"What you really want? Am I a choice to you now? After finding six men that gave you their attention, I'm an option now? Really sweetheart? Are you that easy?"

The voice rang once again from behind. I know it's not Jungkook knowing he's faraway and this place was supposed to be echoing with whispers from the souls trapped by The Cursed One.

The ghosts were mimicking the voice of my lover as they whisper words of discouragement and hatred in my ears continuously. They are all loud and I'm starting to feel my ears hurting from the simultaneous whispers they emit every now and then.

"You're just like her. Lee Jieun. After making use of people you throw them away like they're inanimate objects."

"Tell me, does he kiss you better than I could? Did you let his hands wander your body like I did? Was his arms strong and firm like mine was? Were the whispers he spoke near your ears tender and sweet that it lingered in your mind without a stop? Did you let him take what you promised was mine to obtain?"

I stopped in my tracks. Having enough from the constant whispers in my ears by the unholy beings trapped in this hellhole. It was already pissing me to the point where my unbothered bubble of concentration popped and I forgot that the whispers was all just for distraction so I could never leave from here.

"Enough. Stop it. I swear, if you start whispering accuses once again using the voice of my lover, I'm going to do everything to destroy whatever was going to appear in front of me." I threatened to no one in particular.

"So you did had sex? Funny how you avoided being intimate with your lover of a long time but stripped yourself bare in front of a stranger you just met in a couple of weeks."

"I said, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" I screamed, turning to where the voice came from.

There, in the shade of a redwood stood a silhouette, a little too familiar to be unnoticed by my observant gaze.

"Jungkook?" I asked.

The person walked out of the shade and stood a good two meters away from where I stood.

"Y/N."

I heard a whisper of my name in the air but the guy in front of me stood still like a rock, lips sealed.

"No, you're not Jungkook." I said, shaking my head.

"Am I not? Or you're just denying the truth once again?"

The whisper was provocative as my gaze fell once again to the guy in front.

He was solidified. The man in front of me was a complete carbon copy of my lover. If I didn't knew well enough that this place is haunted, I'd mistake him for my lover who had managed to follow me in this miserable land.

His gaze was strong. Jaw clenched in a very familiar way that I used to cause whenever I do something unpredictable in a sensuous manner. The facial expression, the demeanor and aura the ghost mimicked was of the lover I've longed to be snuggled up from the minute I woke up from this land.

"Don't even think about it, Y/N." My lover warned, his large palm squeezing my right thigh, which his hand has been resting for a while now.

"Oh come on, Mr. Jeon. You wouldn't want Ms. Bang to be a wallflower in this celebration wouldn't you? Let her be a wildflower for a minute with the others." An elder of my lover's company mocked, clearly a perverted old hag.

"That's quite right. Ms. Bang's seat might break in a short while for how long she has been sitting on it since we came here." Another perverted old man laughed, agreeing with his colleague.

My lover's distaste of letting me dance with my other girl colleagues was clear on the way he called me by my first name and the firm but gentle grip he has of my right thigh.

"Gentlemen, I appreciate you trying to get 'my woman' to join the others," Jungkook smirked, sparing a little glance at me, "but she has no interest nor any expertise in dancing."

My 'fragile' ego broke at that moment. Feeling quiet annoyed at what my lover said just to turn down the requests of the perverted men in our presence. I gripped the hand resting on my thigh and removed it from there. My lover turned to me, a questioning gaze present from the look in his eyes that screams 'why-the-fuck-did-you-remove-my-hand-from-its-comfort-place'.

I gave him a coy smile which I only give when I dare to do something he would never expect me to do. 'Watch me' I mouthed at him to which his eyes widened in response.

Before my lover could act on his protest, I sensuously stood up, presenting a sickly sweet smile to all of the people who noticed my action.

In a voice which I didn't know I could produce, I declared my thoughts. "Fear not, gentlemen. All of you, specially Mr. Jeon, would witness this writer turn into a seductress, tonight."

With that, I strutted to the middle of the setup stage where all of my other female colleagues are having the time of their youth, swaying their hips from one side to another.

At that moment, I felt my body burning with desire to make them know how much of a woman I am. A tigress whose been chained up inside of me was unleashed. I'm so eager to put on a show everyone in the room won't ever forget.

All thanks to my low alcohol tolerance and the sneaky daughter of the HOD who forcefully made me drink the strong champagne she shoved in my hands when my lover was talking to her dad. I wasn't about to drink the liver-killing-liquid but she screamed for everyone's attention and made me do a 'cheers'.

My female colleagues who were dancing in the stage hyped me up and the HOD's daughter gave me a challenging look to which I barely acknowledged due to the fact that my goal wasn't to compete with her but to be found distinct amongst the crowd. My mission does not only revolve around shutting down the rude comments of the perverted elders of the company.

I want to make the great CEO, Mr. Jeon Jungkook, fired up. I will show him that dancing isn't about expertise. It's the determination of the person whose going to dance.

When I've reached my desired spot, the center where the pole is located, I smirked in satisfaction hearing the chorus of Unholy by Sam Smith feat. Kim Petraz playing.

"Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot
At the body shop, doing something unholy
He's sat back while she's dropping it, she be popping it
Yeah, she put it down slowly
Oh-ee-oh-ee-oh, he left his kids at
Ho-ee-oh-ee-ome, so he can get that
Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot
At the body shop, doing something unholy (woo)~~~"

I immediately rounded the pole while keeping a firm grip on it with my left hand. I did a little swing and dropped myself on my ass, making a sensuous movement with my hips.

I closed my eyes and climbed the pole in the mid-section and slid down on it slowly with my right leg while my left was stretched wide, giving a generous view of the length of my legs specially my thighs which were peaking from the hem of my dress.

I continued moving the way I wanted to until the song ended and Wet The Bed by Chris Brown started playing.

Before I managed to get into the vibe of the song and dance, the music stopped making me open my eyes which immediately met with the fiery gaze of my lover whose now standing in front of me.

My colleagues and the HOD's daughter was now making their ways to their tables as their fun was interrupted because the CEO ordered the DJ to stop playing any kind of music as of the moment.

Jungkook walked to me in a way which I could compare a predator does while approaching its prey. He stopped just a good two feet away from me and towered over my kneeling position in the floor, which I ended up in after dancing earlier.

I looked up at him for a certain time but I saw something from the corner of my eyes which made me giggle in glee.

"Jungkook, you have a bo-" I giggled to which he interrupted by his loud booming voice.

"You're drunk, Ms. Bang. Let me take you home." My lover announced and turned towards his workers and business partners, "Everyone, I'm glad of what we had today but unfortunately I need to take my leave and accompany Ms. Bang home. Have a wonderful night."

"What a bummer, Mr. Jeon. We were just starting the fun." The HOD's daughter pouted.

"Well, I apologize for my early leave but I am not only a CEO tonight," My lover turned to me again, "I'm also a lover whose main role is to provide safety for my woman."

A chorus of awe's were heard from my colleagues and some inappropriate comments like 'Ms. Bang hit the jackpot' and 'She's not attending the office for a month coz of walking problems' was made.

My lover picked me up and walked alongside me throughout the whole walk to his car. He guided me towards the passenger seat and attached my seatbelt before doing the same for himself. He drove out of the resto-bar without a word. I also remained quiet after realizing what of an embarrassment I placed myself in because of alcohol's influence.

When he did a turn to the direction opposite of my apartment, I was about to make a comment but I met his gaze through the rear view mirror which looked like he's going to pounce on me if I did utter a single word. I avoided his gaze and quietly prayed for my life knowing that he's bringing me to his enormous house and not to my comfy living space.

After a quiet ride for half an hour, he parked his black Mercedes inside his spacious garage where a couple of other luxurious cars was kept in.

When the engine died, I hastily undid my seatbelt and tried to open the door of the passenger seat to which in my dismay was set in child-lock.

I turned to the other side which I regretted as my lover was already staring at me with his fiery dark gaze.

"When did you learn to pole dance, sweetheart?" My lover queried, breaking the silence between us.

I avoided his eyes and looked down at my fingers which was playing with the hem of my dress.

"Answer me, Y/N." Jungkook demanded and I flinched at the use of my first name and the way it dangerously rolled of his tongue.

"It was actually my first time." I squeaked out.

Silence followed after my answer but then, I felt one of his hands holding my chin, guiding me to look straight at his eyes.

He was smirking while looking at me as he stroke my chin. "That, you mean, is a first time?" He asked dramatically pointing out what I did.

I nodded and he chuckled before pulling me to his lap in a swift motion making me bump the 'thing' that caused me to giggle earlier to which he groaned sensually beside my ear.

My lover caressed my cheek and I nervously shifted on his lap.

"We both know you did what you did because I provoked you right?" He asked grinning like a Cheshire, "You intended to give me a hard-on didn't you?"

I shamefully nodded, embarrassed of my earlier actions.

My lover sighed and I kept quiet remaining on his lap. "But we both know that you won't take care of my big problem, would you?"

"I'm sorry." I muttered and he chuckled once again.

"Just kiss me for five minutes and I'll take care of it myself in the bathroom later, do we have a deal?" He asked and I nodded agreeing to his plea seeing the contortion of his facial features from the pain from his copulation tool.

He immediately locked my lips with his after the consent was granted. After five minutes or more, he detached from me and I jolted from his lap when he delivered a spank to my butt.

"Sweetheart, you really perform well during your first times', don't you? Makes me wonder how our first time is going to be like."

I shook my head, sending my memories with my lover to the back of my mind. The creature in the form of my lover was still there, taunting me with the face of the man I value the most.

'There's only one way to shut him up. Be the marionette of his doll game.' I thought.

"I did." I plainly stated looking directly at the eyes of the ghost who mimicked my lover's appearance.

The creature frowned. "What did you do?"

"I slept with the pirate captain, Yoongi," I stated before smiling coyly, "I slept with him the night he kissed me when the meteor shower occurred. Do you want to know the best part? He wasn't as buff as you are but his hands caressed me rough and firm, his lips brought me to a place heaven can't compete with, his eyes was a vast void of black but the depth of his love for me was as clear as the water in the Mystic Lagoon of Pangaea." I described, seeing the ghost trembling in rage.

"You were just like her! Just like Ji Eun! Both of you are whores!" The ghost yelled.

"I'm not like Ji Eun. I'm better than her. But you? You'll never be better than anyone. You're not worth of any love, Jungkook. You've been loveless since a young age. You're doomed to loneliness. And you want to compete with Yoongi? You will never be better no a match with Yoongi because he will never be low standard like you." I mocked and the ghost shrieked, its form not being able to maintain the appearance of my lover.

"You're such a piteous being, Jungkook. It has been two years since you started trying to lure me in your love trap. But what? You wasted those two years being a puppet to your master which is me. I never wanted a man like you. My bad, you were never a man. You're just a young boy who hides in the form of a rich and competent CEO to cover up his vulnerability."

"ENOUGH!" the ghost screamed so loud before he disappeared into black dust.

Yet, before the ghost completely vanished, its loud contorted voice echoed in the mountain making a shiver to run down my spine.

"A haunted heart is scarier than us, haunted ghosts, woman."

A/N

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I LOVE ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR THE NEVER ENDING SUPPORT TO OUAT SINCE 2020 UNTIL NOW 2023<3

~RG2108~

PS. THE FIRST HALF OF THIS CHAPTER WAS WRITTEN LAST YEAR BEFORE I WENT THROUGH THE SHIT THAT IS 2022 BUT YEAH I SURVIVED SO THANK GOD, BTS AND ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE WHEN I NEEDED THEM <3