As more days passed, more questions pervaded Yoongi's mind. He never spoke to his father about the figure in his room, or how it had watched him in his sleep. How it had got in and how it had escaped without a speck behind.

Surely his father would only say he was having a nightmare like he often does when he was little. But Yoongi isn't little anymore—and it wasn't a nightmare. He wasn't having a bad dream. In fact, he'd never had a bad dream anymore since the day he turned fifteen.

It was the thing Yoongi could not tell his parents. And it's killing him.

Yoongi was so convinced with himself that what he saw that night was real. Mysteries piled over one another, and they were left hanging there waiting to be discovered. It was just that Yoongi could not figure it out yet.

What does that mysterious figure need from him? Why does it keep coming back but slip when it gets caught?

With all the accidents and nightmares, made Yoongi miss his old home more. In Seoul, there aren't wolves and horrifying figures watching you when you sleep. No rusty odors and stinking smell of bears and dogs. Which made his old home better than the squeaky old house they have right now.

However, there is a tiny gut inside of him, like a maggot in an apple core, that wants to stay and find out about the mysterious figure in the shadow, and what it had to do with him. He wants to explore and find out about the things that hide behind the tall dark trees. Yoongi had gone there multiple times already and even almost lost his life to a crazy man—but something keeps Yoongi coming back to it. He wants to discover something; something no one has ever seen before; something no other explorer had discover. And by the time Yoongi finds that ‘thing’ he would only be the only one to discover the treasure hiding beyond the trees and vengefully besieged it. And Father and Mother would be so proud of him. And the world too... And himself.

***

It was two weeks after the incident when the bodies were found behind the woods. The precious body was nothing more than just shiny bones on the earth's lips. Worthless little stones on the nest. The shocking news broke into the town, leaving the people in dread. 

"I'm sure it was the wolves again. Those ruthless beasts never die. And they're starting to spread chaos again," Mr. Min said valiantly, like no other thing in the world could persuade him to let go of the thought. The young man could hear the grudge seeping into his tone like a horrible squeak of a rusty bike.

Yoongi's eyelid quivered. He shifts his thoughts into something but the reminisce of that very day. Resisting the tiny spark building inside him, knowing in certain he would bolt into a panic.

"N-no, it was not the wolves. I think it was the raccoons," Yoongi defended. Father gave him a look as if he just pulled the stupidest string of words from his mouth.

"How could a raccoon eat a whole human and leave only bones behind? That's preposterous!"

"I don't know, they just do. Maybe it was a zombie raccoon..." Yoongi said hesitantly, aware of the fact he was saying nonsense. What on earth is a zombie raccoon anyway? Yoongi knew no such thing exist such as that. It was silly, and knew on a deeper level was somehow true.

***

He was locked up in his room. Not because Father forbids him to come out, but simply only because he enjoyed the time alone. Free from the suffocating thoughts of always hugging danger.

After how many years of disliking books, Yoongi was reading one right now. And this time, he was reading it for real.

‘Bridge To Terabithia’

It's about two children named Leslie and Jesse who create a magical forest kingdom in their imaginations. An imaginary land where they go to forget their problems.

He found it behind his closet when he was cleaning his room and thought it belong to his father who was a fan of ‘Katherine Paterson’. Yoongi took it and started reading the first page until it turned to the fifth page and now in the eighty-sixth.

Yoongi didn't notice himself turning page after page whilst he shove cereal in his mouth. He was deep in the book to even care about the rabbit who was hopping around his room. Trying to get his attention to fail.

He scooped another spoonful from his bowl only to find he'd run out of cereal. And now, Yoongi was left with the only option he has: Go downstairs and get cereal.

Yoongi swung his legs to his right, standing on his bare feet, and padded towards the door. He crept down the stairs and saw his father reading a newspaper and drinking coffee on his usual private table (what his father called it). Mrs. Min was sitting on the couch beside the fireplace knitting a scarf. Both parents were engrossed in their work and neither of them notice the new presence that had entered the room.

He walked towards the kitchen and took a box of cereal from the cabinet, making sure to put a lot now in his bowl so he doesn't have to come back later again if it's not enough. And then, Yoongi poured cold water on his cereal. Mixing it and shoving a spoonful in his mouth.

It was weird and fancily disgusting, but Yoongi loved it. He loves his cereal just plain as he dislikes milk. Yoongi had never liked sweets.

Yoongi saw a black cat outside on the tree, shifting from one branch to the other. But it had now stopped and was staring at him cattily. Its green eyes glimmered in distaste as it watch the young man shove more cereal with water into his mouth. It had a puckered expression on its face that symbolizes judgment.

And Yoongi could imagine its cranky voice saying cattily ‘That is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen.’ ‘Humans are weird and that's why I don't like them.’

Yoongi could see himself agreeing with the voice. Humans could be so strange sometimes and obscured, and he didn't like them much either. But oh God, this cereal taste like heaven. He'd always had them but every time the spoon hit his tongue, it tastes like something he hadn't had before... Something that blows the very mind of him and his mouth craves for more.

He walked into the living room where her mother is stitching a scarf and his father reading a newspaper and sipping a coffee. But by the time Yoongi entered, he had already finished his coffee. Father's fingers were still gripping the cold handle of his empty mug like he had no plan to let go. And then, he walked past the fireplace and into the stairs.

"Yoongi, dear," a soft sweet voice called behind him and Yoongi halted.

He craned his neck to his side. "Yes, mother?" He answered, waiting patiently for her to say something.

"Someone had left this for you. I found it on the doorstep but I didn't see the person who had left it there," Mrs. Min said without looking at her son. Her hands restlessly moved, inserting needles into holes and she bleeds through the red fabric of the scarf.

Yoongi walks toward the small box sitting casually on top of the coffee table, waiting to be picked up and opened. 

He lifts the box and grips it in his hand. His eyebrows creased a little as confusion painted his pale face.

Yoongi brought the box with him to his room. He examined it. It is securely wrapped with tape like the person who had given it to him treated it carefully and wanted it to be perfectly special. "Who could have left this?" Yoongi asked himself. He opened the box and saw something hard and brown inside. It looks familiar. Yoongi took it out and it was his notebook. The one he had left on the way while running for his life.

Deep in the box, glistening and eagerly screaming to be held again, was his silver pen. Yoongi vaguely moved his hand on the rough cover of the notebook, lifting the page, a dark bold text was written in clean handwriting.

‘I'm sorry if I scared you. Please be careful... I may not be there to save you again’
               -Ōkami

****
Hello, luvvies, I hope you enjoy this chapter... since this is probably the last chapter I'll post. As much as I don't want to do it, I have to put this book on ‘Hiatus’ for a while. I need to take a break from Wattpad and focus on my studies. Idk when I'll be back again but I hope when I come back you guys are still there.

Please take care of yourself and be safe always. I love you<33