your body is my coffin (2/3)
pairing: kaisoo, soostal
rating: nc-17
summary: Kyungsoo becomes entangled in an incubus's maze.
warnings: smut (top!jongin), infidelity, catherine!au, incubus!au, overdose!au
Three beers and two hours later, his friends leave for the night, but Kyungsoo doesn’t want to go home. He’s still wallowing in his self-pity and worry as Chanyeol pats his back and leaves with Minseok and Baekhyun. Honestly, it’s late into the early morning, and he should be leaving too, considering he’s nearing his drinking limit. But instead, Kyungsoo raises his hand and brazenly asks Taeyeon to bring him another beer. The waitress throws him a worried look, but she does as asked.
He’s lounging against the table when Taeyeon sets his beer down, and he sits up to take a large gulp, his cheeks flushed and eyes glazed at this point. His phone chimes in his pocket, the ringtone for specifically Soojung’s texts, but he doesn’t check it. She’ll probably mention the whole marriage thing again.
The bell on the door chimes, and he hears Yifan greet someone and a deep, husky voice reply to him. Kyungsoo toys with the idea of finally heading home for the night. He can probably make the walk there even in his drunken state. Yet, before he can even stand up, someone approaches his table. Kyungsoo blinks slowly and his eyes follow long legs covered in black jeans, ripped at the knees, a lithe waist, and a shapely torso covered in a black, form-fitting sweater, rolled up to his elbows and tucked into his jeans. The young man had bronze skin, a face belonging to a model, and shockingly white hair styled up.
“Is this seat taken?” he asks in a smooth voice with a blinding white smile. Dumbly, Kyungsoo nods, his voice caught in his throat for some reason. Staring at this man feels like staring at the sun; he feels himself growing dizzy and feels his cheeks growing warmer.
The stranger chuckles and takes a seat across from him as gracefully as Kyungsoo’s ever seen. “You looked lonely.”
His heart is pounding in his chest when his eyes snap open, and instantly Kyungsoo somehow knows where he is. His hands push himself up from the dirt. Kyungsoo gazes around, and it confirms his suspicions. It’s the same foggy, dark atmosphere, the same never ending walls, and the same white suit. Why is he here again? Is it the same dream?
Cautiously, he gets to his feet. Remembering the large wolf from before, Kyungsoo knows he should be careful. He definitely doesn’t want to end up beneath its paws this time.
He starts to walk to the only open direction as that same pulsing force field is blocking the other way. Kyungsoo glances back every few seconds to make sure it’s still there. He doesn’t want something to sneak up on him. Based on his experience last time, Kyungsoo figures this to be some sort of sick maze game. It seems to be a game of luck. If he can somehow go down the right paths, he’ll make it out. He wishes that one guy, Jongdae, would show up again. He’s not sure he can make it out alone.
Kyungsoo reaches a crossing eventually, and he stares down three darkened paths in front of him. Biting his lip, he chooses the one directly ahead. Once he makes it a few feet into the new pathway, a force field closes it up behind, saying you can’t go back. He doesn’t remember that happening before, but he was probably too occupied with running away from that wolf to notice.
Speaking of wolves, a chorus of howls rings through the maze, echoing off the walls. Kyungsoo freezes in place, his heart palpitating as he realizes with a cold sweat that the sound is approaching him. He doesn’t even bother to wait and look; he starts to fucking run for his life. It’s stupid, but Kyungsoo pays no attention to where he’s going. He makes random turns and twists, just wanting to get as far away from the wolves as possible.
Why are there more of them? He risks a glance back and counts at least four gaining on him with their silvery white fur and glowing yellow eyes, bounding after him with growls and mild roars. Kyungsoo’s stamina is shit, but he sure as hell isn’t becoming a chew toy in this weird dream. His feet pound achingly against the dirt ground and his lungs ache as he seems to be running for hours, terrified to his bones that the wolves are catching up.
It’s when he’s crossing another four-way split that someone comes sprinting out from the path to his left. Kyungsoo feels himself being shoved before he can even help it, and he topples over, sliding across the dirt. His eyes only catch black shoes dashing away, and when he realizes what has happened, Kyungsoo sits up and scrambles to hide behind the wall when he feels the thundering sounds of paws clawing at the ground meters behind him. Hiding as fast as possible, he clenches his eyes shut, and his heart nearly pounds out of his chest as the wolves grow closer. Pressing a palm to his mouth, Kyungsoo attempts to quiet his own frantic breathing, terrified. He curses whoever pushed him and hopes that they’ll chase after that douchebag instead.
His hopes seem to be heard as he hears the barking and howling pack of huge wolves pass right by him and straight after the culprit who ran away. Kyungsoo opens his eyes to catch just a glimpse of the last silvery tail disappearing into the fog. He stays still for a moment, unbelieving his luck, before standing up cautiously, looking around for any sign of another wolf approaching in the shadow. But there’s nothing.
Kyungsoo gives a small celebratory grin, though the journey seems far from over, and starts down the path ahead of him, making sure to power walk, just in case another murderous wolf starts to chase after him. Eventually, he starts to see a light being emitted from several meters away.
“The exit?” he mumbles to himself, walking faster and towards the light. He stretches out his hand when it becomes blinding, and then fully shields his eyes when it’s so bright that it stings. It feels as though the atmosphere changes, and the air becomes colder around him, voices start to appear around him, like he just stepped into busy, bustling office. The light fades slowly, and Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open when he thinks it’s safe to look.
The scenery around him has changed completely. No more are the enclosing walls of the maze - well. There’s still endless walls, but Kyungsoo is in a much larger open space, like a hexagonal-shaped common area with the same dirt that covers the ground of the maze. He gazes around in wonder as there are many other men here, some dressed in the same tailored white suit as Kyungsoo or in the black one that Jongdae was in. He’s surprised that this many people are stuck in this maze as well. No one pays him any mind, all forming small groups and chatting or a few lone men sitting alone and shaking, wide-eyed. Kyungsoo bets that they’ve seen some shit, like that man that died the other night, being torn apart by that wolf.
“Hey! It’s you!” A familiar voice startles him from his right, and Kyungsoo turns to see Jongdae, the man who led him around in his last dream, dressed in that same black suit with the bedazzled shoulders. He grins at him, his smile cat-like. “I see you made it out of the test round of the night.”
“Test round?” Kyungsoo furrows his brows. “I still don’t even understand what this is! Where are we?”
Jongdae shrugs. “No one really knows where we are. We just know that if we don’t run or pick the wrong route, we die. Every night we come back to this place, whether we want to or not. There’s not much I can tell you. As for the test round, obviously this isn’t the end of the night.” He points across the large area to the other side, and Kyungsoo cranes his neck to see a large hexagonal-shaped (seriously, what’s with the hexagons) carving in the stone wall, with winding lines that meet in a maze-like pattern. “That’s the door to the final stage of the night. Something bad is waiting for you there, something worse than wolves. It’s different for everyone. If you manage to survive that, well, you live to see another day, my friend.”
Kyungsoo gulps, hands gripping the hem of his suit jacket. He doesn’t want to think about what could be worse than a pack of raging, huge wolves with sharp teeth and glowing eyes. “Why are we here then?”
“People are saying someone sent us here.” A tall man with sharply-shaped features, black hair, and a thin stature moves to stand beside Jongdae, dressed in a white suit like Kyungsoo. “Someone who wants revenge against us individually.”
“Where did you hear that, Sehun?” Jongdae asks, looking a bit worried.
“Several guys have been talking about it, but I can’t think of anyone who would want revenge against me, except maybe my ex,” Sehun purses his thin lips.
“Shit, fuck,” Jongdae curses, a hand moving to run a hand through his hair in a stressed manner. “I shouldn’t...I knew I shouldn’t have accepted his advances. My wife’s gonna kill me if she finds out.” Sehun looks at the shorter man in concern.
“Are you okay, Jongdae?” he asks, and the other man sighs.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna head out. You guys better get going too,” Jongdae quirks a small smile. “Stay alive, okay? Don’t stop running no matter what happens. Since you’re a newbie, it’ll probably freak you out at first…” He trails off, not knowing Kyungsoo’s name.
“Kyungsoo,” he supplies.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae gives a nod before turning around and heading off. Sehun shoots him a smile as well before following after the other man. Kyungsoo stands quietly and his eyes follow them to the other side of the clearing, watching them approach the wall and seeing the maze-like carving part into doors leading to a dark space. The doors close behind them, and he bites his hip, nervous.
He just escaped death narrowly, and now he has to jump right back into it, along with the nagging thought that someone sent him here. He can’t think of anyone who would want revenge against him, to his knowledge. Kyungsoo’s tried his best to life an honest, healthy life, and he doesn’t plan on ruining that streak anytime soon.
With a sigh, he starts towards the large doors, limbs tensing as he approaches the wall. The doors part as he nears it with the sound of the scraping of stone against stone. He doesn’t hesitate before stepping into the darkness, a bit frightened of the pitch black once the large doors close behind him, leaving him trapped.
It’s silent for a moment, and Kyungsoo nearly takes another step before a laugh echoes around him and makes his heart flutter in fear. There’s a click from somewhere around him, and suddenly a light illuminates the space, showcasing a small room with charcoal walls and tiled floor. In front of him is a silver chair and a stainless steel table with a mirrored surface, and sitting in a chair just beyond that table is a pretty man, copper hair styled up and angelic but mischievous features. He’s wearing a white suit similar to Kyungsoo, only with gold embellishments rather than silver. His hands lie on the table in a welcoming gesture.
“Please, sit,” the stranger smiles slyly, and Kyungsoo cautiously does as told, sitting down in the silver chair.
“Who are you?” is the first thing that spills from his lips naturally.
“I go by many names, but you can call me Luhan,” he replies, smile never leaving his face. “I’m here to guide you to the last stage of the night.”
“Guide me?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widen before his eyebrows furrow in building anger. “Were you the one who put us here, then?”
A series of giggles escape Luhan, making Kyungsoo’s frown deepen. “No, of course not!” his laughs swiftly stop, replaced by that same smile, and Luhan leans forward. “Someone you know put you here. Someone who wants you dead.”
Those words send a chill through Kyungsoo, and his hands ball into fists on his thighs. It was just like Sehun was saying, and Jongdae was fearing. But who? He would ask, but he has a feeling that Luhan wouldn’t tell him. “Just...just let me go already,” Kyungsoo demands, wanting to get out of this room as soon as possible.
“So impatient,” Luhan rolls his eyes, sitting back in his chair. “Fine. I’ll let you go, but how about we answer a question first?”
“What is it?”
“It’s quite simple really. Tell me, is marriage when life ends or begins?” Luhan props his head up with his palm, elbow on the table as if interested in what Kyungsoo’s reply to such a bold question will be.
Kyungsoo stills, not expecting such a straightforward question, especially one that hit so close to home. He gulps, staring down at his lap. He’s not even sure what this question is for or why he has to answer it, but he’s not taking any chances with lying. Opening his mouth, he says his honest opinion, fingers trembling as he speaks the truth from deep within his heart.
Luhan’s smile widens. “So that’s your answer, huh?”
The light in the room flickers out.
Kyungsoo picks himself up off of the dirt ground for the third time, gazing up at the familiar scenery and walls of the maze. Standing up, he whirls around to look behind him, surprised to see nothing but the awaiting, pulsing force field as usual. He remembers Jongdae’s words of there being something other than wolves waiting for him, and fear builds in his chest. He knows now that the moment he walks away, something is coming after him.
Before he can turn and run, however, the force field dissipates in a flash, and Kyungsoo freezes in response, taking a step back. In the darkness, it’s silent, but not for long at all. A guttural revving sound echoes from a small distance away, and Kyungsoo recognizes it as the chilling sound of achainsaw.
“Kyungsoo…” An eerie but familiar voice sends shivers down his spine as the sound of staggered footsteps approaches.
“S-Soojung?” he takes another step back as a figure finally reveals itself from the fogged dark shadows.
Dressed in a mangled wedding dress and wielding a raised, running and rusted chainsaw is a terrifying version of his girlfriend. Her hair is a matted mess, and her makeup is smeared down her pale face. She almost looks dead, and Kyungsoo’s blood turns to ice.
“Why don’t you want to marry me?!” She screeches at the top of her lungs, eyes glinting with madness as she revs the chainsaw in her hands. Kyungsoo yelps as she starts forward, and he doesn’t hesitate before turning and starting to run, knowing there’s no way it’s really Soojung, even though it seems so real.
“Don’t run away from me, you bastard!” Soojung yells, following after him on quick legs. Kyungsoo is surprised as he glances behind him and sees her easily catching up. Somehow, she’s even faster than the pack of wolves.
As usual, he just runs in random directions, turning corners and hoping miraculously that he’ll be able to lose his pursuer, but Soojung shows no signs of slowing down. The woman continues to yell profanities at him, demanding that she’ll never let him leave. Even though Kyungsoo knows the real Soojung would never say or think these things, it still affects him, causing him to slow down without meaning to and allowing Soojung to catch up.
Gasping for breath, Kyungsoo tries to push himself to run at a rapid speed, his legs aching, but it seems futile. Soojung is catching up and the fear of having the serrated edge of that roaring chainsaw tearing through his flesh becomes closer to reality.
His one savior comes in the form of a bulky object he trips on in the middle of a path in the maze. Kyungsoo stumbles to the ground, landing on his elbows harshly enough to bruise. With a frightened expression as he realizes what has happened and tries to get up, shoes slipping on the dirt as he turns and finds Soojung right in front of him, chainsaw raised with a deranged look.
“I won’t let you escape, Kyungsoo,” she says hauntingly.
Hardly even thinking about it and relying on simple fight-or-flight response, he reaches down for the object he tripped on, a black box, and hurls it at the deadly version of his long-time girlfriend. The box shatters upon collision with her chest, releasing the dirt that was trapped within it. But it seems to burn like acid as the woman shrieks and smoke rises from where it touches her skin. Kyungsoo isn’t sure what’s happening, nor what that box even is, but he takes it as a valuable distraction and scrambles up, running away as fast as he can.
He hears Soojung’s anguished cry as she realizes he is once again running, but it’s futile as moments later the path bleeds into a wide clearing. Kyungsoo stops in the middle of it, scared that he’s reached a dead end, but when he turns around, Soojung is trapped behind a force field, pounding on it and crying out for him.
No, he’s made it.
Turning his back to her, Kyungsoo faces doors just like the ones he walked through to meet Luhan. They part for him, emitting a bright, heavenly light that illuminates the dark maze. Clenching his fists in silent victory, Kyungsoo is utterly relieved as he walks through the doors. He lives to see another day.
Part 3
rating: nc-17
summary: Kyungsoo becomes entangled in an incubus's maze.
warnings: smut (top!jongin), infidelity, catherine!au, incubus!au, overdose!au
Three beers and two hours later, his friends leave for the night, but Kyungsoo doesn’t want to go home. He’s still wallowing in his self-pity and worry as Chanyeol pats his back and leaves with Minseok and Baekhyun. Honestly, it’s late into the early morning, and he should be leaving too, considering he’s nearing his drinking limit. But instead, Kyungsoo raises his hand and brazenly asks Taeyeon to bring him another beer. The waitress throws him a worried look, but she does as asked.
He’s lounging against the table when Taeyeon sets his beer down, and he sits up to take a large gulp, his cheeks flushed and eyes glazed at this point. His phone chimes in his pocket, the ringtone for specifically Soojung’s texts, but he doesn’t check it. She’ll probably mention the whole marriage thing again.
The bell on the door chimes, and he hears Yifan greet someone and a deep, husky voice reply to him. Kyungsoo toys with the idea of finally heading home for the night. He can probably make the walk there even in his drunken state. Yet, before he can even stand up, someone approaches his table. Kyungsoo blinks slowly and his eyes follow long legs covered in black jeans, ripped at the knees, a lithe waist, and a shapely torso covered in a black, form-fitting sweater, rolled up to his elbows and tucked into his jeans. The young man had bronze skin, a face belonging to a model, and shockingly white hair styled up.
“Is this seat taken?” he asks in a smooth voice with a blinding white smile. Dumbly, Kyungsoo nods, his voice caught in his throat for some reason. Staring at this man feels like staring at the sun; he feels himself growing dizzy and feels his cheeks growing warmer.
The stranger chuckles and takes a seat across from him as gracefully as Kyungsoo’s ever seen. “You looked lonely.”
His heart is pounding in his chest when his eyes snap open, and instantly Kyungsoo somehow knows where he is. His hands push himself up from the dirt. Kyungsoo gazes around, and it confirms his suspicions. It’s the same foggy, dark atmosphere, the same never ending walls, and the same white suit. Why is he here again? Is it the same dream?
Cautiously, he gets to his feet. Remembering the large wolf from before, Kyungsoo knows he should be careful. He definitely doesn’t want to end up beneath its paws this time.
He starts to walk to the only open direction as that same pulsing force field is blocking the other way. Kyungsoo glances back every few seconds to make sure it’s still there. He doesn’t want something to sneak up on him. Based on his experience last time, Kyungsoo figures this to be some sort of sick maze game. It seems to be a game of luck. If he can somehow go down the right paths, he’ll make it out. He wishes that one guy, Jongdae, would show up again. He’s not sure he can make it out alone.
Kyungsoo reaches a crossing eventually, and he stares down three darkened paths in front of him. Biting his lip, he chooses the one directly ahead. Once he makes it a few feet into the new pathway, a force field closes it up behind, saying you can’t go back. He doesn’t remember that happening before, but he was probably too occupied with running away from that wolf to notice.
Speaking of wolves, a chorus of howls rings through the maze, echoing off the walls. Kyungsoo freezes in place, his heart palpitating as he realizes with a cold sweat that the sound is approaching him. He doesn’t even bother to wait and look; he starts to fucking run for his life. It’s stupid, but Kyungsoo pays no attention to where he’s going. He makes random turns and twists, just wanting to get as far away from the wolves as possible.
Why are there more of them? He risks a glance back and counts at least four gaining on him with their silvery white fur and glowing yellow eyes, bounding after him with growls and mild roars. Kyungsoo’s stamina is shit, but he sure as hell isn’t becoming a chew toy in this weird dream. His feet pound achingly against the dirt ground and his lungs ache as he seems to be running for hours, terrified to his bones that the wolves are catching up.
It’s when he’s crossing another four-way split that someone comes sprinting out from the path to his left. Kyungsoo feels himself being shoved before he can even help it, and he topples over, sliding across the dirt. His eyes only catch black shoes dashing away, and when he realizes what has happened, Kyungsoo sits up and scrambles to hide behind the wall when he feels the thundering sounds of paws clawing at the ground meters behind him. Hiding as fast as possible, he clenches his eyes shut, and his heart nearly pounds out of his chest as the wolves grow closer. Pressing a palm to his mouth, Kyungsoo attempts to quiet his own frantic breathing, terrified. He curses whoever pushed him and hopes that they’ll chase after that douchebag instead.
His hopes seem to be heard as he hears the barking and howling pack of huge wolves pass right by him and straight after the culprit who ran away. Kyungsoo opens his eyes to catch just a glimpse of the last silvery tail disappearing into the fog. He stays still for a moment, unbelieving his luck, before standing up cautiously, looking around for any sign of another wolf approaching in the shadow. But there’s nothing.
Kyungsoo gives a small celebratory grin, though the journey seems far from over, and starts down the path ahead of him, making sure to power walk, just in case another murderous wolf starts to chase after him. Eventually, he starts to see a light being emitted from several meters away.
“The exit?” he mumbles to himself, walking faster and towards the light. He stretches out his hand when it becomes blinding, and then fully shields his eyes when it’s so bright that it stings. It feels as though the atmosphere changes, and the air becomes colder around him, voices start to appear around him, like he just stepped into busy, bustling office. The light fades slowly, and Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open when he thinks it’s safe to look.
The scenery around him has changed completely. No more are the enclosing walls of the maze - well. There’s still endless walls, but Kyungsoo is in a much larger open space, like a hexagonal-shaped common area with the same dirt that covers the ground of the maze. He gazes around in wonder as there are many other men here, some dressed in the same tailored white suit as Kyungsoo or in the black one that Jongdae was in. He’s surprised that this many people are stuck in this maze as well. No one pays him any mind, all forming small groups and chatting or a few lone men sitting alone and shaking, wide-eyed. Kyungsoo bets that they’ve seen some shit, like that man that died the other night, being torn apart by that wolf.
“Hey! It’s you!” A familiar voice startles him from his right, and Kyungsoo turns to see Jongdae, the man who led him around in his last dream, dressed in that same black suit with the bedazzled shoulders. He grins at him, his smile cat-like. “I see you made it out of the test round of the night.”
“Test round?” Kyungsoo furrows his brows. “I still don’t even understand what this is! Where are we?”
Jongdae shrugs. “No one really knows where we are. We just know that if we don’t run or pick the wrong route, we die. Every night we come back to this place, whether we want to or not. There’s not much I can tell you. As for the test round, obviously this isn’t the end of the night.” He points across the large area to the other side, and Kyungsoo cranes his neck to see a large hexagonal-shaped (seriously, what’s with the hexagons) carving in the stone wall, with winding lines that meet in a maze-like pattern. “That’s the door to the final stage of the night. Something bad is waiting for you there, something worse than wolves. It’s different for everyone. If you manage to survive that, well, you live to see another day, my friend.”
Kyungsoo gulps, hands gripping the hem of his suit jacket. He doesn’t want to think about what could be worse than a pack of raging, huge wolves with sharp teeth and glowing eyes. “Why are we here then?”
“People are saying someone sent us here.” A tall man with sharply-shaped features, black hair, and a thin stature moves to stand beside Jongdae, dressed in a white suit like Kyungsoo. “Someone who wants revenge against us individually.”
“Where did you hear that, Sehun?” Jongdae asks, looking a bit worried.
“Several guys have been talking about it, but I can’t think of anyone who would want revenge against me, except maybe my ex,” Sehun purses his thin lips.
“Shit, fuck,” Jongdae curses, a hand moving to run a hand through his hair in a stressed manner. “I shouldn’t...I knew I shouldn’t have accepted his advances. My wife’s gonna kill me if she finds out.” Sehun looks at the shorter man in concern.
“Are you okay, Jongdae?” he asks, and the other man sighs.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna head out. You guys better get going too,” Jongdae quirks a small smile. “Stay alive, okay? Don’t stop running no matter what happens. Since you’re a newbie, it’ll probably freak you out at first…” He trails off, not knowing Kyungsoo’s name.
“Kyungsoo,” he supplies.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae gives a nod before turning around and heading off. Sehun shoots him a smile as well before following after the other man. Kyungsoo stands quietly and his eyes follow them to the other side of the clearing, watching them approach the wall and seeing the maze-like carving part into doors leading to a dark space. The doors close behind them, and he bites his hip, nervous.
He just escaped death narrowly, and now he has to jump right back into it, along with the nagging thought that someone sent him here. He can’t think of anyone who would want revenge against him, to his knowledge. Kyungsoo’s tried his best to life an honest, healthy life, and he doesn’t plan on ruining that streak anytime soon.
With a sigh, he starts towards the large doors, limbs tensing as he approaches the wall. The doors part as he nears it with the sound of the scraping of stone against stone. He doesn’t hesitate before stepping into the darkness, a bit frightened of the pitch black once the large doors close behind him, leaving him trapped.
It’s silent for a moment, and Kyungsoo nearly takes another step before a laugh echoes around him and makes his heart flutter in fear. There’s a click from somewhere around him, and suddenly a light illuminates the space, showcasing a small room with charcoal walls and tiled floor. In front of him is a silver chair and a stainless steel table with a mirrored surface, and sitting in a chair just beyond that table is a pretty man, copper hair styled up and angelic but mischievous features. He’s wearing a white suit similar to Kyungsoo, only with gold embellishments rather than silver. His hands lie on the table in a welcoming gesture.
“Please, sit,” the stranger smiles slyly, and Kyungsoo cautiously does as told, sitting down in the silver chair.
“Who are you?” is the first thing that spills from his lips naturally.
“I go by many names, but you can call me Luhan,” he replies, smile never leaving his face. “I’m here to guide you to the last stage of the night.”
“Guide me?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widen before his eyebrows furrow in building anger. “Were you the one who put us here, then?”
A series of giggles escape Luhan, making Kyungsoo’s frown deepen. “No, of course not!” his laughs swiftly stop, replaced by that same smile, and Luhan leans forward. “Someone you know put you here. Someone who wants you dead.”
Those words send a chill through Kyungsoo, and his hands ball into fists on his thighs. It was just like Sehun was saying, and Jongdae was fearing. But who? He would ask, but he has a feeling that Luhan wouldn’t tell him. “Just...just let me go already,” Kyungsoo demands, wanting to get out of this room as soon as possible.
“So impatient,” Luhan rolls his eyes, sitting back in his chair. “Fine. I’ll let you go, but how about we answer a question first?”
“What is it?”
“It’s quite simple really. Tell me, is marriage when life ends or begins?” Luhan props his head up with his palm, elbow on the table as if interested in what Kyungsoo’s reply to such a bold question will be.
Kyungsoo stills, not expecting such a straightforward question, especially one that hit so close to home. He gulps, staring down at his lap. He’s not even sure what this question is for or why he has to answer it, but he’s not taking any chances with lying. Opening his mouth, he says his honest opinion, fingers trembling as he speaks the truth from deep within his heart.
Luhan’s smile widens. “So that’s your answer, huh?”
The light in the room flickers out.
Kyungsoo picks himself up off of the dirt ground for the third time, gazing up at the familiar scenery and walls of the maze. Standing up, he whirls around to look behind him, surprised to see nothing but the awaiting, pulsing force field as usual. He remembers Jongdae’s words of there being something other than wolves waiting for him, and fear builds in his chest. He knows now that the moment he walks away, something is coming after him.
Before he can turn and run, however, the force field dissipates in a flash, and Kyungsoo freezes in response, taking a step back. In the darkness, it’s silent, but not for long at all. A guttural revving sound echoes from a small distance away, and Kyungsoo recognizes it as the chilling sound of achainsaw.
“Kyungsoo…” An eerie but familiar voice sends shivers down his spine as the sound of staggered footsteps approaches.
“S-Soojung?” he takes another step back as a figure finally reveals itself from the fogged dark shadows.
Dressed in a mangled wedding dress and wielding a raised, running and rusted chainsaw is a terrifying version of his girlfriend. Her hair is a matted mess, and her makeup is smeared down her pale face. She almost looks dead, and Kyungsoo’s blood turns to ice.
“Why don’t you want to marry me?!” She screeches at the top of her lungs, eyes glinting with madness as she revs the chainsaw in her hands. Kyungsoo yelps as she starts forward, and he doesn’t hesitate before turning and starting to run, knowing there’s no way it’s really Soojung, even though it seems so real.
“Don’t run away from me, you bastard!” Soojung yells, following after him on quick legs. Kyungsoo is surprised as he glances behind him and sees her easily catching up. Somehow, she’s even faster than the pack of wolves.
As usual, he just runs in random directions, turning corners and hoping miraculously that he’ll be able to lose his pursuer, but Soojung shows no signs of slowing down. The woman continues to yell profanities at him, demanding that she’ll never let him leave. Even though Kyungsoo knows the real Soojung would never say or think these things, it still affects him, causing him to slow down without meaning to and allowing Soojung to catch up.
Gasping for breath, Kyungsoo tries to push himself to run at a rapid speed, his legs aching, but it seems futile. Soojung is catching up and the fear of having the serrated edge of that roaring chainsaw tearing through his flesh becomes closer to reality.
His one savior comes in the form of a bulky object he trips on in the middle of a path in the maze. Kyungsoo stumbles to the ground, landing on his elbows harshly enough to bruise. With a frightened expression as he realizes what has happened and tries to get up, shoes slipping on the dirt as he turns and finds Soojung right in front of him, chainsaw raised with a deranged look.
“I won’t let you escape, Kyungsoo,” she says hauntingly.
Hardly even thinking about it and relying on simple fight-or-flight response, he reaches down for the object he tripped on, a black box, and hurls it at the deadly version of his long-time girlfriend. The box shatters upon collision with her chest, releasing the dirt that was trapped within it. But it seems to burn like acid as the woman shrieks and smoke rises from where it touches her skin. Kyungsoo isn’t sure what’s happening, nor what that box even is, but he takes it as a valuable distraction and scrambles up, running away as fast as he can.
He hears Soojung’s anguished cry as she realizes he is once again running, but it’s futile as moments later the path bleeds into a wide clearing. Kyungsoo stops in the middle of it, scared that he’s reached a dead end, but when he turns around, Soojung is trapped behind a force field, pounding on it and crying out for him.
No, he’s made it.
Turning his back to her, Kyungsoo faces doors just like the ones he walked through to meet Luhan. They part for him, emitting a bright, heavenly light that illuminates the dark maze. Clenching his fists in silent victory, Kyungsoo is utterly relieved as he walks through the doors. He lives to see another day.
Part 3