DOPPELGÄNGER
Title: DoppelgängerAuthor: qrn
Character: OT6
Rating: PG
Summary: The myth says that if a person ever happens to meet their doppelgänger, they'll die.
Author's Notes: You read it right, folks--I'm BACK on LJ (with a super long story)!!!! ^^ I can't believe it's been a good 3 months since Prisoners, & 2 months since my last one-shot fic. Have been coping with so many things lately (mainly Uni stuff), so I'm SO SORRY for not having posted anything in such a long time. To tell you the truth, I had started this fic a few days after Möbius, but I stopped writing because of Uni & Japan >.< Then I felt the urge to write angst as I was watching JYJ's In Heaven MV yesterday (yes, yes, we all know that it's super duper depressing), and I remembered that I'd left this story unfinished! Anyway, those who know my love for mystery & twist endings can probably figure out the ending halfway ;) Feedbacks & comments are welcome, as always. Enjoy!
The last person, Dongwoon, shone the flashlight on his own face, speaking in a low raspy voice, “Have you ever heard of something called…”
The other five figures in the circle huddled close to each other.
“…a doppelgänger?”
Junhyung looked as if someone just told him that he was banned from drinking Coke for the rest of his life. “A what?”
Kikwang pulled the blanket to cover his freezing feet. “Can someone please turn off the air conditioner?”
“Shush, maknae is telling a story!” Doojoon held up a finger to his lips. Yoseob, who was sitting next to him, had been clinging to his arm for the past hour and not letting go.
Hyunseung rolled his eyes. It was their Friday night ritual: Horror Stories Session. He never quite understood why they insisted to do it every week, because someone would always end up being too scared to sleep alone; and by that someone, he meant either Yoseob or Kikwang… or both.
“Do… dopping-what?” Junhyung asked.
“Is that a name of a food?” Yoseob tilted his head.
Clearly, the word was foreign to them.
“No, it’s not food,” Dongwoon said with a frown. “They say that everyone has an exact double-sometimes two-living somewhere on the other side of the world. That exact double is like our carbon copy. They look like us, walk like us, talk like us. There’s a myth going around that says if we ever happen to meet them…” He paused for a dramatic effect. “…we’ll die!”
Yoseob and Kikwang winced.
Junhyung scoffed. “It’s just a myth! Those dop… doper… do…” Realizing that the others were looking at him weirdly, he cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment. “Those things aren’t real.”
“So… I’ll die if I see someone who looks like me?” Yoseob’s eyes widened.
Junhyung frowned. “It’s not real, Yoseob-ah.”
“But what if-”
“Even if it is, think about it.” Junhyung sighed. “There are like 7 billion people in the world. What are the odds of seeing your twin? He may not even be living in South Korea.”
The blonde shook his head. “But-”
“Apparently doppelgangers are evil, too,” Dongwoon added. “Another version of the myth states that they will stalk us until we die.”
“Jesus, that’s creepy,” Kikwang interrupted, shivering. “I think I’m dying now.” He lifted his head up to look at the air conditioner. “13 DEGREES?” He jumped up to grab the remote. “Why am I the only one who’s normal here?” he asked, looking at the others, who didn’t seem to feel cold.
“You do realize that you’re the only one wearing shorts,” Doojoon pointed out. “And the rest of us are wearing pajamas.” Kikwang didn’t talk back because he knew the tall guy was right.
“And then?” Hyunseung turned his attention back to Dongwoon.
The maknae was quiet for a moment, then shrugged. “Well… that’s it, actually.” The others gave him an incredulous look.
Doojoon threw a pillow at him. “What the hell? That’s not scary!”
“It wasn’t even a proper story.” Hyunseung walked to his own bed and slipped underneath the covers. “See you guys in the morning.”
“At least it’s still better than Junhyung’s story about the walking skeleton.” Yoseob cringed, trying not to remember it. “Can I turn on the lights?”
“But we’re going to sleep now,” Doojoon argued.
“I need to go to the toilet,” the blonde said with a sheepish grin. “Can someone come with me?” He looked at the others expectantly.
I did it, Dongwoon grinned to himself as he played around with his iPhone while waiting outside the bathroom. Yoseob-hyung was scared.
Last Friday, the six friends went summer camping in the countryside. Doojoon suggested they do a test of courage for the night; they had to go inside a rundown cottage near their campsite and place a marble in the bathroom (which was rumored to be haunted). When it was Dongwoon’s turn (last), Yoseob decided to lock the front door of the house so the maknae couldn’t get out. Although they laughed it off afterwards, Dongwoon thought he should get Yoseob back for scaring him like that.
But the story wasn’t scary enough.
An idea suddenly popped into Dongwoon’s head. Smiling, he pressed the bathroom lights switch next to him on the wall. As expected, there was a loud scream from the bathroom. The door opened suddenly and Yoseob rushed out, bits of toothpaste visible on his mouth.
“Sorry, hyung,” Dongwoon said, holding in his laughter.
The blonde gripped the maknae’s arm. “How mean! I thought there was a-”
“What happened?” The other three (minus Hyunseung, who was probably asleep already) appeared behind them.
“Dongwoon was being a jerk!” Yoseob paused, wiping his mouth. “He suddenly turned off the lights when I was inside!”
Kikwang rubbed his eyes sleepily. “And you woke us up because of that?”
“But that wasn’t why I screamed!” Yoseob frowned. “I thought someone tapped my shoulder from behind while I was brushing my teeth…”
The other four exchanged looks. Here he goes again, Doojoon thought.
Junhyung seemed pissed. “Yoseob-ah,” he said with a sigh. “You were probably too scared of the dark that you were imagining things.”
“No, I wasn’t imagining it!” The blonde protested. “Someone did-”
“No one else was with you in there,” Junhyung said with a warning tone. “Go sleep now.”
With that, they all headed to the bedroom. Dongwoon took a quick glance at Yoseob, who seemed genuinely scared.
Doppelgangers don’t exist, so Yoseob-hyung shouldn’t need to worry about anything.
---
“Where did you two go to?” Junhyung asked.
“The movies,” Hyunseung replied. “Someone was too scared to watch Insidious, so we went with Beastly. It was awful.” He shot Yoseob an angry look.
“But the trailer was good,” the blonde argued.
“Trailers are supposed to make movies look good.”
“Anyway, dinner is on the table if you’re still hungry,” Junhyung said as he walked off into the bedroom.
“I need to wash my feet.” Yoseob grabbed Hyunseung’s hand.
The older boy shook his head. A week had passed, but Yoseob was still afraid to go to the bathroom by himself. Sometimes, he would mention about the incident again and the others were starting to consider whether they should stop the Horror Stories Session completely or not.
As he was watching a cooking program on the TV, Dongwoon could hear Yoseob exit the bathroom a few minutes later and walking upstairs. Suddenly there was a loud cry-the next thing he knew, Yoseob was lying on the bottom of the steps.
“Yoseob-ah!” They could hear Hyunseung’s surprised voice.
Dongwoon ran towards Yoseob, with Doojoon following behind him. Junhyung popped his head out of the bedroom, and was shocked when he saw what happened.
“Are you okay?” Doojoon knelt down.
“I-” Yoseob was shaking, his hand gripping Doojoon's tightly.
"Are you hurt?" Junhyung asked, looking out for any bruises or traces of blood.
The other three watched silently as Doojoon lifted the blonde up and carried him into the bedroom upstairs, with Junhyung following behind.
"I hope he's okay," Kikwang mumbled, his voice slightly quivering.
"He must've slipped," Hyunseung spoke up. "He must've not dried his feet properly after walking out of the bathroom."
---
The next night was like any other night they spent at home: Kikwang was busy with his new Nintendo DS, Junhyung and Doojoon were discussing about some life issue, Hyunseung was watching TV, and Dongwoon was eating. Everything was happening normally, until they heard another scream.
The five rushed to the bedroom, almost automatically--and found him lying on the bed, facing the ceiling.
"Yoseob!" Doojoon shook him frantically. "Yoseob, wake up!"
"Quick, someone call an ambulance!" Hyunseung yelled.
"This can't be..." Junhyung left his sentence unfinished. When the body didn't show any signs of movement, they faced the frightening reality: Yoseob was dead.
Dongwoon couldn't believe his eyes. No way. He stared, stunned by the fearful expression on Yoseob's pale face--as if he saw something very eerie moments before his death. What did he see? Dongwoon turned to the open curtains, revealing darkness outside the glass window.
"No!" Kikwang cried. "No!"
Could it be...? Then it hit him.
"Yoseob..." Doojoon choked.
The maknae didn't say anything while the other four weeped at their friend's sudden death. Hyung, you idiot, he told himself. How could you have mistaken your own reflection to be your doppelgänger?
---
What should I do?
The guilt began to burden Dongwoon; as much as he tried to forget it, he couldn't help blaming himself. It was my idea to scare him like that. He didn't even pay attention as the Pastor was reading the Scriptures. Silently, he looked at Yoseob's parents, who were standing by the coffin and crying.
"Yoseob-ah!" Mrs. Yang was sobbing, leaning on her husband's shoulder. "How did this happen?"
I just wanted to pay him back for the stupid joke he pulled on me, Dongwoon shook his head. I didn't mean for it to end like this.
There were many people who came to the funeral service; Yoseob's junior at high school, Daniel Choi, was the first guest to arrive. His eyes were red, as if he'd been crying the whole night right after they informed him of Yoseob's death.
It was my fault.
Next to him were Junhyung and Hyunseung, talking quietly to each other. In the distance he could see Doojoon and Kikwang were consolling a few girls, who were clearly upset.
What should I do?
---
As the days went by, it became harder for everyone to get used to not having Yoseob around. The five of them started to communicate less with each other, and Dongwoon began blaming himself again.
"Dongwoon-ah." Kikwang entered the living room.
"Yes, hyung?" The burgundy-haired boy looked up slowly.
"Mind if I join you?" The older guy popped down next to him on the sofa. "What are you watching?"
Dongwoon shrugged, handing him the remote willingly. "I don't know... some random show I found while flickering through the channels."
Kikwang himself didn't seem to be focused on the TV. "I miss... Yoseob." It was as if it hurt just to say the name.
Dongwoon felt a pang in his chest. "...Yeah."
The two shared an awkward silence for a moment before Kikwang's face suddenly turning serious. "Did you hear about it?"
"About what?"
"Remember when Yoseob fell down the stairs?"
"...Yeah."
"Doojoon told me there was a hand mark around Yoseob's ankle."
The maknae swallowed. "W-What?"
"It seemed as if someone was gripping him by the ankle as he was walking upstairs."
That can't be.
"Before the funeral, I heard from the people at the hospital that..." Kikwang paused, as if afraid to say the words.
"What?" Dongwoon was feeling more anxious. "What, hyung?"
"That..." The older guy looked at him, his eyes filled with fear. "The fingerprints matched Yoseob's."
It means...
As if reading his mind, Kikwang continued, "Could it be that Yoseob's doppelgänger pulled him down the stairs?"
Dongwoon felt a chill running down his spine.
"Dongwoon-ah," Kikwang said, his lower lip trembling, "Doppelgängers... they must be real, like your story." His eyes widened in tension. "They're real, aren't they?"
Dongwoon refused to hear anymore.
"Do you think Yoseob saw it before he di--" Before Kikwang could finish his sentence, the maknae stood up in an instant.
"I-I have to go." Without another word, he rushed outside, slamming the door on the way.
This is ridiculous. Dongwoon tightened his fists until the knuckles whitened. Doppelgängers can't be real! He had been walking around aimlessly for the past hour, trying to shrug off Kikwang's words, but he couldn't. It was just a stupid story I read in some magazine. He remembered Yoseob's words after the incident in the bathroom.
"I thought someone tapped my shoulder from behind while I was brushing my teeth…"
"No," Dongwoon kicked a small rock in frustration. "There was no one!"
"No, I wasn’t imagining it!"
"There couldn't have been."
But how do you explain the hand mark on his ankle?
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around in panic, his eyes widened in relief when he saw that it was only Doojoon.
"What's wrong with you?" The older asked, confused. "Why were you so agitated?"
Dongwoon swallowed. "No-Nothing." That scared me. "What are you doing out here, hyung?"
"Just came back from the mall. Bought some stationeries." Doojoon held up a plastic bag. "What were you doing?"
The maknae coughed. "Just... just walking around."
"Oh," Doojoon frowned, as if in doubt. "Well, let's go home together. It's getting dark."
Dongwoon nodded; he had been too busy thinking that he didn't realize it was already evening. Maybe I should go home now, he thought, slightly feeling guilty towards Kikwang, whom he'd abandoned in the middle of a conversation. I have to apologise to him later for being so rude.
When they arrived at the house, he decided that he should be the first to take a shower.
"Don't take too long!" He could hear Junhyung's voice before he closed the bathroom door. "Don't waste water!"
The hyungs always take a long time in the bathroom, he thought as he turned on the hot water. I'm not the one wasting water here. While he enjoyed the shower, his mind suddenly drifted off again to the stairs incident. He remembered that after Yoseob fell, Doojoon and Junhyung took care of him.
But I didn't see any marks on his ankle.
He closed his eyes.
Doppelgängers...
After he finished, he turned off the tap and reached out to grab his towel. He opened his eyes, trying to see through the steam fog.
It was just a story, nothing more.
He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw words printed on the mirror: YOU KILLED ME.
And he screamed.
A few seconds later, he could hear knocking on the bathroom door. "Dongwoon-ah!"
It was as if someone used their finger to write the message.
"Dongwoon, are you okay?"
Someone...
"Dongwoon!"
Yoseob-hyung?
He quickly opened the door and found Hyunseung. "Hyung!" Behind him were the others, their faces in panic.
"What happened?" Hyunseung asked.
"Someone..."
Doojoon barged into the bathroom. "Someone did what?"
"There!" Dongwoon pointed to the mirror, his finger shaking.
Junhyung said, "There's nothing."
Dongwoon's eyes widened. "But just then--" He checked the mirror--the message was gone. "It can't be," he muttered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"What?" Kikwang asked anxiously. "What was on the mirror?"
"There was--" Dongwoon stopped. If I tell them, they'll think I'm crazy.
"Did you see something scary?" Kikwang asked.
"Don't try pull a Yoseob on us." Junhyung frowned.
Dongwoon gulped. "...Never mind." I know ghosts aren't real.
"You scared us." Hyunseung seemed worried.
The maknae bit his lip in guilt. "Sorry."
"By the way, put some clothes on," Doojoon said, shaking his head.
---
The message was never there, Dongwoon convinced himself again the next day. The fog must've been too thick that I was seeing things. He just got home after hanging out with his friends. "I'm home!" He saw Kikwang sitting at the dining table. "Hyung, where are the others?" he asked as he closed the front door and walked over to the kitchen.
"There you are!" The older guy stood up. "I thought you were out with Chulyong and Kibum!"
Dongwoon raised his eyebrows. "I was."
Kikwang shook his head. "But I saw you at the train station."
Huh?
"I was waiting with Hyosung-noona for her train, and I saw you standing alone at Platform 3 across us."
Dongwoon couldn't believe his ears. "...What?"
"I waved and called, but you walked off and disappeared among the crowd," Kikwang continued, sounding confused. "I thought you didn't see me."
What?
"I'm pretty sure it was you... " Kikwang frowned. "His hair was the same color and style as yours."
"But I was with Chulyong and Kibum the whole day!"
Kikwang's expression turned stiff. "...Really?"
"The three of us went to the park." Dongwoon was starting to get scared. "Then we had lunch at Myungsoo-hyung's chicken restaurant, and we stayed there until Chulyong asked us to help him choose a birthday present for Nana at the mall."
There was only silence as the two exchanged looks of terror.
"Hyung, it couldn't have been me," he said again in a firm tone. "I didn't go to the train station at all."
Kikwang looked at the checked shirt and jeans Dongwoon was wearing. "He... he was even wearing the same clothes as you."
It couldn't have been someone else.
"We're home!" Junhyung and Hyunseung entered. "Oh, the two of you are here."
Kikwang gulped. "H-Hey."
"I'll be in the bedroom," Dongwoon said quickly, and left.
"No!" He threw his bag on the wall in fear. "Those things don't exist!"
But then who did Kikwang-hyung see at the train station?
He laid on the bed, cold sweat forming on his forehead. "Did he make the story up?"
Kikwang-hyung wouldn't lie.
"What the fuck..." He let out a sigh as Kikwang's words began to run through his mind.
"His hair was the same color and style as yours."
"Get a grip of yourself."
"He was even wearing the same clothes as you."
Dongwoon could feel his heart beating very fast. "It was only a story."
It's someone's idea of a cruel, sick joke.
"Who the hell would..."
Someone probably wanted to avenge Yoseob-hyung's death.
"It's not funny," he whispered through clenched teeth, thinking of the mysterious message on the mirror.
I didn't mean to kill him.
As he turned his head towards the window, he could see a figure standing behind a tree.
Someone's there.
It was close to 5:00PM, but it was still quite bright outside. He sat up straight, leaning closer.
But who?
He opened the window to get a better look--and held his breath when he saw the figure looked exactly like him. "No--" He didn't finish his words as the figure smiled at him and disappeared.
---
"You're not eating much," Doojoon commented during next day's dinner.
Somehow, Dongwoon had no appetite for the delicious bibimbap. "Yeah," he replied.
"Are you okay?" Hyunseung asked. "Is Junhyung's cooking that bad?" The question earned him a glare from the said person.
"No, it's nice." Dongwoon gripped his chopsticks. "Really."
"You're not talking much either," Junhyung told Kikwang. "What's up with you two?" He sounded curious.
Dongwoon looked at the short black-haired guy, who was munching quietly.
He's thinking about it, too.
It was as if Kikwang was avoiding his gaze.
He's scared.
"So, you went to the mall, huh?" Doojoon asked. "What did you buy?"
Dongwoon looked up. "Just a pair of sunglasses. Hold on, I'll show you," he said, getting up from his seat. "Let me get them." He walked to the bedroom and found his bag next to the cupboard.
There it is.
He was rummaging through his bag when the light suddenly went out.
Power cut?
It was pitch-black.
I can't see anything.
While he was trying to locate a flashlight, it suddenly came across his mind that one of the guys could be pulling a prank on him. Standing up, he felt his fingers reach the doorknob--only to find it locked. He threw up his hands in exasperation.
For God's sake.
"Hyung, open the door!" He gripped the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. He clicked his tongue in agitation. "It's not funny, hyung!"
Whoever it is must be having a big laugh on the other side of the door.
"Doojoon-hyung! Junhyung-hyung!" he called. "Hyunseung-hyung, Kikwang-hyung!"
The door couldn't have locked on its own.
"This is going too far, hyung!" When he didn't get a reply, he started to feel uneasy.
No.
Then he began to realize that this was just like what he did to Yoseob on that night.
Yoseob-hyung had said that there was someone tapping him on the shoulder in the dark.
"Open the door!" He banged on the door louder, but it still wouldn't open.
I'm sorry!
A sudden tapping noise from the window made the hair on the back of Dongwoon's neck stand up. He turned around and saw a figure behind the window.
It's here!
He stared, speechless as the figure opened the window and climbed in.
Don't!
He wanted to scream, but his voice wouldn't come out.
Don't come near me!
The figure was creeping on the floor towards him. There was a smile on the face identical to his own.
Go away!
Dongwoon could only watch in fear.
It's real.
"NO!"
"What the fuck is going on?" Junhyung landed a punch on the wall. "First Yoseob, now Dongwoon?"
Doojoon stared solemnly at the people dressed in black without a word.
"This can't be happening," Hyunseung said with a sob.
They looked at the coffin, saying goodbye to their friend for the last time.
"Did you hear, Sohyun-ah?" Near the stairs, a girl whispering to her friend. "They found Dongwoon-oppa's body lying on the bedroom floor."
"Really?"
"And you know, they said when they found him his face was frozen in fear," she continued. "As if he saw something... apparently the window was open, too!"
"That's so scary!" The friend shuddered. "But how did he die?"
"Heart attack, just like Yoseob-oppa!"
The two cringed, shaking their heads in fright. They walked past Kikwang, who was leaning against the stair pillar.
What should I do?
His face was pale, and in his shaking hand was a cup of tea.
It was only meant to be a joke, he thought in horror. I didn't mean for it to end like this.
The myth says that if a person ever happens to meet their doppelgänger, they'll die.