Fanfic: Down the Rabbit Hole [6/7]
A/N: It's finished guys. I have the last chapter ready as well but I'll post it next week probably, I still wanna re-read and change some things too. Please don't kill me and wait for the last chapter.... then you have my my permission to do so x"D OTL (also dear readers - you know which ones of you - congratulations, next chapter's gonna be rated lol)
Down the Rabbit Hole [6/7]
"Ghosts seem harder to please than we are; it is as though they haunted for haunting’s sake -- much as we relive, brood, and smoulder over our pasts."
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Sungyeol's jar was empty. And so was Woohyun's, otherwise he could scrounge some of the happiness for himself. It was impossible to steal stored happiness but you could give your own to someone if you decided to. Woohyun probably wouldn't, but Sungyeol had his ways.
Depression didn't take him all the way down. Such a thing never happened to him before, maybe it was thanks to the joy that the new ability to talk to Sungjong and even touch him brought. He didn't land on the ground harshly, instead he floated above, looking surprised.
“Man you have some troublesome life behind,” commented Woohyun. He came down to check on him and Sungyeol briefly updated the story for him. “What are you going to do now though?”
“What do you mean what I'll do? Just what I did before,” answered Sungyeol naturally.
Shrugging his shoulders, Woohyun also responded casually: “Yeah, just stalk Sungjong like before. It doesn't really matter he can see you now, does it?”
Sungyeol frowned. There was no reason to change anything, this turn of events only made things better for him, for them.
“It won't do him any good if you stick around too long.”
He shooed Woohyun by waving his hand. “Mind your business. Why are you down here anyway?”
“Because my heart aches when I'm not with you~” Woohyun grinned widely, wrinkles forming around his lips. “And also because I've got a request.”
“If you could at least give me some happiness in exchange,” sighed Sungyeol.
Woohyun meant to remark that he'd give him all the happiness he needs, in a slightly different way. Instead he skipped that and explained: “Can you ask Sungjong about me? I mean, there's not a high chance that my living self was somehow connected to your gloomy love triangle but who knows, maybe he might know something.”
It was a bit of an unpleasant feeling. Sungjong kept glancing where the ghost named Nam Woohyun was supposed to be and back to Sungyeol who did the same between him and the other ghost.
“I don't know anyone by that name,” Sungjong replied slowly. “At least not anyone close to me, but I've met a lot of people and have a bad memory for names.”
“Can't he ask around a bit?” Woohyun suggested, inciting Sungyeol to mediate his request.
The boy gave it a thought before pulling out his cellphone from a pocket. “I can call Myungsoo-hyung, he might know better.”
Now he couldn't really lean closer to listen to Myungsoo's replies and that made Sungyeol frustrated. Being visible definitely had its disadvantages too. Judging from Sungjong's expression, something useful was said. He raised his eyebrows, muttering “Ah yes, I remember”.
“It's kinda fun when he can't see me,” Woohyun remarked while they waited for the phone call to finish. “Because I can do whatever I want.”
Sungyeol didn't like the way he smirked, leaned closer to him while keeping that stupid smile and eyes fixed on his lips. “Stop,” he'd try to push him away.
Perplexed, Sungjong stared at the ghost tilting back as far as he could, hands raised against something invisible to his eyes. He decided to step in whatever was happening. “Nam Woohyun died in a car-crash two years ago.”
The mentioned one stopped striving for Sungyeol's lips.
“I remembered when he remained me. Woohyun was a manager and Myungsoo-hyung met him in his photo studio. It was around the time he started out there I think and I didn't go there often back then, so I wouldn't know Woohyun personally.”
“Being a manager in my previous life probably explains why I stuck to SHINee and other idols,” Woohyun smiled faintly. “Was I their manager by any chance?”
Sungjong listened to Sungyeol repeating the question. “Oh, the singer's name is Kim Sungkyu.”
There was something right about Woohyun's comment. Sitting on his favourite sofa and watching Sungjong furiously type onto keyboard made him realize that. It was a fact that he's there with him but at the same time he isn't. He's there in the living room but certainly not in Sungjong's life, that's how it suddenly felt.
“Ah, I'm tired.” Sungjong suddenly stopped, turning around with the chair and extending arms to where Sungyeol was sitting.
The ghost snorted and responded playfully: “Do you expect me to carry you?”
It would be quite an amusing view for any living person who sees only Sungjong floating in the air through the living room and into the bedroom. Sungyeol kicked the door open without any result, realizing he's still a ghost that can't touch things afterwards. The carried boy helped him with that, smiling angelically.
He would like to pull the light pink blanket over Sungjong when he carefully laid him on the bed. Instead he let the boy turn off the light and muffle up himself, lying by his side being the only thing he was able to do. Sungyeol's arms wrapped around the thin waist, burying lips into Sungjong's hair. Although he didn't need to sleep, staying like this every night has become a habit.
At such times he had a lot of time to think, which could become useful as much as dangerous. Now, when Sungjong was still resting at home and only going out for necessities like shopping, it was easy to believe they're together, living a happy life of a couple. Conveniently, Myungsoo had to leave for Pusan as a part of some photoshooting session, which gave them precious time.
Sungjong never talked about it and Sungyeol didn't want to ask. Too afraid to hear basically any kind of answer, he kept the thinking to himself as well.
He'd like to believe that there was some fate present when he already met Kim Sungkyu as a ghost once. But he didn't stick to him as much as he did to SHINee nor did he feel anything special when looking at him. Now it was the same. Woohyun let out a sigh, disappointed by his own feelings.
“You're going out this late, honey?”
Kim Sungkyu was married. It didn't look like a flawlessly happy marriage to Woohyun but one thing was for sure; the tall long-haired lady loved her husband deeply.
“I forgot something in the practice room, I'll be right back.” Sungkyu soothed her and gave her cheek a fleeting kiss.
Maybe they weren't even that close as an idol and his manager, Woohyun thought. Despite that possibility Sungkyu was his only lead and since he had no one else to follow and find out more about his living self, he got on the car together with him, driving into the silent night streets.
To Woohyun's surprise the car stopped in front of a cemetery. He wouldn't be as shocked by the fact Sungkyu lied about where he's going as the actual place they ended up at. My grave might as well be somewhere around here, flashed through Woohyun's mind. Only seconds after that he also realized it might be where Sungkyu's footsteps are heading to.
Nam Woohyun, the plate stated.
For once Woohyun laughed out, thinking that he's finally found the right place. The ghost comfortably sat down in front of the plate, right next to the fresh flowers. He watched Sungkyu stop in front of him, hands buried deep in pockets and his expression giving out he's contemplating about something.
“Hey Woohyun,” Sungkyu started out awkwardly, breaking the scary silence of the dark cemetery.
“Hey.”
It took a couple of seconds before Sungkyu gathered courage to continue. “It's been two years, hasn't it? I didn't come last year, but I'm here now and...”
“Is it my death anniversary today?” Woohyun asked in between the gap.
“...and I just wanted to tell you something. I didn't get married because I wanted to, you know my family. So yeah, that's it. If you're watching me from somewhere you probably know, but I still wanted to...” Sungkyu nodded affirmatively, staring at the grave through the ghost sitting there.
Seeing him turn around, confused Woohyun shouted at him: “Wait, how am I supposed to understand that shit? Speak more clearly, you-”
Few steps away from him Sungkyu halted and looked his way again, making Woohyun freeze on the spot. “I love you,” he confessed in a whisper, almost hastily. His pace sped up after that, almost close to running.
It felt as if he was shy, but more than that Sungkyu probably felt awkward talking to a grave, not to mention Woohyun noticed he's not exactly a romantic guy. The ghost didn't follow him, he stayed in the same position in the middle of the gloomy cemetery, smiling.
In the end he decided to slowly walk to Sungjong's apartment where Sungyeol would most possibly be at. On the way he tried to sort out his feelings which turned out to be a very tedious task. There was happiness, no doubt about that. It might have been that kind of happiness that fills the empty jar but not the empty Woohyun. He still felt sort of indifferent towards anything he used to be before he died as well as sceptic towards his dead self obsessing over the living.
In the less frequented streets he only met ghosts roaming around at this hour. Usually he didn't pay attention to them but this particular one caught his eye. Woohyun didn't know much about the appearance of the guardians as he never really cared. Rather than a different look, this one ghost was giving out an aura that could be sensed all across the street and even further ahead when they passed by each other.
One, two, three. Woohyun counted three of them, the last one just across the corner to Sungjong's place. Considering he's never seen one before, this was highly suspicious.
“You should be careful,” he'd greet Sungyeol, sitting down on the bed.
“Why?” the ghost lying next to Sungjong the sleeping beauty asked automatically. He'd pause in surprise soon after he realized he's not an invisible ghost that can't be heard by anyone.
Sungyeol forced Woohyun to move out of the bedroom while checking if the boy didn't wake up.
“I saw three guardians around here,” informed Woohyun. “I think they might be after you.”
Raising his eyebrows high, Sungyeol opposed: “I'm not doing anything wrong.”
“How about talking to a living person when you're not supposed to as a ghost?”
Sungyeol's eyebrows dropped down again to form a frown. “I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened.”
“I know. But guardians are there to protect the rules and this is certainly breaking them. Anyway,” Woohyun decided to change the topic, “I've found out more about myself.”
Sungkyu didn't look impressed. Woohyun didn't get discouraged by that. Digging into his bag he pulled out another folder and after a moments of leafing through the papers he showed him less pink, yet still overly cutely decorated one.
“Say, did our company ran out of money?”
“No, why?” Woohyun wondered.
Sungkyu took the paper out of his hands, inspecting it. “Because it looks as if you did the cover designs yourself.”
Something between a laugh and snort came out in response. “If that was so there would be no mysterious girl in the photos. There would be me.”
Woohyun got smacked by the paper, which didn't quite had its effect since he almost didn't feel it. “Show some respect to your manager!”
“If you weren't such a useless one,” Sungkyu grumbled. “Besides you're not even older than me, what respect.”
Woohyun grinned mischievously. “I might not be the older one but I'm the topping one-”
“Aish!” Sungkyu shrieked out, quickly grabbing Woohyun by the collar and covering his mouth. “There are people around for god's sake.”
Woohyun's bubbly laughter under his hand made Sungkyu smile, while looking around if anyone's paying attention to them. Unless they would directly hear those words, there was no way someone finds out about their relationship, yet they couldn't be completely careless.
“Let's pick the second one then,” Sungkyu opted for the less horrible cover just to keep Woohyun from having more sensitive comments.
The shooting was wrapped up for the day and the two of them drive through almost empty streets.
“You're going too fast,” Sungkyu would point out but Woohyun just retorts something, making him shrug his shoulders indifferently.
The moment they hit something, Sungkyu loses his consciousness. When he wakes up later, part of his life is shattered to pieces. He survived, with injuries that will take time to heal completely. But Woohyun didn't and that wound won't heal so easily.
→ next chapter
Down the Rabbit Hole [6/7]
- Fandom: Infinite
- Pairing: YeolJong, WooYeol, MyungJong, (WooGyu)
- Genre: supernatural, AU, romance
- Rating: PG-13
- Words: 2,157 this chapter; 16,919 in total
- Summary: Which includes two ghosts roaming freely between the Underworld and the world of the living and a group of five humans which attract these two stalkers although they do not know about them, mostly.
"Ghosts seem harder to please than we are; it is as though they haunted for haunting’s sake -- much as we relive, brood, and smoulder over our pasts."
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Sungyeol's jar was empty. And so was Woohyun's, otherwise he could scrounge some of the happiness for himself. It was impossible to steal stored happiness but you could give your own to someone if you decided to. Woohyun probably wouldn't, but Sungyeol had his ways.
Depression didn't take him all the way down. Such a thing never happened to him before, maybe it was thanks to the joy that the new ability to talk to Sungjong and even touch him brought. He didn't land on the ground harshly, instead he floated above, looking surprised.
“Man you have some troublesome life behind,” commented Woohyun. He came down to check on him and Sungyeol briefly updated the story for him. “What are you going to do now though?”
“What do you mean what I'll do? Just what I did before,” answered Sungyeol naturally.
Shrugging his shoulders, Woohyun also responded casually: “Yeah, just stalk Sungjong like before. It doesn't really matter he can see you now, does it?”
Sungyeol frowned. There was no reason to change anything, this turn of events only made things better for him, for them.
“It won't do him any good if you stick around too long.”
He shooed Woohyun by waving his hand. “Mind your business. Why are you down here anyway?”
“Because my heart aches when I'm not with you~” Woohyun grinned widely, wrinkles forming around his lips. “And also because I've got a request.”
“If you could at least give me some happiness in exchange,” sighed Sungyeol.
Woohyun meant to remark that he'd give him all the happiness he needs, in a slightly different way. Instead he skipped that and explained: “Can you ask Sungjong about me? I mean, there's not a high chance that my living self was somehow connected to your gloomy love triangle but who knows, maybe he might know something.”
It was a bit of an unpleasant feeling. Sungjong kept glancing where the ghost named Nam Woohyun was supposed to be and back to Sungyeol who did the same between him and the other ghost.
“I don't know anyone by that name,” Sungjong replied slowly. “At least not anyone close to me, but I've met a lot of people and have a bad memory for names.”
“Can't he ask around a bit?” Woohyun suggested, inciting Sungyeol to mediate his request.
The boy gave it a thought before pulling out his cellphone from a pocket. “I can call Myungsoo-hyung, he might know better.”
Now he couldn't really lean closer to listen to Myungsoo's replies and that made Sungyeol frustrated. Being visible definitely had its disadvantages too. Judging from Sungjong's expression, something useful was said. He raised his eyebrows, muttering “Ah yes, I remember”.
“It's kinda fun when he can't see me,” Woohyun remarked while they waited for the phone call to finish. “Because I can do whatever I want.”
Sungyeol didn't like the way he smirked, leaned closer to him while keeping that stupid smile and eyes fixed on his lips. “Stop,” he'd try to push him away.
Perplexed, Sungjong stared at the ghost tilting back as far as he could, hands raised against something invisible to his eyes. He decided to step in whatever was happening. “Nam Woohyun died in a car-crash two years ago.”
The mentioned one stopped striving for Sungyeol's lips.
“I remembered when he remained me. Woohyun was a manager and Myungsoo-hyung met him in his photo studio. It was around the time he started out there I think and I didn't go there often back then, so I wouldn't know Woohyun personally.”
“Being a manager in my previous life probably explains why I stuck to SHINee and other idols,” Woohyun smiled faintly. “Was I their manager by any chance?”
Sungjong listened to Sungyeol repeating the question. “Oh, the singer's name is Kim Sungkyu.”
There was something right about Woohyun's comment. Sitting on his favourite sofa and watching Sungjong furiously type onto keyboard made him realize that. It was a fact that he's there with him but at the same time he isn't. He's there in the living room but certainly not in Sungjong's life, that's how it suddenly felt.
“Ah, I'm tired.” Sungjong suddenly stopped, turning around with the chair and extending arms to where Sungyeol was sitting.
The ghost snorted and responded playfully: “Do you expect me to carry you?”
It would be quite an amusing view for any living person who sees only Sungjong floating in the air through the living room and into the bedroom. Sungyeol kicked the door open without any result, realizing he's still a ghost that can't touch things afterwards. The carried boy helped him with that, smiling angelically.
He would like to pull the light pink blanket over Sungjong when he carefully laid him on the bed. Instead he let the boy turn off the light and muffle up himself, lying by his side being the only thing he was able to do. Sungyeol's arms wrapped around the thin waist, burying lips into Sungjong's hair. Although he didn't need to sleep, staying like this every night has become a habit.
At such times he had a lot of time to think, which could become useful as much as dangerous. Now, when Sungjong was still resting at home and only going out for necessities like shopping, it was easy to believe they're together, living a happy life of a couple. Conveniently, Myungsoo had to leave for Pusan as a part of some photoshooting session, which gave them precious time.
Sungjong never talked about it and Sungyeol didn't want to ask. Too afraid to hear basically any kind of answer, he kept the thinking to himself as well.
He'd like to believe that there was some fate present when he already met Kim Sungkyu as a ghost once. But he didn't stick to him as much as he did to SHINee nor did he feel anything special when looking at him. Now it was the same. Woohyun let out a sigh, disappointed by his own feelings.
“You're going out this late, honey?”
Kim Sungkyu was married. It didn't look like a flawlessly happy marriage to Woohyun but one thing was for sure; the tall long-haired lady loved her husband deeply.
“I forgot something in the practice room, I'll be right back.” Sungkyu soothed her and gave her cheek a fleeting kiss.
Maybe they weren't even that close as an idol and his manager, Woohyun thought. Despite that possibility Sungkyu was his only lead and since he had no one else to follow and find out more about his living self, he got on the car together with him, driving into the silent night streets.
To Woohyun's surprise the car stopped in front of a cemetery. He wouldn't be as shocked by the fact Sungkyu lied about where he's going as the actual place they ended up at. My grave might as well be somewhere around here, flashed through Woohyun's mind. Only seconds after that he also realized it might be where Sungkyu's footsteps are heading to.
Nam Woohyun, the plate stated.
For once Woohyun laughed out, thinking that he's finally found the right place. The ghost comfortably sat down in front of the plate, right next to the fresh flowers. He watched Sungkyu stop in front of him, hands buried deep in pockets and his expression giving out he's contemplating about something.
“Hey Woohyun,” Sungkyu started out awkwardly, breaking the scary silence of the dark cemetery.
“Hey.”
It took a couple of seconds before Sungkyu gathered courage to continue. “It's been two years, hasn't it? I didn't come last year, but I'm here now and...”
“Is it my death anniversary today?” Woohyun asked in between the gap.
“...and I just wanted to tell you something. I didn't get married because I wanted to, you know my family. So yeah, that's it. If you're watching me from somewhere you probably know, but I still wanted to...” Sungkyu nodded affirmatively, staring at the grave through the ghost sitting there.
Seeing him turn around, confused Woohyun shouted at him: “Wait, how am I supposed to understand that shit? Speak more clearly, you-”
Few steps away from him Sungkyu halted and looked his way again, making Woohyun freeze on the spot. “I love you,” he confessed in a whisper, almost hastily. His pace sped up after that, almost close to running.
It felt as if he was shy, but more than that Sungkyu probably felt awkward talking to a grave, not to mention Woohyun noticed he's not exactly a romantic guy. The ghost didn't follow him, he stayed in the same position in the middle of the gloomy cemetery, smiling.
In the end he decided to slowly walk to Sungjong's apartment where Sungyeol would most possibly be at. On the way he tried to sort out his feelings which turned out to be a very tedious task. There was happiness, no doubt about that. It might have been that kind of happiness that fills the empty jar but not the empty Woohyun. He still felt sort of indifferent towards anything he used to be before he died as well as sceptic towards his dead self obsessing over the living.
In the less frequented streets he only met ghosts roaming around at this hour. Usually he didn't pay attention to them but this particular one caught his eye. Woohyun didn't know much about the appearance of the guardians as he never really cared. Rather than a different look, this one ghost was giving out an aura that could be sensed all across the street and even further ahead when they passed by each other.
One, two, three. Woohyun counted three of them, the last one just across the corner to Sungjong's place. Considering he's never seen one before, this was highly suspicious.
“You should be careful,” he'd greet Sungyeol, sitting down on the bed.
“Why?” the ghost lying next to Sungjong the sleeping beauty asked automatically. He'd pause in surprise soon after he realized he's not an invisible ghost that can't be heard by anyone.
Sungyeol forced Woohyun to move out of the bedroom while checking if the boy didn't wake up.
“I saw three guardians around here,” informed Woohyun. “I think they might be after you.”
Raising his eyebrows high, Sungyeol opposed: “I'm not doing anything wrong.”
“How about talking to a living person when you're not supposed to as a ghost?”
Sungyeol's eyebrows dropped down again to form a frown. “I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened.”
“I know. But guardians are there to protect the rules and this is certainly breaking them. Anyway,” Woohyun decided to change the topic, “I've found out more about myself.”
Sungkyu didn't look impressed. Woohyun didn't get discouraged by that. Digging into his bag he pulled out another folder and after a moments of leafing through the papers he showed him less pink, yet still overly cutely decorated one.
“Say, did our company ran out of money?”
“No, why?” Woohyun wondered.
Sungkyu took the paper out of his hands, inspecting it. “Because it looks as if you did the cover designs yourself.”
Something between a laugh and snort came out in response. “If that was so there would be no mysterious girl in the photos. There would be me.”
Woohyun got smacked by the paper, which didn't quite had its effect since he almost didn't feel it. “Show some respect to your manager!”
“If you weren't such a useless one,” Sungkyu grumbled. “Besides you're not even older than me, what respect.”
Woohyun grinned mischievously. “I might not be the older one but I'm the topping one-”
“Aish!” Sungkyu shrieked out, quickly grabbing Woohyun by the collar and covering his mouth. “There are people around for god's sake.”
Woohyun's bubbly laughter under his hand made Sungkyu smile, while looking around if anyone's paying attention to them. Unless they would directly hear those words, there was no way someone finds out about their relationship, yet they couldn't be completely careless.
“Let's pick the second one then,” Sungkyu opted for the less horrible cover just to keep Woohyun from having more sensitive comments.
The shooting was wrapped up for the day and the two of them drive through almost empty streets.
“You're going too fast,” Sungkyu would point out but Woohyun just retorts something, making him shrug his shoulders indifferently.
The moment they hit something, Sungkyu loses his consciousness. When he wakes up later, part of his life is shattered to pieces. He survived, with injuries that will take time to heal completely. But Woohyun didn't and that wound won't heal so easily.
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