020. Mirror
Title: 20. Mirror
Author: xLightless
Pairing: Hoya/Myungsoo
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them.
Summary: Lee Howon obtains a mirror and Myungsoo wants out. (kind of a supernatural!au)
Warning: An awkward sex scene, rushed ending(?)
A/N: what is this monster called a fic.. sorry for the weird smut I don't usually write it but whatever
Howon stared at the unnecessarily large mirror standing in the middle of his room, and let out a sigh.
His eccentric aunt gave it to him as a birthday present a few weeks ago, claiming there was a soul stuck inside it. Howon brushed it off because, to be completely honest, Howon's aunt wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. She was also an avid believer in legends and witchcraft, and Howon didn't want to be mean, but he believed in scientifically proven facts, not unreliable stories. There was no way a soul would have managed to stick itself inside a mirror.
So, how was it possible for a young man standing inside a white room to suddenly appear inside it?
With wide eyes, Howon took a step back. "What the hell?!"
"Lee Howon, huh? You're my next guardian? That's not very nice of the old lady," the young man said, tapping his chin with a slim finger. He leaned closer, squinting his eyes as if scrutinizing Howon.
"...how do you know my name?" Howon asked, staring at the mirror in amazement.
The young man shrugged, his face blank. "I have my sources."
Howon walked around the mirror, wondering if it was some sort of prank his family was playing on him. Howon had never seen this person before. An unknown cousin, maybe? His mother's side was quite large to begin with so it was plausible. There weren't any wires behind it, though, no cords connecting to the floor, so a CCTV or whatever those things were called was out.
"It's a perfectly normal mirror...," Howon mused, completely lost in his observations. He tipped the mirror forward to get a better look. He quietly added, "Well, save for the weird gem on the top..."
"Whoa, hey, excuse me! Don't tip it! I'm going to fall!" the young man exclaimed, pounding on the glass surface.
Surprised, Howon returned the mirror back to its place and looked at the young man who was clearly angry.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but what exactly is happening right now?" Howon asked, scratching the back of his head.
The young man laughed, throwing his head back as if on the edge of losing his sanity. His laughter echoed around the room, an eerie melody making Howon shiver involuntarily.
Howon backed away from the mirror as if the young man would jump right out. "W-who are you and what d-do you want from m-me?"
Once the young man had calmed down, he stared right into Howon's eyes and smirked. Howon saw something in the young man's eyes, and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to. Howon saw paradise, an entire life living like a king. He also saw a thousand years of suffering, and millions of dark creatures impatiently waiting to be released.
"My name is Kim Myungsoo." The young man leaned forward, his face coming impossibly close to the glass. "Let me out of here and your deepest desires will be fulfilled."
Howon stared at Myungsoo with wide eyes. He still couldn't believe what exactly was happening, but nothing else was proving it wrong. "You... You really are...stuck in there then."
Myungsoo rolled his eyes at Howon's dumbfounded expression. "Yes, for God's sake, I am stuck inside a mirror! Now let me out and I will make your deepest wish come true."
"If...I don't?" Howon asked slowly.
In an instant, Myungsoo's smirk faded, and something dark oozed from the floor where he stood. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes as if in deep concentration. "Then you will pay."
For a second, Howon relaxed. Myungsoo was technically stuck in a mirror. There was no way that that substance would reach Howon. However, when something cold caressed his ankles, Howon had to suppress his yelp of surprise. That same substance was wrapping itself around his feet and attempting to pull him to the ground.
"A-alright! I'll help you!" Howon yelled, not really caring whoever heard him. "Just... Just let me go."
The dark tar dissipated and Myungsoo was smirking again. "That's better, Howon."
Howon let out a shaky sigh as he collapsed on his bed, his head in his hands. "How am I supposed to get you out, then?"
"How, indeed." Myungsoo sat cross-legged on the floor, his mind wandering.
"What if I break the mirror?" Howon suddenly asked, lifting his head to look at Myungsoo.
A look of panic flooded Myungsoo's face as he shouted, "Idiot! You can't do that!"
Howon leaned back, surprised by Myungsoo's sudden outburst. "Why not?"
"This mirror is the only link connecting my prison to your world! If the mirror is broken, there is no more link!"
"Makes sense," Howon said, then put his head back into his hands. "Who put you in there anyway?"
"An old witch," Myungsoo spat out in disgust. "But you didn't need to know that. Just focus on getting me out."
"How long have you been stuck in that?" Howon asked, ignoring Myungsoo's last statement. He had to admit, no matter how unbelievable his situation was, he was fascinated by how Myungsoo was trapped in a mirror-a damn mirror!
"God, you're persistent," Myungsoo groaned, facepalming, but he answered anyway. "A couple thousand years, give or take a few. It gets hard to count after a while."
Howon looked up at Myungsoo and his jaw fell. A couple thousand years? How the hell was that even possible? Howon guessed that Myungsoo... Myungsoo had to be immortal.
"You do realize it's rude to stare," Myungsoo deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Who taught you these horrendous manners?"
Howon closed his mouth with a loud snap and said in the same tone, "You do realize it's rude to suddenly appear in a mirror."
Myungsoo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do you think I wanted to be put in here?
Howon shrugged. "You must have done something to deserve to be put in there."
Myungsoo grunted and he suddenly disappeared, leaving Howon staring at his own reflection. Howon approached the mirror, afraid that the dark tar would wrap itself around him if he were to touch it.
"Myungsoo?" Howon called out. He tapped the mirror's surface, but got no response. He blinked and blinked and blinked again. What he just witnessed must have been an illusion, right? A trick of the mind, a daydream even!
Howon was about to tap the glass again, but Myungsoo's unmistakably snarky voice said, "You knock again and I swear I will make you regret it."
Eyes wide, Howon sat back down on the bed, staring at the mirror. It definitely wasn't an illusion then. After a good five minutes, he stood up, muttered a few colorful expletives, and headed out. He needed to make some sense of the world he once thought he knew.
______
"Howonnie," a low voice moaned.
Howon grunted back in reply. The voice sounded familiar, but Howon didn't know why it did.
"Howonnie," the voice repeated.
This time, Howon opened his eyes a bit. To his surprise, there was nobody in his dark room. It must have still been nighttime, or at least early morning. Letting out an aggravated sigh, Howon turned to his side and went back to sleep.
Howon's eyes shot open as a cold touch caressed his back, almost like fingers running down his spine. He sat up, scanning his room, but he didn't see anything suspicious. Glaring at the darkness, Howon laid back down, this time on his back.
"Howonnie."
The cold sensation was back, this time massaging his head and Howon unconsciously let out a sigh. He's always had a sensitive head. There was a chuckle and the massaging increased. A soft moan escaped Howon's lips and he immediately snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he was doing. He sat up, wanting to go to the bathroom, but something pushed him back down hard. Howon grunted, and tried to fight the mysterious force, but it was seemingly straddling him.
Suddenly, the weight started moving, almost as if it was...grinding down on him. Although Howon didn't want to, he felt himself growing harder with each passing second. He bit down on his bottom lip to muffle his moans.
"Howonnie, I want you to scream my name," the voice whispered in Howon's ear and he groaned in response.
The grinding increased in tempo and Howon gasped, throwing his head back at the friction. There was a low chuckle and the cold fingers were back on Howon's head. Howon was panting, losing his control as he grew close to his climax.
"Scream my name," the voice growled.
"W-what..." Howon didn't-couldn't-finish his sentence as a low, drawn out moan left his lips. He felt himself teetering over the edge, bucking his hips up in his need to release.
Howon suddenly felt warm breath beside his ear, and in an incredibly snarky voice, he heard, "My name is-"
With a gasp, Howon's eyes snapped open, and he found himself drenched in sweat and his sheets tangled around his entire body. Most of all, he was hard. Howon groaned as he got out of bed. He ran a hand through his hair and headed to the bathroom, yawning.
"You look like you had a pleasuring dream," Myungsoo suddenly said, eyeing Howon's hard-on. He had a mischievous look on his face, but Howon failed to notice it.
"Fuck you," Howon replied, uncomfortably making his way to the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, Howon was washed up and wide awake. He strolled back into his room, closed the door, and changed into his school uniform. As he bent down to pick up his pajama shorts, he heard a whistle ring out behind him. With wide eyes, Howon snapped upright and whipped around.
He promptly found Myungsoo in the mirror, his ever present smirk on his face. What Howon found worse, Myungsoo was blantantly looking up and down his naked body.
"What the... Shit!" Howon yelled, stumbling backwards. In a blind haste, he managed to grab his boxers and slip them on.
Myungsoo laughed, thoroughly amused at Howon's reaction. "To be completely honest here, you look a hell of a lot better than any of my last guardians. I'm impressed."
"Why are you here?!" Howon exclaimed, quickly putting on the rest of his clothes. "I mean, why do you appear at such random times?!"
Myungsoo shrugged. "This is like a curtained window. You don't see me, I don't see you, simple as that. How did you expect me to know when you were changing?"
"Myungsoo, this is my room!" Howon took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he woke anybody in the house. He ran a hand through his hair. "And...you keep mentioning 'guardians.' Who are these 'guardians' anyway?"
"People," Myungsoo spat.
"Real helpful," Howon replied, rolling his eyes.
Grunting, Myungsoo and his white room faded, and Howon was once again glaring at his own reflection.
Howon shook his head and got the rest of his things ready for school.
______
"How do you take a person out of a mirror?" Howon muttered, rearranging the food on his tray with his spork. He needed to get Myungsoo out fast. It wasn't because of the wish (well it partly was), Myungsoo was just really getting on Howon's nerves. Or maybe he could just throw the damn mirror in the trash, but if his parents found it, they wouldn't be happy.
Dongwoo, Howon's best friend, looked up from his food, a confused look on his face. "Why would you say that?"
"Say what?" Howon asked, looking just as confused.
Dongwoo proceeded to assume Howon's exact position, and said, "'How do you take a person out of a mirror?'"
"Oh...," Howon said, his mouth forming a small o. He felt his face already burning from embarrassment. "Did I really say that out loud?"
Dongwoo nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. "I thought you didn't like folklore... That is, unless you always did but you never told me."
"Well, my aunt keeps telling me about a man stuck in a mirror," Howon lied, playing with his food again. It wasn't technically a lie, but Howon didn't exactly want to sound crazy. "I guess you could say I was...intrigued by it."
"That's cool." Dongwoo took a bite from his sandwich. "Howon, don't you remember those video games we used to play, the ones with magic and wizards in it?"
Nodding, Howon replied, "Yeah, but I don't see what you're getting at."
"Remember how the wizards would lock up the bad guys?" Dongwoo asked, his eyes shining. "At first glance, the lock would look pretty much indestructible, but then, if you look a little closer, there's always something powering that lock, like a charm or a talisman or whatever you call those things. So when that charm was broken, the lock would become a regular lock. Maybe the mirror works like that."
Howon stared at Dongwoo, his jaw falling open. Dongwoo was an absolute genius.
______
"Kim Myungsoo!" Howon exclaimed, slamming his bedroom door closed.
"What do you want?" Myungsoo asked, annoyance lining his voice. "And why the hell are you so happy to see me? You're never this happy to see me."
With a wide smile, Howon stood in front of the mirror. "I think I know how to get you out of there."
For once, Myungsoo looked happy. He smiled at Howon and pounded on the glass surface. "Then what the hell are you waiting for? Get me out of here already!"
Howon's smile faded. "Hold on, I don't know if this is really going to work. I also don't know if you're going to kill me once I get you out."
Myungsoo laughed. It was the same maniacal laugh that Howon heard when they first met several weeks earlier, and it still sent shivers down Howon's spine. "Howon, I am a man of my word. When I say I won't kill you, I'm not going to kill you."
Gulping nervously, Howon walked closer and examined the gem on top of the mirror. If that was the thing keeping Myungsoo stuck inside, then all Howon had to do was break it. He lifted his hand to touch the gem, but a flurry of sparks flew out, burning him when they landed on his skin. Howon flinched, jerking his hand back.
"I don't know if I can get you out," Howon muttered, still staring at the gem.
"What?"
Howon looked at Myungsoo in surprise. He's never heard Myungsoo sound so...devastated before. That one word seemed to contain all his sufferings and emotions, and it made Howon's chest ache. He knew he shouldn't have been feeling pity for Myungsoo, nothing at all, but he couldn't help it.
"Please...," Myungsoo pleaded, looking at Howon as tears filled his eyes. "I... I-"
"You're messing with my emotions," Howon suddenly realized, his eyes going wide. "Now that I've found a way to get you out, you'll remove anything that gets in your way."
Myungsoo rubbed his hand over his eyes, and when he removed it, he was scowling at Howon. "You're painfully smart, Howon, I'll give you that. Now get me out of here before I have to do something extreme."
"No," Howon said, determination evident in his voice and face. He didn't know what Myungsoo was planning on doing, but Howon wasn't going to let Myungsoo out anytime soon.
Myungsoo lowered his face, and started trembling. Suddenly, dark flames engulfed his figure, hungrily licking at every part of his body, and he started laughing. Myungsoo looked up at Howon, his eyes wide and his body shaking. He stared at Howon, a smirk on his face.
"Howon, let us out." Myungsoo's mouth was moving, but it wasn't his voice that came out. It was...millions of other voices speaking together. It was echoing throughout Howon's mind, clawing at his brain. "You don't want to end up like us, do you, Howon?"
Suddenly, millions of images flashed inside Howon's mind. People's souls being sucked out of them, their lifeless eyes staring at Howon, pleading for it to stop. Men, women, children, whole villages full of corpses, never to see the light of day again.
"Did you do all this?" Howon whispered, his eyes growing wide.
Myungsoo clapped, pulling Howon back to reality. He blinked, and suddenly, Myungsoo was back to normal. "That is correct, Lee Howon!"
"Why? Why would you do that?" Howon asked. He tried to erase all the images from his memory, but they were already engraved into his mind.
Shrugging, Myungsoo replied, "You know, I get hungry too."
Howon gasped, and he stumbled backwards, bumping into his night stand. Myungsoo...ate those souls. He devoured all those people's souls without mercy, without regret, without a single thought. Howon wanted to throw up his lunch.
"Hmm, the witch's seal is weakening...," Myungsoo mused, looking around his white chamber. "I wouldn't have been able to burst into flame a couple hundred years earlier. Interesting..."
"I should have thrown the mirror in the trash the instant I got it," Howon muttered, grabbing the closest thing he could reach which was a trophy from his last dance competition. He was going to break the mirror if it was the last this he was going to do. Who knows how many people suffered Myungsoo's wrath before him.
When Myungsoo realized what Howon was going to do, his ever present smirk faded. "Howon, you wouldn't dare. If you do-"
"'If the mirror is broken, there is no more link,'" Howon whispered, repeating Myungsoo's exact words several weeks ago. "All I have to do is break the mirror."
Then, Myungsoo screamed, his voice loud and piercing. The dark flames erupted again, and Myungsoo's burning hand reached out towards Howon, as if trying to break through the mirror.
"Help...us," the voices spoke again, pleading and sobbing. "Please..."
"You wouldn't!" This time it was Myungsoo's voice. It was desperate and full of raw anger. "You would never do it! You can't do it, Howon!"
Howon gathered the feeble amount of courage he had left, and said, "I will."
Then Howon threw the trophy at the mirror's surface, shattering it with a satisfying crack. Myungsoo let out another blood curdling scream, but was cut off abruptly as the mirror fell to the ground, the glass shards spilling everywhere.
Howon let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, and cautiously approached what was left of the mirror. Just as Howon crouched down to examine the broken shards, a familiar voice whispered in his ear, small and distant.
"Howonnie."
Author: xLightless
Pairing: Hoya/Myungsoo
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I wish I owned them.
Summary: Lee Howon obtains a mirror and Myungsoo wants out. (kind of a supernatural!au)
Warning: An awkward sex scene, rushed ending(?)
A/N: what is this monster called a fic.. sorry for the weird smut I don't usually write it but whatever
Howon stared at the unnecessarily large mirror standing in the middle of his room, and let out a sigh.
His eccentric aunt gave it to him as a birthday present a few weeks ago, claiming there was a soul stuck inside it. Howon brushed it off because, to be completely honest, Howon's aunt wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. She was also an avid believer in legends and witchcraft, and Howon didn't want to be mean, but he believed in scientifically proven facts, not unreliable stories. There was no way a soul would have managed to stick itself inside a mirror.
So, how was it possible for a young man standing inside a white room to suddenly appear inside it?
With wide eyes, Howon took a step back. "What the hell?!"
"Lee Howon, huh? You're my next guardian? That's not very nice of the old lady," the young man said, tapping his chin with a slim finger. He leaned closer, squinting his eyes as if scrutinizing Howon.
"...how do you know my name?" Howon asked, staring at the mirror in amazement.
The young man shrugged, his face blank. "I have my sources."
Howon walked around the mirror, wondering if it was some sort of prank his family was playing on him. Howon had never seen this person before. An unknown cousin, maybe? His mother's side was quite large to begin with so it was plausible. There weren't any wires behind it, though, no cords connecting to the floor, so a CCTV or whatever those things were called was out.
"It's a perfectly normal mirror...," Howon mused, completely lost in his observations. He tipped the mirror forward to get a better look. He quietly added, "Well, save for the weird gem on the top..."
"Whoa, hey, excuse me! Don't tip it! I'm going to fall!" the young man exclaimed, pounding on the glass surface.
Surprised, Howon returned the mirror back to its place and looked at the young man who was clearly angry.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but what exactly is happening right now?" Howon asked, scratching the back of his head.
The young man laughed, throwing his head back as if on the edge of losing his sanity. His laughter echoed around the room, an eerie melody making Howon shiver involuntarily.
Howon backed away from the mirror as if the young man would jump right out. "W-who are you and what d-do you want from m-me?"
Once the young man had calmed down, he stared right into Howon's eyes and smirked. Howon saw something in the young man's eyes, and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to. Howon saw paradise, an entire life living like a king. He also saw a thousand years of suffering, and millions of dark creatures impatiently waiting to be released.
"My name is Kim Myungsoo." The young man leaned forward, his face coming impossibly close to the glass. "Let me out of here and your deepest desires will be fulfilled."
Howon stared at Myungsoo with wide eyes. He still couldn't believe what exactly was happening, but nothing else was proving it wrong. "You... You really are...stuck in there then."
Myungsoo rolled his eyes at Howon's dumbfounded expression. "Yes, for God's sake, I am stuck inside a mirror! Now let me out and I will make your deepest wish come true."
"If...I don't?" Howon asked slowly.
In an instant, Myungsoo's smirk faded, and something dark oozed from the floor where he stood. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes as if in deep concentration. "Then you will pay."
For a second, Howon relaxed. Myungsoo was technically stuck in a mirror. There was no way that that substance would reach Howon. However, when something cold caressed his ankles, Howon had to suppress his yelp of surprise. That same substance was wrapping itself around his feet and attempting to pull him to the ground.
"A-alright! I'll help you!" Howon yelled, not really caring whoever heard him. "Just... Just let me go."
The dark tar dissipated and Myungsoo was smirking again. "That's better, Howon."
Howon let out a shaky sigh as he collapsed on his bed, his head in his hands. "How am I supposed to get you out, then?"
"How, indeed." Myungsoo sat cross-legged on the floor, his mind wandering.
"What if I break the mirror?" Howon suddenly asked, lifting his head to look at Myungsoo.
A look of panic flooded Myungsoo's face as he shouted, "Idiot! You can't do that!"
Howon leaned back, surprised by Myungsoo's sudden outburst. "Why not?"
"This mirror is the only link connecting my prison to your world! If the mirror is broken, there is no more link!"
"Makes sense," Howon said, then put his head back into his hands. "Who put you in there anyway?"
"An old witch," Myungsoo spat out in disgust. "But you didn't need to know that. Just focus on getting me out."
"How long have you been stuck in that?" Howon asked, ignoring Myungsoo's last statement. He had to admit, no matter how unbelievable his situation was, he was fascinated by how Myungsoo was trapped in a mirror-a damn mirror!
"God, you're persistent," Myungsoo groaned, facepalming, but he answered anyway. "A couple thousand years, give or take a few. It gets hard to count after a while."
Howon looked up at Myungsoo and his jaw fell. A couple thousand years? How the hell was that even possible? Howon guessed that Myungsoo... Myungsoo had to be immortal.
"You do realize it's rude to stare," Myungsoo deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. "Who taught you these horrendous manners?"
Howon closed his mouth with a loud snap and said in the same tone, "You do realize it's rude to suddenly appear in a mirror."
Myungsoo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do you think I wanted to be put in here?
Howon shrugged. "You must have done something to deserve to be put in there."
Myungsoo grunted and he suddenly disappeared, leaving Howon staring at his own reflection. Howon approached the mirror, afraid that the dark tar would wrap itself around him if he were to touch it.
"Myungsoo?" Howon called out. He tapped the mirror's surface, but got no response. He blinked and blinked and blinked again. What he just witnessed must have been an illusion, right? A trick of the mind, a daydream even!
Howon was about to tap the glass again, but Myungsoo's unmistakably snarky voice said, "You knock again and I swear I will make you regret it."
Eyes wide, Howon sat back down on the bed, staring at the mirror. It definitely wasn't an illusion then. After a good five minutes, he stood up, muttered a few colorful expletives, and headed out. He needed to make some sense of the world he once thought he knew.
______
"Howonnie," a low voice moaned.
Howon grunted back in reply. The voice sounded familiar, but Howon didn't know why it did.
"Howonnie," the voice repeated.
This time, Howon opened his eyes a bit. To his surprise, there was nobody in his dark room. It must have still been nighttime, or at least early morning. Letting out an aggravated sigh, Howon turned to his side and went back to sleep.
Howon's eyes shot open as a cold touch caressed his back, almost like fingers running down his spine. He sat up, scanning his room, but he didn't see anything suspicious. Glaring at the darkness, Howon laid back down, this time on his back.
"Howonnie."
The cold sensation was back, this time massaging his head and Howon unconsciously let out a sigh. He's always had a sensitive head. There was a chuckle and the massaging increased. A soft moan escaped Howon's lips and he immediately snapped his mouth shut, realizing what he was doing. He sat up, wanting to go to the bathroom, but something pushed him back down hard. Howon grunted, and tried to fight the mysterious force, but it was seemingly straddling him.
Suddenly, the weight started moving, almost as if it was...grinding down on him. Although Howon didn't want to, he felt himself growing harder with each passing second. He bit down on his bottom lip to muffle his moans.
"Howonnie, I want you to scream my name," the voice whispered in Howon's ear and he groaned in response.
The grinding increased in tempo and Howon gasped, throwing his head back at the friction. There was a low chuckle and the cold fingers were back on Howon's head. Howon was panting, losing his control as he grew close to his climax.
"Scream my name," the voice growled.
"W-what..." Howon didn't-couldn't-finish his sentence as a low, drawn out moan left his lips. He felt himself teetering over the edge, bucking his hips up in his need to release.
Howon suddenly felt warm breath beside his ear, and in an incredibly snarky voice, he heard, "My name is-"
With a gasp, Howon's eyes snapped open, and he found himself drenched in sweat and his sheets tangled around his entire body. Most of all, he was hard. Howon groaned as he got out of bed. He ran a hand through his hair and headed to the bathroom, yawning.
"You look like you had a pleasuring dream," Myungsoo suddenly said, eyeing Howon's hard-on. He had a mischievous look on his face, but Howon failed to notice it.
"Fuck you," Howon replied, uncomfortably making his way to the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, Howon was washed up and wide awake. He strolled back into his room, closed the door, and changed into his school uniform. As he bent down to pick up his pajama shorts, he heard a whistle ring out behind him. With wide eyes, Howon snapped upright and whipped around.
He promptly found Myungsoo in the mirror, his ever present smirk on his face. What Howon found worse, Myungsoo was blantantly looking up and down his naked body.
"What the... Shit!" Howon yelled, stumbling backwards. In a blind haste, he managed to grab his boxers and slip them on.
Myungsoo laughed, thoroughly amused at Howon's reaction. "To be completely honest here, you look a hell of a lot better than any of my last guardians. I'm impressed."
"Why are you here?!" Howon exclaimed, quickly putting on the rest of his clothes. "I mean, why do you appear at such random times?!"
Myungsoo shrugged. "This is like a curtained window. You don't see me, I don't see you, simple as that. How did you expect me to know when you were changing?"
"Myungsoo, this is my room!" Howon took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he woke anybody in the house. He ran a hand through his hair. "And...you keep mentioning 'guardians.' Who are these 'guardians' anyway?"
"People," Myungsoo spat.
"Real helpful," Howon replied, rolling his eyes.
Grunting, Myungsoo and his white room faded, and Howon was once again glaring at his own reflection.
Howon shook his head and got the rest of his things ready for school.
______
"How do you take a person out of a mirror?" Howon muttered, rearranging the food on his tray with his spork. He needed to get Myungsoo out fast. It wasn't because of the wish (well it partly was), Myungsoo was just really getting on Howon's nerves. Or maybe he could just throw the damn mirror in the trash, but if his parents found it, they wouldn't be happy.
Dongwoo, Howon's best friend, looked up from his food, a confused look on his face. "Why would you say that?"
"Say what?" Howon asked, looking just as confused.
Dongwoo proceeded to assume Howon's exact position, and said, "'How do you take a person out of a mirror?'"
"Oh...," Howon said, his mouth forming a small o. He felt his face already burning from embarrassment. "Did I really say that out loud?"
Dongwoo nodded, a hint of a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. "I thought you didn't like folklore... That is, unless you always did but you never told me."
"Well, my aunt keeps telling me about a man stuck in a mirror," Howon lied, playing with his food again. It wasn't technically a lie, but Howon didn't exactly want to sound crazy. "I guess you could say I was...intrigued by it."
"That's cool." Dongwoo took a bite from his sandwich. "Howon, don't you remember those video games we used to play, the ones with magic and wizards in it?"
Nodding, Howon replied, "Yeah, but I don't see what you're getting at."
"Remember how the wizards would lock up the bad guys?" Dongwoo asked, his eyes shining. "At first glance, the lock would look pretty much indestructible, but then, if you look a little closer, there's always something powering that lock, like a charm or a talisman or whatever you call those things. So when that charm was broken, the lock would become a regular lock. Maybe the mirror works like that."
Howon stared at Dongwoo, his jaw falling open. Dongwoo was an absolute genius.
______
"Kim Myungsoo!" Howon exclaimed, slamming his bedroom door closed.
"What do you want?" Myungsoo asked, annoyance lining his voice. "And why the hell are you so happy to see me? You're never this happy to see me."
With a wide smile, Howon stood in front of the mirror. "I think I know how to get you out of there."
For once, Myungsoo looked happy. He smiled at Howon and pounded on the glass surface. "Then what the hell are you waiting for? Get me out of here already!"
Howon's smile faded. "Hold on, I don't know if this is really going to work. I also don't know if you're going to kill me once I get you out."
Myungsoo laughed. It was the same maniacal laugh that Howon heard when they first met several weeks earlier, and it still sent shivers down Howon's spine. "Howon, I am a man of my word. When I say I won't kill you, I'm not going to kill you."
Gulping nervously, Howon walked closer and examined the gem on top of the mirror. If that was the thing keeping Myungsoo stuck inside, then all Howon had to do was break it. He lifted his hand to touch the gem, but a flurry of sparks flew out, burning him when they landed on his skin. Howon flinched, jerking his hand back.
"I don't know if I can get you out," Howon muttered, still staring at the gem.
"What?"
Howon looked at Myungsoo in surprise. He's never heard Myungsoo sound so...devastated before. That one word seemed to contain all his sufferings and emotions, and it made Howon's chest ache. He knew he shouldn't have been feeling pity for Myungsoo, nothing at all, but he couldn't help it.
"Please...," Myungsoo pleaded, looking at Howon as tears filled his eyes. "I... I-"
"You're messing with my emotions," Howon suddenly realized, his eyes going wide. "Now that I've found a way to get you out, you'll remove anything that gets in your way."
Myungsoo rubbed his hand over his eyes, and when he removed it, he was scowling at Howon. "You're painfully smart, Howon, I'll give you that. Now get me out of here before I have to do something extreme."
"No," Howon said, determination evident in his voice and face. He didn't know what Myungsoo was planning on doing, but Howon wasn't going to let Myungsoo out anytime soon.
Myungsoo lowered his face, and started trembling. Suddenly, dark flames engulfed his figure, hungrily licking at every part of his body, and he started laughing. Myungsoo looked up at Howon, his eyes wide and his body shaking. He stared at Howon, a smirk on his face.
"Howon, let us out." Myungsoo's mouth was moving, but it wasn't his voice that came out. It was...millions of other voices speaking together. It was echoing throughout Howon's mind, clawing at his brain. "You don't want to end up like us, do you, Howon?"
Suddenly, millions of images flashed inside Howon's mind. People's souls being sucked out of them, their lifeless eyes staring at Howon, pleading for it to stop. Men, women, children, whole villages full of corpses, never to see the light of day again.
"Did you do all this?" Howon whispered, his eyes growing wide.
Myungsoo clapped, pulling Howon back to reality. He blinked, and suddenly, Myungsoo was back to normal. "That is correct, Lee Howon!"
"Why? Why would you do that?" Howon asked. He tried to erase all the images from his memory, but they were already engraved into his mind.
Shrugging, Myungsoo replied, "You know, I get hungry too."
Howon gasped, and he stumbled backwards, bumping into his night stand. Myungsoo...ate those souls. He devoured all those people's souls without mercy, without regret, without a single thought. Howon wanted to throw up his lunch.
"Hmm, the witch's seal is weakening...," Myungsoo mused, looking around his white chamber. "I wouldn't have been able to burst into flame a couple hundred years earlier. Interesting..."
"I should have thrown the mirror in the trash the instant I got it," Howon muttered, grabbing the closest thing he could reach which was a trophy from his last dance competition. He was going to break the mirror if it was the last this he was going to do. Who knows how many people suffered Myungsoo's wrath before him.
When Myungsoo realized what Howon was going to do, his ever present smirk faded. "Howon, you wouldn't dare. If you do-"
"'If the mirror is broken, there is no more link,'" Howon whispered, repeating Myungsoo's exact words several weeks ago. "All I have to do is break the mirror."
Then, Myungsoo screamed, his voice loud and piercing. The dark flames erupted again, and Myungsoo's burning hand reached out towards Howon, as if trying to break through the mirror.
"Help...us," the voices spoke again, pleading and sobbing. "Please..."
"You wouldn't!" This time it was Myungsoo's voice. It was desperate and full of raw anger. "You would never do it! You can't do it, Howon!"
Howon gathered the feeble amount of courage he had left, and said, "I will."
Then Howon threw the trophy at the mirror's surface, shattering it with a satisfying crack. Myungsoo let out another blood curdling scream, but was cut off abruptly as the mirror fell to the ground, the glass shards spilling everywhere.
Howon let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding, and cautiously approached what was left of the mirror. Just as Howon crouched down to examine the broken shards, a familiar voice whispered in his ear, small and distant.
"Howonnie."