Cherem - Chapter 4
Title: Cherem
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, AU
Characters: Taemin (SHINee), Hyunjoong (SS501), the rest of SHINee, SS501 and other cameos
Pairing(s): TBA
Warning: Rating will go up in later chapters
Summary: When Lee Taemin gets deported down from his comfortable position in the weather division to a strange division known only to most as ‘the Store’, he gets tangled up in the stuff that should stay safely in his daydreams. Three difficult house-spirits, plenty of strange, needy customers, one clumsy but strangely mysterious store-keeper, and one particularly curious customer who seems to keep coming back only when Taemin is around.
It’s all fun, but wishes are desires are dangerous things. And soon, Taemin begins to wonder if he’s biting off more than he can chew…
~*~
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~*~
Hyunjoong had somehow managed to convince them to come to his room to discuss more on the matter. Well, it was more of sneaking thickly disguised proddings of their wrongdoings and hinting on how they should really be punished and feel bad about themselves and their behavior, and how they should just quietly come up to his room so that he wouldn’t say anymore on the matter.
Taemin had quietly followed, sad that his only first-class trips ever would always be guilt trips, when he paused and took in what was Hyunjoong’s room.
It was the most cluttered, yet elaborate room he’d ever seen. Dark, wine red walls, draped with thin silk clothes that fluttered in the wind and had the designs of butterflies on them. A carpet that matched, and seemed to reflect every colour of the hues of red and black and all in between. But it was the things inside the room that fascinated Taemin, making him forget that anything else existed. A thin golden pipe with archaic writings here, a chandelier made of a thousand wind-spun crystals there. Everything in the room was ornate, golden or a least dripping with fine age.
“It came with the post, the room that is.” Hyunjoong’s voice pierced through Taemin’s moment of awe, and Taemin blinked, feeling like a country bumpkin amongst such richness. “I don’t really care for such things, but it is the legacy of my predecessors, and Key would kill me if tried to change anything in this room.”
The look on Key’s face said it all, and Taemin would have chuckled if he didn’t remember his disdain for Key then. Instead, he settled down (a little gingerly) onto one of the many plush armchairs that dotted the place. It was no far guess that Hyunjoong commonly entertained people in his room, but Taemin was a little surprised at the fact - letting strangers into your most intimate place.
“You haven’t seen him on a lazy day.” A new voice piped up, and Taemin was surprised to see Jonghyun come up from behind a shade which Taemin had taken for a wall. There was a flicker of a wink as Jonghyun settled on a chair not far from Taemin before focusing his attention on Hyunjoong.
“Where’s Onew?” Hyunjoong asked, taking up a pipe and grinding a bit of tobacco into it.
“He’s cleaning out the ‘Ms’, as you instructed.” Jonghyun replied, before glancing at Taemin. “I wonder why… Onew developed a soft spot for this little puppy already?”
Taemin let out a yelp of surprise and disagreement at the snickers. “What do you mean puppy?”
“Loud bark, but no real bite. Cute but more trouble than it’s worth… Always poking your nose into trouble that you’re not involved with?” Key suddenly shot out, a smirk gracing his face. And Taemin glared at him, sharp tongue already forming a retort.
But before he could, something was shot into his face, and from the identical yelp, it seemed Key had received something of the same treatment. Rubbing his head where what seemed to be a ball of gold-plated metal had hit, Taemin demanded of Hyunjoong the same time Key yelled, “What was that for?!”
They ignored the way Jonghyun roared with laughter as they both immediately gave each other identical twin glares. “And you! Shut up!”
“Now, now.” Hyunjoong held up his hands when the twin glares switched over to him. “Can the two of you calm down for a moment so that I can ask you some questions?”
The glowering stares said otherwise, but it seemed that Hyunjoong didn’t really care. “Now, Taemin, can you tell me what you were doing in the library?”
The meaningful look Key gave him Taemin all but ignored. Instead, he launched into his tell, a little self-righteously in the beginning, but as he continued on, relating about the strange incident, his voice took on more of an earnest tone. It became a method of convincing - not of Taemin trying to get himself out of trouble, but of trying to tell Hyunjoong that maybe there was more to this Yurei then all of them thought.
“Hmm…” Hyunjoong tapped his chin. “Is that so…” And Taemin eagerly nodded, describing the girl he had seen, so different from the monster he had envisioned, listening to the descriptions he had heard.
Hyunjoong hummed again, that rather irritating thoughtful look still heavy on his face, and Taemin wanted to shake him, to demand Hyunjoong that if at least he didn’t believe him, he should go investigate and find out for himself.
A snicker to his left caught his attention then, and Taemin turned to see Jonghyun quietly laughing into his hand. Scowling, he turned to Jonghyun then. “What’s so funny?”
The question only served to elicit more quiet sniggers from the trickster, and it was several minutes, at which Taemin glanced at Hyunjoong several times to seek illumination there, but the growing amusement on Hyunjoong’s face only served to make him feel even more bemused and uncomfortable. The only refuge he could take was glancing at Key’s face and seeing a deepening scowl, as if he was resentful of Taemin over something, but the explanation as to watch wasn’t decipherable to any extent.
Finally, Taemin couldn’t stand it anymore. Going as far as to forget good manners, he stomped his foot on the carpet and burst out. “What?!”
It took a few more minutes for Jonghyun to control the raucous laughter that had burst out of his mouth, but finally answer he did. “Hyunjoong believes you, little Taemin-pup. He wouldn’t call the both of us to listen to your tale if he didn’t.”
The answer dislodged Taemin from his indignant high horse, and a little winded, he blinked, before scratching his head, suddenly uncomfortable. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” Hyunjoong smiled, and Taemin swore that if Hyunjoong didn’t have such a quaint, quiet image, he would have been roaring with laughter then. “And I am also going to investigate on the matter, and find out for myself exactly what’s going on. At this moment, in fact. Come on, Jonghyun. Key.”
Taemin was really beginning to believe that Hyunjoong was a psychic, especially with the way Hyunjoong smiled knowingly at him as he moved towards the door, Jonghyun and Key getting up to follow suit.
Belatedly, Taemin realized that he wanted to go to, after all, he was beginning to realize that if he didn’t push for it, no one was going to tell him anything at all. But before he even took his first step, Key was blocking his way, a look of annoyance on his face. “You never learn do you? You’re not coming with us! You’ll only get us into trouble!”
“I do not! And if it were not for me, you would still be thinking that girl was some kind of scary Yurei when she’s really not!” Taemin argued back, “besides, I want to find out more about this girl! And hell no am I waiting around for you to find answers that I know you won’t share with me anyway! So I’m coming, no matter what you say, and you can’t stop me?”
The way Key’s eyes narrowed made Taemin take a defensive stance back, sharp eyes focusing on the way Key was reaching into his pocket. “Why you little…”
“Key.”
The word was like a jolt to a tightly strung string. And both of them snapped their eyes to Hyunjoong, who was leaning against the door, Jonghyun close to him, looking bored and rolling his eyes at the both of them.
“Let him come.”
The phrase seeped in slowly, the tension having a slight membrane effect, but finally Taemin understood the implications of the phrase, and his expression was triumphant to Key’s scowl. But nothing more was said - for a house-spirit like Key, bound to protect a place, whatever the owner wished and said was king.
They all filed into the corridor, one by one, Taemin the last of them, Key having angrily moved forward, far ahead of them all. And Taemin grinned at that retreating back, feeling rather happy that he had come out top.
He shouldn’t have been so happy. For he would find out one day that that triumph was nothing to be proud about.
~*~
“Hmm… I think here would be good.”
Taemin raised an eyebrow at the proclamation with some scrutiny. They had been ambling around the whole of the library, Hyunjoong, Jonghyun and Key all looking at every area they had stopped with particularly care and method. Although as to what method they were using, because Taemin didn’t see any energy compasses or summonings of any religion or practice. Only the three of them staring at a spot, or waving their hand, and at most, Hyunjoong putting on a pair of ancient pince-nez and squinting at the spot. But it most be some method, for if not, then they were but taking on Taemin for a ride, and Taemin sincerely hoped that they weren’t.
And there was the matter of. “I thought you looked at that this spot before?”
“There’s the matter of timing!” Hyunjoong replied, waving the pince-nez around in the air before placing it onto his nose and peering at the spot yet again. “Hmm… yes. This is right. We don’t have a lot of time, so every get ready!”
“It would have been faster,” Taemin bristled at Key’s statement as he brushed past, “if Onew were here.”
Taemin was about to retort when Jonghyun tapped him lightly on the shoulder with a wry grin. “He’s right about that. Onew is the best at finding things that do not want to be found. But its fine, it’s not as if we had other really important things to do.”
Taemin didn’t know what to make of that, and he remained in that stand as Jonghyun walked away, putting his hand into his pocket and rummaging for something. If Key was any indication, then Jonghyun could well be double checking that some sort of exorcising weapon was still there.
Hyunjoong again hadn’t told him to do anything yet again, and he felt rather useless, standing there while everyone else was busy with something. In fact, he would go as far to say that he felt a invisible, no one even sparing a glance for him…
“She’s here.” The sharp tone in Hyunjoong’s voice caught his attention almost immediately, and he straightened off from the shelf that he was leaning into. But Jonghyun’s hand stopped him from moving forward, and he was startled to see that serious expression on the trickster’s face. It was a clear indication then - things were serious now. And Taemin had better not mess anything up, or the regret he would face would be more than just ridicule and ribbings.
The white mist was there again, materializing at that very spot that Hyunjoong had pointed out. But that was the end of the similarity to Taemin’s encounter with her. Instead of a cute girl materializing, what was there instead was a grotesque imitation of her, warped and terrifying. Arms and legs elongated, eyes a glowing bright red, and her face twisted into a horrible mask of hate.
“You!” the voice which Taemin had heard once, soft and shy, was now a screech of hatred, and of pure rage. “Why won’t you leave me alone?!”
Taemin was horrified when the figure of hate dove down, claws extended, straight at Hyunjoong. And heaved a sigh of relief when Hyunjoong stepped away, lifting up a walking cane that Taemin hadn’t realized he was carrying, and deflecting the blow away.
“We’ve come to talk-” Hyunjoong began to say, but the Yurei wasn’t willing to listen, screeching out a stream of curses at having missed and flying at Hyunjoong again. “There’s no need to discuss with people like you!”
Key gritted his teeth and cast a glare at Taemin before he rushed off to aid Hyunjoong. “See? Are you happy now?”
Taemin bit his lip, watching Hyunjoong fend of what were definitely attacks on his life. The mild-mannered girl that Taemin had met was now a raging, horrifying monster - and despite the evidence right in front of him, Taemin still could not believe it. Even as Key went from just dodging to truly attacking, black lightning crackling with every knife and ofuda he threw; even when Jonghyun, seeing Key and Hyunjoong having a tough time, abandoned his supposed job of guarding Taemin and ran forward, just in time to save Key from having his head lopped off.
Taemin’s hands clenched and he half took a step forward. What he wanted to do, he wasn’t sure - to help maybe? But the minute he did, he froze. What could he do? He was just a minor weather sprite, just like Key said. If people more powerful and older than him weren’t able to deal with this Yurei, then what more him?
So, he stepped back to the side, heart pounding as he watched the battle, unable to do anything except watch and pray that things would turn out fine.
Then, the worst thing that could happened, happened. Hyunjoong slipped on a pile of books that had fallen to the floor, the cane in his hands clattering to the floor, too far for a convenient reach, and too far for Hyunjoong to recover in time to grab before he met his death by the hand of the Yurei who had already began to charge straight at him.
‘This is all my fault.’ was the only thing Taemin could think as he let out a yell. He yelled for help, but both Jonghyun and Key were preoccupied, Jonghyun helping Key out from where he had been thrown after attempting an attack - both too far to be of any help. ‘This is all my fault.’ The horrified faces were a blur and he hadn’t realized when he’d stepped forward, rushing in front of Hyunjoong, the Yurei coming down too fast for him to do anything but become a shield. ‘All my fault.’
He closed his eyes, seeing death come near.
He felt the brush of cold against his cheek and thought it was over. But then, the hurt that Taemin expected, the searing of pain in his stomach, or his chest and the heaviness of breath - it never came.
“You… why…?”
That soft shy voice. Taemin knew it and he opened his eyes. A monster the Yurei was no more, only the pale, shy girl that Taemin had first met. And Taemin saw the question in her insistent, uncomprehending eyes, and then Taemin understood.
“You aren’t a killer. Never was. And they needed to see.”
The girls stared back, uncomprehending, at Taemin’s words. And behind him, he could hear Hyunjoong getting back up, and picking up his cane. There were the pats of congratulations on his shoulder before Hyunjoong stepped forward with a welcoming open of his arms and was greeted by a hiss and the reddening of eyes.
“I see now that Taemin wasn’t crying wolf, and that you treat him differently from the rest of us,” Hyunjoong wasn’t one to waste words it seemed. “Why?”
“I’m not talking to someone like you! You ba-”
“Please, answer him.” Taemin interjected before the claws could come out again. “I want to know as well.”
Confusion clouded the girl’s eyes, and she stared at Taemin, as if unsure of how Taemin could not know such a thing. “Because you’re different. You’re different from the rest.”
“Different? How?” Hyunjoong pressed, the question he asked exactly what Taemin wanted to know as well.
The girl glanced uncertainly at Hyunjoong, before being reassured by Taemin’s nod. “Well… because… because he’s like me. I see someone who could be as passionate about books as I am. And I just… I just wanted someone to discuss books with.”
The reason was sound, and Taemin was inclined to believe her. But Hyunjoong shook his head. “No. That’s not why. He’s like you, yes, but not because of books.”
All eyes were on Hyunjoong as he procured a book that had been tucked into the back of his pants, hidden by the long red-brown coat he was wearing. Taemin could have recognized the red leather cover from a mile away - a record.
Hyunjoong didn’t look at anyone, only opening the book to a certain page and reading its contents.
“A young girl by the name of Seo Joohyun, or Seohyun, as she wanted to be called, came down to the shop in the evening. And like all of those who come here nowadays, she had a wish to be granted.”
“The encounter started off normal enough. I asked her, like I did all my customers, what her purpose here was. And she answered in a voice softer than petals blowing past in the wind. But I didn’t need to hear what she had to say really, for the store itself told me her answer, and told me to lead her to the library.”
“I am not one to doubt the wisdom of the store, and so lead her to the library I did. There, she seemed quite taken to it, and her eyes shone with joy. I asked her for the reason and she told me of her deep love of books. Her wish, she said, was to be able to read every good book in the world.”
“Then, with wisdom given to me, I smiled, and told her that it was good then. Because, in order for her wish to be granted, she would need to stay here. That was the price - that she would give up her independence, for the books would be brought to her instead of her getting them.”
“Terms were agreed upon, and that was that. I let her stay for the night while I prepared. I thought this would be an easy task, to grant a girl a harmless wish to read good books forever.”
“However, I am regretful to say that I have failed to grant her wish. I do not know what went wrong, only that one minute I was in the middle of the usual procedures when it blew up in my face. Or at least I think it did. Everything went white, and by the time I woke up, she was gone.”
“Then, to my horror of horrors, I found out, a few days later, what exactly had happened to her…” Hyunjoong paused here, giving Taemin a small smile, and he realized then that he had read that passage before on the first day Onew had took him to the library. It now seemed eons ago. “…She had become a Yurei - a vengeful ghost. And she attacked me upon seeing me, and I had no choice but to put her down.”
“The only thing that could have complicated such a wish was a hidden desire in the girl’s heart, but as to what, I do not know, for the store refuses to reveal it to me and she will not listen to my words without wishing to kill me first. And so, the only thing I can do is to make it a tradition to bring back good books to this library, so that at least one of her wishes can be fulfilled.”
Hyunjoong slowly lowered the book, smiling at the girl, who had the look of surprised reminiscence on her face. “End of entry. Now… does this seem familiar to you? The writer’s name was lost unfortunately, some things in this library were lost during incidents, including fights with you.”
“…Tablo…”
“What?” Hyunjoong blinked innocently, and Taemin looked at him, a little irritated, for he knew that innocent was an act. Hyunjoong knew much more than he cared to show.
“The store-keeper’s name. It was Tablo.” The Yurei known as Seohyun, sighed, a faraway look on his face. “He was a nice person… quiet… but it’s his fault I’m stuck like this…”
“Oh? How so?”
“He made me become this monster.” Seohyun answered quietly. “I realized it after a while… that I attacked anyone who didn’t share my love of books. Or at least, I didn’t see as being able to do so. If I knew that that was part of the price, I would never have agreed to his terms!”
“No.” Hyunjoong shook his head, brown hair tumbling down the front from where it had loosened from his hair tie. “It wasn’t Tablo’s fault. And besides, the essence of why you attack people is wrong. It’s not because of they don’t have a love of books. You attacked plenty of people who did, plenty of store-keepers like their literature, and I will admit I fancy myself a book-lover myself. No… the reason why you attacked all those people is not that.”
“Then, what?” Taemin could see that Seohyun was becoming frustrated, and her eyes glowed red again. “There’s no other reason I can think of!”
“Well, maybe, we can find the answer by examining the one person you did not attack - Taemin.” Hyunjoong placed hands around Taemin’s shoulders, pushing him forward. “Let’s see… he’s quiet, like you. And he’s also, quite tall for his supposed age, a little gawky, like you… And for the past few days, he’s been made to feel… inadequate. Like his opinion isn’t needed, and that he can’t really do anything. And that’s he was… basically invisible.”
Taemin stared at Hyunjoong in incomprehension, but for one, Hyunjoong didn’t leave him in the dark. “That’s what the hidden desire in your heart was. You were tired of being the one whose opinion wasn’t needed. You were tired of being the wall-flower, of people not noticing you. Of being teased for being quiet, or never really fitting in. That was the reason why you took refuge in books, to find a shelter from all the mean comments and from the reality of life.”
Taemin wanted Hyunjoong to stop, for which each of Hyunjoong’s statements, Seohyun grew yet paler, her eyes more pained. “No… No…”
But Hyunjoong showed no signs of stopping. “So when you met Taemin, you saw a shadow of you in him, and you wanted to share with him the same refuge you had taken. And so you decided to possess him, to impart your love of books into him. It was why he was so absorbed into those books when he never really had before.”
“No… I-!”
“All those you attacked, they were people you thought never had the same problem as you - people who were always listened to. Who were confident of themselves. Who weren’t like you.”
Seohyun was crying now, having sunk to her feet, and Taemin would have gone over to comfort her if Hyunjoong hadn’t done so first.
“So, when you made the wish to read books for an eternity, you were wishing that you would forever stay in your comfort zone. To be the way you always were, without the need to feel bad for it.” Hyunjoong gently cupped her chin, tilting it up so that her fringe fell away, revealing tear-filled brown eyes. “And the price for that was that you would always reject what you really wanted - to be different from your old self. To meet people and connect with them, to feel wanted, and to feel like people knew of your existence.”
“I… I… Yes…. I did.” Seohyun sobbed, tearing her face away from Hyunjoong’s hold and curling up into a fetal position. “Oh… I did…”
Hyunjoong’s face was calm, even as he stood up and looked down upon Seohyun’s shaking form. Then, he gave a soft sigh, closing his eyes. “It doesn’t have to remain like this you know.”
Seohyun looked up at Hyunjoong in surprise, her eyes now red from crying. “W-what?”
“I can grant your real wish.” Hyunjoong said quietly. “Although there will be terms as usual. But this time, I think I can get the wish off smoothly, without any problem.”
Seohyun stared up at Hyunjoong, and at the offered hand. She stared at the offer of a new start, and a new hope, and slowly, her lips curled up ever so slightly. Her eyes were puffy, and there were still tears streaming down her cheeks, but there it was - the beginnings of a genuine smile.
She took Hyunjoong’s hand.
~*~
“Wait, so all that annoying answer eluding thing was just a ploy to make me feel like I was invisible?”
Hyunjoon raised an eyebrow while Jonghyun let out a roar of laughter. Surprisingly, it was Key who answered (albeit a little grudgingly). “No, Hyunjoong does that to everyone.”
Now Taemin was confused. “Then…?”
“Hyunjoong.” Key repeated again. “Does that to, everyone.”
“Oh.” Taemin now understood - since Hyunjoong never answered anyone’s questions, then he wasn’t deliberately picking on Taemin to make him feel inadequate, or that it was the fault of Taemin himself.
“But I do admit stopping Key or Jonghyun from telling you that. I had hoped that things would turn out this way.” Hyunjoong admitted with an apologetic smile on his face. “I’ve been wanting to deal with that girl’s wish for very long, but for the longest time, no one suitable had come to the store.”
“Until I came…” Taemin sighed, rubbing his face. He didn’t really blame Hyunjoong though - he could see why Hyunjoong had kept things from him.
“You see, the store sometimes operates in this way - it keeps the customer here until a time when the wish is able to be granted. So, Seohyun was kept here until the right timing. So, unless you came, Seohyun’s wish would have never been fulfilled. And I bet the person standing behind you, waiting to thank you, is very glad that you did.” Hyunjoong smiled while Taemin whirled around in surprise, stuttering greetings at Seohyun, who was grinning shyly at him.
“Well, I need to go now.” Seohyun said, brushing aside Taemin’s profuse apologies for not having seen her sooner. “Hyunjoong-sshi says that the price for my wish is that I can never come back here, to my safety zone. That I have to be there, in the spotlight, and then people will come and know me.”
“Oh.” Taemin nodded, letting the words sink in. “Then I probably won’t see you in a while. Since I’m stuck her for a while, until payment for my supposed wish is paid.”
Seohyun nodded, a little sympathetically, before she turned around and waved. “Well, I’ll see you when you get out.”
“Yeah…” Taemin nodded, and waved back. And they shared a small moment of empathy, before Seohyun turned around and walked out of the door.
When she was gone, Taemin turned around, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hyunjoong-sshi…”
“Hmm?”
“Well, I was thinking, the payment is only ten percent of whatever is needed. Wouldn’t she still be able to leave this place once it was fulfilled?”
Hyunjoong smiled that enigmatic smile, and Taemin had to remind himself that the man did this to everybody, and that it was not Taemin himself that was inadequate. “Taemin-ah. Tell me, what is ten percent times infinity?”
“An infinity of course…” Taemin replied, wondering where this was leading to.
“Well then, since she wished for an eternity of books. Then, the payment would also be an eternity trapped here, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh.” Taemin blinked at Hyunjoong’s wry grin.
“Oh, indeed.” Hyunjoong laughed, his smile mirrored by the other two in the room. “Now, come along. Let’s go have some tea. It’s been a long night.”
~*~
[ Chapter 5]
[A/N: So... I kind of forgot about this? /sheepish. You have to thank renichifreak for reminding me. I'm working on chapter 11 and have about a month's buffer between me if I remember to post every week. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this ><]
Chapter: 4/?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, AU
Characters: Taemin (SHINee), Hyunjoong (SS501), the rest of SHINee, SS501 and other cameos
Pairing(s): TBA
Warning: Rating will go up in later chapters
Summary: When Lee Taemin gets deported down from his comfortable position in the weather division to a strange division known only to most as ‘the Store’, he gets tangled up in the stuff that should stay safely in his daydreams. Three difficult house-spirits, plenty of strange, needy customers, one clumsy but strangely mysterious store-keeper, and one particularly curious customer who seems to keep coming back only when Taemin is around.
It’s all fun, but wishes are desires are dangerous things. And soon, Taemin begins to wonder if he’s biting off more than he can chew…
~*~
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~*~
Hyunjoong had somehow managed to convince them to come to his room to discuss more on the matter. Well, it was more of sneaking thickly disguised proddings of their wrongdoings and hinting on how they should really be punished and feel bad about themselves and their behavior, and how they should just quietly come up to his room so that he wouldn’t say anymore on the matter.
Taemin had quietly followed, sad that his only first-class trips ever would always be guilt trips, when he paused and took in what was Hyunjoong’s room.
It was the most cluttered, yet elaborate room he’d ever seen. Dark, wine red walls, draped with thin silk clothes that fluttered in the wind and had the designs of butterflies on them. A carpet that matched, and seemed to reflect every colour of the hues of red and black and all in between. But it was the things inside the room that fascinated Taemin, making him forget that anything else existed. A thin golden pipe with archaic writings here, a chandelier made of a thousand wind-spun crystals there. Everything in the room was ornate, golden or a least dripping with fine age.
“It came with the post, the room that is.” Hyunjoong’s voice pierced through Taemin’s moment of awe, and Taemin blinked, feeling like a country bumpkin amongst such richness. “I don’t really care for such things, but it is the legacy of my predecessors, and Key would kill me if tried to change anything in this room.”
The look on Key’s face said it all, and Taemin would have chuckled if he didn’t remember his disdain for Key then. Instead, he settled down (a little gingerly) onto one of the many plush armchairs that dotted the place. It was no far guess that Hyunjoong commonly entertained people in his room, but Taemin was a little surprised at the fact - letting strangers into your most intimate place.
“You haven’t seen him on a lazy day.” A new voice piped up, and Taemin was surprised to see Jonghyun come up from behind a shade which Taemin had taken for a wall. There was a flicker of a wink as Jonghyun settled on a chair not far from Taemin before focusing his attention on Hyunjoong.
“Where’s Onew?” Hyunjoong asked, taking up a pipe and grinding a bit of tobacco into it.
“He’s cleaning out the ‘Ms’, as you instructed.” Jonghyun replied, before glancing at Taemin. “I wonder why… Onew developed a soft spot for this little puppy already?”
Taemin let out a yelp of surprise and disagreement at the snickers. “What do you mean puppy?”
“Loud bark, but no real bite. Cute but more trouble than it’s worth… Always poking your nose into trouble that you’re not involved with?” Key suddenly shot out, a smirk gracing his face. And Taemin glared at him, sharp tongue already forming a retort.
But before he could, something was shot into his face, and from the identical yelp, it seemed Key had received something of the same treatment. Rubbing his head where what seemed to be a ball of gold-plated metal had hit, Taemin demanded of Hyunjoong the same time Key yelled, “What was that for?!”
They ignored the way Jonghyun roared with laughter as they both immediately gave each other identical twin glares. “And you! Shut up!”
“Now, now.” Hyunjoong held up his hands when the twin glares switched over to him. “Can the two of you calm down for a moment so that I can ask you some questions?”
The glowering stares said otherwise, but it seemed that Hyunjoong didn’t really care. “Now, Taemin, can you tell me what you were doing in the library?”
The meaningful look Key gave him Taemin all but ignored. Instead, he launched into his tell, a little self-righteously in the beginning, but as he continued on, relating about the strange incident, his voice took on more of an earnest tone. It became a method of convincing - not of Taemin trying to get himself out of trouble, but of trying to tell Hyunjoong that maybe there was more to this Yurei then all of them thought.
“Hmm…” Hyunjoong tapped his chin. “Is that so…” And Taemin eagerly nodded, describing the girl he had seen, so different from the monster he had envisioned, listening to the descriptions he had heard.
Hyunjoong hummed again, that rather irritating thoughtful look still heavy on his face, and Taemin wanted to shake him, to demand Hyunjoong that if at least he didn’t believe him, he should go investigate and find out for himself.
A snicker to his left caught his attention then, and Taemin turned to see Jonghyun quietly laughing into his hand. Scowling, he turned to Jonghyun then. “What’s so funny?”
The question only served to elicit more quiet sniggers from the trickster, and it was several minutes, at which Taemin glanced at Hyunjoong several times to seek illumination there, but the growing amusement on Hyunjoong’s face only served to make him feel even more bemused and uncomfortable. The only refuge he could take was glancing at Key’s face and seeing a deepening scowl, as if he was resentful of Taemin over something, but the explanation as to watch wasn’t decipherable to any extent.
Finally, Taemin couldn’t stand it anymore. Going as far as to forget good manners, he stomped his foot on the carpet and burst out. “What?!”
It took a few more minutes for Jonghyun to control the raucous laughter that had burst out of his mouth, but finally answer he did. “Hyunjoong believes you, little Taemin-pup. He wouldn’t call the both of us to listen to your tale if he didn’t.”
The answer dislodged Taemin from his indignant high horse, and a little winded, he blinked, before scratching his head, suddenly uncomfortable. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh.” Hyunjoong smiled, and Taemin swore that if Hyunjoong didn’t have such a quaint, quiet image, he would have been roaring with laughter then. “And I am also going to investigate on the matter, and find out for myself exactly what’s going on. At this moment, in fact. Come on, Jonghyun. Key.”
Taemin was really beginning to believe that Hyunjoong was a psychic, especially with the way Hyunjoong smiled knowingly at him as he moved towards the door, Jonghyun and Key getting up to follow suit.
Belatedly, Taemin realized that he wanted to go to, after all, he was beginning to realize that if he didn’t push for it, no one was going to tell him anything at all. But before he even took his first step, Key was blocking his way, a look of annoyance on his face. “You never learn do you? You’re not coming with us! You’ll only get us into trouble!”
“I do not! And if it were not for me, you would still be thinking that girl was some kind of scary Yurei when she’s really not!” Taemin argued back, “besides, I want to find out more about this girl! And hell no am I waiting around for you to find answers that I know you won’t share with me anyway! So I’m coming, no matter what you say, and you can’t stop me?”
The way Key’s eyes narrowed made Taemin take a defensive stance back, sharp eyes focusing on the way Key was reaching into his pocket. “Why you little…”
“Key.”
The word was like a jolt to a tightly strung string. And both of them snapped their eyes to Hyunjoong, who was leaning against the door, Jonghyun close to him, looking bored and rolling his eyes at the both of them.
“Let him come.”
The phrase seeped in slowly, the tension having a slight membrane effect, but finally Taemin understood the implications of the phrase, and his expression was triumphant to Key’s scowl. But nothing more was said - for a house-spirit like Key, bound to protect a place, whatever the owner wished and said was king.
They all filed into the corridor, one by one, Taemin the last of them, Key having angrily moved forward, far ahead of them all. And Taemin grinned at that retreating back, feeling rather happy that he had come out top.
He shouldn’t have been so happy. For he would find out one day that that triumph was nothing to be proud about.
~*~
“Hmm… I think here would be good.”
Taemin raised an eyebrow at the proclamation with some scrutiny. They had been ambling around the whole of the library, Hyunjoong, Jonghyun and Key all looking at every area they had stopped with particularly care and method. Although as to what method they were using, because Taemin didn’t see any energy compasses or summonings of any religion or practice. Only the three of them staring at a spot, or waving their hand, and at most, Hyunjoong putting on a pair of ancient pince-nez and squinting at the spot. But it most be some method, for if not, then they were but taking on Taemin for a ride, and Taemin sincerely hoped that they weren’t.
And there was the matter of. “I thought you looked at that this spot before?”
“There’s the matter of timing!” Hyunjoong replied, waving the pince-nez around in the air before placing it onto his nose and peering at the spot yet again. “Hmm… yes. This is right. We don’t have a lot of time, so every get ready!”
“It would have been faster,” Taemin bristled at Key’s statement as he brushed past, “if Onew were here.”
Taemin was about to retort when Jonghyun tapped him lightly on the shoulder with a wry grin. “He’s right about that. Onew is the best at finding things that do not want to be found. But its fine, it’s not as if we had other really important things to do.”
Taemin didn’t know what to make of that, and he remained in that stand as Jonghyun walked away, putting his hand into his pocket and rummaging for something. If Key was any indication, then Jonghyun could well be double checking that some sort of exorcising weapon was still there.
Hyunjoong again hadn’t told him to do anything yet again, and he felt rather useless, standing there while everyone else was busy with something. In fact, he would go as far to say that he felt a invisible, no one even sparing a glance for him…
“She’s here.” The sharp tone in Hyunjoong’s voice caught his attention almost immediately, and he straightened off from the shelf that he was leaning into. But Jonghyun’s hand stopped him from moving forward, and he was startled to see that serious expression on the trickster’s face. It was a clear indication then - things were serious now. And Taemin had better not mess anything up, or the regret he would face would be more than just ridicule and ribbings.
The white mist was there again, materializing at that very spot that Hyunjoong had pointed out. But that was the end of the similarity to Taemin’s encounter with her. Instead of a cute girl materializing, what was there instead was a grotesque imitation of her, warped and terrifying. Arms and legs elongated, eyes a glowing bright red, and her face twisted into a horrible mask of hate.
“You!” the voice which Taemin had heard once, soft and shy, was now a screech of hatred, and of pure rage. “Why won’t you leave me alone?!”
Taemin was horrified when the figure of hate dove down, claws extended, straight at Hyunjoong. And heaved a sigh of relief when Hyunjoong stepped away, lifting up a walking cane that Taemin hadn’t realized he was carrying, and deflecting the blow away.
“We’ve come to talk-” Hyunjoong began to say, but the Yurei wasn’t willing to listen, screeching out a stream of curses at having missed and flying at Hyunjoong again. “There’s no need to discuss with people like you!”
Key gritted his teeth and cast a glare at Taemin before he rushed off to aid Hyunjoong. “See? Are you happy now?”
Taemin bit his lip, watching Hyunjoong fend of what were definitely attacks on his life. The mild-mannered girl that Taemin had met was now a raging, horrifying monster - and despite the evidence right in front of him, Taemin still could not believe it. Even as Key went from just dodging to truly attacking, black lightning crackling with every knife and ofuda he threw; even when Jonghyun, seeing Key and Hyunjoong having a tough time, abandoned his supposed job of guarding Taemin and ran forward, just in time to save Key from having his head lopped off.
Taemin’s hands clenched and he half took a step forward. What he wanted to do, he wasn’t sure - to help maybe? But the minute he did, he froze. What could he do? He was just a minor weather sprite, just like Key said. If people more powerful and older than him weren’t able to deal with this Yurei, then what more him?
So, he stepped back to the side, heart pounding as he watched the battle, unable to do anything except watch and pray that things would turn out fine.
Then, the worst thing that could happened, happened. Hyunjoong slipped on a pile of books that had fallen to the floor, the cane in his hands clattering to the floor, too far for a convenient reach, and too far for Hyunjoong to recover in time to grab before he met his death by the hand of the Yurei who had already began to charge straight at him.
‘This is all my fault.’ was the only thing Taemin could think as he let out a yell. He yelled for help, but both Jonghyun and Key were preoccupied, Jonghyun helping Key out from where he had been thrown after attempting an attack - both too far to be of any help. ‘This is all my fault.’ The horrified faces were a blur and he hadn’t realized when he’d stepped forward, rushing in front of Hyunjoong, the Yurei coming down too fast for him to do anything but become a shield. ‘All my fault.’
He closed his eyes, seeing death come near.
He felt the brush of cold against his cheek and thought it was over. But then, the hurt that Taemin expected, the searing of pain in his stomach, or his chest and the heaviness of breath - it never came.
“You… why…?”
That soft shy voice. Taemin knew it and he opened his eyes. A monster the Yurei was no more, only the pale, shy girl that Taemin had first met. And Taemin saw the question in her insistent, uncomprehending eyes, and then Taemin understood.
“You aren’t a killer. Never was. And they needed to see.”
The girls stared back, uncomprehending, at Taemin’s words. And behind him, he could hear Hyunjoong getting back up, and picking up his cane. There were the pats of congratulations on his shoulder before Hyunjoong stepped forward with a welcoming open of his arms and was greeted by a hiss and the reddening of eyes.
“I see now that Taemin wasn’t crying wolf, and that you treat him differently from the rest of us,” Hyunjoong wasn’t one to waste words it seemed. “Why?”
“I’m not talking to someone like you! You ba-”
“Please, answer him.” Taemin interjected before the claws could come out again. “I want to know as well.”
Confusion clouded the girl’s eyes, and she stared at Taemin, as if unsure of how Taemin could not know such a thing. “Because you’re different. You’re different from the rest.”
“Different? How?” Hyunjoong pressed, the question he asked exactly what Taemin wanted to know as well.
The girl glanced uncertainly at Hyunjoong, before being reassured by Taemin’s nod. “Well… because… because he’s like me. I see someone who could be as passionate about books as I am. And I just… I just wanted someone to discuss books with.”
The reason was sound, and Taemin was inclined to believe her. But Hyunjoong shook his head. “No. That’s not why. He’s like you, yes, but not because of books.”
All eyes were on Hyunjoong as he procured a book that had been tucked into the back of his pants, hidden by the long red-brown coat he was wearing. Taemin could have recognized the red leather cover from a mile away - a record.
Hyunjoong didn’t look at anyone, only opening the book to a certain page and reading its contents.
“A young girl by the name of Seo Joohyun, or Seohyun, as she wanted to be called, came down to the shop in the evening. And like all of those who come here nowadays, she had a wish to be granted.”
“The encounter started off normal enough. I asked her, like I did all my customers, what her purpose here was. And she answered in a voice softer than petals blowing past in the wind. But I didn’t need to hear what she had to say really, for the store itself told me her answer, and told me to lead her to the library.”
“I am not one to doubt the wisdom of the store, and so lead her to the library I did. There, she seemed quite taken to it, and her eyes shone with joy. I asked her for the reason and she told me of her deep love of books. Her wish, she said, was to be able to read every good book in the world.”
“Then, with wisdom given to me, I smiled, and told her that it was good then. Because, in order for her wish to be granted, she would need to stay here. That was the price - that she would give up her independence, for the books would be brought to her instead of her getting them.”
“Terms were agreed upon, and that was that. I let her stay for the night while I prepared. I thought this would be an easy task, to grant a girl a harmless wish to read good books forever.”
“However, I am regretful to say that I have failed to grant her wish. I do not know what went wrong, only that one minute I was in the middle of the usual procedures when it blew up in my face. Or at least I think it did. Everything went white, and by the time I woke up, she was gone.”
“Then, to my horror of horrors, I found out, a few days later, what exactly had happened to her…” Hyunjoong paused here, giving Taemin a small smile, and he realized then that he had read that passage before on the first day Onew had took him to the library. It now seemed eons ago. “…She had become a Yurei - a vengeful ghost. And she attacked me upon seeing me, and I had no choice but to put her down.”
“The only thing that could have complicated such a wish was a hidden desire in the girl’s heart, but as to what, I do not know, for the store refuses to reveal it to me and she will not listen to my words without wishing to kill me first. And so, the only thing I can do is to make it a tradition to bring back good books to this library, so that at least one of her wishes can be fulfilled.”
Hyunjoong slowly lowered the book, smiling at the girl, who had the look of surprised reminiscence on her face. “End of entry. Now… does this seem familiar to you? The writer’s name was lost unfortunately, some things in this library were lost during incidents, including fights with you.”
“…Tablo…”
“What?” Hyunjoong blinked innocently, and Taemin looked at him, a little irritated, for he knew that innocent was an act. Hyunjoong knew much more than he cared to show.
“The store-keeper’s name. It was Tablo.” The Yurei known as Seohyun, sighed, a faraway look on his face. “He was a nice person… quiet… but it’s his fault I’m stuck like this…”
“Oh? How so?”
“He made me become this monster.” Seohyun answered quietly. “I realized it after a while… that I attacked anyone who didn’t share my love of books. Or at least, I didn’t see as being able to do so. If I knew that that was part of the price, I would never have agreed to his terms!”
“No.” Hyunjoong shook his head, brown hair tumbling down the front from where it had loosened from his hair tie. “It wasn’t Tablo’s fault. And besides, the essence of why you attack people is wrong. It’s not because of they don’t have a love of books. You attacked plenty of people who did, plenty of store-keepers like their literature, and I will admit I fancy myself a book-lover myself. No… the reason why you attacked all those people is not that.”
“Then, what?” Taemin could see that Seohyun was becoming frustrated, and her eyes glowed red again. “There’s no other reason I can think of!”
“Well, maybe, we can find the answer by examining the one person you did not attack - Taemin.” Hyunjoong placed hands around Taemin’s shoulders, pushing him forward. “Let’s see… he’s quiet, like you. And he’s also, quite tall for his supposed age, a little gawky, like you… And for the past few days, he’s been made to feel… inadequate. Like his opinion isn’t needed, and that he can’t really do anything. And that’s he was… basically invisible.”
Taemin stared at Hyunjoong in incomprehension, but for one, Hyunjoong didn’t leave him in the dark. “That’s what the hidden desire in your heart was. You were tired of being the one whose opinion wasn’t needed. You were tired of being the wall-flower, of people not noticing you. Of being teased for being quiet, or never really fitting in. That was the reason why you took refuge in books, to find a shelter from all the mean comments and from the reality of life.”
Taemin wanted Hyunjoong to stop, for which each of Hyunjoong’s statements, Seohyun grew yet paler, her eyes more pained. “No… No…”
But Hyunjoong showed no signs of stopping. “So when you met Taemin, you saw a shadow of you in him, and you wanted to share with him the same refuge you had taken. And so you decided to possess him, to impart your love of books into him. It was why he was so absorbed into those books when he never really had before.”
“No… I-!”
“All those you attacked, they were people you thought never had the same problem as you - people who were always listened to. Who were confident of themselves. Who weren’t like you.”
Seohyun was crying now, having sunk to her feet, and Taemin would have gone over to comfort her if Hyunjoong hadn’t done so first.
“So, when you made the wish to read books for an eternity, you were wishing that you would forever stay in your comfort zone. To be the way you always were, without the need to feel bad for it.” Hyunjoong gently cupped her chin, tilting it up so that her fringe fell away, revealing tear-filled brown eyes. “And the price for that was that you would always reject what you really wanted - to be different from your old self. To meet people and connect with them, to feel wanted, and to feel like people knew of your existence.”
“I… I… Yes…. I did.” Seohyun sobbed, tearing her face away from Hyunjoong’s hold and curling up into a fetal position. “Oh… I did…”
Hyunjoong’s face was calm, even as he stood up and looked down upon Seohyun’s shaking form. Then, he gave a soft sigh, closing his eyes. “It doesn’t have to remain like this you know.”
Seohyun looked up at Hyunjoong in surprise, her eyes now red from crying. “W-what?”
“I can grant your real wish.” Hyunjoong said quietly. “Although there will be terms as usual. But this time, I think I can get the wish off smoothly, without any problem.”
Seohyun stared up at Hyunjoong, and at the offered hand. She stared at the offer of a new start, and a new hope, and slowly, her lips curled up ever so slightly. Her eyes were puffy, and there were still tears streaming down her cheeks, but there it was - the beginnings of a genuine smile.
She took Hyunjoong’s hand.
~*~
“Wait, so all that annoying answer eluding thing was just a ploy to make me feel like I was invisible?”
Hyunjoon raised an eyebrow while Jonghyun let out a roar of laughter. Surprisingly, it was Key who answered (albeit a little grudgingly). “No, Hyunjoong does that to everyone.”
Now Taemin was confused. “Then…?”
“Hyunjoong.” Key repeated again. “Does that to, everyone.”
“Oh.” Taemin now understood - since Hyunjoong never answered anyone’s questions, then he wasn’t deliberately picking on Taemin to make him feel inadequate, or that it was the fault of Taemin himself.
“But I do admit stopping Key or Jonghyun from telling you that. I had hoped that things would turn out this way.” Hyunjoong admitted with an apologetic smile on his face. “I’ve been wanting to deal with that girl’s wish for very long, but for the longest time, no one suitable had come to the store.”
“Until I came…” Taemin sighed, rubbing his face. He didn’t really blame Hyunjoong though - he could see why Hyunjoong had kept things from him.
“You see, the store sometimes operates in this way - it keeps the customer here until a time when the wish is able to be granted. So, Seohyun was kept here until the right timing. So, unless you came, Seohyun’s wish would have never been fulfilled. And I bet the person standing behind you, waiting to thank you, is very glad that you did.” Hyunjoong smiled while Taemin whirled around in surprise, stuttering greetings at Seohyun, who was grinning shyly at him.
“Well, I need to go now.” Seohyun said, brushing aside Taemin’s profuse apologies for not having seen her sooner. “Hyunjoong-sshi says that the price for my wish is that I can never come back here, to my safety zone. That I have to be there, in the spotlight, and then people will come and know me.”
“Oh.” Taemin nodded, letting the words sink in. “Then I probably won’t see you in a while. Since I’m stuck her for a while, until payment for my supposed wish is paid.”
Seohyun nodded, a little sympathetically, before she turned around and waved. “Well, I’ll see you when you get out.”
“Yeah…” Taemin nodded, and waved back. And they shared a small moment of empathy, before Seohyun turned around and walked out of the door.
When she was gone, Taemin turned around, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hyunjoong-sshi…”
“Hmm?”
“Well, I was thinking, the payment is only ten percent of whatever is needed. Wouldn’t she still be able to leave this place once it was fulfilled?”
Hyunjoong smiled that enigmatic smile, and Taemin had to remind himself that the man did this to everybody, and that it was not Taemin himself that was inadequate. “Taemin-ah. Tell me, what is ten percent times infinity?”
“An infinity of course…” Taemin replied, wondering where this was leading to.
“Well then, since she wished for an eternity of books. Then, the payment would also be an eternity trapped here, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh.” Taemin blinked at Hyunjoong’s wry grin.
“Oh, indeed.” Hyunjoong laughed, his smile mirrored by the other two in the room. “Now, come along. Let’s go have some tea. It’s been a long night.”
~*~
[ Chapter 5]
[A/N: So... I kind of forgot about this? /sheepish. You have to thank renichifreak for reminding me. I'm working on chapter 11 and have about a month's buffer between me if I remember to post every week. Hopefully I'll be able to finish this ><]