Cherem - Chapter 7
Title: Cherem
Chapter: 7/?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, AU
Characters: Taemin (SHINee), Hyunjoong (SS501), the rest of SHINee, SS501 and other cameos
Pairing(s): Taemin!centric, platonic!Key/Taemin,
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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~*~
He didn’t know why he woke. It was odd, as if something had reached inside his mind and physically tugged at the part which controlled consciousness. And he was sure that his attacker was thinking the same thing, being in the middle of murdering Taemin.
At the realization that he’d woken up for a good reason, because it was a good reason to wake up when there was 23 inches of blued steel just seconds away from separating your head from your neck, Taemin quickly rolled out of his bed and just in time. The second he hit the floor, rolling to away so that he could stand, the kodachi had already pierced deep into his pillow.
It was already dark outside, but light spilling in from a crack in the doorway ensured that Taemin wasn’t totally blind. And besides, as weather sprite of February weather, he was used to gloom, and this proved enough to scramble backwards, hand finding the switch and flicking it on.
The flooding of light into the room blinded the both of them, but Taemin recovered faster. Fast enough that he recognized the person who stood before him now. The person behind all the horrible attacks and Go Hara’s murder. The person’s whose once sharp and impish features were now transformed into ugliness just by the hate amplified by the sword held in her hands.
“Nicole…?” Taemin stared, his mind reeling. “B-but you… you were attacked… how could you be the one who…?”
“Silly boy.” Nicole laughed in a voice that didn’t seem to be hers. And Taemin could feel the hairs on his neck practically standing on their end. “Isn’t it obvious? I tricked you, of course.”
Of course. The words repeated themselves in Taemin’s mind. But there were too many things jarring in his mind, too many things that didn’t make sense.
“But who was it I chased then?” Taemin voiced his most pressing gripe. For as fast as Nicole was, she could not have run ahead of him.
“A simple shadow spell.” The tips of Nicole’s lips curled as if pulled by an invisible hand - insane, forced. “And you fell for it.”
Taemin frowned. He could see in Nicole’s eyes that there would be no reasoning with her now - they were glazed and were nothing but mirrors of the sickening aura that seeped from the cursed blade like a rotten stench. His hands slowly inched to the belt around his waist, but mentally cursed to find it empty - his daggers were still under the pillow where he had placed them, and where they now remained useless when he had forgotten to grab them when dodging Nicole’s attack.
“But why?” Taemin’s only chance now was to distract Nicole until he could think of something else, and he did it with the foremost question in his mind. “Why did you kill Hara? I saw the way you two behaved - you were like sisters, weren’t you? You cried when she died - too hard and too much for it to have been fake!”
“Yes, she was like a sister to me.” Nicole’s eyes flickered with something like regret before the insanity slammed down on it again like prison bars. “But she had to go. They all did. They were all better than me you see.”
“Better than you?” Taemin echoed, sounding like a broken record. But there was something in the sentence that bothered him. As if something like it had been said not too long ago. And the thought bugged him so, that he missed the decisive click in Nicole’s demeanor.
“Yes. Better… like you were.” Nicole laughed, taking a step closer - that decisive step that would bring her sword into killing range. “You managed to block my strike, even though I had the upper hand. And I cannot forgive you for that.”
There was no way out then, Nicole was far too close and too skilled for Taemin to dodge any strike thrown at him. And he flinched, arms instinctively raising in a vain attempt to shield himself just as the sword lifted and sliced downwards…
A horrified shriek, and then a body collapsing to the floor.
“… Huh. You really are a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?”
Taemin opened his eyes in the surprised realization that he wasn’t dead yet - no, that he was completely unharmed. Blinking rapidly, he stared at Nicole, who now lay unconscious on the floor; before he realized the shadow overlooking him, and he looked to see Key staring down at him with a resigned expression on his face. “…Key?”
The eternal human just quirked an eyebrow, as if in a strange expression of pride, leaning down to pick up the cursed blade from where it had fallen when Key had knocked Nicole unconscious. “The cursed blade Monotarinai - one of the many blades forged by the famous Murasame himself, and said to inherit the qualities of its insane maker. A blade that feeds on greed and arrogance… leaving the one possessed unsatisfied. Fitting for its namesake, don’t you think?”
And suddenly, the reason why Nicole’s words had seemed so familiar became all too clear.
Key turned to Taemin then, but before Taemin could enquire of it further, the others began to rush in. And Taemin found himself wrapped up in more arms that he could count, demanding explanations and whispering assurances. A warm blanket was draped over him, and he was fought over upon on who was best to take care of him.
Onew won the fight eventually, the house-spirit, despite his usually shy demeanor, was quite fierce when it was on the topic of a friend’s well-being. And Taemin was hauled away by his surprisingly strong arms, and told that he had been “so brave”. But the only thing he could process was the sight that he saw as he was led away - a distraught Leeteuk staring blankly at the scene, on his knees before the unconscious Nicole, and a bare few meters away, a resigned Key, unmoving like stone, watching it all.
And of course, there was Hyunjoong, standing a little off at the doorway like the observer he was. And Taemin would never forget the flicker of a wink he sent, nor would he forget, the entirely satisfied look on Hyunjoong’s face as he mouthed Taemin the words:
“And now it is almost time.”
~*~
Taemin had managed to convince Onew that he was perfectly fine. It was the only reason he wasn’t being sat upon by the house-spirit to keep him in the guest bed, and that he was standing in the corridor outside Nicole’s room with the others. Although, Onew did keep a particularly sharp watch over him.
“So… you’re saying that Nicole got possessed by Monotarinai because it exploited her desire to be the best out of all the rookies in the group?” Leeteuk repeated, and Taemin had never seen a man so devastated before.
“Well, technically I said that she was possessed because she was feeling the pressure of the need to be the best, and that along with the fact that you and Jungmin keep piling responsibilities on her, yet she doesn’t get the praise that you seem to give the others more and-” Hyunjoong paused when Onew elbowed him in the side. “Yes, that’s what I said.”
“…This is all my fault…” Leeteuk seemed to crumble upon himself, his hand shaking as it covered his face. “I-if only I had noticed it sooner… If only I had been a better mentor…”
“Hey, hey.” Jungmin placed a hand on Leeteuk’s shoulder, alarm on his face. “If it’s anyone who’s to blame, it’s me. She’s my student, and I know I’m certainly not the best teacher in the world… But she seemed to thrive on the praise I gave her, and I saw nothing wrong with it. But I guess I was wrong, huh?”
“No. It’s not your fault.” Leeteuk shook his head, stubborn. “What you did was fine… But I must have pushed her to her limits… But she was so responsible, and she said it was okay when I gave her more and more jobs. I didn’t see… I just…”
“Leeteuk…”
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t see this happening. And this is not even the first time-!”
His words cut off hastily. But everyone knew what he was going to say from the way all eyes slid to Key, who had kept his silence all the way since they had all come together, save for Jonghyun who was in the room with Nicole - both to guard her, and to guard from her.
At first, Taemin thought that Key was going to stoically ignore what was being implied. But then, he uncrossed his arms, and stared straight at Leeteuk, his gaze so clear it was disconcerting.
“Hyung.” The honorific seemed to startle everyone there except Hyunjoong, who only remained only deceptively mild. “Stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault that Nicole got possessed.”
“B-but…” Leeteuk stuttered, seemingly torn between the joy at Key finally talking to him, and the obvious want to contradict Key right now. “How can you say that? It was my fault you’re in your situation now. My fault I didn’t take care of you… Y-you… what you said that day was right. It’s all my fault… I… I’m just-”
“Christ! Will you stop saying that?!” Taemin’s eyes widened, and he backed away as Key seemed to lose his cool, closing the distance between him and Leeteuk with a few steps and grabbing hold of the elder man’s collar. “It’s not your bloody fault, so stop saying that already! I’ve been in this place for eons, and the one thing that I’ve learnt is that everyone has their own shit to deal with. Life is the same on everyone, whatever circumstance they’re in - it’s their own fucking problem when they can’t deal with what life throws at them. Some people deal with it just fine, so it’s only idiots like us who need to come to this godforsaken place to fulfill our stupid, self-centered wishes.”
“I never blamed you.” Key continued after a breathless moment, his hands loosening its hold on Leeteuk’s collar. “I was just being an idiot that day. I can’t keep blaming you for all my mistakes, and you certain shouldn’t take the burden for my own stupidity.”
“But… then… why did you always avoid me?” Leeteuk whispered. “I thought you hated me.”
“Hate you?” Key laughed, the sound lighting surprise in Taemin’s eyes, and he exchanged identical looks with Onew. They had never heard Key laugh in this way. “The only one I hated was myself. I just couldn’t face you, hyung. Not after what I did.”
There was a heartbreaking moment of silence, then a laugh bubbled forth, Leeteuk covering his mouth, almost in astonished surprise. “Kibum…”
“Shh!” Key looked around in alarm, letting go of Leeteuk’s collar completely. “Please, don’t use that name here. We have no idea what sort of things lurk in this place, and if something malicious hears it…”
“Oh!” Leeteuk covered his mouth in alarm. And Taemin recalled something he’d read before about names and their power and the reasons their kind usually took a pseudonym if they entered into a line as dangerous as theirs. “Sorry.”
“No… it’s alright. Just don’t do it again.” Key waved his hand with a smirk. “Although, it shouldn’t really bother me, after all, I’m the almighty Key! I can take whatever this Store throws at me!”
That elicited a laugh from Leeteuk, “You haven’t really changed have you?”
“Of course not!” Key snorted, waving a cheeky finger. “It’s part of my payment after all.”
“As much as I’d hate to break a happy moment, but Key has work to do.” Hyunjoong suddenly stepped forward, clasping a hand onto Key’s shoulder. “Key, would you mind storing away the payment for me? You should know where it goes.”
Hyunjoong seemed surprised at the blank look Key gave him, which he really shouldn’t be, because everyone there cast just as equally blank stares. “What?”
“What payment are you talking about?” Key said aloud the question on all their minds.
“Why that of course.” Hyunjoong pointed at the cursed sword that was still hyung around Key’s waist. “In return for the fulfilling of a wish.”
“Wait, I thought that you taking care of that was the wish?” Leeteuk asked, but at that moment, the door to Nicole’s room opened and Jonghyun’s head popped out.
“She’s awake and wants to see everyone.” Jonghyun announced before beginning to gesture everyone inside.
Taemin began to shuffle forward, but he managed to hear a snippet of a whispered conversation as Jungmin grabbed Hyunjoong’s arm before they entered.
“Hyun, did you just do what I think you just did?”
“Just watch it play out, Jungmin.”
“I swear, if you took any residue payment upon yourself...”
“I didn’t. Really. Won’t you trust me, Jungmin?”
There was a sigh, and perhaps more said, but Onew had already pulled him in at that moment, and whatever else was lost except between the two who had spoken.
~*~
When at last everyone had shuffled into the room, the cheerful atmosphere had already dissipated, and the tension had returned. And Taemin swallowed, wondering how the tension could be the same despite it being different people and for a different reason.
Nothing was said for the first few minutes after Hyunjoong closed the door behind him. All eyes centered upon the bed and its occupant, who had her head bowed low. And there were hesitant looks at each other when at length, she didn’t look up. As if by mental prodding, Leeteuk began to take one step forward, hand raised, perhaps to tell Nicole that they were here.
But the minute his foot hit the floor with a light tap, Nicole jerked upwards, an entirely fierce and determined look on her face. And before anyone could stop her, she had leapt out of the bed and knelt onto the wooden floor in the entirely uncomfortable Seiza style.
“Nicole!” Leeteuk was about to rush forward, from the looks of it, to pull her up; but the stern look in her eyes stopped him. And before anything else could be said, Nicole had bowed low to the ground, her forehead practically bashing the wood. “My behaviour has been nothing short of horrific, Leeteuk-sshi. And I will take any punishment dealt upon me gladly.”
Somehow, despite not having known her for too long, Taemin realized that this was exactly the kind of reaction he should have foreseen. And from the sighs and the looks on everyone’s faces, it seemed that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“Nicole…” Leeteuk sighed. “We’re not going to punish you.”
“Eh?” Nicole looked up for a split second before she resolutely bowed her head again. “No, I cannot accept that. That I, Nicole Jung, had been possessed by a spirit is unthinkable… yet it happened…”
“Nicole, my student, these things happen even to the best of us.” Taemin blinked when Jungmin stepped forward, putting a hand onto Nicole’s shoulder. “You should not blame yourself. Think nothing of it.”
But Nicole wasn’t to be so easily put to ease, and Taemin couldn’t really blame her. “How can I think nothing of it?! I was possessed… and worst of all… I…” Nicole swallowed, grabbing onto Jungmin’s shirt like it was a life-line, tears beginning to choke her throat. “I killed Hara… my best friend… I… I… killed her…”
“Actually,” Hyunjoong held up a finger, waving it around to garner attention before moving backwards towards the door and flung it open, “you didn’t.”
“Nicole!” Taemin yelped as he was nearly bowled over by a blur of red and white, and mere milliseconds later, Nicole had her arms full of a sobbing girl, that Taemin, realized with a start and a scandalized look at Hyunjoong, that the girl was Hara.
“Hara?!” Nicole exclaimed in wonder, “I-I… thought… I killed you… didn’t I?”
It only went to show how absurd the whole situation was, that everyone looked at Hyunjoong, thinking the exact same thing.
“I’m so sorry!” Hara wailed, only hugging Nicole tighter. “I wasn’t s-sure, but Hyunjoong-sshi said it was to help you! A-and I wanted to help s-so, I did as he said, but I’m s-so s-sorry for tricking you!”
“Wait… you mean, you were just pretending to be dead?” Nicole asked and received frantic nods in return.
All eyes turned to Hyunjoong, who shrugged. “Simple illusion spell.”
“B-but this doesn’t change anything!” Nicole stuttered, trying to push Hara aside, but failing as the girl clung onto her with a vice-like grip. “I still deserve punishment!”
“Nicole…” Jungmin sighed. “We’re not giving you any. And that’s final.”
Stupefied, Nicole gaped at all of them, and Taemin thought, doing an admirable impression of a goldfish. Then, the fierceness returned, and Nicole banged her fist on her floor, shutting even Hara up. “No! I must be punished… I-if… If you refuse to deal my just deserts to me, I will decide on my punishment myself!”
There was a disturbed silence after that, but despite the missed beat, Key stepped up in the awkwardness after, and with a roll of his eyes, said. “Yeah, sure. Decide your own punishment, isolate yourself, make yourself miserable because, yeah, that’s what you want - to wallow in self-centered pity.”
“That’s not-”
“Oh yes, it is, and you know it.” Key cut Nicole off sharply, “I’d know. I did it. And I tell you, it’s not any fun. You’d think that you’re getting what you deserve, because, hey, you’re getting punished. But I tell you, you’re only not going to make it any better, feeling sorry for yourself. And worse, you’re just going to drag everyone down, make every feel just as bad. So I’ll tell you now, save you the few centuries of misery that I had. It’s not worth it.”
“Hey.” Leeteuk knelt down besides Nicole, who had fallen silent at Key’s outburst. “It’s alright. There’s no need for any punishment, either from us, or yourself. I forgive you.”
Nicole sniffled as Leeteuk cupped her cheeks, lifting her face up so that she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “Because, everyone makes mistakes. Right, Key?” Leeteuk glanced up at Key, who grinned back down at him.
“No, no, no.” Hyunjoong suddenly interrupted, throwing everyone off-beat as he strode forward. “If you want to be all debonair and do a fan-service scene, Leeteuk, you do not look back at someone else for confirmation! It speaks of a lack of confidence. Come!” Hyunjoong shoved Leeteuk aside, cupping a stunned Nicole’s cheeks. “This is how you do it…”
And with a tone that made Taemin want to bit his lip to keep from laughing in disbelief, and believe him at the same time, Hyunjoong said with what sounded like heart-felt sincerity: “Nicole-ah, I forgive you. So there’s no need for this talk of punishment anymore…” and to his eternal amusement, Hyunjoong busted a classic move and brushed a lock of Nicole’s hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Right?”
Taemin half expected Nicole to bash Hyunjoong on his head. But instead, to his mild mortification, Nicole’s face turned a brilliant red, and she stuttered. “W-well…”
“Ack! Nicole! You can’t fall for that guy’s lousy moves! I’m so much better!” Jungmin was suddenly where Hyunjoong was, holding Nicole’s hand to his heart. “Nicole-ah. You’re so beautiful… and a beautiful lady shouldn’t have the need to talk about punishment at all…” Taemin blinked as Jungmin somehow produced a rose from nowhere, tucking it into Nicole’s hair. “Mon cheri…”
There was a roar of laughter when Jungmin’s only reward was a shriek and a smack on the head. And then there was even more as the three house-spirits joined into the contest(?) as well.
“Hey, Hyunjoong.” Taemin asked the store-keeper, who had picked himself up from being pushed violently to side by Jungmin. “When you were talking about a customer coming a day ago, you were talking about Leeteuk-sshi only right? You never meant to grant the wish of taking care of the cursed blade right?”
Hyunjoong laughed, a twinkle in his eye as he turned to Taemin. “Well, yes. That blade wasn’t really that much of a big deal. It was still dangerous out there, but once it came into the Store, its murderous nature was immediately nullified, and its strings to Nicole cut. No, Leeteuk’s wish for reconciliation with Key was the only thing I sought to grant.”
“So you purposely lifted some of the protections in the Store, instructed Hara on what to do, and let everything play out?”
“But… there’s still one thing bothering me…” Taemin paused, before Hyunjoong signaled him to continue. “What about the others that Jungmin were talking about? The ones that were killed before they came here?”
Hyunjoong shook his head, placing his fingers on his lips. “There are some things that just shouldn’t be remembered.”
Taemin stared before sighing. “You’re just such a manipulative lurker, you know that?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about? Oh! Hey, Onew you’re done! Look’s like it’s your turn Taemin!” Taemin’s eyes widened as Hyunjoong suddenly pushed him forward, so hard that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Looking up, he saw the eager looks of anticipation around him and rubbed the back of his head, a miserable expression on his face. “W-what? No… it’s so embarrassing…”
There was a pause, then the three house-spirits turned to each other, resigned. “Looks like it’s no contest then.” Jonghyun mumbled, disappointed.
“Eh?” Taemin blinked, realizing that Nicole had an extremely strange look on her face as she looked at him, and that her face was a deep-set red, and her eyes abnormally shiny.
“Wow… I swear I saw sparkles behind him…” Jungmin muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“Eh?”
“Ack…!” Hara squeaked, suddenly excusing herself, and Taemin thought he saw her clutching her nose, trying to prevent what looked like blood from dripping onto the floor as she ran out.
“Looks like Taemin is the winner of our fan-service contest!” Hyunjoong grabbed Taemin’s hand and lifted it up to victory.
“Hooray!” everyone cheered in unison, before bursting out into laughter. And Taemin blinked, wondering what the hell had just happened.
But then, Jungmin demanded a rematch, and the matter was soon forgotten more hilarity ensued. And Taemin thought, that even though this place was absolute nuts, at the very least, he was having fun.
~*~
“Sure you don’t want to stay another night?” Hyunjoong asked casually as the whole household gathered at the front door to bid the exorcists goodbye.
“No, as much as I’d like to catch up and all,” Leeteuk grinned at Key, who rolled his eyes, but Taemin could tell he was smiling. “The rest are expecting us. We have a mission tomorrow, and I don’t trust Kangin to take care of the younger ones properly.”
“Yeah… he’s probably hanging Jiyong up by his underpants by now.” Jungmin nodded sagely, eliciting a laugh from both Hara and Nicole, the latter looking much happier and carefree now.
Leeteuk snorted. “That boy’s no young one already, and he’s still a trouble-maker… aish… anyway, we’ll come back to visit soon, and that’s a promise.”
Key laughed, happier than Taemin had ever see him, and shouted out as the exorcists started down the road. “And don’t you forget it!”
There was a responding laugh, and hands waved to the merry bunch standing on the doorstep. And they all watched as the group walking away strode through the archway on which the archaic words of farewell were carved, and were swallowed up by the mist.
“Ah well.” Key said after a length, stretching his arms out in a gesture of tiredness. “That’s that I guess. Back to work. It’s nearly dinner time.”
There were two murmurs of agreement, and footsteps as they began to turn back into the house. Taemin was just about to follow, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“What is it, Hyunjoong?” Taemin blinked, staring at the store-keeper, who was smiling as if Taemin was missing something obvious.
“Aren’t you going to try to make a run for it?” It took a while for Taemin to process those words, but when he did, he looked at Hyunjoong with no small measure of surprise.
For Taemin was outside now - outside where he hadn’t been in weeks. The exit was mere footsteps away from where he stood now - a few more footsteps towards the way home, back to what was familiar, to the cushy, simple job in the weather department, back to a good pay, his familiar house, back to where he was supposed to belong. Just a few step away, and Taemin realized that he didn’t even care.
He hadn’t realized his sight had turned towards the gate and its mysterious portal of gray mist. Only when Hyunjoong spoke, mouth close to Taemin’s ear, did Taemin realize he did. “Are you going to try now? Even if I say that your payment has probably not ended yet. And that there will be disappointment, are you going to try?”
Taemin blinked at the choice of words, and he turned back to look at the store-keeper, wondering perhaps that maybe, if he left, Hyunjoong would miss him.
But Hyunjoong’s face was blank, and the thought passed. But still, Taemin smiled, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think I will.”
He walked back into the house without even turning back, and smiled at in triumph as he felt Hyunjoong’s surprised eyes boring into his back. He walked back, down the corridor and turned left towards the kitchen.
Inside, Key was beginning to cook up a storm. Onew was helping to clear up the place, taking out the dishes to set the table. And Jonghyun, as usual, was no help at all.
“Hey.” They greeted him when he entered, taking the plates from Onew and helping to put them onto the table. And Jonghyun’s eyebrow quirked when he saw the unusually soft smile on Taemin’s face. “What’s got you all happy, Taemin-ah?”
“Oh… nothing.” Taemin laughed at the scandalized looks they all gave him as they began to complain that Hyunjoong must have started to rub off on him.
He supposed they weren’t far from the truth - they all had begun to rub off him. For that was usually the first sign that you were in the place you belonged.
~*~
[ Chapter 8]
Chapter: 7/?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Fantasy, AU
Characters: Taemin (SHINee), Hyunjoong (SS501), the rest of SHINee, SS501 and other cameos
Pairing(s): Taemin!centric, platonic!Key/Taemin,
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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~*~
He didn’t know why he woke. It was odd, as if something had reached inside his mind and physically tugged at the part which controlled consciousness. And he was sure that his attacker was thinking the same thing, being in the middle of murdering Taemin.
At the realization that he’d woken up for a good reason, because it was a good reason to wake up when there was 23 inches of blued steel just seconds away from separating your head from your neck, Taemin quickly rolled out of his bed and just in time. The second he hit the floor, rolling to away so that he could stand, the kodachi had already pierced deep into his pillow.
It was already dark outside, but light spilling in from a crack in the doorway ensured that Taemin wasn’t totally blind. And besides, as weather sprite of February weather, he was used to gloom, and this proved enough to scramble backwards, hand finding the switch and flicking it on.
The flooding of light into the room blinded the both of them, but Taemin recovered faster. Fast enough that he recognized the person who stood before him now. The person behind all the horrible attacks and Go Hara’s murder. The person’s whose once sharp and impish features were now transformed into ugliness just by the hate amplified by the sword held in her hands.
“Nicole…?” Taemin stared, his mind reeling. “B-but you… you were attacked… how could you be the one who…?”
“Silly boy.” Nicole laughed in a voice that didn’t seem to be hers. And Taemin could feel the hairs on his neck practically standing on their end. “Isn’t it obvious? I tricked you, of course.”
Of course. The words repeated themselves in Taemin’s mind. But there were too many things jarring in his mind, too many things that didn’t make sense.
“But who was it I chased then?” Taemin voiced his most pressing gripe. For as fast as Nicole was, she could not have run ahead of him.
“A simple shadow spell.” The tips of Nicole’s lips curled as if pulled by an invisible hand - insane, forced. “And you fell for it.”
Taemin frowned. He could see in Nicole’s eyes that there would be no reasoning with her now - they were glazed and were nothing but mirrors of the sickening aura that seeped from the cursed blade like a rotten stench. His hands slowly inched to the belt around his waist, but mentally cursed to find it empty - his daggers were still under the pillow where he had placed them, and where they now remained useless when he had forgotten to grab them when dodging Nicole’s attack.
“But why?” Taemin’s only chance now was to distract Nicole until he could think of something else, and he did it with the foremost question in his mind. “Why did you kill Hara? I saw the way you two behaved - you were like sisters, weren’t you? You cried when she died - too hard and too much for it to have been fake!”
“Yes, she was like a sister to me.” Nicole’s eyes flickered with something like regret before the insanity slammed down on it again like prison bars. “But she had to go. They all did. They were all better than me you see.”
“Better than you?” Taemin echoed, sounding like a broken record. But there was something in the sentence that bothered him. As if something like it had been said not too long ago. And the thought bugged him so, that he missed the decisive click in Nicole’s demeanor.
“Yes. Better… like you were.” Nicole laughed, taking a step closer - that decisive step that would bring her sword into killing range. “You managed to block my strike, even though I had the upper hand. And I cannot forgive you for that.”
There was no way out then, Nicole was far too close and too skilled for Taemin to dodge any strike thrown at him. And he flinched, arms instinctively raising in a vain attempt to shield himself just as the sword lifted and sliced downwards…
A horrified shriek, and then a body collapsing to the floor.
“… Huh. You really are a magnet for trouble, aren’t you?”
Taemin opened his eyes in the surprised realization that he wasn’t dead yet - no, that he was completely unharmed. Blinking rapidly, he stared at Nicole, who now lay unconscious on the floor; before he realized the shadow overlooking him, and he looked to see Key staring down at him with a resigned expression on his face. “…Key?”
The eternal human just quirked an eyebrow, as if in a strange expression of pride, leaning down to pick up the cursed blade from where it had fallen when Key had knocked Nicole unconscious. “The cursed blade Monotarinai - one of the many blades forged by the famous Murasame himself, and said to inherit the qualities of its insane maker. A blade that feeds on greed and arrogance… leaving the one possessed unsatisfied. Fitting for its namesake, don’t you think?”
And suddenly, the reason why Nicole’s words had seemed so familiar became all too clear.
Key turned to Taemin then, but before Taemin could enquire of it further, the others began to rush in. And Taemin found himself wrapped up in more arms that he could count, demanding explanations and whispering assurances. A warm blanket was draped over him, and he was fought over upon on who was best to take care of him.
Onew won the fight eventually, the house-spirit, despite his usually shy demeanor, was quite fierce when it was on the topic of a friend’s well-being. And Taemin was hauled away by his surprisingly strong arms, and told that he had been “so brave”. But the only thing he could process was the sight that he saw as he was led away - a distraught Leeteuk staring blankly at the scene, on his knees before the unconscious Nicole, and a bare few meters away, a resigned Key, unmoving like stone, watching it all.
And of course, there was Hyunjoong, standing a little off at the doorway like the observer he was. And Taemin would never forget the flicker of a wink he sent, nor would he forget, the entirely satisfied look on Hyunjoong’s face as he mouthed Taemin the words:
“And now it is almost time.”
~*~
Taemin had managed to convince Onew that he was perfectly fine. It was the only reason he wasn’t being sat upon by the house-spirit to keep him in the guest bed, and that he was standing in the corridor outside Nicole’s room with the others. Although, Onew did keep a particularly sharp watch over him.
“So… you’re saying that Nicole got possessed by Monotarinai because it exploited her desire to be the best out of all the rookies in the group?” Leeteuk repeated, and Taemin had never seen a man so devastated before.
“Well, technically I said that she was possessed because she was feeling the pressure of the need to be the best, and that along with the fact that you and Jungmin keep piling responsibilities on her, yet she doesn’t get the praise that you seem to give the others more and-” Hyunjoong paused when Onew elbowed him in the side. “Yes, that’s what I said.”
“…This is all my fault…” Leeteuk seemed to crumble upon himself, his hand shaking as it covered his face. “I-if only I had noticed it sooner… If only I had been a better mentor…”
“Hey, hey.” Jungmin placed a hand on Leeteuk’s shoulder, alarm on his face. “If it’s anyone who’s to blame, it’s me. She’s my student, and I know I’m certainly not the best teacher in the world… But she seemed to thrive on the praise I gave her, and I saw nothing wrong with it. But I guess I was wrong, huh?”
“No. It’s not your fault.” Leeteuk shook his head, stubborn. “What you did was fine… But I must have pushed her to her limits… But she was so responsible, and she said it was okay when I gave her more and more jobs. I didn’t see… I just…”
“Leeteuk…”
“It’s all my fault. I didn’t see this happening. And this is not even the first time-!”
His words cut off hastily. But everyone knew what he was going to say from the way all eyes slid to Key, who had kept his silence all the way since they had all come together, save for Jonghyun who was in the room with Nicole - both to guard her, and to guard from her.
At first, Taemin thought that Key was going to stoically ignore what was being implied. But then, he uncrossed his arms, and stared straight at Leeteuk, his gaze so clear it was disconcerting.
“Hyung.” The honorific seemed to startle everyone there except Hyunjoong, who only remained only deceptively mild. “Stop blaming yourself. It’s not your fault that Nicole got possessed.”
“B-but…” Leeteuk stuttered, seemingly torn between the joy at Key finally talking to him, and the obvious want to contradict Key right now. “How can you say that? It was my fault you’re in your situation now. My fault I didn’t take care of you… Y-you… what you said that day was right. It’s all my fault… I… I’m just-”
“Christ! Will you stop saying that?!” Taemin’s eyes widened, and he backed away as Key seemed to lose his cool, closing the distance between him and Leeteuk with a few steps and grabbing hold of the elder man’s collar. “It’s not your bloody fault, so stop saying that already! I’ve been in this place for eons, and the one thing that I’ve learnt is that everyone has their own shit to deal with. Life is the same on everyone, whatever circumstance they’re in - it’s their own fucking problem when they can’t deal with what life throws at them. Some people deal with it just fine, so it’s only idiots like us who need to come to this godforsaken place to fulfill our stupid, self-centered wishes.”
“I never blamed you.” Key continued after a breathless moment, his hands loosening its hold on Leeteuk’s collar. “I was just being an idiot that day. I can’t keep blaming you for all my mistakes, and you certain shouldn’t take the burden for my own stupidity.”
“But… then… why did you always avoid me?” Leeteuk whispered. “I thought you hated me.”
“Hate you?” Key laughed, the sound lighting surprise in Taemin’s eyes, and he exchanged identical looks with Onew. They had never heard Key laugh in this way. “The only one I hated was myself. I just couldn’t face you, hyung. Not after what I did.”
There was a heartbreaking moment of silence, then a laugh bubbled forth, Leeteuk covering his mouth, almost in astonished surprise. “Kibum…”
“Shh!” Key looked around in alarm, letting go of Leeteuk’s collar completely. “Please, don’t use that name here. We have no idea what sort of things lurk in this place, and if something malicious hears it…”
“Oh!” Leeteuk covered his mouth in alarm. And Taemin recalled something he’d read before about names and their power and the reasons their kind usually took a pseudonym if they entered into a line as dangerous as theirs. “Sorry.”
“No… it’s alright. Just don’t do it again.” Key waved his hand with a smirk. “Although, it shouldn’t really bother me, after all, I’m the almighty Key! I can take whatever this Store throws at me!”
That elicited a laugh from Leeteuk, “You haven’t really changed have you?”
“Of course not!” Key snorted, waving a cheeky finger. “It’s part of my payment after all.”
“As much as I’d hate to break a happy moment, but Key has work to do.” Hyunjoong suddenly stepped forward, clasping a hand onto Key’s shoulder. “Key, would you mind storing away the payment for me? You should know where it goes.”
Hyunjoong seemed surprised at the blank look Key gave him, which he really shouldn’t be, because everyone there cast just as equally blank stares. “What?”
“What payment are you talking about?” Key said aloud the question on all their minds.
“Why that of course.” Hyunjoong pointed at the cursed sword that was still hyung around Key’s waist. “In return for the fulfilling of a wish.”
“Wait, I thought that you taking care of that was the wish?” Leeteuk asked, but at that moment, the door to Nicole’s room opened and Jonghyun’s head popped out.
“She’s awake and wants to see everyone.” Jonghyun announced before beginning to gesture everyone inside.
Taemin began to shuffle forward, but he managed to hear a snippet of a whispered conversation as Jungmin grabbed Hyunjoong’s arm before they entered.
“Hyun, did you just do what I think you just did?”
“Just watch it play out, Jungmin.”
“I swear, if you took any residue payment upon yourself...”
“I didn’t. Really. Won’t you trust me, Jungmin?”
There was a sigh, and perhaps more said, but Onew had already pulled him in at that moment, and whatever else was lost except between the two who had spoken.
~*~
When at last everyone had shuffled into the room, the cheerful atmosphere had already dissipated, and the tension had returned. And Taemin swallowed, wondering how the tension could be the same despite it being different people and for a different reason.
Nothing was said for the first few minutes after Hyunjoong closed the door behind him. All eyes centered upon the bed and its occupant, who had her head bowed low. And there were hesitant looks at each other when at length, she didn’t look up. As if by mental prodding, Leeteuk began to take one step forward, hand raised, perhaps to tell Nicole that they were here.
But the minute his foot hit the floor with a light tap, Nicole jerked upwards, an entirely fierce and determined look on her face. And before anyone could stop her, she had leapt out of the bed and knelt onto the wooden floor in the entirely uncomfortable Seiza style.
“Nicole!” Leeteuk was about to rush forward, from the looks of it, to pull her up; but the stern look in her eyes stopped him. And before anything else could be said, Nicole had bowed low to the ground, her forehead practically bashing the wood. “My behaviour has been nothing short of horrific, Leeteuk-sshi. And I will take any punishment dealt upon me gladly.”
Somehow, despite not having known her for too long, Taemin realized that this was exactly the kind of reaction he should have foreseen. And from the sighs and the looks on everyone’s faces, it seemed that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“Nicole…” Leeteuk sighed. “We’re not going to punish you.”
“Eh?” Nicole looked up for a split second before she resolutely bowed her head again. “No, I cannot accept that. That I, Nicole Jung, had been possessed by a spirit is unthinkable… yet it happened…”
“Nicole, my student, these things happen even to the best of us.” Taemin blinked when Jungmin stepped forward, putting a hand onto Nicole’s shoulder. “You should not blame yourself. Think nothing of it.”
But Nicole wasn’t to be so easily put to ease, and Taemin couldn’t really blame her. “How can I think nothing of it?! I was possessed… and worst of all… I…” Nicole swallowed, grabbing onto Jungmin’s shirt like it was a life-line, tears beginning to choke her throat. “I killed Hara… my best friend… I… I… killed her…”
“Actually,” Hyunjoong held up a finger, waving it around to garner attention before moving backwards towards the door and flung it open, “you didn’t.”
“Nicole!” Taemin yelped as he was nearly bowled over by a blur of red and white, and mere milliseconds later, Nicole had her arms full of a sobbing girl, that Taemin, realized with a start and a scandalized look at Hyunjoong, that the girl was Hara.
“Hara?!” Nicole exclaimed in wonder, “I-I… thought… I killed you… didn’t I?”
It only went to show how absurd the whole situation was, that everyone looked at Hyunjoong, thinking the exact same thing.
“I’m so sorry!” Hara wailed, only hugging Nicole tighter. “I wasn’t s-sure, but Hyunjoong-sshi said it was to help you! A-and I wanted to help s-so, I did as he said, but I’m s-so s-sorry for tricking you!”
“Wait… you mean, you were just pretending to be dead?” Nicole asked and received frantic nods in return.
All eyes turned to Hyunjoong, who shrugged. “Simple illusion spell.”
“B-but this doesn’t change anything!” Nicole stuttered, trying to push Hara aside, but failing as the girl clung onto her with a vice-like grip. “I still deserve punishment!”
“Nicole…” Jungmin sighed. “We’re not giving you any. And that’s final.”
Stupefied, Nicole gaped at all of them, and Taemin thought, doing an admirable impression of a goldfish. Then, the fierceness returned, and Nicole banged her fist on her floor, shutting even Hara up. “No! I must be punished… I-if… If you refuse to deal my just deserts to me, I will decide on my punishment myself!”
There was a disturbed silence after that, but despite the missed beat, Key stepped up in the awkwardness after, and with a roll of his eyes, said. “Yeah, sure. Decide your own punishment, isolate yourself, make yourself miserable because, yeah, that’s what you want - to wallow in self-centered pity.”
“That’s not-”
“Oh yes, it is, and you know it.” Key cut Nicole off sharply, “I’d know. I did it. And I tell you, it’s not any fun. You’d think that you’re getting what you deserve, because, hey, you’re getting punished. But I tell you, you’re only not going to make it any better, feeling sorry for yourself. And worse, you’re just going to drag everyone down, make every feel just as bad. So I’ll tell you now, save you the few centuries of misery that I had. It’s not worth it.”
“Hey.” Leeteuk knelt down besides Nicole, who had fallen silent at Key’s outburst. “It’s alright. There’s no need for any punishment, either from us, or yourself. I forgive you.”
Nicole sniffled as Leeteuk cupped her cheeks, lifting her face up so that she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “Because, everyone makes mistakes. Right, Key?” Leeteuk glanced up at Key, who grinned back down at him.
“No, no, no.” Hyunjoong suddenly interrupted, throwing everyone off-beat as he strode forward. “If you want to be all debonair and do a fan-service scene, Leeteuk, you do not look back at someone else for confirmation! It speaks of a lack of confidence. Come!” Hyunjoong shoved Leeteuk aside, cupping a stunned Nicole’s cheeks. “This is how you do it…”
And with a tone that made Taemin want to bit his lip to keep from laughing in disbelief, and believe him at the same time, Hyunjoong said with what sounded like heart-felt sincerity: “Nicole-ah, I forgive you. So there’s no need for this talk of punishment anymore…” and to his eternal amusement, Hyunjoong busted a classic move and brushed a lock of Nicole’s hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Right?”
Taemin half expected Nicole to bash Hyunjoong on his head. But instead, to his mild mortification, Nicole’s face turned a brilliant red, and she stuttered. “W-well…”
“Ack! Nicole! You can’t fall for that guy’s lousy moves! I’m so much better!” Jungmin was suddenly where Hyunjoong was, holding Nicole’s hand to his heart. “Nicole-ah. You’re so beautiful… and a beautiful lady shouldn’t have the need to talk about punishment at all…” Taemin blinked as Jungmin somehow produced a rose from nowhere, tucking it into Nicole’s hair. “Mon cheri…”
There was a roar of laughter when Jungmin’s only reward was a shriek and a smack on the head. And then there was even more as the three house-spirits joined into the contest(?) as well.
“Hey, Hyunjoong.” Taemin asked the store-keeper, who had picked himself up from being pushed violently to side by Jungmin. “When you were talking about a customer coming a day ago, you were talking about Leeteuk-sshi only right? You never meant to grant the wish of taking care of the cursed blade right?”
Hyunjoong laughed, a twinkle in his eye as he turned to Taemin. “Well, yes. That blade wasn’t really that much of a big deal. It was still dangerous out there, but once it came into the Store, its murderous nature was immediately nullified, and its strings to Nicole cut. No, Leeteuk’s wish for reconciliation with Key was the only thing I sought to grant.”
“So you purposely lifted some of the protections in the Store, instructed Hara on what to do, and let everything play out?”
“But… there’s still one thing bothering me…” Taemin paused, before Hyunjoong signaled him to continue. “What about the others that Jungmin were talking about? The ones that were killed before they came here?”
Hyunjoong shook his head, placing his fingers on his lips. “There are some things that just shouldn’t be remembered.”
Taemin stared before sighing. “You’re just such a manipulative lurker, you know that?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about? Oh! Hey, Onew you’re done! Look’s like it’s your turn Taemin!” Taemin’s eyes widened as Hyunjoong suddenly pushed him forward, so hard that he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Looking up, he saw the eager looks of anticipation around him and rubbed the back of his head, a miserable expression on his face. “W-what? No… it’s so embarrassing…”
There was a pause, then the three house-spirits turned to each other, resigned. “Looks like it’s no contest then.” Jonghyun mumbled, disappointed.
“Eh?” Taemin blinked, realizing that Nicole had an extremely strange look on her face as she looked at him, and that her face was a deep-set red, and her eyes abnormally shiny.
“Wow… I swear I saw sparkles behind him…” Jungmin muttered, running a hand through his hair.
“Eh?”
“Ack…!” Hara squeaked, suddenly excusing herself, and Taemin thought he saw her clutching her nose, trying to prevent what looked like blood from dripping onto the floor as she ran out.
“Looks like Taemin is the winner of our fan-service contest!” Hyunjoong grabbed Taemin’s hand and lifted it up to victory.
“Hooray!” everyone cheered in unison, before bursting out into laughter. And Taemin blinked, wondering what the hell had just happened.
But then, Jungmin demanded a rematch, and the matter was soon forgotten more hilarity ensued. And Taemin thought, that even though this place was absolute nuts, at the very least, he was having fun.
~*~
“Sure you don’t want to stay another night?” Hyunjoong asked casually as the whole household gathered at the front door to bid the exorcists goodbye.
“No, as much as I’d like to catch up and all,” Leeteuk grinned at Key, who rolled his eyes, but Taemin could tell he was smiling. “The rest are expecting us. We have a mission tomorrow, and I don’t trust Kangin to take care of the younger ones properly.”
“Yeah… he’s probably hanging Jiyong up by his underpants by now.” Jungmin nodded sagely, eliciting a laugh from both Hara and Nicole, the latter looking much happier and carefree now.
Leeteuk snorted. “That boy’s no young one already, and he’s still a trouble-maker… aish… anyway, we’ll come back to visit soon, and that’s a promise.”
Key laughed, happier than Taemin had ever see him, and shouted out as the exorcists started down the road. “And don’t you forget it!”
There was a responding laugh, and hands waved to the merry bunch standing on the doorstep. And they all watched as the group walking away strode through the archway on which the archaic words of farewell were carved, and were swallowed up by the mist.
“Ah well.” Key said after a length, stretching his arms out in a gesture of tiredness. “That’s that I guess. Back to work. It’s nearly dinner time.”
There were two murmurs of agreement, and footsteps as they began to turn back into the house. Taemin was just about to follow, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
“What is it, Hyunjoong?” Taemin blinked, staring at the store-keeper, who was smiling as if Taemin was missing something obvious.
“Aren’t you going to try to make a run for it?” It took a while for Taemin to process those words, but when he did, he looked at Hyunjoong with no small measure of surprise.
For Taemin was outside now - outside where he hadn’t been in weeks. The exit was mere footsteps away from where he stood now - a few more footsteps towards the way home, back to what was familiar, to the cushy, simple job in the weather department, back to a good pay, his familiar house, back to where he was supposed to belong. Just a few step away, and Taemin realized that he didn’t even care.
He hadn’t realized his sight had turned towards the gate and its mysterious portal of gray mist. Only when Hyunjoong spoke, mouth close to Taemin’s ear, did Taemin realize he did. “Are you going to try now? Even if I say that your payment has probably not ended yet. And that there will be disappointment, are you going to try?”
Taemin blinked at the choice of words, and he turned back to look at the store-keeper, wondering perhaps that maybe, if he left, Hyunjoong would miss him.
But Hyunjoong’s face was blank, and the thought passed. But still, Taemin smiled, shaking his head. “No, I don’t think I will.”
He walked back into the house without even turning back, and smiled at in triumph as he felt Hyunjoong’s surprised eyes boring into his back. He walked back, down the corridor and turned left towards the kitchen.
Inside, Key was beginning to cook up a storm. Onew was helping to clear up the place, taking out the dishes to set the table. And Jonghyun, as usual, was no help at all.
“Hey.” They greeted him when he entered, taking the plates from Onew and helping to put them onto the table. And Jonghyun’s eyebrow quirked when he saw the unusually soft smile on Taemin’s face. “What’s got you all happy, Taemin-ah?”
“Oh… nothing.” Taemin laughed at the scandalized looks they all gave him as they began to complain that Hyunjoong must have started to rub off on him.
He supposed they weren’t far from the truth - they all had begun to rub off him. For that was usually the first sign that you were in the place you belonged.
~*~
[ Chapter 8]