BUTTON EYES [ATEEZ]

Chapter 10

For a while they all sat in silence gathered by the fire place. When the three of them decided to move in with seonghwa none of them had been aware that they would be getting themselves into something like this. It all freaked them out, well all except Jongho who still didn't even believe the little ghost girl was even real.

"So?'' Jongho spoke up breaking the silence.

"Hongjoong" Yeosang calls out to him as if asking him to finally start explaining to them what was going on.
A sigh spilled from his lips and he took a seat in front of the fireplace before he began.

"It started with an old necklace I found in my grandma's house. When I found it I had asked her about it but she didn't really say much at first. I remember bothering her the entire day and whining for her to tell me. At some point she got tired of me whining about it and she said she would tell me all about it under the condition that I bring the food she had made to Seonghwas grandmother. Since she had just moved in a few months prior my grandmother and yours were quite familiar with one another so I was used to it, but I wasn't expecting to see you and your parents there. You were a curious kid back then and honestly I also thought you to be a little weird running around in your astronaut suit. Your grandmother convinced me to play with you by bribing me with cupcakes and by the end of that day we had become great friends but it didn't prepare me for what I'd be dealing with having become friends with you. When I returned home My granda finally sat me down and told me about the necklace. It had belonged to her sister before she passed away in the woods near the manor. She said one day her and her sister had been playing in the old playground and her sister just found it and claimed that it was hers. I couldn't believe this because when I myself had found the necklace it didn't say any other name but yours. So without grandma knowing I took the necklace and gave it to you and well thats when things got weird. After a week or so you wouldn't come around to grandmas as much and the only times i'd see you were the occasional visits to give your grandma Coraline food, or when i'd catch you frequenting Mr. forcible and Mrs. Spinks place.''

Both Wooyoung and Sans eyes widened at the mentions of their own grandmothers all of a sudden.

"You knew our grandmothers?" Wooyoung asked pearing at Seonghwa who hadn't had a clue about any of the details Hongjoong was speaking of.

"He knew them both, Yeosangs grandfather too, they all are well aware of why Seonghwa was forbidden to come back.'' Hongjoong continued on, glaring at the two boys as a warning to let him finish.

"At some point your grandma grew worried for you, we all did, as the months went by you started to look so sick, like something had been ripping away your energy day by day. I remember asking you about it and you got so defensive. 'The other Hongjoong is so much better, less noisy than you'. That's what you said to me. I didn't understand and it hurt me so much that I went back home to grandma and told her I no longer wanted to be the one to bring the food, but of course she made me go anyway. Your grandma had told me you had been cooped up in your room and hadn't come out. She pleaded with me to get you to come down and play but when I went up you werent there. I looked all over the entire house for you yet you were nowhere to be found. I had been on my way out the door when I found you out in the hallway talking to a cat, you claimed he could speak to you, claimed that the two of you could travel to this magical world with colorful walls and toys, a table aligned with sweets.'' this sentence caused Seonghwas ears to perk up as the scene he described was familiar to him, he had dreamt it.

"I thought maybe your imagination was just far better than mine since you were able to think up all of this and think it to be real. You even went as far as saying there was a woman in black that would feed you, read to you, play games with you and at that point I thought maybe you had just become delusional. You told me that I was free to visit with you one night and that 'mama said all children are welcome' and it felt off to me. That same day when nightfall came there was a tapping at my window and I found the cat outside. I turned back to go to sleep but he wouldnt let me. He just kept tapping at the window. When I got out of bed and opened the window to shoo him away he simply sat there for a while before turning away and waiting for me to follow. Me being a curious child at such an age found myself following him deep into the woods and of course it creeped me the fuck out walking through the dark woods alone I mean you've seen them you know how creepy they are. I found you there at the playground burying something but it didn't occur to me that it'd be the necklace. When i started to approach you this- this woman appeared out of nowhere and she attacked you I didn't know what to do so I- I just lunged at her and god she put up a fight. When she grabbed you by the neck and I realized that you were losing consciousness I did the only thing I thought to do and I bit her. She vanished and for a while we both just sat there. I convinced you to tell me everything that you had been experiencing since arriving at the house. To this day I still don't know who the woman was nor do I know why you were suddenly admitting to having seen little ghost children running around but it freaked me out nonetheless and you were shaken to the core. I remember the next day your parents had arrived to drag you away, but before they left they paid a visit to Woo and Sans grandmother. That's all I remember of that summer..whatever it was that you had seen, whatever the things you had dealt with...they scarred you badly. Your grandma asked me to never speak of it again if you ever returned and I promised her I wouldn't speak a word of it.'' The room fell silent, no one knew what to say after hearing the story and in all honesty it made many of them fearful to even be in the house in that moment.

At this point the sun had been setting and none of them had gotten any sleep, knowing the events that occurred in this house neither of them had the guts to fall asleep there, well none aside from Jongho.

"Something doesn't sit right with me about any of this.'' Yeosang sat staring at the fire, listening as the wood crackled softly.

"Your grandfather...your grandfather told me something. I think you thought it was the Schizo talking, but he tried to warn me about this house. He said that she was here waiting somewhere and the children never left? But I don't I don't know what the fuck it means I don't know what any of this has to do with me.'' Seonghwa sighs and rests his face in the palm of his hands.

"I think, I think we know someone that may know something.'' Wooyoung and san shared a glance before looking back at Seonghwa