The Raven Hotel | Jikook |

Chapter 4: He's Different

Once he reached the first floor, he walked towards the front desk and found Seokjin standing right behind it like before. He stood carefully with a blank stare almost as if he carried no expressions until he was addressed.

"Excuse me..." Jungkook spoke softly and approached Seokjin, but he was too distracted by staring blankly towards the exit of the hotel.

His eyes looked as if it longed for something; the windows to his soul kept reaching out for anything as long as he could grasp it. But even if everything was out of his reach, he kept trying. Nothing in Jungkook's life looked more empty compared to the beaming eyes of the attendant at the front desk. This alone made Jungkook grow silent as he questioned if the charming man was alright.

"Are you... are you okay?" Jungkook called out. But once again, no answer. Carefully, he waved his hand in front of Seokjin's gaze, trying to gain his attention until he finally did. "Hey..."

"O-Oh! I'm sorry I just like to daydream a lot. It's become a habit now, I always tend to give into it when business is slow," Seokjin sputtered and let out another one of his usual chuckles. "What can I help you with? Is there something wrong with the room?"

"Yes.. there is," Jungkook added on and slid the key over to the man right after. "It's too cold on the sixth floor and my room; room six hundred, has a broken lock.

"Room six hundred...? What on earth are you doing on that floor?" Seokjin asked and let out another laugh. "This key reads room nine hundred. Sorry about that, I guess I should have said something about it sooner!"

"Nine... hundred?" Jungkook thought and tilted his head as he looked at the key once more; wondering if he was losing his mind. "But... it was six hundred... I looked at it many times before I got there!" Jungkook whispered and heard Seokjin laugh once more.

"It's alright! We all make mistakes... here, I can give you another room if it makes you feel better. Which floor would you like? No extra charge, I promise."

"Ah, maybe one on the third floor is best, I've been told it's much better..."

"Oh, by who?" Seokjin asked as he took the key back to trade it with a key from the third floor.

"Some man wearing a plague doctor mask. I found him on the sixth floor... he was very intimidating."

With heavy words being said, Seokjin froze in place as he held the key to the room three hundred. "Mask? Oh... that must be the Master..."

"Why does he wear that mask? Is he... is he ugly?"

"What?! No, of course not!" Seokjin laughed and handed over the key to Jungkook. "It's... nothing that concerns me, actually. He's very... different..."

"He's different? No shit..." Jungkook thought before he shook away the thought and held the new key in his hand. "Anyway, thank you for everything," Jungkook added and looked up at the man once more before leaving for the second time. Just as he walked away, Seokjin watched the boy carefully with a worried gaze following his every move until he was out of his sight.

Eventually, Jungkook made it to his new room safely. The whole night beat over his head and exhausted him the second his eyes rested over a queen sized bed with a crimson red comforter set over it so perfectly. When Jungkook dropped his backpack and began to unpack his sleepwear for the night, he noticed there were more clothes in his bag for just a one night stay. "I must have packed more than I expected..." Jungkook thought as he found extra shirts he stuffed in carelessly.

After taking a warm shower he wore just his underwear and a white T-shirt to sleep. Jungkook then crawled into bed and switched off the lamp; illuminating the whole room into darkness. A source of light couldn't be found from a mile away and the boy was left to curl up under the covers to avoid feeling as if he was being stared at again.

In his sleep, his mind pushed and pulled with the last memory he had of the man in the plague doctor mask. Jungkook would clench his eyelids shut each second the figure of the man appeared in his head and that alone caused him to slip into a sleep paralysis. The young boy's body remained in one place while he was trapped in this state. His eyes opened and his body was glued against the sheets of the crimson comforter, eyes helplessly scattered around the room until they locked onto a figure around the corner. Latching onto the familiar image of the same man in the mask.

Jungkook's heart raced just looking at the man in his sleep paralysis and couldn't help but to try to move his fingers first. His first thought was to run, but how could he? Jungkook's body was stuck in one place until he found himself fighting to move at least one finger.

Jungkook's eyes closed shut, his ears clogged with the same static sound that filled his ears before and he couldn't help but to feel the presence of the man standing right by him. All of a sudden, a weight like bricks dropped onto the empty spot right by his side, it was as if someone crawled onto the bed with him and sat there. Not making another sound but just allowing it's glares to scare Jungkook even further.

What was truly a few minutes, felt like an eternity to Jungkook in that state. He fought back the cement that engulfed his body into one place until he was finally able to move his fingers, hands, and then his arms. Within seconds, Jungkook moved his body and shot his arm towards the lamp to switch it on before looking behind him. Once his gaze dropped onto the spot that felt filled during his sleep paralysis, there was nothing but the same pillow he placed vertically so he could have something to hug in his sleep.

"I-I'm losing my mind..." Jungkook whispered to himself, cupping his face and sinking down onto the bed once more. Finally deciding to sleep with the lamp on for the remainder of the early morning. Just after that moment, he fell asleep and kept waking up a few minutes apart until his body grew cold and numb. He was in a deep sleep as the atmosphere around him froze, nothing but the sound of the air conditioning filled his ear for the night. Carrying him into a deep slumber after such a long day.

Before he knew it, the sun rose later on that morning and he was greeted to the rays of light tapping against his pale eyelids. When his beady brown eyes pulled apart, he sat up and stretched; instantly catching onto the pain pounding over his head and his weak body just begging him to lay back to sleep. The feeling left him drained of energy, but all he could blame it on was the choice of drinking and running in the rain. It just had to be that, right? What more could it be? Jungkook didn't think much about it as he laid back and covered his eyes with his cold hand. Finding it difficult to believe that his hands were still cold after covering himself with only the thickest and warmest comforter there was.