(Tw! Warning)
As they reach the top of the staircase, they all gasp at the sight in front of them. Sunghoon's apparition is standing there, staring at them blankly.
"This way." The apparition runs off again.
Sunghoon runs after it without saying a word. Melody couldn't help but think back to what happened to Ari. She does her best to forget about this bad omen and tries to catch up with him.
But her anxiety peaks when Sunghoon turns a corner, and she could no longer see him. "Sunghoon, wait!", She turns a corner, and stops in her tracks.
Smoke gathers under their feet, crawling to pool right in front of Sunghoon.
Sunghoon is standing there amidst th smoke, staring at the apparition. The apparition is glaring back at him, and the sight gives her the shivers. Melody hurries to his side.
The little boy looks up at them, his long hair hiding a part of his face. Sunghoon clenches his fist, finding the strength to take the step. "I recognise this", He mutters.
"Sunghoon, wait!."
But he doesn't listen. Instead, he steps into the vision.
CRASH!
The scene opens with a violent sound of something breaking. The young Sunghoon stirs in bed and climbs out of his sheets. He rubs his eyes, as he makes his way down the stairs, and he hears it again.
CRASH!
What's happening?
The lights are on in the living room despite it being late at night.
"I can't take it anymore!"
"Get a hold of yourself!"
Are his parents fighting?
The little boy hides by the entrance, watching the scene unfold in front of him in terror. "Mom... Are you crying again?", He whispers only for him to hear.
"That red eye of his. It's no unnerving. I can't...I can't stand to look at him!."
Sunghoon's mother's voice makes Melody's blood boil. Why couldn't his mother accept his red eye which made him unique? Why?
"Darling, please. You need to rest. Please, calm down", His dad says, pleading. "Do you see how he looks at me?", Sunghoon's mother struggles to get away from his father's arms.
Melody couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sunghoon had mentioned this before. But she still couldn't believe how they treated him. He was only a kid!
The little boy lowers his head, and walks lifelessly back to his room.
The vision slowly fades, and Sunghoon walks back to them, looking forward like nothing happened. "I knew it", He manages a self-deprecating chuckle.
"But Sunghoon..."
"It's no big deal. Don't go feeling sad for me, because I'm not."
"Why would you say that?." His words were like a dagger piercing her heart.
"What do you want me to do, then? Deny the truth, and cry my eyes out? Doing that won't change anything!", Sunghoon regain his composure and goes quiet again.
This wasn't regaining your memories, Sunghoon. You're pretending to, and turning your back on reality. Crying isn't a bad thing, and not is it a sign of weakness.
"Sorry about that outburst", Sunghoon awkwardly averts his gaze, when suddenly Melody hugs him, tightly.
"No, Sunghoon. It's okay. It's okay to have anger. If you didn't, i would think you are some sort of robot which you are not. And it's okay to cry. It's okay to cry when you're hurting. You say that you're used to it but that's not helping."
She gently strokes his back. "There's nothing wrong with crying. There's nothing in admitting we feel bad about something. We cry because we feel pain, and that's normal."
"Yeah", Sunghoon gives her a tiny nod. His hair tickles her cheek a little.
"People have said hurtful things about you. They've treated you like you're different. You can distract yourself from pain by pretending you're used to it, but all you're doing is fooling yourself."
"You're still your past self, and you're caught up in all those words that people have said to you. You haven't been able to move forward. That's not the same as acceptance, Sunghoon."
I know it's hard. Learning to accept yourself is a long journey.
"You can call me naive but I want you to remember this: I will always be your side whenever you need me. You don't have to go through it alone."
Sunghoon's embrace tightens, and he snuggles his face into her shoulder. She feels his warm tears seep through her clothing.
After a while, he lets go. There are no longer any tear in his eyes.
Melody catches his eyes, both his eyes looking intently into her. "Melody, I...", He cuts himself off. "Thankyou."
"Hey. No worries. We're buddies. You can always rely on me", She answers, and reaches up to gently stroke his soft hair. Sunghoon closes his eyes and leans into her touch.
As they both smile, another apparition appears in the hallway to test their resolve.
"Stay alert everyone. The monster could come out any minute", Jay frowns.
They all steel themselves, facing the vision with heightened focus.
They see young Sunghoon bringing flowers, walking down the hallway of what seems to be a hospital. "Is it okay for me to see mommy?."
"Yes, and she'll be very happy to see you're bringing her flowers", His dad smiles. The smiles on the little boy's face is precious, like the sun shining on a new day. The thought that it's only going to get worse is horribly depressing.
They reach the room, and young Sunghoon is so excited that he quickly opens the door. But the conversation inside makes his smile falter.
"Let me go!"
"Ma'am please calm down."
The bouquet of flowers fall to the ground as Sunghoon sees his mother being restrained by several people.
"What happened?", His dad looks over concerned.
"She started screaming when- Aah!"
The nurse's words are cut off as Sunghoon's hysterical mother scratches her face. Then she tilts her head towards the door and sees her little boy stricken with fear.
"Y-You! Don't come near me, you monster!".
Sunghoon's mother starts screaming again, and the little boy runs away.
Melody takes a glimpse at Sunghoon. His face is no longer the expression he wears. He looks anxious and horrified, but tries to manage it the best he can.
Then as if there weren't enought torture, the scene changes again.
Sunghoon is by his desk drawing when his dad comes into his room. "Your mom's home now. Don't you want to say hi?."
Sunghoon shakes his head. His dad sighs, leaving him on his own.
The young boy grips his pencil hard, making a straight line from the top of the page to the bottom. The line is thick and dark, and he does it back and forth, almost tearing the paper. "Nobody needs me. Everyone would be happier if o didn't exist. If i didn't exist, dad wouldn't have to suffer."
The scene morphs from day to night, and the young child is asleep.
The door creaks open, and Sunghoon is awoken, half asleep as he blinks his eyes.
"Who's there?". Sunghoon's mother stumbles in.
"Mom?", Young Sunghoon cautiously gets up.
All they could is stare at the unbelievable scene playing out in front of them.
There's a sharp knife in his mom's hand. "You red-eyed demon. You're not my child. My child can't be a hideous demon."
He stares at his mother. "No! You're going to be kill me, aren't you?"
"Don't look at me you freak! I'll kill you before you curse me with that hideous eyes of yours!", Sunghoon's mother raises the knife.
Sunghoon averts his gaze from the horror.
The vision disappears and the monster takes place of his mom, ready to devour him.
Sunghoon looks at the monster towering over him.
"Run away quick!", Heeseung yells.
But Sunghoon falls to his knees and looks up at the monster. "Ha. Haha. I'm the red eyed monster everybody hates. I'm the one who drove mom crazy."
"Graggagg. Must kill....demon"
"Red...eye"
"Sunghoon!", Melody shouts.
"Mom. I'm sorry it's all my fault", He closes his eyes. Did he perhaps see the monster as his mom? "Mom, please". Sunghoon closes his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face.
The monster growls, reaching the ceiling.
"It's growing!", Jay mutters in horror.
"Mom, I'm sorry for being born like this", Sunghoon barely says, with his voice almost cracking. "It was all my fault, right? You want to be free, right?."
"Sunghoon, snap out of it! That thing isn't your mother!", Melody yells in frustration.
"If it will help you, just kill me"
It feels like everything is in slow motion as Melody watches the monster inch towards Sunghoon.
"Sunghoon!"
Before she realises it, she is already running towards the monster.
The monster raises is claws and swings.
All she could see is blood.
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Author's note: Long story short, what if Sunghoon died?