San moved on his feet, agitated to put into action that method to banish your Incubus.
"What is it?"
He asked, impatient to start this ritual, in order for you to be free again. His eyebrows were furrowed together in a worried expression, probably hoping that everything went well.
Mr. Kang sighed. He was so indecisive, disheartened and scared to try that ritual. Mostly because he didn't have any assurance that it will work with you in the same way it worked with him.
"There's a small chance that the ritual to banish this Incubus is the same one that I used to exile mine."
Wooyoung's face lighten up at the sound of those words. He partly ignored what the teacher just said at the beginning of his sentence, that is that there were small chances for the ritual to be the same as his.
His mind only focused on the rest of the statement, leaving his optimistic side take over his body and numbing his rational thoughts.
"Then, let's do that!"
He screams with his eyebrows lifted and his hands that hit the table in synchro. The poor Mingi jolted when his black-haired friend slammed his hand on the surface of the kitchen. He was already scared just at the thought of meeting a real Incubus and that made him getting lost in his thoughts and worries.
He raised a hand, ready to hit Wooyoung, but the latter was quicker and dodged the slap on his head. He managed to avoid it because Mingi was on the opposite side of the table, otherwise that slam would have echoed in the whole apartment.
"Why you never listen? He just said that he's not sure if it will work!"
Mingi scolded the smaller male. Wooyoung pouted with arrogance and took advantage of the red-haired male's hand in mid air to smack it, as a revenge for trying to do that to him.
Mingi clicked his tongue, annoyed by his friend behaviour. He wanted to slap him on the nape as usual, but decided to let him win, for this time. Plus, there were the rest of the group that were looking at them with a tired expression.
Hongjoong let out a disheartened sigh while running his hand in his hair nervously and moving on his feet in small circles.
"Maybe we should wait a-"
"No!"
You interrupted him, your voice louder than you expected that made you surprised of yourself. All the males around the table moved their stares on you, eyes widened and shocked by what you just did.
You weren't a loud person like Wooyoung, so it was weird for them to hear you raising your voice like that.
But you didn't care about it, at the moment. And soon, they'll understand, too.
Just the thought of telling them, made your eyes burn and your throat clench. In another moment, probably, you would've avoided that topic, but you promised to yourself to not lie to them anymore, because there was no reason for doing it.
"We don't have time."
You murmured, your left hand placed on your chest, as if you could feel your heart hurting.
Hongjoong, that was still walking in circles on your right, stopped his feet and looked at you. Kang Yeosang's eyes were heavy on your shoulders, you could feel their weight, because those were the eyes of someone that knew what you were talking about. He was only hoping to be wrong.
San started shaking, wishing with all of his heart that he didn't understood well what you just said and that his suspicions that started going all over his mind, were wrong.
"Bab- what do you mean with that, Areum?"
He asked, clearing his throat and blushing violently when he realized he was about to call you "baby". The others didn't know that something had changed between the two of you and he didn't want them to know that. At least, not yet.
The rest of the group seemed to not have noticed the pet name he was about to pronounce, by the way. Except for Wooyoung. He knew what happened between you two since you were the one telling him every detail of that night when you had the dinner.
But even if you hadn't told him anything, he would have understood it by himself, thanks to that diabolik and malicious brain of his.
When your eyes trembled and the first tears started cutting your cheeks, Mr. Kang's head fall heavily and he let it dangling. He knew it. His worst nightmare just became reality, together with his old memories.
San's hand reached your elbow and tightened his grip on it. You placed your hand on his arm, gently caressing it with your thumb.
"I don't have anymore time to wait. The Incubus gave me eight days, last time we met."
You confessed. Your sobs were the only thing that could be heard in the house. San's breath stopped in his throat and you could feel him tensing up under your grip.
Hongjoong gulped loudly and scratched the back of his head before making his question. He, in the first place, wasn't sure if he wanted to know the truth.
"And when was the last time you saw him?"
He asked. Mingi's eyes travelled from you and the white-haired male, trying to understand what you were saying. For him, it was like you were speaking a foreign language that he wasn't able to comprehend.
You gulped, the temptation of lying was strong in your chest, but you managed to repress it when you noticed that San was on the verge of crying, which made your heart shatter and you could almost hear the sound of it.
"Three days ago."
You replied. San's skin lost all of his beautiful colour, to make room to a pale complexion. Your hand left his arm, scared that even through that small contact you could hurt him more.
The male huffed, tears started rolling down his now ashen skin. His grasp on your elbow loosened, until he let his arm fall heavily on his thigh.
San panted before stuttering the words for his question that got abruptly interrupted by your teacher.
"Don't give up now, guys. In the worst case scenario, we still have five days."
Commented Mr. Kang, talking to the pale boy next to you. San, however, never left your face and you weren't sure to have seen him blinking in the last few minutes.
Afterwards, he dragged his feet towards the entrance door, claiming that he needed a breath of fresh air. As you were about to follow him, Hongjoong grabbed your wrist and shook his head, letting you understand that he needed to be alone for a while.
You didn't protest and threw a quick glance to San, who was closing the door behind his back. Somehow, that scene made you realize how much you're making him suffer. He was so supportive and loving and you didn't deserve him.
Mingi shook his long index finger to the board while looking at Mr. Kang who was still glancing over you and Hongjoong.
"C-Come on, l-let's try this method."
He suggested. Mingi desperately wanted to appear fearless, but the stuttering betrayed him. Wooyoung nodded and looked at you, as if he wanted to ask for your permission to proceed.
You and your friends took your place on each side of the board, just like the first time you made the ritual. Hongjoong was on your right side, in front of you there was Mingi and on your left, Wooyoung. Mr. Kang was behind you with his back pressed against the kitchen counter.
"Miss. Yoon, your Incubus has ever gifted you anything?"
He asked from behind your back, his cold voice was so close that made you shiver. You furrowed your eyebrows at his question. It was strange and you didn't understand why he needed to know that detail.
"No, except for a red rose I used to summon him."
You replied. Your friends looked at you with questioning expressions, silently asking you what you two were talking about.
Mr. Kang's eyebrows frowned and he started biting the nail of his thumb nervously. You didn't know that you just partly destroyed his plan to help you banish your demon. But at the same time he thought that, maybe, it could have worked in the same way.
"Would you mind bring it to me? I need to give it a look."
For some strange reason, you were hesitant to show the flower to him and your friends. You didn't give that feeling to much importance and dashed upstairs to grab the flower in your room.
When you came back to the kitchen, you couldn't ignore Mingi's puzzled expression when his eyes fell on the rose. He couldn't help himself from saying what was going through his mind.
"Wasn't it red? It's... Pink."
He asked. Your eyes inspect the flower and so did Hongjoong, the second person that saw it the day Seonghwa left it on the table.
And you agreed with them. You could never forget how marvelous the colours of the petal were. That red that faded at the tips of every petal into a black shade, giving it that dark and gothic touch.
Mr. Kang stretched his hand towards you and you place the flower on his palm. He analyzed every detail and went back with his explanation.
"It changed the colour because it's coming to the end."
He said. Wooyoung's body tensed up when the teacher pronounced those words. And you too, even if you already knew what happened to that flower, but hearing it, moved something in your stomach. Fear.
Then, the teacher lifted his head, in his eyes you could read determination and hope, but also the will to risk everything to save you.
"Follow what I say. You are going to start the ritual and I will break the rose. I'm not sure if this is going to work, but we have to try."
He suggested. You and your group did as he said. You all placed your fingers on the white planchette and you spot Mingi's wrists trembling in front of yours.
Mr. Kang's fingers grasped one of the few petals left and when you saw him lifting his elbow to pluck it out, you felt your heart dropping in your pants.
"No! Don't do that. You're going to summon the demon if you pluck that out."
You interrupted his actions. Your teacher blocked as soon as he heard your words, but that didn't mean that he gave up on that. He left the petals, at the moment and with a hand gesture, he gave you the permission to went back to the ritual.
Hongjoong started pronouncing the same words he said the first time you gathered around that board. You could also feel the same emotions as that night, but you tried to calm down and control every beat of your heart, scared to involuntary call Seonghwa.
Suddenly, you felt a sharp pain hitting your chest, right in your most important organ. You whined but never left the fingers from the planchette. The ache was getting unbearable the more the ritual continued.
Your shoulders started shaking and so your knees, a few more seconds and you would have hit the ground ruinously. You didn't give up, though, you wanted to complete the ritual and that pain wouldn't have stopped you from doing that.
The curiosity to know where that pain came from win over your rational part, so you lifted your eyes to see the rest of your friends, except for San that was still out, looking at you with worried expressions on their faces.
But when you laid you eyes on your teacher, a sense of betrayal surfaced on your chest, pulling you to the verge of crying. What shocked you the most was the fact that he didn't seem sorry.
____
here we go again...
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