Chapter Text
October 31, 1993
"You assholes, did you get the weed? How many bags?" Jungwoo asks earnestly, turning to the members of his teammates. He and a group of friends were just leaving the house, where some guy, probably their classmate, was throwing a Halloween party. The guys had gotten pretty drunk, some of them were red, some of them were flashing and smiles on their faces. They walked, holding each other. Johnny, chuckling, said:
"They took ten bags, and two more for candy."
The guys in the economics department burst into laughter and laughter, to which the blond man rolled his eyes and looked at Ten. There was music coming from far away, and the windows of the house were full of red, green, and red, green, and purple. They were standing on the curb, not far from the trailer park. No one was to be seen nearby; it was a quarter to midnight. A rusty streetlight shone high above them, something that no one was going to fix for a long time. The wind swayed the flame-colored trees, whose leaves were slowly falling.
"There will be a lot of kids this year who want to get candy, I have no doubt." continued to speak in a half-whisper, the blond man looked at each boy. "It would be if we could get as much candy as possible."
"Jungwoo, explain to me, why would you want to steal candy? Wouldn't it be easierbuy it at the store near the park?" asks Lucas, with a raised eyebrow.
"Lucas, honey, to shove them up your ass." Gives out a sweet voice on purpose. "Shut your dirty mouth and listen to me." With a wink, the boy nodded.
They walked, turning down the road that led to the cemetery. Barr, a quiet little town in Vermont, now seemed dark and loud in a peculiar way. The bare trees were shaken by a cold wind that made them seem like the monsters from of their parents' stories. From time to time they came across children and teenagers dressed as princesses and characters from cartoon characters.
"Trick or treat?" shouted the kids, holding out plastic buckets shaped like pumpkins in front of them.
Jungwoo squeamishly stuck out his tongue and discerned each the kids who wanted the candy.
"Get the fuck out of here, leeches. You ain't gettin' no fuckin' candy!" he pushed his way between Jaehyun and Yuta, trying not to the hem of his pink dress. His long thin arm, like death, hung in the air, whereupon then the guy carelessly pulled candy from the buckets. He tossed the stolen toffees, lollipops, and jellybeans into the backpack, which Johnny held with one shoulder. Teenagers plugged the children's ears and briskly led the the younger ones out of here, away from the strange boys who seemed ready to kill on the spot. The rusty gategate made an unpleasant creaking sound, like the groans of a dying man.
It was dark all around; there were no flashlights to be seen. They were walking along the path that lay between tombstones. The graves were often old, crooked and and dirty. Their crosses seemed intimidating, and the letters of names and numbers of dates of birth and death seemed to shout and and frightening at the same time. At times, students encountered graves with in a vase, with fresh flowers, toys, and the occasional note, some notes, well, or candy, which they immediately picked them up and threw them into Johnny's backpack.
"Hey, dudes, wait! Look what I found!"
Jungwoo stopped humming "Maniac" under his breath and slowly but unwillingly turned around. The others also looked at Yuta, who had hidden his red face behind Chucky's mask. In his hands the boys found a medium-sized box size. It was decorated with orange rhinestones and stones, which were carved in some kind of pattern. On the lid The lid of the box had a picture of a daisy, which was incredibly glittered under the light of the lantern. Tied to one of the legs on a pink ribbon was key. It dangled sharply as Nakamoto rotated the find in his hands.
"Where did you find it?" Johnny asks, stepping closer to his friend.
"It was lying there somewhere, on an old grave. Tell me, it's beautiful! Let's open it! Lucas, open it!" Yuta shoved the box the box into the boy's hands, which left him confused, not knowing what to do. He, under the supervision of the others, slowly grasped the metal key and stuck it in the keyhole. Something clicked, and the boys yelled in delight. Winwin, standing at the very edge, hid his hands in the pockets of his black robes, his deep thoughtful gaze pointed directly at her, at the box. Biting his lower lip, the student held back from shouting and beating his own friends. Seeing his grandmother's box in front of him, his heart broke into little pieces and sank into the bottom of endless memories.
October 24, 1962
"Jisung, baby, come here." Called the elderly woman to herself. The curly-haired boy, about five years old, broke away from the toy locomotive, got to his feet, and ran into the other room, from which his grandmother's voice came.
The room was not small, but it was not big either. The walls decorated with wallpaper in various colors, and near the walls sofas with expensive upholstery stood near the walls. Near half-opened window, through which the cold air and the rays of the early autumn sun, stood a wooden table, and beside the table was a rocking chair.
It was barely rolling, the woman's eyes were stared at the needles and the knitting thread. And when the boy entered the room and disturbed the silence with the creaking of the wooden floor, she turned to him and and smiled at him thoughtfully.
"Grandmother!" merrily said the little boy, leaning on thearmrest of the rocking chair. "Why did you call me?"
"My little one, you know that soon I will be gone. I want to give you my the most intimate thing I've ever I've ever had." she took the box in her hand and showed it to the boy. "This box was given to me by my grandmother when I was about age as you were. It's something I treasure very much, so I want you to take care of it from now on."
Jisung took the object in his hands and began to enthusiastically to look at it. He was amused by the small amber-colored rhinestones color, which looked rich and precious. The daisy, depicted on the lid of the box, aroused the child's child's admiration, he could not tear himself away from the seemingly simple music box.
There was silence in the room, Son could only hear his heartbeat and the way he breathed in and out the fresh air. The boy looks up frightened and looks at grandmother, whose head is tilted slightly to the side, knitting needles and thread about to roll down her long skirt.
"Grandma, no!"
Winwin watched as his battered friends fussed around Yukhei, who was twisting the key in the keyhole of the box. When the lid opened, the lad barely flinched, his face numb, and his eyes, wide open, were wet because of the of the cool breeze.
Opening the box, Lucas saw before him an empty space, only the instrument itself was barely visible below, above which, as if in the air, hung a ballerina. It was spinning in a circle and around its axis. Everything inside was corroded, and at times the figure of the ballerina froze, stuck through the breakage inside the box. A melody followed, but because the box was rarely picked up or opened, the sound distorted, it became dry and rotten, and seemed no longer so joyful. After making a few turns, the doll twitched and its plastic head fell at the feet of the students, giving them a good scare. One of the boys screamed as loud as he could when he saw the headless figure. The others followed Tan's screaming, causing Lucas to get even more frightened and throw the box out of his hands. The thing continued to play tunes.
"Jesus! What are you shouting about in the middle of the night!" Jungwoo shrieked, pushing Johnny away so he could get closer to the fallen box and pick it up. "So it's just a ballerina without a head."
"He rolled his eyes and hid it under his white coat."
"Let's go. There's nothing more for us to do here."
That night, Jungwoo came home, tired and sleepy. He was sleepy and needed to take a shower and give his sister's candy. He threw his purse on the floor, kicked off his silver low-heeled shoes and brushed away the blond hair his blond hair with the palm of his hand.
"Brother! You're home!" A girl of about eight years old. She was wearing a sky-colored nightie, and in her hands she was holding her favorite toy, Bunny the rabbit. Running up to the older man, Chaeyoung jumped into his arms, and the the boy, in turn, reluctantly stroked her back and glanced at the top of her head.
"Did you bring candy?" she asked in her angelic voice.
"Quiet, you'll wake up my father." He mumbled to himself, turned on the light in the living room, and sat down on the couch. When the company parted, they had time to sort out the candy. Of course, Lee took the most, he needed the most. He took candy from his purse and threw it on the girl's palm while she stared at it admiringly.
"Thank you, brother!" Chaeyoung was about to hug the older man again, but he sharply pushed her away and stood up.
"No more candy today." He commanded. "go to bed, you can eat it tomorrow after breakfast."
"You are not my mother!" She folded her arms across her chest her chest and showed her tongue, followed by running to the door and and disappeared into her room.
Jungwoo belatedly looked up at the door and hissed irritably, clutching the box harder in his hands. Yanking the flaps of his dress, he went up to his room, turning off the the light in the living room.
23:58
That same night Eric couldn't sleep. Insomnia was very rare, since all the sounds and lights could not prevent him from dreaming, but this time something went wrong. There were some strange noises coming from the window.
He turned on the lamp by the bed and listened. The window was ajar, the wind barely rustling and making its way into the room through the blinds.
The boy moved closer to the window and heard various kinds of screams from teenagers. Pulling back the blinds, he looked through the glass. Across the street from his house was the Elmwood Cemetery.
In the distance, the young man noticed guys walking between the graves, dressed in monster costumes, murderers, and maybe some girl, in a bright pink dress. They were screaming hysterically, laughing at the same time. Soon the company left the cemetery, leaving silence behind them.
November 1, 1993
7:32
Eric walked down the stairs to the first floor and turned left. In the kitchen he noticed his father standing near the refrigerator, leaning on the countertop and typing something on his laptop.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" the man asked the man, looking at his son. Eric took a bottle of water out of the fridge bottle of water and looked indifferently at his parent.
"Like all the other three hundred and sixty-five days." replied, not taking his blank stare from his father's eyes. Jeno sighed and closed his laptop. Youngjae threw his dark blue backpack behind his back and headed toward the hallway.
"Aren't you going to wait for me?" The man asked, turning his head toward him. The guy doesn't answer the question.
"Have a good day at the university."
The road to the university was long and cool. The ground beneath the wheels of the bicycle sagged and rose. The guy passed almost identical two-story houses, meeting town residents and passing cars along the way.
There was an equally large parking lot next to a large brick building that looked something like a church. Most students parked their cars, bikes, and scooters here, but those who arrived for
bikes, left their bikes near the entrance, in the bicycle parking lot. Leaving his bike in the parking lot, he adjusted the strap of his backpack and headed for the entrance. The guy heard someone someone called out to him. Rolling his eyes, Eric walked to the door.
7:45
Winwin turned left, finding himself in the living room. He adjusted his tie along the way, fearing he would be late. The butler, standing near the passageway to the kitchen, was managing the servants, ordering them to put the cutlery and ready breakfast on the table.
Soon the lad noticed Renjun beside him, sleepily looking around the room as if he were in it for the first time. Soon the brothers were on their way to the dining room, where the the aroma of food and refreshments wafted in the direction of the dining room.
Winwin sighed heavily, realizing that his parents were once again away on business, leaving him and his brother in this large house teeming with servants. As the young man began to eat his veal salad, someone's familiar voice:
"Well, boys, did you miss me?"
A man in an elegant black suit with a black bow tie and silver cufflinks appeared across the aisle from the boys. He leaned his arms on the back of his chair and looked across with interest. The brothers looked at each other and then Sicheng spoke up:
"Uncle Jun, what are you doing here?"
Dejun made a businesslike face and looked at his wristwatch and said:
"Your mother is away on tour for six months and my brother went to China to shoot a dorama, he asked me to look after you." After that the man sighed heavily and smiled without giving it away. He spread his arms and decided to sit down at the table, keeping the boys in cozy, homely company. Winwin watched his uncle as he munched on a baked mackerel while he kept his eyes on the news in the paper. He guessed his uncle had been reluctant to take the job until recently.
13:11
The locker room was bustling with students. Everyone was rushing somewhere, stomping loudly, chatting with their classmates and friends. jungwoo was just adjusting his silver sweatshirt with a deep round neckline, from which his sharp collarbones looked out. The boy glanced sideways at his friends, his eyes fixed on Jaehyun's broad shoulders and strong back. He quickly put on a white T-shirt with the logo of the university sports team mascot on it, so it looked like a wildcat was about to jump out of the letter "V". Just as the young man was about to slip his bomber over his shoulders, someone distracted him from doing so. Jehyeon turned and smiled softly, leaving cute dimples on his cheeks. He stared warmly across the room, waiting for Jungwoo to say something. The blond gripped the soft fabric of his bomber with a strong grip and looked into his friend's deep eyes.
"Jaehyunny, I forgot my bomber, can I borrow yours?" he used his puppy eye tactic, but even without it Jaehyun would have answered, "Yes." Jaehyun knows him very well.
"Sure, take it." The guy gives the jacket to the blond and smiles contentedly, picking up his backpack from the bench. The bomber smells like a strong men's deodorant with a scent of sea breeze and Boss perfume. As Jehyeon leaves the locker room, he throws the jacket over himself.
13:20
As long as the weather wasn't too cold, students could eat lunch or make snacks in the cafeteria outside. The backyard of the university was quite large.
From the court, where the teenagers usually gathered at the end of the school year, there were steps to the lower part of the grounds. There was a large soccer field with a "V" in the middle. The tables were laid out in staggered order and most of the students would come out here to eat and and socialize with their classmates.
Yuta, as usual, threw a green tray on the table, which made the others looked at him, continuing to chew on what they had taken. Once seated in his seat, he adjusted his leather jacket and slicked back his red hair, which had already grown back.
Jungwoo shifted his gaze from him to his cheeseburger with slices of burger, and stared at a fashion magazine. With his free hand, he reached for his cheap school soda and immediately coughed it up, almost choking on the drink.
"Lucas, my love, get me a strawberry milkshake. I'm not going to drink that crap!" The young man made a drama of it, trying to scrub away the stains on his silver sweater.
Yukhei jumped up and ran to the northeast side of the university, where Lee's favorite café, where he usually bought his milkshakes, was located. And while the student disappeared from sight, the guy was once again stuck in a magazine, looking for some cool tattoos.
WinWin, sitting next to him, wasn't paying attention to his friend. He saw Jaehyun's gaze on him sideways, which made him place his palm on his thigh. Immediately he felt another man's hand on his palm, and a few moments later it gently squeezed his fingers. These movements and touches blew the boy's mind and he, smiling embarrassedly, looked away.
In the distance Sicheng saw a table that was almost empty. At it sat a guy, not really familiar, but interested in him.
Sicheng had taken an instant liking to Eric on the first day of his second year of culture and art studies. He was calm and poised, but at the same time self-assured. His gaze could hypnotize anyone, he looked aggressive and narcissistic. Probably that's why no one was friends with the guy and didn't mess around with him. He was the object of ridicule from some of the older students, but Lee didn't seem to care.
"Here, my sunshine." Lucas, breathing heavily, placed a large plastic cup with a red straw next to Jungwoo's tray. "It's still your favorite, strawberry."
"Yeah, thank you." Jungwoo said indifferently, without looking up from the glossy page. The cheerleader closed the magazine and leaned on the table, savoring his drink. His gaze was caught by Sicheng, staring somewhere in the distance. Jungwoo first noticed Jaehyun's hand lightly squeezing his friend's wrist under the table, then he slowly looked up at Winwin's face. Just as the blond wanted to ask where he was looking at, Park mouthed off.
"Guys, let's take that guy over there." He pointed subtly at Eric, which resulted in everyone looked over there.
"Are you out of your mind?" Yuta was indignant, raising an eyebrow. eyebrow. The others supported him. "A worm like that doesn't deserve to show off among us."
"So shove that idiotic idea up your ass. up your ass." Then after a few seconds he added. "Or what, you think if his father's a faculty member who has who's friends with the rector is gonna help you pass the session? Please." Jungwoo laughs, and his laughter is like the songs of sirens. Soon, his face becomes serious again.
"You are mistaken. He is just the man to brighten up our company." Sicheng adds, still looking at Eric.
"Yes?" Lee asks, turning his head toward the boy, smiling meaningfully. "You know, Sicheng's right."