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The sun was setting on Coldwind Farm, providing a constant state of dusk. The cornfield moved around him as he searched for the one person he hoped was in the trial. He had already sacrificed the German man and knew the other, much older, man was ripe and ready for sacrifice. All he had to do was offer him to it, string the miserable old fool up to bleed, one last time. Then, it would take him and he’d be free to do what he’d come here for.
But now, he was spinning his wheels. He hadn’t seen the other two and no sign of Yun-Jin. He knew now that no one ever really stayed dead, and she was no exception, so his need to kill her outside trials had slowly but surely fizzled out. And it’s not like he wanted to speak with her, but he needed to. Yun-Jin never lied to him, she has only ever helped him succeed in life. They couldn't afford to have a disconnection between them in order to make their professional relationship work.
She had not been well liked, but that was always what he liked best about her. Yun got things done, she didn’t waste time with pleasantries. She trimmed all the fat from her critiques and rarely listened to objections.
She was brutally honest and pushed back on anything she saw that needed to be tweaked, worked on, or cut completely. If anyone was going to tell him what this new feeling was, the feeling that had been invading even his dreams, it would be her.
Ji-Woon ran his hand through his hair, a nervous tick that he failed to ditch even in a place like this. He had not decided to change it, but when he woke it had reverted to its original state. It was just the same as the contacts, no matter how many times he removed the damn things they’d always reappear eventually. It was fine, though, he felt the lighter hair suited him better. Thank goodness this thing had let him keep the jacket, as it appeared to be one of Danny’s favorites.
Ji-Woon followed the sound of a generator being worked on and allowed his blades to slip into his hands. The world seemed to suspend for a minute, and he listened carefully for movement, releasing a flurry of blades in that direction when he did. The machine exploded, but he paid it no mind as he continued to hit the old man. The fool thought he could outrun him. Ha! Now that was funny.
His blades hit true and the old man went down with a barklike scream, rough and coarse from a lifetime of chain-smoking. Ji-Woon sighed, frowning now that the event was over. Didn’t any of these stupid little things want to challenge him anymore? This was entirely too easy.
Before he went to pick him up though he felt his inventory was low, he decided to get more of his knives that always showed up in those red lockers; better to have them and not need them then not have them and need them. And that was when he saw her. She was wearing the same outfit she had at the Fire Moon Festival so long ago. He remembered that performance, the moony-eyed obsession of the audience, and more importantly the victims.
They stared at each other, him from the locker and her from the nearby tree, and he could tell just by looking at her that she was not happy. But when was she ever? He knew what she was doing and he wouldn’t fall for it, Danny had once said that patience could go a long way when a survivor tries to give you the runaround.
After he got his knives he turned back to go pick up the other on the ground. She was here at least. He didn’t know how he was going to approach her, how he was going to ask her. His thoughts were spinning on the many possible outcomes it could go when they were interrupted by a death rattling scream.
He couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it though, he had too much on his mind. Something on the ground caught his eye and when he looked closer he realized it was a pack of cigarettes, the survivor must have dropped them. Picking them up, he decided to save them for later. Knowing his producer, he’d probably need one after speaking to Yun-Jin. With two survivors left in the match and a few generators that still needed to be done, he wasn’t sure how this was going to end. He only had one goal as of now.
Surprisingly, when he turned back the way he came, she was still there. Still standing at the tree. Walking closer he could feel her glare, as intense as it was, before stopping within arms reach of her. She never seemed to be afraid of him. It impressed yet pissed him off at the same time. “Nunim.” He said, deciding to butter her up a little. She'd never cared much for propriety. She glared, but did not run. She must have sensed that he was not going to kill her right away.
“Trickster.”
Suddenly, quick as lightning her hand came up and slapped him across the face. The force was so hard it turned his head, leaving his cheek stinging. When the shock wore off, he slowly came back with a very displeased look, only to hear her begin to rapidly speak at him in Korean.
“I cannot begin to explain how angry I am with you right now! We appear in this world and I am being hunted down by killers and monsters; you. In fact, you have killed me, on multiple occasions.” She said stiffly, her fingers ticking off each transgression as if she were keeping score.
Who was he kidding? Of course she was. Yun was on top of everything. “Now after all this time, after being stabbed, hooked, and hit over the head with a bat, you decide you want to address me so familiarly? I am not your nuna, minchinam . I never was.”
Ji-Woon rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah? You act like you’re the only one here-”
“I don’t see you fixing generators in this fucking fog.” She spat, brandishing her fist as if she were about to jump him. She narrowed her eyes to glare instead. “I’ve done nothing wrong and I shouldn’t be here! You deserve this hell more than I do.”
“Regardless, you are never leaving and neither am I. I did not stop to chat to hear your complaints.” He studied her a moment before he took a step closer and was annoyed when she stood her ground.
She looked exactly as she did in the end, when he kept pushing deadlines. With each excuse she would only cross her arms and tap her feet. Another extension. Do you actually work when you stay up late, or are you just wasting my time? He’d been far too busy gathering material, it left little time for creation. “I have…a situation.”
Their eyes met and he could feel the cold hatred from her look alone. A gen went off in the distance, but he ignored it instead to watch the gears turn in Yun-Jin’s head. Finally, she scoffed, offering him a sly, disapproving smile.
“That’s funny, considering the circumstances. I hope it ends up killing you, whatever it is.”
“No, you don’t get it. The situation involves feelings.”
Shock flashed across her eyes before quickly resuming the cold glare, it happened so fast he wasn’t sure if she reacted at all. Yun-Jin crossed her arms and took another moment to glance him over, taking in his appearance so intensely he nearly shuffled his feet in the growing discomfort. He didn’t look any different on the outside, he was sure. It was what he was feeling on the inside that was the problem.
“Yun, I wouldn’t bother normally, but I’ve…” Ji-Woon frowned, unsure of how to go on. Finally, he met her eyes desperately and went on. “I’ve never felt this way before. I don’t know what to do.”
She laughed, the sound cold and short. It started out small before it took over her whole face and the sound rumbled throughout her entire body. The disbelief could be heard in her voice as she tried to speak around mocking laughter.
“What, are you serious ? You of all people?"
“It is not funny.” Ji-Woon snapped, already regretting his decision to speak with her. He should have known that she would be upset, though part of him thought that Yun-Jin would always be there to fix his problems for him. After all, that was her job, and she’d proven many times over how good she was at it.
“It’s unbelievable. Imagine, you crushing on someone here, like we’re all children on the playground.” Ji-Woon didn’t say anything in response to this. He only stood stock still and tried to remove any reaction from his face, but Yun had always been able to read him like a book. She grinned wolfishly. “Little Ji-Woona is in love. How sweet, even a monster like you can melt. So what, one of these little bitches is fucking you to delay the inevitable?”
“No, I’d never stoop so low as to do that.” He replied, his face flushing. He shot a glare her way, “He’s like me.”
“So, you’re sleeping with one of these freaks. Do you love him, then?” She asked again.
“I don’t know, maybe . I’ve never felt anything like this.” The hand that wasn’t holding the bat came up to his chest and touched the place he felt his heart beating. He imagined the way Danny’s hand looked, draped lazily over his skin. His hands were calloused and dark, the rough texture of them had made his teeth chatter in appreciation. His face still red, he went on.
“I’ll get this feeling when we’re together, it’s warm and constricts right here,” his hand squeezed, “sometimes it hurts.”
“That sounds like love to me then. How sweet.” Yun-Jin said, her voice bitter. For the first time in his life, he got the sense that she didn’t really like him. Maybe she never had. Ji-Woon worried that he’d missplayed. “Again, you get to enjoy this hell while I’m forced to suffer.”
“Why does it hurt?”
“Are you fucking serious?” Yun snapped, and she gave another bark of laughter. “Not used to feeling anything, you freak? I’m surprised a narcissist like you has the capacity to love anything other than yourself.”
“Nuna…Yun-Jin, please .” He said, hating the desperation in his voice. He found his face twisting up, but before he could do anything more, the gen Yun had been working on before her encounter with Ji-Woon, went off. An alarm sounded, signaling the doors were powered and ready to be opened. He knew she heard and felt it as much as he did but they couldn’t tear their eyes from each other.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Yun said, gritting her teeth. “It hurts because it means you have to care about something that isn’t you . It makes you want to help instead of hurt, makes you want them happy , even at the cost of yourself. I know that is a foreign concept for you.”
His face set in a look of shock, eyes trying to read hers for any hint of laughter, a joke, but found none. Ji-Woon brought a bloody hand up to his head as the realization slowly came over his eyes; as if a light turned on in his head. He heart sped up the more he thought about it. Danny. Danny Danny Danny .
It wasn’t an obsession. It was love, it had to be. Everything that Yun-Jin said had truth to it because that’s exactly what he had been thinking lately. He looked once more at Yun-Jin and she nodded as if she heard his thoughts and answered.
“Who is it then?”
He saw a blonde woman move to the gate in the distance behind Yun-Jin and took a step back. He needed to leave, get back to the campfire. He also now needed that cigarette. Maybe he and Danny could smoke one together. Giving one last look to his former producer he decided to tell her, she was already getting out with her friend. He didn’t owe her anything else but… he wanted to say it out loud and he needed someone to hear.
“Ghostface. I love the Ghostface.”
_____
The campfire was burning bright, crackling quietly. He was sitting on one of the many logs, leaning back with his legs spread wide in front of him for max comfort while he waited. This is where he and Ji-woon usually met after trials, but for some reason, more and more killers were walking up into the light of the fire and the surrounding area. There was a distant, unfocused sound of a crowd as the others gathered together.
It seemed like damn near everyone was here. He had a feeling someone new was joining their ranks, and that was why the Entity was calling those who were not in a trial. Spotting Amanda, he waved and she came to sit on the log beside him before she spoke.
“It’s getting too crowded for my liking. Do you think it's a new killer?” She asked, picking her way around the others like they would burn her at the slightest contact. He couldn’t see her face, but he could imagine the way her nose and eyebrows wrinkled when she was uncomfortable.
“Yeah, I hope this one talks.” Danny said, only half joking. He grinned so she would hear it in his voice. “That last one only knows a few words–hey, have you been to the police department? You might actually find some things there to spice up your humble abode. Survivors are there all the time looting for who knows what.”
“No.” She said, and he thought she’d end it there. To his surprise she went on. “That honestly sounds like a bad idea.”
“You’ve been to the RPD outside the trials then Mr. Olsen?”
The statement caught him off guard, and Danny looked up to see the Doctor who slowly came into view across the fire. Thank god for the mask, because at first he’d stared at him curiously. An embarrassingly large stretch of time lapsed before he remembered ‘Olsen’ was the name he had attached to Danny when he first told everyone. The reason escaped him now.
“I have, a few times actually.” He coughed, clearing away the awkward silence. “How ‘bout you?”
That also felt alarmingly stupid, degrees away from come here often? But the other man didn’t seem to mind. At least, not in a way he could see, because his face was strung up in that strange contraption it was impossible to tell what his expression might be. Danny had always been good at reading people, and the looseness of his stance and the relaxed, thoughtful intonation of his voice told him otherwise.
“Interesting. I have been experimenting on one of those walking corpses that wandered a little too far, it has been…very educational.” He said, reaching up to stroke his chin in an insane pantomime of thoughtfulness.
He wondered if he couldn’t control the sparking of the head dressing, because it seemed to go crazy, like a car backfiring. “I can’t help but to imagine what the bigger one may be composed of. It looks…genetically engineered, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about its origins.”
“It’s called Nemesis,” behind his red mask he could see Frank and Joey come out of the tree line, playing monkey with one of Susie’s mixtapes. There was lots of whining, but he could tell this wasn’t serious teasing from the metal-filled grin the girl was giving them. “He has a thing about stars that…I would bet Jill or Chris know more about, it's always mumbling it when he kills them . You could start there.”
The Doctor made an amused sound but before he could make another comment everyone went quiet as a tall man in a coverall appeared in the circle of light. No one made any movement as the silent killer stared into the flames, speaking to no one and at nothing. It looked like he was thinking, what about Danny had no clue.
He was sure the man never spoke, and sometimes he didn’t think he even could. Maybe he could learn sign language, perhaps he was mute or something? Deaf? Micheal had never killed Danny, like he did to the others if they got too close, so maybe they could be friends. The thought made him grin like an idiot under the mask.
Michael Myers was his idol after all.
“Micheal.” He nodded in greeting, and he caught a reflection of the light shining off of his eyes behind the mask. Danny could tell the giant of a man had turned his attention to him. Still, he was greeted with silence. Before he could say anything, Ji-Woon’s shrill ‘pay attention to me’ voice shattered the silence to pieces.
“Danny!” He came up from behind him, sliding into place on the log beside him, opposite Amanda. He seemed a little surprised to see so many killers here, but paid it no mind when he sat so close to the other man. The warmth was spreading from where their bodies touched, before he would have thought it was the fire but now…Danny found himself grinning again. He brought out a used pack of cigarettes with the lighter still inside, “I got something for you, hyung, the old man dropped them.”
He meant Bill, Danny made a quick note to go over the names again with him in review before taking the offered pack. He’d already told him multiple times, but he constantly complained that there was no reason for him to be able to identify the survivors by name when he was going to kill them anyway. Amanda scoffed, quite audibly, and this made him roll his eyes. He knew what was about to happen.
“Do you have a problem with that?” Ji-Woon asked, dropping his voice into a dangerous purr, though he doubted this fooled anyone. The newly lavender haired man leaned forward to glare across Danny straight at Amanda. She’d been squabbling with him lately. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was jealous.
“Get off his fucking dick for once.” Amanda said, her voice as light and conversational as it had been before. That was to say, a prison inmate might have rated it as ‘fine’ though no one else would. “Leave him alone.”
“Amanda.” Danny warned. Maybe he should have stepped in a long time ago, it wouldn’t have gotten this far if he had. Those thoughts circled his mind as he thumbed a cigarette out for a well deserved smoke. He’d always loved a cigarette after a long, hard day. He could even remember smoking out the window in his high school, out behind the shitty bar he’d worked in through college, hell, even in his own car while he staked out his next victim.
“You always have something to say, no?” Ji-Woon snapped, his outwardly friendly tone obliterated. Now, he was glaring, wearing his anger on his sleeve. “Can you not just see that this is something you will never understand?”
“Oh right, you’re just always at his side, you’re just waking him up when you know he can’t sleep, you’re just keeping him away from everyone else.” She threw her hands up. As she spoke, the words were quick and filled with frustration. Everyone around the campfire could hear it.
He looked like he wanted to say more, but Danny didn’t bother letting him finish. He’d heard enough. Instead, he lifted the mask and settled it neatly on the top of his head. He balanced the cigarette between his lips and held the lighter up to it. Ji-Woon seemed to come back to himself when he heard the lighter click. When he looked at him, his eyes were wild. Agitated. What the fuck was wrong with this kid?
“Danny!” He said urgently, using that whiney, needling tone again. Ji-Woon looked upset, his breathing accelerating and his face was crestfallen. Like a child that had their favorite toy snatched away. Everyone was beginning to look now, and he felt his hands on the mask, urgently trying to force it back over his face and sending the cigarette into the dirt.
Danny batted his hands away, when that failed to work he elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Finally, he stopped his fussing when Danny gave him a sharp, disapproving look. Turning away so he didn’t have to see the look of betrayal, he took the hood down and the mask all the way off.
He ran a hand through his hair, which was a bit flattened by the hood. He closed his eyes and lit another before letting a breath of smoke leave his mouth in an exhale. With the cigarette still dangling between his lips, he added, “You kids stress me the fuck out.”
“Damn Ghostie! Looks like you weren’t hiding an ugly mug under there after all.” Frank called, letting out a whistle like he was cat-calling him on the street. He grinned, his own mask perched delicately atop his head too. Of course it was him. He was always the first to comment.
Amanda continued to stare at him. He was about to ask if she was broken, because the look she was giving wasn’t exactly friendly. Finally, she spoke in the softest voice he’d ever heard her use. It was almost like she was flirting with him, which wasn’t bound to go over well. “I’m older than you, you’re the kid.”
“Not really though, if you’re from the 2000s. I was born in 1967, kid .” He said with a wink. Then, just to make sure he didn’t get too jealous, Danny gave Ji-Woon a knowing look. Amanda couldn’t look away from the smirk on Danny’s face even if it wasn’t directed at her.
“I must say, Mr. Olsen, it’s good to confirm you are indeed more human than some of our companions. If you ever find yourself at Lery’s, I would be more than happy to talk of your discoveries here in the realms.” He said, his tone surprisingly rational for a man that hooked such a macabre torture device to his face.
Danny didn’t comment, and instead they nodded at each other before the doctor noted that fog was starting to form on the other side of the camp and told everyone it had to be the new killer.
“Holy shit is that Hellraiser ?” Frank grabbed Joey and they both broke off in an excited run to catch a glimpse of the killer. It seemed that Danny wasn’t the only horror fan here. The exuberance made it seem like he came straight from one of the kid’s favorite movies.
Ji-Woon never took his eyes off of Danny as he continued to smoke and only looked away to throw a threatening glare the pig’s way. She got the message and got up as well, but not before returning the look with as much dislike as she could muster.
“Come visit again sometime, Danny , I’m going to head back. I’m not going to attempt to penetrate that crowd. Tell me about the new killer next time.” She said, placing deliberate emphasis on his name and giving Ji-Woon a sharp look. She glanced up, and Danny followed her eyes only to see Micheal still standing on the other side of the fire, away from the commotion.
“I will, if he’s who Frank says he is, I may even have to explain a few of the movies to you.” They shared a smile before she left them alone. Danny finally turned to Ji-Woon to stare at him with a raised eyebrow, taking another drag before exhaling. “...You’ve got something, there, under your nose.” The other man’s hand came up so fast and swiped roughly under his nose. Ji-Woon wasn’t fooled.
“Ha ha. Very funny.” He grabbed the forgotten pack of cigarettes from its spot between them on the ground. Taking one out with the lighter, he put it in his mouth before lighting it. He visibly relaxed on his exhale. They stayed like that together for a few peaceful moments before Ji-Woon broke the silence. “Why did you take your mask off?”
Danny could hear the betrayal in his voice. “It’s not like it needs to be a secret anymore, you know. This is our life now and I don’t want to always be wearing it forever.”
“Yes, but until just then…I was the only one who knew.” He said, and Danny looked at him. He was frowning deeply now, like this really hurt him. You would think that he’d been insulted, which was ridiculous. How was he supposed to know his own face was now off limits to everyone? “You usually don’t wear it when it’s just us. Was that not enough for the rest of your life?”
He sighed. “You can’t keep everything to yourself Ji-Woon, sometimes you have to share.” Danny finished his cigarette and threw it in the fire. He felt like a parent, calmly explaining why his toddler had to give up their teddy bear. He cut a look his way and tried to soften the blow with a wry smile. “Sometimes things won’t go your way. What, you’re used to getting everything you want?”
“I know that, I do… but I do not think I can share. Not with them.” He said urgently. There was something in his eyes, but to cheer him up he yanked him over by the nape of his neck and their lips met in a lazy kiss. The cigarettes had relaxed them, fuzzed out the edges, and made this experience bliss. Their tongues moved in no particular order. As always, Danny took great pleasure in taking over every part of his mouth, reveled in the way Ji-Woon submitted to it.
Ji-Woon smelled faintly of some fancy, floral cologne and sweet, mixed with the crackling fire and cigarettes. Danny pulled back and smiled, noting triumphantly that he was blushing again. Finally, he spoke, staying so close that his lips brushed tantalizingly against Ji-Woon’s.
“So you’ll try then, yeah?”
His eyes were gold again, thank god. He stared at them, half-lidded and mooney. Danny kept his hand on the nape of his neck and Ji-Woon seemed to take a minute to think about this. Finally, he spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper. “I will, hyung. Anything for you.”
Danny rewarded this with a warm smile and another chaste kiss. Then, he stood up and offered him his hand which Ji-Woon took without hesitation. He only gave him another grin as he pulled him to his feet.
“Okay? We can talk more about it later, maybe somewhere more private. Do you want to go see Pinhead? He’s from another one of those scary movies from the 80s I was telling you about.” Danny grabbed his mask and gestured to the growing crowd of killers. Ji-Woon nodded mutely, putting on a sweet smile for his benefit alone.
“Anything for you, hyung.” He said again seriously, but his mind seemed a million miles away. Danny didn’t comment and he only smiled again. “ Anything.”
_____
Nunim/nuna(eider sister -honorific ‘nim’)
minchinam(crazy bastard)