Chapter Text
Three years ago
The night had been normal, Jisung’s friends scattered about his living room, opened, half finished snacks littering the floor as the group slept peacefully. Their movie was still playing on the tiny tv Jisung had bought at a garage sale, but it was well past their normal sleeping hours, so no one was awake to finish it. Jisung was curled into Chan’s side on the floor, Minho draping an arm over the younger’s waist on his other side, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jeongin somehow found a way for all three of them to squish onto the tiny couch, all while Felix and Changbin snored peacefully at their feet.
It was like any other movie night shared among the best friends, but one that was prematurely ruined by the sound of the deafening fire alarm and the choking smell of smoke.
Jisung awoke with a start, the rest of his friends also startling awake at the blaring alarm, coughing and wheezing as the smoke drifted into the room. There wasn’t much communication needed as the group staggered out of the apartment and into the hallway, following Jisung to the stairwell.
One thing Jisung could remember clearly about that night was how fast it spread, how one second there was only a bit of smoke and flashing lights, and the next the raging flames were all around them, scalding heat making them sweat profusely as they ran down the 6 flights of stairs. It was a blur, filled with choked coughs and shouts of fear. All Jisung could think about was getting out, and as he finally came to the door leading to the first floor, he sprinted to safety, immediately collapsing to the pavement as he heaved for fresh air.
It was only then that he realized he was alone.
The blonde turned around in a panic, seeing his apartment building engulfed in flames, and his friends missing. His mind went blank, panic setting in as he sprinted back into the blaze, screaming over the roar of the fire, skin burning from the blistering heat, debris falling all around him. He was choking on smoke, lightheaded from lack of oxygen, but he refused to give up, refused to leave his friends behind when they could be burned alive if he didn’t find them. He should’ve checked to make sure they were behind him, should’ve grabbed onto them so they wouldn’t get lost. This was his fault, all his fault.
He reached the door to the stairwell, the scalding metal of the handle burning his hand as he pulled it open, preparing to run back up the six flights if he had to, when a firm, gloved hand pulled him back. A firefighter.
He pleaded as they pulled him outside, hysterically shouting about how his friends were still inside and that he had to find them, but they wouldn’t let him go back in, instead seating him on the curb some meters away, explaining that it was too dangerous for him to be in there, and promising to find the others for him.
Jisung trembled, sobbing into his hands, face covered in soot, pleading for every first responder that passed him to find his friends, but when he overheared the fire chief mention to another firefighter that the blaze had consumed the building too fast, that there was no stopping it and they couldn’t risk sending people in anymore, Jisung lost all hope. He had lost them, and if he hadn’t been so reckless, so self centered in his desperation to get outside, they would’ve made it out with him. Now, they were trapped or lost somewhere in the Armageddon-like flames, dead, or dying because of him. If only he had been more responsible, if only he had thought to think about anyone other than himself. He should've noticed they weren't following them anymore, should've noticed they'd gotten lost.
And in those moments of debilitating grief, a voice spoke to him, gentle and soft.
“Do you want your friends to be saved?”
“Y-Yes,” he choked out, unsure if the voice was real or a figment of his imagination. He couldn't care less, too overwhelmed by fear and guilt to think about the prospect of a disembodied voice talking to him.
“What if I could save them? What would you give me?”
“Anything, anything at all…” Anything to save his friends.
“Even your soul?”
Jisung nodded fervently, his tears still blurring his vision as he wiped at them hastily. “Yes, yes even my soul, i-if it means they make it out safely.”
“Then it’s a deal.”
The voice went silent, and Jisung began to really think he had lost his mind, when he suddenly heard shouting from behind him, and whirled around to see firefighters sprinting back into the building. Mere seconds later, he saw them helping a group of boys outside.
His friends.
They were covered in ash and soot, coughing and unbalanced as they clung to one another, but it didn’t matter. Jisung wasted no time in sprinting towards them, collapsing into their arms as he sobbed in relief and his apartment building continued to collapse behind them. They were safe, that’s all that mattered.
Present day
Jisung sighed with a smile, watching the road carefully as his phone, turned to speakerphone, rung in his lap. It had been a long day of work, chugging out as many songs as he could while working with the idols of the company. He loved being a lyricist, and was grateful that he had become well known for his talent at the company, but sometimes it was tiring when he was so sought after. He couldn’t wait to relax.
“Hey babe!” Jisung could hear the smile in his boyfriend’s voice over the phone.
“Hey Min, how was your day?” Jisung asked, ruffling his dark hair and brushing it from his eyes.
“Same old, same old. What about you?”
“Long,” Jisung laughed. “And very tiring. Are we still meeting everyone at the basketball courts?”
“Of course,” Minho responded. “As long as you’re still up for it, of course.”
“It’s been weeks since we’ve all been together. Of course I’m still up for it!”
“Okay, good! That means I get to kick your ass at basketball.”
“Babe, we both know you are absolutely shit at any game that has to do with balls.” They both laughed at that.
“Yeah, whatever. How far away are you?”
Jisung shrugged, despite knowing Minho couldn’t see him. “About 15 minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon. Drive safe!”
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you too!”
The call ended, and Jisung smiled to himself as he maneuvered his car through the packed streets, excited to see his friends again, and, of course, Minho. They’d been dating for a little over two years now, after they both finally got the guts to just admit they were absolutely head over heels for each other. They saw each other pretty much every day anyway, but every time gave Jisung the butterflies that he so fondly remembered from their first date. He was so lucky to have Minho in his life.
It wasn’t long before he had pulled into the parking lot, turning off his car and stepping out into the warm evening air. The sky was already dark, but no stars could be seen thanks to the light pollution, though that didn’t bother Jisung much. His smile instantly grew ten times wider when his boyfriend practically leaped into his arms, planting a quick and affectionate kiss to his lips.
“Ew!” Jisung laughed as he heard Seungmin whine from the court in front of them.
“Dude, they’ve been together for 2 years now. You act like this isn’t normal,” Changbin laughed from his seat on the bench.
“It’s still gross. And gay.”
“Seungminnie, you are literally a flaming homosexual,” Minho responded as he laced his fingers with Jisung’s, leading him to the basketball court.
“Yeah but you don’t see me flaunting it everywhere,” their friend laughed.
“If you were in a relationship I’m pretty sure you’d be worse than them,” Chan clapped Seungmin on the back with a smile, the basketball held in his other hand.
Seungmin pouted. “Thanks for reminding me I’m single.”
Minho guided Jisung to the bench beside the court, where a bag of takeout was placed. “I got you dinner since I figured you hadn’t eaten yet,” Minho smiled, beginning to untie the bag.
Jisung sighed. “You know me way too well.”
“It’s Chinese takeout,” Jeongin stated. “And that smaller container is a slice of cheesecake from the bakery.”
Minho tilted his head at the youngest with a curious gaze. “I don’t recall telling anyone what I got.”
Jeongin smiled his mischievous grin. “Lucky guess.”
Felix and Hyunjin arrived shortly later, and soon enough the group was playing basketball, shouting and teasing each other while also making small talk about their lives in between. It was simple, fun. It reminded Jisung of how easy everything was when they were still in school, when they would spend hours at the courts talking and laughing with one another, just enjoying each other’s company. He missed those days, but he couldn’t exactly complain about where he’d ended up. After all, he was now madly in love with the Lee Minho, and had a stable job at a famous entertainment company, making good money, and living a decently easy life. He couldn’t ask for much else.
Eventually, Jisung decided to take a break, sitting down on the bench to finish the cheesecake Minho had bought him, while watching said person horribly fail at a clear shot at the hoop. He laughed, shoveling down the last of the tasty treat as Minho’s ears began to turn red.
And then he heard it, like something out of a haunting nightmare. A voice, that same voice from years ago, echoing in his head.
“Hello Jisung.”
Jisung froze, his heart pumping wildly in his chest. He couldn’t possibly be hearing it, he had to be imagining it, right? The voice wasn't real, he'd convinced himself of that years ago.
“Did you think I forgot about our little deal?”
Jisung shook his head, mumbling back a response quiet enough for no one else to hear. “Y-you’re not real. You’re just an auditory hallucination, like that night three years ago. My brain made you up because of the stress I was under during the fire.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself, or the voice. Perhaps both.
The voice laughed, a dark, menacing laugh that sent chills down Jisung’s spine. “Oh, believe me Jisung, I am very much real. And three years ago tonight, you sold me your soul.”
Jisung went pale, breath caught in his throat. “That’s not true,” he stuttered out. “It wasn’t a serious deal, my friends were fine!”
“But it is true. You wanted your friends safe in exchange for your soul, and I gave you that. And now, it’s time to uphold your end of the bargain.”
“No.” Jisung wasn’t sure what this voice wanted, wasn’t even sure if it was real, but he’d seen enough movies to know that selling your soul never ended well.
“If you don’t hold up your end of the deal, then I’m afraid I can’t hold up my end either.”
“What?!” Jisung exclaimed, doing his best to keep his voice quiet as his friends continued to shout to one another on the court in front of him, paying no mind to the conversation Jisung was having with a voice in his head. “You can’t do that!”
“Oh, but I very much can. It would be such a shame for your dear friends to get killed in a drive by shooting, or perhaps run over by a car. The way your precious Minho would scream your name in agony as he sat trapped behind his apartment door, the room ablaze around him and unable to escape the fire that would burn him alive. I could do any of that at any time.”
Jisung’s heart was racing now, blood rushing in his ears as he looked up at his friends, fear so much like that night threatening to swallow him whole. Who was this voice? Why did they want his soul? Could they really hurt his friends? He pictured what the voice had described, Minho trapped in a burning room, flames raging around him, screaming for Jisung to help him as he was burned alive. The thought made Jisung want to sob. He couldn’t risk it. He couldn't risk any of them getting hurt because of him. That was why he made the deal, after all.
“Okay, okay! I’ll do it, just-just don’t hurt them, please….”
“Good.” Jisung swore he could hear the sinister smile through the voice. “A location has been sent to your phone. Be there before noon tomorrow. Oh, and you might want to say your goodbyes, because you won’t be seeing your friends again.”
Jisung felt tears stinging his eyes, but forced them back. “Can I… Can I just have a little more time with them? Please.”
“You’ve had your time. Be there, or else your friends won’t be alive much longer.”
And with those final words, the presence disappeared, leaving Jisung pale and nearly shaking on the bench, mind swimming with fear. He wasn't under any insane stress like he had been that night, so it didn't make sense for it to be a hallucination, but who or what was it? A Magical? Perhaps a witch, who maybe even started the fire that night and toyed with him so they could use him for some sort of sacrifice. Honestly, he didn't know, and that terrified him even more, the knowledge that with the text message on his phone from a blocked number, it was real, and he was walking into a very dangerous unknown. He’s not sure how long he stared into space before a presence came to stand in front of him, and Jisung looked up into the concerned gaze of his boyfriend.
“You okay?” Minho frowned, clearly noticing how spaced out and pale Jisung had become in the last several minutes.
Jisung swallowed his fear. He couldn't tell any of them what had happened, for fear that they'd try to get involved, or maybe that it was some sort of violation of this deal and the being would go back on their word and hurt everyone. “I’m fine,” he lied.
Minho sighed with a nod, obviously not believing the younger, but deciding not to press the issue. Instead, Minho sat down beside Jisung, joining their hands on his lap and rubbing gentle circles with his thumb. No words had to be said for Jisung to know Minho knew he was lying, but he was grateful to his boyfriend for allowing them to just sit.
The rest of the evening passed in a blur, and though Jisung felt incredibly guilty about not taking the chance to enjoy what time he had remaining with his friends, he knew he emotionally couldn’t handle it. It took everything he had to not break down, so he focused on Minho's soft hands, his warm body heat, his reassuring smile, anything to distract him from the shadow that was looming over his heart. Eventually, the two began the journey home, saying goodnight to their friends as they got into Jisung’s car, Minho in the driver’s seat this time.
“Can I stay at your place tonight?” Jisung asked quietly as they pulled out of the parking lot, and Minho almost laughed, thinking his boyfriend was being suggestive.
Until he noticed the desperation in Jisung’s gaze, the way he bit his lip nervously and fiddled with a string on his jeans.
“Of course, baby,” Minho responded, reaching over and taking Jisung’s hand in his. He could never say no to Jisung.
The drive was quiet as they headed to Minho’s apartment, and soon enough, they were in pjs and curled up on the couch, a lighthearted movie flipped on as Minho pulled his boyfriend into his side, fingers gently tracing intricate patterns on Jisung’s hip. Jisung knew the older had the best intentions, that he was only trying to cheer him up or distract him, but if he was being honest, he was exhausted, and he just wanted to cry.
Eventually noticing Jisung’s lack of attention towards the movie, Minho paused it, looking over at the brunette in his arms.
“Sung, are you sure everything’s okay?” He asked gently.
Jisung nodded. “I’m fine.” He didn’t mean for his voice to come out so tense.
Minho sighed, fully turning to face his boyfriend. “Jisung, I have known you for many years, and I’m your boyfriend. I know when something’s up, and I can tell when you’re lying. You know you can talk to me, right? I’m always here for you; you can tell me anything.”
“I said I’m fine.” Jisung couldn't risk telling him the truth. He couldn't risk losing the love of his life.
“Ji-”
“For fucks sake, Minho, I’m fine! I don’t need you worrying about me!” Jisung didn’t mean to snap, he didn’t mean to get angry when Minho was only trying to look out for him, but he was already emotionally drawn thin, and his desperation to hide the truth turned into anger that Minho could see right through him. Jisung needed to appear okay and Minho saw through the guise like he always did, pulling out Jisung's fear and pain and panic as if it were written on his forehead.
Minho’s eyes widened, and Jisung quickly rose from the couch, mumbling something about needing to pee before shutting himself in the bathroom, the flickering yellow light illuminating his reflection in the mirror. Honestly, he looked like hell. His eyes were dark, a permanently frown etched into his brow, skin pale and almost sickly looking. That voice, whatever it was, had truly terrified him. He wished he could pretend it was all his imagination, but the location pinged on his cellphone told him otherwise, told him that something really had contacted him, and he’d sold his soul to them.
Without realizing it, tears finally began to slip from his eyes, quiet sobs choking from his throat as he gripped the edge of the sink, doing his best to keep himself grounded. He didn’t want to die, didn’t want to leave his friends or leave Minho, but he didn’t see another option, because if he refused, he would lose them all. He had nearly gotten them killed that night, and this was the payment for his actions, his own soul.
A quiet knock came at the door, and Jisung did his best to quiet himself as his boyfriend spoke to him from the other side.
“Jisungie, I’ll be waiting for you in bed, okay?” After not receiving an answer, Jisung heard the older walk away towards the bedroom, and he started to cry even harder.
What was he even doing? It was his last night with the man he loved, and he was locked in the bathroom, snapping at him and then avoiding him. He should’ve been out there, holding onto Minho like he’d never get to again, because he wouldn’t. He shouldn’t be taking this out on him, shouldn’t be punishing him for his own mistakes, and definitely shouldn’t be wasting his last chance to be with him.
After a while longer, Jisung finally sucked it up, wiping his tears before stepping out of the bathroom and walking to the bedroom. The apartment was dark now, but Jisung could see Minho’s form in the dim light peeking in from the streetlights outside the curtains. Jisung took a deep breath and crawled under the comforter, curling up beside the older. He hadn’t expected Minho to still be awake, and nearly startled as the older turned towards him, a gentle hand cupping Jisung’s face.
“Oh baby, you’ve been crying, haven’t you?” Minho whispered gently.
Jisung nodded, biting his lip as another tear rolled down his cheek and onto the pillow beneath him. Minho wasted no time in pulling his boyfriend to his chest, hugging him close as he continued to cry silently. “You can tell me what’s going on whenever you’re ready, okay? If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay, I’ll still be here to hold you and kiss you, and make all your fears go away. I’ll hold you through it, no matter what.”
“I love you,” Jisung mumbled, crying into Minho’s shirt. Minho smiled and placed a kiss atop Jisung’s head.
“I love you too.”
Jisung fell asleep crying into Minho’s warm embrace.
Jisung woke up far too early the next morning, but once he opened his eyes to see the rising sun bathing the bedroom in a warm glow, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. His head rest atop Minho’s chest, the older’s hair ruffled and messy on the pillow as his breath came in slow, even huffs. He looked as beautiful as he always did, and the sight made Jisung smile.
He knew though that Minho would be waking soon, and he really didn’t want to have a conversation about the night before, not because he didn’t want to apologize, but because he didn’t want to risk spilling the truth about what was happening and dragging Minho into the problem. No, he needed to leave before that would become a risk, for Minho’s sake.
He carefully crawled out of bed, quietly changing into one of the spare sets of clothes he kept at his boyfriend’s apartment. He stared at Minho’s sleeping form for a long moment, quickly deciding to scrawl down a goodbye note in place of waking him and risking worrying the older, before placing it on the bedside table. Jisung’s eyes watered as he stood in the doorway, wishing he could just crawl back into bed and kiss Minho into oblivion, but he knew that wasn’t an option now.
Taking a shaky breath, he turned and left the apartment, taking his car and leaving town. Each mile felt harder than the last.
The location sent to his phone was quite literally in the middle of nowhere, a couple hours out of town with no civilization in sight. Jisung was wondering if perhaps he was being led to some place to get murdered, but then realized that that was honestly probably the case. He pulled up outside of an abandoned structure, nothing but grassy fields as far as he could see. He approached it cautiously, eyes watching the shadows as though they might jump out and attack him. The place was old, and clearly long abandoned based on the graffiti tags marking the walls. He supposed it might’ve once been some sort of auditorium, or maybe an old mall based on the giant circular skylight. His boots crunched on gravel and broken glass as he walked inside, wondering what he was supposed to do.
He had barely come to a stop inside the structure when his phone dinged, a single message from the same blocked number present on the screen.
Elevator.
Jisung glanced around in confusion, before his gaze settled on an old, red, metal elevator across from him. He walked towards it slowly. It didn’t seem to be significant in any particular way, perhaps a little outdated if anything. He pulled the metal gate back, and nearly jumped out of his skin as the light inside turned on. Jisung swallowed before stepping inside, eyes wide as though the old machine were going to swallow him.
The inside was red, just like the outside, with peeling paint revealing some rusting underneath. The floor buttons, however, only gave one option, and the label frightened Jisung a tad more than he already was.
This was it. He couldn’t turn back. He made this deal, and now it was time to pay up.
He hoped his friends would be okay without him.
With one last deep breath, Jisung closed the gate, and pressed the button labeled ‘Hell.’