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It happens on a completely ordinary day.
Baek Saheon was slowly getting used to the fact that his psycho roommate really wasn’t coming back; he’d finally gotten comfortable being in the living room, gotten comfortable not looking behind his back every other minute just in case that madman had gotten any new ideas.
It’s why, as he’s brushing his teeth one morning, raising his head to look at his own face and wash it that he freaks the fuck out.
Because, standing behind him, is that guy, looking straight at him with no emotion in his eyes.
Baek Saheon frantically turns his head back, except– nothing’s there.
‘...Huh???’
He looks back into the mirror and flinches, torn between moving closer and moving further away from it.
Because the Kim Soleum in the mirror was closer to him now.
Baek Saheon stays still, turning slowly.
Still empty space.
“...What do you want?” Baek Saheon asks, slowly, as he turns back around.
The Kim Soleum in the mirror considers.
And then, horrifyingly, the madman’s signature insane grin appears and for a second Baek Saheon can’t figure out if his madman of a coworker who had vanished got himself trapped in a mirror or if whatever Darkness entity this was was simply taking his deepest living walking mobile fear and using it to great effect.
It blows on the mirror, and with a single finger, writes–
You
…
…
…
‘WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN???’ Baek Saheon screams in his mind.
Was he dead now? Was that it? ‘Unfortunately murdered by Darkness entity in the Daydream Inc dorms’, and then because he works at Daydream Inc his death just gets swept underneath the rug and no one will ever fucking remember him.
No. No, he can’t let that happen.
“I’m flattered, really, but why are you here?” Baek Saheon asks, arrogantly, because he doesn’t think grovelling here was the right move.
The mirror entity clearly tolerates it, because it proceeds to write one more word.
Knowledge
“Something I know, then.”
‘Daydream’s incompetent, but they’re not that incompetent,’ Baek Saheon thinks, calming his mind.
Kim Soleum
“Are you not Kim Soleum?” Baek Saheon asks, bolder now. The entity didn’t seem hostile at the moment, and he’d try to extract as much information as possible that he could use in case it got pissed off.
I am Kim Soleum
Baek Saheon thinks for a second. Sure, it looks like that madman, but…
‘...Kim Soleum would probably be threatening me for my help by now. Or heavily implying that if I don’t help him, I’d die…’
“Are you the Kim Soleum I met back in October?”
No.
It’s writing all its answers instead of mouthing it, Baek Saheon realizes. Does it not think he can read lips, or does it believe this is a clearer way of communication or is it bound to certain rules?
“Why do you need me, then?”
Wasn’t Kim Soleum dead? That stupid Chief Lizard of Squad D wouldn’t stop interrogating him about it. It was getting genuinely sickening at this point; every time Baek Saheon remembered the scene he would–
He would–
Baek Saheon throws up.
He does not want to think about it.
The mirror version of Kim Soleum perks up.
“No.” Baek Saheon tells it. “The Section Chief of Squad D already has all the information you need. Don’t bother me about it.”
Kim Soleum in the mirror pouts.
…
…
FUCK THIS WASN’T THE TIME TO HAVE A CRISIS GET A GRIP BAEK SAHEON–
Don’t wanna, the figure in the mirror writes.
What the fuck. Was he a kid????????
“No. I do not consent.” Baek Saheon says. “Consent is very important.”
Want you. Please.
‘What the fuck seriously what is this.’ Baek Saheon thinks, frantically.
The mirror version of Kim Soleum pouts. This is some sick, twisted dream that Baek Saheon is having because he ate something bad last night. Surely. There is absolutely no way this was real.
“I am explaining it once and once only.” Baek Saheon says.
K
‘Why the fuck does he write like a dry texter’, Baek Saheon thinks, bitterly.
He opens his mouth, says a string of words he has said at least twice in the past fucking week because of the insane Chief Lizard and then proceeds to throw up, because that was his life now. Used as a tool to figure out Kim Soleum’s whereabouts. Fuck, could all of them just leave him alone?
Baek Saheon washes his mouth, and brushes his teeth again for good measure as he watches Kim Soleum ponder in the mirror out of the corner of his eye.
Satisfactory, it eventually writes.
“So what do I get?” Baek Saheon asks.
The figure in the mirror pauses.
“What? You didn’t think you’d actually be getting the information for free, were you? He’d have at least given me an item for this, you stingy bastard.”
The mirror version of Kim Soleum crosses his arms and huffs, which… was… sort of cute… despite how out of character it was…
‘Get a grip,’ Baek Saheon reminds himself.
The mirror version of Kim Soleum is staring at him intently.
‘...?’
Prize?
“...Yeah? I want something as compensatio–”
Something presses against Baek Saheon’s lips.
What. What the fuck. What the actual fuck.
‘HUH???’
“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?” Baek Saheon screeches.
You find this form attractive.
“YES BUT WHAT THE FUCK??”
Compensation.
“...If that’s all you wanted, get out. Just– get out of my dorm.”
The figure in the mirror stares at him.
Our dorm, it writes, something that sends a shiver down Baek Saheon’s spine, before it vanishes.
What.
What the actual was this day.
What.
He didn’t even get a good item out of it?
Shit, Baek Saheon actually missed Kim Soleum right now, rather than this shitty imposter.
Wait, no, that wasn’t the point–!