Work Text:
“Okay, let me set the scene.”
Fleeting, whispery steam rising from the water’s surface.
Flickering candlelight basking the bathroom in a low amber glow.
“Wait, stop. What kind of word is whispery? Don’t you mean ‘whispering’? I think that would fit better.”
“Fleeting, whispering? Are you sure that even makes sense? Are we going for past or present tense here?”
“Both!”
“Guys, I’m still caught up on the ‘basking the bathroom’ line. Basking the bathroom, pfft!” Jo Geol laughed, earning a pillow to the face.
“I hate you all,” Baek Cheon grumbled, retrieving the pillow and hugging it to his chest, his cheeks flushing pink.
“Doesn’t ‘I hate all of you’ sound better?”
‘Damn bastards,’ Baek Cheon cursed. Now they were even correcting the words he said aloud. ‘Aloud? Out loud? What’s the difference?’
“Fine. If you think you can do better, Soso, then you write the story.”
“Gladly! Get ready for this!”
Inky black hair cascades down her back like a waterfall, shimmering in the moonlight. Her skin is smooth without any blemishes. The cherry red of her lips matches the color of her nails. She plucks off her many rings, one by one, depositing them into the ceramic seashell-shaped bowl on the counter.
“Soso...”
She disrobes, pulling loose the strings on her blouse, and pulling down the zipper on her skirt, letting both fall to the floor in a heap. Now with only her stockings on, she looked into the mirror, fingers trailing down the length of her face.
“Soso,” Yoon Jong tried again, louder. “Are you describing yourself?” He had to ask, because Soso was currently wearing a white blouse with a plaid skirt and black stockings. Her hands were decorated in rings and her lip gloss was tinged red.
“So? Who doesn’t like a self-insert story?”
She deflated at the six pairs of blank stares she received, ‘Ah, maybe not everyone.’
“Fine, then you try!” She threw her hands up.
“Me?” Yoon Jong pointed at himself. He had never written a story before. “I’ll go after Jo Geol does his turn.”
Jo Geol blinked and said, “Ok,” before whipping out his phone and starting to type something. They waited a solid minute for an exclamation. When none came, Baek Cheon got up and looked over his shoulder.
“What are you doing... Fuck! This guy’s using ChatGPT!”
“Jo Geol!”
“Come on, man.”
“Stupid...”
“What?! Why’s everyone going crazy?! Look, it wrote the thing for me!” He said, shoving his phone at them.
(*1)
The girl turned toward the mirror, her reflection hazy in the steam. The soft hum of water filled the air as she reached for the faucet, adjusting the temperature until the surface rippled with heat. The bathroom light flickered once, then steadied.
Outside, the wind brushed against the window, rattling the glass. She paused, head tilting, eyes narrowing toward the sound. Nothing. Just the whisper of night.
With a small sigh, she stepped into the tub. Warmth enveloped her, and for a moment, she let her eyes close, sinking into the comfort. The water lapped gently at her skin. Steam curled around her like a living thing.
Then—faintly—a second ripple disturbed the surface.
Her eyes opened. The air felt heavier now, thicker somehow, the candlelight bending strangely through the haze. She looked down. The water trembled as if something beneath it was breathing.
She swallowed, leaning forward slightly, a drop of water sliding from her chin into the bath.
Another ripple. Closer this time.
“Hello?” she whispered, voice barely carrying through the steam.
Only silence answered her. But when she reached for the edge of the tub, her fingers brushed something cold. Something that pulled back.
No one applauded.
“That was terrible,” Hye Yeon admitted. When even the tamest one in the group said that, you knew it was bad.
Tang Soso agreed wholeheartedly, spitting out, “No wonder all the movies nowadays suck ass. They all use this generic bullshit.”
Jo Geol shrank back into his seat at all the ridicule sent his way. He really didn’t understand why they were so mad. There was only one person who didn’t flame him.
“Did the girl really just get into the tub with stockings on...?” Chung Myung had the only recliner in the room all to himself. His feet were propped up by the built-in footrest and he laid back lazily with a bottle of wine and beef jerky piled up on his stomach. He chewed thoughtfully while bringing up a really good point.
“He’s right,” Tang Soso nodded. “Thanks to Jo Geol, now we have to go in an entirely new direction.”
“What direction were we even planning?”
“Well it doesn’t matter now! Yoon Jong, hurry up and get to the next part.”
Yoon Jong’s face dropped. Trying to come up with something on the spot was difficult. One could be the best story-teller in the world, but when spit ballin’ with friends, it was an entirely new experience. He thought about taking a more studious approach, one layered with concise, character-driven exploits, grounded in reality as opposed to the AI’s atmospheric approach.
“Um, do you mind if I change some things?”
Baek Cheon nodded with a smile, “Of course. Jo Geol’s didn’t count.”
“Huuhhh?!”
Yoon Jong breathed a sigh of relief. “To re-establish the setting: a girl, who looks suspiciously like Soso, is in the bathroom at night, the lights are off and only the candles are lighting up the room. The tub is full of hot water, correct?” At the nods he received, Yoon Jong replied, “Then, going back to where Soso left off...”
There was a creak outside the bathroom door. The girl ignored it at first, taking off her gold-studded earrings and bra. But then it happened again and again. The floorboards groaned under the weight of someone’s feet.
The girl froze.
‘No, that can’t be right,’ she thought. She was alone in her apartment. No one else should be there.
The creaking stopped. She could hear heavy breathing right behind the door.
“Yong Jong... this isn’t heading where I think it is, is it? This is a character based on Soso, you know?”
“Of course I know that!” Yoon Jong jumped up from the floor, moving to point at something on the screen of the laptop. “But the prompts you gave us said ‘foot fetish kink’ and ‘hot tub sex’!”
“That doesn’t mean you- you do those things to Soso!”
“I wasn’t doing anything to Soso! That’s why I wanted to start over!”
“Anyone else realize Baek Cheon left out the hyphen in the word hot-tub?”
“Shut up, Jo Geol.”
“Really not important right now, Jo Geol...”
“It doesn’t need a hyphen.”
Once again, the poor boy sank to the ground. Why was everyone so mean to him?
Tang Soso stepped in at that moment, “I don’t mind. It’s just a made-up character. Just make the intruder hot or something.”
Baek Cheon looked at her, uncertain. “You really don’t mind?”
“We have to submit the story by midnight and it’s already ten o’clock. Let’s just get this over with.”
Yes, the night was already upon them. Though it was Baek Cheon’s idea to submit a story to a03 by midnight tonight, no one believed they could write anything substantial in only a few hours. The fact that they had anything written down at all was a feat in itself.
Tang Soso’s eyes surveyed the room, “Who wants to go next?” Hye Yeon, Yu Iseol, and Chung Myung were the only ones who hadn’t gone. Jo Geol too, technically. But her green eyes landed on one, practically hidden behind the laptop on the coffee table. “I think I want to hear what Hye Yeon comes up with.”
“A-ah,” Hye Yeon stuttered.
Tang Soso turned the laptop so it was facing him. “Go ahead.” Then in a darker tone, “They better be hot.”
“I- I, yes...” he folded, reaching out to type up whatever came to mind.
The door flung open and the most beautiful man Soso had ever seen walked in.
“Describe him.”
Um. He wore a suit? And a Rolex.
“Not like that! Who cares what he’s wearing if he’s just going to take it all off when we fuck!”
“Soso!”
“What? It’s me, I can say what I want to!”
He was tall and thin with prominent muscles. His skin sparkled in the moonlight...
“Who is he? Edward Cullen?”
“Doesn’t he only glow in the sunlight?”
“Who cares? Keep going.”
He picked Soso up and placed her gently on the side of the tub. Then he knelt down and took her hand, kissing her knuckles, looking at her in reverence. After being given consent, he carefully rolled down her stockings, making sure to
“No, no! You were doing so well. Why did you have to mention consent? That ruins a story.” Tang Soso sighed.
“Oh...”
Baek Cheon patted Hye Yeon on the shoulder. “Keep it in. I don’t want this getting flagged.”
“Who’s gonna flag this? I’ve read worse. Some idiot wrote a fic called Breeding. Now that was some fucked up shit.”
“Can someone else go now?” Hye Yeon asked, looking like he wanted to run away and hide.
“Sure. Who’s next?”
Unexpectedly, Yu Iseol walked over, sitting down in front of the laptop without a word.
avoid snagging the delicate fabric.
The man didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. His eyes glowed red, hypnotizing her into acceptance. Two sharp fangs extended past his lips as he smiled.
Outside, the wind blew restlessly, ruffling the trees. There was going to be a storm tonight.
The man before her slid his hands under one of her calves, bringing the foot to his nose and inhaling deeply. The scent made his eyes darken.
He exhaled slowly, the warmth of his breath ghosting over her skin, making her tremble. She bit her lip as his thumb traced idle circles along her heel, then down to the sensitive skin at the bottom of her sole. Her toes curled at the ticklish sensation.
“Wow. You should be an author.” Tang Soso voiced, reading over her. “I was really getting into that.”
“You did really well, Iseol-ah,” Baek Cheon said nicely before narrowing his eyes in one direction. “Your turn.”
The wine bottle sloshed as Chung Myung popped it out of his mouth. “Huh? What turn?”
Baek Cheon groaned, “Haven’t you been paying attention at all?” He picked up the laptop and deposited it on Chung Myung’s lap.
“Hey! My jerky!”
“Just write a line or two. I’m sure whatever you say is better than whatever Jo Geol can come up with.”
“No, why am I catching strays!”
Chung Myung took a moment to read the last paragraph by Yu Iseol. “So we’re talking about a vampire who likes feet now? Fine.” He put down the wine and cracked his fingers.
Tang Bo jumped into the tub with a rubber duck. “Come here girl.”
“NOOO!” Tang Soso screamed.
“What? He likes feet?”
Tang Soso nearly fainted, “HE’S MY COUSIN!”
“You wanted a horror story.”
“Not that kind of horror!”
They never did manage to submit the fanfic before midnight struck. The rest of the night was spent cussing each other out, fists flying about as popcorn and candy went scattering across the floor. No one was safe from Tang Soso’s rage, making this their most terrifying Halloween yet.