Chapter Text
PROLOGUE:
APRIL OF 2026.
Mark opened his phone. Yuta was awake, he knew he would be. Quickly, Mark shot him a text
Prolly won’t answer texts for a while, I’m going to the river. Mark sent, then added 'Go to bed, lol, you said you have a doctor’s appointment tmrw'. He set his phone on the end table, and grabbed his keys.
Mark didn’t bother putting his hood up, his friends never did when it was raining while they’d walk home together, even if it was pounding with a downpour, even if it was just a light drizzle. Mark smiled fondly as he walked, remembering the hours of his life he had spent at the river with Taeyong, Johnny and Yuta.
One time, Mark had tried to teach his friends how to skip stones, but the current was too strong, and everyone failed, and ended up just tossing rocks into water, instead of skipping them.
Mark snickered softly to himself. The river was anything but calm, even the best stone for skipping would fail after a bit… Well, maybe not…
Maybe he could clear his mind. Skipping stones, like when he skipped stones in the calm pond after school, with Haechan, when they were in their last few years of primary school.
Slowly, Mark descended onto the edge of the rocks below him. He glanced at the river below him, searching for stones to skip.
In the blink of an eye, a protruding bump of the stones caught him off guard, and swept him off his feet in less than a second.
Mark plunged into the raging current below him. It felt like Mark had been thrown into the arctic, without a coat. He gasped, the freezing water filled his lungs. He struggled, gagging, coughing, gasping for air,
But… it wasn’t enough.
When Mark, to his shock, opened his eyes, he was in a forest, one all too familiar. This was Yuta’s hometown, he’d seen it in countless photos.
His head spun, all he could think was What is going on?
A twig snapped in the near-distance. Mark flinched. The crickets, and rustling of other animals ceased their noises; Enveloping the forest in a silence that WOULD’ve left Mark’s heart pounding, if it was still beating. He pinched himself, wondering if the river and this forest was some sort of weird dream. His skin was ice-cold to the touch, even if the pinch hurt like hell.
He heard heavy huffs, and rapid footsteps approach. He froze, as a figure that illuminated light(wearing a cloak) came into the view.
“Mark!” It yelled, desperation in its voice(s), Mark froze. It kinda sounded like Haechan… but, at the same time, it sounded like his mother, like Taeyong, like Johnny, like Doyoung, like Yuta…
“What the hell?!” Mark gasped, backing up into the tall trees that surrounded him on every side. “What’s happening?!”
“You’re here…!” The creature murmured under its breath, with a stupidly hopeful smile on its face.
“Where am I?! How am I alive? AM I even alive?!”
“You died, Mark.”
It fell silent. Neither of the two said a word.
“Take my hand! Take it!” The creature insisted.
Mark took a deep breath, and aligned his hand with the creature. Its hands were warm, so warm that it was uncanny. Its hands weren’t hot, just warm… extremely warm.
For Mark, the world faded away.
Mark Lee was gone.
He was gone forever.
………
SONG: Pearl Diver-Mitski
It was 3:00 AM, in the dead of June. Yuta idly doomscrolled. He was SUPPOSED to be hanging out with Mark, but Mark was curled into Yuta’s side, asleep. Yuta sighed, of course, Mark fell asleep…
Yuta frowned, and glanced downward. Mark never fell asleep on his left side. It was a stupid detail that Yuta remembered from a conversation they had late at night a few years ago, but he remembered anyway. Yuta sighed, people change, he probably just grew a tolerance to that position.
It couldn’t help but feel wrong. Maybe it was the fact that Yuta’s family had no idea that Mark was here, and would probably flip out if they found out Yuta was hanging out with Mark late at night… but, recently, everything felt wrong in a way that he couldn’t really explain. It was kinda like a sinking feeling of dread was constantly on his shoulders, like a parasite, or something. Not to mention, Mark had been a bit off, too.
Everywhere Yuta went, his body was always tense, bracing for some sort of unknown impact. His eyes would always dart around. Obsessively, he needed to glance over his shoulders every few seconds.
5 years ago, when Yuta was 12 years old, he and his family moved from a rural mountain village, to a suburban city, far, far away. Yuta never found out why. Well, his parents told him it was a job offer, but that was total BS. He could see how his parents always looked a tiny bit disgusted, every time the village was mentioned.
In the village, there were always tales of spirits possessing people. Vengeful, evil, vile, villainous spirits. Disgusting spirits. They’d take good people, and turn them bad. So, the village folk were never allowed on the mountain, without a sacred protection spell from the temple. It’s not like anyone under the age of 50, or anyone without kids, actually believed the tales though. It was obviously just that the mountain was dangerous— cold, and short on oxygen… Why WOULDN’T people want their loved ones to not go there?
But that’s stupid. How could spirits exist? It’s… unnatural.
He glanced down at Mark. Why was Mark so different?!
He couldn’t have been possessed by a spirit…
Yuta hung his head back. He remembered a story of a similar kind the elders would tell them, but with spirits and rivers. Right before Mark had started acting weird, he went to the river. He never told Yuta why…
Yuta scrolled through the messages on his phone between him and Mark. 2 months ago, at 1:00 AM, Mark had texted him, and said he was going to the river. Yuta never found out why, Mark always changed the subject.
The river was dangerous— strong currents, deep water. Someone could drown easily. It was raining the night that Mark went to the river… A sick, impossible thought ran through Yuta’s mind, and bile rose through his throat.
No, it was impossible… Spirits aren’t real. There had to be a logical explanation to this whole thing… there HAD to be…
Idly, Yuta ran his hand through Mark’s hair, for what felt like hours, as horrifying possibilities raced through his mind. He felt his breathing grow ragged, and his heart pounding against his chest. His hands shook.
Mark was alive. He was, he was right there.
Spirits aren’t real.
Rain thudded against the window, the wind howled against the house. Yuta brought his hands to Mark’s face. It was cold, and clammy. Yuta twitched his hands away. While he watched Mark’s chest rise and fall rhythmically, Yuta’s heart hammered in ways he’d never felt before.
His mouth felt dry. He clung to a stupid hope that there was still a logical explanation, as he held Mark’s ice-cold hands.
After maybe an hour, Mark stirred once, twice… His eyes fluttered open.
“You’re…not the real Mark…are you?” Yuta asked, his voice quivering as he spoke.
Mark frowned. “Yuta–?”
“What happened at the river, Mark?!”
Mark went silent, his concerned face hardened into something serious, grave.
“Mark…” Yuta exhaled shakily…
“I…” Mark’s voice faltered.
“Mark…!” Yuta repeated, grabbing his friend’s shoulders “You’re Mark, right?! Mark, please tell me there’s something we can chalk this up to…! Mark…” his grip lightened, his head hung down.
“I’m sorry, Yuta…” Mark whispered. “I don’t know why Mark went to the river…”
Yuta’s world suddenly flipped upside down.
No. No…
Yuta felt tears well in his eyes, heart sinking deep into his chest. Something within him shattered. He wanted to scream, to cry, to hit something… but, it was like a divine being was holding him in place, with an iron grip.
“Mark Lee is dead.” mark continued, avoiding eye contact, his voice wasn’t cold; mark’s voice is warm, emotional, human… just like Mark’s
“Mark…” Yuta sobbed quietly. “What… What are you?” Yuta asked, tilting Mark’s head, forcing him to meet Yuta’s tear-filled eyes.
“A spirit, I possessed Mark before he died…” mark confessed. “He slipped on rocks at the river… I don’t know why he went to the river…” his voice cracked. “I’m sorry, Yuta, I’m so sorry… Please, let me stay…”
Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god…Yuta put his head down. He couldn’t bear to see anything like Mark cry.
The thing right in front of him, it looked like Mark, sounded like Mark, acted like Mark, walked like Mark, spoke like Mark. It even opened bottles of water just like Mark would! But, it wasn’t Mark.
It would never be Mark.
“Yuta…There’s still so much left for me to learn… It’s my first time living— living as a human, and first time even having a real friend… I know I stole this body from the real Mark… but, I love hanging out with you, and everyone else I know… Please, keep this a secret… I don’t wanna find out how they react… But, please, let me stay. I don’t want to kill you… It’s nothing like those stories that your parents told you…” The creature weeped. “You believe me… right, Yuta?” his voice cracked.
“Mark…I–” Yuta’s voice faltered, as his vision blurred, and the room spun. His stomach churned, and his heart banged and rattled against his chest, like a feral animal in a cage.
He blacked out.
(Author’s note: Lol loser. Dw tho, unlike mark, Yuta comes back the exact same as he was…)
Yuta eventually opened his eyes to the light of the day pouring into his room… and to a deep, thudding in his head… god, what a loser… He weakly brought himself to his feet, and scanned the room for Mark… to no avail.
He groaned, and tossed on a hoodie. Yuta ran his hands through his messy hair… that also felt like grass, from the number of times that —surprisingly enough— his parents let him dye it.
He just needed to go outside for a bit. Maybe the fresh air would clear his mind… He sighed heavily, staring straight at the wall. How the hell are you supposed to cope with finding out some spirit possessed your best friend. He hoped it was some nightmare, and that he’d wake up soon enough. But Yuta still could feel and remember everything, dreams are meant to be forgotten after ten minutes, or something…
It probably took 3 or so minutes of standing on the top of the stairs, before Yuta even noticed that Ryo was downstairs, or that Ryo was looking at him with a concerned expression.
“Hey…? Are you gonna come down the stairs, or…?” Ryo asked, speaking like he was talking to a little kid who just said they wanted to be a killer, or something like that.
“Shut up…” Yuta mumbled, descending down the empty stairs, to grab a piece of fruit or something.
“Good morning to you too!” Ryo called from the living room. After a few seconds of silence, “Good morning?!” he repeated, louder.
“Jeez! Good morning! Now shut up, before mom and dad wake up!” Yuta yelled back, and that seemed to shut Ryo up.
Yuta walked back into the living room, with his half-eaten apple, and went for the door.
“Where’re you going?” Ryo leaned over.
“Why do you care?” Yuta crossed his arms(well, only one. He had to hold the apple with SOMETHING)
“So that all hell DOESN’T break loose when mom and dad notice that you’re gone.” Ryo rolled his eyes slightly.
“Just tell them I went to Doyoung’s house to help him with homework…” Yuta waved a hand dismissively.
“Are you actually?” Ryo perked up.
“No, I never actually tell you when I’m hanging out with Doyoung, because you always beg to come along.” Yuta answered bluntly.
“Oh, well, uhm… Have fun wherever you’re going!” Ryo gave a small smile.
“I won’t, thanks.” Yuta gave an obviously forced smile, then closed the door. (Author’s note: Holy edgelord omg)
…
Yuta internally cursed the entire world, when he got to the river, and saw none other but Mark. Reluctantly, Yuta sat down next to Mark.