The Next Life (?? ?? ???)

"So nothing showed up in your videos either?" Seulgi asked Wendy, looking over at her phone.

"Nothing." Wendy's face scrunched in confusion. "I thought for sure we'd see something. I mean, the place felt off the whole time."

"That's what you said about the warehouse we checked out six months ago," Joohyun said.

The members of Red Velvet were in our living room, which had become their base of operations overnight, discussing their findings from last night's investigation. Apparently, they hadn't seen anything the whole hour and a half they were there. If only the same could be said for me...

The ghosts inhabiting Blackpink Mansion... I became lost in my thoughts about what had happened in there. About what they'd said. What did they want me to do? Did they expect me to be able to find their king with my ability, just like that? Where would I even start? I'd spent my life trying to avoid interacting with ghosts, and now I was tasked with actively seeking out a specific one. They hadn't given me that much information on him, but from the looks of it, this wouldn't just be a regular, recently deceased ghost. If those four, thousand-year old ghosts possessed powers I'd never seen in any other ghosts, who knew what the king would be capable of? It was either face the ancient evil monarch, or risk my best friend losing her mind or straight up dying.

I looked up at Wendy, sandwiched between Seulgi and I on the couch, still fiddling with her phone, trying to will some evidence of paranormal activity into existence in her videos. Whenever she put her mind to something, it would take a lot to deter her. That included being there for me all these years. With the allowance she got from her scholarship, she could've been living a much fuller life, free of having me as a housemate. I'd been a burden to her since returning to Seoul. I couldn't just forsake her for my own benefit after that.

And how was I supposed to make sense of that feeling I'd gotten when I laid eyes on the leader? It felt as though I knew her, but how? I would've remembered if I'd met such a condescending entity in the past. Maybe in a past life? Did those even exist? It wasn't like I'd spoken to any ghosts to learn about reincarnation or anything of the sort.

"Anyway, do you guys think we should look for another location?" Joohyun asked the group. "I mean, we all have the weekend free, I believe."

"Actually," Seulgi replied, "I managed to scout a poltergeist haunting yesterday. I thought we could go check it out after the mansion, but seeing how last night's investigation turned out..."

Wait, that gives me an idea, I thought.

"Don't be too surprised." Joohyun started pacing around the living room. "It's not like any of our other investigations were a success."

"I know, but this time was different," Seulgi replied.

"Why, because we had Y/N?" I tensed up at the jab. "All he did was give us false hope by lying about being able to see ghosts, then disappearing for an hour. Maybe that's why he said only one investigation."

"Take me with you on the next one, then."

The leader's pacing drew to a halt. "What?"

"I'll tag along for the next investigation, too. Give me another chance to prove myself."

Joohyun regarded me with squinted eyes. "How do we know you're not gonna disappear again?"

"Give him a chance, unnie," Wendy chimed up. "I've known him for years, and I believe he isn't lying."

"And I'm expected to believe he just lost consciousness for an hour? Disappearing before reappearing in a random room in the mansion?"

To be fair, it was a lie.