limerence ? han dongmin

chapter vi

The bottle sat on his shelf. Fancy. Black. Heavy. She sprayed the air, then herself, then the inside of her sleeves. One spritz. Two. Three. She was possessed.

She stayed like that a little too long—frozen in her emotional crisis—until she heard the bathroom door creak open.

Her soul left her body.

"Shitshitshit—he's home?!"

Footsteps padded across the hallway.

Panicking, Minji ducked behind the bed, clutching the bottle like it was a relic. She peeked out just in time to see Taesan walk into the room, towel around his waist, drying his hair.

He looked... well, like he always did. Annoyingly handsome. Calm. Shirtless.

She held her breath.

Taesan crossed to the mirror, picked up another cologne bottle—and paused.

Minji's heart stopped.

He looked around.

She slowly crawled back toward the window, heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it. Somehow, she managed to sneak out the same way she came in—nearly tripping on her landing.

Once she was a safe distance down the street, she exhaled.

"Okay," she whispered to herself. "Never again. I'm never doing that again."

(Spoiler: She absolutely will.)

Back at school, Minji sat in class still wearing the scent like a sick, twisted souvenir. She sniffed her sleeve and leaned back in her seat.

Asha gave her a weird look. "Why do you smell like a rich boy?"

No reason."

(Meanwhile, Taesan walked into the building, totally unaware he'd been robbed of his fragrance by the girl who was once him.)

🍒

Taesan sat with his usual crew under the shade of the courtyard tree, still mildly unsettled.

"I'm telling you," he said, biting into his sandwich, "I felt something in my room this morning."

Leehan raised a brow. "Like what? A ghost?"

"No," Taesan muttered, annoyed at how serious it sounded coming out of his own mouth. "Just... a presence. Like someone was there. Watching me."

Woonhak, half-asleep, blinked. "Maybe it was your guilt haunting you for being born hot."

Everyone groaned.

Jaehyun, though, sat up straighter. "Wait. Wait-wait-wait. You felt something in your room? That's not nothing, dude. Energy like that? Bad sign."

Riwoo sipped his juice box without emotion. "Maybe it was just your mom."

"She's in Jeju this week," Taesan replied flatly.

Jaehyun clapped his hands together like he'd been waiting for this.

"Okay, listen. I'm coming over tonight. I'll bring incense, salt, a sage spray, maybe a bell. We'll manifest good energy and kick out whatever spirit's stalking your hot ass."

Sungho leaned back, smirking. "You're acting like he got possessed."

Jaehyun pointed dramatically. "You joke now, but when his eyes go all black and he starts speaking Latin, don't call me."