Vanished

***************************Leo POV**********************
He was dreaming of that place again. It was dark and desolate, but it always came around with the feeling that he’d been here before. That this place was real. This time he could see Ravi. His friend was in front of a mirror banging on it and calling for him and y/n like they were right there. On the other side of a window. The mirror broke and Ravi landed in the sand. Leo heard another voice and suddenly he was moving and ravi was following him like some game of hide and seek. It didn’t take long until they were right in front of each other and then nothing. It was like a light was switched on and he was suddenly looking at the back of his eyelids.
“Taekwoon-ah. Wake up.” A sleep filled voice was filling his ears and a gentle pressure was on his shoulder that let him know that y/n’s hand was there.
“Mwo? Jagi-ah is everything okay?” he worried quietly opening his eyes to look around for the sweet face that was one of a kind and all hers. When he found it he relaxed almost immediately.
“Ne. Gwaenchana. You were having a nightmare. I wanted to let you sleep, but you were unhappy and I couldn’t leave you like that.” She smiled warily like there was something she was leaving out.
“That’s all it was? Are you sure you are okay? How is your arm?” He asked.
“It was bleeding again a little earlier but I changed the bandages. I’m okay. I promise. We have the corporate dinner tomorrow night don’t forget. Saranghae.” She brushed his hair out of his face then moved to stand up kissing him on the forehead.
“Y/n-ah. Are you sure you are ready for this? if you aren’t ready we don’t have to go through with the engagement. There may still be a chance to get Ravi back. I mean someone called me the other day that could have something.” He said grabbing onto her hand and sitting up in bed. She gave him a loving but defeated smile before she spoke.
“Leo, Ravi isn’t coming back, if there was a way I would have found it. You would have found it. We spent a year and a half of our lives turning over every dust filled page and stone we could get our hands on. I didn’t come to you because you were the next best thing to him. I came to you because you were the one person besides Ravi who has always been by my side. I don’t care what the papers say. There is not a doubt in my mind that I want this. I want us. I want you.” She kissed him hard on the lips then drew him into a hug. He thought he caught a glimpse of Ravi in the reflection in the bathroom mirror where he could see it through the door, but then it was gone. He felt guilt sink in his stomach once again. A few weeks ago he’d gotten a phone call from someone he’d contacted back when they were still looking. They said they may have found an old case file on a person who returned from a vanishing and he was supposed to meet with them tomorrow while Y/n was out with Jina and the others. Hongbin had even agreed to come along with him. Honestly he didn’t trust himself to make the right choice when it came to y/n. He loved her so damn much and the more time that she was with him the more he found to love. The more she really felt like his while Ravi was gone.
Leo’s mother was working in the design shop when she got the call. That man that she hadn’t spoken to since Leo was a child… since the accident was contacting them once again.
“Your son called me about a vanishing and I just called and agreed to meet with him tomorrow. Eoteokaji?” His voice hit her ears and the phone just dropped. After years of trying to put that past behind them it was coming full circle. The lies were catching up and Taekwoon was going to find out the truth. His sister hadn’t meant for the accident to happen but by the time anyone could have stopped it he was gone. The Jung family drove themselves crazy trying to get him back and even when they finally did their troubles still weren’t over. So they agreed to keep it quiet and it had stayed that way up until Wonsik died. Now they were all at risk.
The next day everyone met up at Vixx. It honestly had been forever since they’d done this. At least since that girl had brought it up a few weeks ago about Ravi. The Company dinner had been postponed a few times due to unforeseen business meetings and trips that Y/n’s father had to go on, but tonight was the night. Regardless of what Taekwoon and Hongbin found out today the engagement would be announced.
“Are you guys excited?” Jina asked you when the two of you sat down.
“Ne. I am. I mean it is a big step for Leo and I but it is a good move for our families and he makes me happy. That’s what’s important. After Ravi I didn’t think I would find that again.” Y/n said and smiled at him.
“I’m glad both of you did. I mean you lost someone you loved dearly and Leo lost his brother.” N said and laced his fingers in Jina’s hand.
“Mwo?” Leo looked up at the word brother. For a moment he thought he remembered something from when he was younger, but it passed.
“Ravi. You always called him your Dongsaeng. Even before you called the rest of us like this. Gwaenchana?” Ken asked looking a little concerned.
“Ne. I just thought I remembered something from before the accident with the pool when I was a kid but I lost it.” Leo said.
“Oh. Whatever it was if it’s important it’ll come back. So what is the plan for the day?” Ken replied brightly.
“Actually I figured you guys could take Y/n to the beach for me. Hongbin and I are going to handle some business related stuff then we will see you all at the Banquet.” Leo said not wanting to let y/n know what they were really up to. Hakyeon, Jaehwan and Hyuk looked at him skeptically, but they didn’t say anything about it. Jina just ignored it and talked about how the two of you could try dresses out if you didn’t already have one for the night.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you Taekwoon-ah?” You asked when he still looked bothered by whatever it was that he’d thought about earlier. You’d learned quickly to tell the difference of when he was being quiet to when he was rattled though it was harder for some people because he was always quiet.
Hongbin and Leo arrived right on time for the meeting with the investigator. Even though it had taken some arguing to keep you from insisting that you go with them. At first, Leo didn’t understand why they’d had to meet at a restaurant before going to the place where the files were located, but when the three of them got to the office building/research lab/apartment he could finally understand why. There were papers strewn everywhere with notes in every direction, open books that had been on their pages so long that they were covered in highlighter marks and the spines had broken and settled into an almost flat position, but the strangest thing was the mirrors. They were everywhere. There were wall mounted mirrors that ranged from the size of a medicine cabinet to the length of the room floor to ceiling. There were handheld mirrors of various shapes and sizes tucked on every shelf and hung on hooks where there was space for them.
“How does this not drive you insane?” Hongbin muttered not expecting to get an answer.
“Depends who you ask. Most people who don’t study the Vanishing already think I’m well past Michin.” The scientist said.
“What about the ones that do study the Vanishing?” Leo asked.
“They often ask if the mirrors actually work like I have stated in countless of my theses. Feel free to sit on the couch but mind the mirror behind it. People tend to get too close and things get interesting for me and unpleasant for them.” He replied stepping around a book and careful not to bump a standalone mirror.
“Do they?” Hongbin asked.
“Do they what?”
“Work like you’ve stated in your lectures.” Hongbin reiterated.
“Get any closer to that mirror and you may find out for yourself.” The scientist warned. Hongbin turned around to see what he was talking about and practically leapt off of the couch. Leo backed away from it holding his arms out like a shield though he wasn’t sure what that would do. The mirror showed a wraithlike woman who had a surprising resemblance to y/n if Leo really thought about it.
“What is that?” Hongbin finally managed to say when his voice got back to him.
“Y/n’s mother.” Leo said sadly when he finally understood.
“Mwo? Aniyo. She died. That’s not possible.”
“Leo is right she’s not dead, but you’re right also Hongbin it isn’t her. Not anymore at least. That’s what happens when someone isn’t saved from the otherworld before their time to die. It happens slowly. At first their hair changes. Then they start to go mad. And the worse their mental state gets the worse their appearance becomes until there is nothing left of their humanity.” The scientist said wearily.
“How long has she been?” Leo could barely contain the bile at the thought of it.
“Appearing in that mirror? Roughly ten years. Her husband came here a few times. At first he was alone. Then with a woman. Either he couldn’t see his wife in that mirror or he didn’t want to. Either way she has been deteriorating ever since. I tried to get her out myself but I don’t have a strong connection to her. Only her husband or a child would have. At any rate now she is agma and it is too late.” The man seemed genuinely sorry and for a second it looked like Y/n’s mother had understood them and was crying but then she got this deranged look on her face and it turned into laughter… if laughter was what you could really call the unholy noise coming out of the mirror. It was earsplittingly high pitched and there was not a single human quality left to it.
“Can you make her stop?” Leo asked with his hands firmly covering his ears.
“If you know a way that is possible be my guest.” The man hollered back and kept moving towards the file cabinet. He must have gotten used to that noise by now because unlike the younger men in the room he was going about his business like he couldn’t hear a thing. The sound eventually stopped and Hongbin gave a loud sigh of relief until he realized that something was different.
“Where did she go?”
“Nowhere. She is probably still standing in front of that mirror laughing like the madwoman she is. The connection to our world isn’t there anymore. She doesn’t have an attachment to any of the people in this room so she can’t keep the connection running. Ah here it is.” He said plucking a file out of the drawer then moving over to a stack of boxes until he found the one he was looking for and plucked that one out of the stack as well. The other boxes wobbled dangerously before settling back into their old position as he lifted the lid off and pulled out three separate videos.
“What is all that stuff?” Hongbin asked.
“Taekwoon and Daewon’s case file.”

“Daewon?” Leo and Hongbin asked confused.

Notes

okay I was going to make this one longer but the way it turned out it was just better to end it here. sorry it was so short. thanks for sticking with it.