delusionsanonymous

[delusionsanonymous]

in the fine print | bnd

intro.

An unexpected inheritance bestows this struggling city girl, finding herself in a dinky mountain town trying to unravel the supernatural mysteries of her new found life.

It was a strange series of events that led her to this moment. A letter addressed to the girl with a date to meet the executor of her late-grandmother's will at the city courthouse. She sat through meetings discussing the distribution of assets to her name, signing off on papers to confirm their official transfer of ownership, and shaking hands with the legal team once the job was said and done. The events themselves weren't necessarily out of the ordinary, people often leave things behind for their loved ones after passing. It was the person who made this whole exchange seem weird to the girl.

It wasn't like she'd never met her grandmother before, but she was too young then to remember the woman. Her parents never liked to discuss the subject. Her mother seemed uncomfortable anytime she was asked about her, often chalking it up to her 'eccentric' nature having drove them apart. Of course, Y/N chose to abstain from sharing that information with the executor. She didn't want to lose this opportunity at such a difficult time in her life. Her parents weren't the fondest her decisions as of recent either and the last thing she wanted was to drive them away too.

Currently, she found herself packed tightly into her small car with as many of her personal belongings as she could fit, turning off the main road of an unfamiliar town onto a dirt path toward her newly acquired home. It was cold and wet, a loose fog lacing between the dense surrounding forest in the area. She was meeting a local realtor to discuss the condition of the house, trying to decide on flipping and selling or keeping it for herself. In the meantime though, she was choosing to live under its roof with a work-from-home call center job to hold her over her stay.

"Y/N!" The girl pulled into the driveway and parked the car, the realtor kindly greeting her as she stepped out of the vehicle. "I’m so glad you could make it. I hope it wasn't too difficult to find the place?"

Y/N shook her head, "Not at all. A little dizzy from the mountainside drive, but the GPS managed to get me here in one piece."

The realtor chuckled "I'm glad. Please, let me show you the property."

The place was honestly quite pretty. It was a bit run down for sure, but certainly more than she'd ever imagined she would own herself. Dark wood exterior with covered parking and a wrap around patio. There was a large clearing around the side of the house that served as a usable yard among all the trees and brush of the surrounding forest. And a secondary guest house a little off to the side of the main, connected by a small bridge over a creek crossing near the back. The interior was even more impressive though. Warm and cozy, still decorated with all the original furniture and art that complimented each other. The rooms flooded with natural light, and the closets and storage spaces served so much utility.

“How are we feeling about the place?”

The realtor kindly led himself and the girl back out through the front. The tour having seemed successful enough, but there was still a few more things to cover about the home.

“It’s really impressive, honestly. I never expected it would be this nice.” A sigh of relief passed Y/N’s lips.

“It was your grandmother’s, right?” The girl nodded, noticing the realtor’s inquisitive stare. “Were you guys close? It’s quite the house to forget if you ask me.”

Realizing the situation, Y/N chuckled and brought her hand to the back of her neck a bit awkwardly. “I-It’s not like that. We didn’t come ‘round here much, normally she would travel to see us.” It was a lie. “I wasn’t super close to her but I know my mother misses her dearly.” Honestly, she wasn’t even sure why she was lying about their relationship at this point. It still felt wrong to accept the assets left to her in the will, having given nothing to deserve such kindness from this woman. But it was too good to pass on. “I think I’ve only been to this house once as a child, but I don’t remember it. Just what my parents tell me about that time.”

The realtor nodded, sympathy lacing his features. “Well, I’m sure this woman is happy to have you inherit her beautiful home. There’s a few more things I want to discuss about the house and the town if you don’t mind?” The girl nodded and the man smiled.

Apparently the market value of the house isn’t all that good. Not that she expected to hear anything different. Even from the drive in, the girl could tell this town wasn’t much of a picturesque tourist location. The population was decent enough, but anything more of value was at least a 30 minute commute to the neighboring city. The streets were confusing and the houses were odd and visually unappealing to the average person. It had everything she would need to survive though, and that was honestly good enough for the girl.

“Don’t hesitate to give me a call if you ever have a question about the house or the town.”

The realtor left his card behind and bid his farewells for the time being. Y/N unloaded her car and decided to hit the town, hungry from the long drive but not ready to settle in yet. She passed a restaurant and grocery store on the way in so it seemed as good a time as any to check them out. They looked a bit run down but nothing out of the ordinary, choosing to grab some coffee and a snack before shopping around.

‘NextDoor Cafe & Deli’ the sign was bold but a bit worn, a small bell signaling the girl’s entrance. The interior was a bit small and the decore somewhat outdated. There was an older couple seated at one side of the dining area and a woman tucked neatly in the corner with a book in hand over a basket of leftover fries. At the front, a boy around her own age stared straight at her with an unreadable expression.

“Hey.” He nodded curtly and offered a smirk, “Do you know what you want?”

A bit shy still, the girl shook her head. “I’m just looking.”

A small chuckle escaped the boy, “Me too.” Then he winked. The girl was, at best, unimpressed. At worst, disgusted.

“Leehan!”

A shout from the back seemed to echo through the room as another boy came racing towards his coworker with an annoyed expression. "I told you to come get me if any guests came by!" He palmed his forehead and turned to Y/N exasperated. "I'm so sorry if he said anything inappropriate. He's not supposed to be on register right now."

The pair glared at each other for a second before Leehan surrendered and turned on his heels to head back to where his coworker appeared from. "It's alright, really. A bit inappropriate is one way to put it." Y/N smiled, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.

The boy chuckled dryly, "Yeah."

There was an awkward silence that fell over the two, Y/N taking the chance to peer over the worker's name tag. "Riwoo, right?" The boy looked up a nodded with a smile. "I'm new to the area. You got any good recommendations?"

The subject change seemed to perk the boy up again, feeling relief there was no restraining order being filed. "I mean, I can recommend a couple of my favorite menu items. I'll even through in a newbies discount, if you want."

It was a generally nice exchange, Riwoo talking up the cafe while he crafted the girl's meal. He grew up in the area and had been working at this location since he was in high school, there wasn't many other places to work of course, but for what it was worth the job served what it needed to in his life. Y/N sat at a far table by the window while she finished off her meal, taking note of some of the other places the town offered within view of that street corner. The grocery store was in walking distance to the cafe so the rest of her errands wouldn't be too much longer.

There was a thrift store and antique shop posted near by, as well as some legal firms and other non-retail businesses, and a small candy store at the end of the street. Riwoo mentioned a bowling alley and dollar theater in the area he liked to frequent, but otherwise there wasn't much else to be offered by the town besides a single rustic park and some varying abandoned buildings. The girl's car wasn't in the best shape either so driving in and out of the area frequently was out of the question, leaving her to assure the cafe worker her appearance there will probably be regular occurrence for them in the near future.

The girl was racing against the clock after her meal though, rushing out of the cafe and down the street to the store. Businesses close early in towns this small, nothing open past 6 or 7 o’clock, and it was 10 minutes til close on the dot. She slid to a stop in front of the painted glass doors, still propped open, but an employee frozen out front ready to swing them shut. He stared her down with a raised brow, but noticing her apologetic expression, he sighed and gestured her inside. She only needed enough to get her through a couple days and then next time she’ll be sure to swing by in the morning to avoid another incident like this

“It’ll only be a minute, I promise.”

The worker only shrugged, “Take your time. Wave me down if you need any help.” Then he proceeded to close the entrance behind them to prevent any other people from trying to sneak a post close shopping spree.

Like everything else in the town so far, the store was small, navigating the aisles a breeze for now. She tracked down some bread and eggs, instant stove-top meals, and a bit of fresh produce. She filled a handheld basket and when she felt sufficient enough, she made her way back up to the front to meet the boy at the register.

He was young, again. Similar to the boys from the cafe. “Ready?” He asked. The girl nodded and set her basket up to be checked out. The silence in the air was loud, Y/N feeling bad for having waltzed in right at close.

“I really am sorry about this, again.”

The boy looked up and offered a smile. “Don’t worry about it. You look new to town anyway, it’s a simple mistake is all.” He finished ringing up the items and neatly packed them into bags. “Are you just visiting?”

“Uhm, no.” The girl dig around in her bag for her wallet, any extra change to even out the total. “I actually just drove in this morning. Inherited a family home in the area and wanted to give it a shot living here.”

The boy raised a brow, “That’s a pretty sweet setup, but the location is sucky. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”

Y/N chuckled a bit as she took her bags from the grocer, “I’ll remember that, stranger.”

A moment of silence passed between the pair, the boy seeming confused by the girl’s insinuation. “Oh!” It clicked. “Sorry, I forgot that part. It’s Taesan.” He awkwardly pulled at his name tag to emphasize his point. “I’m a full-timer at this store, so you won’t miss me here.”

“Sure thing!” Y/N smiled as she backed out of the front entrance. “Next time I’ll swing by a little earlier.”

And with that the girl was on her way. The day was catching up with her and she knew it was about time to hit the hay. However, a certain grocer was left in the dust with the name of the new town resident unknown.

The night was still a bit young but Y/N chose to clean up and ready herself to sleep. A mattress on the floor of her empty new room was all that was set up for the night. It was hard to get rest, feeling unsettled in the new space out in the middle of the small town mountain woods. But the tossing and turning would settle soon enough, gently falling into an empty dreamless sleep.

[delusionsanonymous]

ENHA's 8th Member | 1

ONE. Into the I-Land

Lucia gets invited to participate in a survival show to secure her debut after 2 years of training. However, the casting is not quite as she had anticipated. She definitely stands out among the crowd from the very beginning.

"Thanks for coming in today. We wanted to offer you an invite to a new project."

A girl sat on one side of a lengthy meeting table, a small collection of management across from her. She had made her way into this room a few times before, but it had never really been with so many people or so much mystique.

"It's a show we're running to secure the debut of a new group. We discussed many options and thought you'd be a great fit."

The girl peered over as if to eye some of the paperwork the man shifted around in front of him. "A new group? Is it a survival reality show? I'm just curious is all; still interested though, really."

"That's good to hear!" The man offered a sharp smile, "You'd be competing amongst several of your peers, including some of the male trainees we have here."

"We're running a co-ed concept?"

The manager before her remained tightlipped.

"Its only in consideration right now. We can't reveal any more than this at the moment."

The scene played back in the girl's head as she trekked down a dirt path towards the show's set, cameras moving along side her every which way while her opening partner chatted idly beside her.

Daniel Kim was a trainee she had met not too long after being offered the spot on the show. He was a nice kid who spoke fluent English, and when he found out about her addition to the show, he quickly offered to partner for the opening performance. They're performing a dance and vocal showcase of Zico's Boys and Girls, which Lucia found a bit cheesy, but Daniel was so excited about it she couldn't find it in her to say no.

"Are you nervous, Lu?" His voice brought her back to as the set became visible to the pair, "You've been kind of quiet since we arrived."

Lucia offered a curt scoff, "I'm shaking back here." The boy glanced over his shoulder to see the girl's curious gaze, sarcasm lacing every syllable the fell off her lips, as usual. "If I recall correctly, you were the one about to throw up all over the parking lot not too long ago."

Her teasing earned her a playful punch to the shoulder, Daniel scrunching his nose in embarrassment. The pair were equally nervous as they approached the obnoxiously large entryway, and even more so as the other contestants slowly came into view, eyes needing time to adjust to the lighting change inside.

In fact, this was the moment Lucia's nerves reached a peak. Sat before the two were several other contestants, all boys, that stared back at her with confusion written all over their faces. They leaned around and whispered to each other as Daniel found the two a spot to sit.

"If this is a co-ed show, the ratio seems a bit off." Daniel leaned over, whispering into the girl's ear. "The rest of the girls must be arriving later, right?"

But that later never came.

Lucia waited as each contestant after her stepped out onto the moving stage piece, but not a single other girl found their way through the building's entrance. The presentation screen displayed her name bright and clear among the others, and as announcements began, she quickly realized this was the final line-up for the show as of now.

It didn't really make sense to her as to why. The feeling was akin to walking into the wrong class at the beginning of a school year, sat among her male peers as a very obvious sore in the future group line-up. However, Lucia bit her tongue and reminded herself: she's here for the same reason everyone else is. It doesn't matter what idea the producers and managers had in selecting her for the show, she was here right now for a chance to debut at the end of all this. That was it.

She watched others perform and judged according to the rules. It was a stressful experience for everyone, having to fight for your turn and then rely on your direct competitors to vote your outcome. The second a chance opened, Lucia grabbed her partner's hand and marched towards the stage. The other boys that hesitated to get up sat right back down as she moved forward.

Daniel had chosen Boys and Girls for its bright and playful melody. The two came up with a choreography around the original, altered the lyrics to suit the pair better, and added witty adlib to top it all off. It was a performance that impressed, especially the judges that evaluated from elsewhere, and lightened the heavier mood.

Lucia had a charm to her that couldn't really be explained by people. It wasn't hard for the guys to vote her up to I-Land, finding her witty dynamics on stage to be quite captivating. Luckily, Daniel safely made it alongside her. leaving the two up to voting for the rest of the performances.

They chatted and bantered as they observed the last few groups, growing nervous for the results each time, raising and lowering their hands as hesitantly as everyone else. In the end, more people made it into I-Land than spots available for the contestants. This left an uncertainty as to what was to come, but everyone made their way to their respective areas regardless.

. . .

'Alright, its awkward now.' Lucia was already a bit withdrawn as a person, but being in a new place surrounded by rowdy boys, all running from room to room ogling at the bland decor, she found herself lagging behind on her own to check things out. Even Daniel had been swept away from her in all the excitement of making it through.

She would stay behind a few minutes until the boys disappeared around the next corner before she made her way into whatever room they were shouting from, trying to figure out what was so riveting. By the time she made her way back to the rest of the group, they were called to the lobby for a new announcement. Something about I-Land being over limit and needing to vote each other out.

The girl honestly wasn’t paying too much attention. Eyes shifting around the room nervously as her fingers twisted around each other in her lap. It wasn’t long before her gaze locked with someone else’s, a gentle smile instantly lighting up their features as they sent a wave Lucia’s way. She raised a brow and checked behind her before hesitantly waving back, still not sure if she was the target of his inviting gesture.

The boy laughed a bit and shuffled around until he made it to her side. “You okay over here?” Lucia gave a small nod, “I’m Sunoo! I loved your performance today, it was a really fresh take on that song.”

“Oh? Thanks!” The girl relaxed a bit in Sunoo’s presence, noticing another boy peaking around him. “I’m Lucia, or Lucy if that’s easier. I loved your crown cover. ~ It suited you guys really well.” She tilted her head to lock eyes with the boy who tagged alongside Sunoo.

He blinked back a bit of surprise, awkwardly stepping out with a sheepish smile. “It’s Jake. We just thought we’d come introduce ourselves.” Him and Sunoo shared a glance, “You just seem a little…”

Before Jake could finish his thought someone came running up to the trio. “Lu!” The girl glanced back over to Daniel who seemed to finally make his way back to her. “2 hours to decided on our votes. Isn’t that crazy?! I don’t know if I can decide that soon.”

The girl seemed a bit confused, brows furrowed slightly. “Were you even paying attention?” The boy continued, not surprised by Lucia. “We’re voting out eight people in 2 hours time. I’m worried! How are we supposed to decide? I don’t want to leave a poor impression. I don’t want to leave either of us behind!”

“Woah!” Lucia held out her hands, stopping the boy’s rambles. “Relax. ~ There’s no need for all this. We’ll just, uhm..” The girl glanced around, “We’ll be alright, yeah! Don’t think about it too much.” She looked back to Sunoo and Jake for reassurance, who held thumbs up in her direction with a nod. “Let’s just get to know some of the other contestants,. No harm in making some friends right about now.”

The next while was spent at least trying to do just that. Lucia found it difficult to approach anyone, and it seems outside of Sunoo and Jake, the others felt about the same towards her. Daniel was right about 2 hours not being enough time.

She got a couple waves and hellos here and there; and caught a couple stares as she passed by. Some she could feel lingering on her back, but couldn’t figure out where they were from. Most of the boys were pleasant enough, at least the ones that talked to her. But it did seem mostly like they wanted to ask a particular question.

Heeseung was someone the girl recognized as a Hybe trainee for a while, having seen him in passing several times over her last two years in training. The boy turned on his heels suddenly, almost crashing into Lucia as she tried desperately to seem less like she was staring him down just a moment ago.

“Uh-“ She took a step back, “H-Hey, you.”

He chuckled a bit at the awkward greeting. Heeseung was familiar with the girl as well, she was somewhat mysterious to him as a trainee, having never really had the chance to talk before. “Hey!” He offered a reassuring smile, “It’s nice to see a familiar face here. Too bad we couldn’t have met sooner.”

Lucia was thankful she ran into the boy. For the next while she chatted with him about the mundane of everything. About the show, about training, about… well, not much else since not too long into their conversation the announcements sounded over the speakers once more: it was time to start voting.

“Ah, already?” The girl swallowed the lump in her throat.

Heeseung also seemed a bit unnerved now. “Too bad, I guess.” He brought his hand to the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. “I’ll see you around?”

Lucia nodded with a tightlipped smile plastered on her features.

The voting took a little while but when it was up, tensions were higher than they had been earlier. The unknown of being voted off scared the contestants. Lucia tried to look past her nerves, but she wanted to debut too. This opportunity was not one she would so easily just let slip through her fingers. This was the chance she had been waiting for, as strange of a situation as it was.

But luck had other things planned.

8 votes. Lucia had 8 votes under her name that was displayed on the screen as the third person to get voted out. She was only shocked after having had so many positive votes during their earlier performance. Was it just out of convenience that she was voted? A pit formed at the bottom of her stomach, but she remained neutral as she listened on.

Daniel and Sunoo seemed to find themselves right beside the girl, equally as shocking of votes for the pair as for Lucia. It seemed this competition might be a bit more hostile than initially anticipated. Certainly something to keep in mind moving forward among everyone.

Teary goodbyes were left in some contestant’s wake. Lucia spent her time leaving the I-Land building trying to comfort Daniel. She rubbed his back and held his arm as they crossed the field towards a second building on set. The staff called it the ‘Ground,’ a second practice space for contestants who didn’t make it into I-Land. A second chance of sorts for the first part of the show.

Reuniting with the other grounders seemed to clear up any confusion left on what kind of show this was going to be. Much more convoluted than initially introduced, and much more uncertain than initially predicted.

‘Here we go… again, I guess.’ This was certain to be a one-of-a-kind experience.