Chapter 9: The Mirror That Refused to Reflect
678 Words
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The Unseen Reflection
The bathroom mirror was still empty, cold, as if it refused to show Jisoo to herself.
No reflection. Only steam and the faint sound of knocking that was starting to fade.
Jisoo stood frozen, unsure whether to step back or move forward.
“Is this a dream?” she thought.
But the cold air prickling the skin on her neck felt far too real to be a dream.
Suddenly—a voice from behind.
“You’re starting to see it too?”
Jisoo turned quickly.
Jennie stood in the kitchen doorway, wearing black pajamas, her hair still damp. Her expression was far too calm for someone talking about a mirror with no reflection.
Jisoo didn’t reply.
Jennie stepped inside without waiting for permission. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at it.
“I used to think I was crazy,” she said softly. “But the craziest thing… is when we pretend we don’t see anything at all.”
The mirror stayed dark. Still refused to reflect.
Jennie turned to Jisoo. “How many times have you dreamed of another version of yourself?”
Jisoo swallowed. “Too many.”
Jennie nodded. “Then she’s going to come out soon.”
“She?”
Jennie gave a bitter smile.
“The part of you you’ve buried all this time. The part that cried inside when you stayed silent. The one that screamed when you smiled a fake smile. The one who wanted to escape, but you locked her away.”
A sound from outside made them both fall silent.
Footsteps. Heavy. Slow. Drawing closer.
Not just anyone’s footsteps.
It was… Jungkook’s.
Jisoo ran to the living room and peeked through the curtain.
The door to Room 309 was now… wide open.
And Jungkook stood in front of it. Motionless. His face pale. His eyes… hollow, like the sky before a storm.
He looked in Jisoo’s direction. Their eyes met.
And this time, something was different.
He looked more fragile. But also… darker.
The Broken Pieces
A few minutes later, Jisoo stood in front of Jungkook’s room. She couldn’t hold herself back.
“Why did you come back?” she whispered.
Jungkook stood in the center of the room. No lights. Only the glow of moonlight through the curtains.
He didn’t respond.
Until finally, with a low, heavy voice:
“Because you’re about to break, Jisoo. And I’m the only one who knows how to hold the pieces.”
Jisoo fell silent.
Tears slid down her cheeks without her noticing.
“I don’t care who you are,” she whispered. “I just… don’t want to be alone.”
Jungkook stepped closer. He touched her cheek—cold like early morning dew.
“If you want to know who I am…” he said softly,
“…you have to know who you really are first.”
The Nightmare's Truth
That night, Jisoo dreamed again.
But this time, it wasn’t about endless hallways, or mirrors, or whispers behind the walls.
This time, she stood in the middle of the apartment—all doors open.
Lisa stood calmly with a small knife in her hand.
Taehyung was in the hallway, holding a painting of faceless faces.
Jennie sat on a swing hanging from the ceiling, tying red threads from one finger to another.
And Namjoon…
Namjoon was writing on the walls with blood.
“We are all parts of the same broken body.”
When Jisoo looked down—her feet were sinking into black shadows spreading from Room 309.
And from that door…
Someone emerged.
Herself.
But with dark eyes. A cold smile. And a scar on her face that she never had before.
A version of herself that had always hidden behind her calmness.
The Waking Horror
Jisoo woke up screaming.
But the most terrifying thing wasn’t the dream…
Her hands were stained with black ink.
And on her bedroom floor—scrawled in writing she didn’t remember making:
“Open the door. Stop lying to yourself.”
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To be continued...
- Writer
