《Whatever It Takes | Rosekook ✓》31: knock

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"Why are we running?" Roseanne asked, huffing for air as she and Jungkook made their way to his car.

"That's what you do when a bad guy chases you!"

"I thought we weren't sure if he was a bad guy?" Roseanne was buckling her safety belt as she looked back at the pharmacy's exit. "He didn't even follow us."

"Let's go home. I'll stop at a different store. We'll pick up what you need. Did you get him on camera?"

"Yes, I got him on my phone. Crap!" Roseanne leaned forward and groaned, her face in her hands. "My camera and my ghost-hunting equipment is still in my apartment."

"Should we stop to go pick it up?"

"Can we? The fire department said it wasn't safe to go in."

Jungkook shrugged. "We're just going to grab what we need and run out."

"Isn't it also a crime scene since Yuju was stabbed there?"

"I guess we'll find out. We could order new equipment but-"

"I can't afford new stuff. Not all of us are from rich families and make millions like you."

"I love how you assume I make millions of dollars," Jungkook said.

Roseanne turned to him. "I'm right, though, aren't I?"

He smirked and pressed on the gas. When they arrived back at Roseanne's complex, it was quiet. Yellow strips of cautionary tape were posted across her door.

"There aren't any cameras so we could just sneak in and out. I'll go in while you be the lookout," Roseanne whispered.

Jungkook pulled out his phone and began recording her.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Rosie, when are you going to learn? You're a YouTuber. If you want to make this your livelihood, you need to start posting videos people want to see. The title of this could be Breaking into a Crime Scene."

"You're saying to record myself committing a crime?"

"I'm saying post what's going to get you views. Yes, your channel is all horror-related content but you also want to branch off away from that so you can grow your audience. That's why collabs are so important."

"If you say so. I'll listen to you since you're the one with the bigger back account but if I'm still not sure about posting a video of me breaking into an important."

"Stop being a baby. Let's just go," Jungkook ordered.

Roseanne held her breath as she made her way up the short stairway leading to her apartment. The metal steps squeaked beneath her so she quickened her pace. Jungkook stayed behind her as he filmed her looking back and forth. She turned around to face his iPhone.

"I'm not breaking in. I'm just making sure I grab my ghost-hunting equipment in case my landlord decides to come in and throw it out."

Jungkook didn't respond. Instead, he waited for her to push the door open to her apartment and pull down the caution tape.

"I hope I don't go to jail for this," Roseanne muttered.

"You'll be fine. Stop being a sissy."

"I'm not a sissy," she flipped the lights on.

The carpeted floor was soaked from the fire extinguisher putting out the fire. Drops of blood stained the carpet. Her door and the walls surrounding her bedroom were blackened from the fire.

"Damn, this place is toast," Jungkook whispered. "Did they say how long it would take to fix?"

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Roseanne shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Jisub, our landlord, said we weren't coming back."

"Should I talk to my attorney again?"

Roseanne recalled the lawyer who helped her when she was being interrogated by the detectives. She shook her head. "No, I already owe you too much. Besides, it's probably a good thing Mark and I won't be living here anymore."

"You and Mark will keep living together?"

"I guess so. I don't really want to live by myself and he's my only real friend."

Jungkook made a scoffing noise that Roseanne chose to ignore. She spotted her black backpack on the sofa in the corner of the room. Hopefully, it hadn't gotten damaged or wet during the fire. She dashed forward and picked up her bag. It felt dry and she sent a prayer of thanks to the sky.

"Okay, I have it. We should go before someone realizes we snuck in. Or Jisub comes back. I think we need to let the cops know about Jisub. They should at least be looking into him, right?"

"Why would your landlord want to destroy your apartment and hurt your friend?"

"I don't know but it makes sense. He's creepy and is always spying on me and Mark. I swear he keeps tabs on us and who comes over. He was livid when the cops came over. He made it seem like it was my fault someone was trying to scare me."

"Yeah, he sounds like a real jerk."

They stopped at a local grocery store to pick up some items before heading to Jungkook's home. They drove up to the gated community and Roseanne sat in awe. A security guard greeted them before Jungkook drove up the long road to his mansion.

"Are you serious? This is where you live?"

"No, I just randomly took you to some other person's house," he said sarcastically. "Of course I live here. So does Eunwoo and Jaehyun."

"Do they know you're bringing me?"

"They'll know when they see you in the morning. You should start recording."

"Why?" Nervousness filled her as he waited for her to meet her at the top of the steps leading to the double doors of the mansion.

"If you're going to be part of our squad, you'll always need to have extra footage. We can always share it later if we need it. Your videos will focus on horror-related content so expect to share most of your extra footage."

"This is too weird," Roseanne whispered as she pulled out her iPhone and began recording. "That's right, people. Here I am at the Trinity's Mansion. Why did they need a mansion for three people? I couldn't tell you."

"I can," Jungkook offered as he waited for her to enter the foyer. "Too many fans were showing up at our old place. I had the money to buy this place and I didn't want to live alone so I invited the guys to stay here too."

"So it's really just the three of you?"

Jungkook chuckled under his breath. "Five of us now."

"Five? Who else lives here?"

Jungkook flipped on a light switch, illuminating a winding staircase and a large hall that led to a sunken living area. The walls were white and the furniture was in different shades of black and gray. It was all familiar to Roseanne from the videos the boys posted but seeing it in person was a bit surreal.

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"Do you want to know how I knew who you were?" Jungkook asked.

"Sure."

"This place is haunted."

Roseanne laughed. "Are you serious? Or are you making fun of me?"

"No, I'm dead serious. No one knows this but I bought this place at a major discount because it's haunted. I became fascinated with ghosts and the paranormal and we even hired a medium to come and sage the place."

"Did it work?" Roseanne asked.

Jungkook shook his head. "No, I think the ghost hid for a few months but then she came back with a vengeance. We noticed a knocking sound would travel around the house. Then we started finding pictures of stick figures and flowers."

"Is the ghost a child?"

"I think so. Jaehyun did some research and it turns out this house was owned by a couple whose daughter passed away in an accident on the staircase. We think it may be her."

"What was the girl's name?"

"Giselle."

A knocking sound from the wall beside them filled the room. Roseanne gasped and Jungkook smiled.

"See?" Jungkook whispered. "Every single time she hears her name; she makes herself known."

"Hi Giselle," Roseanne called out. "My name is Rosie. I'll be staying here for a few days. I hope you don't mind."

Two seperate knocks responded back.

"This is so cool," Roseanne whispered with a smile. She turned to see Jungkook watching her, a funny expression on his face. "What is it?"

He lightly shook his head. "Nothing. I think that's the first time I've seen you smile."

Roseanne frowned. She hadn't had much to smile about lately. "Do you mind if we make a video for Giselle's ghost? I mean, not now. I know we have to wait before you claim I'm part of your team or whatever."

"I don't mind. I think people are going to be surprised once we start doing consistent collabs with you. Once we figure out who killed Tzuyu, we can move forward."

"I know this is an incredible opportunity you're giving me."

"It is, but you need to focus on yourself more. You need more ambition if you expect to support yourself through YouTube."

Roseanne sighed. "Honestly, I used to be like that. A while after my haunted apartment video, things changed. I was so desperate to get views and make something of myself that I lost sight of being a good person. I don't want to go back to that but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tempting. Especially with so many people looking down on me all the time now."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to improve your life. You just need to find the right balance," Jungkook said.

"Yeah, you're right," Roseanne looked up at the ceiling and smiled again. "I still can't believe you have a ghost in your mansion. Like what are the odds?"

"I'm starting to believe odds mean nothing."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Jungkook said. "I'm starting to believe in fate."

"Really?"

"If we hadn't moved here, we wouldn't have met Giselle. I never believed in ghosts before and the guys were freaking out. As I said, we didn't know what to do so we turned to YouTube and found you."

"None of you even said you guys knew me when we first met," Roseanne reminded him.

Jungkook laughed. "That's true."

"So my invitation to your party wasn't a mistake?"

Jungkook shrugged. "Nah. You were invited."

"Then why were you such a jerk to me? You and Jaehyun acted like you guys didn't know who I was and called me a nobody."

"I admit; we went a little overboard but we didn't know how you were in real life. Jaehyun was convinced you would latch on and try to use us to increase your popularity."

"That's what I'm doing right now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'm giving you permission."

"Why?"

Jungkook looked away and scratched the back of his neck. "I should probably show you to your room. It's a guest room we don't use too much. Normally, when people come over we have them stay in a different room. So your room should be clean."

"That's fine," Roseanne said. "So, is Giselle pretty active?"

"Not anymore. I think she's bored of us. I have to say, it's refreshing to have someone who's used to ghosts being in the house. Most people freak out. Some of them believe us when we say it's the pipes but I can't tell you how many housekeepers we've had to replace."

"My dad used to tell me ghosts were friendly."

"That's not what the movies make it seem like," Jungkook said.

Roseanne laughed. "My dad used to say ghosts are friendly. Demons are not. If a ghost has ill intentions towards you, it's probably not a ghost but a demon."

"Do you miss your parents?"

"Every single day. I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if they were still alive."

They were in front of the guest room Roseanne would be staying in.

Jungkook gestures towards the door. "This is it. There's a connecting bathroom. You'll find extra sheets and towels in the bathroom closet."

After he left her and she was in bed, ready to sleep. Roseanne sent a text to Mark.

"I hope you and Yuju are doing okay. Let me know if you need anything."

She placed her phone on the nightstand beside the bed and sighed. "Giselle, are you there?"

Two knocks from the wall next to her were her response.

"Do you see other ghosts, Giselle?"

Two more knocks sounded.

"I wonder if you've ever met my parents. My dad used to love trying to talk to you guys. If you met him, you'd never forget him. He wore fashionable outfits and had this laugh — like it came from his gut. Everyone around him would start laughing too. He hunted ghosts because he thought one day he'd run into his parents and my mom. It's funny, right?"

One knock was her response.

"I'm just like him. I used to sneak out of my foster home and go to the houses everyone said were haunted. I thought maybe I'd catch my parents. As silly as it sounds, it makes me feel better-knowing there's something to look forward to after death. Living is so scary but for some reason, death is even scarier."

Two knocks replied back to her.

Tears began to roll down Roseanne's cheek. "I miss having someone who cares about me. I miss having a family. I miss my parents. I miss them, Giselle. So, do me a favor. If you ever see them, please tell them that. Tell them I miss them. Tell them I'm waiting to see them again."

Two knocks responded but Roseanne didn't hear them. She was too busy crying herself to sleep.

    people are reading<Whatever It Takes | Rosekook ✓>
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