Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

LietKor: Haunting

Yong Soo smirked as he followed after the realtor and the young man that she was guiding through the house. It was the fifth person this month, and he looked like a nervous wreck. It would be really fun to mess with him.

"And over here, we have the living room," the realtor said. "A nice place to entertain guests."

Yong Soo snickered, thinking about all the times when guests were not entertained, but they were surely entertaining to him.

"That's not really going to be an issue," the young man said. "I don't really have any friends."

Yong Soo pouted. He hoped that this person wouldn't be boring. As a ghost, he was permanently stuck in a state of boredom. Getting a rise out of the living was probably his only source of entertainment.

"Well, things might change," the realtor said. "Now, on to the kitchen."

Yong Soo focused on the lights, making them flicker for a while. The two humans stopped and stared at the ceiling.

"Um, there is a bit of a wiring issue," the realtor said. "Moving on."

Yong Soo snickered as he followed them into the kitchen. She had said it to the other people that came by as well, though they didn't think that a 'wiring issue' would make this a good house.

Perhaps he should wait a while with this one. There was a chance that he would buy this house, and then Yong Soo would have ample opportunities to toy with him. He didn't look very wealthy, and Yong Soo knew that the house was on sale for less than its value. It was all thanks to him, of course, but this young man seemed desperate, and wouldn't move out easily.

He would be an excellent plaything.

Yong Soo watched as the realtor showed the kitchen, and the young man seemed a lot more interested this time. He checked the oven, the taps and the stove, asking questions as he went. Yong Soo refrained from doing anything in the kitchen. If he wanted this man to move in and become his plaything, then he would have to avoid chasing him away from the room that he seemed most excited in. He wondered if this man was a good cook. He might not have been able to eat food, but he could still smell it, and he enjoyed the wonderful aroma of good cooking.

They went through the entire house, with Yong Soo refraining from any other pranks. The realtor seemed relieved at the lack of any other disturbances. Finally came the part that Yong Soo was most curious about.

"This is a nice house," the young man said. "And at such a low price… What's wrong with it? Other than the wiring."

Yong Soo smirked. Everyone always asked that question. They knew that there had to be a catch if they got this house at such a low price.

"Oh, well, you see…" the realtor stammered, losing her professional cool for a moment. "There have been… rumours."

"What kind of rumours?" the young man asked.

"Well… You see, there was a death here ten years ago. Suicide. And, I know it's ridiculous, but people seem to think that the ghost of that person is still here."

"So, you're saying this place is haunted?"

"No! Of course not! There's no such thing… I'm just letting you know about the house's reputation."

Yong Soo smirked. People weren't very likely to believe in a haunted house, and so they dismissed it. Unless there were any other pressing problems that the young man had with the house, he would most likely say…

"I'll take it."

Yong Soo chuckled. Soon, his time with his new plaything would begin.

…

The young man, whom Yong Soo quickly learned was called Toris, moved in within a week of buying the place. Yong Soo glanced at the few bags and boxes, and assumed that Toris was happy with the fact that the place was already furnished. He must not have lived in a proper place before.

Yong Soo watched him unpack, his curiosity momentarily overwhelming his desire for mischief. Most of what Toris unpacked were clothes, not that he had that many of them. A few trousers, about a dozen shirts, two pairs of shoes, enough underwear and socks… It was just that the other things were sparse. And Yong Soo hoped to see what he had in those boxes.

A lot of it was boring. There was one amusing coffee mug, some dishes… Yong Soo wondered where Toris had been staying before he came here. It didn't seem as though he had a lot of possessions.

However, when Toris tensed, that was when Yong Soo knew that something interesting was happening. He came closer to investigate, and saw Toris holding a photo frame. Toris was in it, along with someone who had his arm wrapped around him. Both wore smiles, but Yong Soo didn't think the smiles were happy. They were artificial. Masks. Before Yong Soo could identify what they were meant to hide, Toris removed the photo from the frame before he ripped it up into microscopic pieces. So, perhaps Toris recently had a bad breakup or something?

They were both distracted from their thoughts when the doorbell rang. Toris shook his head, before he went to answer it. A blond man stood on the other side.

"Hey," the blond greeted, stretching out the word as much as possible. "So, like, how is this place?"

"Feliks," Toris said, smiling. "You should have told me that you were coming."

"But, like, that ruins the whole point of this being a surprise."

Toris chuckled before he gestured for Feliks to enter. Feliks looked around the place.

"Like, this isn't bad," Feliks said. "And you got this for how much?"

"There are apartments that are more expensive than this place," Toris said. "Apparently, this is the local haunted house."

Feliks's face twisted.

"And, like, you bought it?" Feliks asked. "What is wrong with you?"

"Feliks, you should know that ghosts don't exist," Toris said, unaware of Yong Soo snorting a short distance away from him. "But, even if it is haunted, it's still better than what I had before."

Feliks's face darkened, while Yong Soo's interest was piqued. He wanted to know more. Asides from pranks, juicy pieces of gossip were his best sources of entertainment.

"Like, you're talking about that… that…" Feliks snarled. "Like, forget about him! And don't think that a haunted house is an improvement! What if, like, the ghosts murder you in your sleep?"

"I don't think that will happen," Toris chuckled. "But thanks for the concern."

Yong Soo smirked, before he made the lights flicker. Feliks jumped and yelped, and Yong Soo snickered. He hoped that Feliks would visit a lot. He looked fun to mess with. Toris, in the meantime, looked up at the ceiling with a frown.

"The realtor said that there's an issue with the wiring," Toris said. "I think I'll call the electrician to check."

"Like, that's just the excuse people give when there are ghosts!" Feliks exclaimed. "You shouldn't get an electrician. You should get an exorcist!"

Yong Soo rolled his eyes, an action which Toris mirrored. He'd dealt with those people before. They were seriously just a bunch of phonies that used people's fears to get some money.

"I don't think that's necessary," Toris said. "Anyway, why don't I get you some tea?"

…

Yong Soo smirked. Toris was getting ready to shower, and he had every intention to play with the hot and cold water. He wondered how far he could push Toris, though so far, what Yong Soo had done was really tame. He wanted to test out Toris's limits, and then he would take things slowly. He wanted to make sure that his new plaything stayed as long as possible.

However, when Toris removed his shirt, all thoughts of entertainment fled his mind. Toris's back was covered in scars, and there were two jagged scars along his wrists. Yong Soo recognised those scars. He had them too.

Toris tried to kill himself, and the scars on his back… Someone did that to him. Were the two connected?

Yong Soo stood there, trying to understand the new inhabitant of his former house. He remembered Toris's reaction when he looked at the photo frame, and he told Feliks that a haunted house would be better than what he had before. So now, Yong Soo wanted to know what happened before.

While Toris was in the shower, Yong Soo allowed the steam to fog up the mirror. Then, he wrote a message.

…

Normally when Toris got out of the shower he tried to avoid looking at the mirror as much as possible, but since it was still a new bathroom, he didn't really have the instinct to look away yet. However, instead of seeing his feeble body, he saw something else that made him pause. Written in the condensation on the mirror were two words.

What happened?

He knew that there was no one there – at least, no living person. He didn't want to accept the possibility of there being a ghost… But if there was a ghost, then he would have seen the state of Toris's body. And he was… concerned? Was that the best way to describe it?

Toris continued to stare at the mirror, trying to decide what to do about it. As he deliberated, he saw another question mark appear on the mirror. He jumped. He knew that it definitely wasn't him, so, did that mean…

"Is there a ghost here?" Toris asked. "Flicker the lights for 'yes'."

He jumped when the lights chose that moment to flicker. He swallowed. There was still the possibility that it was just a coincidence, so he needed another test.

"Could you maybe knock on the walls or something?" Toris asked.

He waited a few seconds, then… Thump. Thump. Thump. Toris took a deep breath, realising that he might have actually found a haunted house.

"Okay," Toris said. "I take it you can't really communicate in any other way. So, how about this: I'm going to ask some questions, and you can flicker the lights for 'yes' and knock for 'no'. Does that work?"

Toris jumped when he heard a loud thump, and his eyes went back to the mirror, where an exclamation mark appeared behind the message.

"I understand, you want to know what happened to me," Toris said. "But you have to understand, this is my first time talking to a ghost. I'm curious. So, if you answer my questions – just so I know who I'm talking to – then I'll answer yours. Is that okay?"

The lights flickered, and Toris nodded. That meant 'yes'.

"Okay," Toris said. "The realtor said that someone committed suicide here. Was that you?" Yes. "How old were you? Knock how many years it was."

Thump. Thump. Thump. Toris counted the thumps, and when they stopped, he was a bit surprised.

"You were only fifteen when you died?" Toris asked. The lights flickered to indicate 'yes'. "Oh, wow. I'm sorry. I… I kind of expected someone older. It was ten years ago, right?" Yes. "I'm twenty-five. That would have made us the same age. Were you bullied?" Yes. "Was that why you… you know?" He didn't know the proper way to ask a ghost why they killed themselves. The lights flickered, yes. But then there were thumps, no. "Yes and no? Are you saying there were other reasons too?" Yes. "Okay… Um, are you a boy or a girl? Yes for boy, no for girl." The lights flickered. He was a boy. "A fifteen-year-old boy… If possible… How did you… How did you kill yourself?"

There was no response, and Toris wondered if there was another way to approach this question, or perhaps the ghost didn't want to answer this. But then, he felt a chill against his wrists, and it felt as though his arms were lifting on their own. He stared at the jagged scars – only two months old – and understood.

"You slit your wrists," Toris said. The lights flickered. "I tried that too. I guess that's obvious. I mean… I was a wreck. The last boyfriend I had… He really messed with me. He messed with my head. He was… He was an abusive asshole. He did those things to my back. He would beat me a lot. He would tie me up and he would take off his belt and… A-and they were always for stupid reasons. For burning the dinner. Not taking out the trash when there was only one thing in the bin. For being three minutes late getting home from work. He really messed with me. Feliks helped me get away. You saw him, didn't you? He called the police, and they saved me from another beating. I stayed with Feliks for a while, but… My mind was such a mess. I thought that… I just needed to die. It felt easier than staying in this hellhole I called life. Feliks and his wife found me, and they rushed me to the hospital. They… They showed me that there were still people that cared for me. I then decided to try to fix my life. But I couldn't stay with Feliks and his wife to do that. For one thing, it would be rude to intrude. Second, his wife's pregnant, and due any day now. Their place would be too full."

There was no response for a long time. Toris wondered if the ghost was still there. After all, he got his answer, but there was still one thing that Toris wanted to know.

"What's your name?" Toris asked.

He waited for a long time. And then the room steamed again. He looked towards the mirror, where the original message disappeared. And now, a new message appeared.

"Yong Soo…" Toris muttered. "Is that your name?" The lights flickered, and Toris smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Yong Soo. I'm Toris. I hope we can stay together without any problems."

…

Yong Soo sat on the couch next to Toris, though Toris couldn't see him. He realised that Toris had gotten better at sensing his presence, and Yong Soo felt… happy about it. For the first time in ten years, he wasn't lonely anymore.

His head turned when he heard the doorbell. Toris frowned, before he stood to answer it. Yong Soo followed after him.

Feliks stood on the other side, and a woman that carried a baby was with him. Yong Soo remembered Toris mentioning that Feliks's wife was pregnant. Toris's face lit up.

"Why didn't you tell me the baby was born?" Toris asked.

"Like, I wanted to surprise you," Feliks said. "So, is everything okay now?"

Toris smiled.

"Yes," he said. "Everything is fine."