Hana followed Taehyung and Hoseok through the fair quietly, with Jimin behind her. They moved to an empty hut near the back, where Hoseok had told them that at this time of night, nobody would be around.

"Start explaining," Jimin said sharply, "And do it quickly,"

"Don't be rude to him!" Taehyung hissed at him, "You're-"

"It's fine," Hoseok took a deep breath, "I've been here almost ten years, so Beau was here just before me," He looked at Jimin, "She's blonde, isn't she? With grey eyes," Jimin nodded and Hoseok sighed, "Yeah. She's his favourite. Something about how she loved unicorns so much before she became one. Said it was fate,"

Hana could see Jimin's body tense, and she reached out, laying her hand on top of his. He relaxed and she turned her attention back to Hoseok.

"Every year," He continued, "A new replacement is found. There are sixty places for a unicorn on the carousel, and each year one is disposed of and replaced. Some of the women on here are well into their sixties by now, but the carousel..." He trailed off, searching for the right words to use, "It keeps them in some kind of stasis. It alters time. It lets them age around ten years or so, then it stops time for them for fifty years. Once they've been on the carousel for sixty years, age suddenly catches up with them, and they break; the unicorns crack and they become weak, which is when Jungkook replaces them. Are you following?"

He looked around him at the shocked faces. When there was no reply, he continued regardless, "Jungkook isn't a man. He's a demon, and he feeds from their suffering. Every night at twelve, they turn human again for one hour... Or some of them do. The older ones, who have been trapped there for the longest? Sometimes they don't change back. It can happen only after a few years, they just give up hope and that's when the carousel keeps them. If they don't turn human even for one night, they don't turn human ever again. Jungkook loves seeing that; he enjoys winning,"

"Hoseok," Taehyung said softly, "If there is so much suffering here, why do you stay?"

Hoseok laughed bitterly, "I have no choice, Tae," He said, "I'm under a contract," He looked down at his hands, "If I leave..."

"What do you mean, contract?" Hana asked, "There's nothing that can keep you here unless it's-"

"A contract with a demon," Jimin finished for her, "You can't leave because you're in a contract with Jungkook,"

Hoseok nodded, "All of us workers are. In my case..." He took a breath, "In my case, he offered to cure my mother's cancer on the condition that I would work for him forever. I accepted, and he did cure her, but only a week later she was killed in a hit-and-run outside the fair," He looked at them sharply, "Never make a deal with a demon, no matter how good it sounds. They will always triumph over you. They feed on suffering, there is no way you can win against one, especially one as old as Jungkook,"

"So what now?" Hana asked quietly, "How do I escape the hold of the carousel? How do we get those women free?"

Hoseok shook his head, "I don't know," He said simply, "I really don't," He looked down sharply at his watch when it let out a loud beep.

"I have to go," He said, moving to the door to the little hut, "We are expected to watch the carousel at midnight,"

"What do we do?!" Hana cried, "Hoseok, you have to help us!"

"I don't know," He said simply, "I don't know at all. All I know is that we have stayed here much longer than Jungkook wanted, and he wants to stay until he has you. We are leaving at the end of the week though, so I know he has another plan to get you, rather than you coming to him yourself,"

"Hoseok-"

"Follow me," Hoseok cut off Taehyung, "Come and watch it for yourselves. Just promise me to stay hidden, no matter what. When I get off work tomorrow night, I will come to you and we can think of a way to help, but tonight, I beg you, don't show yourselves," He looked at Jimin, "Please,"

Jimin, who was quiet throughout the whole conversation, took a deep breath and nodded, before following Hoseok out of the hut.

They moved quietly through the fair and Hoseok let them in the back of one of the little stalls so they would have a good view of the carousel, but still be at what he considered a marginally safe distance.

"Stay here until I come back for you," He hissed at them, before leaving them to join the other workers slowly heading to gather around the carousel.

From where she was peeking out, Hana had a good view of the carousel, and right at the front, as if staring at her with desperate, silver eyes, was the very unicorn she had ridden on her first time at the fair.