Chapter Text
It was a good day.
Although good would be an overstatement but still anything where you didn't quit your job yet was already a big indicator of a good day. Plus, you only managed to piss off your manager once and still have a job by the end of the day? Now, was it Christmas or what? You chuckled to yourself as you climbed up the stairs in a giddy mood despite how heavy your feet felt. The closer you got to your adorable little, tiny apartment, the more light-hearted you felt.
Just as you turned the corner, you paused.
Shuffling back a little to confirm that you were in fact on the right level. And the right area. Of course, you were, this apartment was only two levels and there was only one corner and that was yours. With a little more courage, you walked towards the man slumped against your door, nudging him lightly with your feet.
He didn't stir.
"Excuse me?"
You weren't a stranger to drunk men and women slumping against your door every now and then. But this one was different. Not because you could tell that he was clearly handsome underneath all those black clothes and black beanie--but because he was clearly injured. There was a pool of dried blood smeared against your door and usually a logical person would be calling an ambulance by now.
But you were more than a logical person.
This was an injured man slumped against your door. In a rather rough neighbourhood. Plus, there was no surveillance camera around this apartment so if you do end up calling the ambulance. Police would arrive and no doubt arrest you and well...you can't exactly afford to miss any workdays.
You were running on thin ice these days.
And missing a couple of days of work would make you homeless.
You nudged him a second time with your feet.
Still nothing. Finally, you squatted in front of him and lightly tapped his shoulders to shake him awake. That seemed to work as he slowly but surely blinked his eyes. You managed to keep the small gasp down when you spotted a flicker of redness in his eyes--he groaned loudly. You placed a finger on your lips and hissed at him to be quiet because God forbid, your lovely elderly neighbour Mrs. Kim came out.
As much as you loved Mrs. Kim, she was a fucking blabbermouth.
And you honestly didn't want to be painted as some horny sadistic lady that love to dominate men.
"Hi?" You said, shuffling back awkwardly still in a squatted position.
He was clearly confused on where he was because all he could managed was a small "huh?"
"I found you in front of my apartment." You explained. "You look a little hurt there. Should I call the hospita--"
He grabbed your hand before you could finish your sentence and he shook his head. Trying to suppress a louder groan. You wrapped your hand around his and urged him to remove it.
"Okay, okay, I won't call," you promised.
"G...good," he finally said. His voice low and deep.
You rushed forward to grab him before he slammed his head on the floor. Your heart thudding loudly when you managed to catch him just in time. You glanced at his face and found that he was fully unconscious again.
Now what the fuck were you going to do?
You needed to move him away from your door to get to your apartment. But trying to move a man that was clearly twice your size and probably heavier than anything you've ever carried wouldn't be a good idea. Especially since there was no elevator in the apartment. The easier thing to do was to roll him into your apartment but could you really take that risk? You couldn't help but feel a mix of apprehension and concern. You knew you were taking a risk by bringing a stranger into your home, but losing your job and becoming homeless because the police might think you were the one that attacked him was outweighing the idea of taking him into your apartment. He looked vulnerable and in pain, and you couldn't just leave him outside your door.
Take an unknown man into your apartment.
You didn't have much time to think about it because you heard Mrs Kim's voice and the door opening. You rushed to open your door and push the heavy and unconscious body into your apartment. You locked the door with a secure click and stared at the injured man lying on the floor of your tiny apartment.
Suddenly, it felt a bit too cramped for two people.
But there was no going back on this.
You sighed and left the man there and went to change out of your clothes into a pair of fresh--although fresh was pushing it. They were just two days old pyjamas. You returned to stare at the man and pulled back towards the middle of your bachelor room. Your tiny bed wasn’t to be very accommodating to his long limbs, so you opted with letting him sleep on the floor.
You quickly assessed his injuries, wondering if trying to lift his shirt might be too invasive but it wasn’t like you were trying to check him out. You just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any other injuries that you couldn’t see—and you saw him holding his waist earlier. There was dried blood on his clothes and a gash on his forehead.
It seemed like he had been in a fight and had taken a blow to the head and to his stomach, it looked like.
You fetched some water and a clean towel from your small kitchen and gently cleaned the blood off his face and stomach. Oddly enough, it wasn’t such a big injury, yet the man seemed to have little to no energy to even move. When you pressed on his wounds a little too hard, he stirred slightly but remained unconscious. You dressed his wounds as best as you could—although you could hardly call slapping a bunch of Band-Aids on his wound medical care, but it was the best you could do. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing.
The man was still pale.
Shaking and shivering.
You didn’t really want to give up your blanket since it was the only one you had but you also weren’t a heartless demon. You grabbed your blanket and drapped it over his large body—laughing a little when you realize that it didn’t even cover his feet but still it was better than nothing. You made sure he was comfortable, placing a makeshift pillow using your clothes under his head.
With a small and heavy sigh, you returned to your bed and stared at the man. Under the glow of your faint lamp, you could make out his features.
He was certainly the most handsome man you’ve ever come across. Even as he laid there, shaking, pale as the first snow and unconscious, he looked almost too picture perfect. This was like straight out of some kind of fantasy romance—like Twilight or something.
After contemplating your life decisions, there was no going back on it anymore.
You laid down and certainly hoped that you would still be alive tomorrow.
As usual, you woke up with a start and swung your feet over the side of the bed, heading towards the kitchen for your morning coffee. But just as you took a couple of steps, your feet caught on something, and you fell with a loud bang, landing on your forearms which immediately throbbed with pain.
Whimpering softly, you looked up and realized that the man was still there.
The memories coming back like you had just dreamt of it. You sat up and stared at the man. You could see him very clearly now under the morning light. And he looked worse than yesterday. His complexion was even paler than usual, and he was breathing erratically, his chest heaving up and down. You weren't medically trained, but it was clear that he was not well. You shuffled closer to him, wondering if his injury had become infected. You lifted his shirt, and to your surprise, you found a bunch of tattoos all over his body that you hadn't noticed before. You quickly looked away, not wanting to invade his privacy, and focused on the Band-Aids you had placed all over his stomach and gently peeled it off since it was getting soaked in his blood. As you cleaned his wound for the second time, you were a little surprised to find that it had healed rather remarkably.
You didn’t think he would need a second round of Band-Aids, but you did it anyways.
Just in case.
Still even though he was healing fast, it seemed his condition was getting worse. You couldn’t seem to understand it.
He was looking worse than yesterday.
But this time, he was breathing erratically. Chest moving up and down. Lips turning almost a pale white. You weren't medically trained but you sure knew that he was clearly not that well. You shuffled closer to him to see if his forehead injury had been infected and perhaps that was the main cause. But nothing.
You pressed your hand against his forehead and found that he had a slight fever. Maybe he had caught a cold. Although you didn't know that a cold could turn someone's lips as white as a ghost, you decided to take it more seriously anyways. Maybe he did have a cold. Maybe a cold did turn your lips white. You went to grab your bottle of cold medicine. Nudging him lightly. He opened one eye and you froze, sitting there with a spoon and your purple medicine.
"I think you have a cold," you blurted out.
He chuckled weakly. "I don't."
"Don't be stubborn," you replied, putting the medicine on the spoon. "Please drink this and get out of my place."
"That's rude."
You rolled your eyes. "Says the one who stained my pretty white door."
He didn't say anything else as he obediently drank the medicine, grimacing a little. His eyes blinking slowly, and you knew he was going to fall back asleep. And that he did. You stared at the man sleeping on the floor of your living room and wondered if it was okay to leave him here while you went to work. You didn't have many options, so you decided to trust your instincts and hope that he wouldn’t steal anything—at least for the goodness of your heart for helping him out. And also because there wasn’t really anything valuable to steal. But you couldn’t lie, you would still feel upset if he even stole one spoon. Being robbed wasn’t a good feeling if you were being honest.
You left him in your apartment.
Shutting the door and locking it securely. You stared at your stained door and have never been gladder that your superintendent was slightly blind in one eye. He wouldn’t be able to tell the stain on the door—even though it was clear as day that there was blood smeared there. You took a deep breathe and turned to the corner, only to jump a little when you came face to face with Mrs. Kim, your nosy neighbor.
"You scared me!" you exclaimed.
Mrs. Kim laughed. "Did I?"
You gave a slow nod, avoiding eye contact with her.
"But you know I heard some loud noises last night," Mrs. Kim began, a sly smile spreading on her face. "And this morning."
"Oh, I fell," you said quickly, trying to brush off her suspicions.
You showed her your forearms that were still very much red. The fall had been…quite big. She cocked her head, her eyes narrowing as if she wasn’t fully convinced yet and honestly, you hated how her instincts were so right.
"I heard a man's voice, [Y/n]."
You laughed nervously. "You're so silly, Mrs. Kim. I could never catch a man. You know me and you’re my favourite neighbour. I’ve been living here for three years. I have never brought someone home."
"You mean I am your only neighbor," Mrs. Kim pointed out. "Who knows maybe this year is a new change. But alright, I won't keep you. Your job is going to start soon."
You gave her a grateful nod and hurriedly ran down the stairs, not bothering to glance over your shoulder, knowing that Mrs. Kim was still watching you as you made your way to work. You had to be careful with her. She was always such a sharp woman despite being quite elderly for her age.
The walk to your work wasn’t long, thankfully.
Just about twenty minutes.
The shop you worked at wasn't the most popular, but it wasn't run-down either. Most of the customers were old men, and most of the employees were young women, apparently that was the attractive factor.
"Good morning [Y/n]!" Jieun cheered from the front as you entered, the bell singing your arrival.
You nodded in response and went to get your apron. Joining the older woman in the front, you started clearing some of the baked goods.
“Busy morning?” You asked Jieun.
She shook her head, about to speak when your manager, Leo, stepped in. You couldn't help but groan when he made eye contact with you. He really was the bane of your existence. It was unfortunate that he was your boss.
“You were late one minute, [Y/n],” he pointed out with a smirk on his face.
Oh, the way you really wanted to wipe that smirk off his face if given the chance. “It was just one minute, Leo,” you replied curtly.
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s a deduction on pay.”
"But—" you started to protest, then stopped yourself. It was pointless arguing with him. He wouldn’t listen to you. Or anyone for that matter. "Fine."
"Next time, maybe you'll show up on time," Leo muttered to himself as he brushed past you.
You clicked your tongue, brushing your shoulder as if he had just dirtied your shirt. You rolled your eyes once you were sure he was out of sight. Jieun just stared with an open mouth during the entire exchange. She shook her head.
"What's going on with you two? If I didn't know any better—" she trailed off.
"Don't say it," you growled, feeling your temper rising.
"Sexual tension," Jieun finished, giggling to herself like she had just made the funniest joke in the world.
"That's a terrible joke," you shot back, shoving the rest of the muffins onto the tray.
"I know, I know," Jieun replied. "Listen, we should find another job. He's an asshole. We—no, you don't deserve to be treated like this."
"You know I've been trying," you sighed. "There are no jobs on the market, Jieun."
“It’s unnie to you,” she pointed out. “True. Well, we just have to keep trying, don’t we?”
Before you could reply, Leo's voice interrupted your conversation with Jieun. Clapping his hands like he was trying to get the attention of children.
"Less gossiping, ladies, and more flaunting your goodies. I need to make some profit today," he said with a smirk, leaning on the doorway to the staff room.
You and Jieun both glared at Leo, and you made sure he saw your eye roll before you and Jieun returned to your jobs. Thankfully, that was the last interaction you had with your boss, as it got busy enough until closing time. You and Jieun both rushed out of there before he could say anything else.
“[Y/n], want me to drop you home?” Jieun asked.
You shook your head. “Go, unnie, I know you have to meet your boyfriend.”
Her cheeks flushed red, and she stammered in response. It was amusing to see your usually confident friend blush so much when it came to her boyfriend.
“Alright, good night, [Y/n].”
“Good night, Jieun-unnie!”
You watch her drive off before you continued your way back to your apartment. It had gotten busy enough at work that you were distracted from the stranger that was in your apartment. But now on the walk home, you couldn’t help but think about him.
Was he still there?
If not, did he leave a note? Or maybe did he steal something from your apartment?
You certainly hoped not.
Before you knew it, you arrived at your apartment, climbing the stairs. You rounded the corner, pausing when you spotted Mrs. Kim looking at your door. You offered her a stiff smile, feeling a sense of unease.
“Mrs Kim, what are you doing in front of my door?” You asked politely.
Although you were a little spooked out since Mrs Kim was being rather strange which you supposed wasn’t any different from her usual self. But now that you had something to hide, you were a little freaked out by these things.
“Oh, [Y/n], I heard some noise in your apartment,” Mrs Kim began.
“Ah,” you nervously shifted on your feet. “That was probably my laundry. I was stacking it up and forgot to put it away.”
“Is that so?” She was staring at you.
You smiled. “Yes. Sorry to worry you. You’re really the best neighbour I could have.”
Mrs Kim laughed. “I am your only neighbour.”
“Then excuse me,” Mrs Kim moved away from your door as you held onto it. You gave her another strained smile. “Are you not going back to your apartment?”
“Oh yes, yes I will,” Mrs Kim laughed and turned on her heels.
You watched her, offering another smile when she glanced over her shoulder and look at you. Mrs Kim stopped, turning around with a small advice. “Better make sure you get rid of that stain on your door, [Y/n]. Our superintendent won’t be happy if he sees that.”
Your heart pummeled down to your stomach. You gave a nod of confirmation. Feeling a little strange, you rushed in and shut the door behind you with a loud thud. Your breath hitched when you saw the same lump of body on your living room.
A wash of relief washed over you.
Surprised, but pleased.
You walked closer to inspect him and much to your dismay, his condition seemed to have worsened. He was now shaking so violently that it was causing so much sound—this was probably what Mrs Kim was referring to and his lips were even paler than before. You quickly went to his side and checked his temperature, which wasn’t bad.
It was starting to get frustrating because you didn’t understand what the problem was.
You shook him even harder.
“Hey, I think I’m going to call the ambulance,” you muttered softly.
That seemed to wake him up, he grabbed your hands—your eyes zooming in on the tattoos littered all over them. It was clear that he had something against the hospital and honestly you don’t blame him. You weren’t a big fan of them either.
“Don’t,” he weakly uttered out.
“You’re sick,” you hissed. “I can’t help you.”
He groaned as he slowly sat up. He was still shaking. He finally opened his eyes and stared at you. “You can.”
You were getting annoyed by his stubbornness. “I can’t.”
“You can,” he insisted. “Just…do you trust me?”
“Trust? What does that have to do with—”
He was staring at you with blown brown eyes, and you shivered at his penetrating stare. You stiffen. Trust was hardly a word that you would use to describe your relationship with this stranger. You didn’t even know his name. Yet somehow…somewhat, you kind of did trust him. It was strange.
“…yes,” you replied softly. “I guess…to a small degree.”
Despite the paleness of his skin and lips, he smiled—fuck. It was unfair to look this good despite being sick. Your eyes caught onto the blood seeping between the cracks of his lips, staining them lightly.
“Can you close your eyes?”
You licked your lips out of nervousness. “Uhm, yeah, sure—you’re not going to do something weird, are you?”
“Depends,” he chuckled.
Deciding to trust him, you closed your eyes. Squeezing them shut.
“Promise you won’t open them?”
“This is strange,” you replied with your eyes shut tightly. “I don’t even know your name.”
“Jungkook,” he answered.
Jungkook.
What a different name. You haven’t met a lot of people named Jungkook—if any really.
“Well, Jungkook, I won’t open my eyes, you have my promise.”
He laughed, “then can I hold your hand?”
“Where are we going with this?” You asked but still offered him your hand. "And how is this supposed to make you feel better?"
"Just trust me."
You flinched at the coldness of his touch but didn’t try to push him off. His whole hand seem to engulf your own right hand. You stiffened when you felt him rub circles on your inner wrist. You cocked your head to the side when you felt him lift your hand.
“Jungkook, I don’t know how this is supposed to make you feel better.”
“It will,” he promised. “You still have your eyes closed?”
You gave a small nod.
Then you felt it. Your breath hitching lightly when you felt something sharp scrap against your inner wrist. You jerked your hand but Jungkook seem to have a strong grip on them. Then you felt something hot smearing across your skin—your cheeks grew warm.
“W-wait—”
You let out a pitiful whine at the piercing pinch you felt on your inner wrist. The pain flooding up and down your arm. There was something hot lapping at your wrist. Your entire body screaming at you to rip your hand away from Jungkook. But Jungkook kept a tight grip around your wrist. There was a small urging inside of you that wanted to see what the fuck was happening yet, you didn’t dare to open your eyes. Scared of what you’ll see.
“J…Jungkook—” you whimpered hotly.
Something hot was brewing in the pit of your stomach. You began to squirm uncomfortably. There was slight wet sound that caused you to flinch.
“It’s okay. You’re okay now.” He released his hold on you.
Your hand continued to hover in the air. You felt so hot under your collar. You kept your mouth shut. Waited patiently.
“Can I open my eyes now?”
“Yes,” Jungkook replied softly, smiling when he met your eyes.
You were surprised to see that he was clearly feeling much better. His skin wasn’t as pale anymore and he was no longer shivering like crazy.
“Y…you’re okay now?” You asked.
Jungkook nodded. His lips had returned to a normal pinkish colour. There was a flush on his cheeks and well, he finally looked human.
Your eyes flicked down to your wrist, trying to see if there was something there to indicate what you had just felt. But there was nothing there to indicate that you had gotten pierced or anything. It looked good as new. although it was shiny with some kind of liquid that you'd rather not know.
Still, it was all bizarre.
You were either really tired or this was just a dream.
“Yes,” Jungkook nodded. “Thank you for helping me. You really saved me there.”
You were still shocked.
Unsure of really what was going on. “Then I guess, you’re good to leave?”
He gave a small pout, “forcing me to leave so soon?”
“I mean you are fine now, aren’t you?” You stood up and he followed as well.
You both stood in front of your door. It was a bit weird, you had kind of gotten used to his presence. But you were also glad to finally have your space back.
“Can I at least know the name of my saviour?” Jungkook asked.
Oh, you didn’t even realize that you hadn’t introduced yourself yet.
“[Y/n].” You replied sheepishly.
Jungkook beamed brightly—almost too brightly. He was sparkling. “Thank you for helping me, [Y/n].”
You gave a dumb nod as you watched him leave your apartment. You stepped out to watch him disappear until you could no longer see his back anymore.
What a strange man.
Hopefully that would be the end of strange things happening in your life. You were perfectly fine with just no drama in your life.
You sighed wistfully and returned to your apartment. Suddenly, it felt bigger than it usually is.