Jeongguk smiled down at Daeun as she laughed out loud. "Are you serious?" Her body was spread across Jeongguk's bed. She and Jeongguk were practicing for their performance in theatre but ended up getting distracted and talking for the past four hours.
"Yeah! I was locked in the mall all night. The worst part was all the bathrooms were locked too," Jeongguk frowned softly at the memory.
Jeongguk has been hanging around Daeun a lot lately, as both Jeongguk and Bunny, or at least that is what Daeun called him. Jeongguk wasn't sure if he should continue the relationship between Daeun and himself as Bunny.
Taehyung has been joining them when they hung out but Jimin was trying to keep his distance. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stand to be around Jeongguk. There was something about Jeongguk that Jimin hated. Daeun sat up, Jeongguk's eyes following her. "You leaving?"
The disappointment was clear on Jeongguk's face when he asked her. She smiled softly at him, "Why? Would you like me to stay the night?"
The clock read 11:48 pm. Daeun didn't exactly want to home this late, she was going to walk down the street to Tae's and crash there again. Jeongguk smiled widely before nodded his head. He pointed at the bed and Daeun raised her brow at him. "You can sleep on the bed, I'll crash on the couch," He clarified as he pointed at the small couch in the corner of his massive room.
Daeun shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not taking the bed from you, this is your house, so please, sleep on the bed," Jeongguk went to shake his head, getting ready to argue against her wishes before she stopped him. "Sleep on the bed or I'm going home."
"Fine," Jeongguk muttered under his breath as he sat on the bed. Daeun smiled at him before sitting next to him. "Hey, can I ask you something?" Once Jeongguk received confirmation he asked her. "Does Jimin have a problem with me?"
Daeun wasn't really sure on how to answer this question so she hesitated. "I don't think Jimin has a problem with you, I feel like he just doesn't want to like you so he is forcing himself to stay distant with you. I mean, he has never openly admitted that he didn't like you so I can't be for sure."
Jeongguk looked at Daeun with a sudden softness. Her makeup smudged around her neck. "What's that?" Pushing some of Daeun's hair out of the way, he saw bruises trying to peek out of the makeup. Jeongguk unintentionally clenched his jaw. "Daeun," Jeongguk growled her name. "Who did this?" He asked. Even as Bunny, Daeun refuses to reveal who was hurting her, she would always change the topic to something else. She wouldn't even look at him.
Sighing, Daeun moved Jeongguk's hand and stood up. Jeongguk mirrored her actions, his frame towering over her. She walked towards the door but before she could open it, Jeongguk slammed his hand on the door, preventing her from opening it. "Jeongguk, let me leave."
"No," He snapped harshly. "Daeun, there has constantly been bruises and marks on you, you know that there has. Your makeup is constantly smudging," Jeongguk pushed Daeun's hair away from her neck again. "Who's doing this to you?" He whispered with utter sincerity. His fingers wiped away her makeup revealing the fingerprints that were around her neck. "I want to help you, Da. Let me help."
Jeongguk moves back the smallest amount to give Daeun some space. He knew what it was like. He knew what it was like to not have anyone to truly trust, to not have a person to fall back on when you need to most. "I can't tell you, Jeongguk. It's a lot more complicated than you think. Just trust me on this one, okay?" Deaun spoke as she turned around to face Jeongguk.
Without answering her, Jeongguk stepped back. Jeongguk was annoyed with himself. He shouldn't have done that. He should've known that she wasn't going to tell him anything, yet he still asked her. A small part of him hoped that she'd be willing to talk to him. He wanted her to open up to him and she wanted to but she couldn't. She couldn't risk it.
Taehyung and Jimin already know too much, she wasn't going to purposely put Jeongguk in that type of situation, whether he wanted to be in it or not. She refused to do that to him. Jeongguk frowned as he stared down at the floor. Daeun slid down the door, sitting on the floor. "I want to tell you," Daeun whispered.
Jeongguk lifted his head to look at her. "So then why don't you?" He whispered back.
When Daeun didn't answer, Jeongguk got back up and walked towards her. He kneeled down in front of her. She couldn't, she had to remind herself. Jeongguk made her feel safe and protected, maybe telling him would help her. "It's m-" She was cut off when Jeongguk phone started going off.
"Go on," He said once the phone was done ringing. He completely ignored the call.
Daeun gave him a confused look but nevertheless she opened her mouth, continuing what she was saying. "It's my dad," She whispered. Jeongguk's body stiffened. "Please, whatever happens to me, don't act on it. I need you to promise me that, Jeongguk."
Jeongguk stared at her. "You know that I can't promise that," Jeongguk spoke softly. Daeun eyes pleaded with him, she didn't want him to involve himself at all.
Jeongguk leaned forward, cupping Daeun's cheeks. "I hate seeing you hurt, but I'll try my best to not involve myself. As long as you promise that whenever you need help you don't hesitate to come to me. Deal?" Daeun smiled up at Jeongguk before softly nodding her head. "Alright, let's go to sleep. We have school tomorrow," Jeongguk offered Daeun a hand as he stood up. She placed her hand in his and he yanked her up effortlessly.
Jeongguk turned around walking towards his closet. He pulled out a t-shirt and shorts for Daeun to change for her to sleep in. Blush covered her cheeks as she thanked him and accepted the clothing. She hurried her way into the bathroom to change.
Jeongguk took the opportunity to quickly change himself. He changed into some shorts leaving himself shirtless. When Daeun was finished changing she walked out the bathroom with her eyes glued on the floor. She had only put on his shirt. "The shorts were too big on me," She whispered.
Jeongguk shamelessly moved his eyes down her body. His shirt stopped around the middle of her thighs, showing off her long, tan legs. Jeongguk gulped and pulled himself out of the trance. "It's fine, as long as you're comfortable."
Daeun nodded while looking up at him. Her eyes stopped on his toned abdomen. Writing ran across his ribs, the ink was a deep blue, with the image of a dream catcher behind it. Life isn't about being perfect: it's about accomplishing your dreams. Daeun hand slowly reached towards the inked skin, trancing it with the top of her finger. Her finger barely touched his skin making goosebumps rise all over his skin.
"What are you doing?" Jeongguk breathed out. Daeun ignored his question, continuing to trace the small lettering. She walked behind Jeongguk to see that there was a tattoo that ran down his spine. Don't be trapped in someone else's dream written in foreign writing. "Da?" He called out to her. It took her a second but she snapped out of it.
"Why'd you get tattoos?" Her fingers brushed against the marking, making Jeongguk groan softly. Her doe eyes looked up at him with purity and innocence despite the fact that he couldn't see her face.
Jeongguk turned around to look at her. "Reasons that aren't important. Go to sleep," He muttered before grabbing a blanket of his bed and laying down on his couch. "Take the bed, don't argue with me."
Daeun stood there completely and utterly dumbfounded. She moved to sit on the bed with a blank expression.
2:13 A.M.
Daeun was as fast asleep while Jeongguk was still wide awake. He sighed and rolled over to look at Daeun. Her back was turned towards him so he couldn't look at her face. One of her legs peeking out of the blanket. Jeongguk frowned.
Lazily rolling out of bed, Jeongguk walked over to where Daeun laid. He tugged the blanket over her leg making sure that she didn't go cold throughout the night. A frown took over his features when he saw her face contort with a painful expression.
~~~
The sound of glass breaking caught the lady's attention. She muttered slight curses under her breath as she looked towards the direction of the sound. The glass back door was shattered and blood was everywhere.
She smirked as Daeun had made this a fun game to her. It fueled the motivation that was already soaring through her veins. It was a game of cat and mouse and she was going to catch her mouse.
Running.
That was the only thing Daeun could focus on as she pushed leaves and branches out of her way. Her legs were getting scraped and the deep cuts from the glass didn't help. She could feel the blood dripping down her legs but she refused to stop. She couldn't.
His dreadful laughing filled the silent night making her shiver in fear. Her heart pounded against her rib cage. She looked back to see if he was following her but she could see anything in the darkness that surrounded her. Run. She continued to remind herself.
Daeun struggled to keep her pace fast and steady. Slowly starting to slow down. Becoming exhausted but she couldn't stop. Her eyes shone with hope as she forced herself to move faster when she saw the headlights from the cars that flew by on the highway. A few more steps, almost there. "Going somewhere?"
Daeun jolted awake with a cold sweat. Her breathing was ragged and she could feel a tightness forming in her chest and throat. Gasping for air didn't seem to help her. Jeongguk jumped up when he noticed her. "Da?" He rushes towards her.
His hands cupped her cheeks forcing her to look at him. Silent tears ran down her cheeks, staining them on the way down. "Hey. You're okay. I'm here, I got you," He whispered as he pulled her into his chest. Her arms snaked around his waist as she released low sobs. "I got you," He whispered again.
Daeun made no attempt to move as she sobbed into his bare chest. She was still out there and Daeun knew that she was coming for her. She's been able to escape her because of her father, but how many times can he come in on perfect timing. "Jeongguk?" She whispered between sobs. Her emotions were all over the place. Her grip on him tightened when he went to move away.
"I'm not going anywhere," Jeongguk said softly. Daeun slowly let him go. He placed his finger under her chin. She allowed him to tug her head upwards. Her cheeks and nose were pink, eyes swollen and bloodshot, tears streaming down her face. Daeun locked eyes with Jeongguk, it broke his heart to see her like this. "What's wrong?" He asked as he softly wiped away her tears.
Daeun weakly smiled at him. "Bad dream you could say," She tried to joke but by the look on Jeongguk's face she could tell that he wasn't budging on this one. "Just a bad memory coming back to me, that's all," She said, assuring Jeongguk that she was okay.
Jeongguk stood up dragging Daeun with him. "Well it's almost 6:30 anyway. We have to start getting ready for school, I'll text Taehyung to bring you some clothes," He said before backing up. "Come on, I'll make you some breakfast."
Daeun smiled happily. They made their way downstairs together. Daeun hopped onto the island that sat in the middle of the kitchen. "How come you live alone? I never asked."
Jeongguk huffed out some air before turning to face her. Her eyes were wide with curiosity making her look more innocent than she actually was. Jeongguk moves towards her. He grabbed her thighs, pushing them apart and standing in between them. "Why so curious?" He asked in a hushed tone. Daeun gulped at their close proximity. "You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat."
Jeongguk reaches up to brush the stray hairs out of Daeun's face. "Yeah. But satisfaction brought it back," She whispered back. They stared at each other for a few minutes longer. Daeun cleared her throat as she hung her head. "You don't have to share with me if you don't want to, it's fine."
Jeongguk stepped back, removing his hands from her. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just trying to be a tease. I'll tell you, I don't mind sharing."
"Two years ago my parents died in a really bad car accident. My uncle took me in the past two years. But since I'm 18, I wanted some air to breathe so I ended up buying myself this apartment," He clarified.
Daeun looked back up at him with a soft gaze. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Jeongguk shook his head before going back to cooking. "Don't worry about it. But if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mom? Does she still live with you?" Daeun shook her head with a frown.
"My parents separated when I was 6. My mom left with me and my brother, in an attempt to hide from my father. But he found us and took me back home with him. I haven't seen or heard from them since. So," Daeun shrugged her shoulders. A sharp pain entered her chest at the thought of her brother. "My brother turned out to be just fine in life. He finally got his dream."
"Which is?" Jeongguk asked over his shoulder.
"To become one of the biggest rappers in the world," She answered harshly. "It was always his dream. Our dad would rip up his music sheets though. Me and my mom would always try to help him hide it but we always failed. Then he got into underground rapping. He became a big hit and when they moved he got recruited by an entertainment company. Now he raps for a living. He's really good at it too, just hurts to know how happy he is while I'm over here stuck in this shitty ass life. You know?" She questioned.
Jeongguk nodded. He finished off cooking the pancakes before turning towards Daeun. Her palms were flat against the island as she leaned back with her eyes shut. A frown was tugging at her lips, brows furrowed in annoyance. Her eyes fluttered open. They were dull, no spark evident. Everything came back to her in a flood. Her life was nothing but a mere nightmare. The only light was the few friends that she actually has.
The doorbell rang snapping Daeun out of her thoughts. "It's open!" Jeongguk shouted from the kitchen.
After a few seconds Taehyung popped up in the kitchen. He smiled at Daeun before making his way toward her, engulfing her in his arms. She giggled at him as she wrapped her arms around him. "Good morning, kiyomi," He sang happily.
"Morning, Taehyungie. You have my clothes?" She asked. Tae nodded, handing her a small plastic bag. "Thanks," She rushes out. She grabbed the bag leaning over to sweetly kiss his cheek before rushing upstairs to change.
Jeongguk looked at Taehyung. "Hungry?"
Taehyung shook his head. "No, I ate before I came here. Plus, I have to go. I promised Jimin that I'd meet up with him before school started. Thanks though," He said. Jeongguk smiled at him. Taehyung screamed goodbye to Daeun before rushing out the house.
Jeongguk sat down and began to eat. Daeyun came back down a few minutes later fully changed with her hair running down her back, wet. "I hope you don't mind that I took a quick shower."
Jeongguk shook his head. Daeun hummed as she sat down, looking at her food. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," He said softly. "I'll be back," He said as he stood up, making his way upstairs.
The walk to school was awkward, neither of them saying anything. Daeun was still embarrassed about this morning and Jeongguk was dazing off into his own world. As they entered homeroom, Daeun was tackled. Taehyung sat on top of her with his boxy smile wide. "Daeun~ I have good news for you," He sang. He fixed himself so that he was straddling her.
Daeun raised a brow at him before looking down at their position. "Yeah? What's the good news?"
"I got us those concert tickets!" His smiled widened even more if that was physically possible. Daeun gleamed with joy as she yanked Taehyung down into a hug. Taehyung was caught off guard at first but nevertheless he hugged her back. "I'll take this as a thank you," He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around you. He moved to stand up, taking you with him.
Homeroom flew by quickly. Daeun and Jeongguk constantly stole glances at each other. They were now sitting in theater waiting for their teacher to come to their group. Ms.Lin finally got to their group making Daeun sign in satisfaction. "Okay, so to be frank with you guys, there is only one scene that I'm concerned about with you guys," Both Jeongguk and Daeun's eyebrows furrowed together as they waited for her to continue. "The kiss. So I would like to see you two work on it. The more comfortable you are the more believable it'll be," When neither of them moved Ms.Lin raised a brow.
"Oh, now?" Jeongguk asked and Ms.Lin nodded. Jeongguk grabbed Daeun's arm dragging her over to their usual spot. He grabbed her hips making her look at him in confusion. He hoisted her on top of the table, just like the scene had said. Jeongguk softly pushed Daeun's thighs apart so he could stand in between them. "I'll stop whenever you want me to," He whispered looking back to see if Ms.Lin was still watching, which she was.
Daeun nodded as she shut her eyes, allowing Jeongguk to take the lead. Jeongguk softly cupped her cheeks before leaning in, allowing his lips to brush over hers. Daeun's lips parted as a small gasp left her lips. Jeongguk's lips hovered over hers as one of his hands moved to her waist. He wrapped his arm around her waist, dragging her closer to him before gently placing his lips against hers.
Daeun moved her lips against his, humming softly into the kiss. Jeongguk's lips were a lot softer than she could ever imagine. Daeun deepened the kiss as she slipped her fingers into his hair, tugging his head down more. Jeongguk tightened his grip on her waist.
The soft kiss was becoming rough as neither of them seemingly wanted to pull away. Reluctantly, Jeongguk tugged away, knowing that people were watching and he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. Daeun dropped her head on his shoulder, embarrassed.
"Well, it seems like there was nothing that I had to worry about. That looked genuine. Keep up the good work you guys," Ms.Lin walked away with a small smile placed on her lips. Jeongguk stood there staring at the wall behind them, his body was awoken with tingles the erupted the minutes that their lips touched. Jeongguk didn't understand the effect that Daeun had on him when they barely knew each other. A few weeks felt like forever to him.
Daeun wrapped her arms around Jeongguk's waist, pulling him closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on top of her head. "You okay?" He whispered as his fingers slipped into her hair. His fingertips rubbed her scalp softly.
"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting that," She mumbled as she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of Jeongguk's fingers in her hair. Jeongguk chuckled at her response. "So, should we practice the rest of the scene?" She asked, not making any effort to pull herself away from Jeongguk.
"Yeah," He agreed, yet neither of them still had moved. They felt an odd wave of comfort being in each other's arms and weren't quite ready to let go yet.