- five hours ago -

namjoon sat on his wooden stool and slowly sipped his tea, the ceramic cup clinking against the plate. he sighed, glancing at his red-stained gloves and barely stitched together doll scattered across his desk.

NAMJOON
"oh dear . . . my materials have become quite soggy and have lost their color."

leaning closer, namjoon picked up his cloth and squeezed it, grunting in frustration at how it crumbled in his palms. when the smell hit him, he frowned, tossing the cloth away as it made a sludge sound once it hit the wall.

NAMJOON
"goodness, it reeks as well."

NAMJOON
". . . i guess it is time to harvest more."

as namjoon gathered the red string to put it away for safekeeping, multiple knocks came from his front door. he looked up quite curiously.

STRANGER
"hello? hello, is anyone there?"

namjoon glanced at his pocket watch with a frown as he picked up his cane.

NAMJOON
"a customer at this time in the morning? interesting."

when namjoon swung open the door, he was greeted by a tall yet trembling man in white, dark hair matted to his forehead due to the cold rain, teeth resembling a bunny's. he noted the torn sleeve and dried blood stains on his shoulder.

still, the young face and velvety smooth skin made this stranger look delectable.

NAMJOON
"my, oh my, what is a young boy like you doing here at thi—"

STRANGER
"help me. please."

namjoon raised an eyebrow and tipped his top hat, dimples exposed as he released a small smile. the stranger continued to speak with a panicked tone.

JUNGKOOK
"my name is jungkook."

JUNGKOOK
"do you have a phone? please, i need to call the police, i need to find my brother— god, it's so cold. can you just let me in?"

a million scenarios played in namjoon's head, making him smile once again. he tapped his cane on the wooden floor.

NAMJOON
"please calm down, jungkook. would you like some tea to warm you up? or some treats? maybe even—"

JUNGKOOK
"stop with the bullshit. i told you, i need a fucking phone."

namjoon frowned at the sudden change of tone as jungkook continued to glare at him angrily. he put on a fake smile before stepping away from the door, allowing the boy to enter his home.

NAMJOON
"please, do come in."

jungkook mumbled something under his breath as he stepped inside the cottage. namjoon was using all his willpower to stop himself from killing him right then and there.

NAMJOON
"have a seat. i will prepare snacks . . . and will lend you my phone, of course."

plopping on the chair, jungkook stared at the unfinished doll on the floor and said something about how ugly it was as namjoon stepped into the kitchen and cracked his knuckles.

jungkook was young, indeed, his skin smooth and perfect. namjoon cackled slowly as he structured the design of his next doll. he was going to keep his youthful look and was going to give him large buttons to match his round eyes and dark string that resembled his hair.

namjoon licked his lips at the thought, the pleasure of what was to come making his stomach rumble in excitement. jungkook was going to be a beautiful addition to his collection.

grabbing the knife, namjoon greeted jungkook with a smile.