I'd like to say that I had noticed that something was off, but I had actually no clue that I was being followed, which isn't really a good thing considering who I am and what I'm used to go through on a daily basis. Usually, I'm 100% on alert all of the time, but this time I didn't notice. At first.

My hands felt numb due to the piercing cold, burying them in my hoodie's pocket was doing nothing against the freezing temperatures.

I held my head low, letting strands of my hair cover my face while I struggled through the crowded streets of Itaewon. 

I hated crowds. This wasn't the right place for someone like me and I had known how to avoid coming here. Until Yoongi asked me for this favor and I couldn't deny him. At least I didn't have to run around with drugs in the middle of fucking Itaewon. But with a shady looking USB instead.

Wtf had Yoongi gotten himself into.

I was only able to properly breathe again when the stuffed streets spilled me out into a quieter side street, laughter and chattering molding into a gentler back ground noise as I hurriedly made my way through the dark alley, sun starting to set in an angry orange shade.

The first time I heard something was when I walked down these stone stairs, a sound like boots crushing some dry leaves resonating through the alley, making me turn around startled.

I frowned when I didn't see anyone, starting to practically run through the streets, not wanting to get raped and murdered in this place.

The second time I heard something, it wasn't really a clear sound. More like the swoosh of something whipping through the air.

The third time had me really fed up; something that sounded like a gasp, just way way quieter, barely there.

I stopped abruptly turning around, just to face blunt darkness and - as expected - no one. I bit the inside of my cheeks, wondering if paranoia had gotten the better of me, when I saw it; a small reflection in the dirty window of the small house next to me, not much, but definitely something that didn't belong there.

I whipped around blindsided, getting more and more frustrated with myself and freaked out at the whole situation, when I made a step backwards, stumbling over one of the stone steps behind me and almost falling down the whole stairs.

I would've probably snapped my fucking neck if there hadn't been the arm reaching out for me and grasping my shoulder, pulling me back up while all I could to was yelp, because fucking hell it went all so fast.

"Be careful." The very much familiar voice rasped and my eyes widened when I saw Jung Hoseok standing in front of me, hand still resting on my shoulder.

this-

"You asshole!" I hissed out, making a sudden step forward while swatting the hand off my shoulder, startling Hoseok in the process.

"I thought I was gonna get raped you dumbfuck!"

I've been in physical fights before. In fact, I've punched quite a lot of people for a girl my age.

So, the feeling of lunging back and striking my fist forward in an completely impulsive act was not new for me.

But, honestly, what did I expect? That he'd let me just push him like that?

He dodged my punch and was behind me within the blink of an eyes, my arms painfully twisted behind my back, held down by his firm grip.

"That was a good one." He mumbled next to my ear, "But I'm not completely human anymore, remember that  next time you want to punch me."

I was frozen for a moment, but caught myself shockingly fast, wrestling out of his iron grip. He let me.

"What the fuck are you doing here." I spat out, still startled to the bones, adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

"What are you talking about?" He asked innocently, "I just thought this was such a nice place to take a walk."

My eyes roamed over the with graffiti littered stone houses and several overfilled trash bins standing around the cold, wet alley and huffed annoyed.

"I'm being serious Hoseok." I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "What is your unfaithful ass doing here?"

The boy snorted, "Unfaithful?"

"You lied to me! And you didn't even contact me! And you, like, probably just wanted to get a bite of my yummy soul all of the time..." Though I wasn't so sure about the last one. Like, at all.

He laughed at that, pearly white teeth fucking sparkling in the dark alley, "That's not quite correct..." He said giggling and I relaxed a bit.

"...though I do want to eat you up - just not in sense you were talking about."

I hit him for real this time.

"So, why didn't you contact me?"

"I thought..." he looked very small all of sudden, "I thought you didn't want me to. Thought you were, like, scared of me. Or angry at least."

"I fucking am." I confirmed, "But that doesn't mean that I don't want you to explain all that bullshit to me."

Hoseok looked unsure when he lifted his head to look me in the eyes, "I- it's actually quite simple. I needed a way to survive and understood that you have to fight fire with fire - y-your ghost just made it look very bad."

Your ghost.

What was that supposed to mean anyways?

"So you're telling me you didn't made a pact with some demon, like he said?"

"I mean-" Hoseok didn't seem to know how to put his thoughts in words, "You could say that I did. But it doesn't have to be negative, Flower. To you it might seem like that, but you have to consider my side. How I felt back then. Helpless, weak... it saved me." 

His hands wandered up to the silver mark always hanging around his neck, subconsciously fiddling on it.

"Your reality might not be that of another one. And although we all live in different realities, have different truths, we all exist together."

Those had been the words of the pastor. I believed that his words were right, yet I... wasn't willing to follow them.

I couldn't imagine that making a pact with a... a demon (whatever this might me) was justified or good.

"Your oh so dear friend is, just like the rest of us, after your precious soul, little one."

I shouldn't be that comfortable around Hoseok. He was dangerous.

"I did what I needed to do, Flower." He said with a soft voice.

I blinked up at him irritated, "Why are you still calling me that? You can call me by my damned name now, can't you?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard and he stiffed for a moment, "I- yes, I mean... if you want to... I just thought that- uhm, since I gave you that nickname..."

I scoffed, "Yeah, right. What a cute nickname that is. It's not like you used it as a cover up for not having to call me by my real name that you clearly knew - how so ever you managed to find out about it."

He looked even more guilty than before, and it made me so damn angry. He hid that from me, knowing what I'd think about it. Knowing that I didn't trust him in the first place. And he felt guilty about it now?

"I found out when I talked to your foster mom when she was grocery shopping..." he admitted, voice sounding meek.

I froze, "You did what?"

"I didn't mention that I know you personally. We just chatted a bit and, honestly she's quite nice..."

"I know." I gritted out, "Don't you dare talk to her ever again."

Something inside of me was starting to boil, as if a part of me wanted to get angry at him. The more I thought of what he did, though it might seem trivial at first, the easier it was for me to get angry at him.

"O-Okay." His voice sounded powerless.

As if he'd given up

I breathed out shakily, "You were right about not contacting me. Let's keep it like that. Whatever you were really doing here... I don't care." I looked at him for a moment, before turning around, "Bye Hoseok!"

"Y/N!" 

I felt my heart drop as he said my name, but started walking back home anyways.

"I didn't do it to harm you! Please..." He sounded desperate, "I would never harm you!"

And a very small part of me knew that.

My face was tear stained when I reached our front door.

◆♤❦

y know this whole KAACHI thing? it's a bit hilarious to me, like, they are Kpop fans as well, they should've known how horribly their whole thing would backfire. It's honestly just like a kindergarten group run by koreaboos

xx