CHAPTER 11: Bottled

"₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ ₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₭łĐĐł₦₲ ₥Ɇ? ⱧØ₩ ₵₳₦ ɎØɄ - ɎØɄ'ⱤɆ ₴Ø Ʉ₴ɆⱠɆ₴₴! ₳ Đł₴₳₱₱Øł₦₮₥Ɇ₦₮! ₲Ɇ₮ ØɄ₮! ₲Ɇ₮ ØɄ- "

("Are you fucking kidding me? How can you— you're so useless! A disappointment! Get out! Get out—")

Jisun woke up with a jolt. She hadn't realized she was trembling until her hands become wary of how tight she's been clutching her duvet, knuckles turning white. She sat on the bed with a heavy sigh.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

She slowly calms down, turning her head to the side, glancing at her grandmother. Relief washes over her once she saw the older still peacefully sleeping beside her. She's glad that she finally had mastered how not to gasp out loud waking up from a nightmare.

Wait, no, silly.

The young lady is quite sure it wasn't a nightmare.

It was a memory.

A memory she wants nothing else but to forget, especially the voice that echoes along with it.

The voice.

To say that it was horribly ugly is an understatement. She's been dreaming about it every month (unlike last year when almost every day it echoed in her mind even when she was awake) but it still doesn't fail to scare her nonetheless. It was a voice nobody deserves to hear. A voice that makes her want to travel back in time and strangle its owner before it speaks, but she's aware that it's impossible.

Time travelling isn't real.

It's too late now.

Jisun sighs once again, wiping her dampened cheeks. She doesn't know when she started crying, nor when she stopped. It doesn't matter anyway.

It's too late now.

She combs her hair back and just sat there for a moment, staring at the moonlight on the bed.

Too late now.

Her head whips to her left when she suddenly hears vibration at her nightstand. Her phone is ringing.

Jisun rolled her eyes. To read the name of the caller is unnecessary because there's only one guy who calls her during the time of the night. She sighs again. It's actually smart of her to mute her phone.

She needs a drink.

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Park Jisun is cute.

Jeongguk has already thought of that for numerous times now, and he won't deny that.

But he's not going to lie, she's pretty scary too.

Pretty and weird type of scary.

(It kind of turns him on nonetheless, and that's what he's going to deny because fuck attachments!)

"Do you get horny when you're drunk?"

The young man couldn't help but to show his utterly confusion though his knitted eyebrows. Does she want him to get drunk? Or horny? Because he can do both, and he has fair amount of hookups to justify that, but he doesn't think it would do him any good right now since he doesn't want to deepen the relationship between anyone in this town. He doesn't need another human being to fall in love with him because of his gentle touch (unless the latter prefers rough). He just wants to hide in peace, please.

So, instead, "I find it hard to remember." He plays safe.

"Right." Jisun chortles humorlessly, "Let's say you don't. Would you like to drink with me then?"

Jeongguk has always been a fan of risk taking. It makes his life exciting. Without it, boredom would bring him to death, maybe literally.

Maybe that's why they ended up on the couch, facing the wall upfront, drinking bottled rice wine.

They don't talk much to Jeongguk's dismay. It is awkward, you see, Jeongguk is used to drink in crowded bars and clubs, dancing, and flirting. He doesn't do casual conversations because it's boring and they won't make it to bed with only that. However, flirting is the last thing he wants to do with Jisun despite that he finds her cute. She's not a target, nor a part of his missions.

She's just another unlucky human being that got involve with him. He wants to feel bad, but he can't since the latter is being dumb and too trusting.

Jeongguk thinks that this town is a perfect place to hide- maybe not Jisun's place particularly since she also has her grandmother living here. Jeongguk will find a way - a small rental place maybe - to hide alone, but he has to find money first. He'll save money like he has been planning all this time, and when things get really south, then he would have to sell something for real. His Rolex shines suddenly. Jeongguk would like to lay low in Jisun's place for now.

Back again, drinking in silence is a bit uncomfortable, he thinks. Good thing Jisun's phone kept vibrating, somehow putting noise in the background.

"Why won't you answer that? It's been ringing for a while now." Jeongguk nods at the thin material that is lying still on the coffee table in front of their knees before he takes a sip from the bottle of his rice wine. To be honest, Jeongguk is not really curious about that. He doesn't give a damn about her quarrels (it's obvious that there is an issue between her and the caller, otherwise she would've answer that already), it's just that Jeongguk thought he needed to speak in order to break the awkwardness.

Because that's what friendly people do, right? They will ease the awkwardness if there is.

JK might have amnesia, but that doesn't mean his character can't be friendly. Friendly people tends to get make others soft for them, and he can make use of getting Jisun's soft spot in hiding.

"Don't mind that." Jisun snorts, rolling her eyes. "It's just a cockroach pesting me." She took a sip from her drink too.

Jeongguk nodded and smiles. He wanted to ask who it is, but he doesn't because it's not important to know.

"This rice wine taste good." He lied. The drink tastes cheap in his tongue, but friendly JK can't say that.

"Thanks, but I didn't make this, nor grandma, so, no need for the compliment."

"Right." Jeongguk smiles, sheepishly this time.

Damn.

It's hard to be friendly when it comes to her. She speaks without reserve.

Then silence.

The phone stopped ringing too.

Jeongguk is now thinking hard what to say next. Fuck. How do people with amnesia make friends?

"I've been thinking . . ." To his delight, Jisun is the one who speak suddenly. Her eyes are planted on the half-empty bottle in her hands on her lap. "What if you are a CEO of a company?" Then their eyes met.

"CEO of a company?" A smirk pull at the corner of his lips. He finds it funny.

"Well, considering that you look quite young to be one, what if you're a heir or something?" Jeongguk is not quite sure if she's being serious but by the look of her tilted head and quirk eyebrows, she's really giving a thought. Maybe the alcohol is kicking in. Jeongguk remains silent and let her continue. "What if your stepbrothers got jealous of you and sabotaged you by bringing you into accident? Then boom, now you have amnesia and stuck in here. It would be much more dramatic if you guys are biological." Jisun chuckles, taking another sip.

Like what you see on dramas, Jeongguk wanted to say that but he kept it inside. He doesn't want her to think that he can finally remember which led him to recall a drama scene in his head.

So, he just shrugged and laughed with her, "I hope not, that is drastic."

"What?" Jisun looked at him as if she got offended, "You don't want to be rich? Once you recall your memories, you can take revenge. Don't forget that I helped you and give me lots of money, or you can make me one of the board of directors."

"Is that how it works?" Jeongguk raised an eyebrow, but the smile didn't leave his lips. He's unaware whether it's genuine now or still not.

"I don't know." Jisun shrugged, looking down again, her gaze is back to her lap. "But maybe you're still in college and you lived in a dorm. Then the trip with your friends went wrong. There are a lot of possibilities, you know. I just wish you had a good life, and your parents and friends are searching for you."

Jeongguk's smile falters.

He took his eyes off from her to the calendar that is on the wall across them. He suddenly doesn't know what to say again. He just tip the bottle on his lips and let it rest there for a moment, before taking a sip just to keep his mouth busy. An excuse for not wanting to talk.

Those words coming from her should have bring warmth to his heart. It's nice to hear, too good to be true.

Maybe that's why he felt bitter in all of sudden.

"What if you're right in the beginning?" He then asks, still gazing at the calendar. "What if I'm a criminal?" Then he turns his head too look at her, only to find that she's staring at him already.

She stares at him as if she's trying to read his soul.

"Then I take it back. Criminals don't deserve a good life." She says, and it put stings in his heart.

"What if they became criminals because they don't have a good life?"

"Can you name one who has?"

"You just wished me good life earlier, and now you're saying nobody has it?" Jeongguk didn't want to sound like he was mocking (that's not what friendly JK does), but he can't help it.

"It depends how good it is." Their eye-to-eye competition was unwavering, until Jisun smiles. Her plumps lips caught Jeongguk's attention. "For another thought, you could be a criminal right now, pretending to have amnesia."

Jeongguk smirks, bringing his gaze back to her eyes. "If you really suspect me to be a bad guy, then why are you still helping me? Why won't you throw me out?"

"Because I can't read it completely."

"You can't read what?"

Jisun is the one who diverted her gaze this time, looking ahead.

"You, the situation- I can't read it." She sighs, taking another sip before bringing the bottle back to her lap again. "If you are a real criminal, then you should be happy since you are succeeding to fool and use me, but all I can see in your eyes is . . ." She looks back at him again, meeting his unwavering gaze. ". . . sadness."

"Sadness." Jeongguk repeats the word unknowingly.

He doesn't know what to say, to feel. He doesn't know if he should be happy for someone can see his sadness when he himself refuses to acknowledge it. He doesn't know if he should be grateful to have someone care if he's sad. He doesn't know if he should be thankful for that.

That's because he doesn't need pity.

Pity is the last thing he wants to ask for, he'd keep telling himself again and again.

It makes him weak.

It makes him pathetic.

And that's bullshit.

"Well, some smart guy said that eyes are windows to your soul." Jisun smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes. She's chortling humorlessly. "Letting you wander around the street alone with that sad gaze of yours is going to be a terrible idea. Something bad might happen to you. You might do something bad to . . . you."

"Are you talking base on your experience?"

"Maybe I am."

Jeongguk didn't miss the glaze in her eyes before she looks away.

Silence is there once again.

Jeongguk wonders if her experience has something to do with Jimin, but he doesn't ask. Moreover, he already decided not to deal with their backstory since it has nothing to do with him. It's not his problem at all. Besides, he's only stuck here for just four months at most. He doesn't want to be a farmer, nor become a fish vendor forever.

Everything in this town is too simple . . . too normal.

He can't die easily here.

Now, Jeongguk regrets not flirting with Jisun. It would have been easier if they did that instead, rather than diving into some deep —shit —conversation. What happened was more intimating. Fuck.

The quietness is making him uneasy for the second time.

Thankfully, Jisun's phone rings again.

Jisun let out a groan, placing her bottle on the table in exchange of her phone. She was moving too fast that Jeongguk wasn't able to have a chance to see the name of the caller before she stood. Not that he cares anyway.

Is it Taehyung? Or Jimin­— for the nth time, Jeongguk doesn't care!

"Uhm." Jisun starts, grabbing the bottle from the table. Why would she put that there if she's going to drink it again? Jeongguk looks up to meet her gaze. "I hope you're not a lightweight drinker, I'm not carrying you to bed, I'd leave you knocked-out here."

Jeongguk scoffs, a smirk tugging at his lips, before he takes a sip again.

There are five empty bottles on the table.

And now they're on their feet.

"J-jisun. . ." Jeongguk closed his eyes as he huffs out a deep sigh. "I think you had enough."

"No." She said, point-blank. Then she pressed her index finger on her lips, telling him to be quiet while she could barely hold her head straight. "You haven't heard the story of the whitelady in the r—" She hiccups, her head swaying back and forth. "—river."

"You told me that for three times already, three— heol!" Jisun was about to stumble over the wooden coffee table, so Jeongguk pulls her back to her feet by holding the sleeve of her shirt right on time. "You're even talking to the wall now, look at me!"

Jeongguk winced when she did look at him almost instantly— her head made a sharp turn that Jeongguk's own neck almost ached for her. Her cheeks look as red as a ripe tomato under the dim lights. And Jeongguk could only sigh for the nth time.

Then he sees her eyes travel down to his shoulder, then to his arm, then to his hand which he uses to hold the fabric of her shirt as of the moment.

Then she mumbles something, slurring, words barely escape her pouted lips.

"What?" Jeongguk leans his ear closer to her.

She mumbles again, this time more clearer.

"Pervert."

That's what she said. Then she proceeds to cross her arms over her chest and glare daggers at him like he was a maniac for keeping her on her feet.

"You!" Jeongguk grits out, then clicked his tongue in annoyance, releasing the fabric from his grasp. Jisun shrieked as her knee hit the table with a thud, and suddenly Jeongguk is the biggest jerk in the entire planet as she muttered. Jeongguk pinches the bridge of his nose— this is giving him a headache. He should have just gone back to his bed earlier.

Jeongguk, once again, is questioning his decisions.

With a heavy grunt, Jeongguk put her on the bed— Jimin's bed to be exact. He wasn't prepared to carry a drunk person in the middle of the night. He did consider putting her in her own bedroom, but her grandmother is already asleep there, and old folks could barely get deep sleep. Hence, he disregarded the idea.

As soon as Jeongguk placed Jisun on the mattress, she immediately positioned herself sideways, hugging a pillow to sleep in peace as if she didn't cause Jeongguk a back pain just now. Jeongguk rolled his eyes. Well, it looks like the he will not be sleeping in the bedroom tonight.

Jeongguk then bites down on his lower lip, his hand fidgeting in hesitation, before deciding to go for it.

It means getting himself a pillow.

He leans over the bed to grab the spare pillow next to her. His arm has just managed to hover quietly above her sleeping figure when Jisun's parted lips moved suddenly, making Jeongguk pause for a second. One, two, three . . . He counted few seconds before he proceeds again.

Jeongguk was so close to grabbing it, his fingers almost touching it, but then a hand grabs his wrist instead.

"Where are you going?"

Jeongguk gulped, not again. "I'll sleep on the sofa—"

"You're wearing that shirt again," Her voice was low and soft, almost a whisper, as if she was afraid that Jeongguk would break if her voice get any louder, "my birthday gift." Her eyebrows furrowed while her eyes remained closed. There was a weak smile on her lips.

The brunette turned his gaze downwards to see what she's talking about. It was no other than the oversized green shirt with the Hulk's face on it. Did she mistook him as Jimin right now? (And just how much does that guy love this particular Avenger?) Because surely Jisun has never given Jeongguk a gift before.

Jeongguk was expecting for her to yap more nonsense, and to stand and grip the shirt, that would bring him into another panic mode.

But surprisingly, it was calmer . . . and sad . . .

As Jisun loses the smile.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you . . . it was never your fault . . ." Her voice gets quieter every second, "I blame the scammers . . . not you . . ."

The night was dark.

But as the moonlight crossed the window . . . as she let go of his wrist . . . a tear slipping out of her closed eyes glimmered.

That's when Jeongguk began to realize things.

Jisun is not so different from him after all.

Jisun is pitiful, too.

And Park Jimin is dead.

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"What happened?" Hoseok laughs, fiddling with his dagger. He is sitting in his office, legs stretch out with his shoes resting on the table.

"I'm sorry, sir." Says a man, looking to his feet. "Both of them caught up, they acted so fast. Even used a gas bomb-"

The man was interrupted when he heard a loud thud. Shaking, he looks behind only to see the dagger that was once in his boss' grasp now stuck in the door behind him. Just a little move in the left, his neck would have been gushing out blood. Then he looks to his front again, almost peeing when he sees Hoseok looking at him.

Hoseok is now standing, propping his palms on the desk as he tilted his head. His eyes are dark, but he's smiling.

That's scary because Jung Hoseok laughs.

Jung Hoseok doesn't smile.

He only does that when-

The man is now tremendously sweating.

"Do you honestly think I would like to hear excuses?" Hoseok continues to smile, making the man kneel down almost instantly.

"I'm s-sorry. We were i-incompetent. We will do o-our best next time."

"Will there be a next time though?" Hoseok speaks calmly, but the tone of his voice can't calm the man down because Hoseok is still smiling.

"P-please, sir." The man pleaded, rubbing his palms on one another. "We will find them."

Hoseok rolls his eyes, but his smile doesn't falter.

"Where's the mint haired guy?"

"I-in the basement-"

"Will you fucking stop stuttering?" Hoseok chortles, giving tiny hope to the trembling man. At least he's not just smiling now.

"Okay, sir!" The man nodded vigorously. "He's in the basement, sir." He repeats.

Then the room is suddenly filled with silence.

The man slowly looks up, confused why his boss is not talking, even laugh a bit. Hoseok is staring at his desk with an unreadable face.

"W-what should we do to him, sir?" The man slapped his own lips, scolding himself for stuttering once again. However, his boss seems to have a hard time thinking. "Should we use him as a bait?" He asks, wanting to help.

That's when Hoseok laughs out loud, "Bait?"

Hoseok looks at the man as if it was the most ridiculous suggestion he has ever heard. Then Hoseok asks him.

"Why would you use him as a bait when he was never on their side to begin with?"

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