CHAPTER 3: Conman

Everything is white.

It's too bright.

It's blinding.

Is he dead?

Jeongguk gasped the moment his eyes went open, almost choking on the air he breathes as every past moment sinks in.

Damn.

He got hit and passed out like a goat again.

But that's not what worries him the most nonetheless. Jeongguk tries to move but the mattress pulls him back in. There's no straps or anything that keeps him locked in place. It's just that it feels like his head is going to break. His limbs too, damn, they're being so lazy to cooperate. His body is basically lured to give in.

Jeongguk breathes in and out. He needs to calm down to be able to think properly. But the hell, did someone inject him sedative?

This scene is familiar. He woke up with a throbbing head and aching body. He's lying flat on a surface. He doesn't know where he is.

He's having a fucking déjà vu right now.

Jeongguk had hoped that everything starting this morning was all a dream, that his lovely vacation hadn't started yet, and that this dream was actually a vision to his future warning him to not go for the fucking ride and destroy that damn phone right away. But by the looks of his surroundings, he knew he wasn't dreaming but actually living in this nightmare.

Nonetheless, he wasn't on muddy grass anymore but a bed. A soft and fragrant bed. He is surrounded by concretes as well.

What sorcery is this?

As he scavenged through his memory, Jeongguk remembers himself standing in front of a small woody hut, not in front of an actual concreted house. He is certain that this is not a hospital because no hospital ward room contains bookshelves, baggy chair, study desk, and cabinets. It's obvious that he's in someone's bedroom.

Where the hell am I? He asks himself.

Also, where is that guy with a stick? If that guy is really planning to murder Jeongguk, then he should do it fast or else it will backfire him, and what's with this aftercare? Why is he lying on a soft bed and under a duvet? Is that ointment he can smell? Is that guy with stick actually planning to prolong his kill? Jeongguk is not a murderer – it's not good moral said Namjoon hypocritically and he agreed – but he won't hesitate to kill for self defense. He's willing to take his last breath, but it must be honorable at least. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep that small knife attached to his ankle–

Disregarding the pain of his limbs, Jeongguk reached for the duvet and lifted it up as he turned his gaze down to his body. He's not quite sure if he should turn pale or have his blood boil instead. He doesn't have the small knife with him anymore and his leather clothing is nowhere to be found as well. He's now wearing an unfamiliar t-shirt and shorts. Oh no no-no. Don't tell him he got stripped off from his own clothes without permission–

"You're finally awake." An old woman's voice suddenly caught his attention, making him drop his hands along with the duvet almost instantly. It was an old lady standing at the doorway, looking at him fondly. Her age is evident in her wrinkled skin, hunched back, and silver hair that is tied into a bun.  She has a warm smile on her lips that reaches her eyes. "How are you feeling?" She asks, walking towards him, slowly but surely with the help of her walking stick.

But Jeongguk couldn't find his voice. He is confused. Why is there a respectful elderly instead of the guy with a stick?

"Take it easy, son." Says the old woman, refraining him from getting up. "This room is vacant. You can use it until you recover." She smiles. "And perhaps help my grandchild recover too." She chortles but it only makes Jeongguk feel more flustered because he couldn't understand a thing, especially the last one.

"W-who are you?" Jeongguk's voice managed to croak out, though his throat is dry. He didn't want to sound rude or anything, especially to the elderly, but he is really confused right now.

"Park Jisun's grandmother." She beams as if Jeongguk knew who the hell Jisun was. Maybe Jisun is the guy with a stick, but it's not really important to know his possible murderer's name. He should have asked where he is instead. "Taehyung says he's sorry for hitting you earlier by the way. He thought you were a thief and that was his first instinct. He repaid you by moving you to our house though, this is the closest to the farm. He wanted to see you wake up, but he had to go home." 

Ah. The name is Taehyung. The one who put a bump in his head and also the one who probably saw him butt naked. Fucking Taehyung.

"Do you find the lighting too blinding?" The old woman continues but Jeongguk is having a hard time catching on. He's having a wild imagination of how they managed to carry him from the farm to put him on this bed. "We decided to remain the lights on, so you wouldn't get scared once you wake up–"

"Grandmother?" Now a soft voice took him away from his trance.

There, a girl that looks like his age is standing at the doorway.

"Oh. Jisun-ah." The grandmother averts her gaze from Jeongguk to her granddaughter. "I'm just checking this young boy. He's finally awake." Said the grandmother, her warm smile never fades.

So . . . Park Jisun is a girl, huh?

"Ah. Really?" Jisun yawns, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and that's when Jeongguk wonders how long he has been sleeping. But again, that's not important because–

"That's good then. You should go to sleep, grandma. I'll take care of him." Jisun smiles while tilting her head.

Damn.

She's cute.

Jisun looks like someone you would like to put in your pocket. With her tiny frame and pale skin, she looks soft and delicate you could tell. She got chubby cheeks that you will resist to pinch but her jawline is still defined. Her hair too is brunette like his. She has doe-like eyes but those instantly turn into crescents slits when she smiles. Suddenly, there are sparkles surrounding her head and Jeongguk swears he could hear someone singing 'byeol bichi naerinda syararal laral la ra~' in the background.

Stop! Jeongguk is not that low, he has higher taste. He doesn't think she has kissable plump lips, not at all!

Jeongguk must be going crazy. Thank you very much, Taehyung guy!

He looks away. He should not let his guard down.

A cute person can be a conman too.

Just look at him. He's a good-looking man but he is still a conman.

Hence, what if this is all an act?

What if the grandmother, Park Jisun, and that Taehyung guy are working for the anonymous guy? What if he was being watched from the start and the three of them made sure he gets to an accident and was forced to sleep here? Jeongguk has done it in the past too. Jeongguk is also good at acting kind to his victims that he can secretly squeeze information out of them, and now these people are doing the same to him. He knows they would sweet-talk him to tell them information about the Esmeralda shit, much worse if they're going to make him reveal their hideout.

But what if . . . what if he pretends he's suffering from amnesia?

He got badly hit in his head after all.

And there's nothing else he can do. He got no phone, nor money. He's basically trapped in this strangely comfy house, that is if they're even going to let him exit the room at least. Who knows if there's a sniper lingering around him right now?

"Okay." The grandmother interrupted his train of thoughts. Jeongguk hadn't realized he was spacing out and staring unblinkingly until he saw the grandmother walking her way out of the bedroom already. "Ask him if he wants to eat. He must be hungry." She says to her granddaughter.

Does that translate to go ahead and poison him now? Jeongguk gulps.

"Yes, grandmother. Good night." Jisun is smiling again and her grandmother smiles back.

"And good night to you too." The old woman looks back at him with her unwithering smile before she turned her heels again. They do smile a lot, Jeongguk thinks, and that makes them more suspicious.

But then something changed Jisun's attitude as soon as the old woman left. Her smile immediately drops when she met Jeongguk's eyes and that made him think that his hunch is possibly right.

She looks at him with unwavering eyes.

Then she walks towards him, sternly.

She's walking too fast.

She's lifting her hand too.

And–

"Stop flinching. I'm not going to hurt you." Jisun snorts before Jeongguk realizes that she's already sitting on the bed beside him. She is calm but her serious demeanor hasn't changed at all. Now Jeongguk wishes he hadn't complained about them smiling too much earlier. "I'm just going to check your temperature."

Her words made Jeongguk melt back in the bed. He let her tiny fingers part his bangs as he closed his eyes. Jisun flattened her palm on his forehead, then she flips her hand, putting her knuckles against it instead. She did that for few seconds before withdrawing her hand and placing it on her lap with the other.

"You're impressive." Jisun hums abruptly. She's not cute anymore, but all smugly. Is this even the same person at the doorway earlier?

"Y-yeah?"

"You could have gotten severe fever since Taetae brought you here soaking wet." She tells him. Are Taetae and Taehyung the same person? "But you seem healthy, minus the bruises and that of course." She jerked her head in a way of pointing his head bump.

Jeongguk remained silent then because what should he say? Thank you? Thank you because you're about to succeed in your mission? The mission to kill me?

"Maybe sleeping for six hours straight helped you a lot." She's more like muttering to herself than talking to him because she had her head ducked for a moment before she turn to face him again. "Are you a criminal?"

If Jeongguk was drinking anything right now, he could have gotten choked. How could she suddenly ask him that without blinking? And if a guy sleeps for six hours straight, does that automatically makes him a criminal?

"W-what?" Stop stuttering Jeongguk, damn it.

"You had a dagger and seemingly expensive watch with you this late afternoon."

"Yeah?" Jeongguk felt his cheeks heating up. If she knows about the dagger and the wristwatch, does that mean–

"Don't worry." She smugs. "It's only Taetae who cleaned you using a damp towel and changed your clothes. I hope you don't mind him seeing you only in your underwear." She keeps talking nonchalantly like everything that's happening is normal. Jeongguk somehow felt relief though. He wasn't seen butt naked at least.

"I have kept those things in case you're wondering, except those muddy clothes you were wearing." She points at the plastic chair that Jeongguk hadn't brought his attention to earlier. It's placed near the study table in one corner. There, he saw his leather jacket and jeans compiled. "You're the one who will wash that, not me by the way. I'm not a maid." She adds and there's a bite in her words.

Then their eyes met again.

"But you know what's more interesting?" Jisun scoots closer to him. Their faces are now only inches away from each other. Jeongguk has kissed plenty of girls before, so it's puzzling him why he's getting flustered by only this. Maybe because of the sedative. "You have a dagger and an expensive watch, but you don't have an identification card at all."

Jisun smirks.

"Tell me, were you trying to hide at the farm's guardhouse? Is somebody chasing you? Is that why you got scratches?" She asks. Her eyebrows narrows as she eyed him skeptically. "Are you a criminal? A thief? . . ." She pauses.

". . . A conman?"

Oh. Jeongguk sees how it is. He mentally scoffs to himself, if that is even possible but he suddenly feels giddy. She's trying to act dominantly to make him confess. Jeongguk wants to laugh out loud because what the hell? Did he just let this tiny girl make him blush?

Come on, that's not Jeon Jeongguk at all.

He also wanted to smirk back, but his adam's apple bobbed instead. He wanted to look nervous.

He got this.

"I'm sorry. I . . . I can't remember anything."

A/N Another update!

This is pretty longer than the first two episodes yieeee

Thoughts????

So we got another three new characters? Which among them interests you the most?

I repeat this is a CRACK fanfiction so please expect more random stuffs. BUT it mIghT contain angst, so . . .

love love <3