Black Swan (Kim Namjoon x reader)

Chapter 16

On the outskirts of town, a small cottage-like structure appeared in your sight. It looked like one from a box of tea or cookies. The wooden fence was painted white, making it feel like a home. Next to the front door was a wind chime with a glass body. In the soft afternoon light, it glimmered like feathers of a bird. You imagined that it would sound beautiful, even in a storm. A small vegetable garden and a patch of flowers were behind the front gate, surrounding the entrance of the house. Rows of sunflowers stood tall and faced upward against the brilliant light. Along with purple bushes of lavender alongside the walls of the house. Baseball-sized tomatoes were ready to be harvested, along with cucumber, peppermint, and bell pepper. You were glad to see that some things are still normal here.

He parked the car on the adjacent wall of the house. A strong smell of lavender hit your nose as soon as you stepped out of the car. You caught a glimpse of the back of the house. There was nothing else for miles aside from trees, wild grass, and a lake. In the back of his house, he had set up a white metal table and two chairs facing each other. It didn't look like it would belong to a man, but the empty beer cans underneath the tables suggested otherwise. It would be your first order of business to clean up.

Namjoon grabbed the suitcases and headed inside the house. You followed meekly behind him. The interior was just as lovely and simple as the outside. Aside from some appliances like a fridge and ceiling fan, the house itself was fairly modest and cottage-like. The wooden accents and beige floral wallpaper contributed to the feeling of being in the countryside. It looked completely different from the chic and sleek feeling of his apartment back in the human world. You especially liked the kitchen island the most. It was something you've always wanted for your own place.

"C'mon," he said, "your room is this way."

"Oh, right."

Your room was in the far corner from the living room. The window overlooked the garden, as well as the valley far away. It was like a painting at an antique shop. A queen-sized bed laid below the window, with white puffy sheets and a blanket. There was a pair of house slippers by the foot of the bed. The table next to the bed had a lamp with frills, a small clock, and some fresh flowers. You wondered who prepared all of this and secretly hoped that Namjoon somehow knew your favorite flower. Silly thoughts.

Namjoon set your suitcases by the wall and excused himself so that you could begin to unpack. You didn't have that many clothes, but somehow unpacking and learning where everything in the room was took a couple of hours. The long hours and the exhausting journey through the portal took a lot more energy than you had expected. You eyed the bed greedily. Just 5 minutes, you swore to yourself, you just wanted to close your eyes for a bit.

In your sleep, you saw something glowing. It was your hands and at your mercy were the Knights. They coward at your feet, begging and begging endlessly for you to stop the pain. You felt yourself smiling. Fun couldn't begin to describe how thrilling it was to be powerful. To be dangerous and feared. The Knights' cries stopped. Their bodies fell to the ground. Then everything fell. Trees, flowers, his garden, his broken wind chime. Him. Namjoon!

You woke up with a gasp. The room was still intact. The tomatoes were still waiting to be picked. The fluffy blanket was draped over you, shielding you from the evening breeze that passed through the opened window. It wasn't there before. Your feet slid comfortably into the slippers. Outside in the kitchen, there was a loud crash and Namjoon cursed at himself. Peeking from behind the corner, you saw him in front of the stove, a skillet in his hand. You remember vaguely about Seokjin's warning not to let Namjoon near the fire. But he looked comfortable, and almost at ease. Aside from when the hot oil splashed on him and made him hiss a few times. It looked like he was trying to make an omelet. With one hand on the skillet, he reached the other up the cabinet, his fingers thoroughly and unsuccessfully grabbing at the plate above.

He almost jumped when he saw you suddenly next to him, reaching for the same plate. Your fingers brushed his and he subconsciously took a deep breath and looked away. "Thank you," he offered.

"Sorry, I should have been helping you out with dinner."

He shook his head, "It's fine. You looked like you needed the rest. Are you okay now?"

"Yes, I'm fine," you answered. "This smells really good."

He let out a small proud smile, "Thank you. The old maid who raised me used to make it for me when I was sad. She knew a lot of ways to cheer me up. I only stayed at the awful house for her."

"What happened to her?"

"I'm not sure, my parents told me she left to go look for her granddaughter, but I tried searching al the realms for her and found nothing. I have a feeling she's dead by now."

His smile slowly faded and you regretted instantly for asking. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. But I know for sure she thought about you the whole time."

He chuckled. The sound made your heart feel relaxed. "I hope so too."
"When do you find the time to tend to this place? I always see you at school."

"Well aren't you quite a stalker?" he smirked.

You rolled your eyes and scoffed. "Shut up, I'm just observant. You're hard to miss." Namjoon was taken aback by the sentence. It was the opposite of what he used to believe, that his disguise would help him blend in. Perhaps Seokjin was right, being bullied would be hard to miss. "You're always doing stuff to help out around the class."

"Like what?" he asked, unknowingly leaning in closer.

"You collect homework and pass out assignments for the teacher and you stay behind to sweep. For someone who claims to hate humans so much, you sure like to help out."

"I never said I hate humans," he corrected, "I just find human affairs annoying." But he wondered now why he did those things. They weren't commands for him to follow, he just simply wanted to do it. He just didn't think anyone would notice. "Well, you do the same kind of things."

"What do you mean?"

"You're the one who waters the garden and picks up trash from the soccer field. You're always doing something. I pay attention too." He leaned his chin on his hand and grinned. His dimples are in full view.

It was clear to you that you were blushing. If he asks about it, you would blame it on the heat. You're always doing things that no one cares about. Or so you thought. The sound of metal spoons clanking against the plate continued to fill the air. Something about the scene felt too normal. Anyone looking in would truly believe it was the home of a happy couple. But the couple knew otherwise. The worst was yet to come.