𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍 • SKIN ᝰ.ᐟ 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐆𝐘𝐔

⌗OO1 - prologue

Soobin was never one to do things spontaneously.

He liked to change things sometimes, but only a little bit. He was comfortable within his simple and repetitive lifestyle. He had a stable income managing a one-man-operated convenience store. He always had enough food, clothes, and money, a place to live-he was content. He needed nothing.

Friends were like a foreign concept to him.

Soobin grew up in Gangnam in an upper-class family. However, after finishing school, he moved to Seoul alone. He didn't have many friends, maybe because of his quiet and secluded nature, or because of his undying urge to push people away, like his family did him.

Soobin's father was a rather well-off businessman who worked in the pharmaceutical field. He wanted his son to study medicine so he could take over the company someday, but Soobin refused. He'd seen what money and prestige had done to his father, and he wanted none of that for himself. His mother, on the other hand, had chosen to leave much before Soobin ever did.

However, as much as Soobin didn't like things to pop out of nowhere, such things are inevitable, and a string of unforeseen events would quite soon rack his world.

+×+

Bright rays of sun shone through a break in the windows curtains.

The alarm clock on the bedside table rang, screaming in Soobins ear for him to wake up. A lazy hand emerged from beneath the bed covers and fumbled around to turn the ringing off, to no avail until Soobin actually opened his eyes and looked.

He groaned, pushing his blonde hair from his tired face, and sat up. With an outstretched arm, he yanked the curtains open and let the light flood in. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he slid on a shirt and a pair of slacks, going downstairs to make himself breakfast.

To say his apartment was small would probably be a slight understatement. It was tiny. It had basically two rooms; a bathroom and a living space. Soobin's bedroom was a loft above the lounge area. It still allowed him to stand up straight without hitting his head. The building was tall, not wide.

Steam curled in the air above the kettle of boiling water. Soobin made himself a hot cup of coffee before properly getting ready for work.

The weather outside, though sunny, was wet. It had plummeted down with rain the night before, and now there were sun-showers. Soobin threw on an extra layer just in case, grabbed his keys, and set out for work.

A brisk walk to where he spent most of his days; the convenience store. Upon arrival, he went through a mental checklist of what had to be done to open the shop for the day.

Lights

Register

Restock the shelves

Hot water

Microwaves

And so on. Finally, he turned on the neon "open" sign in the store's window and positioned himself behind the counter. The ding of a bell, the first customer, and with that, the day began.

+×+

Closing time rolled round eventually, and Soobin began to shut everything down for the night. He moved the money from the register to the small vault in the back storage room.

As he was locking the vault again, he heard the doorbell ring, the door opening and closing.

"Hello?" Soobin called out, slightly uneasy. "I'm afraid we're closed." He quickly went back into the store, but nothing was to be seen.

"Hello?" he called again, his eyes dancing around the aisles, looking for whoever had come in. Soobin wanted to kick himself for not locking the shop first.

Soobin gripped his phone in his hand, his other hesitantly reaching for the emergency button beneath the counter. It recoiled when he heard a thud come from the aisle next to ice cream freezers. Soobin's ear perked up at the sound, and he edged closer to where it came from.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am, we're closed," he said loudly. He made almost no sound with his steady footsteps. Soobin held his breath as he rounded each aisle's corner. Soobin came to a halt, a sudden gasp escaping his lips at the sight in front of him.

A pale and tattered boy sat on the floor, grasping a stick of cheese tightly in his hands. His dark hair was shoulder-length, messy, and knotted. He wore something like a dirty hospital gown, but it certainly didn't look like he was from one.

"Hey! You can't eat that!" he yelled, pointing at the cheese stick the boy was eating, frowning.

The boy jumped out of his skin. He hadn't seen Soobin standing there. Soobin saw the boy's frightened expression and softened his tone. "I'm sorry, sir, you need to pay for that."

The boy shook his head and hurriedly threw the cheese stick on the floor. His eyes filled with tears, fear creeping onto his face.

Soobin expected him to run, but he did the exact opposite. The boy fell at Soobin's feet, "Save me, please!" he pleaded, his hands latching onto the blondes' uniform.

"Hide me, please!"

"They're gonna be after me, I s-supposed to be dead-d," he kept falling over his own words, and Soobin could barely understand what was being said.

He's just lying so he doesn't get caught.

The voices within Soobin's head were gnawing at his brain. The boy kept begging and begging, tears like waterfalls and desperation in his trembling voice and body. Soobin felt glued to the spot. He was torn between two options. After a brief moment of thinking, he pulled out his phone.

"112, what's your emergency?"

"Someone broke into my shop."