The brunet stretched out his hand in which he held the money and gave it to the seller. The woman accepted some bills from him and gave him the ordered products in return. All he had to do was take the bag from her, and his nostrils filled with the pleasant smell of food, setting his bowels in motion. He was so involved in the investigation that he ate little. Hoseok ordered a pizza last night, but he only ate one slice. He hadn't felt hungry until now, and it wasn't until he smelled that intense smell that he realized how hungry he was. He wanted to grab one of the gamja hot dogs he'd bought, but refrained. He swallowed reflexively and formed a hearty smile as he bowed in thanks to the older woman, then turned on his heel and backed out of the alley. Before he left the food stalls, he ordered two more cups of coffee at a nearby café.
When he had everything that was necessary, he headed confidently towards the well-known alley. He was almost there. He wanted the food and coffee to be still warm when he arrived at his destination, so he didn't risk buying them ahead of time and decided to stock up near Itaewon. When he was in front of the building he was heading to, he stopped and looked at the intercom. He just stared at it for a moment, wondering what he should do.
Should he call? Or is it better to just open the door on his own?
He still remembered the code the musician had given him the first time he'd been here. He reached out his hand a bit hesitantly, but before his fingers could press the first number, the door opened from the inside, and after a moment an old woman with hair as white as snow appeared before his eyes. In her slender arms she held a small reddish-colored dog. He didn't get a good look at it, but he could have sworn it was a Chihuahua. He quickly took a step back to let the woman out while holding the door open for her, and she gave him a smile in return.
"Oh, thank you, boy," she said, and he smiled back at her, bowing slightly in respect.
The old woman walked slowly past him, then headed for the small staircase he had climbed a moment ago. Taehyung followed her with his eyes, holding the door with his hand to keep it from closing. He stopped it only a few inches from the door frame so as not to arouse suspicion. He stayed in the same place for a while. Only when he was sure that the old woman was not paying attention to him did he slip into the stairwell. He climbed the stairs quickly, but carefully enough not to spill the coffee from the plastic cups.
As he reached the top floor, where there was only one apartment, he felt his nervousness grow. Until now, he had not wondered if he was doing the right thing. It was like an impulse. Some strange force that made him go in a completely different direction instead of returning home after his service was over. Now his heart was pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird, and the hands that still held the bag of food and cups of coffee were beginning to sweat with nervousness.
"Like tearing off a band-aid," he said to himself, then drew a gulp of air into his lungs and, holding it, knocked on the door.
With every second that passed, his heart beat faster and faster. It seemed to him that in a moment it would literally pierce through the tissues and jump out of his chest. More moments passed, but no one opened.
CZYTASZ
The Crow | Taekook | ENG
FanfictionPeople once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can...