The Fallen

VIII : INTRIGUE

The faerie community was veiled in secrets and mystery. Even the few outsiders who'd been given the privilege to pass beneath the veil still knew very little. Sometimes Jimin felt like he didn't know his closest friends at all, but he had learned to curb his curiosity and accept things as they were. He owed the Faerie his life, after they'd cared for him after his grandmother had passed. Taemin and Kai were like brothers to him, and always would be.

Seulgi hadn't been like a sister to him in a long time. Things changed as he'd matured and their friendship became steeped in attraction and desire. She, like all of her kind, was beautiful in an ethereal and dangerous way. Her eyes were sharp and intense, they seemed to glow verdant when she focused, and could pin anyone to the spot in terror or captivation. Her lips were pink and pulled in smiles and smirks when she spoke with twisted truths. She was magnetic and enigmatic, and Jimin was drawn to her - her secrets, her strength, her beauty, her wickedness, her goodness, and the love he felt from her.

To his knowledge, Seulgi had never lied to him. But truth was a slippery thing with the faerie, who used it as a shield and weapon since they were unable to lie. Jimin hoped he was right about Seulgi's honesty with him.

She lived alone. It was unusual for her people, but she'd had a falling out with her sisters and others in the community before Jimin was born. Her house was across the road from the forest, where she liked to walk surrounded by nature. Rumours persisted there was a portal to the fabled Faerie Realm within the boundaries of that forest, but no one could confirm it. Not even Jimin. It was possible the Faerie Realm only existed in stories, but Jimin liked to think it was real. He dreamed about seeing it one day.

At her doorstep, he looked back at Hobi who waved good-bye before speeding off on his bike. Jimin watched as he disappeared down the road, his lips pursed in a grimace of unease. Hobi had been odd ever since Jungkook arrived. All day he'd been tense and evasive, and Taehyung had been openly suspicious of him too. Jimin wasn't sure what to think. Hobi always kept a part of himself walled and separate. He had a lot of secrets, and Jimin while considered them close friends, there were things he didn't know, and wasn't sure he wanted to know about Jung Hoseok. But with things as they were, Jimin wondered if it would be wise to reconsider.

The sound of the door opening drew his attention from the empty road to Seulgi. She stood in the doorway, long, flowery hair unbound around her petite face, dressed in an ankle-length pale blue chiffon dress with her feet bare. She wasn't smiling, but there was subdued happiness in her expression.

"How do long you plan to stand on my doorstep," she wondered, tilting her head, bird-like in movement. "It's a little cold for lingering, isn't it?"

Jimin's heart rate picked up at the sigh of her. She never failed to take his breath away.

"Just got stuck in my head," he answered her, smiling.

She seemed interested but didn't pry, and sidestepped, inviting him inside. He crossed the threshold and stepped into the warm comfort of her home. Seulgi gently closed the door behind them and he took off his jacket, hanging it on the branch fashioned into a rack on the wall.

"Are you hungry?" She asked. "I made pasta."

He was surprised, and grinned while untied his boots. "I didn't think you were fond of basic human food, Seul. What happened to twigs and berries?" He teased.

Seulgi rolled her eyes. "Pasta is only basic if you don't know what you're doing. I happen to be an excellent cook, and I also happened to have a nice wine to pair it with, so consider yourself lucky, Park Jimin. Or I'd serve you plain bark."

Jimin laughed, and she rolled her eyes again, but her mouth lifted in a small, fond smile.

They walked through the entry to the kitchen, where she plated the food and told him to fetch the utensils. The wine was already poured and waiting at the dining table. The soft glow of the lights and candles made the atmosphere quiet, and romantic. The conversation was light and unimportant. Seulgi asked about his evening with his Taemin and Kai, and Jimin expressed the nostalgia he'd felt seeing them again.