Bad Blood || K. Jongin

12| Shelter

Criminal Kyungsoo 👀👀 bae af!! yuh yuh yuh
∘∘☥∘∘☥∘∘☥∘∘

(Lyra)

My eyes are downcast by the time we arrive at the strangers house.

The sun had set a few minutes prior, which concludes by Jongin banging his fists against the door.

"Are you okay?" I ask for the hundredth time, concern laced deep in my voice as I listen to the sound of his breathing.

It is incredibly coarse-- choppy from the hours of running with me on his back. Guilt seeps into my heart as he turns his head to look at me.

"Y-yes."

"You can set me down now." I whisper.

"No, you're hurt." He speaks roughly.

I can't understand why he is so compelled to keep me off the ground, I can manage the pain since the cuts have naturally crusted over.

But I listen, exhaustion washing over me as the door swings wide open.

I cling tighter to Jongin, semi-terrified as I stare down at the boy who had opened the door.

Jongin's breathing is still ragged as he weakly adjusts me farther up his back. "Hey." He greets.

The strangers face immediately twists with resentment. "What the hell did they do to you?" He pauses for a moment, as if finally processing that I am here. "And who is she?"

"My name is Lyra." I quaver, wanting to break eye contact as soon as I can.  Just one glance from him makes me shudder, he is intimidating for a small man.

"Hurry." He hisses through gritted teeth, ushering us inside, his gaze darting back and fourth down the alleyway.

Jongin immediately collapses on the worn-out sofa, exhaustion finally taking its toll.

"J-jongin!" I gasp, shifting positions so that he is able to lean on my shoulder, but I can tell by the way he stiffly moves away from me that he is in pain.

He falls asleep instantly, breathing shallow, rigid breaths.

I'm about to reach out for him but wince as pain sears up my side.
I look down at my feet, cringing at the unhealthy color. I try my best to say calm, but as I glance around the dingy apartment, my fears continue to grow. How is this man going to help us?

The man, that im guessing is Kyungsoo, glares at me intensively after he closes and locks the door. "Did they follow you?" He advises in perfect English, pulling a chair from underneath the table.

"We lost them hours ago." I speak for Jongin, looking down at him worriedly. "He ran here, I don't know why.. I'm sorry if we are causing you trouble."

"He's my friend." Kyungsoo sighs, reaching over the table to grab a pack of cigarettes. His shirt lifts slightly, revealing a similar tattoo to Jongin's.

23 tallies. I hold my breath.

He lights the cigarette casually, sticking it between his lips before continuing. "Do you want one?"

"N-no.." I stutter, a sour taste forming in my mouth as I watch the smoke swirl into the air. "But I'm in the need for some water, so is Jongin."

Kyungsoo stiffens as I utter his name. His eyes linger on the boy that was passed out next to me. "He told you his real name?"

"Y-yeah.. and you're Kyungsoo right?"

"D.O." He blows a puff of smoke into the air. "Call me D.O."

I fold my hands in my lap, fidgeting nervously. I am so thirsty that It's almost hard to talk.

I avert my gaze down the hallway, wondering why Jongin wanted to come here out of all places.

"Can you please give us some water?" I plead. "Especially him, he's been running for hours."

"Yeah." D.O rolls his eyes, standing up from his position on the chair.

"And a first aid kit."

"Mhm."

He disappears down the darkened hallway and I scowl. How irritating.

I turn my attention back to Jongin and reach out to touch his face. He is burning up, and I begin to fret over his situation. He is completely knocked out.

"I'm sorry." I whisper apologetically.

I feel sorry for causing him this pain, and I stroke his cheek softly. He really is beautiful.

Then suddenly I notice blood trickling down his right arm.

Hesitantly, I reach under his sleeve and pull it up, revealing the tattoo that I had been so curious about.

The bleeding is coming from a cut just below it, barely missing the multiple drawings and jumbled words.

I pick out a few symbols,

카이, 전사, 삼십일.

Kai,

Warrior,

Thirty-one.

But why? What did this have to do with Chinho and the rest of those men? What are we even running from?

I bite my lip, frustration causing my eyebrows to furrow together.

I'm still oblivious to what is happening to me.

"Dammit." I huff out in anger, just wanting to go home more than anything else. I wish none of this had ever happened.

"What?" Kyungsoo grunts, startling me from behind.

"N-nothing." I sigh, pulling my hand from Jongin's face once I realize it's still placed on his cheek. "I'm just talking to myself."

I see him leaning against the door frame, none threatening but alert. My eyes linger to the holstered gun in Kyungsoo's belt.

Observant, he follows my gaze.

"I could kill you." He clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "But it seems Jongin has gone through a lot of trouble for a foreigner like you."

He pushes himself from the doorway and sets two bottles of water on the table. "We need to carry him to bed, I have an extra mattress across the hall."

I look down at my feet, then back up at him. Honestly, I tell him the truth. "I don't think I can help much."

Kyungsoo looks at Jongin resting against me somewhat peacefully. "Stupid bastard." He sighs, leaning down to lift him up as much as possible. "I'll just drag him in. You take care of your feet."

"Okay."

Kyungsoo stumbles slightly under his weight, but manages to successfully drag him into one of the rooms.

He comes back with bandages and beer, causally tossing the roll to me like it was normal. "Patch your feet up." He grunts, popping open the bottle of cheap alcohol.

"T-thanks." I muse tiredly, taking a few chugs of water before turning back to face him.

"Before I pass out." I start, eyes darting from the bottle tip to Kyungsoo's surprisingly dark eyes. "Why do you have the number 23 tallied on your arm?"

His face shifts slightly in surprise, but quickly falls back into place as he speaks.

"23 stands for the number of people I've killed."