wonderland ✧ jjk + kth

six

The air smelled was thick and smelled like burnt toast in the lobby. It was the first thing Nari whispered to the Jungkook as her voice bounced off the peeling paint walls. The concierge was less than enthusiastic to see visitors in her building as she studied them through her spectacles. Nari stood incredibly close to Jungkook, fear clearly radiating from her.

"It'll be okay," Jungkook had promised before entering the building. Even though Nari had visited before, she mentioned she'd come with a Anvy to avoid her father committing any sort of antics. "I'm here right?"

"Can I help you?" The concierge sneered.

"I was wondering which room the Kims reside in on the twelfth floor," Nari spoke up. The concierge shook her head.

"I'm afraid we can't disclose personal information to visitors," she denied. "Do you have a relationship to the residents?"

"I'm their daughter," she answered briskly. "Please." Nari showed the concierge her driver's license and she peered at it curiously. Then she dialed a few buttons on her telephone and pressed a button to say "Hello? Mr. Kim?" She released it, waiting for a response. Some static could be heard and Jungkook jiggled his leg restlessly.

"Hello, it's Mrs. Kim," a voice replied. "My husband is out of town currently. Is there something you need Alice?"

"Actually, there are two people here to see. One of which is your daughter and another young man with her." Alice waited for another response again, but this one took some time. Nari imagined her mother either jumping for joy or biting her nails anxiously.  She recalled her mother begging for her to come and visit once more, but after her last time at the apartment, Nari was basically traumatized.  Then, Alice hung up the phone and nodded at the two of them.

"She's in room six."  Nari thanked her and started towards the elevator while Jungkook trailed behind.  He could feel the sweat accumulating on the back of his neck, and he swiped at it. There was nothing to be afraid of as he'd met Mrs. Kim before, but the thought of Taehyung's parents tugged at the memories locked away in a safe in the back of his brain.  When Nari jabbed the 12 button in the elevator and it lurched, Jungkook's heart jumped.

"You're not nervous at all," she joked sarcastically. 

"I feel like I'm in a sauna," he complained.  The doors slid open and the two of them stepped out, turning their heads to see which room was six.

"I think it's down this hallway," Nari said turning left.  Jungkook was about to go right, so he quickly pivoted and followed.  "Six. . . six. . . six. . ."

"This one."

They stood before a beat-up wooden door with a rusty plaque that read Kim on it.  He could hear someone yelling on the other side of the door and couldn't quite identify the gender of the voice.  It sounded a little bit too hoarse to be a woman, but he knew Mrs. Kim had a distinct, low voice in his memories of high school.  Jungkook cracked his knuckles and exhaled deeply.  Nari was observing his actions very carefully.

Nari knocked first; it threw Jungkook off, but he kept his hands in his pockets to stop him from fidgeting like a child.  About forty seconds passed before a woman in her mid-fifties opened the door holding a coffee mug.  She was much shorter than both Jungkook and Nari standing at mere five-foot-four.  A pair of spectacles sat on the bridge of her nose and she grinned upon seeing Nari.

"Oh my goodness Nari!"  She threw her arms around her and Nari's squeaked out at the instant of almost being choked.  "You're. . . here!  I'm so glad to see you!  How are you?  How are classes?  I thought you weren't going to come back after your father le-"