Wick | 민윤기

Four

8 October 2016

The ground was still wet from the rain the previous night, but now the sun was shining. The large star cast the world in a pale yellow light that most would miss as they were still asleep. Yoongi knew this and picked this time for a reason. Jungkook would whine about it, he knew that, but he felt that it was the only safe time.

He approached the house silently. It was in the suburbs of Seoul that he had to take a few buses to get to. The road slanted upward and snaked around the mountain. Jungkook lived toward the bottom so it wasn't too much of a climb. Yoongi was both relieved and worried when Jungkook convinced his parents to move to Seoul for school.

Yoongi had to take extra precautions to make sure the younger stayed safe, which included meeting right when the sun rose and always using disposable phones to contact him. He kept looking over his shoulder as he disappeared into the alley between Jungkook's house and his neighbor's. He scaled the side of the building, using the shed to climb on top of to reach his friend's window.

Once he could reach the sill, he tapped on the glass carefully so as to not create that much noise. He knew Jungkook was a deep sleeper and it was very hard to wake him. Even when he tapped five times more, there was no movement from inside. "Christ..."

Yoongi pulled one of his phones out of his pocket—he usually kept a few on him at all times—and dialed the boy's number. It rang thrice before a groggy Jungkook answered. "Hm?"

"Open your damn window."

There was silence on the other line. Yoongi was afraid that Jungkook would still be mad at him, but then the younger sighed and hung up. A few moments later, he came to the window and opened it before sticking his head out to look down at his hyung. Jungkook held out his hand to help the older into his room, which he did so with a clumsy thump.

"I hope that didn't wake my parents," he sighed before sitting on his bed, hair tousled from sleep.

Yoongi's heart clenched at the sight of the boy's busted lip that was caused by him the day prior. They had gotten into an altercation about the older's shady life. Jungkook just didn't understand the hole Yoongi had dug for himself, and Yoongi's anger—coupled with paranoia and frustration—boiled over to the point that he struck his best friend in the face.

He swallowed hard and threw the decorative box onto his bed before turning away. "Sorry," he mumbled, scanning the room's walls as he had done countless times before.

"What's this?" Jungkook asked while picking it up and examining it.

"What does it look like?" Yoongi retorted, turning back to face him. "Open it."

The younger's gaze lingered on his for a moment longer before he opened the painted cardboard. He pulled out the tissue paper wrapped candle and quickly unraveled it. Once it was revealed, he stared at it in delight. Jungkook was very sensitive to smells and loved candles or anything that emitted a pleasant scent—which Yoongi knew.

He eagerly sniffed at the light-blue wax and smiled. The scent was musky and crisp, bringing the image of a rain-soaked forest to his mind. He pulled it away and read the label. "Northern Downpour," he murmured before looking up at Yoongi, who was smiling at him fondly. "Hyung, this is amazing. I've never smelled a candle so...pungent? Where did you get this?"

"I got it from Candle Girl," he responded without thinking. He also didn't know the name of the shop.

The younger raised an eyebrow. "There's a place called 'Candle Girl'? That sounds like a fetish strip club."

"No, dumbass." Yoongi laughed and leaned on the windowsill. "That's just the chick who runs the shop. I don't know the name. I never really paid attention."

"And you don't know her name?"

He shrugged, not realizing his thirst to know her name until he just asked that question. "She sells candles. I buy them. Names are irrelevant in our business relations."

Jungkook snickered and placed the candle on his bedside table. "You're a dork."

"I'm not afraid to punch you again."

"But this time, I'll be ready," he retorted with a smirk.

"Bet."

"Once my face heals, fine."

"Deal."

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A/N: Short asf ik but I mean idk kthxbye