𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 [ bts a.f ]

⠀⠀⠀⦊ 01. REBEL

JEON JEONGGUK | ♙

▍❝ SOMETIMES, LIVING WITH
WHO YOU ARE IS MORE
PAINFUL THAN DYING. ❞

The path to Jeongguk's destination was like the descent to hell, in a way; the air was laden with the pungent scent of rotting skin, blood, and alcohol — among other things. Tonight was no different, the odor of blood overloading Jeongguk's senses and making his head spin. He wasn't quite sure which part of him was stronger: the part that wanted to gag at the nauseating stench of death or the part that desired to open his mouth and lick his chapped lips in an attempt to catch more of the distinctive, mouth-watering aroma. Despite his internal dilemma, the air still smelled like dinner. Wrinkling his nose at the thought, Jeongguk slipped into the all-too familiar alleyway and turned to his right, making his way down a set of steps and out to a complicated underground network. No one paid him much attention, to his relief, as he quickly made his way past the various stands selling cigarettes and alcohol. Jeongguk ducked into the hidden area behind a movable part of the stone wall behind the vines draping down the walls, the route there seared into his memory clearly from a couple years of frequenting the place. He moved through the unlit corridor silently, confident despite the lack of light and foul-smelling water dripping from the ceiling in inconsistent intervals.

The cobblestone underneath his feet was slick with water as Jeongguk gingerly made his way toward the wooden door he knew that was at the end of the hallway. The smell of blood only became ever-prominent as he drew closer, stronger than he had ever smelled it in the last four years. Jeongguk felt the heavy weight of dread and unease settle in the pit of his stomach. He tried to breathe less, inhales getting shallower as he stopped moving in the pitch-black darkness of the hallway and steadied himself, his entire identity itself flickering inside him like a dying candle. The boy reached out a hand with a sigh and knocked three times on the wood that had worn down over the years. Jeongguk waited a few seconds without a response and cleared his throat. "It's Jeongguk." He said with a roll of his eyes, the two short words bouncing off the walls around him in an echo.

A beat of hesitation lingered in the air before the thick wooden door opened with a loud creak that sounded like a groan weighed down by age. It only opened a quarter of the way before he saw that Elizabeth stood behind it, hip cocked and eyes narrowed in mild irritation. Jeongguk gave her a little wave with his fingertips, waiting for her to open the door fully. "And I'm Elizabeth, dimwit." She drawled sarcastically. "You know the knock code exists for a reason."

Jeongguk clicked his tongue. "Please, when have I ever used it?" He wrapped his fingertips around the edge of the door and tugged at it gently, a forced, thin smile playing on his lips. "Let me in, Liz." The raven-haired girl gave him one last look before pushing it open all the way, allowing him to pass. The door slammed shut behind him as he made his way down the winding staircase in front of him. Jeongguk felt a little light-headed, the lack of oxygen in his system dizzying.