The Black Sheep

"I wish the world was at peace once more....but that seems like such a pipe dream...will I ever be safe from the past that torments me?....or will I forever be on the run from those who seek to destroy me..."

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

[daxkwangsoo]

And now he just had to pass the bag of eggs down for the girl to catch. “Could you help me a bit over here,” he called out, lowering down the bag to the furthest he could extend his arms. It shouldn’t be too difficult considering his long limbs helped a lot. Once he was fairly sure the girl was at the right position, he let loose the grip on the rope, letting the bag fall. He just hoped that she would be able to catch it with all the eggs still intact. “Did you get it?”

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun walked over to the tree at the sound of the others voice, instantly understanding what his plan was. With outstretched arms, she caught the bag and gingerly lowered it to the ground, opening the sack and checking each egg. She squealed in delight to find none had been harmed in the fall. "They're so big! These will surly feed the children for weeks." She took the sack and gingerly laid it in her basket, but not before taking two out. 

These she handed to the man. "Here. You deserve a treat." She smiled a warm smile. After all he'd done to help her he deserved a lot more but for now this was all she could give him. He'd had no reason to trust her and yet he had which she was grateful for. She didn't like not being trusted. No one ever had a reason not to trust her...well...maybe one person...

"Thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it." 

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

[daxkwangsoo]

He didn’t wait for her reply before climbing up the tree, using the lowest branch as a leverage to hoist himself up, his long limbs for once proving to be of use. Carefully, he stepped on more branches to get to where the nest was, a delighted smile on his face when he did. “We’ve got some good deal here. It’s probably enough to feed the children for a few meals.” He didn’t know what kind of eggs these were, but there were bigger than usual and he wasn’t complaining. They couldn’t afford to be picky in such situation.

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun huffed a little as she was gently pushed aside. She hated being told she couldnt do something. She'd spent her whole life being treated like a fragile piece of pottery that you kept hidden away on a shelf so no one could break it and she was tired of it. She could do just about anything....accept the one thing that would make her family love her. She sighed then looked up, her eyes going wide. In mere seconds he'd managed to get up to the higher branches. She had to admit she was impressed. 

"How many are there?" She smiled brightly thinking of how much joy the eggs would bring to the children. For at least a little while the children wouldnt go home hungry. "Be careful ok." She started to become concerned. How was he going to get back down with the eggs. She looked around for something she could do to help and frowned when nothing sprung to mind. She was helpless and could only watch. "Just take it slowly ok?"

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

."lets." turning around, he looked back to make sure that jieun was in fact following him. he wondered if his mother would freak out seeing her son’s shirt around this strange girls body, he wondered if his mother assumed they were more than colleagues, that were helping rebuild the school’s future. "hope you eat meat, because we’re having my favorite meal, chicken." the food was jongin’s favorite, ever since he was a child he had lived the feeling of the meat against his tongue was an everlasting paradise…

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun frowned. Surely there were some blankets stashed away somewhere. If only she had the one that had burned in the fire. Then again...if she'd had those there would be no reason for her to be at his house in the first place. She would have to think of a way to convince him to sleep in the bed. She'd take the floor. It was the least she could do. After all, he was giving her a roof over her head. Even if she was only determined to stay for one night. She couldn't bare the thought of staying longer and letting...whatever she was feeling develop. She wouldnt subject Jongin, this sweat, kind, caring man, to her curse. No way. He may be a mama's boy but that didnt mean he deserved her punishment. No....as soon as she could she'd be gone before he even noticed. It would be awkward at first....working together. But she'd find ways to avoid him. That's what shes done for as long as she can remember. Avoid people. 

"Chicken sounds amazing." It had been so long since she'd eaten any kind of meat other than the game that would randomly appear at the school doorstep. And most of that had gone to the children. Just the thought of meat made her mouth water. And her eyes water. "Thank you....for being so kind to me. I....I don't deserve your kindness." She sniffled and tried to smile. No...she didnt deserve this kindness...or any kindness for that matter. So many people had died because of her selfishness.....she deserved to sleep in the gutter. "I'll never forget it Jongin-ah..." 

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

"i- i’m sorry, i d- didn’t meant to scare you…" he stepped into the room once more, slightly looking her body up and down, unable to help it as jongin was in fact a young male. "dinner’s nearly ready… that’s if you’re hungry. think of this as your room while you’re here, i’ve slept down in the shop before." he smiled.

[jieun-tlou]

"H-how long were you standing there?" She asked in embarrassment. She'd hate for him to have seen her touching his things. She was afraid that would come off as a little....weird. She nodded as his next words. "I don't think I'm..." Her eyes went wide as her stomach growled loudly at the mention of food. When was the last time she'd honestly eaten? "Thank you Jongin...for everything." She frowned at the thought of him sleeping downstairs in that drafty store. "No no I can stay down there. You shouldnt have to give up your bed for me. Or...you could stay here..with me." Her own words shocked her. Where had that come from? 

"I...I mean.." What did she mean? She'd never spent the night with a boy before. Not even... She was slightly embarrassed to admit she was still a virgin. It wasnt that she hadnt had the opportunity to...you know...give up the "V-Card" so to speak...but she'd never found the right person. Her one love affair was so secret and frowned upon that they'd never had the opportunity. And then he had died. She didnt even know why this was crossing her mind! He hadn't given her one indication that he was even thinking that. He probably didnt even like her in that way. He was just being polite and kind to her. He probably felt sorry for her. They had just met and she barely knew the guy. So why all of a sudden was she feeling....this way?

"W-why dont we get that food you spoke of?" She tried to calm her nerves to no avail. Something about Jongin....made her palms clammy and her heart race. When he spoke, his voice was calming and soothed her like nothing had before. When he walked into a room her stomach turned to butterflies and when he flashed that smile at her, her knees when weak. But she didn't know a thing about him. Not a thing. She'd met him less than 24 hours ago. It was crazy. You weren't supposed to feel this way about someone after you've just met. Fairy tales werent real...at least not anymore. She couldn't let herself get hurt again...the thought of losing Jongin..she didnt even want to think about it. But she was cursed. Anyone she's ever gotten close to either betrayed her....or died because of that betrayal. How could she subject Jongin to that same fate....it would be selfish of her...

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

bending down, he searched through the drawers of clothes he had collected over the years, searching for something that was too small for him now, and that didn’t smell too much like him. he had no luck, sure he found clothes that would be best fitting for her body, but they smelled too much like jongin. "is this okay?" he turned around, raising an old shirt in his arms, it was rather large, one of the shirts that jongin used to wear to bed.

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun frowned as she was led to Jongin's room. She could tell by the tone of his mother's voice that she wasnt happy Jieun was here. "Jongin I can go if you're going to get in trouble." She sat down on the bed looking around his room. It was nice. Cozy and dark. It reminded her of her old room back at the manor house. It both pained her and comforted her to think of it, that room where she spent 90% of her life while her parents kept her guarded from the outside world. And it smelled like him, which was even more comforting. 

She looked up when she heard his voice, pulled away from her memories. "Oh...that's fine." She stood and walked to him, taking the shirt, her fingers gently brushing against his hand making her shiver a bit. "I'll...I'll just put this on. You go deal with your mom." She tried to give him a reassuring smiles but the truth was she was terrified. She didnt want to leave. Not so much because she didnt have anywhere else to go. She was resourceful and could figure something out. She'd spent months on her own until she found Zone X. But she didnt want to leave...him. The thought of being away from him pained her. She wanted to stay by his side. 

She waited until he'd left the room to change into the shirt, folding the other shirt he'd given her and placing in it on the dresser. The shirt smelled like him to and it calmed her nerves a bit. She walked around the room, her fingers brushing against each item in the room. She smiled at the little trinkets knowing that somehow each one had meaning to him, and she desperately wanted to know those meanings. She wanted to know everything about him. She wanted to know his aches and pains, the things that made him tick, the things that made him happy. Everything. 

She jumped suddenly at a sound coming from the doorway and froze, silently praying that it was Jongin telling her she can stay, and not his mother kicking her out. 

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

he opened the door, allowing jieun to enter first. he raised his finger to his lips as he hushed her, slowly taking her by the wrist lightly, leading her towards the comforts of his room. “who’s this jongin?" a familiar voiced cooed from the bottom of the stairs, jongin’s mother smiled up at the two, she had a friendly look on her face, a welcoming one indeed, but jongin knew as soon as he tried explaining just who jieun was, that she’d lose it.

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun nodded in understanding. She knew what it was like to have over controlling parents. She knew better than anyone what that was like. The memories made her shiver and she followed Jongin through the shop, keeping her eyes open for any sign of movement. The last thing she wanted was to get Jongin in trouble. She didnt want to see anything bad happen to him. Just the thought of it made her heart hurt. She felt protective of him. She knew she'd do anything in her power to keep him safe. And that feeling scared her. She didnt want to become attached to someone else just to have them ripped away from her again. 

She jumped at the sound of the voice behind them and moved to hide a bit behind Jongin. She clung to his shirt, smiling softly at the woman at the bottom of the stairs. "H-hello. I'm Jieun. I work with Jongin at the school. It's a pleasure to meet you." She tried to keep her voice from shaking. She didnt want this woman to know she was afraid but it was probably far to late. 

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

taking his hands back to his sides awkwardly, turning his face away from hers. "i mean…" just what did he mean? "we’re these kids whole life, we’re their heroes, and when we put out minds to it, there’s nothing we can’t do." he sighed, turning back around to pick up the bag once again. "it’s not too much farther, just a couple of blocks." he felt nerves build up in his stomach as he realized how close they were to his home, to his mother.

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun gasped a bit as she felt his thumbs touch her face. The feeling sent shivers through her whole body. What was happening to her? She blinked and nodded at his words. "Thank you...Jongin...I really appreciate your kindness." She wasnt used to kindness. Ever since....she tended to stay away from people. Children were easy to be around. They were innocent. They couldnt hurt you. But adults were different. Adults had agendas. Adults had the means to hurt you. 

But as much as her instincts told her to be wary of Jongin, she just...couldnt be. He was so kind and gentle. He seemed to care about the same things she did. She hadnt met anyone like him in a long, long time. 

She followed along behind him, looking around to get her bearings. She would need to remember how to get back to the school in case...the need arised. "Hopefully we'll get the work done soon. And we probably should set something up outside. The students need to learn. Just because their schools burnt down doesnt mean they cant learn somewhere else." 

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

[daxkwangsoo]

Sighing inwardly, Kwangsoo decided that since he was already helping her out, he might just well do a proper job. He stopped in his work to crane his neck and looked up at the trees, searching intently for any indication of nest with eggs. He couldn’t help but beamed widely when he spotted one. “I hope the children like eggs.” 

[jieun-tlou]

"I am" She nodded at his question. "I'm the teacher and the caregiver. Without the school most of these kids wouldn't be able to eat. We get meat every so often. It just...shows up on our doorstep. But other than that we have to find food for them ourselves." She sighed and shook her head. It wasnt fair, how rotten the world had become. But she knew she'd rather be here scrounging around for food for a worthy cause then back in the hell whole she once lived in.

She looked up into the trees. "Eggs?" She blinked. She couldnt remember the last time she'd had eggs. And she highly doubted the children had ever had them before, unless their parents were hunters or something. She sized up the tree, looking for possible access points. She looked over Kwangsoo and nodded. "If you boost me up I'll probably have a better changce of getting through the branches."

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

he wondered how his mother would react to him bringing home some strange girl, if she would think that he was out sleeping with everyone- although she knew that jongin was most likely the least experienced person in zone x. his long legs stepped at their normal speed, he looked back slightly as he realized that jieun was a few steps back, struggling slightly to keep up with his long strides. "sorry." he spoke, stopping in his tracks as he awaited for her to catch up. "i’m just used to walking alone." he smiled for what felt like the 50th time today.

[jieun-tlou]

"Thanks" Jieun smiled softly as she took the shirt from him, slipping it over her head. It smelled like him, and for some reason it comforted her. She reached down and grabbed her purse, the only thing she had left and followed him out. She struggled to keep up with him a bit, his long legs making his strides much longer than hers. She was grateful when he slowed down and she looked up at him as he smiled down at her. It made her heart quicken. He had such a beautiful smile. It reminded her so much of...

No. She shook her head clearing her mind. She wouldnt go there. She could never think of him again. She'd finally given up the guilt over his death, simply by not thinking of it anymore. She wouldnt go back to that dark place again.

"How much further is it to your house?" She looked up at him. Suddenly she felt something tug at the end of her shirt and she looked down and smiled, kneeling down so she would be eye level with the small boy who had come up to her. "Well hello there Kangwoo." The boy sniffled and pouted at her. "Miss Jieun...when will the school be opened again?" Jieun sighed and pulled the boy to her, embracing him. She kissed the top of his head as he wrapped his little arms around him. "You're hungry arent you.?" The little boy nodded. She stood and walked over to Jongin and reached into the bag of fruit, pulling out a rather ok looking apple. She bent down again and handed the apple to the boy. "Thanks Miss Jieun!" She smiled. "You're welcome Kangwoo. I promise. We'll get the school back open as soon as possible."

As she watched the boy run off, tears filled her eyes. She came back to Jongin, wiping at them with the back of her hand. "Fucking Military. Do they not understand that without the school most of these kids wont eat? We're the only ones that provide food for the children. And now that's just...gone." She shook her head. It wasnt fair. Everything good she tried to do gets destroyed. She was cursed to...no. No I will not let myself think that way again...

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

[daxkwangsoo]

Despite having failed to capture the snake as he wanted to, Kwangsoo kept his eyes trained on any moving creatures in hope of another attempt at it. The machete still in his grip as he casually swing it around the bushes. Just as he gave up searching and decided to move on to another area, he heard noises that sounded like someone hitting something, followed by a groan. He started to panic upon the realization that there was another presence beside himself. How could he not have noticed that in the first place?

"Yah, who’s there?" He hoped it wasn’t an enemy while he cautiously took a few steps towards the source of the noises; his machete acting as both a weapon and shield as he brandished it in front of him. However, when he finally saw the intruder, it stunned him for a moment after realizing it was merely a young lady and not someone who looked ridiculously dangerous. He knew look could be deceiving too, like how Jihyo seemed so delicate but was actually an atomic bomb that could go off at any moment’s notice.

After a few seconds worth of internal debating, he decided that she didn’t seem like someone who was deadly, and put away his machete back in his sheathe. “Uhm, you need help getting up?” He asked, holding his palm outwards to the female as a form of friendly gesture. “What are you doing alone by yourself? It could get pretty dangerous around here.”

[jieun-tlou]

At first she was reluctant to take the strangers hands, but after watching him put away his weapon and looking into his kind face she decided he couldnt be too dangerous. And if he was it wasn't like her life mattered all that much. She took his hands and stood up, brushing the dirt and leaves off her shorts and legs, reaching up to pull a twig from her hair. "I was looking for some food to take back to the children at the school." She sighed. Turning she breathed another sigh of relief to see the berries she'd picked hadnt been harmed in the fall. 

She picked up her basket, showing him the berries she found. "The school gets an anonymous gift of game every few weeks but it's not enough to sustain them. So I volunteered to come out here and find some more food. It's not like the military will give us any and Fireflies is just too busy to deal with us right now." She frowned looking down at her basket. Truth was, the children were starving. Everyone was. If you werent military or Firefly or some other band. And since there wasnt enough room at the hospital for the sick children to stay they kept them at the school. 

"You seem to be a kind person....would you mind helping me find more food?"

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

he looked around, searching for some sort of clothing that she could wear in the mean time, hoping that she would accept his offer and go with him, although there seemed to be nothing. he knew she wouldn’t fit into his mother’s clothes, as his mother had grown extremely thin over the past few months, and her clothes would be too tight for jieun, despite her having a small, petite waist. the only other option was, jongin’s own clothes. "i have something that you could change into as well, that’s if you even wanted too." he smiled as he held his good hand out towards her, encouraging her to grip it and raise herself up.

[jieun-tlou]

"I'm...I'm fine" She breathed out, looking up into his face, feeling the redness come to her cheeks. She stood up after him, frowning when she noticed him trying to hide his hand. She reached down, tearing off the end of her shirt, taking his hand and wrapping the cloth tightly around it. "You need to get this cleaned up. And thank you....I...Normally I wouldnt accept your offer but seeing as I'm the reason your hands all fucked up I might as well." She smiled up at him. 

Turning she went to pick up a few more boxes then grabbed what little belongings she had left: her knife that she tucked into the belt loop of her shorts, her favorite book that she never went anywhere without, and a bag of fruit she'd picked up that morning. She held the bag out to Jongin. "Here. I head once that you were never supposed to go to anyone else's home without a gift." 

She reached down, trying to pull her shirt down more, looking down and sighing. She'd ripped off too much and now her stomach was showing. Great. Just what I need. To look like a hussy or something. She puffed her cheeks and tried her best to make it look presentable. "Alright. Lead the way"

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

[daxkwangsoo]

Unfortunately for him, his foot landed on a broken branch on the ground with a snap, and the snake took its chance to slither away. “Aish, such a pity,” he grumbled to himself, too engrossed on trying to catch the snake that he failed to notice the girl picking berries by the bush.

[jieun-tlou]

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jieun turned, her eyes going wide as she spotted the man with the large machete standing behind her. Her first instinct was to run, but she was sure he'd be faster than her. But if she tried to hide, she'd make more noise and be discovered in seconds. So she froze, stilled her breathing and watched. He seemed to be searching for something in the bushes on the other side of the path. He hadnt noticed her which was good. She had no idea who this person was. He could be dangerous, violent. He could be one of those crazies she'd always heard about that went around killing people just for the fun of it. 

As she watched him, he didnt seem like the "mass murderer" type. From what her eyes could see, he seemed to have a kind manner. He was tall, lanky. His face was somewhat handsome. She smiled softly. Though he didnt seem dangerous, she coudlnt be sure he wasnt. Slowly, she began to back up, moving to hide behind the bush until he moved on. But unfortunately for her, her klutzy nature decided to pick that exact moment to rear it's ugly head and she tripped over a root that stuck above the ground and fell back on her butt, a loud groan escaping her lips. 

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

[tlouxyongguk]

looking back at the woman, she looked tired, looked like she had been here all day cleaning up the mess that she hadn’t even made herself. jongin coughed lightly as he placed the box on the stack of the others, it was growing higher and higher, almost standing to his shoulders. "if you want to go and get something to eat or get changed, i can stay and clean." jongin smirked, turning around to see her searching still. "no seriously, you should go sleep or something, you look exhausted." jongin sighed as he stepped closer to her, her arms shaking from the heat, her entire body covered in a pool of sweat. he lightly gripped her arm, encouraging her to stop moving around and rest. "i’ll finish cleaning up, you go sleep." he smiled a sweet smile. "jongin." he held his hand out as he bit the side of his cheek, even though she was covered in sweat, even though she looked beyond tired, jongin still found her somewhat- pretty.

[jieun-tlou]

Jieun gasped at the sudden touch, looking up into the eyes of the man who had, essentially, come to her rescue. With a small smile and a nod she went and sat down among some of the boxes. "I'm Jieun. It's nice to meet you Jongin." She took the bottom of her shirt, leaning forward so she wouldnt show much more than her stomach and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Going and taking a shower wouldnt do her much good. She'd just have to put the same sweaty clothes back on. Everything she owned was destroyed in the fire. And would the military bother replacing at least her clothes if not the other survival items she'd managed to scrounge up? Of course not. 

She sighed, leaning back on her hands and staring up at the gaped ceiling. "It wont do me much good to sleep. Or get cleaned up. I lived here....so...I'm basically homeless. If I want to have someplace to live we need to get this done as quickly as possible." With that she stood, a new burst of energy rushing through her body. She grabbed another empty box and started filling it with junk and debris to be taken outside. She refused to meet Jongin's gaze, embarrassed at the pathetic state she was now in. The last thing she wanted was for this...rather cute...guy feeling sorry for her. 

She continued to work, almost falling into a trance of monotony, her world shrinking to a small bubble around her. She almost completely forgot Jongin was still in the room with her. As she picked up a rather heavy box, she miss judged the amount of force used to pick it up and she  began to fall backwards, falling into something large and soft. 

[jieun-tlou]

The Idea of Family | Jieun & Kwangsoo

Jieun stumbled through the underbrush, the tree tops making it dark and hard to see. Why had she volunteered for this? Weren't there people who's job it was to find food out in the woods? But of course that food usually went to the military long before it came to the civilians let alone the children. Though the children had been getting anonymous donations of meat, it still wasnt enough to truly satisfy them. And everyone knows children can't learn on empty stomachs. 

She picked her way over tree branches and other low lying plants. The basket attached to her arm reminded her of fairy tales from long ago. Though modern times had softened those stories, she still couldnt help remembering the originals. They were dark, torturous and always ended horribly. Apparently people in the dark ages didnt believe in happy endings. She couldnt really blame them. The world had once again descended into darkness and it was hard to try to find the light these days. That being said, she remained on high alert. Knowing her luck, her story would end just as badly, if not worse, then those old stories. 

She came to a bush laden with berries. She pulled out the book on edible plants and berries she'd borrowed from the library and thumbed through it, finding a picture that matched the berries. She sighed in relief. They were ok. She began picking as many as she could as quickly as she could. The sooner she got back behind the wall the better. Just as she was picking the final berry she heard something snap behind her and she froze. 

[jieun-tlou]

Rebuilding the Future | Jieun & Jongin

Jieun sighed as she lifted another heavy box full of rotting paper and musty old books, carrying it outside. The hot sun beat down on her, making her hair stick to her forehead from sweat, the wiping of her forehead with her arm only making things worse. Her arm was equally drenched in sweat and she was pretty sure the rank smell in the air was coming from her. Someone seriously needed to recreate the Deodorant concept. But when you have death looking you in the face on a daily basis, body odor just seemed like a non existent concern. 

Making her way back into the crumbling old building, she tired her best not to trip over loose laying beams. She seemed to be the only one on clean up duty today and she sighed in frustration. There was no way she could get enough done by herself and the school needed to be reopened asap. This is the result of the military getting to involved with the civilians. "Idiots." She mumbled as she loaded another box. Last week a group of soldiers had a bit too much to drink and managed to set the building on fire. Luckily no one was inside. She had happened to be out looking for food at the time, or she might not have made it herself. All of her clothes were now ruined aside from the ones she had on and all of her precious belongings, the things that held her to her past were gone. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. 

She stood up, popping her neck and sizing up the work to be done with a groan. It was going to take months to get this place back up to shape and in the mean time she had to find some other place to live. Sleeping in a soaking wet, moldy building wasnt ideal for her health. She turned as she heard something crack behind her and sighed in relief. "Oh thank god. Someone else coming to help."