tranquil

hong jisoo | 21

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgxjun ]

the change in jun’s expression causes something to twist in her heart, coiling painfully between her lungs till she feels like she’s going to burst. oh, oh god, the concern on jun’s face looks so real, like she actually does care, like that worry is genuine and she really doesn’t want anything but the best for jisoo. it’s throwing her off course, head spinning. she doesn’t know if it’s real, if jun is actually her friend, because jun still looks at her with affection when all the evidence says that jun might be working for the people that killed her parents.

“i’m sure.”

she’s never sounded so frail, so close to the point of breaking. jisoo feels like she’s balancing on the point of a needle, like even the slightest brush of wind will send her tumbling down, down, down. she doesn’t know how much longer she can keep this up.

“i’ll be back soon. i promise.”

she’s broken a lot of promises over the years. and it hurts to do this: it hurts to know that she’s going to hurt jun, that she’s lying to the other, that even if she doesn’t verbalize it, this is the end of things between them. 

her hand hesitates at the door knob, but when she steps out, she doesn’t look back. 

[kgxjisoo]

“How do you know how to do that?”

[ Prompt ]

“this?”

jisoo holds up the cat like its a tshirt or a plastic bag, or something else equally malleable and pliant in his hand. he’s got it by the scruff of it’s neck, and it hangs obediently from his hand, tail swaying, eyes blinking one too many times. just moments ago it had been hissing and threatening bodily injury (read: jisoo doesn’t want to get scratched by a stray), but it was calm as can be now.

“oh, this. yeah, cats have got like. this nerve or something on the back of their neck, and when you pinch them there they just sorta shut down. thats how mom cats carry their kids - do you really not know this?” 

[kgjitae]

stray.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgjitae ]

the railing is shaking a little (divine retribution from god? would the ground open up and swallow him whole too? he can only hope), and jisoo clings to it, eyes wide, mouth agape with shock. is this real? is this really fucking real?  apparently so, because he hears jitae’s laugh, eerily familiar and tugging at his heart strings. it’s been a while since he’s heard that. sincere or not, for better or worse, jitae is back, living in the apartment below jisoo like he’d never left and jisoo had never ghosted him.

(except he had left, of course, and jisoo had left him on read for two whole months. oh dear.)

he eyes the cigarette in jitae’s hand and lingers on the promise of dinner, mouth curling with consideration. inevitably, they’ll have to talk. about things. granted, jitae isn’t all that good about talking on his feelings either, but he’ll certainly joke about it and jisoo will most certainly throw himself out the window at some point. 

but then again, jitae always buys the nice cigarettes, the one’s jisoo can’t afford, and he’s a good cook, and jisoo is starving. 

pros and cons.

“yeah. yeah gimme a second to get my phone. i’m coming down.” 

[pledis17]

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgxjun ]

“no!” she says too quickly, too loud, winces at her own faux pas. usually she’d be so eager to spend time with jun - jisoo is starved of affection, and jun gives and gives and gives, gives even when jisoo feels like she’s undeserving of it. was all of that fake? was all of that a ploy to earn her trust? she feels sick to her stomach, like she’d throw up her all her guts, her heart too if she thought about this one second too long. 

jisoo clears her throat, before nodding, doing her best to appear calm. “don’t worry about it jun. i’ll be back soon enough, and it’ll be bad if the delivery comes and one of us isn’t around to open the door.”

she does her best to smile, the way she always does with jun. 

(it is always so easy to smile around jun - like happiness and her go hand in hand. jisoo feels like her face is breaking, like this is the most difficult thing she’s done in a long time.)

“i’ll be right back, i promise.” 

[kgyongguk]

mad city.

ft. @kgxjisoo

whereas it might not look it at that moment, yongguk isn’t a stalker.

or he could be judging by how he isn’t even on any certain mission at that moment ㅡ isn’t supposed to be, at least ㅡ but he still finds himself with an id that doesn’t belong to him between his index and middle finger like it’s the most natural thing in the world, steps away from the library that has its name printed across the top of the offending item. maybe now would be a good time to stop, to just head over to kingsman and hand the identification in but there’s something about finding out himself that’s so appealing.

that, and the fact that his leg still aches like a bitch and it didn’t help that he had yoongi over the other night who won’t stop commenting on his significantly evident limping as though it’s the only source of entertainment. his injury has, upsettingly, decreased his efficiency in the field by at least twenty seven percent and yongguk can’t help the fact that he wants to ask one (1) hong jisoo exactly who they are.

the thought of that drives him inside the library, one hand in pocket, the other playing with the card as he sweeps a glance over the room. 

got you.

[kgxjisoo]

writing out library fines is not fun. this is mostly because it’s usually the same names every week and jisoo is tired of strangling their money out of them when he’d much rather just revoke their library card, but alas. he doesn’t make the rules. he’s got the occasional new name on the list, one that likes to chew his ear off while he smiles and nods politely and informs them they’re being charged a hundred thousand won late fee.

he’s at the front desk today, lips curled in a perpetual pout as he goes through the list of names he’s going to have to send emails to later today. 

ugh. 

closing the screen, he lets out a heavy sigh. whatever, he’ll do it later. there’s books to be stacked and he’d much rather get on with menial, thoughtless work while he still has the energy for it. 

he tucks his phone into his pocket, looking around the reception area quickly. there’s no one around that looks desperate for help, so it won’t be an issue if he disappears for a bit. there’s someone else in the back, he thinks. maybe. 

his eyes gloss over the main entrance, and-

oh. 

oh. 

he feels like he’s been punched in the gut, all the air leaving his lungs as his gaze lands on a familiar face. 

bang yongguk. 

he steps away slowly, knows that he’s already made eye contact. yongguk has found him, has found his place of work, god knows he’s probably found his home address too. jisoo’s heart races and he struggles to breath. his hands are shaking but he tries to seem normal, walking out of the reception area and heading to a back part of the library, trying to seem as casual as possible as he puts distance between himself and yongguk. 

[kgxjisoo]

“how’d you get all this money?”

[ Prompt ]

jisoo pops a candy into his mouth, rolling it around his tongue as he shrugs. it’s not actually that much - quite a big deal to be carrying around in cash, but again. not that much. it’s all going to rent, and even so he’s still going to be short of funds at the end of the month. 

“honestly? i do a lot of surveys.” 

this isn’t a lie - jisoo does do a lot of surveys, though the bulk of his money is made through less… legal means. “there’s a lot of universities that are affiliated with the library, so when they’re looking for study subjects i just… sign up. easy money.” 

“if you want, i can sign you up for some.” 

[kgxjisoo]

DARK, THRILLING, AND/OR CRIMINAL SENTENCE STARTERS. [PT1] [PT2]

“I’m scared.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Are you scared?”

“Is this even legal?”

“Just trust me.”

“We’re locked in!”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“It’s too dark in here.”

“Why are we here?”

“They have a gun…”

“They have a knife…”

“Grab what you need, and let’s go.”

“Be quiet. Don’t let them see you.”

“Choose your victim.”

“We don’t have to do this.”

“They’re coming for us.”

“How do you know how to do that?”

“What the fuck are you doing in here?”

“We’re getting out of here unseen.”

“Something moved over there.”

“Do you have the stuff?”

“So, what’s the plan?”

“It’s not safe here.”

“This is your fault.”

“We’ve gotta go. Now.”

“Hey, how drunk are you?”

“Hey, how high are you?”

“Is that… a dead body?”

“We’re not alone in here…”

“What do you need me to do?”

“It’s not safe here, you should go.”

“I can’t believe you stole that!”

“Hey, stay close to me. Got it?”

“If they catch us, we’re dead.”

“… There’s no signal out here.”

“Where’s the money you owe me?”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“Did you bring what I asked?”

“I saw you steal that…”

“I think I dropped my weapon.”

“This is the last time I ever do this.”

“Shit, the cops are coming!”

“Wait. I think I heard footsteps.”

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“The cops are looking for us.”

“What the fuck is that?!”

“You’re gonna get hurt.”

“Next time, I’ll kill you.”

“It’s my first time doing this.”

“You’re gonna get us caught.”

“You seriously got high without me?”

“You seriously got drunk without me?”

“I’m never doing this with you again.”

“How’d you get all this money?”

“What are you doing out here?”

“What if something goes wrong?”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“I’ve never gotten high before…”

“I’ve never gotten drunk before…”

“What the fuck did you do now?”

“Let’s go and do something bad.”

“Whatever it was, it wasn’t human.”

“So are we getting high, or what?”

“I’ll kill the asshole that did this to you.”

“It seems like you’ve done this before.”

“I have to be honest… this car is stolen.”

“What do you mean this isn’t your car?!”

“I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this.”

“What do you mean this isn’t your house?!”

“That’s… a lot of drugs you’ve got there.”

“Please tell me you brought a weapon with you.”

“We don’t have to do this, we can turn around.”

“How much time will they give us if we get caught?”

“Watch the door for me? I’ll be out in five minutes.”

“Maybe it’s the drugs, but I swear I heard someone…”

“This is literally the worst fucking time to hurt your leg!”

“Are you about to go do something illegal? Count me in.”

“The engine is dead and we’re in the middle of nowhere. Fucking great.”

[kgjitae]

stray.

@kgxjisoo

jitae doesn’t have much to unpack when he returns to south korea. just one backpack filled with clothes and some items that seemed like too much of a waste to throw away. he’d been in kentucky for several months and doesn’t have much else to show for it—physically, at least—besides a tiny bottle of whiskey and a few other keepsakes that made it through customs.

though technically it’s not unpacking if he chucks the backpack onto his couch and leaves it unzipped, but jitae checks it off on his to-do list anyway and moves onto the next task. he’s chopping some vegetables for a stir fry and humming along to a blackpink song when, underneath the chorus, he hears something scratch at his glass door and looks up to spot a familiar cat trying to claw his way in.

it’s time for a break. the meat needs more time to marinate anyway, so jitae grabs his pack and lighter and heads over to greet his unexpected guest. “hey, dubu,” he says and steps out onto the balcony, smiling helplessly as the cat rubs against his legs, and bends over to scratch behind its ears. “i missed you too, buddy.” he gets a few minutes of scratching in until dubu decides he’s had enough and nicks jitae’s fingers with a paw.

and okay, he can take a hint. so jitae straightens back up to nurse his wounded heart and slide a cigarette between his lips, lighting the end with a flickering ember. his first drag passes through an appreciative sigh. jitae glances up to watch the puffs of smoke curl into wisps, attention flickering to the footsteps pattering on the balcony above his.

with dubu still nuzzling his feet, there’s only one person that can be. jitae grins. careful not to trip over his neighbor’s cat, he hooks a foot around the railing to anchor himself and bends back to let his torso hang off it, hand gripping the edge for some added insurance. “hey, jisoo!”

[kgxjisoo]

“tony!” 

jisoo puts his hands on his hip, staring around his living room, eyes narrowed and searching for his cat. antonio has not only gotten fat, but when jisoo had wrestled him onto a weight machine, he’d been horrified to find out that his cat was near obese, despite how much it was running away from him. whatever diet plans he had for it were already falling through when he realizes it had been getting out the fire escape to get snacks from one of the many sympathetic old ladies in their building. 

it’s too hot to keep the windows closed anymore, and he’d much rather have a breeze inside during the coming months than sit in a stuffy room but-

“antonio!”

he huffs, grimacing as he’s forced to step out onto the fire escape, looking down for his beloved cat. instead, he sees a ghost.

jisoo lets out a shriek, jumping back and hitting the wall. he might have even peed himself a little.  the very last thing he’d ever expected to see was jitae’s head and torso hanging mid-air beneath his fire escape, grinning up at him like a demon.

he puts his hand to his chest, sucking in deep breathes and whispering a prayer before he inches forward, looking down again. 

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgxjun ]

jisoo pouts, more for show than anything else, when jun raps her knuckles against his forehead. she indulges him too much, lets him act childish and petulant and takes it all in stride, like it’s one of his great many (very few) charms and she’s helplessly endeared. and she might be, really, and the thought causes an odd flutter in his heart. no one has ever really babied him, not even his own mother when she was alive. she loved him, yes, but jun spoils jisoo still his teeth hurt from the sweetness.

he stares at her finger on his nose till he goes cross-eyed, before batting her hand away. he’s rather sensitive about his nose, even if he won’t admit it. 

jisoo looks down, folding the edge of his sweater between his fingers before he lets it fall loose. he’ll have to go back home at the end of the night, which means he’ll have to change out of her clothes eventually, and slip back into his jeans. it seems already like too much effort, and he hasn’t even gotten to it yet. 

“no, don’t worry about. i’m just gonna go to the bathroom, alright”? 

he hops off the counter, stumbling a little before he rights himself. reaching up, he pinches her cheeks, pushing them together till her mouth curls like a fish. “you pick a movie. but if it’s sad, i’ll cry on you and get snot all over you. so don’t.” jisoo knows he isn’t very threatening next to jun, who’s got a few inches and a whole lot of muscle mass against him, but he narrows his eyes all the same, as if he were watching her for any sneakiness. 

he ducks down the hallway, heading to the bathroom, when he notices that the room across it, jun’s spare bedroom, the one that she says she never uses, is open. the door is ajar just slightly, the lights left on as if someone had left in a hurry. jisoo pauses, looking behind him. jun wasn’t there, she couldn’t see. it wouldn’t hurt to just peek inside a little bit. she knows he’s nosy anyway, she’d hide anything not meant for him.

the door doesn’t creak, thank god, and he tip toes inside. it’s empty, but theres an open bag, the bed made but looking a little rumpled, like someone was sleeping there recently. there’s signs that someone had been living there, practically settled in, and jisoo’s brows furrow.

it’s supposed to be empty.

he gravitates towards the desk, eyes glossing over the files spread out over it. they’re all organized in neat piles, a space left in the middle for what he assumes might be a computer or just a writing space, but something strikes him when he looks down at the pens. 

one bears a golden K, wrapped in a circle, much like the one on his medallion. 

his heart jumps, and he shakes his head, sucking in a deep breath. no, it’s surely a coincidence. he purses his lips, mouth suddenly dry, and he reaches to open one of the files. inside, a stack of papers, CONFIDENTIAL written across the page in capitals, a large golden K at the top, underneath it.

KINGSMAN.

he feels like he’s going to be sick. 

he closes the file, stomach so suddenly boiling he can’t bear to look into it anymore.

kingsman, right here, comfortable in his friend’s home. his friend - housing someone who might be connected to his parents’ murders. he slaps a hand over his mouth, less to hide a scream than to stop himself from throwing up. his legs are shaking, but he can’t stay in here. he’s not sure if - if anyone has plans to kill him, but he can’t be caught here, not in this room. he hurries out into the hallway, takes a deep breath to calm himself. 

he feels sick.

“jun!”  by the time he comes down the hallway, he’s already got a plan: act like you’re in a rush, an emergency. get out of there while you can. 

“jun, i’m so sorry but i have to go. my neighbor called me, they’re locked out of their place and i have a spare key.” never mind that jisoo isn’t friends with any of his neighbors, or that this hypothetical person could just as easily ask their landlord for help. 

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgxjun ]

“forty minutes?!”

jisoo whines, shoulders dropping. he looks like he’s on the verge of a tantrum, pouting and sulking even as he takes the menu, staring down at it, as if glaring hard enough would make the food come faster. delivery rarely ever takes this long and he groans, turning on his heel to watch jun disappear down the hall. with a frown, he sits on top of the counter, swinging his legs as he stares down at the collection of menus. ordering chicken would be faster. 

he really wants curry though.

“okay, okay. what kind did you get last time? i can’t remember.”  jisoo reaches over to get a pen, circling a couple items on the menu that he wants for himself. it’s enough to feed a family, but they’re both hungry and will most likely be hungry in a couple hours, and jisoo has no plans of going home soon. it’s unlikely he’ll spend the night, but lately he’s been lazing around jun’s apartment more and more, enjoying her company when he’s trying to ignore the unignoreable loneliness of his own apartment. 

but alas, there is one very fat antonio to feed, and jisoo loves his cat more than he likes ignoring his issues. 

“the shrimp was good though,” he says back. he remembers because he’d stolen a couple pieces from her plate, curious to try it (and maybe just really hungry too). “how about we get that, and some curry?” 

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

[kgxjisoo]

[ kgxjun ]

he sits up, stretching his arms over his head, before reaching out to get the book he’d left on the coffee table. it’s one of many from jun’s collection - jisoo had thought they were a bookworm, but the shelves upon shelves of books jun has is just astounding - does she even have the time to read them all?

jisoo had gotten half way through it before he’d fallen asleep, book lying flat on his nose, and the only explanation is that jun had put it away. there’s a cute little bookmark too, probably courtesy of jun as well, and jisoo can’t help but smile. she’s somewhere behind, and jisoo turns on the couch, perching his chin on the back as he watches her patter about. jun is so tall, lanky almost, but dressed so snazzy on any given day that it almost always works out. if he had jun’s kind of money he’d dress like that too, frankly.

“maybe indian? i’ve been craving, to be honest.”  he sits up a little straighter, attention focused like a cat. if he had a tail, it would be wagging.

“do you still have the menu of that diner we went to? they had really good curry.”

he scrambles off the couch, walking to where she is in the kitchen, standing behind her as he peers into the drawer as well. “that one,” he says, pointing it out. 

[kgxjisoo]

comfortable.

@kgxjun

“hyung.” 

jisoo stretches himself out over jun’s sofa, nearly purring at the satisfactory crack in his back. he’s been lounging for so long, he’s gotten too comfortable, in more than one way. 

it is no stretch at all to say he and jun are friends now, perhaps even close.

what had been a chance encounter, supposed to be an ‘exception’, just one winter day where he could pretend he had a friend that understood him. except now he actually does have a friend, one that understands him, relates to him even. and maybe, at night, when he’s alone and lonely and terribly guilty, he wonders if jun would ever love jisoo knowing everything he’s done, all the people he’s hurt to come so far.

but it’s mid-day, spring sunshine coming through the floor to ceiling walls, and jisoo has always wanted a rich friend. 

“i’m hungry. can we order in?” 

[all-joshua17]

[cheolshu]

imagine being this beautiful

[kgxjisoo]

☆ ☁ ☎ ☾

[ Prompt ]

☆ : Would they ever wish upon a falling star? If so, what would they wish?

Answered here.

☁ : Describe how they would spend a stormy, overcast/rainy day.

Reading! Jisoo loves to read. When she was younger, her mother would move her around a lot and so she never got to make any lasting friendships and eventually she gave up trying to. So she found refuge in books and stories, because those she could take with her anywhere she went. 

☎ : List three or more people they would call out for during an emergency.

None - Jisoo has no one. 

Even at her place of work, her details are falsified, and so she would never list any of her coworkers as emergency contacts, lest they find out the truth about her. 

Jitae was previously an option, but she has since cut him out of her life, despite his attempts to contact her. 

☾ : On a sleepless night, what would they be found doing?

Answered here.

[kgxjisoo]

☆ ☾ ♡

[ Prompt ]

☆ : Would they ever wish upon a falling star? If so, what would they wish?

She thinks its silly, but deep down, she would wish - don’t we all? More than anything, she would wish for answers. Her life is not her own so long as it’s dictated by the mysteries her parents left behind, and she will never be able to rest peacefully till all her questions are answered. She searches tirelessly for the truth, and so before anything else, she would wish for that.

☾ : On a sleepless night, what would they be found doing?

Working, maybe, if she was pursuing a new lead, she’d try her best to dig around and see what information she can find that will help her.

But if that’s not an option at the time, she’d be reading. It helps calm her nerves.

♡ : Is there a certain scent that brings about nostalgia? If so, describe a memory this scent brings back.

Difficult as it is to describe; heat.

It brings back memories of her life in California, before everything went to shit, before she began questioning the truth about her parents’ lives, when she still had both parents. 

The smell of baking asphalt, fresh cut grass, creamsicles and strangely wet dog fur. Her neighbor had very, very friendly golden retriever, and Jisoo would often spend her afternoons playing with them and the owner’s kids as if the dog were her own.