tw: mentions of blood & abuse
Resting hands on his knees, Jiyong bends forward and lets his head hang loosely as the dizziness soon splatters his vision with little black dots. Ouch. The metallic taste graces the tip of his tongue as he licks his bottom lip leisurely. He wants to straighten up and return the punch he was gifted with, yet his legs barely keep him standing still in one place and his head is just too heavy for him to at least lift his gaze.
He could’ve avoided it, indeed, but he wanted to feel something else than the overwhelming weight of thoughts brimming at the back of his mind. With his luck, it could be pretty predictable that once he would finally decide to go out after the blasts going viral, he would have the complete opposite of fun.
A mirthless smile tugs the corners of his mouth, a bitter and barely audible chortle resounds under his breath upon remembering the words that provoked him earlier. Inhaling deeply, he can already imagine the back ache that’s going to accompany him tomorrow and for the next couple of days, probably. He glances down at his almost untouched knuckles, the guy still standing in front of him was sober enough to dodge each hit Jiyong attempted to serve.
Despite the pain and stiffness, he eventually draws himself up to his full height, which still doesn’t make him any taller than his opponent who decides to flee before Jiyong even lifts a finger.
With eyes narrowed, he looks around his surroundings to briefly state his location. He’s at the back of some sleazy bar and the next thing he recognizes is the nearby building of Bukdong Apartments. So now he knows that it’s too far for him to walk back home and his wallet is most likely emptied, therefore a cab isn’t much of an option neither.
On legs as exhausted and ponderous as his, covering a seemingly short distance is taking not only time but also extreme loads of effort. And seeing the staircase he’s about to battle doesn’t help him in keeping up with positive thoughts. He clutches on the railing tightly, dragging his feet up the stairs as though he’s hiking a mountain. Victory. Spotting number 404 is near to a blessing. Forcing himself to take some steps more, he soon knocks weakly in hopes that Jongdae isn’t asleep yet.