Not Scary Somehow
✮⋆˙ featuring — Sung Jin-Woo x platonic!reader
✮⋆˙ summary — Jinwoo shows you his shadows for the first time, and they quickly start hanging around you like it’s normal
✮⋆˙ content warning — none
main masterlist
You were enjoying one of the few quiet days between college classes and exams. With plenty of free time on your hands, you decided to pick up one of the books you had bought a long time ago and finally finish it.
You sat on your bed for well over an hour, lost in the world of the book, and didn’t hear Jinwoo come in. You never did.
“You’re really into that book,” he said softly.
You jumped, nearly dropping it. “Jinwoo! You can’t just appear like that.”
He winced. “Sorry, I knocked.”
“You did not.”
He didn’t even try to argue. He simply stepped farther into the room, watching you sprawled on the bed with your head against the pillow. Something in his expression softened, as if he were relieved to see you resting for once.
“You look comfortable,” he said.
“I was,” you muttered, slipping the bookmark to make sure you don’t forget where you’d left off. “What’s up?”
He hesitated, which was very rare. He never did that unless it was something important.
“I want to show you something,” he said after a few seconds of staring at you.
“Sounds scary,” you said, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s not,” he said. “I just... trust you. More than most people.”
That made you sit up from your reclined position. Jinwoo wasn’t dramatic, and he never said things unless he meant them.
“Okay,” you said, tilting your head. “Show me.”
He exhaled before taking a step back, just enough for the darkness around him to shift.
Shadows thickened at his feet, gathering on the floor.
You froze. “Jinwoo...?”
“It’s alright,” he said gently. “They won’t hurt you.”
They?
Before you could ask, the shadow nearest him rose and took shape until a tall, armored figure knelt on one knee, head bowed.
“This is Igris,” Jinwoo said, his voice steady as he watched your reaction. “He’s... one of mine.”
“One of...?” You swallowed. “Jinwoo, what is he?”
“A shadow,” he said simply. “My shadow.”
You stared. “Are they... alive?”
“In their own way,” Jinwoo said. “They’re intelligent. Loyal. And they’ve known about you for a while.”
You tore your gaze away from the shadows to look at him. “Why?”
He met your eyes, his expression softening.
“They know you mean a lot to me,” he said softly.
Your breath caught, not from fear, but from the weight of the honesty in his voice.
You looked back at the shadows, who were watching you with strange, almost gentle attentiveness.
“...Do I say hi?” you whispered.
Jinwoo actually laughed, quiet and warm, the kind of laugh he only ever let slip around you.
“Yeah,” he said. “Just... say hi.”
You lifted a hand awkwardly. “Hi.”
Igris bowed deeper, as if you’d just given a royal command.
You blinked. “Okay. That’s... a lot.”
Jinwoo stepped closer, his voice low. “If it’s too much, I can send them back.”
You shook your head. “No. It’s... weirdly not scary.”
“They like you,” he said. “They don’t do that with anyone else.”
You glanced at him. “Because of you?”
“Because you're important to me.”
The room felt different then, still quiet and dim, but warmer somehow. It was as if the shadows themselves had settled into the space without threatening it.
You exhaled. “So... shadow soldiers, huh?”
“Mm.”
“And you decided to show them to me first.”
“Yeah.”
You let that sink in. It was a lot, but it wasn’t frightening. Not when it was him.
“...Thanks,” you said, smiling softly.
Jinwoo’s shoulders relaxed, the tension melting out of him. “I’m glad you’re not running.”
You snorted. “Please. I’ve seen your fridge. This is nothing.”
Of course, the comment did nothing but earn you a loud groan.
A few days after he first showed them to you, you were sitting at your desk, trying to finish an assignment you’d been avoiding for the past week. The room was silent except for the tapping of your keyboard and the occasional frustrated sigh you didn’t bother hiding.
You didn’t notice the temperature shift at first, that faint coolness that always came with Jinwoo’s presence. You only realized you weren’t alone when a soft clink of armor sounded behind you.
You turned slowly.
Igris stood there, perfectly still, holding out a pen you didn’t remember dropping.
“Oh,” you said, blinking. “Thanks.”
He bowed his head once, then stepped back into the corner like he’d been assigned guard duty.
You stared at him for a moment, tilting your head, before turning back to your laptop.
A few minutes later, something tugged lightly at your hoodie.
You looked down.
Iron was sitting on the floor beside your chair, staring up at you with big glowing eyes, holding your water bottle in both hands like an offering.
“...Did Jinwoo tell you to do that?” you asked.
Iron shook his head so fast his whole body wobbled.
You sighed, taking the bottle. “Thanks, I guess.”
He puffed up proudly, then scurried off to sit beside Igris, mimicking the knight’s posture with comically exaggerated seriousness.
You tried not to laugh. You failed.
When Jinwoo finally appeared in the doorway, silently, as always, he paused at the sight of his shadows stationed around your room like overprotective pets.
“They’re not bothering you, right?” he asked.
“No,” you said, glancing at Iron, who was now trying to sit perfectly still like Igris and failing miserably. “They’re... surprisingly helpful.”
Jinwoo’s expression softened, the tension in his shoulders easing. “They like being around you.”
“I noticed.”
You turned back to your screen, trying to focus, but it was hard to ignore the way Igris stood like a silent sentinel in the corner, or the way Iron kept inching closer every time you weren’t looking.
“You’re still working?” he asked.
You leaned back in your chair. “Trying.”
He glanced at the screen, then at the shadows, then back at you. “They told me you were getting frustrated.”
You blinked. “They... told you?”
Iron nodded proudly, which made you sigh.
“Great. Even my stress is public now.”
Jinwoo stepped closer, resting a hand on the back of your chair. “They weren’t worried. Just... paying attention.”
You looked at him. “And you?”
“I was checking on you,” he said. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
You reached for your phone on the desk. The screen was black. Dead battery.
“Oh,” you said. “That explains it.”
Jinwoo’s shoulders relaxed a little. “I thought something happened.”
You stared at him for a moment. “You came all the way here because I didn’t text back?”
“Yeah.”
You turned your chair toward Jinwoo fully. “I’m fine. Just... drowning in this assignment.”
He looked at the screen again, then at you. “Do you want a break?”
You shook your head. “If I stop now, I won’t start again.”
Jinwoo nodded like he understood that completely. He moved a little closer, enough that you could feel the faint coolness he always carried with him.
“I can stay,” he said. “Just until you finish.”
You didn’t expect that. “You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
Iron made a small sound, like he agreed. Igris stayed still, watching the room with quiet focus.
You sighed, but it wasn’t frustration anymore. “Fine. Stay.”
Jinwoo pulled a chair over and sat beside you, not hovering, not distracting, just there. Present. Steady.
With him next to you, the assignment didn’t feel as heavy. You typed a few more paragraphs, then finally hit save.
“Done,” you said, leaning back.
Jinwoo let out a quiet breath. “Good.”
You looked at Jinwoo. “Thanks for... all of this.”
He met your eyes, calm and sincere. “Anytime.”
"What do you want me to make for dinner?" I asked looking at him.
"Korean Fried Chicken?" he asked with soft smile.
"Of course that's what you want."
@ hikaako - do not copy, translate or feed my work into AI