Shinee One Shots

Father Jinki

"Forgive me father for I have sinned..."

Jinki did the sign of the cross as he listened to yet another parishioner's troubles in order to absolve them. This time it was an older man confessing that he'd lied to his wife about getting rid of his motorcycle, which was pretty tame. In his five years in this parish, he'd heard all sorts of things, from a white lie to someone hiding the fact that he had two families - and a girlfriend. Each time he'd sit there, listen, give them a bit of biblical advice and absolve them.

Jinki loved what he did - it was more than a job to him - but sometimes he found himself hit with an indescribable feeling, almost like something was niggling him. He had no idea why this would happen, and it would disappear as soon as he felt it. Perhaps it was a sign that he needed to move on to another church, or take on more responsibilities. He'd probably figure it out eventually.

___

That evening as Jinki walked through the church, making sure all the hymnals and prayer books had been put away, he thought he heard a noise when he approached the doors to lock them. Opening them just to be sure, he found a young woman standing there, sheltering herself from the rain. Their eyes met and she instinctively shied away, her back hitting the stone wall surrounding the entrance.

"Can I help you, miss?" he asked, taking in her slightly disheveled appearance and messy hair.

"I don't know... I..." She looked around, tugging at her sleeve anxiously. Jinki's heart filled with compassion.

"Come inside, it's not good to stay in the rain like this."

He opened the door wider and stepped aside, watching as the woman hesitated before following him in. As he expected she was shivering from the cold, so he led her to the back of the church to his quarters where thick blankets awaited.

"Here you go." He smiled as he draped it around her shoulders. "Feeling a little better?"

"A bit." She nodded and gave him a weak smile.

"Do you have anywhere to go tonight?"

"Not really." She looked down, embarrassed all of a sudden.

"It's okay, you can stay here. There's an extra room for anyone who needs it. I can bring you dry clothes too."

"Thank you." She smiled genuinely, and for some reason his heart skipped a beat.

Sophia, as the woman said she was called, was up bright and early the next day. She wandered into the little kitchen where Jinki was making breakfast, a simple egg dish.

"Hey there, slept well?" He looked up from the frying pan, smiling.

"Yes, thank you." It had been the best sleep she'd had in weeks.

"Do you want some of this? There's enough for two."

She nodded eagerly, and soon they were sitting opposite each other at the small table, giving each other small smiles between bites. Did he always smile like that? Sophia wondered as she watched him wash up afterwards. It wasn't an unpleasant sight.

"I'm gonna go do my duties now, but you can stay here and make yourself comfortable if you like. I'll be back soon."

Sophia nodded and Jinki left, going to open up the church and do some home visits, mulling over what more he could do to help as he drove into the small town.

Meanwhile Sophia, left alone in the small quarters Jinki lived in, made herself comfortable with the meagre belongings she had. He had left out some brochures for her on the various services that could help her, and that made her smile. Not everyone was as nice as him, not even other priests.