In the bathroom, Jimin was scrubbing off so much blood and grime that the water on the shower floor was dark brown. In all honesty, he was only using the shower because yn suggested it. Now that he finally had the opportunity, he had to admit that he welcomed the relief. Once all the dirt that could be removed without a hammer and chisel was washed off, Jimin put down the bar of soap (which was now half its original size and looked like a chiseled brick), stepped out of the shower, and looked down at the sink counter, where a small personal hygiene set had been laid out by the motel staff.
While the motel was maybe only one star (at most), the complimentary gifts were surprisingly thorough. There was a set of shaving razors, a small can of shaving cream, two packaged toothbrushes, a small tube of toothpaste, tampons, cologne, deodorant, and just about anything else that someone spending the night would need. Someone at this motel was definitely taking their pride in their work.
He picked up the razor, once again only doing it because Eleanor suggested it. Ever since they had first spoken, something within him became loyally bound to her, like an old hunting dog following its owner.
As the sound of the door handle shaking rang through the motel room, yn stashed the sword back in the sheath in Jimin's overcoat. Jimin stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. The man and woman stared at each other and each gained a very small but very warm smile. Today was the first day either of them had smiled in a very long time. With his hair combed back and his face shaved, yn had to admit that Jimin was much more handsome than before. By taking a shower, Jimin felt like his senses had been cleaned as well as his body. His hearing was much sharper, his eyesight didn't blur everything he saw (something that had happened without him even noticing), and with it, his view of yn had been enhanced. She was even more beautiful than before, with every facial feature clearer than glass. Radiant was an understatement. But soon, Jimin's smile faded.
"For your sake, I should get going. Your life would be better if I wasn't around."
"Please, don't go."
"Why... Why are you trying to help me? Why are you being so kind to me? Why in the world would you care about someone like me?" Jimin asked, taking a few steps towards her.
"Because you need help, you need someone to be kind to you," she said softly, taking a few steps towards him.
"But why you? Why don't you just hand me off to the police? Why is it so important that you are the one to help me?"
They were standing less than a foot apart. Jimin's face was stricken with sadness and yn was silent as she tried to come up with a response. Finally, she reached up and placed her hand on Jimin's cheek. "Because maybe you can help me."
Just as Jimin was about to respond, he began coughing uncontrollably, falling to his knees and trying to keep blood from splattering on Eleanor. Y crouched down, and before she knew what she was doing, she had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Once Jimin finally stopped coughing, yn smelled the air and smiled. "Thanks for brushing your teeth," she said, almost making Jimin laugh.
A sudden knock on the door sent him sprawling back to the bathroom, fearing the police. "Don't worry, I just ordered takeout!" Yn said, trying to calm him down.
As she paid for the food with the door only half open, Jimin kept his eyes focused on his coat on the nearby chair, trying to figure out how quickly he could grab his sword if he needed it. He gave a sigh of relief when a bag of Chinese takeout came into view.
"Don't worry, you're safe with me. I won't just hand you over to the police." Jimin gained a sad smile as she set the food down on the table. "I'm not sure what you like, so I just got a lot of simple stuff."
"Don't worry, you can have it all. I ate yesterday, so I don't need anything for today."
Yn lost her smile. "Please, Jimin, eat with me. You can eat more than just the absolute minimum. Just this once, try and be happy instead of torturing yourself."
They both sat down at the table and began eating. Before he even knew what he was doing, Jimin was devouring every last bit of food he could get his hands on. For the first time in her life, yn was struggling not to laugh as she watched him become a human garbage disposal. She was almost afraid to reach out past her own food on the chance that she could lose her hand. She had to match his speed so that he wouldn't take all the food for himself. After twenty minutes, Jimin and yn both sat back and sighed in bliss, holding their full stomachs.
