Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
it was night out and jeongguk had been wondering about the city. cars rushed by where he was standing on the pavement. he checked his phone: 11:44.
damn...i might not be able to make it in time to watch today's broadcast of aot....
he glanced up—sure enough the ghost was standing on the bridge. it was a nuisance that he always needed to cross it in order to get home.
...seokjin?
"what's he doing?" he wondered aloud as he watched him from below.
before his eyes in the pale glow of the streetlights he saw the man's figure slip over the railing.
"huh?" he whispered, a small feeling of dread pooling deep in his gut.
without another thought he quickly rushed up the stairs, bumping into a pedestrian. gasping out a quick apology he came to the spot he saw the other fall off from.
his breath came out in quick puffs as he peered over the rail. he disappeared?
suddenly he slumped down in shock. his ears were ringing and his vision was starting to blur. he covered his mouth and tried to breathe.
what? just what is going on?, was his last thought before he blacked out.
ღ
jeongguk opened his eyes to a white ceiling.
i'm...back home?
he was on the ground right in front of the door.
"gguk-ah?" are you awake? if you fall asleep in a place like this, you're going to catch a cold." seokjin towered above him, waving a hand in his face.
"wha!" jeongguk quickly regained his senses and scuttled back, bumping into the wall.
"hm?" the other simply questioned, unfazed. he moved to sit cross-legged in front of him.
"it-it's nothing." he stuttered. he sat up straight and leaned back against the wall.
"um...seokjin-ssi—" he started.
"jin is fine."
"okay...jin-ssi. last night, what were you..." he didn't understand it at all and he wanted to know what had happened.
"ahhh...huh? i can't remember what went on last night, i wonder why?" seokjin paused and looked up towards the ceiling in deep thought. then he looked back at jeongguk and gave a small apologetic smile.
"come to think of it, i don't have any memories of anything during the night. i wonder if it's sleepwalking? even though i'm a ghost."
why is this person smiling?, jeongguk couldn't help but wonder.
seokjin inched closer to slip off his glasses.
"hold on, please return that to me. (i can't see.)"
"if you sleep with it on, it'll be uncomfortable," the other replied. at that jeongguk blushed lightly.
seokjin blinked, realizing something.
"you look cuter without your glasses."
and jeongguk didn't know how he was supposed to respond to that.
he froze for about 10 seconds then ripped the glasses back from the other's hands and shoved it back on.
"wh-wh-what are you saying?!!" he shouted, flustered.
seokjin could only laugh. "what, are you embarrassed?" he teased.
jeongguk hurriedly ran away to his room where he collapsed on his bed.
a few hours later, and he still couldn't fall asleep—perhaps because he had already been out a couple hours when he fainted. seokjin also hadn't bothered him since he left the living room. he sighed and moved his arm to cover his face.
jeongguk couldn't get his mind off of the ghost.
that smile... and the figure who fell over the railing... it's as if they aren't connected. his mind flashed back to the conversation with him earlier, it seemed like the other really had no clue what went on at night.
"the night..." jeongguk mumbled and rolled over onto his side. he tried desperately to fall asleep.
ღ
"that'll be a change of 2 won."
the cash register beeped as hoseok entered the cash amount.
"thank you, please come again."
he sighed as he looked out over the now empty store. just then jimin popped in—it was about time for his shift to start.
"huh? hoseok hyung? isn't it jeongguk's shift today?" he questioned.
the other rubbed the back of his neck, "it is...but he said he desperately needed me to swap shifts with him."
"hmm, he really said that? that's unusual for him."
"yeah, he even had a really serious expression on his face..."
ღ
at night as if by law-like nature...
cars whoosh past underneath the sky of glimmering stars.
that's right, that must be it.
the tall shadow of a man stands on a bridge looking out over the road.
a young bespectacled boy watches as that figure moves over the railing and falls into the darkness below.
「 it is currently 11:45 p.m.」
every night, this person is repeating his own death.
