STRAY // JJK x HYBRID (bunny)✔️ Re-Writing

CHAPTER 31

BO-YOUNG

A drop of sweat travels down my forehead as I drag the suitcase of clothing and toiletries. I didn't sleep on the train, nor did I sleep on the short bus ride, so I'm twice as exhausted and affected by the day of travel. Jungkook seemed to get a boost of energy after his nap on the train. He's briskly walking ahead of me, leading the way through the streets of this small lakeside town.

"My childhood home is a short walk away, right over there on the outskirts," he says chipperly. I barely manage a wheeze.

Not many people are on the streets at this time. Those who are outside look to be quite old, clearly of retirement age. No one in the town stops to greet Jungkook, or even seem to recognize him.

Jungkook's pace slows as we begin down a narrower path, a couple of trees scattered beside the trail. It doesn't take us long to arrive at a fairly large wooden house.

The house looks weathered and unkept, which makes sense assuming that nearly no one has visited for a while. Autumn leaves litter the stone path to the house, leaving most of the trees barren. The area around the house is not tree-laden as I had expected, the trees spreading out so sparsely the even from the house the village can be seen.

The house itself is large, having two floors and a high cross-gabled roof. Under the V shape of the roof, I can see a small window with its curtains drawn, leading me to believe that not only does this house have two floors, but it also has an attic, which is the sane person's alternative to a basement.

To my disappointment, the lake isn't very visible from here.

"Bo-young," Jungkook calls out, already having walked to the front door. I've just been spinning around, looking at everything like an idiot.

I rush to catch up with Jungkook, who is waiting patiently in the doorway.
"I do have to warn you. It's really dusty in there. We might have to spend the first day or so tidying up," he confesses, looking guilty.

"You make cleaning sound much more unpleasant than it is," I laugh.
"I actually don't mind cleaning," Jungkook chuckles. "I wasn't sure if you minded it, though."

We walk into the house, placing the bags right next to the front door. Jungkook looks around for a moment, running his finger over the large vintage cupboard, making a note of the substantial amount of dust on it.

"This place needs a dusting at the very least. Could you go get the duster from the cleaning cupboard over there?" he asks me, pointing towards a door, which I wouldn't have noticed had he not pointed it out. I comply, making my way over, opening the inconspicuous door.

I can't help but cough as the dust flies everywhere. Inside, there is a mop, hoover, a medical kit, a duster, and an ungodly amount of dust. In the corner, I see a spider web. I carefully pick out the feather duster, grabbing it by the wooden handle and lifting it, making sure not to upset any of the dust.

I hand the old duster to Jungkook, who begins to sweep away the dust. I begin to cough again. Jungkook stops the moment he hears my sneezes and raspy coughs. I had forgotten about my horrible dust allergy.

"You can leave this to me and go get some groceries to stock the fridge with," he tells me, digging through his pockets for money.

"I'm fine, I swear," I assure him, but based on his stern expression, he isn't convinced. He hands me the money.
"I trust that you know what is necessary and what isn't. I don't want you returning 20 zucchinis and nothing else," he says seriously, a small smile on his lips. I give him a small nod before walking back outside, the floorboards creaking as I step on them.

I turn back to look at Jungkook, who has now gone back to dusting. He looks surprisingly content right now.

I adjust the velvet collar around my neck, making sure that the tag is visible. After Jungkook's slightly awkward ear massage, my ears haven't flattened themselves against my head, so it's more important than ever to seem like a legal hybrid.

Now that I am legal, I no longer have to worry about being seen, but I still want to avoid possible conflict. The last thing I want is to cause Jungkook trouble.

I still don't know how I feel about Jungkook, but unlike before, I know that I think positively of him. It's odd being around a guy for this long. The longest I was around a guy was when Grace's business partners, a term which I use lightly, visited for dinner.

I walk back down the path, soon arriving at the town square. There I see a modest grocery store, smaller than those in the city. I walk in.

There is much more in here than I anticipated. Judging by the outside, I thought it was going to have a scarce assortment of food, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This place not only has a whole candy rack but also has a magazine stand.

I aimlessly walk around, stacking the shopping basket with milk, bread, butter, cheese, everything necessary. I also make sure to take some ingredients for cooking while I'm at it.

As I'm aimlessly wandering down the isles, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see a man with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Hi."