SINCERELY YOURS. ᵏᵖᵒᵖ

oddity [jeon jeongguk]

—accidental demon summoning via sandwich condiment. who would've thought?

word count: 1.4k

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"I know," you groan into your phone, "I know, but I'm kind of hopeful about it."

"You sure? A few hours ago you were practically crying over it."

"Yeah, but that was a few hours ago. This is the present, I'm good, I'm great, I'm gonna get the job."

"I'm sure you will, YN."

"I don't like your tone," you open the fridge and peer at your choices. "I'm definitely going to get it."

"I... I feel like you're just saying that to get me to leave you alone. You know what? Knowing that, I'm not going to."

"Seokjin-hyung," you plead, grabbing your favourite condiment from the fridge door, "please let me prep for my interview in peace. I'm fine, I'll be alright. Totally prepped, totally ready, totally gonna nail it. I'm going to hang up now."

"You can try but I'll just call back."

"Yeah, okay. See how many times I pick up."

You hang up before he can scold you for your sass and mindlessly pour the condiment onto your sandwich, a circle and then a few wiggly lines in the centre, and—

There's a man in your kitchen. A man with an impeccably tailored and pressed suit and a wide-eyed, confused expression on his face. He cups a mug in his hands. You stare for a very long time.

"Hello...?"

The man just stares back. For a very long time. Just... looking at you, unblinking.

"Uh," you say eloquently. Slowly, you close the sandwich and place it on a plate, holding it out for the man. "Sandwich?"

He extends one arm, hesitating halfway before going through with the movement and taking the sandwich. He takes a cautious bite, smiles, and disappears.

•

You sweep the experience under the rug and make another sandwich, this time for yourself, and take a nap. You don't know what to make of the incident—was the man you saw a ghost, a hallucination? Did you die for a second?

You don't know, and frankly, you don't particularly care. Shit happens, you move on.

All you know is that you really want to take a shower, so you do—it's a self-indulgent one that steams up the air and the glass and takes half an hour.

When you turn the tap off and push open the panel of your shower, your attention is drawn to the mirror, half-fogged up. First, you notice that yes, going to the gym actually does pay off, and second, that there's a word written on the edge of the mirror: JEONGGUK.

"Huh."

•

You meet him next when you're cooking up some popcorn for a marathon of your favourite TV show. You stand in the kitchen leaning against the counter, arms crossed over your chest, and you're staring blankly ahead. You are a complete, whole adult, fresh out of university with a hard-earned degree that ate away your sanity, and you're spending a Friday night alone.

And then you aren't.

The same man appears next to you with a gentle whoosh, and he mirrors your posture. He gazes up at you with an expression you can't place.

"Are you... Jeongguk?" you ask carefully.

Nodding with big, round eyes, Jeongguk beams until his nose scrunches up. You return the gesture, a little wary, but you can't help it. His smile is infectious.