Your bite - Kim Junkyu

first

"I'm almost home, Hyunsuk. Go to sleep if you can't keep your eyes open anymore, you grandpa. No! I told you, I'm fine. It's two in the morning, you should go to sleep. Mm, see you tomorrow." She closed the phone call.

Park Danbi and her best friend had underestimated the time it took to binge-watch a TV show. It was way later than 11 PM - when Hyunsuk and her promised her mom she'd be back. She was walking home alone, but in a town where everyone knew each other - more or less - that wasn't a problem. She was more terrified of her mother's reaction if she were to get caught.

The phone call with her friend took her another route than the intended one, and she only realized it then. She groaned, "Great, I've added some extra minutes to my walk." But it was pleasantly quiet, and the weather was also on her side, so she didn't mind it that much.

Turning around to head back, something flashed across the street. Danbi stopped in her tracks. "What was that?" She knew that the area had been frequented by wild animals for some days - after all, their town was incorporated in a forest, but what animal could run on two legs?

"Just a puppy, Danbi. Keep going." Encouraged by the idea of heading her way and not minding that thing anymore, she started walking - a bit faster than earlier.

Just a couple of steps later, a leaf crunched behind her. She stiffened whole.

"Hello?" She asked under her breath, turning to check if anything was behind her. A gasp left her lips as she noticed a figure standing just a few meters away from her, where the streetlights didn't reach. She took a few steps back, adrenaline rising in her.

"W-who are you?"

The now-confirmed person didn't say anything, and neither did it move. Danbi resumed walking, her leisurely steps from earlier turning to running fast as footsteps shadowed her.

Her heartbeat was beating rhythmically with her steps. She was getting closer to her house, but so was the person to her.

"Stop chasing me!" She yelled as the steps behind her were almost as loud as hers.

When she thought she would get caught any second, the familiar structure of her house came into sight, and a taxi pulled up in front of it. With her last drop of strength, she sped up, running right into the person getting out of the car.

"Woah, woah- Danbi?!"

Her eyes were pouring by the time her cousin embraced her in his arms. "What happened? Are you crying??"

Jihoon also came from the other side of the car, mouthing "What happened?", to which Jeongwoo shrugged his shoulders. He was just as baffled as his older cousin.

"Someone," she sobbed, "someone was chasing me."

Jeongwoo's grip tightened on her, checking their surroundings.

"Huh?! Who? Did you see who it was?? And why are you out so late?" Jihoon bombarded her with questions, stealing her from Jeongwoo and pulling her into a hug. He only got a whimper as a response.

"Stop with the mom mode, Jihoon. She's clearly too startled to say anything. Let's get her inside."

"Kiddos, get your luggage out already!" The taxi driver yelled.

Both boys rolled their eyes. Jihoon motioned Jeongwoo to get the luggage out, being busy comforting Danbi. As soon as Jeongwoo said he was done the man drove off, without giving Jeongwoo time to close the truck. Jihoon and he watched the car speed off with its trunk opened, dumbfounded.

"Coz, we need your key." Jihoon distanced himself from her enough to see her stained face. She wiped her cheeks, nodding with a brief laugh.

"Sorry," She breathed deeply, searching her pockets for her key without even realizing they were in her bag. Her hands shakily opened it, finally taking the key out.