◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣
🏁 012: 𝙔𝙊𝙆𝘼𝙄 𝘾𝙊𝙑𝙀 🏁
MAY 29, 2006
7:46 PM
TOKYO, JAPAN
◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣◥◣
THE SUN SETS OUTSIDE, painting a perfect picture of a dusky pink and tangerine orange. Coating the sky and casting a soft shadow over the streets of downtown Tokyo. Pedestrians walk by in a hurry to make it to their night job or back home, where they could finally make more money for the week or rest their heads on their pillows.
Inside his one-bedroom apartment, rests Hoseok, laying on his back with his left hand tucked behind his head. In his free hand, he holds on to a little toy car figurine. His eyes scan the same trinket he had found comfort in for years. The blue, chipped paint around the edges is an example of how old and yet loved the miniature was. Hoseok was still able to find beauty beneath its harsh marks. He figured he should talk to his brother soon. It's been a long while.
He hadn't had the best of days today. Earlier at the shop, he had an angry customer come in and complain about some shit Hoseok had supposedly done wrong on his car. Demanding a refund and whatnot. Hoseok took pride in his craft and he wasn't some bullshit mechanic that sold false hope. So, of course, he went back and examined the vehicle. After looking over some paperwork, he saw that the customer had taken his vehicle to another mechanic after a visit with Hoseok and that's where everything went wrong.
Hoseok didn't like being falsely accused. In a way, that fucked his entire day up. He hated being lied on. Being painted as some villain. As the bad guy in any situation without at least being heard out first. Sure, he could admit that he was the villain in some people's stories no matter how you look at it. He couldn't change that no matter what angle you wanted to look at it. But just because he was the bad one in one situation didn't mean he was in the wrong in all situations. Some situations are complicated and nuanced, requiring one to look in-depth. Not everything is so surface-level.
Although his next few clients after that were fairly cooperative and were happy with the outcome of the work on their vehicles, Hoseok had absentmindedly let one jackass ruin his day.
Even as he lay in bed at home fiddling with the little toy car that could fit in the middle of his palm, he thought about the incident.
His chest rises and falls subtly. On his bottom lip, his tongue rests. The little silver sphere in the middle of his pink muscle massages his top and bottom lips as his eyebrows droop down into a curved line. Somehow, his mind flickers between the earlier catastrophe and a symbol of peace. That symbol of peace is Min Naomi.
It hadn't been very long since they last talked to one another. And even then, Hoseok thinks about her as if it's been all these five years. He missed her company. She was the perfect person to be around. She kept Hoseok on his toes with witty remarks and snappy comebacks. She kept him entertained.
Naomi had the kind of aura that made you want to have her around 24/7 but all in the same breath made you want to pull your hair out. She was an oxymoron on legs.
Subconsciously, a smirk forms on Hoseok's lips as an idea crosses his mind. Resting the toy car on his naked chest which had only been covered by a thin silver chain moments before - he reaches over on his messy nightstand to grab hold of his cell phone.
Flipping the screen of the device, the dull light illuminates his face as he goes to Naomi's contact information. Without a hint of hesitance, he pressed down on her number and brings the phone up to his ear. He stared up at the ceiling impatiently, listening in silence as the phone lets out a shrill ring.
After the third ring, he was about to lose hope. He remembered that she told him she was here on vacation, perhaps she was getting her nails done. Or maybe doing some shopping. Those were the only things he could see her doing at this time of day.
Just as Hoseok prepares for the line to cut, Naomi answers the call, and a wave of relief washes over him.
"Hello?" Her voice is soft and warm. It sounds rushed, a heavy breath pushes out afterward. Almost sounding as if she were in the middle of something labor-intensive.
"Hey," Hoseok spoke coolly, "you busy?" Please say no.
"Ermm...I was just doing my hair but I'm good now. What's up?"
Hoseok slid the wheels of the toy car against his chest. Making the fake vehicle drift across his honey-toned skin lightly dappled in a thin layer of sweat. He really needed to contact maintenance and get his damn ac fixed.
"Nothing much. I was just bored and uh..." Fuck. Hoseok was never been at a loss for words like this. If he had a plan in mind then he was able to state it without any trouble. He knew what he wanted to do with Naomi but got some reason he couldn't bring himself to ask. It was almost as if he was nervous.
No- not possible. Hoseok didn't get nervous hitting up girls to hang out. It was just a small blank in his mind, an accidental hitch in his voice.
"I was wondering if you would be down to hang out?"
On the other end of the phone, Naomi mouthed curses and rolled her eyes. He was so damn clingy. It made her job easier but fuck, this wasn't the same Hoseok she remembered. He used to be so cool and independent. Which is why her adolescent self crushed on him so hard. Now with all the dirt she had on him, it was so easy to find him so goddamn annoying.
It was sickening. Naomi was tired of smiling in his face, tired of flirting with him, tired of having to hang out with the guy that killed her brother. The guy that took her entire lifeline away from her without a hint of remorse for what he had done. But if Namjoon were in the room with her, he would be the devil on her shoulder with his large hands curling over her shoulder as he whispers into her ear to do it. Pushing her up to feed Hoseok false friendship.
"Mimi?"
And she fucking hated when he called her that. That was Yoongi's nickname. Not his.
"I'm down. What time should I be ready?" Naomi asked, plopping down on the bed in her hotel room with one leg crossed over the other. Her fingers curl into her sheets in anger.
"Now," Hoseok said. "Don't worry, I'll wait for you if you have to get all pretty for me." He teased. Naomi rolled her eyes and forced out a laugh. "Bold of you to assume I get pretty for you." She murmured softly. She gets pretty for herself and no one else.. "I'll be ready when you make it." She said. And left it at that before hanging up the phone.
Hoseok stared at the phone afterward. There were so many places they could go but he wanted to take her back to the cove. Hoseok found the cove to be quite peaceful. The water that extended out for kilometers and kilometers ahead of him was enough to wash away the thoughts that seemed to weigh down his mental. He hoped Naomi wouldn't mind coming along with him. He didn't even feel like talking much. He just needed a friend.
_______
The sound of Naomi's platforms hitting the concrete as she strutted towards Hoseok's Skyline as if it were her runway was enough to fill her ears. She sighed and held on tightly to the small handbag she had brought, containing her lipgloss, hotel room key, and other little essentials. Hoseok stood perched up against the passenger side of the car, holding between his fingers a sparked cigarette. Smoke swirls before him, lingering around him, soothing its way over his skin. Clearly, he had no regard for the large NO SMOKING sign only a few feet away from him. Naomi shook her head, the ghost of a grin spreading across her glossed up lips.
"Hey." Naomi greeted. Hoseok scanned over the woman and his lips formed a noticeable smile at her appearance. He gave her extra time to get dressed. He should've known she would walk out wearing some over the top pinked-out outfit. And honestly, hoseok wasn't upset. He thought she looked cool...sexy. As always. The fuzzy, pink jacket and fuzzy, pink skirt adorned her body. On her feet were a new pair of pink platforms, thigh-highs that laced up to pretty, delicate bows on her thighs. Not a single scratch or smudge on either of the shoes, a sign of her meticulous care for them. Her braids are in a half up, half down style, a claw clip holding the upper part to make a ponytail while the rest hands loosely down her back. Hoseok wondered when she would take them out. Not that she had to, Naomi still looked beautiful with them in. Hoseok was just curious.
"Hey, princess." Hoseok greeted, taking a final drag from his cigarette before tapping out more ashes on the ground. "Ready?"
As much as she hated being called princess, it was better than Mimi. At least the nickname he had stolen from Yoongi was no longer dancing on his tongue, taunting her.
"Yeah." Naomi answered, waiting patiently for him to step away from the door so that she could get in the car. Hoseok tossed his cigarette at the NO SMOKING sign before opening the door for her. Wordlessly, Naomi slid into the car and tugged on her seatbelt, knowing Hoseok wouldn't go anywhere without her being buckled in. His car always smelled nice. Like leather, the small air-freshener clip he had on his AC, and...him. Naomi didn't like a lot of things about Hoseok but she loved how he smelled, like hard, honest work when his work was truly the furthest from honest.
Seconds later, he was getting in the car himself. He did a quick check to see if Naomi had on her seatbelt before putting his on and starting up the Skyline. The LEDs on the dash came to life, the color changed to hot pink to match her tastes.
It was beautiful out, early on in the night but still gorgeous. Sooner or later, the stars would come out to accompany the moon. Naomi wondered where Hoseok would take her during this time. The possibilities were endless. Perhaps a night club? A karaoke bar?
The ride is silent and a bit lengthy. Naomi stared out of the window as they caught the freeway, her fingertips, tracing the grooves of the scar on her inner thigh. The sound of hoseok drumming his fingers against the armrest fills the space between them where words might have been. It isn't long before Naomi catches on, and figures out just where they were heading to.
"The cove?" Naomi asks.
"Mhm." Hoseok hummed, confirming what Naomi already knew. She was very fond of the cove in the short time she had been there. She loved the scenery, how serene the setting was. The waters were beautiful. She wondered how the night sky would look out there, having already seen the sunset. The routine is similar to how things went the first time Hoseok brought her around these parts. He parked his precious Skyline on the rocks, gravel digging its way between the grooves of his tires, and cut the engine before reaching in the backseat and pulling out two pairs of swimming shoes. One solid pink pair and one solid black pair.
"I tried looking for some with platforms so that you could walk in them properly but I had no luck. Sorry, Mimi." Hoseok teased. Naomi rolled her eyes playfully and took the shoes from hoseok. Taking off her platforms to slip on the swimming shoes as she threw a snappy remark. "You think you're so damn funny, don't you?"
"I'm no comedian but I have a few good jokes up my sleeve." Hoseok shrugged with an easy smile. "You ready to go?" Naomi sighed and placed her purse under the seat before opening the car door. "Yeah."
They stepped out of the car and the soft summer breeze swept them in the direction of the sandy path leading up to the water. Naomi walked alongside hoseok in between the ropes, looking out at the rippling waves. She hadn't much time to lay down her baby hairs. The curly wisps tickle her forehead as the wind blows them every which way.
Hoseok maintains a firm grip on her, keeping her close as they walk down the winding path towards the cliff edge.
He licked over his lips. Tasting the nicotine on the soft pink skin, he peered down at Naomi, so short now that she wasn't wearing platforms. She smelled good, like every Hoseok didn't smell like. Sweet, delicate, like she's never worked a day in her life. Everything about her was feminine. Even when she gave him lip and snapped back at his ass with some top-tiered remark-she was still so soft natured. He thought she was a beautiful embodiment of femininity. Not because she wore pink, or lived to rock lipgloss and platform heels. But because she carried herself with such class and grace. She was powerful in every sense of the word. A fucking goddess if he wanted to go there. It wasn't entirely odd for Hoseok to think these things. He loved women. He loved all of the things that women were capable of. He loved hooking up with women, kissing women, being touched by women. But as he took a step back and thought about it, he realized that the only woman he had ever held in such high praise was Naomi. There was something so undeniably special about her that seemed to draw him in. He was stuck inside of her little maze. And he knew that as fucked up as that was, as doomed as he was-he didn't want to escape.
"Hoseok!" Naomi snapped her fingers in his face.
Hoseok hadn't even realized that they had stopped. "Huh?" He asked, keeping his cool and choosing to flush all of his thoughts from before. Pushing his black and silver hair back on his head, exposing his forehead. His skin wasn't flawless, scars marred his skin from the fights he's been in, from the tragedies he's seen, and the scar from Yoongi's crash seemed to grow even more prominent. But other than that, between the spaces of scars and bone healed not quite right, it was smooth and flawless. Naomi wondered how he was able to do that. Working with oil and shit all day couldn't have been easy on one's skin.
"I asked you-" she poked his shoulder. "To tell me the story behind the cove. Why do they call it Yokai?" Naomi inquired.
"Uh..." Hoseok poked the inner side of his cheek with the tip of his tongue. "The name's pretty self explanatory. I'm sure you're familiar with Japanese folklore."
"I am. But I want you to explain it to me." Naomi said, batting her lashes in hopes to persuade him. He didn't even think she was doing it on purpose. Perhaps, she had developed the habit after many years of being a spoiled brat. It must've been nice to just give the puppy dog eyes and get everything you wanted. Hoseok just knew she never had to scruff up one of her pretty little manicured nails with the dirty work of men like him. Yoongi never let her. Her life was so gilded. She was a pretty princess living in a castle that sat on an island full of lies. Yoongi was no saint but Naomi always saw the best side of him. He wanted to be that for her. Hoseok was far from a saint and he was shamelessly himself, but when it came to Naomi, being anything similar to a monster simply wasn't something he could do.
Hoseok knew he was the villain of her story and he didn't want to be.
"They call it Yokai Cove because of all the mysterious shit that's happened around here. Years ago there were reports about people who had gone missing after visiting this place. One time, there was this fisherman that reported a sea serpent about the length of a powerline pole. Not even two years after that, a woman reported a swimming figure with a woman's face and a fish's body." Hoseok said. "Serpents and mermaids aren't typically what you would read about in Japanese folklore but there are other reports as well. Those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head."
Naomi was never a fan of spooky shit like that, but curiosity caught up to her and she was just dying to know the origin behind the cove's name. Now it all made sense. Why her mood always seemed to shift when she set foot on the sand. She always felt heavy, watched. She wondered if Hoseok felt the same thing. She wondered if the feeling of never being completely alone here comforted him in some twisted way.
"You quiet, Mimi. Did I scare you?" He smirked, dimples on the sides of his mouth popping out as he pursed his lips. He tilts his head at the moonlight manages to catch the piercing between his eyes.
Naomi shook her head, playing it off as she flipped her braids over her shoulder. "Me? Scared? I could never." She lied. Naomi stared out into the water with an uneasy feeling. A fucking sea serpent the size of a power line pole?! Now that's what truly got her. She was about ready to leave this place. But somehow the eerie feeling was always outweighed by the sense of calmness she got while standing before the ocean.
Her fingers curled around the rope keeping her from falling kilometers down to the rock shore below.
Too deep in her thoughts, she didn't even notice that Hoseok was no longer standing beside her. Instead he was behind her, slowly inching his hands up to her shoulders. Naomi raised a brow and looked beside her, wondering just where he had gone. But the minute she opened her mouth to call out his name, she could feel someone's hands slapping down on her shoulders and a loud "Boo!". She was already screaming bloody murder and damn near fell over the rope.
Hoseok couldn't help but laugh, quickly catching slipping his arm around her waist so that she wouldn't actually fall over. Her feel were off the ground for a moment as Hoseok picked her up and pulled her away from the edge. But toon her feet were firmly back on the ground. Naomi smacked her lips, turning around to slap his arm. "You're such an ass!" She said, feeling the heat creeping into her cheeks due to how humiliated she was after being so easily frightened.
"I'm sorry, but you should've seen your face." Hoseok chuckled as his laughter faded out. Naomi frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. She didn't like being laughed at. He was so mean, but she figured she shouldn't expect kindness from a murderer.
"No way, are you pouting?" Hoseok pretended to pout himself, wrapping his arms around her smaller body and pulling her in. Naomi refused to look at him. Of course she was fucking pouting. Hoseok found it quite adorable. "Lighten up, Mimi, I was just fucking around."
"It wasn't funny." Naomi said. Hoseok tilted his head to the side, it was hard to let go of the lazy smile on his lips. Especially when she was in his arms. Especially when she looked so cute and smelled so good right now. Especially with the beautiful scenery behind them. This was the peace Hoseok had been looking for all day.
"I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. Although he was sorry, he knew he just had to get her like that again. It was far too hilarious. When Naomi finally looked at him again, he could see that her brown eyes had been glossed over by tears. Hoseok felt a little bad, knowing that he had possibly scared her into crying. He didn't mean to and he was sure it wasn't even just him, didn't expect her to be so sensitive. Maybe that was just something with Naomi. When she got scared she tended to cry first thing.
Without giving much thought, Hoseok squeezed her waist a bit tighter, holding her closer to him. Naomi grunted softly at the sudden pressure he was applying on her lower back. She wasn't uncomfortable, just shocked. But she got used to it quickly.
Naomi searched his eyes. They seemed to be darker than before. Two black windows into his soul and yet she could barely see it, wasn't there. She didn't know what it was that had come over them. Where this sudden tension had risen from. They were gravitating towards one another and something told them that they weren't the only ones playing a part in this. Like the moon pulled the tides, something was pulling Naomi into Hoseok. Hoseok into Naomi.
His eyes flicker down to her pretty bi-colored lips. The shiny coat of lipgloss covering the pink skin was enough to make Hoseok ravenous. They were the perfect size, plump and smooth. He wondered just how many bastards got the pleasure of kissing her. He wished he had never thought about that, because he found himself getting pissed at the made up image of some asshole kissing Naomi. Some asshole that wasn't him. He didn't like the thought of her being in somebody else's arms like this. He didn't want Naomi-but only because he knew he couldn't have her in that way. But that didn't mean he wanted anybody else to have her. Hoseok was in conflict with his own emotions. He wasn't sure of a lot of things in that very moment. But one thing was for certain, he was dying to kiss this fucking girl.
Naomi could sense what would happen next. It felt as if she had little to no control over it. On one shoulder, the little Angel sat telling her that this wasn't right. It was one thing to use friendship as a way to trap him. But playing with his heart and giving in to such affections wasn't the conscious decision to make. It was wrong.
On the other shoulder she had the devil telling her to fucking go with it. Do it. He killed Yoongi. He took someone precious away from you, what's tearing out his heart and stepping on it going to cost you? It'll make you feel better. To fucking hurt him just like he hurt you. Kiss him now and let him cry later. Let him suffer the way you suffered.
The funny thing was that Naomi hadn't the time to listen to either of them. A shaky breath passes through her lips. "Hobi-" she stuttered, not quite sure of what she could say next. But the second his name left her mouth, his lips were on her's and there was nothing they could do about it now.
Naomi's eyes widened. His lips were all that she expected them to be. Warm, tender lips firm against hers, far more experienced than hers. 16 year old her often wrote about how perfect they would feel against hers. How his lips were made to kiss hers. Oh, how they were so sweet and amazing, the perfect mold. Naomi was such a bird back then. She thought her heart could no longer flutter for this man. For this monster...
But feeling the gentle vibrations as he groaned into the kiss and pushed her body up against the ropes, feeling the way he squeezed her body in his arms and locked her in his grasp to ensure she didn't fall. And even if she happened to slip, he would fall into the water with her.
Smelling his cologne and a tinge of nicotine. His hair tickling her cheeks... Naomi was drowning in him. Being consumed by him. She couldn't fucking help how she felt at the moment. But she needed to let go.
Hoseok slowly stepped back, removing his lips from hers. Their breathing was labored. Deep pants between the two bodies as the sound of the waves crashing filled their ears. That and the sound of ringing as well. But neither of those things were hardly being given any attention.
Naomi placed her hand on Hoseok's chest, gently pushing him back so that she had room to just...breathe. They step away from the rope and now stand in the middle of the path, looking away from one another in an choking silence. Hoseok couldn't believe what he had just done and Naomi couldn't figure out how she felt towards his actions. Naomi found herself listening to neither the devil or the angel. She found herself sinking her teeth into her bottom lip, tasting him again. Her skin tingling from when his hands were on her. She felt different. This was a different kind of confusion.
All in all, the both of them were fucked.
*.✧ 𝘿𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝙎 𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙎
Idk if I want to be Naomi or Hoseok