A/n:
In this story will be used two names for Hongjoong due to the storyline. First is Kim Hongjoong and the second is Dal. It might be confusing and I apologise for that. Enjoy this story❤️
"F*ck you!" he yelled at me.
"Later. Now, listen, you little gremlin," I said, in a calm voice. "My job is to protect you, no matter if you like it or not."
To the sound of it, he glared at me. Hongjoong, and his passionate angry stare.
...
Up in the mountains close to Seoul, is located a small, forgotten shrine. Since the Korean War, this shrine has been forgotten by men, visited only by a single monk who came to clean it. And as for me, I am the diety? The god of that shrine. Being asleep ever since people forgot about me. Until one winter day.
It was late at night on a cold December day. As usual, I was sleeping when someone entered the shrine's grounds. Someone walked over, sitting in the doorway. That person took some time to get inside. I sensed their emotions, sadness, grief, stress, maybe a broken heart. A rather heavy burden, for a small being. Yet, that wasn't enough to wake me up. I could only sense. The person kneeled before the altar, placed some offerings over it and lit some incents.
"Unknown god of this shrine, I offer you those gifts, so please listen to my words and guide me with your wisdom," he spoke in a soft male voice. "I don't even know if gods exist, nor if you are the god I need... but please hear me out. Recently my life is a mess I can't escape. First, my boyfriend... ex-boyfriend, cheated on me and stole my belongings. Then, my apartment caught on fire. And to top it all I lost my exam materials." he finished leaving with a deep sigh. "I feel so lost, I've might as well gone crazy 'cause I'm here now and complain to nonexisting god."
His confession made me curious, so I woke up. I got up and walked closer to him, taking a better look. A young man. Having a small frame, delicate features and a sharp nose. I knew that face better than anything else, to the point, it hurt me to see him. My first love and my last. The one that never went away but slept until now. Awaking it made me act recklessly.
I kneeled, placing my hand on his cheek. Gently leaning towards him, then I placed a soft kiss on his forehead. A sleeping spell.
"Even in this life, you are the same foolish boy," I spoke, before placing him on the floor.
It was too cold for a human. I had to warm up my shrine so he could be safe. Soon enough, I lit the fireplace and brought out the monk's sleeping bag. I made sure everything was okay for a delicate creature like him. Before sitting next to him, I took the food box he offered me. It was a handmade one. I tried it.
"Ah, Dal, you've reincarnated so many times, yet your cooking is horrible as always," I chuckled.
"Mmmm."
During the whole night, I stayed beside him, keeping the fire going. Admiring his beautiful face and singing his favourite songs. But in the morning, I had to leave his side for a bit, just enough to prep him some food to take back.
...
He slept until late morning. And when he woke up he looked around confused. Dal probably couldn't recognize the place at first, but soon enough, he remembered. His eyes moved between the blanket and the burning coal inside the mangal. He was confused, yet he cleaned up the place before preparing to leave.
Once he was ready to go, he took a final look at the shrine. On his way out, I placed a protection spell on him. And a tracking spell. Even tho it wasn't needed. Since we were connected by the string of fate. I had no intention of letting him go this time.
Hongjoong:
My visit to that shrine was a strange experience, yet it helped me. Once I left it my fortune took a positive direction. I found my project files on the cloud, and then my friends called, saying they found us a shared house we could rent cheaply. Not to mention that the police caught my ex, and I got everything back. As if I had a guarding angel on my shoulder.
Today I had a meeting with San and Yunho to see our next rental. We agreed to go on tour and eventually sign a contract. But going there took me a bus ride and an insane amount of stairs. But at the top, I saw my friends. They were waiting for me as we agreed.
"Finally, hyung!" San smiled at me before we entered the house's yard.
Inside the yard was an older lady who looked like an agency worker. She smiled at us, leading us towards the house. We followed her, listening to her explaining details about the place. She explained there was only one tenant so far. It was kinda strange, considering the good state of that house. But she said it was because the old tenants had graduated and moved out. We left it like that.
Taking a look at the house, it was a rather good deal for the price. It was an older building, but well kept. With six bedrooms, two bathrooms, a shared kitchen and a living room. Not to mention, the large yard with a veranda. Overall, it had no flaws on the outside. But I couldn't keep my big mouth closed and had to ask.
"Excise me, Mrs Choi, why is the price so low?" I asked the woman.
"Oh, the price? Well, the house is owned by a shrine outside the city. It's their way to provide for their needs. The monk has told me it's the amount they need and nothing more," she explained.
Before I could ask another question, an unknown guy showed up. Tall, handsome guy. Black hair, soft facial features. He came in carrying grocery bags. His gentle round eyes sparkled upon seeing us.
"Hello," he smiled at us. "My name is Park Seonghwa, the tenant from the first floor, room one."
"Mr Park is a new tenant as well. He moved here about a month ago?" the lady explained.
We looked at the new guy and then at each other. He didn't seem like a bad guy at first. We excused ourselves for a moment and went to the side for a discussion. The place was full of green flags so far. And the only con was the location. I mean, it wasn't far from our university or our part-time jobs. But it was a little far from the closest bus stop or subway station, maybe around 20 minutes walk. We took some time to consider this, and then we turned towards the agent and told her to prep the documents. 7 copies, since our friends were coming over. Her face brightened when she heard that 7 new tenants were about to sing for that place.
...
We moved in the very next day. It was tough since we all had a lot of stuff to bring in, but that guy, Seonghwa, offered to help us. He was surprisingly kind to a stranger. Maybe it was his way of showing us he was a good roommate. Anyways, we decided on rooms by their size and who's staying with who. Of course, our boys, Yungo and San, wanted to share rooms with their boyfriends, so they took the two spacious rooms on the second floor. Then the rest of us, I, Jongho and Yeosang, had to decide who was taking what room. We decided that I and Jongho will take the two rooms on the first floor and Yeo will go on 2nd. Mostly, because Wooyoung wanted his bestie to be close by. And we wanted to have it peaceful away from Woosan.
I moved into room one, a small room. But it had a place for everything I needed. The bed was spacious, a little too big for me, yet I couldn't complain. I had a closet big enough for all of my clothes. And a working area over the desk, where I could set up my working equipment and computer. Not to mention the big window that was looking towards the garden. That room was perfect.
I just had finished unboxing my last stuff when I heard a knock on my door. So I went to open it, thinking it would be any of my friends, yet it was the other guy. Soenghwa stood in front of my door, wearing a pink apron and a soft smile. That was a little weird, yet I couldn't judge him since my friends were fairly quirky themselves.
"Since you all are busy settling, I'm cooking tonight. Please come to the dining room in 30 minutes," he spoke with that soft, yet husky tone. "I already told the rest. Oh, and if you have any questions for me, my room is right next to yours."
After he finished speaking, he went to the kitchen. I had to admit he was kinda attractive. However, after my last bf, I'd promised myself to stay away from handsome men. Handsome b*st*rds are the worst! I thought before returning to my break over the bed.
Eventually, all of us went to have dinner at the said time. The table was big enough for all of us, and it was covered with homemade food. Even the side dishes seemed homemade. Was Seonghwa a cook or something? We waited for him to sit down with us before eating. And he came with a couple of bottles of soju. There was beer too. That guy was prepared.
"I want to say welcome to you guys, it was so lonely here before," he spoke shyly. "Please, enjoy the meal."
We were all hungry, so attacking the food was an expected reaction. The moment I took a bite from the food, it felt way too familiar. I was wondering where I had such food. Maybe at a restaurant? No, I never had such tasty food at a restaurant. I had no idea about it, but it was so good I enjoyed every single bite. Not to mention the alcohol.
Seonghwa:
By the end of our dinner, I noticed that Hongjoong/Dal was kinda drunk. Even in this body, he couldn't handle alcohol. Actually, most of them couldn't. Except for that one, Jongho, he was drinking so much, yet nothing happened to him.
"I think it's time to go to sleep," I said, seeing most of them falling asleep. "Jongho, would you mind helping them upstairs? You look strong enough. I'll send Hongjoong-ssi to his room and help you, I spoke.
At first, the boy was a little sceptical and suspicious, yet he agreed. He threw Wooyoung guy over his shoulder, going upstairs. I, on the other side, carried my lovely Dal the bridal style to his room. Such a waste, that I couldn't bring him to mine. Placing him over the be and taking off his glasses and socks. I remembered how much he hated to sleep with socks on. Then I tucked him in and gave him a goodnight kiss on the forehead.
Afterwards, I helped Jongho carry the rest upstairs. I tried to get the Yeosang guy, but he wouldn't let me. Probably Yeosang was the only one who would carry bridal style and treat him gently. I could see, that they were connected, by the red string. All of them were 'fated' pairs. It was a rare thing to see such a group.