~?~
"Don't lie (Y/N). It's not worth it."
I lean against the wall in shock, not knowing how to reply. Steadily, I take one step forward crossing my arms, trying to look less intimidated.
Furrowing my brows, I purse my lips in confusion. I search his gaze to only see an icy glare glowering back at me. But his eyes were flickering with another emotion; relief?
"I'll ask you again. Who are you?" This time, the boy growled lowly
"How do you know my name?" the words flew out of my mouth automatically. I immediately regretted my action as I saw the look on his face. He looked slightly hurt, but mostly...sad? It was as if a part of myself was reflected in his eyes, sadness. Raw sadness. The sadness of missing a loved one. Easy to tell; I've been there before.
His cat eyes...beautiful like the sunset and cunning like a panther's. It just made him pretty boy two. And pretty faces hide the wickedest secrets.
But what could make him feel like that? I don't even know him. What could I even have to do with him?
But as I looked again, it was immediately smothered to a poker face as if it had never existed.
He wants it cold, I'm more than glad to play his game.
"Lie how, punk?" I say in response as bitterly as I could muster.
Tilting my chin up, I quietly slipped my hands into my pocket to wipe away the evident sweat on my hands, but also to assure that my pocketknife still remained snuggly in my windbreaker.
Making a fool of myself wasn't an option unless I wanted to commit social suicide. News travels fast, especially in cities like Seoul. How do I know?
Experience. Dead hard experience.
As he sensed I was lost in thought, the boy lunged at me in a blur and jerked my sleeve. I staggered forward as he dragged me out of the shade, his fingers wrapped around my synthetic material sleeve.
"He-mppphhhh!"
My mouth was instantly covered as he pulled me away from the niche and out on the streets. I could feel his soft fingers pressed up against my lips, shushing me.
It was done expertly as if he had trained to do it.
He gingerly let go of me and stood there, his hands casually shoved in his pockets. He tilted his head at me, expecting a reaction.
"I just thought you could see me better under this light," he smirked cheekily as if he was trying to play off his uncalled for actions.
I finally see him in full light—I could see him clearly.
"What the hell?" I yelled out exasperatedly at his unjustifiable actions.
But seeing him only made me wonder more, why was I feeling deja vu? The soft and pale skin, plump lips, feline eyes; everything.
"Surprise?" he chuckled smugly, his fingers passing through his hair in almost a cocky way. He winked at me, his eyes twinkling like stars. It was friendly, even familiar.
As I glanced at him more, I noticed that his mild auburn hair was noticeably parted in the middle, his locks slightly hanging to the side. Ruffling it only made him look better honestly.
Snapping back into reality, I attempted to clear my head and focus on the prevalent situation in front of me.
"What the fuck." I spat, not out of disgust but confusion "I don't even know you."
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I didn't realize who you were until I saw your face, darling," he nonchalantly said as he completely ignored my snide remark. He shrugged his shoulders as an apology, but it only added to his chivalrously impudent persona. The annoying type that makes me want to bitch slap him.
I scoff. "First, no, hitting me against a brick wall didn't hurt me. I have a head of stone. And second, how do you even know me? I just need an explanation so I can go home and rest in peace, asshole."
He glanced back at me, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. His gaze was almost authoritative and demanding, as if what his word was an order. Intimidating to say the least.
"It was a rhetorical question sweetie. Did you think I actually cared? Well, let me answer that for you. No," he retorted coldly.
"Stop avoiding the answer."
"Why do you need to know?" he argued agitatedly. He pressed his lips, eyes narrowed into slits. His patience was running thin clearly, but I couldn't just leave.
My nose crinkled in agitation as I mentally contemplated to just run away or let the conversation continue.
Useless talk, but I could possibly get somewhere. Great, first week and a beautiful yet sketchy street-dweller knows my goddamn name.
"Because You got my name and I'm pretty sure it's my fucking right to know why! I can't believe your nerve."
"It doesn't work like that here sugar. Welcome to Seoul," he stated as he gestured towards our surroundings. "You'll learn in time."
"Well, I'm not impressed, city boy."
"What did you expect? A red carpet wherever you walk? Well then not everyone is like you. In fact, you know that well. Don't you?"
"What do you even mean?"
"I simply just know you."
Why do I feel like I know you too? You can't be reading my mind. If only you could tell me more.
"Funny joke jackass."
"Name's Joshua. Has a better ring to it than jackass. Maybe you can call me that, it's only fair."
Nothing clicked in my head. Still.
"I didn't ask. The last thing I need is to have a connection to some wannabe badass drug lord like you," I say bitterly.
"I'm not a wannabe," he retorted coolly, still watching me with his cat-like gaze pinning me down. "I'm already there."
"What?"
"I don't do drugs, coke and pot are for damaged and crushed cripples. And driving under influence isn't the best idea unless of course, you want to."
The clever way he avoided my questions ticked me off.
"No shit, Sherlock."
"Why so pissed?"
"Archie, you attacked me, claimed that you know me, and are now acting all know-it-all sassy."
He glowered back at me, his slender arms crossing in front of his chest.
"So."
I run my hand through my hair out of frustration pursing my lips.
"Why are you always inquisitive about me? Just freaking answer my questions!"
"I don't find a reason to talk about myself. It changes nothing." He managed to pull a tight-lipped smile, flashing his pearly whites at me.
All I could feel was stark anguish.
I scoffed, "Just please answer one question."
"It depends."
"What do you do then? You don't sell drugged ice cream to kids, right?"
"That's for you to find out, (Y/N)."
I whisked my head around, setting a course home. Hopefully, the cold shoulder suggested I wanted to be left alone.
"I guess it worked, but too well," he softly mumbled under his breath.
I halted dead in my track. Not knowing how to respond, I glanced back and examined his eyes. I found what I was looking for; his eyes were glazed with a deep sorrow again. There was something about him that was hidden beneath the naked eye. But isn't there always?
"I'm sorry (Y/N)," this time he looked sincerely apologetic, "It was to help."
"Wh-"
"I'll make it up to you." His eyes seemed to click back to normal, darkening again. "Catch you tomorrow!"
"Wait what? How?"
The corner of his lips crinkled into a taunting smirk, and his eyelids crinkled that mocked a laugh.
"As I said, find out for yourself tomorrow."
Whisking away, he ran back from where he came front in the direction of the coffee shop; leaving me standing there all alone.
"Tsch. Didn't even bother to pay for the coffee. Jerk."
I shifted my eyes to see the styrofoam cup splintered into pieces. The lid was detached during the fall, resting a couple of footsteps away from the wrecked cup as if was littered. Oozing from the cup, like blood, was the caramel-tinted coffee.
"How I ironic," muttered to myself, "looks as tragic as this story."
The story starts now, well fuck.
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【Ｊｏｓｈｕａ Ｈｏｎｇ】 ✓
→Ｓｔａｔｕｓ: found, alive
Ｒｏｌｅ: ᴎ w o ʞ ᴎ u ⸮
Ａｇｅ: ᴎ w o ʞ ᴎ u ⸮
Ｍｏｔｉｖｅ: è̸̲̦̳͙̳͖̖̒͗̄̚h̴̢̘̲̪̮̬̦͂̑̀͜ ̵͇̣͂̽̋̾̒̆͑͝͝i̸͙͐̅̃̓́̅̂̚͘d̴̨̩̜̤͈̫́̌̽̋d̶̲͈̩̼̮̔̽́́̓̕͜͜ ̶̡̯͓͇̰͚̜̟̱̅̐ě̷̢̙͍̈́̇̇̉͗̑͝ͅh̸͙̐̏̆̃̈̄,̶̢̛̩͔͐̈́͛ ̵͍̼̃͋͘o̸̰̺̽̏̔̽͘y̵̱͍͝u̷͔̇̉́̃̎͝ ̴̧̧͈̥̺̠̥̭̥̈́̃̍̿͝ó̸̧͕̰̜̭̦͎̆̽̎̕f̸͚͓̬̍̄̋̈́̄͝n̵̼̫͚̦͉̭̭̻̺̾͆́͆ǘ̶͓̇ḋ̵̡̧̡̜͈̼̯̰̤̃̆̌͗̕̚͠ ̵̜̰̭̿̓̔͌͗̊̉̾͝t̸̞̺̼͊̈́̌̚ȋ̸̖͌͑͋͗̔̕̚
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Unknown: whether you know or not, I'm part of you (y/n). hope you'll join me. I'll find you at school during lunch and sit next to you. don't refuse me. that's an order.
Me: don't tell me you're joshua I don't need to be whisked into your neverland just yet
Me: hey? Are you even reading this?
ʳ ᵉ ᵃ ᵈ
...
"You got the text, right?"
I glared through my hair at Joshua that fell over my shoulder and in front of my right eye. Incredulous, this boy had run into me and now had chased me down. I pressed my lips tightly, glancing at his deep eyes; a smirk playing on his thin lips.
I jeered at the bothersome teen. "Then how did I reply, hotshot?"
I gripped the two sticks in my hand tighter out of impatience, piercing my palms. Almost at the point of threatening to draw blood if I continued more.
Even more, Joshua had interrupted my wonderfully silent lunch period, or so I had wanted it to seem, by pulling up in a chair. I didn't want company, nonetheless his.
"I'm doing a favor for you," he hissed lowly. "You don't want to be caught sitting alone. You don't know what they will do to you."
"Something better than you being in front of my face for sure," I scoffed flatly, rolling my eyes in annoyance.
"They aren't innocent school kids (Y/N). Some even own guns. How they use them is based of their personality," he reasoned thoughtfully as he peered over my shoulder. "Could have disappeared if you ran into the wrong person yesterday. Lucky it was me." He flashed a slight close-lipped smile as he rest his hand on the rough table.
"I'd rather be jailed right now than talk to your face right now."
"Why so cold to me?"
I only picked at the stale lunch-line ramen in response, pondering. To think of, I actually had no idea why I despised him so much. Although his arrival was unexpected, he didn't seem too bad. Even loitering around me wasn't too bad; as he said, some company was better than none. If anything, it was his aura; something that contained history I wouldn't want to meddle with.
He chuckled stiffly. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Ya, you the Cheshire Cat who won't stop grinning like a maniac."
Eyeing my food with abhorrence, I struggled to swallow the seemingly plastic-like cafeteria poison. The dryness in my throat from the indoor conditioning making it next to impossible. Maybe I should throw it away.
"I'm tossing this shit," I mumbled half to myself.
I wrapped my fingers around the edges of the tray and lifted it up gently, making sure not to spill. As I excused myself from where I was sitting alongside Joshua, I was met with a familiar face.
Pretty boy.
His brown eyes darted immediately to mine and he beamed instantaneously with his childlike grin. "Nice to see you again."
"H-hi," I stuttered baffled for being addressed suddenly.
Overhearing the commotion behind, Joshua turned around and notice pretty boy.
"Looks like you've already met Jungwoo, (Y/N)," he grinned.
Sorry for the really slow updates. It's hard witing... ;w; I promise I'll put effort into updating hopefully every two weeks. Please if you read this, vote and comment on the chapter so I can get some feedback... thank you :)