BO-YOUNG
"That's a pretty name. How'd you get it?" Jungkook asks. I can hear the clinking of dishes from the kitchen and the stovetop turning off. I shrug.
"How'd you get your name?" I ask rhetorically.
Jungkook chuckles. "Okay, it was a dumb question."
Soon, he emerges from the kitchen with a plate and a glass of water. He places them on the coffee table in front of the couch before settling into the armchair diagonal to me. On the plate is a steaming hot egg sandwich.
"I know it's not much, but I assume you haven't eaten for a while, so stuffing you with food would upset your stomach," he explains sagely. I nod, taking a bite from the sandwich. I close my eyes, feeling tears well up in my eyes as I taste the first warm food I've had in months.
"So, was it your previous owner who named you?" he asks. I stop chewing and look at him, questioning his intentions before nodding. "And they're..." he trails off, waiting for me to finish the sentence for him.
I swallow my mouthful and reply: "Dead."
"I'm sorry," he gives his condolences.
"You didn't kill her, did you?" I joke. He chuckles, shaking his head.
It doesn't take me long to scarf down the sandwich. I lean back into the cushions, sipping on the cold tap water as Jungkook puts the TV on. I wonder if he'll let me take a few bottles of water on my way out tomorrow—it's surprisingly hard to come by. If I hadn't been chased, I would have set up a bottle and funnel to collect the rainwater.
"Your hair-" Jungkook suddenly says, snapping me out of my thoughts. He stops to think. I assume he's trying to find a polite way of telling me how messy it is. "Would you like me to brush it?"
His question catches me off guard.
"Why would you want to do that?" I ask, bewildered. He shrugs.
"I imagine it'd be pretty hard to reach the back yourself."
"Alright," I agree, seeing no harm in sorting out the matted mess that is my hair. He shoots me a toothy smile, revealing his bunny teeth.
"Why are you laughing?" he asks, tilting his head slightly in confusion.
"And here I thought I was the only bunny in the room," I snicker. He gapes at me before joining me in chuckling.
"You know, my friends call me a bunny too," he tells me before gesturing for me to sit on the floor. I comply, grabbing a throw cushion from the sofa and promptly sit on it, leaving enough space behind me for Jungkook. He sits after fetching a hairbrush. A shiver runs up my spine as I realize I have my back towards a stranger, but I quickly relax as he gently sections my hair.
He carefully brushes through my hair, working meticulously to untangle the birdnest that is my hair. Other than the quiet chatter of the sitcom on the tv and the occasional yelp I'd let out when the brush would get stuck, it's silent.
After a while, he speaks.
"How long were you a stray?" he inquires as he runs the brush through my hair. This time it almost glides through the section without snags.
"'Were'? I still am a stray," I correct. "It's been a good few winters," I answer, hissing as the brush snags against another tangle.
"Oh, right," Jungkook says quietly. "How did you survive so long?" he asks cautiously, unsure whether I'd get offended or not.
"Just like anyone else would; I scavenge for food, find shelter, then rinse and repeat."
"And you were fine living like that?" he asks. He moves the brush from my hair to my ears, running it over the soft fur. My eyes close as I lean into the brush. Jungkook stops for a moment before continuing.
"I am fine living like that," I correct him again. "It's better than-" I begin but stop before I say something that would offend him.
"...living with a human?" he fills in the blank. I bow my head, ashamed that he—who has been nothing but kind to me—is probably feeling put out by my comment.
"Not that you're bad, though," I try to salvage what I can. Contrary to the offence I expected, Jungkook lets out a hearty chuckle.
"Thanks."
He places the brush onto the coffee table, running his hands through my hair a couple of times to make sure he detangled it all. Satisfied, he gets up and takes my dishes into the kitchen.
I feel my hair, running my fingers through for the first time in years. My hair is longer than I thought, split ends reaching past my ribcage.
I try to stand to get back onto the couch but find myself falling back onto the ground, my legs giving out beneath me.
"Are you alright?" Jungkook asks, peering over the kitchen island to find me doubled over. I give him a thumbs-up before straightening myself and heaving myself onto the couch from the floor.
"Yeah, my legs are just a bit wobbly. I think I overexerted myself today," I explain. "See, you were not the first person to chase me today. Some drunkards thought it would be a good laugh to get a few pennies off bringing in a stray."
"I can't believe someone would do that," he comments, to which I snort.
"Don't act like a saint, bunny man. You chased me too," I say lightheartedly.
"Not for those reasons, though. Have a little faith in me. I think I reacted pretty well when I saw those ears of yours."
"Not that I gave you much time to react before I bolted," I quietly laugh, feeling slightly guilty about putting him through so much trouble.
The rain taps against the window, droning in the background as we watch the sitcom. I can't seem to focus on the show, though. My eyes can't help but wander around the quaint apartment. I spot a bright splash of colour on the wall behind the couch to find a beautiful mural of a man's face, colourful paint deliberately dripping down from the monochromatic man's face. Jungkook notices my distraction, following my gaze.
"You know, I painted that myself," he tells me.
"Really?"
"Yeah," he replies. "I painted it a few years ago when I first moved into this apartment. I thought it would be a good way to make this place my own."
"It's a shame to think that if you move, you'll probably have to paint over it," I mutter.
Jungkook shrugs. "I 've never thought of moving away."
I raise an eyebrow. "Really, never? I somehow doubt that."
"Well, I've never seriously considered it. Even if I were to move, I doubt I'd mourn it. I'm sure if I tried again today, it would turn out much better anyways," he tells me. "Still, I don't have the heart to re-do it."
"I like it how it is, even if you could do better now. It's sentimental."
Jungkook smiles.
"Thanks."