Chapter 10
Friday, September 24th, 7pm
"Does it still hurt?" I ask, avoiding his gaze.
"Unfortunately. If I were alive, I would probably be dead by now. Jin hyung totally kicked my ass."
"What...does that even mean?"
I hand Jungkook an ice pack. He takes it gratefully. Pressing it into his face, he grimaces in pain. The side of his jaw is littered with light purple bruises from Seokjin's rings. You would think that a lack of an actual body would spare him from swelling and bleeding.
Apparently not.
"I'm not sure, but it hurts like a bitch," he says absently, but then blushes as he realises his vulgarity.
Jin and Jimin had just left and now it's just the two of us in my mess of an apartment. There's things strewn all over the floor and even a few kitchen cupboards are off of their hinges after Jungkook's little...explosion.
To be honest, I'm still quite shocked at how Jin eventually agreed to help with Jungkook's situation...even after having tried to break his jaw just a little while prior.
Although, it had taken a good hour to convince him not to continue with his assault on poor Jungkook's face.
After a lengthy explanation of Jungkook's exceptional situation, my neighbours seemed to understand that my resident ghost boy, Jungkook, was not trying to murder me in my sleep or posses anyone.
It was a little difficult to convince them since Jungkook had snapped and pretty much went haywire on us. But he wouldn't hurt me, or anyone, intentionally.
It's clear that he only went berserk when he thought Jin had hurt me but then pretty much did nothing when he himself was getting his ghostly ass handed to him on a plate.
He's just scared. And lonely.
Jin even had the decency to look guilty and go as far as to promise to mooch information from Mr Bang regarding any missing person reports of anyone in this building in the last 20 decades.
Including suicides, homicides and the likes, in attempt to find out how Jungkook died.
Jimin had just wanted to know about the (non-existent) ghost sex but was pretty much willing to help after getting over his initial shock. It seemed like Jungkook's big doe eyes can melt anyone's heart.
That, and the fact that he was pretty much crying a little after the whole fiasco and apologising profusely for almost blowing up my house.
As for me? Well, I'm still a bit shaken after what Jungkook did. He seems so innocent that I tend to forget that he's not exactly human. And at first, that didn't bother me, but now I'm a little on edge.
Even after convincing Jin and Jimin to not be afraid of Jungkook, I felt myself feeling just that. I wasn't afraid of him, exactly, but more of what he could do.
Like I said, he wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose but then again, he pretty much has the ability to destroy things if his emotions go unchecked. What if he loses his temper again one day and blows up some appliance or something? What if the whole building burns to the ground? He can't help it at all.
And that's scary.
Jungkook is a supernatural being and I shouldn't be treating this like some stupid science experiment or a game.
This could be dangerous. The book research can wait.
He might seem like a boy, but he's a 40 something year old ghost for crying out loud.
How did this just occur to me that this situation wasn't completely okay?
"Well, I'm sorry that it hurts so much. It sucks that you can still feel pain," I say in a flat, slightly cold tone as Jungkook rubs his jaw. I avoid the longing gaze that he throws my way. His eyes bore into my figure and I can feel the intensity it holds.
He's not stupid...he's noticed that I'm acting differently towards him.
"Yeah. It does suck," he says slowly. "I guess it's like how I can also feel hungry and tired. Pretty much all those things even though I don't need to eat or sleep. I don't even need to feel pain because, well, I'm...dead. Even after all these years it so weird," he explains with a sad look in his eyes. I feel a pang of sadness after hearing that.
"But anyways, I'm glad you came in when you did. Man, Jin hyung hits really hard. Can you believe? He looks so soft and sweet, I would never have thought," Jungkook laughs stiffly, try to get a response from me too. I shift on my feet uncomfortably and turn my head.
"People aren't always who they seem to be, Jungkook," I tell him in a whisper, not making eye contact with him.
He frowns and sits up abruptly.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
"Oh."
Jungkook watches me closely. I don't dare look at him because I know what I'll see.
His stupidly innocent face that's going to make me cave in and abandon any reservations that I've started to have.
I keep my head turned and hold onto my neck, not knowing what to say to him. Maybe I'm overeating.
"I'm going to go and take a nap," I announce. I need some time to think. "I'm still very tired from work. There's pizza from last night in the kitchen if you want any," I bow politely and start to make my way to my bedroom.
I get about a meter away before I feel his fingers grip my wrist tightly. His calloused fingers hold onto me roughly.
Jungkook whimpers at the way I flinch harshly at his touch. His eyes hold hurt and something else that I can't place...betrayl?
"Wh-what's wrong?" His voice shakes as he searches my face. I gulp in nervousness.
"What's wrong? Nothing, I'm just a b-bit tired," I fake a yawn and attempt to wriggle my arms out of his vice grip.
Jungkook's grip only tightens and he starts to guide my body closer to his, but I keep myself stiff.
"I'm being serious. Did I do something? Is it because of earlier?"
"Uh..I...no. look, can we talk about this tomorrow-" my voice catches in my throat as I'm yanked into Jungkook's body. His breathing is suddenly rapid and his eyes are focused on my shocked ones.
The air is tense and I almost wish that one of my neighbours would just barge in and pull us apart. Jungkook can be intense.
"Did I- did I scare you, Angel?" He breathes out, his mouth inches away from my ear.
I feel goosebumps run down my spine and immediately push him off of me in panic.
I push him harder than I mean to and he goes tumbling into the couch with an unceremonious thud.
Jungkook's face falls and his features darken in realisation.
"You're...afraid of me?"
"N-no! What are you talking a-about?"
I gasp loudly as he fizzles into thin air and I'm left staring at the empty couch. My heart pounds in my chest.
"You're scared. I can feel it."
I jump a good few meters as he reappears behind me.
Jungkook's hand rests itself on my shoulder and I tense. He spins me around to face me and bends down to my height.
He gazes at me for an uncomfortable amount of time. My eyes dart anywhere but at him and I curse internally at how uneven my breathing is. Stupid nerves.
"You are scared," he rasps in an upset whisper.
"I'm..I'm not."
"Please don't lie to me," he pleads in a small voice. Jungkook's face is pale and his lips tremble slightly.
"Please don't be scared of me. Please," he begs.
"You're the only person I have. If I don't have you..." he trails off. "Please don't be afraid. Please don't be-" he starts to shake and my eyes shoot wide open in shock. I do not want another one of his freaky ghost explosions happening again.
"Hey, Jungkook it's...it's okay. I'm not scared of y-you," I say in a weak attempt to console him. I try to grab his shoulders but he backs away.
"Then why won't you even look me on the eyes anymore? Am I that scary?"
My eyes snap to his and I see how upset he looks.
I stare at his trembling figure and the way the outline of his body starts to fade and flicker slightly. As if he can't control himself.
How can I be afraid of him? He's not scary, he's hurt, you idiot. I promised that I'd help him and hear I was making everything so much worse.
"I'm sorry for scaring you! I'm sorry! I thought he hurt you!" Jungkook exclaims, referring to Seokjin. His eyes are wide and his body is tense.
"Jungkook calm down!"
"But I-"
"Calm down!"
"But-"
"No!"
"But- but you're the only person I have left! How do expect me to be calm when the only person that I care about is afraid of me?!" He lets out with so much of betrayl in his voice that I feel myself reel.
"I'm a monster. That's why you won't even look at me," he accuses.
His face is red and so is mine. I wish nothing more than to have Jungkook's creepy disappearing abilities right about now. I don't know what to do.
"Jungkook listen...you can't say that. You barely know me," I say as gently as I inch closely toward him, toward his shaking form.
"So what? Huh? I've known you long enough to know that you're the person that I've needed for so long," he insists desperately. He grabs my hands into his large ones. They don't feel as warm as they used to. They're cold. Very, very cold.
I don't know what to tell him. There's no way that he knows what he's talking about. Jungkook, he's been lonely for too long. Just because I happen to be the first person that he's really interacted doesn't mean that we're destined for one another or anything like that.
Jungkook is a man starved of affection. His loneliness is the only reason he thinks they way he does. The way he feels the way that he does.
Loneliness can drive a man insane.
"Jungkook..." I place my hands on his face and hold his jaw tightly. I forget that it's the hurt one as he winces in pain.
He's harmless, y/n. He's like an injured animal. Afraid and alone.
"Jungkook, I'm going to help you. I swear. You're not okay, I can see that. We're gonna start right now. Okay?"
He needs help. Jungkook needs to find out how he died and move on or he's going to be like this forever.
Lonely and confused until he forgets who he is in the first place and just disappears from the world entirely. Like he never existed.
Not even a ghost.
"How- how? What do we do that?" He asks in a strangled voice, his eyes glistening.
"We find our evidence. Anything. And we start in this building. There has to be some sort of evidence," I sigh loudly and collapse on the couch dejectedly.
"I need Namjoon's help too..." I whisper to myself. Maybe with Jin, Namjoon and Jimin on the case, we could cover more ground. I'd have to let Namjoon know, but I'm not excited in having to tell him about Jungkook. It's going to be a hassle to get his logical brain to wrap around the existence of ghosts.
Jungkook hovers over me and I look up at him with determination in my eyes.
"Come on. We're going hunting. You know anything that could give us a lead?"
Jungkook shakes his head. His body hasn't stopped trembling, but he looks considerably more collected.
"I haven't left this floor since I died, Angel. I don't know where to start," he laments.
I nod. And then I think of something.
"Hey, are there any other ghosts that hang around this building?" I say only half joking.
Jungkook thinks for a second.
"Uh...yes. One. His name is Hoseok. He used to visit me sometimes, but I haven't seen him in a while," he hangs his head and stares at the floor.
I guess that was something to start with.
Maybe if Jungkook didn't know why he hadn't moved on, someone else would. Maybe they would know whether he could move on without having to remember how he died. Hopefully this Hoseok was still around here even though Jungkook hasn't seen him recently.
It sounds a bit useless, but I'm willing to take anything at the moment, looking at Jungkook's lost eyes.
"Alright. So, we talk to Hoseok, see if he knows anything about how to get your spirit to rest and then if that fails, we just use our detective skills and find answers ourselves. Okay?" I say in the most optimistic voice that I can muster.
"Get me to...rest. But then, what about you? Do I leave you? What does that mean?" He asks with an intense look in his gaze.
I freeze. The most probable outcome of that is that he will move on and...leave. But with the way he's looking at me, I don't think he wants that. But I can't go on living my life knowing that I didn't help him. Even if he didn't want help, I had to get him to move on.
He doesn't belong here and with time I know that he'll probably fade away to nothing. The fact that he can't remember his death or even his family proves that.
"Uh, n-no. But, but maybe talking to him might give us some clues as to how you died. See what he knows, find out if he's even heard anything. You want closure, right?" I rush out nervously. Of course, this Hoseok person almost certainly didn't know how Jungkook died. But I was hoping to get some other answers out of him. But I didn't want Jungkook to know that. He wouldn't agree.
"Oh. Oh okay. If you think that will help me, then I'm willing to try. I'm just happy you're not scared of me. I don't know what I'd do if you were," Jungkoor trails off "You're my guardian angel, remember? You're going to be here for me, right?" he questions with a mix of desperation and uncertainty in his voice.
I don't answer him and instead go into my room and grab something very important.
Jungkook follows me like a lost puppy.
"What are you looking for, angel?"
I shove Taehyung's stuffed rabbit, Mr Pickels, into Jungkook's hands. He'd left it at my apartment by accident and now I'm glad that he did.
Jungkook stares at me in confusion.
"What's this for?"
"You're coming with me to find Hoseok. And besides, you're gonna have to be able to leave the house to help me look for clues. Maybe even get ice cream occasionally," I tell him in a stern tone.
Jungkook still looks baffled as he turns the grey toy in his hands.
"And this rabbit will help...how?"
From what I know, Jungkook might be able to inhabit the rabbit so I can at least carry him away from this floor. There's no guarantee it will work, but it's worth a shot.
Possession usually worked in the movies, right?
"I want you to insert yourself into the rabbit."
Jungkook's eyes shoot wide open and his ears turn bright red.
"I'm sorry, what?"