SSS 2010: for sol_tama
For: sol_tama
From: Your (Emergency) Secret Santa
Title: The Fairy Angora Rabbit
Pairing: Onew/Key
Rating: G
Wordcount: 2,600
Summary: In which Kibum learns that a little act of kindness goes a long way.
Kibum was on his way back to his apartment, taking the usual route through Dalseong Park. It was cold and the park was covered in one foot of snow, branches heavy and drooping with them. He couldn’t wait to get out of the chilly weather and warm up in the comfort of his home. He was trudging through the snow when something moving in his periphery caught his eyes.
It was the size of a basketball, off-white, trembling a little and soft-focused; he couldn’t find its edges. He approached it slowly and found that it was covered in a blanket of thick, fluffy fur. He raised his brows as it moved its head towards his general direction, long floppy ears twitching.
That was possibly the biggest, whitest, fluffiest specimen of a rabbit he has ever seen.
He approached it gingerly. “Hey there little thing.” The rabbit flinched in fear and made to scurry away, but he noticed something was wrong with it, and that it couldn’t move.
“What’s wrong, little guy? Are you hurt?”
The rabbit turned to him and moved its ears, nose and whiskers twitching continuously. He saw a twig lodged in its hind leg, and involuntarily winced.
“You poor thing. Lemme help you,” he said as he crouched down, reaching out to touch the rabbit. It flinched violently this time, causing him to start. “O- Okay. Sorry about that.”
He contemplated things for a while. “I thought I’d take you to the nearest vet or something but I guess you’re hurting too much already. All right let’s do this instead.”
He began to stroke the rabbit gently, cooing softly in a soothing voice before jerking the twig out. The rabbit began kicking out frantically and violently but he had a firm hold on its body.
“Now, now. It’s alright. You’re alright. Let me see your wound…”
He started noting its incredibly soft, long fur as he ran his fingers through it. It reminded him of cotton candy and clear skies with fluffs of cumulonimbus against the bright blue. “You have such gorgeous fur… What are you doing here in the wild? Did some kid throw you out? Tsk. …Oh it’s not that nasty. You’ll be fine little one.”
The rabbit seemed to look at him directly in the eye then, as if thanking him, before bolting away into the bushes. He sighed, then called out “Be careful where you hop!” as an afterthought.
--
The next day, Kibum returned home from college to find a young man waiting at his door. He eyed him from head to toe. The man has light auburn medium-length hair and was decked in an off-white woollen sweater and fitting white denims, completed off with clean white plimsolls.
Kibum cleared his throat and the man turned around to face him.
“That’s my house. Can I help you?” Kibum asked.
“Oh hi,” The man replied. He then raised a hand with a piece of paper in it, waving it around. “I heard you are looking for tenants to rent a room in your apartment. And I’m interested.”
“I… am?” Kibum frowned. He certainly didn’t remember that. But a look at the man’s mildly smiling face made him think that maybe he did advertise for tenants after all. He was indeed, struggling to make ends meet, working and studying and living on his own. And though his apartment was quaint, it was definitely big enough for two.
“Oh… I am. I guess. Now… I have to tell you first though. It’s not very big. You settle your own food and laundry. And hmm. It’s already the end of November, so you can start paying for next month and only move in then.”
A bright smile graced the man’s features. “Okay.”
“Okay? Don’t you want to have a look first? I haven’t even named my price yet,” Kibum said, his eyebrows raised.
“Yes, okay. I’m sure it’s fine. And I’ll pay, price regardless. Also, I’ll pay for November, and move in tomorrow.” Kibum’s jaw dropped slightly. The man continued, “I’m Jinki, by the way. I’ll come back tomorrow. See you then!”
He patted Kibum’s shoulder, turned around and left, just as suddenly as he had appeared.
--
Kibum was away either studying or working and Jinki locks himself in his room most of the time, so they barely see each other. Kibum didn’t mind at all. Even though they lived under one roof, the extent of their relationship was just that - renter and tenant. One thing he was extremely pleased with, though, was how he always came home to delicious food. Every single time, without fail.
Kibum had mentioned this to Jinki once, when he had come into the kitchen as Kibum was helping himself to the food on the table.
“I didn’t know you can cook well. Really well.”
“Oh,” Jinki grinned. “Yes. Well. Thanks. You could say that. I guess.”
Kibum locked eyes with him in a steady gaze. Sometimes he has this strange feeling gnawing persistently at his guts regarding Jinki. He tried to figure out what exactly it was multiple times, but it gets pushed back out of his system every time Jinki gives him one of his beatific smiles. Like the one he was giving him now.
“- I’ll go back to my room now.”
Kibum’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He muttered, “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
--
Kibum buried his head in his hands, fingers pulling at the roots of his hair, as he sat at the small dining table, loose papers and stationery strewn messily across it.
Jinki approached him carefully from the back and placed his hands on his shoulders. “What’s wrong, Kibum?” He asked in a gentle tone.
Kibum glanced over his shoulder at Jinki, sighed deeply and answered, “Nothing, really. Just some money matters. Don’t worry about it. Go back to bed.”
Jinki squeezed his shoulders a little. “No, I live here too. If you need help, I can help you.”
“No. I can’t let you do that. No way,” Kibum said. Jinki had a very calm disposition and he had this curious way of carrying it around with him and rubbing it on the people near him. But Kibum didn’t want to welcome the calm right then.
He shrugged Jinki’s hands off his shoulders. “You already do more than enough by paying rent and preparing food. Heck, you even keep this place clean!”
“- I can help you. And I will.”
--
Kibum didn’t see Jinki for two days after that. On the third day, Jinki came to him with something fluffy and white in his hands.
“Here, Kibum. Take this. It was mine. Family heirloom. But I don’t want it anymore. Sell it off at some auction. Or something.”
Kibum fingered the silky woollen sweater in his hands. “Wow. The material’s really soft. Must be expensive.” He looked at Jinki and continued, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Jinki nodded. “Go ahead. I don’t want to see you lose your hair over money anymore. I don’t think you’d look good bald.”
Kibum glared and playfully smacked Jinki’s arm, whose laughter rang high and cheerful in the air. Kibum’s smiling too after that, and the sound of Jinki’s laugh reverberated dully in his ears, causing his heartbeat to slow down and a peaceful calm to wash over him.
--
“Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me, Jinki?” Kibum said in hysterics, eyes locked intensely into Jinki’s.
“What?” Jinki said, eyes widening in feigned innocence, lips tugged at the corners as he tried not to smile.
“What was that sweater? It fetched three-freaking-thousand bucks at the auctions!” Kibum gripped onto Jinki’s shoulders and shook them hard.
“It’s just a normal woollen sweater… Three-kay huh? Wow,” Jinki said in awe, eyes focusing on somewhere distant.
“The officials said it was of some top class material. Angora or some sort. And that the one used for the sweater has this, uh, unique one-in-a-million glossy sheen to it. Or something.”
Jinki remained silent. Kibum studied the young man in front of him. Jinki was pleasant-looking, generally mild-mannered and almost always dresses in white. It made him appear free of contaminants; of fault. It made him look innocent; virginal. It made him look so damn pure. And he was still a puzzle to him. Kibum realised then he knew nothing about Jinki. Suddenly he felt compelled to do something to change that.
It occurred to him then that he had been staring at Jinki and that he had been staring back, typical smile in place, unflinching. Kibum blushed.
“Co- Come on,” Kibum stammered as he reached out for Jinki’s wrist. “Let’s go out and celebrate.”
He got a toothy grin in return.
--
“I hardly know anything about you, you know that?” It was only the third glass in and Kibum’s words were already starting to slur. “…Why are you so nice to me, Jinki?”
“Why can’t I? Every good deed deserves another in return.”
“…What?”
“Nothing. Just finish your drink so we can go home and rest. You look like you need it.”
--
“Here, I have another one for you. And it comes with a scarf!” Jinki said excitedly as he dropped a sweater on Kibum’s lap and wound a white scarf around his neck. “And if you ever run out of money again, you can just sell them.”
Kibum smiled contentedly, settling himself in the warmth provided by the soft downy material of the scarf. He regarded Jinki for a while, before something started to strike him as odd.
“Jinki, are you well? You look like you lost weight.”
Jinki was a little disconcerted. “Wha- What do you mean? I’m perfectly fine! It’s just your imagination.”
Kibum frowned. “Well. If you’re sure. Thanks for these by the way,” he said, frown quickly replaced by a small smile.
--
That night, Kibum dreamt of going on a holiday trip. It was nearly impossible for him to find the time off from work and study, so when the opportunity had come to him, he was ecstatic. He remembered going to exotic countries with fascinating cultures, beautiful countries with natural sights, and also a country where he could get high-quality goods at affordable prices. He remembered having a whale of a time.
And he remembered he wasn’t alone; through it all, Jinki was with him.
--
Kibum started to worry after not having seen Jinki at all for the past three days. He had never thought that he’d be the type to need company in order to get by. However, the strange young man had somehow managed to squeeze himself into Kibum’s life, making company appear not that undesirable at all. He had gotten too comfortable to it, liking it and wanting it, and it threw him off how he had come to rely on Jinki so much.
In other words, Kibum missed Jinki.
He took tentative steps to Jinki’s bedroom door. Kibum had made it a point to give Jinki all the privacy he had wanted. He didn’t care what he does inside, so long as his rent checks cleared every month. Wasn’t that the obligation of a renter?
He reached out and curled his fingers around the doorknob. He twisted it open easily, surprised that it wasn’t locked. Maybe Jinki didn’t need all that privacy after all. He pushed the wooden door in and was puzzled by what he had found inside.
The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in at all. There weren’t any personal items on the dresser or anywhere else. The parquet flooring was almost completely covered with white wool - countless of threads and fibres of them. On the study desk laid more fluffy woollen threads and a pair of knitting needles.
Kibum’s eyes caught something moving behind one of the desk’s legs. And there, he saw the biggest, whitest, fluffiest specimen of a rabbit, craning its neck, biting and licking at its fur.
“What. The. Hell.”
The rabbit stopped whatever it was doing - cleaning or preening itself - to turn its head towards Kibum. If rabbits were able to convey their feelings through facial expressions, Kibum swore he saw a flash of panic and fear in its eyes.
The rabbit then kicked and hopped, disappearing under the bed. Kibum clamped his eyes shut and shook his head, attempting to shake off whatever illusion he had seen. He tried to make sense of things, but all the signs seemed to point to one certain conclusion, and it didn’t make sense at all. Maybe he’d finally lost grip on his sanity after all that overworking.
He got on all fours and peeked under the bed. “Stop hiding, Jinki. Come out now.”
The white rabbit poked its floppy ears out from under the bed. It made its way out to the centre of the room. White mist started to form at its feet, slowly swirling up in a smoky tornado. Kibum stared in awe as the mist dissipated, revealing Jinki in the heart of it, decked in white from head to toe as usual. He looked so thin; the sweater that used to fit him snugly now hung loosely on his shoulders.
“What. The hell. Jinki?” Kibum was trying his best to not break out in hysterics.
“Kibum… I’m a Fairy. The Fairy Angora Rabbit, to be exact. You helped me the other day. So I’ve come to repay your kindness.”
“Oh shit, seriously?” Kibum muttered in a hoarse voice. His eyes flickered from the threads on the floor, to the knitting needles on the desk, and finally to Jinki’s face. He swallowed a lump of saliva in order to find his voice back. “Those sweaters and scarves… They were made from your own fur, weren’t they?”
Jinki nodded solemnly. Sure, Kibum had seen the signs. All the strange but calming demeanour and the white woollen sweaters and scarves; he surely had suspected something. But he had chosen to ignore them.
“I’m only here to help you however I could,” Jinki’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “But… since you’ve seen my true form, I can’t stay with you anymore. I have to leave immediately.”
“Wait, what? But… you can’t just leave! After… After everything, you can’t just leave. Just because I… You can’t! Who- Who even decides these rules?”
“I have no other choice. Sorry, Kibum. And goodbye,” Jinki said in a voice thick with regret.
He stepped closer to Kibum and pulled their bodies close in a warm hug. He headed for the bedroom door, and with one last lingering gaze at Kibum, he stepped out of the bedroom. Kibum heard the front door click to a close and he knew that Jinki had also stepped out of his life.
--
Months passed and Kibum is finally finishing school. He decided that he won’t sell any of Jinki’s woollen things and that he’d rather work hard for money on his own.
Kibum walks down the aisle of a pet shop, looking into the glass cases holding the many little critters. He stops at a certain display labelled French Angora Rabbit. He studies the fluffy white rabbit caged within it as it nibbles on some food, nose and whiskers twitching continuously. Something tugs at his heartstrings then and it is a strangely familiar feeling - like a calm washing over him. He feels compelled suddenly to take the little critter home. Right when that thought passes his mind, the rabbit turns to look up at him, eyes seemingly trying to tell him something, like it had read Kibum’s mind.
Kibum smiled.
I’m going to name you Jinki.
From: Your (Emergency) Secret Santa
Title: The Fairy Angora Rabbit
Pairing: Onew/Key
Rating: G
Wordcount: 2,600
Summary: In which Kibum learns that a little act of kindness goes a long way.
Kibum was on his way back to his apartment, taking the usual route through Dalseong Park. It was cold and the park was covered in one foot of snow, branches heavy and drooping with them. He couldn’t wait to get out of the chilly weather and warm up in the comfort of his home. He was trudging through the snow when something moving in his periphery caught his eyes.
It was the size of a basketball, off-white, trembling a little and soft-focused; he couldn’t find its edges. He approached it slowly and found that it was covered in a blanket of thick, fluffy fur. He raised his brows as it moved its head towards his general direction, long floppy ears twitching.
That was possibly the biggest, whitest, fluffiest specimen of a rabbit he has ever seen.
He approached it gingerly. “Hey there little thing.” The rabbit flinched in fear and made to scurry away, but he noticed something was wrong with it, and that it couldn’t move.
“What’s wrong, little guy? Are you hurt?”
The rabbit turned to him and moved its ears, nose and whiskers twitching continuously. He saw a twig lodged in its hind leg, and involuntarily winced.
“You poor thing. Lemme help you,” he said as he crouched down, reaching out to touch the rabbit. It flinched violently this time, causing him to start. “O- Okay. Sorry about that.”
He contemplated things for a while. “I thought I’d take you to the nearest vet or something but I guess you’re hurting too much already. All right let’s do this instead.”
He began to stroke the rabbit gently, cooing softly in a soothing voice before jerking the twig out. The rabbit began kicking out frantically and violently but he had a firm hold on its body.
“Now, now. It’s alright. You’re alright. Let me see your wound…”
He started noting its incredibly soft, long fur as he ran his fingers through it. It reminded him of cotton candy and clear skies with fluffs of cumulonimbus against the bright blue. “You have such gorgeous fur… What are you doing here in the wild? Did some kid throw you out? Tsk. …Oh it’s not that nasty. You’ll be fine little one.”
The rabbit seemed to look at him directly in the eye then, as if thanking him, before bolting away into the bushes. He sighed, then called out “Be careful where you hop!” as an afterthought.
--
The next day, Kibum returned home from college to find a young man waiting at his door. He eyed him from head to toe. The man has light auburn medium-length hair and was decked in an off-white woollen sweater and fitting white denims, completed off with clean white plimsolls.
Kibum cleared his throat and the man turned around to face him.
“That’s my house. Can I help you?” Kibum asked.
“Oh hi,” The man replied. He then raised a hand with a piece of paper in it, waving it around. “I heard you are looking for tenants to rent a room in your apartment. And I’m interested.”
“I… am?” Kibum frowned. He certainly didn’t remember that. But a look at the man’s mildly smiling face made him think that maybe he did advertise for tenants after all. He was indeed, struggling to make ends meet, working and studying and living on his own. And though his apartment was quaint, it was definitely big enough for two.
“Oh… I am. I guess. Now… I have to tell you first though. It’s not very big. You settle your own food and laundry. And hmm. It’s already the end of November, so you can start paying for next month and only move in then.”
A bright smile graced the man’s features. “Okay.”
“Okay? Don’t you want to have a look first? I haven’t even named my price yet,” Kibum said, his eyebrows raised.
“Yes, okay. I’m sure it’s fine. And I’ll pay, price regardless. Also, I’ll pay for November, and move in tomorrow.” Kibum’s jaw dropped slightly. The man continued, “I’m Jinki, by the way. I’ll come back tomorrow. See you then!”
He patted Kibum’s shoulder, turned around and left, just as suddenly as he had appeared.
--
Kibum was away either studying or working and Jinki locks himself in his room most of the time, so they barely see each other. Kibum didn’t mind at all. Even though they lived under one roof, the extent of their relationship was just that - renter and tenant. One thing he was extremely pleased with, though, was how he always came home to delicious food. Every single time, without fail.
Kibum had mentioned this to Jinki once, when he had come into the kitchen as Kibum was helping himself to the food on the table.
“I didn’t know you can cook well. Really well.”
“Oh,” Jinki grinned. “Yes. Well. Thanks. You could say that. I guess.”
Kibum locked eyes with him in a steady gaze. Sometimes he has this strange feeling gnawing persistently at his guts regarding Jinki. He tried to figure out what exactly it was multiple times, but it gets pushed back out of his system every time Jinki gives him one of his beatific smiles. Like the one he was giving him now.
“- I’ll go back to my room now.”
Kibum’s shoulders slumped in defeat. He muttered, “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
--
Kibum buried his head in his hands, fingers pulling at the roots of his hair, as he sat at the small dining table, loose papers and stationery strewn messily across it.
Jinki approached him carefully from the back and placed his hands on his shoulders. “What’s wrong, Kibum?” He asked in a gentle tone.
Kibum glanced over his shoulder at Jinki, sighed deeply and answered, “Nothing, really. Just some money matters. Don’t worry about it. Go back to bed.”
Jinki squeezed his shoulders a little. “No, I live here too. If you need help, I can help you.”
“No. I can’t let you do that. No way,” Kibum said. Jinki had a very calm disposition and he had this curious way of carrying it around with him and rubbing it on the people near him. But Kibum didn’t want to welcome the calm right then.
He shrugged Jinki’s hands off his shoulders. “You already do more than enough by paying rent and preparing food. Heck, you even keep this place clean!”
“- I can help you. And I will.”
--
Kibum didn’t see Jinki for two days after that. On the third day, Jinki came to him with something fluffy and white in his hands.
“Here, Kibum. Take this. It was mine. Family heirloom. But I don’t want it anymore. Sell it off at some auction. Or something.”
Kibum fingered the silky woollen sweater in his hands. “Wow. The material’s really soft. Must be expensive.” He looked at Jinki and continued, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Jinki nodded. “Go ahead. I don’t want to see you lose your hair over money anymore. I don’t think you’d look good bald.”
Kibum glared and playfully smacked Jinki’s arm, whose laughter rang high and cheerful in the air. Kibum’s smiling too after that, and the sound of Jinki’s laugh reverberated dully in his ears, causing his heartbeat to slow down and a peaceful calm to wash over him.
--
“Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me, Jinki?” Kibum said in hysterics, eyes locked intensely into Jinki’s.
“What?” Jinki said, eyes widening in feigned innocence, lips tugged at the corners as he tried not to smile.
“What was that sweater? It fetched three-freaking-thousand bucks at the auctions!” Kibum gripped onto Jinki’s shoulders and shook them hard.
“It’s just a normal woollen sweater… Three-kay huh? Wow,” Jinki said in awe, eyes focusing on somewhere distant.
“The officials said it was of some top class material. Angora or some sort. And that the one used for the sweater has this, uh, unique one-in-a-million glossy sheen to it. Or something.”
Jinki remained silent. Kibum studied the young man in front of him. Jinki was pleasant-looking, generally mild-mannered and almost always dresses in white. It made him appear free of contaminants; of fault. It made him look innocent; virginal. It made him look so damn pure. And he was still a puzzle to him. Kibum realised then he knew nothing about Jinki. Suddenly he felt compelled to do something to change that.
It occurred to him then that he had been staring at Jinki and that he had been staring back, typical smile in place, unflinching. Kibum blushed.
“Co- Come on,” Kibum stammered as he reached out for Jinki’s wrist. “Let’s go out and celebrate.”
He got a toothy grin in return.
--
“I hardly know anything about you, you know that?” It was only the third glass in and Kibum’s words were already starting to slur. “…Why are you so nice to me, Jinki?”
“Why can’t I? Every good deed deserves another in return.”
“…What?”
“Nothing. Just finish your drink so we can go home and rest. You look like you need it.”
--
“Here, I have another one for you. And it comes with a scarf!” Jinki said excitedly as he dropped a sweater on Kibum’s lap and wound a white scarf around his neck. “And if you ever run out of money again, you can just sell them.”
Kibum smiled contentedly, settling himself in the warmth provided by the soft downy material of the scarf. He regarded Jinki for a while, before something started to strike him as odd.
“Jinki, are you well? You look like you lost weight.”
Jinki was a little disconcerted. “Wha- What do you mean? I’m perfectly fine! It’s just your imagination.”
Kibum frowned. “Well. If you’re sure. Thanks for these by the way,” he said, frown quickly replaced by a small smile.
--
That night, Kibum dreamt of going on a holiday trip. It was nearly impossible for him to find the time off from work and study, so when the opportunity had come to him, he was ecstatic. He remembered going to exotic countries with fascinating cultures, beautiful countries with natural sights, and also a country where he could get high-quality goods at affordable prices. He remembered having a whale of a time.
And he remembered he wasn’t alone; through it all, Jinki was with him.
--
Kibum started to worry after not having seen Jinki at all for the past three days. He had never thought that he’d be the type to need company in order to get by. However, the strange young man had somehow managed to squeeze himself into Kibum’s life, making company appear not that undesirable at all. He had gotten too comfortable to it, liking it and wanting it, and it threw him off how he had come to rely on Jinki so much.
In other words, Kibum missed Jinki.
He took tentative steps to Jinki’s bedroom door. Kibum had made it a point to give Jinki all the privacy he had wanted. He didn’t care what he does inside, so long as his rent checks cleared every month. Wasn’t that the obligation of a renter?
He reached out and curled his fingers around the doorknob. He twisted it open easily, surprised that it wasn’t locked. Maybe Jinki didn’t need all that privacy after all. He pushed the wooden door in and was puzzled by what he had found inside.
The bed looked like it hadn’t been slept in at all. There weren’t any personal items on the dresser or anywhere else. The parquet flooring was almost completely covered with white wool - countless of threads and fibres of them. On the study desk laid more fluffy woollen threads and a pair of knitting needles.
Kibum’s eyes caught something moving behind one of the desk’s legs. And there, he saw the biggest, whitest, fluffiest specimen of a rabbit, craning its neck, biting and licking at its fur.
“What. The. Hell.”
The rabbit stopped whatever it was doing - cleaning or preening itself - to turn its head towards Kibum. If rabbits were able to convey their feelings through facial expressions, Kibum swore he saw a flash of panic and fear in its eyes.
The rabbit then kicked and hopped, disappearing under the bed. Kibum clamped his eyes shut and shook his head, attempting to shake off whatever illusion he had seen. He tried to make sense of things, but all the signs seemed to point to one certain conclusion, and it didn’t make sense at all. Maybe he’d finally lost grip on his sanity after all that overworking.
He got on all fours and peeked under the bed. “Stop hiding, Jinki. Come out now.”
The white rabbit poked its floppy ears out from under the bed. It made its way out to the centre of the room. White mist started to form at its feet, slowly swirling up in a smoky tornado. Kibum stared in awe as the mist dissipated, revealing Jinki in the heart of it, decked in white from head to toe as usual. He looked so thin; the sweater that used to fit him snugly now hung loosely on his shoulders.
“What. The hell. Jinki?” Kibum was trying his best to not break out in hysterics.
“Kibum… I’m a Fairy. The Fairy Angora Rabbit, to be exact. You helped me the other day. So I’ve come to repay your kindness.”
“Oh shit, seriously?” Kibum muttered in a hoarse voice. His eyes flickered from the threads on the floor, to the knitting needles on the desk, and finally to Jinki’s face. He swallowed a lump of saliva in order to find his voice back. “Those sweaters and scarves… They were made from your own fur, weren’t they?”
Jinki nodded solemnly. Sure, Kibum had seen the signs. All the strange but calming demeanour and the white woollen sweaters and scarves; he surely had suspected something. But he had chosen to ignore them.
“I’m only here to help you however I could,” Jinki’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “But… since you’ve seen my true form, I can’t stay with you anymore. I have to leave immediately.”
“Wait, what? But… you can’t just leave! After… After everything, you can’t just leave. Just because I… You can’t! Who- Who even decides these rules?”
“I have no other choice. Sorry, Kibum. And goodbye,” Jinki said in a voice thick with regret.
He stepped closer to Kibum and pulled their bodies close in a warm hug. He headed for the bedroom door, and with one last lingering gaze at Kibum, he stepped out of the bedroom. Kibum heard the front door click to a close and he knew that Jinki had also stepped out of his life.
--
Months passed and Kibum is finally finishing school. He decided that he won’t sell any of Jinki’s woollen things and that he’d rather work hard for money on his own.
Kibum walks down the aisle of a pet shop, looking into the glass cases holding the many little critters. He stops at a certain display labelled French Angora Rabbit. He studies the fluffy white rabbit caged within it as it nibbles on some food, nose and whiskers twitching continuously. Something tugs at his heartstrings then and it is a strangely familiar feeling - like a calm washing over him. He feels compelled suddenly to take the little critter home. Right when that thought passes his mind, the rabbit turns to look up at him, eyes seemingly trying to tell him something, like it had read Kibum’s mind.
Kibum smiled.
I’m going to name you Jinki.