Chapter Text
He smelled thick scent of beer, nauseating his mind like a bee hive. Kyung wu leaned against the lamp post, barely containing himself. He looked at the cigarette at hand, remembering back to the figure that gave it, with each breath coming ragged gasps.
It was there again. It was beyond out of control, the creature he could only see. It hovered just behind his shoulder, draining kyung wu’s energy. His nightmares were being fed to this demon every time it had lost its control.
Its formed remained plunged into his back. A deep chill spread from the point of contact for the first time. he could feel itself presence right behind him, his strength was loosed. ‘’go.. back to normal.. please.’’ He could only whisper with a ragged tone in his voice.
Suddenly, kyung wu jolted. A burst of raucous laughter shattered the relative quiet as a group of drunkards spilled out of a nearby bar. Their voices were loud. Slurred, to their own grievance. Strong form of hateful words to their respective work, bosses or ex-wives.
The unfairness of the world.
Just then, one of them pointed their fingers.
‘’hey look! Look at this guy, think he’s part of the streetlight.’’
Their muttered words of their lives stopped. Their gazes turning sharply towards where kyung wu was trying to breath for air. Now, swaggering over, a loose pack of them. Their eyes suddenly glint with a malice intent.
Hurt.
That was it.
Something that they needed to take their frustrations on.
Kyung wu, sensing their hateful glares tried to straighten up, to muster up dignity. After all, he couldn’t just lose a fight to some drunkards.. yet every part of his limb felt sore. Worse then before. His fists curled.
‘’what’s your problem, huh? Too good to talk?’’ a man with a broken nose shoved him, a casual push that sent kyung wu stumbling against the poll.
Another snatched the cigarette off from kyung wu’s hand. ‘’want some change? Here!’’ he flung a handful of coins towards kyung wu’s feet. A smirk appeared on the mans face, lighting up the cigarette.
‘’NO!’’ he almost yelled, trying to take it back. That was not theirs. His hand reached for it, but another shoved him making him stumble back.
The world became a blur of jeering faces and shoving hands. Each push was a seismic ecent for his weakened state.
But something else noticed. That creature, he had noticed, detaching from him. it now hung in air, a few feet away, observing. Its form suddenly gleaming with an anticipation.
A foot hooked behind his ankle, the ground rushed up to meet kyung wu. The hard pavement knocking the last of the wind from his lungs. He lay there, slowly curling up.. coughing. As the kicks began, someone’s feet met with his ribs. Another heel ground to his thigh.
In the corner of his eyes during this torture, there, he saw it. the creature moved from its spot. It now, was walking across the pavement. Sliding silently across the ringleader..
‘’no… don’t. do it.’’ he knew this creature by heart. But, they all felt a little like demons themselves. ‘’get… get away from him..’’ he warned, raising a trembling hand. ‘’its.. behind you.’’ His warning was met with a fresh peal of laughter.
‘’the fuck is he on about?’’ – the one with the broken nose laughed. He delivered yet another kick to the blow. ‘’hes seeing things now’’ --‘’do you think he Is higher then us?’’
They didn’t see. They couldn’t see. How could they? The creature.. or.. rather, demon looking being was standing tall behind him. then.. blank.
---
He woken up, with a migraine that hit. The softness to his body, and the feeling of something wrapped around his arms. The scent of his own apartment, suddenly realizing he was in his own bed. The clock beside the table glowed, 4:15AM.
It felt like a bad dream.. a very bad dream. The air conditioning of his apartment room was turned on.. wearing a clean shirt and sweatpants.. not the clothes he wore earlier. When he sat up quickly, a sharp pain shot through his ribs and face.
He grunted, hands immediately touching where the pain was shotting up through. he blinked finding bandages wrapped around. He touched back his chest, finding more and more bandages around his body. Some places covering around some small rashes.
Feeling tended and cleaned off, surprisingly. His memory was like scattered glass that were yet to Glue back together.
The lamp post, the drunkards, the creature. Or demon.. the broken nose man, and a perfect blank.
‘’how did I end back up here..’’ was the question he muttered out silently.. quickly getting out bed, he headed back to the bathroom, looking at his reflection. There, the man in the mirror was strange. A familiar face he couldn’t remember. Then, his own reflection set back in.
‘’did you.. put me to bed.’’
The question hung in air. Waiting for the creature to appear back. It didn’t. it was the first time since… forever since that same demonic creature and Kyung wu ever had an interaction physically. Even if he were unconscious..
It was something he never understood gradually growing up. This creature tore everything apart. And now was taking care of him. he didn’t feel thankful. At least not yet.. but he was.. surprisingly glad yet.. something felt odd.
He couldn’t place what it was. The silence in the bathroom was absolute, broken by only the soft voice, of kyung wu silently muttering to himself on how this could happen. It didn’t make sense. How can a demonic creature that was only suppose to be in his head even touch him physically?
Something fell out of place. He wasn’t sure what it was.
Then, something paused. He turned his head, upon hearing the doorbell rang. He counted. Once. Twice. It didn’t seem rushed. No not at all.
A single bell that broke his muttering. He walked out from the bathroom, glancing at the clock. 4:20AM now.. 5 minutes passed since then. Time didn’t just slow down for mark. It felt like everything was going too quickly. He couldn’t seem to catch a break.
No one should be here, no one knew he was here. He hadn’t ordered anything either. He moved with deliberate, almost mechanical slowness. Silently padding barefoot across the cold floor, the peepholes showed a distorted, fish eyed view of an empty hallway.
Nobody was around. He slowly unlocked the door, opening it to meet with the hallway. It was deserted. No retreating footsteps, no shadow darting around the corner.. just the oppressive, watching silence that was left there.
A silent shiver ran down his spine. It had nothing to do with the cold. He leaned, looking left and right before closing the door, withdrawing.
That’s when, the lights flashed out.
Not a flicker, not a dimming, one moment the weak light from the small kitchen fixture painted the room in dim light. It was a slight relief, before swallowing the whole apartment in darkness.
‘’hello..?’’ he called silently.
His eyes slowly adjusted, as he kept moving around. Pulling shapes from the void. The faint greyish glow from the city just beyond the curtainless window. He stopped.
A figure right by his bed side.
A perfectly still figure. He recalls that that same stance from before. It was a man. Kyung wu’s bandaged hands hung loose by his sides. He should run, grab something and hit them. Fight, but he couldn’t move. A clarity settled over him.
‘’who..’’
Slowly moving closer. It was that familiar stance he saw. He took step by step, moving forward. The floorboard barely creaked. Just when kyung wu was close enough to his face, he couldn’t see it clearly.. it was like his vision blocked his face.
‘’I know you’’ he whispered. The figure tilted his head slightly, confirming his suspicions. The figures hand touched his shoulder, bringing him a little closer. Now face to face, their breaths merged.
With a blank canvas, he was pushed back against the bed. But suddenly, the world went from dark to light. There was light, sun was already up. The clock strikes 8am.. he hadn’t known what just happened. But it felt like he was still at 4am..
And something small was on his chest. He reached for it..
a cigarette..