Chapter Text
“I actually hate you,” Jimin said as he looses yet another game of Nyout.
Taehyung yawned, as though he’s alive and tired, and not dead and wide awake. His feigned boredom did nothing to lift Jimin’s spirits. He gathered up the board and pieces and went to stash it under the front desk when a sudden burst of thunder roared overhead, as if on cue the rain, which had been steady but gentle all day now began to fall with a vengeance, hammering on the roof of the sprawling hanok. Jimin sighed, hoping the fierce wind that accompanied the storm wouldn’t tear anymore shingles off the roof, because the last thing he wanted to do was climb up there and replace them.
“Bad night to be out,” Taehyung commented as he floated upside down and peered out the main window of the inn, “I didn’t think it was supposed to be this bad,”
“What, you keeping on eye on the forecast now?” Jimin asked as he slumped into his seat and put his feet up on the desk.
“So salty,” Taehyung replied as he turned and floated back towards Jimin, who winced when another loud crack of thunder burst from the sky, “What’s got you all worked up tonight?”
“If the power goes out I’m going to bed,” Jimin says instead of responding to the question, “I don’t care, the dead can deal with their own problems for a few hours while I sleep,” he was lying, of course, he very well might go to bed, might even get some actual sleep, but the dead were dead, and could not deal with their troubles on their own.
That’s where Jimin came in, for over a century now he’d been here, at Hanok Dal, catering to the whims of the dead, providing them with a place to rest while he attempted to sort through any unfinished business that kept them trapped on the physical plain. It’s a curse, a burden he’s been forced to bear for a crime he doesn’t recall committing. He gave up trying to remember his past decades ago, each attempt felt more futile then the last, and perhaps it was for the best, because whatever it was must have been terrible to land him in a situation like this.
“There’s someone coming,” Taehyung interrupted Jimin’s brooding with a whisper, his deep voice audible only to Jimin’s ears and other ghosts.
“Great,” Jimin muttered, not bothering to move an inch.
“They’re alive,” Taehyung added.
“What?” Jimin asked, “What do you mean they’re alive?”
“I mean their heart beat is steady, their blood is flowing, their brain is lighting up with synapses and they are most likely soaked from rain that can actually interact with them,”
Jimin rolled his eyes and straightened up, it wasn’t often that a living, breathing human found this place, let alone decided to approach it. Physically it was tucked away, off the main roads of Busan and in the wood enshrouded hills that bordered the inland part of the city. But there was also an aura about the place, something that made any wandering passerby nervous, unwilling to approach or investigate.
Unless they were dead, of course, in which case they experienced none of that, and more often than not just waltzed right in at the most inopportune times. Like when Jimin was trying to rest, or catch up on a drama, or take a shower. There were currently a couple dozen residence taking up space here, and aside from running Jimin ragged with their unfinished business, they were surprisingly high maintenance for dead people. Jimin would have loved it (or at least liked it more) if they could just be floating, incorporeal beings with absolutely no physical needs. That would have been easy, that would have been great.
That wouldn’t have been much of a punishment.
No, these people were dead but aside from the fact they were all vaguely transparent, they had very similar needs as the living. Except for the food, the food had to be very specific- meals prepared specifically for the dead. It was an old tradition to lay out feasts for the deceased, most people didn’t do it anymore, but Jimin was well versed in it, because he had to do it once a day, every day, for who knows how long, until his punishment was complete. He had no idea when that fated day would come, he’d been at this for over a century with no signs of it ever ending. He must have done something really terrible, or at least he hoped so, because if it wasn’t absolutely awful, then this punishment would feel grossly disproportionate.
“They’re headed for the front door,” Taehyung said, “What are you going to do?”
Jimin sighed, it wasn’t as though he could flip on some “No Vacancy” sign and tell them to go away, he would just have to hope the general ambiance of the place (unlit corners, eerie sounds, the constant feeling of being watched) would be enough to dissuade them from trying to book a room.
“Can you… I don’t know, make some creepy noises? Stand in the corner and moan in a disembodied fashion,”
“Everything I do is disembodied, Jimin-ah,” Taehyung reminded him, then he moaned, experimentally, “What do you think? Was that too much of a I’m railing someone moan? Or was it more of a “I’m a tortured soul here to torment and drive you mad” sort of moan?”
“Definitely the former,” Jimin replied, “Where did you learn the term railing, anyway?”
“Hmm… sorry, it’s the only way I know how to apparently,” Taehyung replied with a shrug, ignoring his question entirely.
Jimin rolled his eyes and sat up, “They still coming? Can you dim the lights if they’re persistent, maybe make them flicker a bit…” he thought for a moment, “oh, and that cold draft thing you do when you’re grumpy, can you do that too?”
“Oh yeah, I can do that,” Taehyung replied, “Okay, they’re just about to the front steps… and… here they are,”
The little silver bell over the door rang merrily as a man in a soaked sweatshirt and rain-dark jeans let himself in, blinking the water from his lashes as he stood in the entrance and looked around with wide eyes. Jimin stared, more than a little surprised by the sight of such a handsome stranger waltzing without a care in the world into his hotel. Tan skin, black curls peeking out from beneath his hood, and wide, bright eyes that seemed to capture the overhead lights and turn them into stardust.
“Oh, he’s hot though,” Taehyung whispered from where he had floated up behind Jimin, “What’s up with that?”
“Good evening,” Jimin said hastily as the young man turned towards the front desk, “What brings you to the Hanok Dal?” he did not want or need Taehyung’s commentary during this encounter, he needed him to act like the ghost that he was, and not his best friend, which he also was, but there was a time and a place for everything.
“Good evening,” the man replied with a polite bow, “I’m sorry to intrude at such a late hour, but I my car broke down not far from here, and my cell phone had no reception…” he trailed off as the lights suddenly went dim, their strength wavering for a moment before nearly going out then returning to full strength. Jimin didn’t bother glancing over at Taehyung, who was humming a little tune to himself as he exerted his influence of their surroundings, but for half a second it seemed as though the stranger did, staring at the exact spot where Tae stood before looking back at Jimin, “If it’s possible, I’d like to get a room for the night,”
“Ah,” Jimin said as lightening split the sky overhead and thunder shook the windows, “I’m terribly sorry, but we don’t have any vacancy at the moment,”
The man’s brow furrowed, “How many rooms do you have here?” he asked.
Jimin frowned, “Twenty total, but like I said they are all-“
“I can only sense twelve souls, not counting you two,”
Taehyung gasped and Jimin’s jaw dropped, “I- I’m sorry, what?” he asked, unable to keep the shock from his voice.
“Twelve souls, fourteen if we’re including you two… so why did you say you had no vacancies?”
“I…” Jimin trailed off, at a complete loss for words, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”
“Oh, come one,” the man said, a little smile teasing the edge of his lips, “I think you do, actually,” he pointed directly at Taehyung, “Were you the one who dimmed the light just now? Good trick, probably works usually too. Throw in some moaning or whispers, a few thuds and bangs, and you’ve got whoever is trying to get a room heading right back out the front door,” the man shoved his hands in his pockets and his smile turned into a grin, “My name's Jeon Jeongguk, by the way, who do I have the pleasure of meeting tonight?”
Jimin looked at Tae, who stared back at him with a look of shock that no doubt mirrored his own. Not once in the entire time Jimin had been here had a living, breathing human walked in and could not only sense how many souls were present, but could just… see Taehyung.
“Should I… should I get Seokjin?” Tae whispered, as though the stranger wouldn’t be able to hear him, despite standing only a meter or so away.
“Why?” Jimin asked.
“Who’s Seokjin?” Jeongguk asked at the same time. Taehyung startled, as though he had forgotten he could be perceived, which to be fair, he hadn’t been by the majority of people for some time.
“Jin is one of our guests,” Jimin replied as he tried to remain calm and professional, even as his mind struggled for a way to get rid of this intruder without causing a scene.
“Is he dead too?” Jeongguk asked, “Or is it something else, because there’s other things I can sense here… I know I said twelve souls, but some of them feel… off? Like they aren’t human or something?”
Jimin closed his eyes, “Look, Jeongguk-ssi, I’m going to be honest, because it seems like you know a bit more about… things,” he gestured vaguely, “then normal person. This is not a hotel for the average human, and as much as I hate to suggest it,” Jimin didn’t hate it, but he wasn’t going to admit it out loud, “I recommend going back to your car and waiting for the storm to pass there,”
Jeongguk gave him an incredulous look, “Do you know how far I had to walk to get here? At least two miles, in the rain, uphill the entire time,” he stopped, “Maybe I’m exaggerating the last part, but it was absolutely two miles, and it definitely raining the whole way,” he looked around, “This is a really nice place you’ve got here, by the way,”
Jimin would have said thank you, but he didn’t agree. Being stuck here for the passed century and then some had taken it’s toll on his perspective, and all he saw when he looked around was burdens and duty and a curse he had no knowledge of getting, just the knowledge that it was there. He scowled down at his desk in thought, there was a part of him that just wanted to get the young man to leave, it wouldn’t be hard, he could just get Jin down here to place a compulsion on him that would make him head back to his car and stay the night, but as the wind howled and the rain pounded on the tiled roof Jimin didn’t want to think about what it would be like to back out in that, especially without real conscious thought. A vampire’s compulsion was nearly impossible for the average person to resist, and while Jeongguk didn’t seem average by any means, that didn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t get hurt in some way in an single minded attempt to get back to his vehicle. Even if he fell and broke his leg or ankle, he’d be forced to carry on in spite of the injury, and that didn’t sit well with what little remained of Jimin’s conscious.
“Please,” Jeongguk said, “Just one night, that’s all I’m asking for, I’ll be out of here when the storm lets up tomorrow,”
Jimin sighed, half of him wanting to say yes, the other half no, when a voice behind him broke him from his thoughts, “What’s going on out here?” Min Yoongi asked as he floated through a wall, “I could sense Jimin being upset, what did you do now, Taehyung? I swear if it’s another one of your attempts to…” he trailed off when he saw the mortal standing in front of the desk, staring straight at him with those wide eyes, “Oh,” Yoongi said, “Who’s this?”
“Jeon Jeongguk,” the man replied with another bow.
Yoongi raised an eyebrow, “You can see me,”
“Mostly,” Jeongguk nodded, “Little transparent though, aren’t you?”
“Side effect of being dead,” Yoongi shrugged, “What can you do, you know?”
“Fair,” Jeongguk said, as though this was a completely normal conversation. Jimin sighed and let his face fall into his palms, “Okay, okay…” he trailed off as the other three went silent, “I guess you can stay the night, just… promise me something?” this was a mistake, a quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind, a huge, stupid mistake that he would come to regret later, “When you leave here, you won’t come back, and you won’t tell anyone else about this place,”
Jeongguk smiled, “Does that mean I get a room?”
“Promise me,” Jimin said as he looked up at the other man.
“I can assure you your secret is safe with me… but what if I want to come back? This place is amazing, and the concierge is very handsome,” he said with a wink.
“Ooooooh!” Taehyung said, then stopped himself when Jimin and Jeongguk both looked at him, “Sorry, not used to being so easily perceived,” Taehyung said with a shrug and a smirk that implied he didn’t care. He nudged Jimin’s shoulder, though it felt more like a cold breeze then a physical touch, “he said you're handsome!”
“Pretty sure Jimin heard him, Tae,” Yoongi muttered as he floated up towards the ceiling, “I’m going back to my room, no one do anything stupid or I’ll be annoyed,” he disappeared without another word, fazing through the light fixtures and rafters till he was gone.
Jimin sighed, “Look, let me just take you to a room okay? I’m too tired to even process whatever else you just said to me,”
“Alright!” Jeongguk said eagerly, “Lead the way!”
“There hasn’t been that much enthusiasm in here since… well, there just hasn’t been enthusiasm here, full stop,” Taehyung said with relish, “this is going to be great,”
“Tae?” Jimin said with a sigh.
“Yes, sugar plum?”
“Can you please leave now?”
“How about I just become invisible and you two pretend I’m not here?”
“Kim Taehyung,” Jimin said with a narrowed eyed glance in the ghost direction, “Can you not?”
“Fine, fine, I see that I am not wanted, some people have no taste,” he turned and stalked towards the door, which would have been more dramatic if it weren’t for the completely lack of sound as he did. He gave a final glare over his shoulder and a sudden cold wind whirled around the room, pulling open the door in front of him. He passed through it and it slammed dramatically behind him, sharp and concussive, followed immediately by the sound of thunder.
Jimin went to sigh again, then thought the better of it, he’d been doing a lot of that tonight, “Okay, follow me, Jeongguk-ssi,” he said as he came out from behind his desk, “Apologies in advance about the other guests, they are dead and it makes them extra nosy, so you might end up with someone floating into your room in the middle of the night,”
“That’s actually really cool,” Jeongguk said.
Jimin, who had long gotten over having the dead constantly in his business, though it was anything but cool, “Sure,” he said as he walked towards a door that was opposite the one Taehyung had gone through.
“Do you have anything to eat?” Jeongguk asked after a few moments of blessed quiet, “I’m starving,”
Jimin glanced over his shoulder, it had been a long time since he had prepared any food for the living, aside from himself, insofar as he was living that is, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. In fact, the idea excited him in a way that only a man who had been doing the same things over and over could have been excited, “I have everything I need for some japchae, I’ll show you your room and you can get settled,”
“Do you have showers? Running water? Do ghosts even need that?”
“Not everyone staying here is incorporeal,” Jimin said with a shrug, “We get other kinds of dead on occasion too… also I’m here, I guess,”
“Really?” Jeongguk asked, eyes widening in wonder, “What other kinds of dead are there?”
“Vampires, dhampir, vetalas, wights…”
“I know what exactly one of those things are,” Jeongguk said, “any zombies?”
“No zombies, whoever is going to be here has a reason, and zombies lack reason,”
“Ah, too bad,” Jeongguk said with a sigh.
Jimin didn’t bother responding, he had a very low opinion of zombies, seeing as they were mindless bags of rotting flesh who just wandered around and tried to gnaw on people, also they were messy, always leaving pieces of themselves behind, Jimin did not have the time or energy for that.
“Here’s your room,” Jimin said as they approached a door near the end of the hallway, he opened it and stepped inside, “Ring this if you need anything, I don’t sleep much, as long as I’m not already occupied, I will come to your room to check on you,” he gestured towards a small bell on the bedside table, silver and inscribed with ruins.
“How does it work, and why don’t you sleep much?” Jeongguk asked with a frown.
“It’s enchanted to ring a corresponding bell in my office,” Jimin said, “there’s a wall of them, all numbered to match the rooms,” he chose to ignore the second question- it was too personal and Jimin had no desire to divulge his secrets to Jeongguk, “bathroom through here, if you need more towels for whatever reason, there are some in the closet by the door,”
Jeongguk nodded as he took in the rest of the room, it was simple enough, decorated in a traditional style, much like the rest of the hanock. Oak furniture and fixtures, darkened by lacquer and worn by time, paper lanterns painted with flowers and birds, and folding screens shielded the bed from the rest of the room, and a sliding door opened up onto a small, sheltered balcony.
“I’ll go prepare your dinner,” Jimin said, resisting the urge to tell Jeongguk to relax and unwind while he waited, “if you leave your clothes in a pile outside the door, I will take them to get laundered,”
“I feel bad,” Jeongguk murmured, “do… you want some help?”
Jimin felt something like a smile tease the edge of his lips, “You are a guest, Jeongguk-ssi, allow me to treat you as such,”
“An unwanted guest,” the other man pointed out, “I wanted somewhere to stay the night, not to become a burden,”
Jimin pursed his lips in thought, uncertain if he should admit to this strange man that there was a part of him that was enjoying their interactions. Jimin worked almost exclusively with the deceased, sure there was always the need to go out for groceries, or speak with repairmen when Jimin was unable to fix an issue with the hanok himself, but for the most part, everyone he knew was dead, or dead adjacent. Having a living, breathing, human here in all their glory; flushed cheeks and toothy grins and heartbeat and all was refreshing.
“It is not a problem,” he said finally, “trying to dissuade you from staying here was more for your sake than mine, and since you are obviously more then what your outward appearance implies…” he trailed off and studied Jeongguk, trying to discern something more from this man with his wide, innocent eyes, and open features, “It’s honestly a nice change of pace,”
He allowed himself the smallest of smiles as he spoke, though it felt strange and out of place it was ultimately worth it when Jeongguk beamed back at him, “I’ll go prepare your food,” he said finally, “is there anything else you need?”
“Is there something I can change into after I clean up?” Jeongguk asked, “Even a robe or something?”
Jimin shook his head, he hadn’t thought of that when he offered to wash Jeongguk’s current outfit, “Not in here, but if you give me a minute, I can get you something of mine…” he scanned Jeongguk’s body with a clinical eye, “Actually, maybe I should ask Seokjin, he is closer to your size then I am,”
“You are very small,” Jeongguk said, “Practically pocket-sized,”
Jimin blinked, feeling as though a part of his brain had short circuited from hearing Jeongguk’s description of his size, eventually he rallied enough to say, “Feel free to start bathing, I will leave the clothes on the bed for you to change in to,” he left without waiting for a reply, wanting nothing more then to escape the presence of this strange man and his teasing smile.
~~~~~~
“Come in,” Seokjin said before Jimin had so much as reached up to knock, the vampire could sense him, and most other creatures, living or dead, with some preternatural sense that all of his kin had. It had taken some getting used to, but Jin had been living here for seven years now, and Jimin was accustomed to the undead's uncanny senses, if not his penchant for giving himself airs and demanding others to speak to him formally.
Jimin knew very little about Seokjin’s origins, the vampire was reticent by nature, and Jimin sometimes wondered how many years would have to pass before he divulged even the smallest story of his time before staying here, let alone his life as a human. Jimin didn’t even know how old he was, though it must be many years, because the aura he exuded was powerful, able to immobilize other, weaker beings, if he so chose. He could also move faster than the human eye could follow, and control them using compulsion.
Jimin had yet to incur the vampires wrath, and he hoped to keep it that way for the rest of his time at the hanok, however long Seokjin decided he wanted that to be.
“Good evening, Seokjin-ssi,” Jimin said as he bowed at the threshold of the room, it was dimly lit, the vampire needing minimal light to see by, with a much more distinct style and a collection of personal items the other rooms lacked. Aside from Taehyung, Seokjin was the only long term guest, Jimin knew there was something nearby that kept Jin here, though what it was he could’t begin to guess, “How are you doing tonight?”
“Languishing as is usual,” Jin replied from where he was seated by the window, he had a book in one hand and a chalice of blood near the other, and from the dark stain of his lips, he had been partaking already, “I can sense a human in here, Jimin-ssi, all these years and I thought you did not take on living guests,”
Jimin inclined his head in agreement, “I do not, you’re right, but he’s an odd one…” Seokjin beckoned him inside and the door slid closed behind him, commanded by Seokjin’s telekinetic ability, “Not only did he tell me exactly how many souls were present, but he could see and speak with both Taehyung and Yoongi,”
Jin raised an elegant eyebrow, “Interesting…” he said as he sat the book aside, “Is it safe to assume your visit pertains to him?”
“It does,” Jimin said, “He walked here and is in need of a change of clothes while I launder his, I’d lend him some of my own, but he’s closer to your size then he is mine,”
“Ah,” Seokjin set his book aside and rose elegantly from his seat, “Let me see what I have,”
“Perhaps something simple?” Jimin suggested, though from the disdainful look that the vampire cast him, Jimin doubted the man owned anything that could be categorized as that. His thoughts were confirmed when Seokjin pulled out a black silk hanbok, delicately embroidered with clouds and dragons and bordered with scarlet satin. He had loose fitting pants to match, and a silken undershirt the same deep red as the satin. Jimin took it reluctantly, a little unsure about handing off such fine clothes to a stranger, but he knew better then to argue with Seokjin, having learned long ago that such effort was futile.
“Thank you,” Jimin said with a bow. He glanced around the room and took note of the near emptiness of the chalice that Seokjin had been drinking from, “Will you be needing me to restock your blood soon?”
“I am well for now,” Seokjin replied, only elaborating when Jimin raised an eyebrow in question, “And I intend to visit my donor in a couple of days,”
Jimin nodded and bowed again, “Thank you Seokjin-hyu-“ he caught himself with a grimace, “My apologies, Seokjin-ssi,” he said, putting emphasis on the honorific, “Have a good rest of your night,”
“You as well, Jimin-ssi,” the vampire replied with a small smile that was perpetually tainted with sadness, “Good luck with your errant guest,”
Jimin took his leave, the door sliding shut behind him as he strode off down the hall and left the change of clothes in Jeongguk’s room. He lingered for a moment, hearing the softest sound of singing carry over the hush of rainfall and the shower. Jeongguk’s voice was delicate and beautiful, and though Jimin did not recognize the song, it filled him with a longing he dared not dwell on. With a shake of his head he turned on his heel and left the room to make way to the kitchen, intent on making his work there short, in the hopes of catching a small amount of sleep.
He hoped the nightmare didn’t return this evening.
~~~~~~
Jeongguk stood under the hot spray of the shower and tried to calm his racing heart.
He couldn’t believe the turn his luck had taken, from being jobless, on a back road in the middle of the night with a broke down car, to here. He had been cautiously intrigued when he’d seen the first flicker of blue flame and felt the presence of the dead, but hadn’t had any real intention of investigating. Yetthe walls of the hanok had proven to pique his curiosity more, not to mention the feeling of something he couldn’t name, a pull that he’d been hard pressed to ignore, and now he was glad he hadn’t.
This place was amazing.
He had noticed the ghost in the corner right away, as well as how the owner, Jimin, had been trying his best to not look in the spirits direction. Jeongguk was not adverse to risk, you had to have a certain level of aptitude for it to live the life he did, always traveling, never settling, having to find jobs where he could; it meant he had to be willing to put himself out there, willing to take a chance and see where the dice fell.
So he’d taken it, fairly certain from the way the dead man in the corner was acting, and the way the man behind the front desk was trying not to react, that he had found someplace where his ability wouldn’t be considered strange, if not downright impossible.
And now here he was, warm, showering, with a promise of food on the way. His night had certainly taken a turn for the better, helped by the fact that Jimin himself was incredibly attractive. If Jeongguk had one fatal flaw, it was his curiosity, and this place had caught his attention hard and fast. What was a place like this doing on the outskirts of Busan, why was it populated by the dead and what did they want, and most importantly of all to Jeongguk’s eyes, who was the mysterious and handsome man behind the front desk?
He felt drawn to Jimin, there was no denying that, why else would he have been teasing and flirting with him, even as the logical part of his brain suggested that maybe he should tone it down. He hadn’t listened, obviously, too taken by the dark haired stranger with his delicate features and serious eyes. He had the inexplicable urge to try and make the man smile, to laugh, and he could tell from his short interaction with Jimin that he would have his work cut out for him.
That was okay, because as he dried himself off and stared at the dripping faucet of his bathroom, he came to a conclusion.
He would offer to stay, make a case for it by suggesting he be hired, and maybe, just maybe he could convince Jimin to keep him around on a permanent basis. He wrapped the towel he’d been using around his waist and left the bathroom to find a stack of neatly folded clothes on the edge of his bed. They looked expensive, and were certainly made of silk, two things he was not used to wearing, but he slipped them on regardless, before drying his hair a bit with the towel.
He let his senses wander, feeling the energy of the place and those that inhabited it. Nothing about the hanok felt malicious, none of the ghost seemed mad; there was a distinct sense of melancholy to the place, but nothing bad, nothing like some of the places and things he’d encountered ever since he started seeing the dead as a child.
He tied the hanbok around his waist and stared at himself in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door and decided he look well enough. A little haggard, a little tired, but who wouldn’t be after driving halfway across the country? He’d been working all summer on a farm outside of Daegu, and it showed in his toned muscles and tanned skin. His hair was a bit long, but he found he liked the way it curled into his eye, it made him look mysterious.
Laughing a little to himself, he stepped out of his room and into the hall, only to see the ghostly face of a middle aged man looking at him from through a closed door. As in, the face was pushed through the wood but no other parts of the body was visible. Completely unphased, Jeongguk bowed and offered a polite greeting, only to have man eyes widen in shock.
“You can see me?” he asked.
Jeongguk nodded, and the man phased the rest of the way through the door, “Are you a friend of Jimin’s?” he asked.
Jeongguk resisted the urge to reply with a chipper, “Not yet,” and said, “No, I’m a guest,”
“But you’re so… alive,” the man said, “I didn’t think the living were allowed to stay here,” his words were punctuated by a long peal of thunder, and the lights flickering once again.
“That wasn’t me,” the man said immediately, raising both hands to plead innocence, “I think the storm is just really bad,”
Jeongguk laughed, he couldn’t help it, so often the dead he encountered were lost souls or mad ones, but the spirits here seemed normal, more akin to the living then the dead. What was it about this place that sustained them, he wondered, and what part did Jimin play in it all.
“My name’s Kang Himchan, by the way,” he said with a bow, “Sorry to be nosy, but I was just so curious… this is a nice place and all, but it’s not very dynamic, usually,”
Jeongguk introduced himself as well, “Please don’t worry about it, I think it’s safe to say I’m as curious as you are,” he told the man, “I’ve never seen a place like this,”
Himchan nodded, “It’s pretty unique, as far as I know. Jimin is a quiet guy, but kind, and he puts a lot of effort into helping us out- doing things we can’t do, tying up loose ends, and keeping us from fading into madness while we linger,”
The distinct smell of food was wafting towards them, and Jeongguk stomach growled loudly in response. Himchan smiled and waved a hand down the hall, “I can see I’m keeping you from a meal, it was nice meeting you Jeongguk,” he bowed again and drifted back through the door to his room, leaving Jeongguk to head to the kitchen the promising smell of japchae calling to him, as well as the presence of a handsome, dark haired stranger he needed to convince to let him stay.
He squared his shoulders outside the kitchen door, took a deep breath, and steeled himself in preparation. Hopefully his luck would hold, and he would be able to convince Jimin to keep him around.
~~~~~~
The kitchen was quiet as usual as Jimin entered, flicking on the lights and looking around at the neat shelves and spotless counter tops. Feeding the Dead was a strange but necessary part of the job, because they didn't actually need the nutrients a meal provides, but they did need the energy, it helped sustain them and kept them from slipping into the madness that being stuck on the physical plain sometimes brought on. Luckily they didn't need it more then once a day, and could only the traditional food of Chuseok. Jimin on the other hand, had to eat like any other person, though he wasn't sure what starving himself would do, as he'd never tried, but he assumed his body would carry on, malnourished or no, and make an already vaguely unpleasant life even more unappealing.
He hummed to himself as he began to pull out ingredients, he'd made japchae so many times at this point that he barely had to think about what he was doing as he worked, going through the familiar motions while his mind was occupied with thoughts of his newest (and strangest) guest, which is saying a lot considering the sort of spirits he had housed here over the years. What was this man’s story, he wondered as he set the beef aside to marinate. Where did he come from, he thought as he thinly sliced a medley of vegetables. What led him here, he considered as he boiled water for the noodles, because if there is one thing he’s learned over the last century, the universe doesn’t believe in coincidences. There was more to Jeon Jeongguk then met the eye, of that Jimin was certain.
Granted, what he did see, he liked quiet a lot, though he’d never admit out loud. Those big, bright eyes, the shining black hair, his broad shoulders and sculpted chest… Jimin would be lying if he said he hadn’t noticed them almost immediately. To say he was handsome would be an understatement, he was gorgeous, almost unbelievably so, but it didn’t really matter.
He’d be gone in the morning anyway.
“Hey,” a quiet voice said behind him.
A hundred years ago, Jimin might have jumped, but he’d been around incorporeal beings for too long, and very little startled him. He glanced over his shoulder at the source of his current thoughts, and found him closer then was strictly necessary. He raised an unimpressed eyebrow and stepped away from Jeongguk, trying not to dwell on the way his damp hair curled a little at the ends and how good he looked in the hanbok. No one should look that good in clothes that practically hung off of him, not really revealing much of the toned physique underneath.
“Hello, can I help you?” Jimin asked.
“Was going to ask you the same thing,” Jeongguk said with a smile, eyes twinkling brightly under the sterile kitchen lights, “Have you got the egg going yet?”
Jimin shook his head, “I told you, you’re a guest, I don’t expect you to help me make dinner,”
“Have you eaten yet?” Jeongguk moved towards the fridge, apparently ready and willing to ignore Jimin in favor of helping him. Jimin opened his mouth to tell him to stop, then decided against it, something told him that the other man wouldn’t listen, anyway.
“No,” he said as he turned back towards the vegetables.
“Well lucky me,” Jeongguk said, “looks like I won’t have to eat alone,”
Jimin glared at the cutting board, and argument he might have dead in the water when his stomach growled loudly. To his credit, Jeongguk said nothing about the sound, but Jimin did catch him as he threw an amused look in his direction, his tongue absently playing with the piercing at the corner of his lip, “So… how did you get this job, if you don’t mind me asking?” Jeongguk wondered as he expertly cracked eggs into a bowl and began whisking them with a pair of chopsticks, “Seems like a pretty unique career choice,”
Jimin shook his head, unwilling to get into the details of how he came to manage Hanok Dal, “That’s none of your business,” he said in place of answer.
“You could just say you’d rather not talk about it,” Jeongguk commented as he came up beside Jimin and looked around, “a pan for the eggs?” he prompted, and when Jimin gestured to a lower cupboard he crouched down to retrieve it, “Nice, thanks,” he grabbed the pan and oiled it lightly before turning the flame on and letting it warm.
“So you’re probably wondering what my story is,” Jeongguk continued as if Jimin wasn’t being slightly rude and standoffish, “I’m a spirit medium, that’s how I knew how many dead were here, and you know… how I could see your ghost friends and all,” he beamed at Jimin before continuing, “I’ve worked all over Busan, and some other nearby cities, doing odd jobs and getting by, sometimes regular work and sometimes with people who are dealing with hauntings, or think they’re dealing with hauntings, that is,”
Jimin snorted a little at that, more than familiar with the type of person who was convinced the faulty pipes and poorly shielded wiring in their home was actually the spirit of their dead grandfather. He tended to avoid those people like the plague that they were, and kept his focus on the dead who came seeking his help.
“Anyway,” Jeongguk continued as he poured the egg into the pan and swirled it around with an expert hand, “I’m kind of, sort of in between jobs right now, just left my last one- because it was temp work, not because I got fired or anything,” he rushed to add, “My car is a bit worse for wear, and has trouble getting up to and maintaining freeway speeds, so I was taking a back road here when it decided to give up the ghost, pun fully intended,” he flashed another of his quick smiles at Jimin and began to fold the egg carefully. He was obviously familiar with the process, and within moments had an expertly rolled egg that he then slid out onto a clean cutting board, “And that’s how I found myself here, I was walking along, noticed some lights through the trees, and felt the presence of the dead, as well as yours, and was too cold, wet, and curious to not stop,”
The japchae was complete, so Jimin portioned it out on a couple plates and put them on the table, “Would you like something to drink?” he asked, “I have… water, soju, and tea,”
“Water would be fine, thank you,” Jeongguk said as he took a seat, “Wow, this smells amazing!” he looked down at the food like he was in love, then glanced up Jimin, “are you this good at everything you do?” he asked.
It occurred to Jimin in some distant, dust-laden and half-dormant part of his brain that Jeongguk might very well be flirting with him, but it had been so long since anyone had done so that he couldn’t be certain, so he shoved the suspicion aside and shrugged, “I’ve had some time to practice, that’s all,”
“Mmm!” Jeongguk replied, “It’s so good!” around a mouthful of food, “Like, wow, really good,” he brows furrowed as if he were upset, but he kept shoveling food into his mouth, so Jimin assumed that was how he looked when he was enjoying a meal.
“Cell service is hit and miss out here,” Jimin said after he had swallowed his much more reasonably sized bite of food, “so you can use the land line to call a tow truck in the morning,”
“Alright,” Jeongguk agreed easily. A silence settled between them, broken only by the sound of them eating. Jimin was surprised by how unbothered Jeongguk was by it, as though the quiet was normal, not bordering on tense, which perhaps for him, it was. Jimin on the other had was much more accustomed to eating on his own, though Taehyung often kept him company. Now the ghost of his best friend was nowhere to be found, though it wouldn’t have surprised Jimin in the slightest to find out that he was nearby, listening in on the nonexistent conversation.
“So,” Jeongguk said when he was finished with his meal and Jimin was only half way through with this, “I have a question,”
Jimin looked up from his plate wearily, “Okay…”
“How do you feel about hiring me?”
“Excuse me, what?” Jimin asked, bewildered, “Why?”
“Okay, so I know we just met, but hear me out,” Jeongguk leaned forward, wide eyes intense and excited, “correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that you’re pretty much on your own here,” he waved a hand before Jimin could protest, “I don’t mean literally, obviously you’ve got the dead for company, and that’s fine- no prejudice there, but one- wouldn’t it be nice to have someone around who was like… and this may sound crazy, alive? Two, I already said I’ve had a lot of jobs, and I mean it. Landscaping, line cook, house cleaner, handyman, I’ve done it all, you can keep me around like a jack of all trades, I’ll do whatever!” he leaned back, looking proud, “So, what do you say?”
“No,” Jimin said immediately, “absolutely not,”
Jeongguk’s face fell, “Why though? I’d be so useful!”
Jimin frowned, because there was no way the other man was serious, “I literally just met you,” Jimin pointed out, “I know absolutely nothing about you aside from you just told me, which could all be lies, by the way, and what makes you think I even want help, let alone need it?”
Jeongguk frowned right back, though maybe pout was a better word for it, considering the way his lower lip jutted out, “the faucet in my bathroom leaks,” he said, and before Jimin could protest, he pointed to the one in the kitchen, “and that one does too,”
“Okay, so there’s a couple leaky faucets, that doesn’t mean-“
“The roof needs to be patched up,” Jeongguk lifted up a hand and began to tick things off on his fingers, “The front steps felt like they need new support beams, the grounds are overgrown, there’s distinct draft in the lobby, and it’s not from the ghosts, the whole place is dusty, and let’s not even get into the cobwebs in the rafters, the hanok could use a new paint job, and you’re lonely,”
He leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest, “Tell me I’m wrong,”
Jimin gaped at him for several moments, his mouth open and his eyes wide with shock, “I am- I am not lonely!” he finally managed to stutter out, more fixated on that than anything else Jeongguk had said.
Jeongguk shrugged, “Maybe you just haven’t realized it yet, but regardless, you can’t argue with me on the rest of it, this place needs attention, and I bet you’re so busy catering to the tenets that you don’t have time to keep up with basic maintenance, so…” he uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, “I’ll ask you again, tell me I’m wrong?”
Jimin shook his head, “It doesn’t matter, this is no place-“
“Just think about it,” Jeongguk said as he stood up from his seat and grabbed both their empty plates, “I’ll be here for at least a few hours in the morning, depending on how long it takes for me to get my car towed, you can tell me your decision then,”
“It will still be no,” Jimin said.
Jeongguk shrugged, “Maybe,” was all he replied with as he washed the dishes, and Jimin was so in shock over this strange man’s request that he didn’t even think to try and stop him. He just sat there, bewildered, until Jeongguk bowed and took his leave, his tone serious when he reminded Jimin to consider his offer.
“So,” Taehyung’s deep voice broke through the silence after Jimin was left alone. He floated down from the ceiling, where he had no doubt been listening the entire time, and was followed shortly by Yoongi, who’s usual look of indifference was now replaced by one of vague interest. A moment later the door to the kitchen swung open and Seokjin swaned in, his robes open and flaring dramatically as he approached, “Did I hear that handsome and charming young man ask for a job?” the vampire asked.
Jimin rolled his eyes, “Yes, what of it?”
“Oh no reason,” Tae shrugged and sat cross legged in midair, “Just wondering why the notoriously lonely and cranky Park Jimin is trying to avoid having someone around who might actually be pleasant company,”
“Because you three certainly aren’t cutting it,” Jimin muttered petulantly.
“We’re dead,” Yoongi pointed out, “We are no longer under obligation to fulfill social niceties… thank god,”
“But that doesn’t mean we don’t care about you,” Tae said, “Don’t you think-“
“I don’t,” Seokjin interrupted, “Care, that is, what I do care about is the state of the hanok, would it really hurt to have someone around to spruce the place up a bit?” he asked, lips pressed together like a judgemental in-law, “I for one, would like to see this place in better condition, and I know you have neither the time nor the inclination to do so,”
“I’m busy,” Jimin snapped, frustrated, “Do you think I have a lot of down time? And half the tasks that need attending should be done during the day, but I’m up all night trying to sort through the dead and their problems!” he dragged a hand through his hair and grimaced when it snagged on a series of small tangled, “Look, I’m doing my best, okay? I’m just…”
“Tired,” Taehyung said, full of sympathy, “and whether or not you want to admit it, lonely,” he floated down till he was eye level, “It hurts me to see you like this, Jimin, you used to be so much more alive,”
“That was before,” he said, unable to hide the bitterness he felt, “I don’t think what I’m doing here can even really be called that,”
“All the more reason to have Jeongguk-ssi stay,” Tae reached out and grasped Jimin’s shoulders with his cool hands, “Come on, Min-ah, at least admit that he’s easy on the eyes,”
Jimin smirked, “No one says that anymore, Tae-ah,”
“You know what I mean,” his friend pulled back and gave him a light smack on the shoulder, though it felt more like a puff of air hitting him than an actual strike, “Maybe having a handsome man around, doing chores- sweating, wearing a utility belt, might just be what you need to feel alive again,”
“I hate you,” Jimin replied.
“You keep saying that, but it lost it’s sting over a century ago,” Taehyung replied.
“Look, we aren’t here to make the choice for you,” Yoongi said, “just think about it, if all else fails, Jin can just cast a compulsion on him and make him forget everything and leave,”
“Yah!” the vampire protested sharply, “Don’t just volunteer my services like that!”
Yoongi ignored him, “Face it, Jimin, you need some help or you’re going to go mad, if you haven’t already,”
“Who’s side are you on, anyway?” Jimin asked irritably.
Yoongi floated towards the far wall, “Whichever side is the one that will help you find a little bit of peace, if not happiness,” he disappeared a moment later, followed shortly by Taehyung.
“Just promise me you’ll consider it,” Tae whispered before he left, “I really think it would be good for you,” he didn’t wait for a response, just floated back out the way he had come in, leaving Jimin alone with the vampire, who looked at him with an elegantly arched eyebrow.
“Jimin, it’s practical if nothing else, and you’ve always struck me as a practical person,”
“But I don’t even know him!” Jimin protested weakly, unwilling to admit to himself that he was starting to agree, “What will I do if he’s planning something?”
“What exactly do you think he could be planning?” Seokjin asked.
“I don’t know!” Jimin said, “I just…”
“You’re scared of change, of having someone here to call you out, when most of your tenets are too wrapped up in their own concerns, and you’ve gotten so used to Taehyung worrying about you that it barely even registers as caring,” Seokjin said, “Do yourself a favor, Jimin-ssi, and tell the human yes,”
Jimin sighed and hung his head, “I’ll think about it,” he muttered, and when he looked up, the vampire was gone, leaving him alone with his whirling thoughts, half convinced of the need, not just for the hanok, but for himself. He was tired of being the only living person here, that was true, even if he never said it out loud. Perhaps it was fate, he thought as he leaned back and let the sound of the storm wash over him, perhaps Jeongguk’s arrival was the universe trying to tell him that it was time for a change.
He didn’t have a lot of hope, but for the first time in a long time, he wanted to.
~~~~~~
Jeongguk fell into bed with an exhausted sigh, he’d been keeping up a facade of cheerful wakefulness throughout the evening, but his long drive followed by a long walk in the cold and rain had left him feeling drained. Now, undressed and safely tucked under a mound of blankets, the day was finally starting to catch up with him.
Still, he resisted sleep a little longer, if only to let his thoughts linger on his predicament, and the man at the center of it all.
“Park Jimin,” he murmured to himself, both common enough names, but something about them was lovely, it felt like spring on his tongue when he spoke it aloud, all bright sunshine and flowers and blue skies. He smiled and said it again, softer, so faint there was barely any sound at all.
Perhaps he’d come on a bit strong at first, but something told him it was the right move, that Jimin preferred things to be straight forward, and Jeongguk excelled at being just that. He hadn’t been lying when he said he could repair the hanok, but he’d certainly hid his true motivation… well maybe not entirely, since he’d called out Jimin for being lonely, but that was beside the point.
The point was… the point was…
Park Jimin.
Jeongguk believed in a lot of things, perhaps because of the strange life he’d led up to this point, but one of the things he firmly believed in was fate, and as a romantic at heart, true love. The more he talked to Jimin the more he thought that it was destiny that brought him here, and that his long search for a place and a heart to call home might have finally found an end.
He fell asleep shortly after, thoughts full of dark hair, honey brown eyes, and full lips, and what those lips would look like when they curled into a smile.
Jeongguk couldn’t wait to find out.