Twisted Knots - Chapter 5
Twisted KnotsA/N: Thank you to everyone yet again for subscribing and/or commenting! I love all of you; you guys inspire me to continue working hard on this fic (though i suffered from writer's block for a while there). This chapter is my special gift to all of you; some onkey action and fluff! Do comment and tell me what you think. Enjoy! (:
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Jinki clasped Kibum in his arms protectively for a long time, burying his nose in his smooth soft hair and allowing himself to revel in the immense sense of comfort that he derives simply from being close to Kibum.
Kibum simply held on to Jinki, his head placed sideways on Jinki’s shoulder and his nose against the side of Jinki’s neck. The feel of his breath on Jinki’s neck made his hair prickle pleasantly.
Finally, Jinki broke the silence.
“Kibummie?”
“Hmm?” Kibum hummed against Jinki’s neck.
“Do you visit this place often?”
Kibum looked up, looking breathtakingly gorgeous even with his eyes swollen and nose still running. Jinki couldn’t help but to chuckle at the sight; he was just so adorable.
Kibum frowned and slapped him lightly on the shoulder before burying his head in Jinki’s shoulder again.
“Yeah. I wanted to give the children some of the warmth and happiness that I so yearned for when I was here. I wanted to make this place more of a home for them.” Kibum’s voice was muffled.
The innocence and sincerity in Kibum’s words made Jinki’s heart reach out for the younger boy. Yet, Jinki also felt immense guilt twisting in his gut. Unlike him, Kibum never had happiness or a home to call his own. He reached up to gently run his fingers through Kibum’s hair, and Kibum sighed softly and contentedly.
The soft glow of the setting evening sun set over the orphanage, bathing the two boys in a tender and wan light.
****
For the next couple of weeks, Jinki began to make visits to the orphanage as part of his daily routine. He soon found another purpose in life besides school and soccer trainings. On days he did not have to train after school, he would often rush off to the orphanage, playing with the orphans and spending time with Kibum. Once the orphans went for their afternoon nap, he would sit down quietly and complete his schoolwork, with Kibum laying his head on his shoulder beside him.
Kibum would usually be content to sit beside Jinki and watch the way his brows furrowed in concentration as he solved yet another math question. Kibum loved the way his eyes would light up in happiness once he solved a question, loved the way those thick, masculine fingers wrapped around his pen, scratching across the surface incessantly.
The truth was, he loved everything about Jinki.
Other than enjoying each other’s company, the pair also made up for lost time, with Kibum telling Jinki about everything that had happened to him ever since he was adopted.
****
Flashback
About 8 months after Jinki’s adoption, Kibum was lying curled up on his bed, his entire body shaking with convulsed sobs. His lunch lay on his bedside, untouched since two hours ago, and the food had turned cold by then.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door being opened and closed again. Thinking it was one of the orphanage workers, Kibum tensed up in fear as he heard the approaching footsteps coming closer to his bed.
However, he was surprised when he felt his bed dip down slightly instead, and a warm, large hand reached out to gently his head.
Kibum peeked out of his blanket to see a tall, athletic looking man peering down at him and smiling.
He whimpered, burying his face further into his pillow.
The stranger chuckled, a low, oddly comforting rumble.
Little Kibum found himself being gently lifted up by strong arms, and made to sit beside the tall stranger. He looked up into the strange man’s face with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.
The stranger began to speak. “You’re exactly like him when he was younger, painfully shy and always running away. But I have to say that you’re much more goodlooking.”
Young Kibum’s eyes widened. “Him?”
The stranger smiled again. “ I am your appa’s elder brother. That makes me your ahjusshi.”
“Appa? Ahjusshi?” These words sounded weird and foreign on Kibum’s tongue, never having found the occasion to use them.
The stranger patted him on the head, the simple gesture oddly comforting. “ Your appa was a good man, Kibum. But bad things always happen to good people. Right after he married your umma, he was sick, very sick. He couldn’t be cured. He loved you and your umma dearly and he didn’t want you to be burdened by his disease. He left you and your umma for a quiet place so he could live out the remainder of his life alone. Your umma was so distraught after he left her without an explanation that she took her own life, leaving you, their little son, alone and an orphan.”
Little Kibum’s mind struggled to make sense of everything. He didn’t know what to think. Just a few months ago, all he had known was Jinki. But now, he learnt of his parents. Parents who didn’t really want him.
“They don’t want me. Nobody wants me.” Young Kibum said the first thing that came to his mind.
His uncle smiled again, picking him up in his strong arms and facing him.
“That’s not true. Your appa loved you too much to let you go but he had no choice. He would rather suffer alone than let you suffer too. Your umma left me a note before she died, entrusting me to take care of her little son. My only regret is that I didn’t manage to find you sooner. For the past 6 years I’ve been searching all the orphanages in Korea just so I could find you.”
Kibum stared, wide-eyed, into the face of the man before him.
“From now on I will take care of you Kibum. You won’t be alone anymore.”
End of Flashback
****
Jinki arrived in class early one morning, bowing politely to his teacher before settling down comfortably in his usual seat and waiting for class to start. He set his bag down on the floor and began rummaging around inside it, taking out the materials that he would need for his first period lesson, humming a random tune to himself.
Jonghyun came bounding into the classroom, his trademark grin plastered to his face and plopped down in the seat beside Jinki.
Jonghyun looked over at Jinki, noticing the faint smile painted on his best friend’s face. The truth was, Jinki has been inexplicably jovial these days. He would often find Jinki staring off into space during lunch with the same small secretive small on his face, or looking down at his phone and grinning cheekily.
“Boo” Jonghyun started, poking Jinki in the ribs.
Jinki looked up, still with that smile on his face.
“Yes Jjong?”
“Man, I’m been wanting to ask you Jinki, do you have a girlfriend or something?”
Jinki, startled by the sudden question, raised a questioning eyebrow and looked inquiringly at his best friend.
“Erm, no? I can’t possibly have a girlfriend and not have you find out about it. You practically know me inside out.”
Jonghyun paused, searching his best friend’s face carefully.
“I don’t know Jinki. You’ve been looking so happy these days……actually happy is not the word to describe it. It’s more like….blissful? You look like you’re in love.”
Jinki pondered his best friend’s question for a while. He didn’t know why, but it was still difficult for him to open up about everything that had transpired after the soccer game. His parents had similarly questioned him incessantly, but he still remained stubbornly silent. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of Kibum, no, but he always felt the magic in the moments that he and Kibum would spend together, and he felt like those moments were so sacred and precious that telling someone else about it would make it less so. He knew he was being irrational, but then again, everybody in love is.
Jonghyun went on talking. “You hardly even hang out with me these days. On days when we don’t have soccer practice you’re always off somewhere else after school. On days when we have soccer trainings you’re also always rushing off after that…..”
Jonghyun kept his tone carefully neutral, but Jinki could detect the slight trace of hurt in Jonghyun’s voice, and he immediately berated himself for being the cause of it. He had been neglecting his best friend all this while, and completely oblivious to it.
“I’m sorry Jjong, I just – there are some things I can’t let you know right now, but I promise that one day, I’ll tell you. I’m sorry if I’ve been neglecting you lately, I just need to sort out some things in my life. You’re still my best friend, Jjong, truly.”
Jonghyun’s expression was still questioning, but it seemed that he accepted Jinki’s explanation for the time being.
He clapped Jinki on the shoulder.
“Hey no problem man, you know you can always come to me if you need help with anything. I know I may not be the most reliable person in the world, but I’m always here man. Always.”
Jinki gave his friend a reassuring smile, finally managing to tug his Chemistry textbook out of his bag.
Clink!
Something sparkly and shiny had dropped out of Jinki’s bag and onto the floor. Before Jinki could react, Jonghyun had bent down and picked it up.
It was a ring.
Not just any ring though.
Jonghyun raised his eyebrows. “Woah, Jinks, I never knew you wore such stuff!”
Now Jinki was even more confused. He never owned a ring like that, but it still looked oddly familiar nonetheless.
Right on cue, the bell rang, signaling the start of their first class. Jinki simply smiled and took the ring back from Jonghyun, putting it back into his pocket and concentrated on the lesson.
Much later, in the solitude of his bus ride to the orphanage, he took the ring out of his pocket and took a good look at it.
Engraved on the ring, in delicate lettering, were the words “KKB”.
Jinki smiled to himself.
****
The moment Jinki reached the orphanage, he spotted Kibum sitting outside in the garden, drawing on a large piece of thick paper.
He slowly began walking up to him, Kibum being so absorbed in what he was drawing that he didn’t even notice Jinki’s presence.
Jinki stopped for a while to just admire the beautiful boy in front of him. His hair slightly tousled in the wind, his long, slim feminine fingers were gripping on a pencil, making bold all over the drawing paper. The way those perfect kissable cherry lips shaped into a pout as he sketched sent Jinki’s heart racing at a mile per hour.
Unable to help himself, Jinki went up to him and put his arms around his slim waist, earning a soft squeak in surprise.
He turned Kibum around in his arms, and once those pouty lips were close enough, he leaned forward and captured them in a slow, sweet kiss.
Kibum tensed up for a moment before relaxing in Jinki’s strong embrace, hands into the front of Jinki’s shirt and enjoying the way Jinki’s lips felt pressed up against his own, chaste and sweet, but still making him breathless and hungry for more.
Jinki pulled back after a moment, and chuckled lightly when he saw Kibum’s beautifully defined cheeks tinted a light pink.
He traced Kibum’s cheek with one finger, and leaned in to kiss him on the forehead.
“You’re so beautiful, Kibum,”
He then took Kibum’s hand in his and slipped the ring onto it.
“Pabo. You dropped this in my bag, silly.” Jinki said tenderly, lightly caressing his hand.
What Jinki didn’t expect was for Kibum to remove the ring that he had just put on for him, and slip it onto Jinki’s right hand.
Kibum then held up his own right hand, slipping an identical ring off it and showing Jinki the words engraved on it.
“LJK”
Jinki felt his heart swell, and he leaned forward again, capturing Kibum’s lips with his once more.
“I love you Kibum,” Jinki after pulling away.
Kibum locked his hands around Jinki’s neck and he was the one to lean in this time, his lips brushing ever so slightly against Jinki’s.
“I love you too Lee Jinki”
****
After spending yet another day at the orphanage, Jinki had offered to send Kibum home. The orphanage, despite holding so many bad memories for them when they were young, was now fast becoming their own little haven. Jinki could never imagine anything more beautiful than spending his time with Kibum, showering him with sweet love and affection.
Their hands were intertwined as they began walking up the steps to Kibum’s uncle’s apartment.
Once they were in front of the door, Jinki looped his arms around Kibum’s waist again and pulled him in yet again for another series of tantalizing kisses.
Kibum could feel Jinki’s tongue moving softly and gently over his lips, and the feel of that gorgeous tongue on his lips were enough to put his senses on overload. He let out a soft moan through the kiss, hands dragging down Jinki’s strong chest.
Jinki tasted sweet and musky, and the feel of those muscled arms pressing him close made him feel like he was floating.
They finally pulled away, faces flushed and hearts beating erratically.
Kibum knew he was fast getting addicted to Jinki’s kisses.
Again, Jinki leaned forward and pecked him on the lips this time, softly and sweetly, and Kibum let out a small whine.
Right at the moment, the front door swung open, and Jinki looked up,his hands still locked around Kibum’s slim waist.
Jinki looked straight into the face of the man before him.
Shock registered itself in his head and all he heard was the sound of blood rushing through his ears.
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