A terrified scream was ripped from his raw, sore throat as he ran down the abandoned streets of downtown Seoul, glancing warily over his shoulder with every few steps. His lungs dully ached and burned as they screamed for oxygen. Street lamps flickered on highlighting his every movement. There was nowhere for him to hide now. The shadows cast by the surrounding buildings appeared to crawl closer to him with every passing second. His bangs were plastered to his forehead, glued in place by the dripping sweat that trailed down his rosy cheeks. As he ran the only sounds that reached his ears were his bared feet pounding on the sidewalk below along with his erratic heartbeat.

He choked back his frightened sobs, dashing around the nearest corner as he willed himself to run faster. Sprinting towards anywhere that he could hide himself away until the morning sun rose up and this hell would, hopefully, end. Slipping into a dark alleyway, he ran a quivering hand through his matted hair before smoothing it into a presentable shape. His heart threatened to leap straight out of his chest as he rested his back against a wall, the chilled bricks soothing his heated body. A dull ache coursed throughout his thin, yet muscular legs, his milky white thighs shaking in anticipation. Tears rolled down his cheeks to pool around his collarbone as he weakly wobbled down the alleyway.

His breathe caught in his throat as the distant pound of running shoes floated into his ears, the sound getting louder with every passing second. He slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his frightened whimpers as he began to walk as calmly and as naturally as he could in the opposite direction. With a single hurried glance over his shoulder he broke out in a sprint towards the nearest residences.

“Somebody, help me! Please, just help me!” he screamed desperately as he lifelessly pounded on door after door, hoping that someone, anyone would hear him and come to his aid.

He slumped down on the doorstep of the last house of the street, screaming when a bullet flew past his head and embedded itself in the oak door.  He clawed at the door and screamed louder, tears rushing down his now ghostly white face. He didn’t want to die.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seokjin rolled on the floor with a pained yelp, shocking himself from his slumber, before he grumbled tiredly and nuzzled his head against the chilled hardwood floor. With a childish whine he pouted as a chill crept up his spine and his bared skin prickled with goose bumps. He then tiredly opened his eyes and blinked, confusion written clear as day across his face, where was he and how did he get here. Nothing looked familiar from this angle. Though within moment of his tumble onto the floor the little white ball of fluff and slobber that his boyfriend had insisted he adopt out of fear that the little dog would go to a bad home and be mistreated, came bounding up and began to bathe his face with stinky, wet after . He groaned irritably and gently pushed the petite animal back and away from his face before he sat up and pattered her head gently once she had clambered up onto his lap. As he looked around he ran a hand through his hair that stuck up in every direction possible, he was safe and sound in his living room. He must have fallen asleep watching late night movies again.

He smiled down at the mug of coffee in his hands, that he had sleepily grabbed no more than five minutes ago, sipping the scalding liquid which he needed if he was expected to be up and moving before noon. He was a caffeine addict and proud of it.

“No, Alice, get down! Bad girl!” he quickly pointed at the floor, scowling as he looked at the dog that had happily seated herself on his lip with her head cocked, cutely, to the side as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

With an annoyed sigh he picked her up and placed her down on the floor before he arose from the couch to grab his phone that he had stupidly left in his room the night before. Thinking about missing a call from his mother, and the grief she would give him for it, sent shivers down his spine. But that was not the reason that he had gone looking for his phone. It was a silly tradition really but every weekday morning at the same time, give or take five minutes, he would call his boyfriend to make sure he up and to wish him a good day at school. Soon after that he would crawl back under his still warm sheets and sleep the day away.

The continuous ring pitted dread in his stomach, echoing numbly through his ears, this wasn’t right, Jungkook always answered. He bit his bottom lip in worry as the automated voicemail prompt took the place of the rings. Was Jungkook mad at him for dashing after they had had , no that couldn’t be it. Something was very wrong, he could just feel it.

“Hey, babe, it’s me. You know, Seokjin. Call me when you get this, okay?” his phone slipped from his hand onto the floor, once he had sunk down, as he stared at the wall dazed, and confused.

He jumped with a yelp, for the second time this very morning, when his phone went off, vibrating noisily against his thigh. There was no way that he could have grabbed his phone any faster before his shoulders slumped down and he miserably sighed, it wasn’t Jungkook returning his call, instead it was his mother.

“Seokjin, dear, please tell me your alone. If not please the lovely gentlemen in your bed to leave,” she hadn’t even given him the chance to say hello, there was something off about her too but he just couldn’t put his finger on it, though he was certain it had to do with her tone.

“It’s just me, mother, well me and this damned dog, but you know that she won’t understand a single word,” he narrowed his eyes at the dog that had successfully hunted him down and hopped right back up onto his lap, wagging her tail happily.

“I’m glad to hear that, dear. Now down to business, there’s was an incident concerning Jungkook, and I know how close you two were. So I wanted to be the first one to tell you,” the very tone she used turned his blood cold, though he didn’t want to believe the very thing that infiltrated his mind.

“What happened to Jungkook? Please tell me that he’s going to be okay,” his own voice clipped, as his hands began to shake, even before she had the chance to response to him, he already knew.

“Oh, honey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But, he’s dead… The police found him this morning, slumped over in an alleyway, a single bullet wound to the back of his head,” her own voice faltered from sadness, though that was nothing compared to the shock that had rammed straight into him.

This was enough to push him over the edge as he couldn’t even form a single word before the world grew dim and collapsed onto the carpeted the floors. A few worried barks were the last thing he heard before everything collapsed around him and he fell into unconsciousness.