Chapter 1
UndoneCHAPTER ONE.
“ The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and the other begins?”
It had been exactly a month of silence since the day Jongin's suicide had been recorded. Even though the body hadn't been reclaimed, who knows where a drowned victim in a river would be found? It was too tragic of a situation for his mother to even ask for a search. Too many personal items were found in the river, it had to be true. All she could do was cry, her voice rasping as it spoke only of him. Suncheon was never going to be the same without her little Jonginnie.
However, Suncheon would be the same. People would still bustle about through the markets and stores. A step might be a half-second longer as one would walk through the streets, yet, nothing was going to stop.
Which was exactly what he wanted.
Jongin woke up the next morning in the city of Namwon, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. The hotel's air conditioning unit was loud and obnoxious blasting cold air that made Jongin glad to have 2 blankets. He rolled over, away from the window to slowly plant his feet on the floor off the side of the bed. As he pulled the covers off, the air sent chills through the fabric of his pajamas, causing him to shiver and hold his arms. He lazily stood, shuffling to the bathroom to use the toilet and brush his teeth. Looking in the mirror, he saw only the new him. No longer with brown hair, his hair was a rustic blonde he dyed himself. He washed his hands, grabbing his contact case to put in his black circle lenses to make his eyes a little larger. More to the effect, he figured. This was the routine, putting on a simple disguise to go through the day.
Meandering to his belongings, he ruffled through the bag, pushing past his new wallet and other small items to his clothing. Digging around for his hoodie, Jongin quickly pulled out the mass of black fabric as well as skinny, white cargo pants. This had to do. The air of the hotel was so cold, he slipped his pajama pants off with ease, pulling the cargo pants on over his boxers. He peeled his shirt off and threw on the hoodie, ruffling his hair in the full body mirror. Almost ready. He grabbed socks and put them on, sliding his feet into his shoes before grabbing his bag to fill it with his belongings that were in the bathroom and on the night table. Time to go.
The lights seemed brighter outside of his room, and he quickly checked his pocket to make sure he had the key. As the door closed, he continued to walk towards the stairs, the door clicking behind him. Bustling down each step, he placed the key on the main desk, having already paid. He nodded to the manager and wished a farewell before strolling out the door.
Kyungsoo awoke after many hours of sleep, relaxed in his position in the hotel bed. The cold AC unit just made him even more relaxed as he rolled towards it, content. He let out a happy breath before finally deciding to get out of bed. He stood immediately, ing his top to allow more cool air in. Smiling to himself, he just took in a breath, preparing for the day. He stepped to the bathroom, using the toilet before deciding to shower. Many thoughts raced through his head as he stood there in the heated water falling upon his skull. Humming an old tune, he debated what he should do to make today really spark. Smirking in the shower as he turned the water off finally, he knew exactly what he'd do. Quickly drying off and preparing his bag, he didn't even bother brushing his teeth yet - maybe after lunch he would. He put on jeans and a white t-shirt with a an opened button down, standing after putting on his shoes. Glaring around, scanning for anything of interest, he took a pen from the night table, grabbed his bag, and stepped out with the key.
Soon reaching the ground floor, he peaked around with his eyes, ignoring odd looks he received in return. In fact, it was more fun to just smile back at them - give them a dull expression with a toothy grin. Looking around, he noticed a room key on the main desk, finding that of interest. Shuffling over to the desk, he sparked a conversation with the manager.
"Fine day, isn't it?" Kyungsoo spoke with a near bewildered smile.
"Why, yes indeed! Even the sky is clear for today." The manager spoke robustly.
"Ah, what a great day to be active..." He trailed off, pointing to the nearby athletes running down the street, distracting the man as he switched the keys, "It kinda makes you want to just, jump up and strive for new things --- oh! I forgot something in my room, I shall return." He let out a nervous chuckle before rushing back upstairs.
Kyungsoo merely looked at the key, examining the number in his hand --- 223. He let out a breath, walking the stairs to the second floor. Unlocking room 223, he quietly closed the door behind him. A fresh scent of cologne came from the bathroom, an aroma that tingled his nostrils. Walking towards the bed, he saw that the covers were carelessly left behind. Many ideas came through his head, making up a story for this man who was in this room before him. A malicious grin grew on his face as he saw a book under the bed. Kneeling down to hold the book in his hands, Kyungsoo examined the cover with intrigue, his eyes studying each inch of the cover that was just a regular book. There had to be more.
As he opened the book, he saw all sorts of marks and scribbles in the book. Jackpot. Kyungsoo flipped back to the front page where the title was scribbled out to say, "The Lost Life of Kim Jongin." Shrugging to himself he sat there to read every little note. What an intriguing idiot, he smirked. The owner of this book was a 'dead runaway' and was destined for Seoul. Why would this person write out every plan if he didn't want to be discovered? No matter.
Smiling, he stashed the book in his bag, exiting quickly --- time to have some fun.
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