The alarm went off quietly beside him, a steady sound that filled the room without being too harsh, but still enough to pull him out of sleep.
Jin didn't react right away.
He stayed there for a few seconds, eyes still closed, his breathing slow as he slowly became aware of the sound. His hand moved across the bed without looking, fingers brushing against the sheets until he found his phone. With a small movement, he tapped the screen and turned the alarm off
The room fell silent again.
He lay there a little longer, staring up at the ceiling as his eyes adjusted to the faint morning light coming through the curtains. Thin lines of sunlight stretched across the room, touching the edge of his bed and the wall beside him.
"…morning already…"
His voice came out low and slightly tired.
After a moment, he pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slightly slouched and his hair messy from sleep. He stayed there briefly, letting himself wake up properly before standing.
When his feet touched the floor, he shifted slightly at the cool feeling before making his way toward the bathroom.
He flicked the light on and squinted for a second at the brightness, then walked over to the sink and looked at his reflection. His expression was calm, still carrying that same neutral look from yesterday, though his eyes seemed a little more aware than before.
"…yeah… well I could go for a nice hot bath."
Turning away from the mirror, he reached over and turned on the water in the bath, watching as it began to flow steadily into the tub. The sound of running water quickly fills the tub, faint steam rising into the air and warming the space around him
"ok perfect"
Jin stepped into the bath, letting the warm water settle around him as the heat slowly relaxed his body. After spending some time there, he eventually stepped out, water dripping lightly. He grabbed a towel and dried himself as he walked back into his room, the cooler air brushing against his skin and making him move a little quicker as he got dressed
He didn't spend much time choosing what to wear, just grabbing what was there and putting it on. Once he finished, he returned to the mirror and adjusted his hair slightly, making small corrections until it looked decent enough.
"…good enough."
He was ready to head out.
"Well… guess I'll buy something to eat since I'm too lazy to make anything," he said with a small shrug, his tone casual.
Standing by the door, he paused briefly, his hand resting on the handle as if thinking for a second longer than needed. Then he opened it and stepped outside, the morning air hitting him softly as he walked out like it was just another normal day.
"Ok where should I go," he thought while walking, his hands in his pockets as he looked around lazily.
Then…
Something cut through the air.
A faint sound
"…uhh what was that?" he said, stopping mid-step, his brows pulling together in confusion as he turned his head slightly.
"AHHHHHH!"
The scream echoed again, louder this time.
"there it is again…"
Jin's expression changed instantly, his body reacting before he even fully thought it through.
He took off running.
His footsteps hit the pavement quickly as he followed the direction of the sound, turning corners without slowing down. He ran through narrow pathways, cutting through spaces between houses, not caring where he stepped.
A gate slammed open as he pushed past it.
"HEY!!!" an old woman yelled
A dog started barking loudly from somewhere nearby.
"Sorry!" Jin shouted without stopping, already sprinting across someone's yard as the dog barked even louder behind him.
The scream echoed again.
Closer
Jin jumped over a small fence, nearly slipping as his foot hit uneven ground, but he caught himself and kept going.
After rushing through the area, he finally reached a bridge.
He slowed slightly, breathing heavier now as he looked around.
"Where is it… am I too late…" he muttered, scanning the area, his eyes moving quickly.
"AHHHHHH!"
"no… it's closer now!"
His head snapped toward the sound.
Then he saw them.
A few guys standing under the bridge
And
A girl
"…what the… what's going on…" he said under his breath, his eyes narrowing.
He didn't think.
Didn't hesitate
He ran straight toward them as fast as he could.
One of the guys laughed, leaning slightly forward with a disgusting grin.
"Come on baby girl, be quiet would you," he said mockingly, waving his hand like it was nothing. "We just wanted a peek."
The girl struggled, her voice sharp and angry despite the fear in her eyes.
"You men are the worst!"
"Haha well…" one of them started, his smirk widening.
Before he could finish…
A punch came out of nowhere.
A sharp crack filled the air.
"ahh… what the?!" the guy stumbled back, holding his face in shock.
Everyone turned.
All eyes locked onto Jin.
He stood there, breathing slightly heavy, his fist still clenched.
"You got a lot of nerve, kid," one of them said, stepping forward, his tone low but cautious, his eyes scanning Jin carefully.
Jin didn't back down.
His expression hardened.
"You filthy fools… what are you doing," he said, his voice cold, his eyes locked onto them.
One of the guys tried to respond, his voice shaking slightly.
"What did y-you…"
Then it happened.
Their eyes met.
And just like that
He froze.
His entire body locked up, his face going pale as fear spread across it instantly.
"Boss… what's wrong?" another guy asked, stepping closer, confused.
The one who stepped forward earlier moved up, his expression turning uneasy.
"what did you do to h-him…" he said, his voice starting to shake as he looked at Jin, his body tensing.
Jin stepped forward slightly.
Calm
Controlled
"Go on… what you were saying," he said quietly, his gaze steady.
Now all of them were looking at him.
And slowly...
Fear started to creep in.
Jin looked at each of them, one by one, his presence pressing down on them without him even trying.
"Get the hell away from here… and her," he said firmly, his voice low but sharp. "and don't come back… you fools."
Silence
Then
"y-you guys heard him… let's go!" one of them shouted suddenly, panic breaking through his voice.
Everything fell apart.
They turned and ran.
Fast.
One of them tripped hard, hitting the ground with a grunt.
"ahhh!"
He scrambled back up almost instantly, not even looking back as he ran even faster than before.
Their footsteps echoed as they disappeared, voices fading into the distance.
Leaving only silence behind
Jin stood there for a moment, his chest rising and falling slowly.
The air felt different now, quieter.
For a few seconds… she didn't move.
Her breathing was uneven, shoulders rising and falling quickly as she tried to process what just happened. Her hands were still slightly shaking, fingers curling in and out like they didn't know what to do anymore.
"…they're… gone?" she whispered, her voice soft and unsure, like she didn't fully believe it yet.
She slowly looked toward where the guys had run off, her eyes scanning the empty space under the bridge.
Silence
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing
"…they actually left…"
Her body loosened just a little, the tension in her shoulders dropping as she let out a shaky breath.
Then
Her eyes shifted.
Landing on Jin
She froze again.
Not out of fear like the others.
But something else
Confusion
Curiosity
He stood there, calm, and quiet… like nothing even happened.
"…you…" she started, her voice still unsteady as she took a small step back, not fully realizing she did it.
Her eyes searched his face, trying to understand.
"…what did you do to them?"
Jin didn't answer right away.
And that made it worse.
Her grip tightened slightly on her own arm, like she was grounding herself.
"…they just… ran," she continued, her brows pulling together. "You didn't even—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Thinking back
The way they looked at him.
That fear.
"…no… that wasn't normal…" she whispered under her breath.
She looked at him again.
This time more carefully.
From his posture… to his expression… to his eyes
"…who are you?" she asked, her voice quieter now, more serious.
The wind passed lightly under the bridge, moving a few loose strands of her hair across her face. She brushed them aside without looking away from him.
Despite everything that just happened…
She wasn't running.
Not like the others.
Her heart was still beating fast.
But her fear wasn't pointed at him.
It was mixed with something else.
"…still," she said after a second, her voice softening just a bit, "you helped me…"
She hesitated.
Like she wasn't used to saying this
"…so… thank you."
There was a small pause.
Then she crossed her arms slightly, looking off to the side for a moment before glancing back at him.
"…but don't think I'm just going to ignore what just happened," she added, a little firmness returning to her tone, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Because that was weird… Like… really weird."
Another pause hung in the air.
"…and I don't like weird things I don't understand."
She looked at him again.
Waiting.
Not scared.
Not running.
Just watching.
But Jin wasn't even hearing her properly.
His mind was completely scrambled.
He stood there frozen, his thoughts crashing into each other faster than he could process them. His ears felt like they were still ringing from what just happened under the bridge.
"WHAT JUST HAPPENED… WHAT DID I DO?!"
"WAS THAT A GANG… A REAL GANG?!"
"WHAT IF THEIR BOSS COMES AFTER ME?!"
"WHAT IF—"
His breathing started getting a little faster.
"…damn… I really did that though…"
"Hey… are you ignoring me?"
Her voice cut through his thoughts.
Jin flinched slightly.
"OK JIN… CALM DOWN."
He took a few deep breaths, trying to steady himself, shoulders rising and falling as he forced his mind to slow down.
"…mm… okay… calm…"
He rubbed the back of his neck, still visibly tense but trying to regain control.
"Unbelievable."
"oh shit, I'm sorry, I was spacing out."
"oh really? well I was terrified," she replied, crossing her arms slightly, still studying him closely.
"b-but thanks."
"yeah… no problem."
A short silence followed.
Jin shifted awkwardly.
"…so do you mind telling me what just happened?"
"I-I don't know how to explain actually."
She tilted her head slightly, still watching him carefully.
"well it's fine… you can tell me… or don't… over dinner tonight."
Jin blinked.
"…uh dinner? tonight? what do you mean?"
"ugh… a date."
"A DATE?!"
"Yes. I owe you my life."
"I told you it's not a big deal."
"well it is to me… so do you want to?"
Jin hesitated, panic still half-stuck in his system.
"…y-yes."
"ok good. what time?"
"…uhhh like 7:00pm."
"mm alright then. it's a date."
Then she paused slightly, looking at him properly for the first time with a faint curious expression.
"…oh and btw, what is your name?"
Jin suddenly straightened up in a weird, almost exaggerated pose. His right hand shot up while the other pointed directly at her like he was announcing something dramatic.
"WELL MY NAME IS JIN, A COMPLETE LOSER WHO PLAYS GAMES ALL DAY, COMPLAINS ABOUT LIFE, TALKS TO HIMSELF, AND ALSO LIVES ALONE WITH NO FRIENDS!"
Silence.
She stared at him.
Then blinked once.
"…damn… that's actually sad. Like… you're so honest it's kind of depressing."
"…well that's just my life… no point lying about it."
She let out a small laugh, shaking her head slightly.
"haha… and what was that pose about? Jin, you're weird… but I don't hate it."
Jin coughed slightly, clearly embarrassed now.
"…anyways t-tell me your name."
"mm… ok. I won't do any weird poses though."
She stepped a little closer, standing right in front of him now.
Her expression softened just slightly.
"My name is Aria Blaze."
Jin froze.
For a second… everything in his head stopped.
"…WHATTTT… YOU'RE ARIA BLAZE?!"
"damn, lower your voice… but yes."
She looked at him calmly.
"I'm Aria Blaze.