local farm

@lee hoseok. ( i'm so sorry it took me so long to respond T ^ T )

Man it felt good to be home. After nearly 4 years of being away, away from his horses none the less, Jungkook was more than just homesick. He felt numb, like all of his energy was zipped out of him the second he saw his town in his rearview mirror. But he knew he had to do to this; for him. For years since his father's death, Jungkook has spent all of his time out of his day to rebuild what his father had started. It took so much time, so much effort and devotion and it clearly showed with how the stables came out and how successful the ranch as has been. Classes had begun shortly before Jungkook left for his college, which was not only out of town, but in a completely different country.

Specifically, the States.

Jungkook had somehow landed a scholarship abroad and went to Hobart, being a double major in business and dance. He learned English there, learned America's customs and was present for the ridiculous Presidential elections. He was honestly surprised how the college welcomed him with open arms and kind smiles. He thought there'd be at least a few racist people there but everyone was so friendly with him, so patient with his lack of English terminology in the beginning. But with hard work and dedication, Jungkook began wildly fluent in English.

Now he's home. Home sweet home. After an exhaustively long flight, having a friend come pick him up at the airport in Seoul only to drive hours to come here, Jungkook feels like he's about to pass out as he tries to find the right key to his front door.

"Why the hell did I put so many keys on here? What the hell?" Jungkook grumbles to himself. Just when he manages to find the right key, he suddenly hears a frightening sound from behind him: a shotgun cocking. His eyes immediately go wide as his entire body freezes up. Slowly, Jungkook turns around and makes out the figure of a rather familiar-looking deputy in front of him. But his focus is not on that; it's the barrel of the shotgun that's so close to his face, it's practically kissing his nose. Jungkook goes cross-eyed as he stares down the barrel in /horror/. "I-I live here, man, I just returned from college!"

@lee hoseok. ( it's all good! sorry my starter was so short. i promise i'll reply soon though! so sorry about the wait >< )

@jeon jungkook. Over the last three years, it had become a habit for Hoseok to go check up on the late, mister Jeon's ranch. He still called it that, even though the man had been gone for a number of years and it had been his son who had been caring for the place since then. The actual name was Euphoria Ranch, but he'd only heard the title used by the city folk who sent their kids out to camp over the summer so they could learn to ride horses. To most in town, they'd always known it as the place that the Jeon family lived. Since his son had been away for college, Hoseok had promised that he wouldn't let the place fall into shambles, though he sometimes wondered if Jungkook really intended on coming back to the country. So many folks had gone to the city and fell in love with the fast paced lifestyle, after all. Considering the bitter memories this place held for him, he honestly wouldn't have blamed Jungkook for deciding to start over.

Regardless of what happened, the sheriff still made sure things ran smoothly. He fed and cared for the horses, repaired anything that had become weathered over time. A couple nights a week, he even spent the night up there just to make sure no one got any funny ideas about causing problems because they thought the ranch was vacant. That was what he was doing tonight, when he was suddenly woken up to the sound of suspicious scuffling at the front door. It could have been just a raccoon, but he grabbed his shotgun nonetheless and crept out the back door. He hadn't even bothered to put on his boots because they would have made too much noise as he silently padded along the wrap-around porch to the front side of the house. A shadowy figure was stooped over the doorknob and could very well have been trying to pick the lock for all he knew.

The sound of him cocking his shotgun was loud in the evening stillness. "Hands up." He rarely ever used the properly authoritative tone of a true police officer, but he managed to pull it off well. Though he certainly didn't look the part, standing there in his drawstring pajama pants and a sleeveless white, tank top. "Step away from the door, partner."

((... so... this ended up longer than I thought it would OTL because I felt like I had to set up what Hoseok had been doing there over the past 3-4 years. Next one will probably keep shorter))

@lee hoseok. Today was the day he finallygot to go home after nearly 4 years of being away. 4 damn years. The first thing he wanted to do was curl up in his best, nap to his heart's content, then go out and take Midnight on a ride. She probably misses him dearly, and so does he. So he's fumbling a bit with his keys, trying to blindly find his front door key, and curses when he nearly drops it. He's half awake and it's like 4am at the moment, so he's completely clueless to the person sneaking up on him.

@kim jongin. Whether he's just oblivious or purposely ignoring the other's dislike we'll most likely never know. Jinwoo's brain is too preoccupied with rabbits, rabbits, rabbits for him to focus on anything else at the moment. In fact, he still thinks the man is just one of the many locals in Evani, focusing on pulling a few temporary cages from the shed and starting to set them up just outside the entrance. When he hears the truck coming around he shushes the rabbits that start to get a little antsy. He’s still putting the last few crates together when the vehicle goes quiet again, and the other announces himself by shutting the driver’s side door. Looking up from where he’s kneeling Jinwoo thinks for a moment before nodding towards the car, “Um, if you could just help me take them out of the truck. I need to put them all in separate crates so none of them start fighting each other.” He smiles apologetically. “If you wouldn’t mind at least. I can do it on my own if it’s too much trouble.” Finally getting the last of the cages set up Jinwoo stacks them, three in a column and a few rows across in case there are more missing than he thought. It really should only be about eight or so, but then again with his morning he could have counted wrong.

Standing up straight he claps his hands together a few times to remove the dust and dirt, as well as rolls the sleeves of his sleep shirt up. He then turns to face the other and points at his vehicle asking, “If you wouldn’t mind showing me where they are?” Nervously Jinwoo brings his palms together again, interlocking his own fingers as he takes steps towards the truck and peers inside a little. It was probably rude - he’d have to remind himself to apologize later - but definitely worth it when he sees several fluffy animals decorating the seat and floor of the inside. One or two of them seem to look at the man, but most are relatively calm and unbothered. “Hi, babies,” he whispers, lightly tapping the window with his finger and cooing under his breath. “You’re safe now. I promise. I’ll get your homes fixed as soon as I can, okay?” Jinwoo’s bad habit of talking to his rabbits like babies is showing in full force.

He takes another moment to count all the fuzzy animals he sees, “...five, six, seven…” Blinking a few times he tilts his head to look into the front window to find the last one sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle. “Eight.” The breeder is all smiles once more as he looks to the rabbits’ savior. “This is all of them - the ones that went missing, I mean. I don’t know how I would have found them if it wasn’t for you. Um...when I'm done putting them away, would you like to come in for coffee? As a thank you."

@kim jinwoo. "Yeah, sure" he huffed loud enough for the other male to see as he uncrossed his arms, hopping onto the driver's seat. Igniting the engine, Jongin allowed his gaze to follow the male as he stepped back into his home, jumping over the little stairs that lead towards the porch and he couldn't help the memories he had of the man flood his mind. Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes for a few seconds, he let a deep puff of air out of his lungs before grabbing the steering wheel once again. This brief little visit would soon be over. He just had to help the guy get all those puffies back into their cages and then he could u-turn the hell out of here. And this would be the first and last time in years that he'd have to see that sheepish-looking face that he grew to hate so much when both of them were still kids. He would /never/ have to see the guy again - the mere thought, the mere idea filled Jongin with such contentment that even the greatest high or the best wine wouldn't achieve.

Driving over the gravelly path that lead to a building that reminded him of his own chickencoop all too well, he noticed the petite guy walking out of the house with the corner of his eye. Jongin clenched his jaw once again, making his molars hurt as he usually didn't get that nervous. Factually, farmlife was habitually so calm that it made people like him, like the boy-like man and probably everyone else that lived in Evani, too, forget how stressful life could be. The only factors that were able to ruin your blood pressure were ravenous sheep that ate something they weren't meant to, a shortage of goods on the market or... having to wake up somewhen in the middle of the night for whatever reason god only knew. But now... in that very moment he felt like he was back at university again, back in the times when his organism was run by caffeine, alcohol and an unhealthy amount of jelly that made him a ticking bomb only waiting to explode.

Shutting the engine down, he jumped out of the car, closing the door behind him so none of the rabbits were able to flee again. "Where do you want me to put them?" he asked, walking up towards the shed and glancing around it. It was filled with cages, most of them being home to a vast group of long-eared animals that looked like exact copies of those he had still locked in the back of his pick-up. The shed itself was giving off this odd stench that he was so familiar with that he almost didn't smell it anymore - a mixture of hay, feed and excrements. Turning his head back to the male, he muttered once again, "We caught all we could find, I hope those are most of the ones you lost"

Waking up to the breaking of dawn was not everyone's ideal. Hyunjin, however, found peace in the rising sun and the twittering birds of spring. It was a long winter, long and cold. The spring was a welcomed sight with the wildflowers blossoming across the rolling hills as if God himself had taken a paintbrush to the grassy landscape. Hyunjin breathes in deeply, the fresh air filling his lungs before sneezing as the pollen tickled his nose. He sniffled and rubbed his nose on the back of his plaid button-up shirt. It felt like something was missing. He was the only one here to truly appreciate the flowers dotting the hill besides his dairy cows. He presses his lips together, thinking to himself. Perhaps he could invite a florist to pick the flowers....

@kim jongin. When Jinwoo had gone to bed the night before it was with the same relaxed mindset he always had. You can imagine his surprise upon entering the backyard the next morning to find his rabbit cages a mess. Wood and wire were scattered about the ground, little tufts of fur catching in the breeze here and there. There were no signs of blood so he found it within himself to hope none of the rabbits were injured.

Jinwoo was stuck on wondering who could do such a thing, gently approaching the other rabbits whose cages were still intact. Most of them seemed to be alright, although one towards the end was still spooked. He carefully unlocked the cage, waiting patiently for the rabbit to come closer before taking it into his arms. Stroking its fur to calm the animal down Jinwoo went back into the house and found his cellphone on the kitchen counter. After calling the authorities to tell them what had happened he tried to figure out what to do next. Did they take the rabbits? Were they hurt somewhere? His own worrying must have gotten to the bundle in his arms because it starts squirming again. "Sorry, sorry - shh." he whispered, petting it once more.

It was then that he heard the wheels of a vehicle towards the front of the house. As it got closer Jinwoo made his way to the porch, opening the first door and peeking out from the screen just in time to see a rusty pick-up. Perhaps it being here could only mean one thing, and his shoulders visibly dropped in relief as he stepped fully outside, still cradling the rabbit in his arms. Although he recognized the driver as one of the local farmers he couldn't for the life of him remember their name. The smaller man also didn't have it in him to be embarrassed that he was still in his pajamas. "Oh, thank goodness." he says, offering the other a half-shaky smile. "Thank you so much. If you wouldn't mind, you can drive around back. I'll set up some crates there." He holds the rabbit with one arm will pointing in the direction of a path running up the right side of the house towards a small shed, and just beside that the location of the cages.

After doing so Jinwoo steps back into the house quickly - not so quick to scare the rabbit - and slip his shoes on. Walking out the backdoor he puts the rabbit back in its cage, petting it one last time before securing the gate and heading towards the shed. He knows he has some small dog crates, so for now they can function as temporary homes while he fixes their usual ones.

@kim jinwoo. Shooting a glance at the rear-view mirror, a deep, exasperated sighed escaped his lips as his hand, that was freed from holding the steering wheel, rubbed his forehead. All the amount of fluffiness that accumulated on the back seat was too much for him to handle, especially at an hour as early as this. He, indeed, was used to waking up almost evenly with sunrise, yet from time to time there were days when he simply needed a few minutes of sleep. He didn't even need much of it, as ten minutes would be perfectly enough for him to fidget from his left side to his right side and the other way round, rubbing the sleepy dust out of his puffy eyes and yawning loud enough to give their rooster competition before sparking enough energy to eventually roll out of bed. But today, he was robbed of that few moments of morning relaxation and the culprits were sitting behind him.
"I'd grill you if I could, puffy" he threatened an exceptionally bold, snow-white angora that wouldn't break eye-contact. The rabbit responded with loud sniffling. Jongin scoffed, shaking his head in irritation before his vision moved back to the road ahead of him. Making his way along the winding, narrow roads that lead him through the labyrinth of fields, orchards and grasslands, he tried not to cuss or make any more threats directed towards the long-eared animals on the backseat. Praying that they haven't pooped all over them, he noticed the sign that showed the way to the farm they originally belonged in and even though it should make him somewhat happy that he'd finally get rid of the rabbits, it irked him even more.
Jongin has had his presumptions about this being a bad day the very moment his father practically dragged him out of his bed to collect all those lost, hopping cloudlets of white fluff. However, once the older man told him where exactly he had to take them and /who/ they belonged to, the day got even worse, without even having properly begun. Taking a last turn right, he ended up on a forecourt. Stopping the engine, he took the keys out of the ignition and hid them in the back pocket of his frayed, blue jeans as he simultaneously got out of the car. He didn't even have to walk up to the tiny porch that hid the entrance door, as the posture he hoped to never see again emerged from its shadows, visibly relieved.
Leaning against the metal frame of the rather small and quite old pick-up, Jongin crossed his arms before whirring a lax "Where should I put them?" towards the male of a more petite posture.