This City Is No Place for Goldfish [BTS Fanfic] 1.1

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗻

𝘋𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 1990𝘴

The train screeched to a halt like it was throwing a tantrum.

A final grunt of effort, a puff of steam — and then, silence.

Y/n steeped down onto the platform, leather boots clicking on damp concrete, coat too clean for this town, eyes too curious to hide. She looked like she belonged in a University corridor — not this rain-slicked, rust-tinted neighborhood where the walls had ears and the alleys had moods.

A crow squawked somewhere above. The air smelled like old coal, pickled cabbage, and rain-soaked cigarettes.

A whistle blew behind her as the conductor leaned out the window and called,

"𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘢𝘵 6:40! 𝘛𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸! 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦! "

The doors slammed shut. The train trundled off like it regretted ever stopping.

Y/n stood alone on the cracked platform, boots planted, Duffel sliding down her arm. The sky above Deasun was low and gray, and the distant buzz of a neon sign blinked like a dying firefly.

She sighed.

Y/n

... Great start.

___

Inside the tiny station office — a cramped box of dust, tea-stained cups, and faded BTS calendars (not 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 BTS, just "Busan Train Schedules") — she leaned over the counter, trying not to look 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 lost.

A man with a comb-over and gold watch sat sipping barely tea. A tiny television buzzed in the background playing a re-run of "𝘑𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘰𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘺".

Y/n stepped up to the counter, notebook in hand.

Y/n

Excuse me—

The man looked up slowly, like it pained him to move.

"You're not from here."

She blinked.

He gestured at her coat, her clean shoes, the way she was standing like she expected the world to make sense.

"You look like seoul, Daesun doesn't like seoul".

She forced a smile.

Y/n

I'm just here for research.

He grunted. Then leaned sideways and shouted out the window—

"𝗠𝗔𝗣 𝗚𝗨𝗬! 𝗚𝗢𝗧 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗡𝗘!"

Five minutes later, a man shuffled in with a rolled-up sheet of paper under his arm and a mysterious limp that no one asked about. He wore a fisherman's hat, mismatched socks, and a suspiciously clean jacket. He smelled like ginseng and menthol.

He slammed the paper on the table.

"Official Map of Daesun City, updated in 1989! "

He paused. The added, "More or less. "

Y/n blinked at it.

It was 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯. In pen. With uneven arrows and small scribbled note like "𝗯𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗴 (𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄)" and "𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗳𝘂 𝗹𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝘂𝘀𝗸."

Y/n

... is this a joke?

Map Guy beamed. "That'll be 200 won."

She paid.

Regretted it instantly.