EXTRICATE * lee jeno

『chapter』 『¹⁰』

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"hyuckie? why are you crying?"

heloise was taking the bus home with her brother. she had been forced to pick him up from school because apparently that's what "normal big sisters" did.

"bi- im not."
"im literally looking at your face right now, you are. or you will."
she pulled the small boy into a hug: she was almost unable to handle how much her heart was aching at seeing him this sad.

"do you know what's going on with jeno right now?"
"jeno? what? no? how would i- no, i don't? should i know?"

the girl panicked a little. her brain began to run through all possibilities of why he would ask. did she say something in her sleep about meeting jeno at the underground? or something about helping him?

it seemed to escape her mind that maybe he was just worried for someone he truly admired.

"there was an article about a scandal and i know he's been in a bit of trouble recently but i didn't believe any of it. now i'm not sure because i feel like i'd be a bad person if it all happened to be true and i was still defending him."

"you mean like stuff about his phone? i'm pretty sure he wouldn't do that-"
"no, not that, the more recent stuff about him abusing a classmate."

heloise furrowed her eyebrows. abusing a classmate? yes, she was aware she had barely seen him at school but he still didn't seem like the kind of person to do such a thing.

"hey, byul, could you please check this article? this girl, in this picture, she looks like you, doesn't she? and you go to the same school as jeno goes to, so maybe it could be you. i'm being a bit naive, i know, but just please, tell me it's you."

she looked over to the picture.
"holy shit-"

all at once, heloise remembered the boy thinking she was someone else, "jirin". she remembered pushing the boy but almost falling over in the process. and she remembered the boy holding onto her to stop her from falling.

"WAIT- is it actually you?"
she paused for a second before answering woohyuck,

"yeah... i'm so confused right now."
"SO IT IS FAKE. they're saying that this is a picture from video footage of jeno hurting a female student but if it's you then that means it isn't true. unless he did actually hurt you?"

woohyuck turned to his sister with concern in his eyes. he honestly wasn't sure what to think anymore.
"nono, woo, don't worry, he didn't hurt me. if anything, i hurt him."

"how could you hurt the lee jeno?"
her brother tutted and shook his head in feigned disappointment.

"i guess i'm just above the forces of human power."
"whatever."

the bus slowly slowed down and woohyuck put his phone back into his bag.
"wait, heloise?"

he called out as he hopped off the bus after his older sister,
"could you email the people who made the article and get them to take it down or something? i don't want more people assuming things that aren't true."

"sure, woohyuck, anything for you."

☎

hyuckie best boi 🥺 anyways morningggg~ or have a good time of day wherever you are !!~