"Are you okay? You look like you just ran a marathon." Dahee says after Renjun made quite the dramatic entrance. The front door almost flew from him suddenly bursting in, his hair all disheveled and sticking to his sweaty forehead. "Were you about to get murdered or something?"
"My heart was beating so fast I thought I was gonna faint!" He exclaims distractedly, but she doesn't know the context of his words and her frown shows her confusion. "Nevermind. I-It's nothing, don't worry, I'm okay."
She narrows her eyes at him, incredulous, "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I know."
Her frown deepens as she watches him head to his room after giving her an assuring smile that doesn't really assure her one bit. He's been keeping secrets recently and she doesn't fail to notice that. They always tell each other anything and everything, so it is weird for her to see him becoming vague with his responses and it is mostly the questions that involve Jaemin. She only has one option left.
hyuck 👿
Today 10:12 PM
are u still awake
no
oh ok
u want me to come
over don't u ;)
yeah actually
meet me at the park
i want to get some fresh air too
sure i'll be there in 15
She slips on the oversized puffy jacket she always wears on walks and twists the doorknob open to see Jaemin with his hand balled into a fist midair as if he is just about to knock. He's in the same state as Renjun was in earlier: hair tousled and out of breath.
"Oh hey, Jaemin," she is surprised to see him, but it also makes her suspicion grow. "What are you doing here?"
"Is Renjun home?" He answers back with a question, still trying to catch his breath. "I just wanted to talk to him."
She nods her head over to where her brother is, "He's in his room."
"Okay." He nods and automatically takes his shoes off when he steps inside. She steps outside, which makes his head perk up. "Are you going somewhere?"
"Just gonna meet with Hyuck." She tells him before shutting the door behind her and holds back the strong urge to eavesdrop when she hears faint chatter coming from her brother's room.
She isn't dumb, she knows there is something going on with Jaemin and Renjun, but she just doesn't know what. Her mind is leaning towards conflict, assuming that maybe the two had a disagreement that caused tension between them. Donghyuck must have all the answers to the questions she has. Right before she is able to press the down button, a notice on the elevator doors stops her from doing so.
The elevator is currently under maintenance, please use the stairs instead. Sorry for the inconvenience!
She heads to the flight of stairs in the corner of the hall and turns into a panting mess like Renjun and Jaemin were when she reaches the ground floor. Still breathless, she trots out of the glass doors after being greeted by the warm smile of the apartment building's security guard. He's a polite old man she has had a few conversations with in the three years she has lived here. She returns the smile and heads to the park and finds Donghyuck already there, waiting for her on one of the swings.
"Spill the tea on what's going on with Renjun and Jaemin." She says as soon as she takes a seat on the other swing beside the one he is sitting on.
He rolls his eyes playfully, "Not even a 'hello' first?"
"Hello," she says with faux enthusiasm. "There. Now, spill."
"I can't tell you, Dahee," he sighs helplessly. "It's not my place to say, and Renjun would be mad at me if I did."
"But he won't tell me," she says whiningly. "My curiosity is gonna eat me alive."
"He's not ready yet, but when he is, he'll answer your questions," he tells her. "Let's talk about something else to distract you from prying into your brother's business."
She huffs but decides to let it go (for now) and asks him how soccer practice is going so far. Their conversation eventually branches into different topics, and they talk about anything and everything for the next hour.
"What is one memory you want to relive?" He randomly asks when their previous topic can't be milked anymore, carding his fingers through her hair as they are now on the grass with her head resting on his lap.
She doesn't think about it for long before giving him an answer, "My 11th birthday... when dad was still alive. That was the last birthday I celebrated with him and it was the happiest I'd been."
She smiles bittersweetly upon recalling the memory. It's a memory she will never forget. She was surrounded by her loved ones: her dad, her brother, Mingxia, her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, and her cousins. But after that, her birthdays stopped being happy because her dad isn't there anymore. She never celebrated again after the freak accident. It is too painful of a wound that she still hasn't recovered from─she doesn't think she can.
"Hey, you okay?" Donghyuck asks. "You're zoning out."
"Yeah, yeah... I'm okay," she says and tries to push the memory of the accident in the back of her mind. "How about you? What is one memory you want to relive?"
"When we met for the first time." He answers, his gaze fond and his tone soft. She laughs, thinking he's joking. So, while she does, he adds under his breath, "when you made me feel things I've never felt before."
ઇઉ
apologies for this very short chapter
