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13 || bad habits

"Oh my god!! Unnie, why is your arm bandaged?!" Jeongyeon was attacked by Sana in a hug, struggling to keep her balance with the younger hanging off her.

Mina emerged from her room, also noticing the bandage. "Did Jimin hurt you, Jeongyeon-unnie?" She plucked Sana off the older.

Nayeon smirked at Jeongyeon. "Told you they'd notice the bandage."

"They wouldn't have noticed if you'd let me borrow your jacket!"

"Too bad, so sad, you shouldn't have left your sweater at the apartment!!" Nayeon shook her head. "Idiot."

Jihyo stumbled out of the bathroom fresh from a shower, pink hair still wet. "What did I hear about bandages?"

Jeongyeon hid her arm behind her back and laughed nervously. "What bandages, Jihyo? I don't see any... hahaha?"

"Jimin bruised her arm pulling her across the road this afternoon!" Blurted Nayeon. She looked at her bandaged friend's irritated face and feigned an innocent expression. "Oopsie."

"He what?!" Dahyun and Momo exclaimed simultaneously as they entered the living area from their respective bedrooms.

The smell of takeout filled the room as Tzuyu and Chaeyoung arrived at the dorm, bumping into Nayeon and Jeongyeon who were still blocking the entrance. The maknae noticed the heating pack slipping out of the bandage on Jeongyeon's arm.

"Why did you tie a heating pack to your arm, unnie?" Tzuyu handed Chae her share of the bags and gently brought her unnie's arm forward to show the rest of the dorm. She tightened the bandage and slipped the heating pack back under the gauze in an unexpected display of affection.

Chaeyoung set the excessive bags of food down on the kitchen counter, the rest of the members following. Grabbing what they wanted, the girls settled down on various couches at stools around the living room to eat.

"So, what happened?" Chae took a bite of her meal and looked at Jeongyeon.

Nayeon shoved her way into the discussion. "Jimin assaulted Jeongyeon!!"

"Sure." Jeongyeon slapped Nayeon's leg. "It was an accident. He pulled me across the road a little too hard, that's all. The bandage and heat pack are excessive. There isn't even a bruise. Just some red marks."

Face flushed, Jihyo stormed across the dorm and grabbed Jeongyeon's arm, unwrapping the bandage and inspecting it closely. "It's yellowing a little..."

"That's the wrong side of my arm, genius. I promise you, I'm fine."

Sana looked at Jeongyeon. "Don't just say things like that because you think you are obliged to. He's hurt you before, right? You have to take the past into account in these sorts of situations."

"Sana's right. Did he at least apologize?" Mina asked, concerned.

"He did, surprisingly. Reluctantly too, but he came out of his room after five minutes and managed to choke out an apology." Jeongyeon snorted.

Dahyun leaned over and embraced Jeongyeon. "Just be careful, okay? We don't want anything to happen to you."

"You are so lucky promotions are halted right now, and we're still in the recording phase." Jihyo rubbed her temples and sighed. "If you go out, wear long sleeved clothing just in case a bruise appears. If Dispatch saw the marks they would have a field day. Now eat up and get some sleep, girls. We have lots of recording to do tomorrow. Jeongyeon, please come with me."

"Yes mom."

:|:|:

"You're falling down that rabbit hole again."

"I'm what?"

Jihyo sat down on her bed and motioned for Jeongyeon to join her. "You're going back to the mindset you had when you first dated my brother. Remember when he pushed you over intentionally and you grazed your knees? You let him get away with it. And what about the time he shoved you into a table and you cut your hip? After only a few days of being upset you made up with him, convinced you were in the wrong."

Jeongyeon slumped onto the mattress and lay across Jihyo's lap. "I can't help it. You'd think that seven years apart would destroy the bad habits. I guess not..." She sighed. "It's hard to define what's worth getting worked up about and what's a waste of time."

"Look, Jeongyeon. If he does something that hurts you, it's his fault. Unless you provoke him. If you're unsure, you can always come to me, okay?" Jihyo ruffled the girl's growing blonde hair.

The two sat in silence before Jeongyeon's stomach let out an angry growl. She grinned at Jihyo. The leader laughed. "Go on. Eat your dinner. I'll be back out in a minute. I just have to make a phone call real quick."

She watched the girl shuffle out of the room, before reaching over to her dresser and grabbing her phone. Huffing, she scrolled through her contacts til she found the number she was searching for.