Unexpected Journey || Hoonsuk AU

Chapter 43 : Let it out

The surroundings filled with the clattering sounds of metal being moved around, the chattering voices, and the sound of the footsteps of the people walking around.

"Hyuna noona, here," said Jihoon, offering a cup of tea to Hyuna who was sitting down on the couch in the studio room. She took it graciously while putting a smile on her face. "Thanks," she said and drank it slowly. Jihoon sat next to her and then looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked, still holding an impatient look on his face.

Hyuna chuckled. She put the cup on the table, looking at him with an amused expression. "I see, so it's been two weeks since you're returning to Korea?" Hyuna asks. Her eyes were still fixed on his, but she was smiling and had a mischievous glint in them. She wants to tease the younger guy in front of her but that might be a bad idea seeing how miserable Jihoon looks right now. She tries to reminisce about how the latter looked like when the first time she meets him. He always is so happy but right now, he seems to have lost all his emotions.

"Something happened between both of you right?" she continued and waited for Jihoon to answer or at least give some sort of reaction. He remained silent but she could tell that he was thinking about what she just said. Hyuna then leaned her back on the sofa and folded her legs. "You don't have to tell me what's happening. I understand," she added and smiled again, trying to convey that she does not mind Jihoon's silence. "But you still love him, right?" The question caught Jihoon off guard. He looked at Hyuna as if she has grown another head. How can she know that?

"What are you talking about?" Jihoon asked, frowning.

Hyuna chuckled. "It's obvious," she replied. "Ever since I see you today, you seemed very distant, unlike your usual self. Or is this the real you?" Hyuna's voice becomes serious. She looks straight into Jihoon's eyes. Jihoon averted his gaze from Hyuna's eyes to his hands instead.  He clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he muttered softly. His eyes never left his lap. "When I entrust you to make my brother happy, I never mean you to forget about your happiness. You did your favor well, but how about you? You look so miserable. Jihoon tells me, do you still love Hyunsuk oppa?" Jihoon's head snapped up and stared at Hyuna.

"Of course I am! He is everything I wish for," Jihoon replied.

"Then what's wrong?"

Jihoon hesitated for a moment. But in the end, he answered. "I can't do anything about it. Even if I want to, there's nothing I can do..." Suddenly, a slap came across Jihoon's cheek and he quickly turned his head and saw Hyuna glaring at him. All eyes in the studio were focused on them. The whispering of the other workers ceased, as their attention was on  Hyuna and Jihoon. When Rohee was about to interfere, Rina quickly grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"But Jihoon get slapped..." Rohee whispered.

Rina gave him a nod, "I know but still we can't intervene," she whispered and then let go of his arm.

Rohee sighed and closed his eyes. He then walks away from the scene and goes outside. The atmosphere becomes tense. Everyone could feel their heart beating faster than usual.

Hyuna stood up and pointed at Jihoon, who was looking at her with wide eyes and trembling. "H-How can I tell you that my brother who has never once bothered telling us about himself, suddenly started spamming me with pictures of foods he took? Someone who I forgot the sounds of his laughter, suddenly giggling while talking about his day?" Hyuna felt anger rising inside her. Tears began forming in her eyes and soon overflowed from her eyes. "How can I be happy when the person that promises him happiness is this miserable? Forget about my feeling. What do you think of Hyunsuk oppa's feel if he knows you're this miserable? I'm sorry for slapping you," Hyuna apologized in a whisper and walked away. Before she pushed the door open, she turned back one last time. "I'm sorry I have to cancel today's photoshoot. I will be back once Park Jihoon sorted out his feeling and return to his usual self. I hate working with someone who can't separate his personal feeling from the work," she spat and then stormed off, leaving a stunned group behind.

Jihoon was speechless, his eyes glued to the space where Hyuna was standing a few minutes ago. He try to wrap his head around what had happened. Suddenly,  tears were streaming down his cheeks.  He tried to stop it but failed miserably.  After a few seconds, he finally broke down and cried silently.

The faint sound of crying filled the studio. It was clear that the others were surprised by what had just happened but none of them dared say something. They just let Jihoon cry his heart out. Park Jihoon who's the youngest among the crew is usually cheerful and kind. So, seeing him crying made everyone sad.

The whole studio went silent, except for the occasional sob from Jihoon. It feels like Jihoon letting out all the pain that he's kept inside his heart for the past few days. They all know that Jihoon doesn't like to show his weakness. This is why they all agreed to keep quiet and give him his space.

It was the last day of Jihoon's break. He was asked to take a short break after what had happened. Everyone agreed that he needs to take a break to relax and clear his mind. He was told to come back to work again after one week of break.

All along his break, he spent his time doing all the things he loves. He went on walks, takes random photos, eats whatever he wanted. He even visited a few exhibition shows in Korea. He's been so busy with everything that he didn't think about anyone else.

His eyes now focus on a drawing in front of him. It was an illustration of a beautiful garden scene with colorful flowers and trees around it. His lips curved into a smile as he started to trace the image with his fingers, looking at the details from every part.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A voice said behind him. He turned around to look at who spoke. His heart skipped a beat the moment he sees the person. The man was wearing a black shirt tucked neatly in his pants, paired with a pair of leather shoes. A dark gray colored jacket hung on his arms. The most striking part was the dark chocolate brown hair falling loosely over his forehead. The corners of his mouth were tugged upwards slightly as his eyes meet Jihoons'.

"It's been so long, Jihoon," hearing him, Jihoon felt like tears are welling up in his eyes.

"Yes, Hyunsuk hyung," Hi