connected|chan

-twelve-

Chan paces back and forth while EunHye curls up into a ball on her bed sobbing uncontrollably. He's already late. He was supposed to meet JiSung and ChangBin in the studio to work on the new album, but he's still at EunHye's—and he can't leave her like this.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Chan runs his fingers through his hair as his frustrations hit their peak.

She won't talk to him. She won't let him hold her. Everything he tries to do to help just makes things worse—yet she gets even more upset if he says he'll leave for her sake. She has words, but for some reason she just can't use them. She can't—or won't tell him what's wrong and it's really agitating.

Chan's phone goes off and he slips it out of his pocket and tosses it down on the kitchen counter. He doesn't have the patience to deal with whoever it is, but he knows he has to. It rings two or three times before he picks it up with a sigh.

"What?" Chan forces the word out, trying not to have a breakdown of his own.

"You good? I was just checking in on you. We haven't heard from you since yesterday and it's not like you to be late." ChangBin asks worriedly.

"Fine—I'm fine—I just—I might not make it this morning. You and Sung might have to start without me." Chan runs his fingers through his hair as he turns to steal a glance at EunHye.

"What's wrong? Is there something I can do to help—any of us can do to help? I'm sure the others would come over if you asked." ChangBin offers Chan some assistance, but he's hesitant to take it.

Chan was worried about taking a new step with EunHye—but not because of SeungMin. He truly hadn't noticed how engrossed with her SeungMin had become—it was someone else entirely who stole his attention. Someone he had no idea how they would react—he didn't necessarily think SeungMin would react the way he did either. The hardest part is the fact that the one person who might actually be able to help is the one person he's sure has deeper feelings for her than SeungMin.

"No—I—I got it." Chan lies. He doesn't have control over the situation. He has anything but control.

"From the sound of your voice, I doubt that." ChangBin challenges him, but not in an attempt to cause any problems—he's just worried.

"I don't. Okay? I don't have it under control, but it's my situation to handle. I've got it. I'll figure it out." Chan insists, doing everything he can to avoid snapping at the younger.

"She wants me, doesn't she?" ChangBin mumbles softly.

"No. She doesn't. Not you." Chan shakes his head.

"Fine. If you need someone to help just ask." ChangBin sighs before hanging up and leaving Chan alone to panic.

————————

Chan sits on the couch, his face buried in his hands as he struggles to keep himself grounded. Nothing he does helps. It's been over two hour and she's still crying. She doesn't want him. She's not gonna want him. He has to meet SeungMin soon. He promised he wouldn't be late, but he can't leave her like this.

"Channie?" SeungMin quietly slips into EunHye's apartment, his head hanging low as he closes the door behind him.

"Seung—" Chan is up on his feet in seconds, panic falling over him as he glances toward EunHye's room.

"Bin said you had your hands full but didn't want help—I know you probably don't want me here—but I figured it was worth a shot." SeungMin rubs at his arm as Chan approaches him.

"You're not the problem." Chan shakes his head, taking SeungMin's hand in his.

"It's not you I was worried about." Chan continues, his head fuzzy from his racing thoughts.