under control 2 ; the penthouse s3

chapter sixteen

not edited ; apr. 5, 2023

⋆┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈⋆

_
There was a knocking on the door, Jaehwa sitting on the dining table catching up on her homework. She stayed still, half wanting to call Jumin to get it, but also feeling guilty because he hadn't been getting much sleep.

Her older brother had yet to go home, doing god knows what, and Yihwa was staying over at Jenny's house, the two surprisingly being friends. Her music was low, not wanting to disrupt her mom or brother from the sleep they had been missing. 

Jaehwa slid out of her chair, dragging herself towards the door. It was raining outside, the music coming from her speaker making the area seem tranquil. It was far from, the wounds barely being held close.

Still, she opened the door, a little surprised to see her boyfriend standing there, "Do you not know how late it is? Why are you here? Without an umbrella?" Jaehwa drags ger boyfriend into her house, the boy staying quiet. She closed the door behind him, examining him. 

His hair was soaking, his clothes the same way. It looked as if he was shivering, the breeze of the AC in the house doing him no justice. Jaehwa was absolutely confused as to why he was here, but dropped it, deciding he'd interrogate him in a bit. 

She leaves him at the door, his clothes still dripping wet. She walks further into the house, walking straight to a linen closet that was next to her brothers room. Jumin was fast asleep, his snoring being a sign of how deep it was. 

Jaehwa ran back towards the front door, Seokhoon still standing there, his body still soaking. The water droplets had made its way to the floor, Jaehwa dreading the fact that she would have to mop so late at night. She walked right up to him, his nose red and his eyes glossy. 

She draped the towel over the boys head, lightly dabbing it in hopes to stop the water from dripping on to his face, and on to the floor. Jaehwa used both her hands, rubbing his scalp slowly. Seokhoon still stood still, Jaehwa finally questioning him. "What are you doing here do late at night?"

The drenched boy didn't say anything, instead the tears started to fall, his face getting more wet. He finally broke down, and in hope of any comfort, he placed his head on Jaehwa's shoulder. Jaehwa held his head, not wanting him to hurt his neck. 

She could feel the fabric of her pjs soaking up his tears, as well as water from his head, but she left his head there, not wanting to disrupt his emotional drainage. His knees gave out, Jaehwa  having to hold his weight in her hands. 

The two dropped to the ground, Jaehwa patting the boy's back, "I'm a terrible brother. All I wanted to do was protect her and now she's gone." Seokhoon was shaking, gripping onto the girls shirt.

Jaehwa's heart was hurting, feeling how much pain he was in. He was holding it in the whole time, not wanting Jaehwa to see how unstable he was. "I should've held on to her more. I should've tried to keep her by my side. I didn't want any of this. She's all I had for awhile, she was my only family member that I felt really cared for me." 

Jaehwa continued to let Seokhoon cry, nodding ever so often so that he knew she was listening. She was always listening, hoping that Seokhoon would also break down his walls and share his emotions. He only ever really showed how happy he was, not wanting to share the consistent family trauma that he had to deal with. 

"Mom kicked her out, and I just let it happen. I knew how much Seokkyung struggles within the family and I didn't take her side. I should've took her side. Sure, Yoonhee just died, but Seokkyung is her daughter. Seokkyung is my sister and I was so caught up with keeping you and Rona out of harms way that I forgot about my own sister." Jaehwa sighed, but still held her boyfriend.