❝ told you so ❞ ;; bbangnyu

¡! five ❞

younghoon's pov

under the cloak of darkness, i ventured down the dimly lit street, my footsteps echoing through the quiet night. shadows danced around me, cast by the flickering streetlights, adding an air of mystery to my solitary walk. the sound of distant traffic hummed in the background, creating a distant backdrop to my thoughts.

i pulled my jacket tighter around myself, seeking solace from the chill that permeates the air. as i walked, my eyes wandered, absorbing the eerie beauty of the cityscape. the moon peers through wisps of passing clouds, casting a soft glow on my path, illuminating my way forward. with each step, i found myself caught between a sense of trepidation and an unspoken sense of carelessness, ignoring the fact that i had just walked out of the house with no sense of direction.

the aftermath of our heated argument lingered heavily in the air, weighing down my heart with a mix of frustration and concern. chanhee and i, once inseparable, then stood divided by the words we exchanged. i couldn't bear witnessing the toll that his relationship had taken on his self-consciousness, and my attempts to intervene erupted into a tempest of emotions. the air crackled with tension when accusations flew and truths were revealed, leaving the latter crying. well he was crying.

though my intentions were driven by love and a desire to protect, i then questioned whether i had handled the situation in the best way. doubt gnawed at my conscience, mingling with the ache of a strained friendship. or whatever type of relationship we had. in that fragile moment, i didn't want to risk losing my confidence and losing someone i loved. even if he didn't love me back, i still wanted to be there, admiring from afar. if that's what's best.

i kicked a rock as i continued down the street, only stopping once to admire the breathtaking view of the cityscape lights that reflected onto the river, the bridge perching between the roads and pavements of town. i mused upon the recent events, dragging my feet against the smooth pavement, knocking rocks and other pieces of gravel out of my way.

even if i felt triumphant that i'd gotten my point across to him, i still felt somewhat disappointed. disappointed that he didn't even try to protest against my sudden exit. does he not care? at that point, it was pretty believable. i believed that he didn't care about the countless nights that i could've spent sleeping, but i instead decided to deprive myself from sleep to comfort him. i believed that he didn't care about the fact that i almost failed an exam because he distracted me from revising, begging me to drive him home the night before the test.

i believed that he didn't care about me.

my conscious quickly dismissed that sudden thought, telling myself that he does care, and it wasn't his fault that he hasn't been feeling well. it wasn't his fault that he didn't have control over his life anymore. it felt scary to watch him lose a grip on his own personality and feelings, juyeon changed him into a completely different person. a once outgoing, carefree person with lots of friends soon turned quiet and reserved, only talking to juyeon's friends.

i heard the distant rumble of a car rumble behind me, then the sound of a window rolling down. i turned around and fixed my gaze on the clean, black car. a girl with straight, black hair stuck her head out of the window, sipping on some iced tea.

"younghoon," the girl called over the idle engine. "get in the car, you're in trouble."

i instantly recognised the girl as my older sister, jisoo, who pressed a button on the dashboard and unlocked the car with a click.

"no." i refused, starting to turn on my heel to walk away.

"younghoon, if you don't get in the car now, i'm taking your great expectations book." she threatened, lowering the window more.

i furrowed my brows, turning back towards her car, she had a serious look on her face.

"you wouldn't dare." i mumbled, squinting my eyes at her.

she hummed in assertiveness and stepped on the acceleration peddle, making the engine roar.

"fine." i crossed onto the road to get to the passenger door.

pulling on the handle, i climbed inside and closed the door beside me before fastening my seatbelt. jisoo looked me up and down before lurching the car forwards, driving us on the road which rounded underneath the bridge.

"younghoon, are you not gonna talk for the rest of this drive...?" she gently tapped her french tips against the leather steering wheel.

"no, what is there to talk about?" i wanted to end the conversation as soon as possible.

jisoo sighed in weariness, it looked like she was trying her best not to fall asleep on the wheel.

"are you trying to ignore the fact that you barged out of the house?" her voice was shaky, trying to keep her composure. "i want to know why."

"it was nothing." i looked ahead at the ongoing traffic.

"ugh, why the fuck is there traffic this early in the morning!" she slammed on the breaks as soon as she was close enough to the car in front.

we found ourselves trapped in an ocean of vehicles, jisoo clenching the wheel, making her knuckles white as her eyebrows raised in irritation. the traffic had us ensnared, immobilized within a sea of red taillights. in that moment, the weight of our short and snappy conversation seemed insignificant compared to the shared frustration of being stuck, together, in that chaotic gridlock.

after a few minutes of silence, she glanced towards me, i was still immersed in the sight before us.

"younghoon, tell me now," she said in a lower voice than before. "what happened with you and chanhee?"

i genuinely didn't want to tell her, i knew if i did, there'd be a whole entire lecture about not snapping at your friends. it happened last time when me and eric got into a small argument when they came round and yet i didn't hear the end of it.

but the heavy weight in my heart was telling me to talk to her and to get it all off my chest (it's not like i did that before), and so i decided to explain.

"i yelled at him."

it took a few seconds for her to process that. and when she did, it was as if all hell broke loose.

"what?!" she shouted. "why would you do that? what did i tell you about yelling at your friends!"

"but, i can explain," i absentmindedly threw my hands up in surrender. "i've been telling him for years that his boyfriend, juyeon, is no good, yet he didn't listen!"

"do you realise how many nights i couldn't sleep properly because of his late night calls!"

"that's no reason to shout at him!" she replied. "maybe talking it out properly would've worked out."

i debated on telling her if i confessed. weighing out the pros and cons, there were more cons than pros in that situation, but i just went with it.

"i confessed."

"god younghoon," she face palmed, turning back to face the traffic. "i would've said finally but this isn't the type of situation i was expecting."

"i know but i—"

"no buts, i'm telling mom and you need to learn how to figure this out."

"but jisoo!" i begged. "i told him so!"

"that doesn't make any difference, hoon."

by then, the green light showed and she stepped on the accelerator, the car jerked forward underneath the bridge and down the hill.

wait...what does she mean by 'finally'?