The Mess We've Made | Minsung

chapter one-hundred fourteen

Saturday
9:13pm

"Wha-,"

Minho caressed my arms soothingly to ground me. "Relax. You're with me in the guest house bathtub. You're safe. I've got you."

I gripped the rim of the bathtub, hyperventilating as I processed my surroundings. Minho continued caressing me all over to re-familiarize me with reality, "Shhh. It's okay."

Tears and small sobs replaced heavy, confused breathing. "I told you I'd do it, didn't I?"

"I know you did, honey." Minho caressed my chest and stomach. "Shh shh shh."

"I'm so sorry," I let my grip of the tub go and let out a soft sob.

"Shhhh."

"Please don't hate me. Please, please, please."

Minho kissed the back of my head, "I could never hate you."

"I didn't want to put you in danger, I just didn't think you'd get it if I just went and killed him."

"Admittedly, I probably wouldn't've. I don't exactly appreciate being manipulated but I get why you did it. Now just let me clean you."

"You were angry. Why aren't you angry?"

Minho slicked back some of my hair with the bathwater as tears flowed down my cheeks, "Honey..My sweet, sweet angel..."

"I lied to you."

"Shhh, let me clean you."

"I lied to you so many times. So, so, so many times."

"So did I," Minho hummed. "We're both liars."

"I'm sorry," I shook my head back and forth. "I'm so sorry."

"You're overexerting yourself. Just sit back and let me rinse you off."

"You're bathing me in red, murky water."

"I couldn't get you to sit up on your own in the shower. This was the next-best thing. How are you feeling?"

"Everything hurts."

Minho kissed the back of my neck once. "Well, you did just stab my ex-boyfriend like, a hundred times, so. I'd probably be in pain too."

"How are you being so flippant right now?"

Minho leaned his head forward and spoke lowly into my ear, "The same way you're trying to manipulate me into thinking you feel any sort of emotion about what you just did."

"Minnie, I-,"

"I saw you tonight. The real Han Jisung. He doesn't cry about spilled milk. You don't regret what you did one bit. Why do it if you thought there was a possibility I'd hate you for it? You wouldn't. You know your limits."

I tried to turn around to face him and groaned in pain, Minho turning me back around and laying me back against him. He drained some of the water from the tub and turned the bathwater back on.

"Acting innocent isn't gonna do you any good. Now stop moving, you don't want to hurt yourself more than you already have." Minho caressed my shoulders and biceps. "Tell me everything."

My love, my love, my love. I underestimate you far too often.

I wiped away the fake tears. "You said I don't regret anything. That's not all true. I only regret having to put you in the same room as him twice. I think I'll regret having to do that until the day I die."

"That's the part I feel the worst about. Knowing some or all of this was planned. I didn't think you were capable of something like this."

"You must not know me well enough then."