Catch-22, HAECHAN

19 | piece of peace of mind

"Lee Donghyuck!" She somehow manages to catch up with the boy who's briskly walking towards the parking lot, the asshole ignoring her on purpose as he heads towards his car.

"Fucking look at me!" Chaerin yells as she yanks on his arm, forcing him to turn to look at her.

Donghyuck glares at her. "What, Chaerin?"

"Give me the keys."

Donghyuck ignores her as he turns around to continue to walk, and Chaerin lets out a scoff of disbelief. She snatches the keys from his hold as she overtakes him. Two can play at that game.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm driving you home," she mutters angrily.

This time, Donghyuck holds her back. "Just leave me alone, Chaerin." He stares at her, red eyes silently pleading. "Please."

"No," she sneers. "If you think I'm gonna leave, especially after what happened with your face fucked like that then you're wrong."

Haechan could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, knowing that it's probably Mark wondering where the hell he is. He isn't sure if his roommate even knows what had just happened, and Haechan would rather not find out.

He had punched a teammate— in the school compounds, no less— and he knows he's going to get into trouble for it. Haechan doesn't even want to think about the punishment that's in store for him; all he wants is to be alone, but he also knows that Chaerin would be far too stubborn to give him what he wants.

Haechan clenches his jaw, shutting his eyes momentarily as he lets out a shaky exhale. He's pretty sure his nose is fucked, and his right eye socket is starting to throb. He'd be stupid to believe that he could even drive in this state, which is why he mutters out a curt fine before begrudgingly entering the passenger's seat.

He has no idea where Chaerin is taking him, the girl not saying anything as she keeps her attention on the road. Haechan glances at her, noticing the way her knuckles are starting to whiten around the steering wheel.

"Chaerin, slow down," he tells her, but she ignores him, the only response coming in the form of a mere sniff. If Haechan isn't already staring at her so intently, he would have missed the tears that are starting to pool in her eyes despite the grim expression on her face.

He feels a sense of déjà vu wash over him, taking him back to the day she had driven his car for the first time after the night he passed out at her place. The only difference is that this time, he's the one in the passenger seat.

"Pull over." Haechan hits the hazard lights, but he doesn't need to tell Chaerin twice before she slows down, eventually coming to a stop by the curbside. At this point, she's crying, her head ducked with her hair blocking her tear-stricken cheeks, and the muffled sounds of her sobs causes Haechan's heart to ache— even more badly than his splinted fist.

He steps out to go to the other side, swinging open the door to the driver's seat to see the girl now with her forehead against the steering wheel, her fingers still wrapped around the rim tightly.

"Come out, Chae," Haechan urges as he gently peels her hands from the wheel to make her step out of the car, and that was all it took for the girl to collapse onto him.