The Elephant Between Us || SKZ

chapter nine

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YOU CAN'T UNRING A BELL

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Jeongmin didn't even give Hyunjin a proper explanation. She didn't even tell her boss she was leaving. In fact, that didn't cross her mind a single time.

All Jeongmin wanted was to get home. Now.

She just ran as fast as she could to get to her apartment. More quickly than an athlete with fifty trophies kept behind a bulletproof glass. No, she was never too good at physical education, yet all the anxiety she was feeling at that moment was like gasoline on her bones. 

Nevertheless, if it were a race, her heartbeat would still get the golden medal. It was like she didn't even need to breathe.

Finally getting to the entrance of her building, she went straight to the stairs and climbed them all up in six seconds, reaching the door of her apartment in one only. Jeongmin wasted zero seconds opening it. 

It was already open. 

No way.

She gasped, bringing her hands to cover her mouth as she forced her heart to hold the panic, pressing her back against the wall next to the frame door, still outside the apartment.

They're here.

Jeongmin tried, she really did, but she couldn't hold her tears anymore. They just fell in pairs and invaded the skin of her hands like it was nothing. She barely felt her legs, but that was not what mattered at that moment. The fact that she could barely breathe was not even a thing for her.

The more she thought, the more lost she got. 

It could be Changbin. Maybe he had discovered her workplace and, consequently, where she lived, so he could come to claim back his watch. On the other hand, it could be the police, her past neighbours, her past friends, her parents, the family of her past boyfriend, her dog-

The long sequence of her thoughts stopped the moment she saw Bangchan leaving her apartment, closing the door behind him and almost jumping once he noticed Jeongmin against the wall.

"Hey!" His usual smile faded the moment he noticed her eyes flooded with tears. "What happened? Why are you crying?" Bangchan approached her, gently holding her by the forearms. 

"What were you doing inside my apartment?" She asked, her hands trembling although new tears no more fell. "Jeongin's not home, why were you in there?"

"The door was halfway open. I called but no one answered, so I came in to check." Bangchan answered, gulping.

"Why would you do that?" She asked, bettering her posture. "You were mad at us, weren't you? Why would you even care?"

"All kinds of things happen in scenarios like these, I automatically thought the worst of all cases." He sighed. "And no, I'm not mad at you guys."

"You've been off, though." She added in a low tone, drying the tears in her cheeks with her wrists.

"It's my brother who lives here, you know? I just come to visit him from time to time."

"So you were literally out of the town?" She pressed her lips into a thin line. "You were not avoiding me, or something?"

"Nope. I know I left things kind of messed up, but I had already bought a ticket back to my hometown."

"You could have called."

He chuckled, tilting his head to meet her gaze.

"If only I had your phone number."

"Geez." Her eyes opened wide.

"I searched for you on social media but... I found out you're not really into those things." At that point, he was already blushing, smiling.

"I really am antiquated."

"You really are antiquated, indeed."

Then, Jeongmin invited Bangchan inside, smiling as she closed the door.

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"Hey, Jeongmin, I'm home-" Jeongin shut up immediately as he found Bangchan and his sister sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on their legs, watching a movie on the television.

That explained why the living room was so dark.

"What are you doing here?" Jeongin automatically raised his eyebrows, looking dead serious at Bangchan. 

Those two definitely were not going to get along well that soon.

"I invited Bangchan inside. Is that a problem for you?" Jeongmin answered, not even pausing the movie, not even looking at her brother.

"Not at all." Then, he entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him, clearly bothered.

Jeongmin didn't expect Bangchan to pause the movie himself.

"I can leave, Jeongmin."

"What? No way you're going to do that because of my brother." She smiled like she couldn't believe the words she had just heard, moving her body a few inches to look at Bangchan in the eyes. "He's just not in his best mood, it's nothing personal."

"It seems to me like it is very personal." He gulped, uncomfortable. 

"Jeongin is not easy to please and that's it. Don't let him ruin this, please."

She even furrowed her eyebrows, yet that was not enough to convince Bangchan.

"I can't stay knowing your brother is mad behind that door, I just can't." With that, he stood up and, followed by her eyes, grabbed his coat and walked over to the door. "Let's continue this another time, okay? I enjoyed it a lot."

"Okay..." Jeongmin murmured and, with a smile, Bangchan left.

The moment the front door closed, Jeongmin rolled her eyes and stood up. 

"Is he gone already?" Jeongin asked from inside the bedroom, obtaining no answer from his sister. That caused him to leave the bedroom, leaning against the door frame as he observed Jeongmin preparing a sandwich for herself. "I don't like that."

"What? The fact that I try to redo my life? The fact that I'm trying my hardest to guarantee we settle for once?" She was mad to the point he could notice that just by looking at her hands spreading tons of butter on the bread.

"I don't like the fact that we get mad at each other because of a guy that showed up in our lives a few weeks ago." That time, their eyes got connected. "I don't think it makes any sense, honestly." 

Jeongmin gulped and put the knife she held on the counter.

"Then please stop reminding me I don't deserve to be loved again."

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