strawberry shortcake

15. gossip

"He beat you up this bad?" Yeonjun gasped for the millionth time while examining Minho's cut lip and bruised neck.

"It's nothing. I shouldn't have disobeyed," Minho only shrugged, quietly wincing in pain as it rushed through his whole body at the slight movement.

Han didn't look like someone capable of this. Surely he was muscular, but his innocent face and smaller figure didn't put together someone who could cause so much damage.

"If that's 'nothing' I don't think I want to know what something looks like." Mingi muttered, clearly disagreeing with the punishment the latter had to face for such a banality. "Did this happen before?" Joined in Heesung who was just quietly watching until then. Minho didn't want to answer.

The black-haired man who leaned against the couch in the corner of the room made his stomach twist in uneasiness. Han let one of his soldiers to guard him. Hwang Hyunjin -if he remembered right- had always beamed with authority and power, while the katana slung over his shoulder made him seem dangerous yet charming, Minho was more afraid of the piercing black eyes.

"Yeah.." he breathed out so quietly even he himself had barely heard it, but he knew the others did considering their facial expressions. "Did you consider like- running away..?" Heesung blurted out and Minho's eyes widened. Running away? Did he consider it?

He wanted to escape this hellhole more than anything, but he would've been truly stupid for thinking there would be a way to escape. There was none. Han had connections all over Korea, all over the world even. He would find him and it would be bad.

"Y'all hungry?" Hyunjin suddenly stood up from his place and walked closer to them. Minho didn't dare to look up, and he let the others take care of it.

"You don't have to be so afraid. Han is the only one that can touch you out of all of us. Until he gives us the permission of course." He smiled towards Minho before he made his way to the couch once again. Minho watched him as he took out his phone to call someone while the others chatted about random things.

His eyes stayed at the phone. A sudden feeling of homesickness washed over him. Yongbok. Oh, he would do whatever just to be able to be with the fluffy Australian once again. He never missed anyone so badly. Was Yongbok alright? Minho had only hoped the younger was safe and oblivious to what had happened to him.

"Are you crying?" Heesung was the first to notice Minho's wet cheeks and Minho panicked at the realization. He never cried in front of people. He was the type of person to bottle it up inside until he had a breakdown when he was alone in the comfort of his home, surrounded by his kittens.

Mingi carefully reached his hand to the latter's cheeks and wiped away the warm tears that kept on spilling from his eyes. He wasn't the best at comforting others, but Seonghwa was so he had done what Seonghwa would.

"Hyunjin-ssi! Can we hug him?" Yeonjun asked over the whole room, grabbing Hyunjin's attention who just frowned to himself and held up a finger to tell him to wait. He quickly dialed Chan's phone number and impatiently waited for the older to pick up, which he soon did.

"Chan-ah, ask Han if they can hug him." Chan furrowed at the weird question and looked up at Han who was attentively listening to everything that was being said in the meeting, brows furrowed in concentration. "If they can hug Han?" Chan asked dumbfounded, earning a chuckle from Hyunjin. "Not him, you potato. Minho."

"You're so childish." Chan rolled his eyes at the dumb insult and turned towards Jisung who looked up at him. "What is it?" He asked and Chan only sighed. "Can they hug Minho?"

Jisung's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before he nodded his head. "Yeah. It's fine I guess. As long as it's only hugging and they don't hurt him." If he wanted to make up for his actions this was one of the ways to go. A hug won't do anything, right?