The Elephant Between Us || SKZ

chapter fifteen

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LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK

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"So you're telling me you no longer have my watch," Felix said, his gaze stuck on the dead trees outside the kitchen window.

He had told Jeongin to leave his sister and him alone, to go outside and take ten deep breaths so he calmed down his nerves. It was the worst suggestion Jeongmin had heard in the last month. Jeongin didn't want to, yet he had enough experience to know when to challenge a guy, and when to stay quiet. He winked at Jeongmin before leaving, and that comforted her.

Now, Felix had a glass of something between his fingers and, still shirtless with a towel around his waist, he looked outside like she wasn't even there.

She thought of running away, yet she knew he'd run after her and, besides catching her in two seconds, the towel would probably fall on her feet.

And Christ, no. She didn't want to see that.

"That's what I said." She responded, avoiding fiddling with her fingers.

Confidence, Jeongmin, show him confidence. 

He doesn't need to know your lemons look worse than the hell of his house.

"That's okay." Felix interrupted her monologue, slightly turning to her, smiling. "Give me the money, then."

Stupid asshole.

"I don't have it." The words came out of her mouth without even being thought of. 

She regretted them in less than one second. She didn't even need to see Felix's smile fading away to want to dig a hole in the ground.

"You don't have what?"

Changbin told you.

Stop playing pretend.

Jeongmin stayed quiet for too long. 

Before she could step back, Felix threw away the glass he held and grabbed her by the wrist very, very tightly. She yelled at the sound of the glass breaking against the cabinets, yet he didn't even flinch or blink. Nothing. 

"YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT?" He shouted and, the moment Jeongmin moved her wrist, Felix pulled her closer to him, his widened eyes piercing hers.

"I don't have your money." Jeongmin didn't know how she managed to say that. She couldn't think of anything, let alone formulate, group and expel words.

On the other hand, Felix did nothing. He continued with his fingers marking the skin around her wrist and his eyes on her, nothing more. His naked torso touched her forearm and his face was close to hers to the point she could see the entire colour pallet of his iris and sense the subtle perfume of whatever shampoo he used.

Jeongmin was about to move again when she noticed Felix's head slowly coming closer to her mouth. 

His ear, more precisely.

"What did you say?" Felix whispered, tightening the grip on her wrist the more seconds she chose silence.

Now, with his alluring perfume entering her nostrils and the tips of his wet hair tickling the skin of her face, Jeongmin's heart sped up to the maximum.

She didn't even know what to focus on anymore.

"I wasted the money." With that, Jeongmin closed her eyes, imagining herself out of that situation, out of that old house and away from that extremely attractive lemon fragrance. "All of it."

All of it, except for the amount she had under her bed, under the third wood plank from the right. Jeongmin needed to survive, and risking her brother's life was not in her plans anymore. She had promised him a steady life and didn't plan to break that either.

Felix laughed, pulling away yet still grabbing her by the wrist, his pupils roaming around the room.

Don't do it, Jeongmin-

"But I didn't take it from you!" The words came out like slippery butter, catching Felix's attention again.

She didn't regret it that time, though. If she had to pay him back, then Changbin should as well. Why her and not him? He had stolen that dude before she did!

"You have nothing to do with that." He said, much calmer. To her surprise, he let go of her wrist, taking a step back as he led his right hand through his humid blonde hair. "Now, you gotta find a way to pay everything back."

"Everything? He stole you first-!" 

"I didn't ask." Looking at her with those deep eyes he had, Felix pointed at Jeongmin with his left index finger, approaching her again. "So you." He restarted, tapping the middle of her chest with his finger at the same rhythm as his words came out. "Will. Pay. Everything. Back."

Then he smiled, and she felt like hitting him. Down there. Right in the middle of his thighs.

She just had to raise her leg, unite all her strength and rage on her knee and hit that thing covered by a towel. It would be so simple. Jeongmin didn't have his money, what didn't he understand? Did she look like some sort of professional money swimmer? For what reason would she have stolen him then? He was ridiculous, and so was that sh.t of his.

Dimwit.

Jeongmin didn't realise she was actually staring at the centre of Felix's legs until he touched her chin with the skin of his cotton-like fingers, smoothly lifting her gaze.

"I don't usually accept those kinds of sweet payments, honey." He whispered, his body so close she could even feel his towel brushing her hands.

Felix didn't need to be any psychiatrist to know with all his certainties she had already built an entire hatred wave ready to push him away, to swallow his smiles and jokes and watches, to drown his lungs for a long, long time. Jeongmin glared at him with so much rage behind her eyes, that he couldn't help but smile.

And her silence to his answer was the perfect trigger for his laughter.

"Hm, want me to consider that?"

Enough. It was enough humiliation for her. She could have committed countless mistakes, yet one thing she could be sure of: nobody derided her. Not in her face.

That was why, in a second, Jeongmin pulled the goddamn towel to the ground, pridefully watching his eyes widen. 

"What-" He started, yet got automatically stopped by Jeongmin, who looked down at whatever piece of sh.t he had in there before facing him again, spitting out words through her gritted teeth.

"I'd rather pay the double."

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