Dauntless ↺ huang renjun

16

Chapter 16

Her standing, both arms wrap over her chest. tapping her right foot incessantly on the pristine white marble floor. Her laser-focused gaze bore into the two humans lying on separate beds, a look that oscillated between irritation and concern.

"Hyung, Noona doesn't seem like she's in a very good mood," Jinwoo nervously remarked, his eyes darting between Aerum and the cast-clad Mark on the adjacent bed. A large bandage on his forehead and a small bandage on the corner of his lip. He also has a gauze wrap around his torso. Bruises still decorated his body. Mark, avoiding Aerum's direct gaze, turned to Jinwoo. "I know, bro," he replied with a sigh.

" She seems like going to eat me like she eats marshmallows, but more vigorously" Mark added with a dramatic flair. Aerum rolled her eyes at the theatrics. "I don't think so. She looks more like she's planning to break your arm again and stitch it together with your ears," Jinwoo chimed in, nodding in agreement, causing Mark to nervously gulp.

"Don't scare me, junior" Mark whined, awkwardly smiling to Aerum. " You asked for it bro" Jinwoo shrugged, unapologetic.

"I'm still here" Aerum interjected, glaring at both her siblings. " Are you both gonna explain what you guys up to? " she initiated. " Which secret society did you join to get beaten up every day? If Aunt Miya finds out, she won't just kill you; she'll probably haunt me too!"

She walked over and positioned herself between the two beds, arms still crossed, hoping for an explanation. However, both Mark and Jinwoo remained tight-lipped, provoking her to unleash a more persuasive barrage of questions.

Before Aerum could launch into another round of interrogation, the door of their room suddenly slammed open, revealing Miri and two boys behind her. Jaemin and Chenle wore amused smirks on their faces, while Miri looked genuinely concerned.

" Oh God look what he has done " Miri exclaimed as she ran to her boyfriend. "He? Who?" she murmured, watching the scene unfold with a sinking feeling that something wasn't right.

" So you know who did this?" Aerum inquired as she approached Miri, eyeing her suspiciously. " Of course, we know Aerum" Chenle interjected, putting an arm around her. If there was anyone from Mark's friend circle Aerum trusted, it was Jaemin. It was either his innocent angelic face or his uncanny ability to convince her of anything.

"Who? "Aerum turned her gaze to Chenle, hoping for a straight answer. "So, it was a little dramatic. We all went out, the four of us, and some dude tried to get a little too touchy with Mark's girl. He got angry and got into a fight, and the rest is history," Chenle finished the story with a proud smile, though Aerum could tell it was all fabricated. Although it was Taeyong's punishments that made Mark like this and she is the only one in this room don't know besides Jinwoo.

Raising an eyebrow, Aerum wasn't fully convinced. Her eagle-like gaze bore into Miri, who wore a nervous smile. Noticing the uncertainty in each of their expressions only fueled Aerum's suspicion. Turning to Chenle, she analyzed his calm and relaxed demeanour, trying to detect any signs of deceit, but found none.

"As much as I want to believe you, Chenle, I can't bring myself to do that," Aerum announced firmly, causing Chenle to shrug. Removing his arm from around her, he walked over to the white sofa, making himself comfortable and removing his sunglasses. "I told you the truth, my friend. Now it's up to you to believe it or not," he said in Chinese, knowing Aerum could understand. Rolling her eyes, Aerum replied, "Oh really?, Then why Mark is the only one who ends up bruised and battered, And what were you two really up to? Swapping phone numbers with the local hotties?" she quipped, her frustration evident.

" Exactly! My friend. You are a genius " A Proud smirk on Chenle's face as he confirms her doubt. " Nowadays it's so hard to find one, I'm tired of being single though" he continued, his smirk growing wider. Aerum fought the urge to punch him. "Shut up, Chenle," she snapped before turning to Jaemin.

"Can I expect a truthful answer from you?" she asked Jaemin, hoping for a satisfactory response. Jaemin nodded, appearing sincere. "He's telling the truth. We waited in the car, while Mark and Miri went to grab some snacks," he explained, maintaining a composed expression. Aerum scrutinized his face, and by the look of satisfaction on it, she learned he had answered her questions well.

Sighing heavily. Maybe she was being paranoid a lot. However, another thought nagged at her as she turned to him again.

"Why you guys...." she began, giving each of them a look. " ...why didn't you guys take him to the hospital..."

Aerum's gaze hardened as she directed her question at Jaemin, her scepticism still lingering.

Chenle let out a chuckle as he leaned back on the sofa, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "Because your hero brother didn't want to worry you, simple. Don't give me that look; I offered him a ride to the hospital, and we all did. But he said, 'Aerum will kill me if she finds out I messed things up even more,'" Jaemin explained with a hint of amusement. While his hands are up in his defence.

Aerum's frustration bubbled to the surface as she processed Jaemin's response. "So you mean to say, stumbling into a situation where some bad guys decided to get touchy-touchy with Mark's girl, and instead of doing the responsible thing and calling the police like normal people, and ensuring HIS safety, you all decided to leave him alone? And YOU *pointed to Mark * thought it was a good idea to play hero and end up in a fight?" she retorted, her tone laced with disbelief.

Mark sheepishly scratched the back of his head, he murmured. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds a bit...stupid."

"Yeah, definitely not our finest moment, babe." Miri nodded vigorously. " It is indeed stupid of you, bro" Aerum responded.

Chenle waved a dismissive hand, a smirk still playing on his lips. "Your brother's stubbornness knows no bounds, Aerum. He insisted on being left alone, and we respected his wishes. Besides, it's not like he's incapable of taking care of himself," Chenle remarked casually, earning a disapproving glare from Aerum.

Aerum's jaw dropped as she fought to keep her temper in check. " I can't believe you guys sometimes," In disbelief, Aerum shook her head. "You guys have the combined IQ of a hamster sometimes, you know that?"

Miri feigned offence, "Hey now, no need to insult the hamsters. They've got more common sense than a lot of us combined." Miri's favorite rodent.

Chenle grinned, "Yeah, well, maybe we should start taking notes from them."

Mark jumped in, trying to defend his actions. "In our defence, Dear Cousin, those guys had it coming. You should've seen the way they were eyeing my girl. It was like they'd never seen a Beautiful human being before."

Aerum rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I'm sure your girl can handle herself just fine without her knight in shining armour rushing to the rescue." Aerum forces a smile, eyeing Mark. Well aware of Miri's reaction, she is more like a bad btch.

Mark's cheeks flushed red. "Yeah, well, I couldn't just stand by and let them treat her like that."

Aerum sighed, unable to stay mad at her brother for long. "Well, next time, try using your brain before your biceps, okay? We don't need any more hospital visits or impromptu wrestling matches with thugs."

Mark and Junwoo exchanged a guilty glance, nodding in agreement. "Got it, Aerum dude," Mark promised.

Aerum smiled, the tension of the situation dissipating into laughter. "Good. Now, let's focus on getting you patched up so we can go home." she said turning on her heels towards the door before opening it she spin to Mark's, giving him a look.

"...And yeah I still don't believe your story" with a smile she left.

" Damn! she is smart, be careful bro " chenle exclaimed. "A detective, indeed" Jaemin nodded while Jinwoo looked at Mark, confused. Mark grinned.

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Calm down semexyyyy hoomans!!! Renjun and Aerum encounter soon!!!