Paperclips - YJH

Twenty-One

It was a normal evening for Jeonghan. After a long day of practice and recording, he was hoping for some good rest as he reached home. He had a day off tomorrow anyway, so he planned on sleeping late. As he was about to go shower, his phone rang. It was an unknown number and he sighed as he picked it up.

"Hello?" He was met with silence on the other end, making him slightly confused. Just as he was about to hang up, a familiar voice spoke, causing his heart to race with anticipation.

"Jeo... Jeonghan, right?" The voice he recognised. It was Y/N's, "It's me, Y/N. I just... needed to hear your voice." He fell silent as he listened to her, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind as he tried to process the unexpected call. She wants to hear my voice? He thought to himself. 

"Did you drink?" He asked her, after he heard her incoherent mumbles.

He heard a small chuckle from the other end as she spoke, "A bit." He sighed, she was just drunk. "I have things to say to you." She softly mumbled making Jeonghan sigh again. He knew she tended to be more honest when she was drunk, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear what she had to say.

"You are drunk, Y/N. Don't—" He was cut off by her sudden yelling.

"NO! I couldn't say these nine years ago, so— OW!" He heard her scream, like she was in pain, before the call went silent. Jeonghan's heart raced as he tried to call her back, but she didn't pick up. He knew he had to find her and make sure she was okay.

He quickly called Soonyoung, hoping that he had Y/N's address, which fortunately Soonyoung did. Jeonghan grabbed his keys and rushed out the door, his mind racing with worry. He hated how he was acting, he knew this was pathetic, but he couldn't imagine himself not doing anything either. He let himself be consumed by the fear of something happening to Y/N. Jeonghan knew he had to find her and make sure she was safe, just so he can have a good night of sleep. 
____

This is so embarrassing. I thought to myself as I sat in my living room, staring at my dead phone. The more I thought about what I just did, the more I wanted to dig a hole in the ground and bury myself in it. Calling Jeonghan was the worst thing I could do. As I was drowning in shame and guilt, I heard my doorbell ring. I stood up and looked at the time, it was pretty late for any guest. Who could it be? I cautiously opened my door to see a panting Jeonghan. My mouth parted in surprise, as I hadn't expected him to show up at my doorstep after our awkward phone call. He looked concerned and out of breath, making me wonder what could have prompted him to come over so suddenly.

"Why are you here—"

"Are you okay?!" I was cut off by him grabbing my shoulders and checking to see if I was hurt.

I panicked as I realised that he didn't have a mask on and people could probably see The Yoon Jeonghan outside my door right now. I quickly pulled him inside, "Why would you come here?!"

"How could I not?!" He replied, his eyes searching mine for answers. I could see the sincerity in his gaze, making me think that perhaps there was more to our relationship than I had initially thought. 

"I'm fine. Don't worry," I reassured him.

He quickly gained his composure as he looked away. "I wasn't worried." I could sense a shift in his demeanour, as if he was trying to hide his true feelings. It made me wonder what he was really thinking in that moment.

"well... I have things to say." I blurted out, feeling the need to break the tension that the heavy silence brought upon us.

He looked at me and nodded and sat down on my couch as I gestured for him to. I took a deep breath before starting to speak, unsure of how he would react to what I had to say. His expression remained unreadable, making me even more nervous about sharing my thoughts with him.

"First of all, I'm sorry for calling you at this time and inconveniencing you. I was drunk and I promise I won't do it again." I apologised as I sat next to him on the couch. Unsure of what exactly to say next, I took a deep breath. "Second... is about what happened between us nine years ago." I knew it was a conversation that needed to happen in order for us to work together comfortably, no matter how uncomfortable it might be.

He looked at me with a sort of emotion I didn't like seeing in him. He looked hurt, but he was trying his best to hide it with a poker face. "What about it?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn't move away because I wanted to." I could see the pain in his eyes as he processed my words. "I was forced to leave," I continued, hoping he would understand the truth behind my departure. He looked at me with confusion.

"Forced?" He asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "By who?" I hesitated, unsure if I was ready to reveal it, but it didn't feel right to hide it either. I've hidden it from him for long enough.

"My mother." I watched as his expression turned from confusion to shock. He looked like he was calculating a lot of things in his mind.

"Why... would she do that to you?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern and curiosity.

"She found out about you and she thought we were dating. She didn't want that, so she sent me abroad." I paused, feeling the weight of the truth finally being spoken out loud. I purposely hid the fact that my mother hated his family because they were indebted to her. "I didn't want to leave, but I had no choice," I admitted, hoping he would understand the complexity of the situation. He seemed to be in his own world before he turned to me with a sincere yet curious gaze.

"So what about when you said you hated me and never wanted to see me again?" He asked, his voice tinged with hurt and confusion.

This time, it was me who was confused. "What? Who told you that?" I said it with concern. Was this why he hated me when we met again?

"Your mother. She visited me not long after you left and told me that you left because you hated me and never wanted to see me again," he explained, his eyes searching mine for answers. My heart sank as I realised the misunderstanding that had driven us apart for so long. It was time to set the record straight and mend what had been broken between us.

Anger rushed through my veins as I processed what he said. I felt a pang of guilt as I realised that he was probably keeping in all the hatred towards me for all these years because of this. I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts before responding, determined to clear up the confusion and rebuild our relationship. I moved closer to him and locked eyes, "Jeonghan. I never said that. I would never say that about you." I could see his eyes soften ever so slightly.

"My mother said those to keep you away from me, I guess." It felt like a weight was lifted off my chest as I told him all of this, "Trust me, when I went to LA, it was tormenting." I confessed. I could see his eyes searching mine for answers before I looked away. "Because... I liked you too."