My one and only // Minsung

Chapter 2: Where silence screams

**- One Year Ago -**

"You're an animal!" Han Jisung exclaimed, laughter bubbling up as he watched his best friend, Lee Felix, devour his lunch with the ferocity of someone who hadn't eaten in days. Felix was practically shoveling food into his mouth, completely unbothered by the crumbs that spilled onto the table.

Felix barely paused to respond, mumbling through a mouthful of food, "I'm hungry, leave me alone, mate."

Jisung rolled his eyes, still smiling at Felix's antics. "Whatever," he said with mock exasperation, returning to his own meal. Watching Felix eat with such enthusiasm was a daily occurrence, and it never failed to amuse him.

For Felix, school was something to be endured, a necessary evil he tolerated solely for the hour-long reprieve of lunch. Jisung, however, didn't share the same disdain. School wasn't something he loved, but it was a far cry better than what he called home. To Jisung, school was a sanctuary—a place where the chaos of his life couldn't reach him.

Felix and Jisung had met a year ago, when Felix arrived in South Korea as an exchange student from Australia. Struggling with the language and the cultural differences, Felix had found himself feeling lost and out of place. Jisung, who noticed the Australian boy's difficulty, had offered to help him with Korean. That simple act of kindness had sparked a friendship that grew stronger with each passing day.

Now, they were both in the eleventh grade, and the academic pressure was undeniably more intense than it had been the previous year. But neither of them paid much attention to their grades. They attended school not for the sake of academic excellence, but because it was a place where they could be together, supporting each other through the ups and downs of teenage life.

For Jisung, the thought of leaving school and going home was one he dreaded daily. As they finished lunch and parted ways for the day, that familiar sense of unease settled in his stomach.

'I wish I never had to go back home,' Jisung thought as he watched Felix walk away. The school day had ended, and the time had come for him to return to the place he hated most.

With a heavy sigh, Jisung began his walk down the same old familiar street, his footsteps slow and reluctant. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the pavement as he approached the light blue house at the end of the street. It was an unassuming, modest home—nothing about it hinted at the turmoil that lay within.

He paused at the front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob as dread curled in his chest. After a moment's hesitation, he forced himself to turn the knob and step inside. As soon as the door opened, the stench hit him—a nauseating mix of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke that made his nose wrinkle in disgust.

Jisung closed the door softly behind him, the click of the latch sounding unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence. He stood still for a moment, listening for any signs of life, any indication that someone else was home. But all he heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall.

The house was eerily quiet. Too quiet. Usually, the sound of the television blaring or the voice of his father yelling would greet him as soon as he stepped through the door. The absence of those noises was unsettling.

Despite the silence, Jisung remained cautious. He tiptoed through the house, his eyes scanning every corner, expecting someone to appear at any moment. But no one did. He was alone.

For once, the solitude didn't feel like a curse. It was a rare moment of peace in a place that was anything but peaceful.

With a deep breath, Jisung made his way to his room. He completed his homework, took a long, hot shower, and even managed to scrounge together a simple meal for himself. Hours passed, and still, there was no sign of his father.

Part of him was relieved—they weren't home to hurl insults or worse at him—but another part of him couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that this calm was just the eye of the storm.

Just as he started to let his guard down, the silence was shattered by a loud bang, followed by a voice that sent a jolt of fear through his body.

"Jisung!" The voice was slurred, rough around the edges, and dripping with anger.

Jisung's blood ran cold. His muscles tensed, his heart pounding in his chest as he stood frozen in place. He recognized that voice all too well—it was his father's. The peace that had briefly settled over the house evaporated in an instant, replaced by the familiar suffocating sense of dread.

'Shit,' he thought, his mind racing. He knew what was coming, and there was no escaping it. His father had returned, and the fragile tranquility of the evening was about to be shattered.

Jisung took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves as he prepared himself for whatever was about to happen next. This was his reality—a cycle of fear and anxiety that never seemed to end.

As he walked out of his room and into the living room, he was met with the sight of his father, swaying unsteadily, his eyes bloodshot and wild. The smell of alcohol was even stronger now, and it made Jisung's stomach churn.

"Where the hell have you been?" his father spat, his voice harsh and accusatory.

Jisung clenched his fists, his mind screaming for him to stay silent, to not provoke his father any further. But he knew that no matter what he said—or didn't say—nothing would change what was coming.

This was the reality Jisung lived with every day. And though it terrified him, he had long since learned how to survive it. But even survival came at a cost, a cost that weighed heavily on his soul.

As his father's rage unfolded before him, Jisung could only wish that he was anywhere but there. At school, with Felix, or even in the midst of a difficult exam—anywhere that wasn't home. Because for Jisung, home was a battlefield, and he was a soldier who had grown weary of the fight.

-

Finally another chapter.
Sorry for the wait but I've been quite busy with exams, luckily I'm finishing them this week! Then I'll definitely try and update more often but until then stay safe and thank you for reading<3

-linny