Forbidden Longings | Seulrene AU

Chapter XXI (✓)

The sound of the door slamming echoed through the house, reverberating with Mr. Bae's anger and Joohyun's shock. He turned to look at his daughter, disbelief and frustration etched on his face.

"Why would you shut the door like that?!", Joohyun exclaimed, her eyes wide with a mix of anger and confusion.

Mr. Bae locked the front door with a decisive click and began walking toward his study. Joohyun, fuming, followed him while pulling out her cell phone to call Seulgi and apologize for her father's behavior. The ringing barely started when her father spun around, his expression thunderous, and snatched the phone from her hand.

"I don't ever want to see you with those people again, got it?", Mr. Bae stated with grim seriousness, his grip tight on the confiscated phone. As Joohyun stared at him, her emotions boiled just beneath the surface.

"Dad, I'm eighteen already. Give me my phone back.", Joohyun demanded, her voice trembling with suppressed fury.

"I don't care if you're eighteen or fifty— Y'know what? You're grounded, indefinitely.", Mr. Bae said firmly and Joohyun scoffed in amusement.

"Seriously? Fine.", Joohyun asked in disbelief and her father just looked at her.

Joohyun's fists balled up in frustration. Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs to her room. The sound of her door slamming shut echoed through the house, a testament to her rising anger. She locked the door behind her and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

She pulled a duffle bag from under her bed and began packing some clothes and essentials. Her mind raced as she planned her next move. Yongsun's parents were out of town, making her house the perfect place to escape.

As she threw her belongings into the bag, Joohyun's resolve hardened. She couldn't stay in this stifling environment, not when her father acted in such a suspicious manner after what happened yesterday and what Bogum told her. She needed to find a way to make things right, to stay connected with Seulgi and the others, even if it meant running away.

With her bag packed, Joohyun glanced around her room one last time. She knew this decision would have consequences, but she couldn't see any other way. She needed to take control of her own life, to make her own choices.

Quietly, she unlocked her door and walked over toward her window as she moved the curtains aside and slowly opened her window. The house was silent, her father resided in his study and her mom was out with her friends, giving her a perfect opening.

She then slipped out of the window and timidly walked to the edge of the roof and dropped her bag down as she looked down and shut her eyes in hesitation. She was afraid of getting hurt, but she knew that she had to get out of there before her father decided to do or say something he'd regret.

With that in mind, Joohyun let out an exhale of air and squatted before jumping off without hesitation and landed on the ground as she rolled and grunted in pain. Momentarily, she held her shoulder and brushed off the lingering pain of the fall to quickly get out of their yard and house.

Joohyun's heart pounded as she walked up to Yongsun's house, the familiar comfort of her friend's place a stark contrast to the chaos she had left behind. She tightened her grip on the duffle bag slung over her shoulder, her steps quickening. The sunlight cast a warm glow on the doorstep, and Joohyun rang the doorbell, the sound echoing in the quiet evening. The door opened shortly after, revealing Yongsun's smiling face.