Dauntless ↺ huang renjun

26

Chapter 26

(Warning ⚠️, mentioning of kidnapping/ Assault, etc)

" Here " she stomps the envelope in front of him on the table he has his head off. Renjun slightly opened his lazily, before closing them back. " I'm talking to you, Renjun," she said, passing the envelope closer to him. "Go away, I'm not in a mood", he turned his face to the other side. Aerum sighed.

" Take your money back, we don't need it "

Renjun's eyes remained shut, his jaw clenched as he ignored her presence.

"I said, take your money back," Aerum insisted, her voice firm despite the frustration bubbling beneath.

"I don't care," Renjun muttered, his tone icy. "Do whatever you want with it."

Aerum felt a pang of hurt but pushed through. "You can't just throw money at us and expect it to fix everything."

Renjun's eyes snapped open, glaring at her with a fire that made her step back. "I didn't ask for your opinion," he growled. "Just leave me alone."

Aerum's resolve wavered but she steadied herself. "This isn't about my opinion. It's about—"

"Enough!" Renjun roared, slamming his fist on the table. "I don't want to hear another word from you. Take the damn money and go! Burn it if you want, I don't care! Just get out of my sight!"

For a moment, she wanted to yell at him, but the anger in his voice made her hold back. Her silence seemed to frustrate him even more. Fortunately, the classroom was empty. Renjun took a sharp breath, noticing she wasn't moving from her spot.

"Fuck!" he cursed, his voice rising to a shout. She startled, closing her eyes quickly as her anxiety spiked, her chest tightening with the familiar onset of an asthma attack. He slammed his fist on the table again before angrily stomping out of the classroom. Aerum stood there, trying to catch her breath, her heart pounding.
________

Aerum looked at the empty seat beside her, the one that belonged to Renjun. She sighed, her chest still tight from the anxiety. She tried to focus on the lecture the teacher was delivering, but her mind kept drifting back to Renjun. He was probably in some other classroom, sleeping.

She thought about how he always seemed tired and grumpy. Maybe he wasn't getting enough sleep at night. The dark circles under his eyes and his constant irritation made more sense now. Aerum felt a pang of worry for him, realizing that his anger might be masking deeper struggles.

Then, a wave of guilt washed over her. Why was she feeling bad for Renjun? He was the one who had hurt her brother. She remembered the look of pain on her brother's face and how hard it had been to console him. Renjun was the enemy, and yet here she was, worrying about him.

Aerum shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She couldn't afford to be soft-hearted when it came to him. But despite her resolve, the image of Renjun's exhausted face lingered in her mind, a constant reminder of the complexity of their situation.

________________

*Breaking news*
*Seoul is one of the cities of origin of victims of human trafficking. Over 90 victims of human trafficking have been identified and rescued. Aged from 12 to 30, minor girls and boys were taken to another country for sale *

Taeyong lowered the TV volume. And faced the other in the meeting room. Twenty-two of them are attentive to hearing what their leader is going to say. 

"Although the criminals left the scene before our agents arrived, the police have taken control of the crime scene, and a search operation is ongoing," he continued.