Shadow | Huang Renjun

41

Jaemin was busy making some tteokbokki and ramen when he got the call from Eunah.
He was almost finished, so reassured her that he'd be there as soon as possible and put it in a tub to bring with him.

Now at the Min household, he's gently rubbing his friend's back while her parents grab a glass of water and some wet wipes.
Eunah is leaning over the toilet, hair up in a rushed ponytail to keep it from falling over her face amidst the vomit. She looks pallid, terrifyingly so, with a permanent stream of tears racing down her cheeks.

"You're doing great, Eunie..." he reassures. "It should stop soon, I promise."

If he could heal her, he would. But it only works for physical injuries, not anxiety.

Her parents enter the bathroom a few moments later, placing the drink and wipes on the floor before kneeling beside their daughter.

"You should go eat, Jaemin," Namgyo suggests. "We'll look after her."

Nodding, the Guardian-in-training heads downstairs to where his food has been left on the dining table. He doesn't quite know what's going on, but promised to stay for as long as he can.

"How're you feeling, sweetpea?"

Eunah glances towards her mother with raw misery that cuts through her parents' chests.
"I don't– I don't know..."

"Let's get you cleaned up, then maybe we can talk about what happened, hm?"

She only has the energy to nod, allowing her lips to be wiped free of residual vomit. Jongsu hands over the glass of water, which she sips from very slowly.

After a few minutes of rest, she asks to go downstairs and have some crackers and apple sauce. For a Human, this wouldn't be a good idea. But Angels recover much faster, so can usually start trying to settle their stomachs around five to ten minutes later.

Eunah is helped downstairs by her parents, finding Jaemin and Siho having a conversation while the former finishes his meal. Both look up, concern etched onto their faces.

"How're you feeling?" Siho asks, watching her sit down opposite.

"Better, but– still not good..."

Having gone to the kitchen, Jongsu comes back through with crackers and apple sauce as requested, opening the jar for her.

"Here, honey. Eat them slowly."

"Thank you..."

~~~~

Meanwhile, down in Hell, a whirlwind of rage has hit Renjun's room. Everything has been turned over and thrown about; ripped canvases, shattered glass and broken wood littering the carpet.

The Demon himself sits hunched in the middle of his bed, hands over his face while deep sobs wrack his body with painful spikes of heartache. Tears seep through his cold, trembling fingers, burning his bloodshot eyes that are squeezed shut.

Donghyuck and Jisung have tried several times to coax him out, nothing working. He refuses to answer or unlock his door, only his cries and laboured breaths audible now.

They've never seen him this upset before. Angry maybe, but not devastated like this.

"Renjun?"
Miyeon tries this time, gently knocking on the door.
"We're here to talk if you want to."

"Fuck off...!" he croaks, as loud as his sore throat will allow.

She sighs, moving back into the dining room where the others look at her with hope. They frown again when she shakes her head, Donghyuck resting his folded arms on the table.

"Can you get hold of Eunah?" he questions, at which she also shakes her head.

"Didn't even read the messages."

"Call?"

"Voicemail every time."

"Maybe her family's helping," Jisung suggests.

"Probably, yeah. Would be nice to know how she's doing, though..."

They pause upon noticing that the house is suddenly very quiet. Noise is still coming from Renjun's room, but it's now soft yet ragged breaths, and the occasional sniffle as though he's trying to calm down.

Donghyuck attempts to get out of his seat, but is stopped by Miyeon who lightly shakes her head.

"We've bothered him enough. He'll come out when he's ready."

Ten minutes later, the door to Renjun's room finally creaks open. The man himself shuffles out, avoiding the worried looks of his friends when he enters the dining room on the way to the kitchen.

His eyes are glassy and a dull red, unlike their usual, fiery glow, with flushed and tear-stained cheeks seeming almost alien on him. Shoulders slumped and fingers still trembling, he reaches for a pouch of blood from the fridge to sip.
He slides down to the floor, leaning against the kitchen counters with his knees up and arms folded atop them. The blood pouch is perched in a gap between his arms, which he leans down to drink from.

Although they're trying to be quiet, he can hear chatter from the other room. Miyeon just got a message back from Eunah, but it's her mother instead.

Apparently, she's not feeling well and is recovering from over an hour of intermittent vomiting and anxiety attacks. She's been apologising non-stop, even though the person she's apologising to isn't there.
Namgyo says that although her daughter is grateful for their concerns, she wants to be left alone for now and will respond to them when ready.

Renjun's heart clenches at the thought. Sure, he's angry and has lost his trust in her, but he never wanted her to go through something like that.
If she really was telling the truth, then...

I fucked up.

He moves the pouch to the floor beside him, instead burying his face into his folded arms. Body shaking, he begins to sob once more– muffled this time.

Shifting clothes indicate someone sitting next to him, their arm pulling him into a warm embrace which he doesn't bother to resist.
Donghyuck rubs his friend's back, mumbling comfort while Jisung sits on the other side to join in.

"I really fucked up..." Renjun mutters between trembling intakes of breath.

"Hey... no you didn't," Donghyuck reassures.

Jisung nods, chiming in.
"She clearly still loves you, else she wouldn't be this miserable."

This earns him a look from Donghyuck.
"Dude."

"What?"

Renjun shakes his head, raising it slightly to wipe his eyes free of tears.
"Of course I fucked up," he sniffs. "I made a stupid assumption and now– now she's sick..."

"Jun, your assumption wasn't stupid," Donghyuck responds.
"If she hadn't told us herself, Yeon and I might've thought the same too."

"You would?"

"Mhm. Both of you made mistakes and know it, but they're not irreversible. Talk it out when you're ready."

"I dunno if she'd want to..."

"She loves you, why wouldn't she?"

He swallows a hard lump in his throat, avoiding the curious gazes of his friends.
"I... the reason I found out is because of Mark..."

~~~~

Oh dear...