𝟮 𝗛𝗢𝗧 | 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗵𝘆𝘂𝗰𝗸 || 𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗪

𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲

Jaemin couldn’t help but stay in deep regret. As he sat against the wall, tears began to pour uncontrollably. He hated himself for how he treated Hope back then, and no matter how many times she told him they were both at fault, he blamed himself.

Renjun found him in this state, his heart aching at the sight. "Jaemin, are you okay?" he asked softly, kneeling beside him.

"It's all my fault," Jaemin choked out. "I shouldn't have taken her eyes off the road. I'm so selfish, I—"

"Nana, it's okay," Renjun said, embracing him in a warm, tight hug. Jaemin clung to him, letting out the sobs he had been holding in for so long. Little did they know, Jisung had seen the whole thing. He stormed into the workout room where Jeno was.

"You need to apologize," Jisung demanded, his voice firm.

"I'm not Mark. That won't work on me," Jeno replied coldly, not even looking up from his workout.

Jisung rolled his eyes, frustration boiling over. "Jeno, what is your fucking problem? All you’ve done is cause trouble."

"You're like everyone else. Let’s just blame Jeno. That's what I'm here for," Jeno snapped back.

"It's not like that, Jeno," Jisung said, his tone softening.

"Then ask my own brother why he won't talk to me about everything that happened years ago," Jeno shot back, his voice shaking with anger and hurt. "Jisung, you gotta understand, the reason I act out is because not even my own and only family will hear me out for shit. So leave me alone," he finished, heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

As Jeno splashed water on his face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, seeing the pain and anger etched in his features. He knew Jisung was right, but the weight of his past actions and the rejection from his brother made it hard to face the truth.

Back in the living room, Jaemin had calmed down a bit, still in Renjun’s comforting embrace. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Renjun nodded. "You’re not alone, Jaemin. We’re all in this together. We’ll find a way to make things right."

Jaemin wiped his tears and took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Hope. I need to make things right with her too."

Renjun smiled encouragingly. "And you will. One step at a time, Nana."

Meanwhile, Jisung found Jeno again, this time with a softer approach. "I get it, Jeno. You're hurting. But pushing everyone away isn’t going to help. We’re family, and we need to stick together."

Jeno looked at Jisung, the anger in his eyes slowly fading. "I know. It's just... hard."

Jisung nodded. "I know it is. But we’ll figure it out. Together."