Nocturnal Buddies ✩ Yang Jeongin

Chapter 34

Tears ran down Hyunjoo's face as she cried in the break room, hoping no one would walk in. Despite her desperate attempts to wipe away her tears, it felt like they would never stop. She bit down on her bottom lip, attempting to suppress the cries that wanted to break out. Only quiet whimpers escaped her, yet they happened every so often.

Eventually, she gave up on trying to stop the salty droplets from rushing down her face, allowing some to dive onto the flat surface of the device in her hands. They illuminated under the screen's brightness, one that was created by the girl's cry for her friend's help.

Seconds seemed to drag on before the door suddenly swung open, revealing the boy she had called for. Hyunjoo's glassy eyes glazed over with panic as they shot up, fearful of who had entered. The second she noticed her friend, her expression softened before it quickly scrunched up with an indescribable amount of pain. Taeyoung's heart ached at the very sight of her, prompting him to quickly make his way over to her. He pulled the broken girl into his arms the second he reached her.

A single sob escaped her the moment she was encased in his comfort. Her hands desperately grasped onto the back of his t-shirt, burying her face into his chest. As she cried into the soft fabric, she allowed a few sobs to fall from her lips, causing his grip to only tighten around her. A few more seconds passed before the door opened again. Taeyoung glanced over his shoulder, directing his attention to the two that had just entered- ones he urged to hurry over.

Despite not understanding what happened, Areum and Jaehyun hastily made their way over to their friends. Areum quickly claimed the empty spot beside the older girl before consolingly rubbing her back. She sat there, unsure what else to do without having context of what caused her friend to break. All she could do was listen to Hyunjoo's whimper and occasional sobs.

It made Areum want to curse the world at that very moment, curse it for everything that it keeps putting Hyunjoo through. Due to the relentless and merciless torture, the worst breakdown, by far, has occurred. All the pent of emotions Hyunjoo had pushed aside was now flooding out uncontrollably, fully displaying its destructive behavior to her worried friends.

Jaehyun couldn't help but stand in his spot, breaking at the sight of the broken girl. His eyes lingered on his friends, unable to explain the way Hyunjoo's pain transferred itself to him. Tears began to prick his eyes as he helplessly watched, slowly coming to the realization at how well she hid all her emotions. He couldn't help but curse himself for not being able to come up with something to cheer her up.

A few minutes would pass by before Hyunjoo calmed down. Sniffles replaced the girl's broken, yet suppressed cries. She stayed in the comfort of Taeyoung's arms before she withdrew herself from his warmth. Her friends' stared at the girl's tear stained face as she tried to wipe away the remaining droplets. Areum assisted her broken friend, gently brushing away the tears trailing down the side of Hyunjoo's face.

Taeyoung quickly went to retrieve a box of tissues and held it towards her. The older girl gave a small smile of gratitude as she whispered a raspy "thank you." After blowing her nose, Jaehyun brushed the strands of her away from her face, ones that stuck to the moisture of Hyunjoo's face. Despite feeling somewhat defeated by her thoughts, she couldn't help but feel warmed by her friends' caring actions.

"What happened?" the younger girl quietly asked, as if the question alone would break her fragile friend.

Hyunjoo's lips parted slightly before they drew into a thin line quickly after, unsure how to answer the question. Her friends' worried eyes continued to linger on her, creating an unintentional amount of pressure to press down on her. Mixed with her already unstable state, her mind began to spiral as she fought for coherent words under their gaze.