By The Window | YeonBin

twenty five and a half

The sound of running water echoed softly from the bathroom as Soobin sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers fidgeting with Yeonjun's phone in his lap. The light streaming in through the window was warm, but the tension in his chest made it hard to focus on anything but the decision he was about to make.

He glanced at the bathroom door, making sure the shower was still going. Yeonjun wouldn't be out for a few more minutes. That gave him just enough time.

Soobin unlocked Yeonjun's phone—it had been easy to memorize the pattern, something he hadn't really thought twice about. Scrolling through the contacts, he found the one labeled Mom and hesitated.

His thumb hovered over the name. This was Yeonjun's mother.

Was it really his place to contact her?

But his mind flashed to Yeonjun's bruised cheek, the hidden pain in his eyes whenever he mentioned home. Someone had to do something. And if Yeonjun couldn't, then maybe... maybe he could.

With a deep breath, Soobin pressed the call button and raised the phone to his ear. The dial tone rang out, each second stretching out longer than the last.

He ran a hand through his hair, glancing nervously at the bathroom door again.

Finally, the call connected.

"Hello?" The voice on the other end was calm, but there was a certain weariness to it.

Soobin cleared his throat, feeling his nerves spike. "Hi, um, Auntie? This is Soobin... Yeonjun's—friend."

There was a pause, and Soobin swore he could hear the faintest sound of surprise. "Oh, Soobin," she replied, her voice softening slightly. "How are you?"

He swallowed. "I'm okay, thank you. I... I wanted to talk to you about something." His heart pounded. This wasn't easy to bring up.

"It's about Yeonjun."

Silence greeted him, but he knew she was listening.

"I'm sorry for calling you like this, but I... I think you need to know. He's been having a hard time. His dad—" Soobin bit his lip, trying to find the right words.

"His dad did something to him. And I think as you might know— o- or not— it's not the first time. I just... I think he needs you right now. He's too scared to say anything himself, and I don't want to overstep, but..."

The silence on the other end was deafening. Soobin couldn't tell if she was shocked or processing what he said, but he pressed on, needing to get it out.

"He doesn't want you to worry. But I think it's really bad, Auntie. I'm really worried about him."

There was a shaky inhale on the other side of the line, but Yeonjun's mother didn't respond right away. What Soobin didn't know was that she was holding back tears—tears of anger, of sadness, of guilt.

Her fingers clenched tightly around the phone as she listened to every word, feeling her chest tighten with every revelation.

She had long known things were wrong, but hearing that the bastard acted on her son alone? She couldn't stop the thought of being guilty, being incompetent.

Now, especially hearing this from someone else, made the truth impossible to ignore.

Finally, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you, Soobin. For telling me."

Soobin could sense the tension in her voice, the heaviness she was trying to keep contained. "I'll be back soon," she added, her words thick with unspoken emotion. "Please... look after him for now. I'll take care of this."

"I will," Soobin promised softly.

"Thank you... for everything."

The call ended, leaving Soobin staring down at the phone.

He let out a heavy sigh, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on him. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, though, because the sound of the shower stopping pulled him from his thoughts.

He quickly placed the phone back on the nightstand just as the bathroom door creaked open.

Yeonjun stepped out, his hair damp, towel slung over his shoulders. He looked refreshed but still worn out, his usual guarded expression softening as he met Soobin's gaze.

Soobin's demeanor changed instantly, a bright smile replacing the seriousness from before. "You're done?" he asked, his tone cheerful and lighthearted. "Ready for dinner? Mom made sundubu-jjigae."

Yeonjun, still getting used to how often he found himself smiling around Soobin, let the corners of his lips turn up softly.

"Yeah... okay."

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a.n.

A filler/context chapter, as I feel like there should be a bit of explanation on why Soobin snitched (for the greater good).

It's raining as I'm writing this. Sundubu jiggae (korean tofu soup) sounds really nice right now ngl.