Love in the Halls [Lee Donghyuck]

Chapter 30: The Aftermath

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The moon hung low in the sky, casting a cold, indifferent light through Narae's window. Her room, usually a sanctuary of calm, felt suffocatingly small. She lay curled up under her blankets, her heart pounding against her ribcage like a trapped bird. The remnants of the party still echoed in her mind, a chaotic symphony of loud music and harsh, clashing voices. She had stumbled out of the house, her breaths coming in ragged bursts, the cool night air doing little to soothe her seething frustration.

Narae's thoughts were a jumbled mess. The fight with Haechan replayed in her mind like a looped film, each angry word, each stinging accusation magnified with every replay. She had never expected to feel so exposed, so vulnerable. The party, with its intoxicating mix of noise and chaos, had been the tipping point. It had forced her to confront the raw edge of her emotions, and she didn't like what she found there.

Sleep had come fitfully. She tossed and turned, her dreams an incoherent blur of bright lights and shouting voices. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Haechan's face, contorted with anger, and heard his words accusing her of avoiding him. The image of his hurt expression mixed with the throbbing ache in her head, a constant reminder of the night's turmoil.

When dawn broke, it brought no relief. Narae woke with a start, her mind already racing. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, the cold morning light streaming in through the blinds. Her phone, lying beside her on the bed, buzzed insistently. With a groan, she reached for it, her movements sluggish and heavy with the weight of the previous night's events.

The screen lit up with a barrage of notifications. Texts from Haechan, a few missed calls from Jeno, and a couple of messages from Renjun, all vying for her attention. She stared at the screen, her heart sinking with each new notification. The texts from Haechan were a mix of apologies and pleading, a stark contrast to the anger he had shown at the party. Each message was a reminder of how far they had fallen from whatever tenuous connection they had once shared.

hyuckie

hyuckie: why did you leave?

hyuckie: i didn't mean to upset you

hyuckie: can we talk about this??

 hyuckie: i really want to sort things out

hyuckie:  please don't ignore me

Narae felt a pang of guilt, a tight knot of emotions twisting in her chest. She had never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all someone who had, despite everything, tried to reach out to her. But the rawness of her feelings, the way he had confronted her at the party, made her want to retreat further into herself.

With a deep breath, she made a decision. Her fingers hovered over the screen as she opened Haechan's contact information. Her thumb hesitated over the block button. The thought of blocking him felt like a cruel twist of the knife, but she couldn't face the onslaught of his messages or the complexity of her feelings right now. She tapped the button, her heart sinking as the confirmation message appeared. The screen flashed briefly, signaling that Haechan's messages would no longer reach her.

Narae set her phone to Do Not Disturb, hoping to silence the chaos that had invaded her life. She placed the device face down on her bedside table, as if by hiding it she could also hide from her tumultuous emotions.

The morning was silent except for the faint hum of the heating system and the distant sounds of the city awakening. Narae wrapped her arms around her knees, sitting on the edge of her bed. She stared at the floor, lost in thought, her mind replaying the events of the party with a clarity that was both painful and unavoidable.