ᴘᴀɪɴᴛ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴀᴋꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʙʟᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀɴᴠᴀꜱᴇꜱ 🖌 ʏᴜɴʜᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

T W E N T Y - F I V E

When Y/N arrived at Yunho's doorstep, she knocked the door softly, her arm still shaking from her previous panic attack. To her surprise, a middle-aged woman answered the door, holding a meter ruler in her hand and a pencil in her hair. Y/N looked around to see if she had went to the wrong door before the woman spoke.

"Dear, are you alright? Who are you looking for?" She smiled sympathetically, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Um.. sniff  Y-Yunho.."

"Oh you must be Y/N, we've heard so much about you- but what happened?" The woman, presumably his mother, stepped aside to let Y/N in, putting the ruler down as he took her hand in hers as she stepped in, "Come in, dear. I'll get you patched up."

Y/N stepped into Yunho's house, feeling hollow as Yunho's mother gently guided her inside. The warmth of the home contrasted with the icy feeling hitting her heavy in her chest. Yunho's mother led her to the living room, where the cozy scent of tea and brown sugar filled the air. The soft hum of a clock ticking in the background gave the space a sense of calm Y/N desperately needed.

She wiped the tears off her face, still trying to steady her breathing as Yunho's mom gently sat her down on the couch.

"Now, dear," she said softly, her voice filled with concern, "Take a deep breath and let me get you something warm to drink. Then I'll fix your hair and the burns." She pointed to her face.

Y/N nodded, unable to find her voice. Her throat felt tight, and her body was still trembling, but the kindness in Yunho's mother's eyes made her feel a tiny bit safer. As she disappeared into the kitchen, Y/N glanced around the room. The setting was the same as last time, but slightly messier and more homey. The throw pillows were scattered across the couch and armchairs instead of them being neatly organized, pencils and blueprints all over the coffee table and the TV was playing a video of a fireplace for background noise.

Moments later, Yunho's mom returned with a steaming mug of tea, setting it down gently in front of Y/N before sitting beside her. "Here, drink this. It'll help calm your nerves."

Y/N hesitated for a moment but then wrapped her hands around the warm mug, letting the heat seep into her cold, shaking fingers. She took a small sip, the warmth sliding down her throat, soothing the rawness there.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Yunho's mom asked gently, her voice soft but steady. "You don't have to, but it might help."

Y/N opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a loss for words. She wanted to tell someone, to let it all out, but the fear of being dismissed, of being told she was overreacting, loomed over her like a shadow. But Yunho's mom looked at her with genuine concern, not like the others who turned away or pretended not to notice her pain. Y/N moved the cup away from her lips and spoke.

"I..." Y/N began, her voice trembling. "I don't know where to start."

Yunho's mom reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Take your time. No rush."

Y/N's eyes welled up with fresh tears, and before she knew it, the words spilled out in a shaky, uneven stream. She told her about the bullying, the photos, and the horrifying encounter with Wonyoung and Soyeon. She didn't hold back as she described the principal's twisted threats and the way he had manipulated her into feeling trapped and helpless.

By the time she finished, Y/N's voice was hoarse, and her face was wet with tears. Yunho's mother listened in silence, her expression a mix of sorrow, surprise and anger. She squeezed Y/N's hand, her eyes fierce with determination.

"Those men," she muttered, shaking her head. "What they've done is beyond cruel. No one should have that kind of power over you."

Yunho's mother side-hugged Y/N, pushing her head so that it's resting on her shoulder. Y/N cried into her shoulder, letting her spilling tears drench her shirt. Yunho's mom took the cup of tea from her hands to allow Y/N to hug her completely.

Y/N sniffled, feeling a mixture of relief and exhaustion from finally letting it all out. "I... I didn't know what else to do."

Right then, a limping figure came over to the living room. From the corner of Y/N's eye, she could see the figure stopping, then quickening their pace until they were right in front of her.

"Y/N!" 

The voice was too familiar. Y/N looked up to see none other than Yunho, whose eyes had a mix of happiness and shock in them. He immediately sat down and hugged her by the waist, petting her hair when he noticed its choppy form.

"Who did this to you..?" He whispered.

His mother gave him a stern look, prompting him not to ask further questions. Yunho grabbed Y/N's chin gently to turn her face to his, tracing the burn marks on her skin. He then got up and went to grab the first-aid kit and a damp cold cloth. He began gently dabbing the burns with the cloth and putting some gauze and tape over it. 

Yunho's touch was careful and soft, his usual playfulness completely absent. His brow furrowed with worry as he treated Y/N's injuries, taking extra care not to hurt her further. His face was focused, his jaw clenched tightly, and his usually bright eyes were clouded with concern. He glanced up every so often, checking to see if she was okay, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"I should've been there," Yunho murmured under his breath, his voice thick with guilt. "I'm sorry."

Y/N shook her head, her voice weak but sincere. "It's not your fault, Yunho. You.. You've done so much already."

Yunho stopped what he was doing for a moment, looking at her with a sad, soft expression. "But I could've done more."

Just then, his mother interrupted, "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, I'll call your parents to pick you u-"

"NO!"

Y/N's eyes widened as her suggestion, "Please don't call them. They'll kill me."

"Why? I don't think so-"

"If they ask how I ended up like this, I'm gonn' have to explain everything. I'll be in so much trouble-"

"Breathe."

Yunho put his hands over her shoulder, massaging them soothingly. "They won't, if you do the right thing."

"Huh?" She choked on her own words.

Yunho leaned in and whispered so that his mother didn't hear him, "Go apologize."

And Y/N knew exactly what he meant.

Meanwhile..

"..Don't forget who's really in control here-" 

Ms. Lee's mixtape cut off. Over the years she had gathered enough evidence on the bullies and the school administrators to show the police something worthy of reporting. She had felt bad that Y/N was included in some of the video tapes, but justice needed to be served ice cold.

She looked back on the giant pinboard behind her desk, filled with articles hidden from the internet and pictures of the perpetrators; Wooyoung, Taehyun, Jaehyun, Jungwon, Mingi, Y/N, Wonyoung, Soyeon, and Principal Kang. The scarlet strings connected everyone to one person; the one and only, Jung Seojun.

No one here is innocent.

Everyone is fucked up, one way or another.

Isn't that right, Jung Seojun?

ᵞᴼᵁ ᵀᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀ ᴵ ᵂᴬˢ ᴰᴱᴬᴰ, ᴰᴵᴰᴺ'ᵀ ᵞᴼᵁ ˢᴱᴼᴶᵁᴺ?