𝓐𝓬𝓺𝓾𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 || ENHYPEN JAKE FF

Chapter 20: Hang of it

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20: Hang Of It.
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Mina woke to the soft light streaming through her curtains, painting her room in a gentle, golden glow. She lay still, staring at the ceiling as her thoughts spiraled. The word adopted echoed in her mind, heavy and unrelenting. The revelation felt like a tidal wave, uprooting everything she thought she knew. Her birth mother's face was a blank slate in her imagination, but the questions came in waves: Who was she? Why did she give me up? Does she ever think about me?

Her alarm broke through her thoughts, its sharp sound pulling her back to the present. Mina sighed deeply, pushing the covers off and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Her body felt weighed down by the emotional toll of the past day. She stood, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her expression a mix of exhaustion and confusion.

"Get it together," she whispered to herself, running a hand through her hair.

Reaching for her phone, she wasn't surprised to see a flood of messages from Jake—over twenty, to be exact. A pang of guilt hit her. She hadn't answered him last night, and what if it had been important? But she shook off the thought. I'll see him in an hour anyway, she rationalized.

Dragging herself downstairs, the smell of breakfast wafted through the air. Normally, it would have lifted her spirits, but not today. She stepped into the kitchen, where her adoptive mother, Hana, was bustling around, her mood unusually cheerful.

"Morning, Mina. Hurry up and eat," Hana called, her voice uncharacteristically bright.

Mina paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. *Why is she acting like this?* It felt almost mocking, like her mother was trying too hard to act normal.

"Morning," Mina replied, her tone flat. She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. She took a seat at the table, her appetite nonexistent.

Hana placed a plate of pancakes in front of her, but Mina barely glanced at it. "Mina, honey, is everything okay? You seem a bit off," Hana asked, her cheerful facade slipping for a moment.

Mina glanced at Aerum, who sat across from her. Aerum shrugged, clearly just as puzzled by Hana's behavior. Mina hesitated, her emotions too jumbled to form coherent words. Finally, she shrugged. "I'm fine," she muttered.

Hana frowned but didn't press further.

At the table, Ni-ki focused solely on his food, seemingly oblivious to the tension. Heeseung and Aerum exchanged subtle glances, their confusion matching Mina's. The sound of cutlery scraping against plates filled the awkward silence, and after a few minutes, Mina couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going to get ready for school," she announced, standing abruptly.

"Alright," Hana said, her voice still unnervingly cheerful. "Just... come back home on time."

Mina nodded but didn't respond. She hurried back upstairs, her mind racing. The feeling of betrayal gnawed at her, and now her mother's strange behavior only added to her unease. Something bigger is going on here, she thought grimly.

As she finished getting ready, the sound of Aerum and Heeseung's playful bickering floated through the house, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Come on, Heeseung! You can't wear that shirt again!" Aerum teased, her laughter ringing out.