Jade and Joshua were once the quintessential high school sweethearts, their young love blooming in the hallways of their school, filled with laughter and shared dreams. However, an unforeseen event shattered their once unbreakable bond, sending them...
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Jayoung's frustration reached a boiling point as she stabbed her knife into the steak on her plate with a force that echoed in the tense atmosphere. The sound startled Joshua, causing him to choke on his sip of water. Eric, seated beside him, looked on wide-eyed, instinctively patting Joshua's back to help him recover. Jeonghan, sensing the rising tension, averted his gaze, his attention abruptly drawn to a flower vase on the table, as if it held the answers to the chaos swirling around them.
"This is not a competition to see who can take care of her better!" Jayoung's voice sliced through the silence, laced with anger. Her hair cascaded around her shoulders, framing her face, but her eyes had narrowed into slits, transforming her usually bubbly demeanour into something fierce and intimidating. There was no hint of her usual warmth, only a palpable intensity that sent shivers down the spines of those present.
"Is that understood?" she demanded, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. Joshua and Jeonghan nodded stiffly, the weight of her words pressing down on them like a heavy blanket. "If I find you two bickering again, I will not hesitate to drown you," she threatened, her resolve unyielding. With a final, exasperated sigh, she placed her cutlery down and turned sharply on her heel, striding away down the hallway, leaving an icy tension in her wake.
"Was she always this scary?" Joshua muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, the remnants of fear still clinging to his words. Eric merely shrugged, a bemused expression on his face. "I don't know, bro," he mumbled, clearly struggling to comprehend the sudden shift in Jayoung's attitude. Meanwhile, Jeonghan remained silent, his eyes narrowing into a warning glare directed at Joshua.
Joshua caught the look, irritation flaring within him. "It's all because of you," he hissed, bitterness creeping into his tone. Jeonghan merely chuckled hollowly, flipping him off before rising from the table and making his way toward the bedroom, leaving Joshua simmering in his frustration.
Eric shook his head, finishing the last of his Sprite with a satisfied cluck of his tongue before reclining back in his chair, closing his eyes and leaving Joshua alone with his tumultuous thoughts. The earlier outburst from Jayoung and the bitter exchange with Jeonghan replayed in his mind, forming a heavy cloud of unease overhead.
The events leading up to this moment weighed heavily on Joshua. After Jiwon had fainted, Eric had rushed her limp form to the guest room, while Jayoung, panic-stricken and on the verge of tears, had taken charge. Jeonghan and Joshua had felt utterly helpless, left in the dark as they waited for news.
When Jayoung finally emerged an hour and a half later, her expression a mask of concern, she informed them that Jiwon was fine now and resting. However, the information was laced with tension, and Jayoung refused to divulge any details about what had transpired. Her only words had been, "She's better now, but don't go in her room for some time; she's resting."
Joshua had then turned to Jeonghan, seeking clarity. "Did you two fight or is there something else we don't know about?" he pressed, desperation creeping into his voice. Jeonghan had responded with irritation, insisting that Jiwon had simply told him she wasn't feeling well. "I'm not like you, Jisoo; I don't fight with Jiwon," he had sneered, the use of Joshua's Korean name stinging like a slap.
