Paperclips - YJH

Twenty-Eight

"Mom..." I let out a shaky breath as I stare at the 'guest' standing outside my door. I heard Jeonghan call out to me from inside, and I could hear the footsteps of him approaching the entrance. I quickly snapped back to reality and bowed to my mother before letting her come inside.

My mother stepped inside and made her way to the living room, not bothering to remove her shoes. That could either mean she's going to leave fast, or... She's pissed. I quickly closed the door after she entered and let myself take a few deep breaths before following her, "You could have called..."

"It's not like you'd pick up." She responded with a hint of passive aggressiveness as she continued walking, causing me to look down and mentally curse myself. However, her steps suddenly halt, and I look up to see Jeonghan standing in front of her like a deer caught in the headlights. I gasped as I remembered that he was here, causing me to mentally curse myself again.

Jeonghan glanced at me before looking at her again and bending his body 90 degrees forward, giving her the most respectful bow. "Hello, ma'am!" He looked back up with a charming smile. I almost melted at his smile, and I sure hope my mother would too.

"What are you doing here?" My mother questioned him, still glaring at him as she took a seat on the couch.

"Uh... I spent the night." Jeonghan muttered out in honorifics, giving her an awkward smile. My eyes widening at his bravery. Not the time, man. My mother's expression remained stern, causing a tense atmosphere in the room.

Her eyebrows visibly raised as she looked back at me, "Spent the night? Does that mean—"

"He meant he spent the night away and came here to get some things." I bit my lips, hoping my lie would be believable. I glanced at Jeonghan, who gave me a dumbfounded look before silently nodding to my excuse as he played along, "Yeah, she has some stuff that we need for the production, so I came to... uh, get it. Yeah."

My mother's eyebrows raised in suspicion before she sighed, "Well, I came to visit my daughter, and I'm not pleased to see another man in here." She glared at him, "I would like you to leave."

My eyes widen slightly at her bluntness, but it wasn't surprising. She had always been like this. However, I was done letting her control me like this. I wasn't going to let him go again like in the past. I quickly held his arm, "No, I want you to stay," I said firmly, meeting my mother's gaze with determination. Jeonghan looked at me with surprise, but a small smile formed on his lips as he squeezed my hand in reassurance.

My mother watched me with a mixture of shock and disappointment, as if she couldn't believe I was standing up to her. She stood up from the couch and glanced at my hand that was holding onto his's before looking back at me, "Are you dating him?"  

I swallowed a lump in my throat before shifting my hold on his hand to a more comfortable one. I hesitated before replying, purely because I was scared and the memories of my older brother returning to me once again. "Yes." I mumbled out, despite my fear.

I watched as my mother's expression morphed into one of anger and disgust as she fished out her phone from her purse and dialed a number. "Come pick me up. I'm done." She says to her driver, I assumed. She placed the phone back in her purse and stormed out of the room, leaving me feeling abandoned and rejected. 

Jeonghan stood there not knowing what to do; he felt utterly helpless, but he gave my hand a gentle squeeze before turning around and running after my mother. A small tear slipped out of my eye as I watched him run behind her.