Ms. Orange Juice

Within the White Walls

"Hong Jisoo was found tied up and hidden in side his bathroom on the day of the incident. His phone was floating in the sink, the device was not waterproof, unfortunately." Officer Jeon, Wonwoo's father, says in a low voice.

Mingyu pinches his nose in anxiety, while Wonwoo busily jots down notes for further investigation. It has been three days since Jae Hwa's life was threatened again, and two days since Jeonghan was investigated and admitted into a mental asylum.

Currently, the men are standing outside of Jeonghan's ward, the entire area is staff-only and strictly supervised. Occasionally, Mingyu would glance at the glass pane that was embedded into the door, fearing that the boy inside would harm Jae Hwa.

The two sat facing each other, with Jeonghan staring past Jae Hwa into blank space, his back turned away from outside view. His arms were shackled to the twin bed, so were his legs. This serious situation seems ironic to Jae Hwa, for she was in the exact position as Jeonghan just a few days ago. (A/N: omf this chapter is full of alliterations, first with the title and now the previous sentence ><)

"Jeonghan..." Jae Hwa mumbles, shattering the uncomfortable silence.

The boy refuses to meet Jae Hwa's eyes, but his fingers fidget slightly at the sound of her voice. Jae Hwa lets out a small sigh, then reaches into the plastic bag that she brought with her. After fumbling around for a while, Jae Hwa finally pulls out what she was looking for- a strawberry bread.

She holds it toward Jeonghan's direction, not forcing him to take the item, but her gentle expression says all that's needed. "Here, I heard you haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

Jeonghan quietly observes the pink bread in her small hand, his expression remains unwaver. At last, a small smile appears on his dry lips. He reaches his right hand toward Jae Hwa, the shackles make tingling sounds in response, but makes no attempt to accept the piece of carbohydrate in her waiting hand.

"Heh, you've always been a big fan of strawberry bread. Does this comes with milk too?" Jeonghan mutters.

Jae Hwa's eyes widen slightly, in surprise. Quickly getting over her brief moment of shock, Jae Hwa reaches into her bag once more with her free hand, pulling out a sweating carton of milk.

The small, barely noticable smile on Jeonghan's lips widen to a grin, and his eyes felt moist all of the sudden. His childhood flashes before his eyes as he sits there, his hands once again shakily reaches toward Jae Hwa. The girl graps a hold of his thin arms and pull him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Jae Hwa, I'm sorry." Jeonghan sobs, burrying his face in the crook of her neck.

"It's okay, I understand, J."

Jeonghan's brown orbs widen, and he tries to pull away from her embrace. However, Jae Hwa tightens her arms around him.

"Why did you tell me sooner?" She asks, resting her head against his shoulder, her cheek presses against his crumbled shirt.

Jeonghan hesistates for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together. A conflicted expression appears on his face. "I...I didn't want you to think of the horrible experience at my house. You know, with me being his son and all."

"You were my only friend at that time, Jeonghan. My only good memory of that place." Jae Hwa strokes his hair comfortingly, allowing the boy to relax in her arms once again.