SkyDive (Kim Himchan)

Part 10

Himchan looked at Hayan, who was sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her and a cup of tea in hand. He felt terrible, she was practically traumatised and it was partially his fault. Carefully he took a seat next to her. 

"Feel a little better?" Himchan asked and she turned to look at him. "Kind of. I've stopped shaking." She said with an awkward laugh, looking away. Himchan raise his hand and cupped her chin, making her look at him. "I mean it. Are you okay?" He asked, his voice sounding stern yet loving. "That was the second most terrifying thing that happened to me." She said, averting her eyes from his by looking away. "I'm so sorry."Himchan said, his hear hurting for her. If that was the second worse thing she had been through, he feared for the first.

Inside, Hayan knew it wasn't Himchan's fault. She didn't want him to think that was what was going through her mind. Yet the situation was making her question her choices.

Gingerly, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers with his. "It's not your fault. And this too will pass. I'll be okay." Hayan said, forcing a smile. SHe knew she was right, it just didn't feel real yet. Looking down at their hands, she grinned slightly. They fit together almost perfectly. His hands were large and slightly rough, while hers were soft and small.

"I'll make sure this never happens again." He said, voice soft. Hayan nodded and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. it was odd, yet she felt safe with him. 

The house was quiet for a moment, but it wasn't awkward. They were sat on the couch, hand in  hand and in comfort. It was oddly mundane situation and it made Himchan feel warm.

Hayan was in thought, Yongguk was talking about a possible culprit. Himchan seemed scared of the name. Jung-suk, that was it. She wanted to ask him about it, but also didn't want ruin the moment.

"Himchan, can I ask you something?" She asked, hesitently. He looked at her with a worried look before nodding. "Who is Jung-suk?" She asked and he sighed. He didn't  want to talk about him, but Hayan deserved to know after her day.

"Jung-suk, where do I start? Before the boys joined, Jung-suk and I had a gang together. We were doing well, made money, had girls and a tiny empire, but the bastard got greedy. Tried kicking me out, make everyone who supported me, hate me. I didn't go down easy enough for for him, so he tricked me, set me up. He left me for dead with four bullet holes." Himchan said and Hayan's eyes grew wide. He had been shot before, she didn't expect that.

"That's horrible Himchan." She said and he mentally winced at the memory. It still hurt him. 

"Yongguk patched me up and helped me. I grew bigger than Jung-suk and he disappeared for a while. But he always liked to play dirty. He had his name written all over this." Himchan ended his story and Hayan looked at him with sympathy. 

"Looks like we've both been through a lot." She said and Himchan chuckled. "That's one way to put it." He stated and scooted closer to her. 

In this moment, Hayan realised how tired she was. A yawn escaped her lips and Himchan smiled. He thought she was the most precious thing. Looking at the clock, he realised how late it was.

"You should get off to bed, it's late."Himchan said and Hayan laughed. "I don't think I can sleep at all." Hayan said and gently rested her head on his shoulder. Himchan had a thought, but worried a little before voicing it. 

"You can stay in my room, if it would make you feel safer." He said and she blsuhed slightly. He wasn't wrong, it would make her feel safer.

He turned to look at her, scared that his offer was too odd. When he saw the blush on her cheeks, he felt something deep inside his chest. "Well?" He asked and she looked at him, eyes meeting.

"I'd really appreciate that Himchan." She answered with a soft voice. Himchan stood up gently, still holding hands with her. "let's get off to bed then." 

Together they walked to Himchan's room, it felt felt quite intimate for the both of them. Tehy ahd known eachother a few days and she was going to sleep in his bed. Hayan examined Himchan, his demeanor was softened than it was a few hours ago. His jaw was unclenched and his chest wasn't heaving with anger anymore. He assumed the role of caretaker for the night and he was going to play it to a tee.

He opened his bedroom door and let her walk in. His room was larger than hers and a nice dark shade of grey. There were small pictures scattered around the walls and a record player in a corner. His bed seemed to be twice as large as hers.

"You go on ahead and lay down. I'm going to get ready for bed and I'll be out in a few minutes." Himchan said and Hayan watched him disappear into the bathroom. Carefully she pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. The sheets smelt like him, like roasted chestnuts and peppermint.

Feeling mentally and physically at ease, Hayan let her eyes drift shut. Sleep over took her quicker than she had hoped. She still had so many questions for him. But those would have to wait. 

After drying his face, Himchan tossed the towel to the side and looked at himself in the mirror. "He won't hurt them. I can't lose them all again." He thought to himself. He had lost so much already, he didn't want to lose the boys or Hayan. He wouldn't be able to hide something like that again. 

Taking a deep breath he opened the bathroom door and smiled at what he saw. She was already asleep and curled up under the blankets, which was understandable. Himchan turned off the lights and made his way to the bed. Getting in gingerly next to Hayan, he let out a sigh. 

Hayan turned to her side and faced him. She looked beautiful while she slept, so at ease with the world around her. Her hand found his, unconsiously and he excepted it, carefully. He closed his eyes and for the first time in a long time he felt like he was doing something good.