disclosure | park woojin

16

Hana almost trips down the front steps to her house, running while a cry of Woojin's name rips from her throat. Only having made it halfway down the street, he turns around, eyes wide with worry when she almost collides into him.

"My house- I don't know- I walked in and it's broken. Everything is broken." She panics, hands shaking as she points behind her. "Everything is broken."

Woojin calms her, and walks her back to her house to take a look inside. Even from outside the door, he can see that everything has been destroyed. Carefully stepping around broken objects to try and keep from causing more damage, Woojin guides Hana behind him, wrapping his hand gently around hers. She finds comfort in the warmth of his hand, inhaling and exhaling softly to control her emotions.

The picture frames that lined the walls are shattered, the doors to each and every room are splintered, some barely hanging on at the hinges. Whoever came through left nothing untouched. Even as they breach Hana's room, her clothes litter the ground, looking thoroughly distressed. Her bed is broken in half and her desk just the same. Glass shards were sprayed about the room from her now open window, the heavy white curtains torn. Her parents' room looks no different, looking like a tornado had passed through.

"Demons," Woojin mutters, stepping over pieces of broken furniture. Hana's hand is still wrapped tightly around his. "They masked their presence."

The kitchen was the worst. The glass sliding door, the many windows, and ceramic dishes, everything had shattered all over the floor, looking like sprinkles on a cupcake. The strength in Hana's legs dissipate, and she slowly falls to the floor in despair. What had her family done to deserve something like this?

Woojin gently pulls her up, brushing her knees free of debris. "Be careful, there's glass." He murmurs, then asks. "Were your parents home?"

She shakes her head numbly. "Vacation. Won't be back for a week."

He lets out a sigh of relief. "I hate to say this but that's convenient."

Hana almost laughs. "I'm just glad they weren't hurt."

Woojin takes a step back, reaching into his pocket. "The front exterior is untouched, but your neighbors will see the sides and back. I'll leave a glamour for the time being and we'll hope that no one decides to pay you a visit for the next few days." He walks outside, levitating it out of his palm to float above the house. Hana follows, refusing to let go of Woojin. Maybe it was from shock, and the commands weren't were reaching her limbs. Or maybe it was because he's the only thing keeping her from breaking down right now, a sense of dependency forming from an unfortunate event and fear of all that was behind this.

"What am I going to do?" Hana asks, voice broken as she stares blankly at the shimmering waves of the glamour. What could she even do? It's not like she could tidy it up quick and hop into bed for a good night's rest when there wasn't a single debris-free area in her house.

Woojin hesitates for a few moments. "I don't suppose Hayoon or Seoyun could help house you for the time being without any suspicion?"

Hana shakes her head, sighing in defeat. "They'd be on my ass."

Looking like he'd run out of options, he gives her a gentle push toward her house. "Pack what you can that isn't damaged. We'll figure something out. I'll go call Donghyun." He says, then turns around, tapping his phone a few times before pressing it to his ear. For a second, Hana almost reaches out for him again, but stops herself. How pathetic. Just a few hours ago, she was training heavily to prepare herself for the world that she now knows she is a part of, her confidence kindling a fighting spirit deep in her stomach. Now, here she stands, shaking in the aftermath of a demon's ruthless actions that seems to have completely doused the fire, and she hasn't even seen the damn thing face-to-face yet.

So she curls her fists and marches through the house and up to her room, carefully picking out clothes that weren't ruined and stuffing it into the backpack she had with her. Most of her clothes are torn apart and her undergarments are virtually unwearable, covered in what looks like tracks of dirt. Feeling a surge of anger rush through her, Hana angrily throws the dirtied clothes into a corner, blowing hair out of her face. She feels hot tears brimming her eyes, slumping against the wall behind her and sinking down to the floor, pulling at her hair.

There's a knock on her door, and she messily wipes the tears with the back of her hands, keeping her head down as she continues to sort through her clothes. "What's up?" She asks, thanking whatever deity that is up there for her voice not cracking. She picks up a navy blue sweater, deeming it as clean enough and shoves it into the bag with more force than needed. She finishes up, grabbing the strap of her backpack and walking past Woojin to head downstairs.

"If you don't mind, you can stay with me until we're able to repair your home." Woojin starts, following her down, then adds quickly, "Of course, if you're not comfortable, I can book a hotel room for you."

Hana shakes her head and slides her backpack on, looking through the closet in the front hall for any extra jackets or sweaters she might have missed. "I don't have enough money."

"It's fine." Woojin assures, "My family can cover the costs."

"I don't want to burden you." Hana firmly states, sighing when she finds that yet again, nearly nothing is wearable.

From behind, Woojin quietly says, "Hana, you would never be a burden to me."

And with those words, Hana's hand cup her mouth in attempt to stifle her sob, trying hard not to cry in front of Woojin. She didn't like crying where people could see her. It feels awkward because she doesn't like how she looks, nose red and face scrunched, tears leaving streaks as they run down her cheeks. Not wanting Woojin to see her crying face, she leaves through the doors first. Woojin follows her out, double checks the crystal's glamour, then falls in step beside her.

It's suffocatingly silent. She doesn't want Woojin to pity her, nor does she want him to feel as if he should be the one responsible for keeping her thoughts positive. She can practically see the gears in his brain cranking working up to a speed he isn't used to to try and come up with anything that might lighten the mood. From her peripheral as she angles her head down at the ground, she can see him pressing the nail of his thumb into his forefinger before shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Hana-"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything." Hana interrupts faintly. "You're not used to it."

He rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. "You can tell?"

Hana can't help but crack a small smile. "You keep fidgeting."

"I apologize." He bites his lower lip, then points at her backpack. "Would you like me to carry it?"

She shakes her head. "It's light, so no worries. Thank you, though."

For the rest of the way to Woojin's, they keep quiet. Hana's thankful for so, because half of her mind is still wondering what the hell she's going to do before her parents get back in a week. There's no way she could replace everything, nor could she clean it all by herself.

As she sorts through her options, which weren't many, her phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it out, reading the caller ID to be im youngmin. Pressing the phone to her ear, she answers. "Hello?"

"Holy shit, Hana, are you okay?" Youngmin asks, seeming to be out of breath.

"I'm fine, what's up?" She quietly says, glancing at Woojin beside her, who raises his brows as if to ask, Who is it?

"You just entered my range and I can hear your thoughts. Why are you-" He pauses, now realizing what happened. "Hana, I'm so sorry."

Hana's eyes begin to water, but she forces a smile even though he can't see it. "I'm okay, Youngmin. Woojin's with me."

"I'll meet you guys at Woojin's. See you in a few." Youngmin quickly says, and Hana can hear the sound of keys jingling in the background before she bids him goodbye and the call is cut. 

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hello, my lovely readers! i hope you're all enjoying the story so far. and don't worry, more explanations will come in the future chapters! as always, thank you so much for reading and i love you all <3