Out Of Love [BTS ff]

《 29 》

I walked out, carrying a gigantic backpack, which was bigger than me me, and two small suitcases. Considering how I don't know how long I'd be staying, I decided to play it safe. It sounds bad, but I had half expected Ho Seok to help me with my stuff when I came out. But I didn't see any sign of him.

Suspecting he fell asleep in the car, I positioned my stuff by the trunk of the car and walked to the driver's window to knock on it. But Ho Seok wasn't there.

I started panicking. A weird feeling in my gut told me something was wrong, I just wasn't sure what.

I walked back to my stuff to protect it, hoping that waiting for a bit would calm me down eventually. But it didn't work. 10 minutes passed and he still didn't show up. I had called him 3 times already, but they all went to voicemail. I tried one last time, holding my breath and tears in. This time, it was declined again.

My fear grew. There was no reason for Ho Seok to decline my call. I left my stuff behind and searched around the perimeter of the house; my belongings getting stolen were the least of my worries at the moment.

No one followed us back here… right? I choked at the thought of it. I kept running -- around the house, around the backyard, down the street -- scared out of my mind.

The street lights dim glow flashed over me every so often, but it didn't help me to see. My tears blinded my vision instead. I was sprinting past another street lamp when something suddenly pulled me back. A strong hand covered my mouth, not like I would've been in the right mind to be able to make any noise. It's other hand grabbed onto my wrist tightly.

“Shh, it's just me,” a voice spoke. I relaxed, relieved that it belonged to Ho Seok, yet tears kept streaming out.

“I thought I saw some people around, so I had to make sure it was safe,” slowly, he loosened his grip and uncovered my mouth. I was still sobbing like a baby, though. “Why were you out on the streets?”

“I thought I lost you, damn it!” I screamed softly and punched his chest, sniffing uncontrollably. I could feel his cold stare beating down on me but I didn't care. The fear and worry that beat me up earlier was stronger than his gaze.

“Heh, let's go back to the car.” Ho Seok grabbed my wrist and led me back. Luckily, my stuff was still there.

The car ride back was less awkward than the car ride to the house, yet there was more silence than before. I stole a secret glance at my brother with the aid of the soft moonlight and passing street lights. My eyes shifted to his hand on the steering wheel. I didn't notice before, but it was slightly scratched and red. Bruises covered his knuckles. Why is his hand like that... he said it was a false alarm...

“Thank you… by the way,” I said, still staring at his hand.

“For what? I panicked for no reason and got you worried.”

“That's just it. Thank you for panicking. It's nice to know someone cares.”

There was a slight pause. “Hah, well, of course! You mean a lot to Jungkook and the boys.” Ho Seok turned to me and flashed a grin, showing his dimples that I always loved. I responded with a genuine smile, the first one I've given him in years.