ramen | nomin

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9

who was he supposed to run to?

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

petrified.

jaemin was petrified.

there truly wasn't a better word to describe the mix of emotions churning up in his stomach. this was the only one.

staring at the white tattered door had never made him feel quite as queasy as this. in fact, he felt like he needed to throw up now for he was afraid all the pringles he had eaten in the last hour would come out at the wrong time.

his trembling hands being shoved in his pockets were making it harder for him to make the move to open the door. instead, his mind races with the different options he had just to avoid doing it at all.

he could run down the street to chenle's house or he could call jaehyun and ask him if he could stay the night.

and the next night.

and the night after that.

maybe for the rest of his adolescence until he was old enough to finally get his own place... maybe that was where things would look up for him. but that wasn't for at least another 2 years.

attempting to swallow the lump in his throat and pushing all thoughts aside, jaemin mentally prepares himself as he pulls a hand out of the pocket of his jacket and places it onto the doorknob.

it was cold... much like everything else about this place.

devoid of warmth, any color, and any feeling except for despair.

with his heart beating out of his chest, eyes tightly shut, hand gripping onto the metal until his knuckles turned white, and a deep breath that was filled with nothing but anxiety, jaemin finally twists the knob and pushes the door open against his will.

his eyes immediately flutter open to the shrill sound of his aunt's voice.

here we go...

"so, you decided to come back."

were the first 6 words that had flown out of her mouth like she had been waiting to say them for hours now.

the honey haired boy takes another deep breath, nodding his head as he does so while closing the door behind him, "well yeah...? i live here?" maybe now wasn't exactly the best time to get smart with someone who could take his freedom away in the blink of an eye, but his mouth was moving faster than his brain could take time to think things over properly.

the woman he's been forced to refer to as his aunt shoots daggers at him from her stance against the kitchen door frame. it takes all of jaemin's strength not to look right back at her with a similar gaze.

when the door is shut and he begins to make his way up to his room, his ankles are met with something solid. his head looks down to inspect the object and is horrified when he's met with the small suitcase he had purchased in case he ever got the opportunity to travel.

eyes now the size of saucers, jaemin snaps his head back up and starts to shake his head frantically. "y-you can't do this!" he exclaims, fear laced in his voice.

the woman scoffs, "what happened to the burst of confidence you had the other day, na jaemin?" the question brings tears to jaemin's eyes.

he didn't know. he didn't know anything right now. the night he fought back for the first time in his life... he felt like he was possessed or something along the lines of that. or it was another severe case of: 'mouth-move-first-brain-no-think-itis.'