Satisfaction [NCT]

22.

His body was found 15 minutes later.
Laying on rough carpet, knees hugged to his chest, almost as if he was a baby in a womb.

"Jay!" The coworker called, rushing over to see if the boy was alright. His hair was a mess. It was obvious he had been running his hands through it and gripping tight to release stress and anger. He peeked his eyes open to see his coworker staring at him. His eyes were red from tears, there was a darker spot on the carpet where a pool of liquid had started to form.

"Are you okay?" Jaehyun's coworker asked him. It was obvious he wasn't. Jaehyun couldn't even find the strength to form words. He felt so broken inside, the only thing keeping him from falling apart was his skin. Nothing about him felt alive. His brain had stopped working 5 minutes prior. His tears stopped flowing at the same time. He couldn't remember the last time felt his heart beat, or the last time he took a breath. Jaehyun felt himself die at the same time the call ended. He may never be himself ever again, but he has to keep living. If not for himself, then for Yeri. She didn't get a choice to live or die. Jaehyun has a choice.

Jaehyun used his lungs to take in his first breath after dying. Only this time, he wasn't breathing in a breath of life. He was breathing in a breath of survival.

"Jay, what's wrong?" His coworker shook him. Almost as if he was reliving the moment, memories of his conversation with Ms. Kim filled his mind.
"It's Yeri. She got in a car accident."
"She's gone. Jay, she's dead."
He wished he asked her about Doyoung, how he is feeling. Surely he is devastated, he is probably taking it harder than Jaehyun could ever imagine.

"Doy." Jaehyun voiced. It was evident his voice was not in good condition, it was scratchy and felt as if saying anything took up all of the energy stored in his body. "I need to leave." Jaehyun forced his voice to speak. His coworker agreed that Jaehyun shouldn't be working and let him leave. It was better to be short staffed than to force Jay to work in the shape he's in right now.

Jaehyun drove straight to Doyoung's house. Throughout the drive, thoughts were running around in his head. How is Doyoung feeling? Is he alright? What will happen if Doyoung couldn't take it? What if this was Doyoung's breaking point? How will Jaehyun cope? Will Jaehyun be able to cope? Should Jaehyun even try to cope?

Every thought in Jaehyun's mind made him press harder on the gas pedal. With the state his mind is in, he shouldn't be driving. He knows this is dangerous to himself and others, but he can't seem to stop or slow down. He needs to see Doyoung. He needs to know how he is feeling. He needs to know he is alright.

The familiar neighborhood welcomed Jaehyun. He has so many good memories here, walking and playing around in these streets with Yeri and Doyoung. So many memories in this house. So many memories on this porch, but no memory strong enough to make him forget why he is here. He is here for Yeri, for Doyoung.

The doorbell rang through the house, separating Doyoung from his mother. She was hugging him, comforting him, trying to stop his tears from falling, trying to stop his screams. Jaehyun saw Ms. Kim open the door. She had no makeup on and was wearing a light grey sweatshirt with an apparent dark grey spot on her shoulder. Jaehyun knew the cause immediately.

"How is he?" Jaehyun whispered as quietly as possible.

"Awful. What can you expect?" Ms. Kim sighed, if she had more tears to spare, one would've fallen. "How are you?" Jaehyun shrugged for a response. He couldn't trust himself to speak. "I didn't expect to see you here. You seemed to disappear after our call." Every little thing seemed to be setting Jaehyun off. He scrunched his face to fight back his emotions, making it look like he is staying strong.