CONDEMNATION ✓

Chapter 28

Quickly rushing out of the room, you turned to slam those double doors behind you in your angered storm. You took a deep breath, feeling that carved wood under your fingertips; the desire to set the entire room ablaze ran deep within your soul. You tried to calm yourself with each slow breath you took, but with a raspy, improper speech, an ear-piercing tone that brought you back to reality.

"You's just gonna stand there and keep givin' dat door dirty looks or nah?" Mono's voice drifted from behind you, and a new sense of irritation rattled your nerves as you shot a glare over your shoulder. Your brother is standing there simply, with a cigarette tucked between his lips. His clothing is the epidemy of a hoodlum. 

He was wearing a light grey hoodie under a black coat. He had the hood raised, helping tame his unmanageable jet-black locks that were overdue for a haircut that he'd never get. Those dark eyes peered out from under bushy bangs as the smoke from his toxic stick clouded the air around him. Pushing off the door, you spun on your head, letting your eyes fall into an unamused, deadpan stare you gave him so well. 

"What I do is none of your fucking business." You spit back at him, letting your teeth chomp at the air like an angered mutt. Your chin tilted up, holding your head high as you kept your body taut, showing no sign of weakness even in the face of blood, but in doing so, you showed off the lovely purple choker embedded in your skin, to which you had gone absentminded. 

Mono quickly took notice, his brown eyes - nearly black - fixated on your throat. His carefree expression dropped, his eyes becoming emotionless as he locked eyes with the bruise that engulfed your skin. The marking was so profound that the imprint of Jimin's hand was left behind. 

"R do dat to you?" Mono questioned, keeping his face as stern as he was capable. If you didn't know better, you'd assume he actually cared, but his question only earned a scuff from your lips. You rolled your eyes and downcasted your gaze. 

"Tsk." You hissed, shaking your head in disbelief as your pinned-up blue locks displaced further than their already messy state. "Doesn't matter. It's not like you give a damn." Turning to your left, you stepped out, heading down the hall as if you wanted to disappear to your room. 

Your boots only got a few clicks on the hardwood floor before Mono's tattooed hand quickly grabbed you by the wrist and whipped you back to halt you from leaving the conversation. You hissed, quickly tossing your gaze back at him with a fire in your eyes that could set a blaze to his skin if only you had that ability. 

"Did R do that to you?" Mono questioned again, his tone taking a more demanding stance as the lids of his eyes fell halfway. His brows scrunched closer to his eyes, narrowing his gaze on you as he showed a sense of predatory rage you had never seen in him before. He spoke clearly, and correctly. 

You ripped your wrist from his grasp and quickly brought it back to your body. To your faint surprise, he was holding onto you much tighter than you were used to, not that you and your sibling shared many physical interactions. Your eyes scanned him, wondering at his frame in irritation and confusion as to why he suddenly seemed to care. 

"No." An abrupt answer was finally given to his off-the-wall question, your voice lowering in volume. It seems you had given him the answer he sought as his expression lightened. He released a long breath - smoke following - from his lips as he reached up to take the cigarette. 

"Who did it?" His anger had left him with that exhale as he calmly questioned who the assaulter was. His shoulders slumped, hands falling by his side. His cigarette ash fell carelessly on the hardwood floor, and he didn't bother to care. 

"Jimin." 

His expression quickly contorted to pure confusion at the utterance of that name; even his head fell softly to the side like a lost puppy, once again earning a scuff from your lips. You took a deep breath and folded your arms at your chest as you turned back to him. 

"Well, I guess 'Minsu' is the 'correct' answer." Your tone took on your attitude, riddled with sarcasm. You expected some overprotective lecture about how you were warned to stay away from him, but what were you to do when he was waiting for you as soon as you come back? There was no way to avoid him. Still, guess you got to see personally why that warning was offered. 

"I told you t--" 

"I know." You quickly cut him off as you raised a palm in the air and held it in his direction. "I think he's the one that needs to stay away from people. He cornered me."  You corrected before he could dig too deep into you with another pointless warning. Though it seemed simple, he understood you were helpless to avoid that situation. 

You tucked your hand away as silence filled the air between you; one second longer, you debated on returning to your room. Mono, however, was quick to halt you before you could retire to your bed as he tossed out an endearing offer of his own. 

"Dinner be downstairs." His eyes trailed to the corridor behind you, leading toward the stairs that went to the ground floor. "Let's get you's somethin' to eat, ight?" He started to step forward, reaching your frame as he placed a hand on your right shoulder and gently turned you in the opposite direction. He tossed his arm along your shoulder as he manually guided you toward the kitchen. 

You pulled from his embrace, jerking from his touch, but he didn't budge. You quickly gave up the fight once you felt the rumble of your stomach when food was mentioned. Given the agenda for today, eating had slipped your mind. Excluding the minimal snacks you stole from Mono's tray before you left on your solo mission. Releasing a heavy huff, your shoulders bounced, caving to his gesture as the two of you headed toward the kitchen. 

If you didn't go with him, you would likely have just gone to bed without eating. You guessed it couldn't hurt for a quick bite before becoming a recluse in your room prison cell, though it wasn't like you had to pretend to be pleased by Mono's change of character. Suddenly playing the 'Caring Big Brother' card was sickening.