VIVA LA VIDA ━ MINSUNG ✓

CAREFUL WHERE YOU STAND

Saturday morning had given Jisung not only a gnarly headache, but also a cautious type of silence littering throughout his house. He and Minho had both fallen asleep over the phone, but because of his early awakening after his inability to stay asleep, the blonde hung up before the other woke up.

He felt as if there were a barrier between what he wanted to feel, and what he actually felt. The barrier itself had kept him at bay, away from moving on and forward, and he tried so hard to break it; to which no results were given.

Rubbing his eyes in hopes of wiping the exhaustion away, he stood up, looking around the mess he called his room. He wanted to clean it and fix what he hadn't even ruined, yet he just couldn't bring himself to do it. His arms felt glued to his sides, while his feet felt cemented to the ground which was covered in an extreme lack of motivation.

Pulling himself out of the comfort and safety of his room, Jisung looked from right to left; still met with a much needed silence, before moving down the stairs slowly.

By the looks of it, his dad was gone and had been for a while. On the opposite hand, though, his mom was passed out on the couch; her hair falling in front of her face as things to take away her pain lay lifeless around her. He knew she was fine and would wake up later, yet he couldn't help but frown.

Tugging himself away from living room entirely, Jisung walked into the kitchen after his stomach screamed for food. He hadn't remembered the last proper time he ate a decent meal, but it was the least of his worries. Of course he ate, but only when he physically had to.

Flipping through the cupboards, he luckily found a box of plain, unopened cereal, along with a bowl and spoon in a few other places about the kitchen. Although he couldn't date how old the cereal actually was due to its label practically invisible, he decided to just go for it. His parents never really were the ones to cook for themselves, let alone for him, so he lived off of what he could find, and what he could grab from the school cafeteria.

Ditching the milk idea since there wasn't any in the fridge to begin with, Jisung opened the box of cereal, before eating it dry. It wasn't like something he'd choose to eat forever, but it was something, in the least.

Pulling his gaze towards the woman on the couch, from where he stood in the kitchen doorway, sadness washed over him almost instantly. It wasn't the fact that he had lost his mom so long ago that hurt the most. He had already been through the pain and realization of that. It was the fact that not only she, but his father too, ruined just about everything they put their hands on. They ruined the house he grew up in; the only kid there to make memories in the attic and boy quick enough to run around the backyard by himself. They had ruined family dinners with their growing arguments. They ruined him; breaking him down just a bit more each day.

Feeling his heart sink, along with his hunger that was quickly replaced with guilt-induced nausea, Jisung put the box of cereal back in the cupboard, before walking towards the living room with gentle steps.

He sighed, wishing he didn't have to grow up so fast; although his wish was too far gone to grant. Grasping the empty alchohol bottles between his arm and chest, Jisung dropped them into the garbage; knowing that wasn't the best place to leave them forever.

He continued to clean and reorganize what needed a great deal of fixing. He wasn't able to do everything on his own, but he made the most of the time he had.

Once done with clearing up empty plastic bags of whatnot and alcohol drinks, the door opened and in walked his dad. He wasn't expecting a lot from the man at all, yet he kind of hoped he wouldn't show up.

His father didn't even look like himself anymore. His clothes were turned every which way, his hair tousled into imperfections all around, and his mind on autopilot. He quickly took notice of the last few bottles in Jisung's hands, a darkness filling his eyes with nothing but frustration and anger. He wasn't thinking right nor for himself; the drugs were doing it for him.

In a few short steps, his dad knocked the bottles from his hands, sending them to the floor in a matter of seconds. Jisung quickly gripped the back of his hands, flinching at the way they stung from the contact of his dad's movement. He stared down at the broken glass; his body and mind slowly starting to feel like a measly little piece on the floor too.

"Look at the mess you made," his father spoke; his voice wavering in and out of what sounded like complete hate. "Clean it up." His words dripped with a venom Jisung new all too well; and understanding the consequences of getting poisoned, the blonde weakly nodded, still not finding the guts to look at the man in front of him.

Not being able to move, Jisung stood there, completely and utterly frozen. He knew not following his dad's instructions would only get him hurt, but he physically couldn't move. He felt as if the world wasn't on his side again at the one time it was most needed. Closing his eyes, he breathed in, before letting it go; soon turning to pick up the broken glass with bare hands.

His father, however, hated the fact that he was taking his time. Placing his hands on Jisung's back, he quickly shoved him to the ground, before walking away as if his son's worth and wellbeing was nothing but the books spoke of.

Gasping at the contact of sharp glass against his palms, Jisung wanted to cry out in pain, yet doing so would only bring him the attention he didn't want.

Getting up, he wiped off the shards of glass, trying to ignore the stinging pain and blood coming from his palms. He sprinted to the door, not bothering to be cleanly as he opened it and ran down the front lawn, because his realizations had finally caught up to him. He was nothing to the people he called parents; the ones supposed to give him the most love. He forced himself to make a decision as he ran down the road; away from everything he ever knew.