°cherry tree°- •비민•

十

I wake up, confused.

Where am I?

I hate you so much. But I still love you. You're close.

I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand.

Why won't the voices stop?!

I suddenly recall what happened last night.

I look at the time.

11 AM.

I overslept. Ugh.

I smell something delicious coming from the kitchen.

I take a deep breath and step out of the bed. Standing up quickly makes me dizzy for a few seconds. I hold onto the wall.

My throat hurts so much. I feel my head and body hurt. 

Did I catch a cold?

My nose is runny.

I grab a tissue and walk out. Jin peeks from the kitchen downstairs.

"Good morning, Taehyung!" I sneeze.

"G-Good morning."

He stares at me for a few seconds. "Did you catch a cold?"

I shrug. "Maybe. I don't know, my head hurts and my throat is sore."

Jin sends me a worried look.

"Come down the stairs." I obey.

When I arrive next to him, he gasps.

"You're as white as a ghost. Get some rest, Taehyung. I'm making mashed potatoes."

I smile.

"Like, actual mashed potatoes? Not the powder?"

He laughs.

"Of course, the other one is gross. My mom taught me how to make them, yeah..."

A tensed atmosphere fills the room while Jin looks at the floor, blinking very quickly.

"I-I'm sorry for bringing up the sub-" I get interrupted by a coughing fit.

"Oh my, you're really sick. Go rest on the living room couch, I'll bring you food in a few minutes."

I stand there, agape.

"Jin-hyung... Thank you so much."

He opens his mouth to answer me, but I cut him.

"I know you're going to say "you're welcome", but I really need to tell you even my own mother has never cared for me as much as you. I feel like an intruder. I feel like I'm wasting your time. Thank you for helping me. I would have been dead outside if you didn't help me. You... You saved my life. I'm so ha-"

I get interrupted by him holding me tight in his arms.

So tightly.

I grip his shirt while he rests his head on my shoulder.

We stay like this for around two minutes. Maybe three? Or even five? I don't care.

The moment made me feel safe. The safest I've ever felt.

Jin backs away.

I notice his red eyes spitting out tears.

"H-Hyung..."

I wipe away his tears with my thumb, but it's no use. The tears keep coming back.

"D-Don't cry- Please don't cry, I'm gonna cry too..."