being lonely | minsung | ✔

35

With a smile still present on my face, I return home and venture into the kitchen after kicking off my shoes and slinging my bag into a far corner of the hallway.

It was definitely fun to hang out with Chan and Minho, despite the fact that hey kept teasing me the entire time. It's like they find joy in embarrassing me, but deep down under, I honestly find it funny, too.

We didn't eat ice cream once, but twice and Minho forced me to taste his choice of flavor both times, of course while stealing my ice cream. Did I mind? No, honestly not.

And way too soon it was time to go home for dinner.

I find both my parents in the kitchen, my mom cooking while my dad is staring at his coffee mug on the table, his fingers tightly clenched around the red porcelain. The tension is obvious and the feeling of anxiety grows in the pit of my stomach. There's definitely something off.

"Hi, I'm home," I greet reluctantly, my voice small and nearly inaudible.

The tension is getting to me as well, my throat constricting ever so slightly as I swallow, standing there awkwardly.

My mom whirls around, temporarily abandoning the stove as she returns my greeting with a soft smile. I instantly relax a little, even though I didn't miss the uneasiness in her eyes. Whatever is wrong right now, she noticed too or she's a part of it. 

My dad just blatantly ignores me.

I reluctantly take my seat at the dinner table, avoiding to look at my dad who's still staring at the steaming mug in his hand. I have a bad feeling about it, he appears to be in a terrible mood and I know hell is about to break loose once he starts ranting about whatever happened to make him feel this angry. Really a dinner to look forward to.

My mom soon joins us, placing a steaming pot of whatever she cooked in the middle of the table. It smells delicious but I fear I can't really enjoy it this time. I always have a hard time dealing with my dad's outbursts. His raised voice and harsh words often put me in a state of slight panic, even though his words aren't even directed at me.

"Honey, is something wrong? You seem... tensed," my mom cautiously asks, softly touching my father's hand that's clenched around his red mug. "Did something happen?"

The uneasiness radiates off of her body language. My mom and I both know that whatever is going to happen, it won't be a peaceful meal. Yet, she still decided to ask him about it. The matter will only get worse if she doesn't ask about it and wait for him to explode when he feels like it.

Mom places a plate with food in front of us and I reach out to grab a pair of chopsticks and begin to eat in silence. My dad, however, doesn't move and his plate and chopsticks remain untouched for a good minute before his clenched jaw relaxes a little bit.

"I got the promotion I wanted," he growls and my mom arches a brow in surprise.

"Congratulations, honey," she softly speaks, her hand still on his. "But isn't that something to be happy about? You look angry."

My dad laughs scornfully, a raw and unpleasant sound that sends a chill down my spine. I want to tell my mom to stop, to stop prying further into the danger zone. Why can't we just eat in peace, why can't she just ask about it when I'm safely in my room?

"Oh, I was very happy indeed," he replies, his tone bitter. "Mr. Kim came up to me and told me I was the perfect candidate for the job. Turns out there were more positions available and guess who also got promoted?"

My heart drops, my throat constricts even further. I feel myself breaking in a cold sweat because I can already predict what's coming. It can only be one thing; Lee Sangyeon, the co-worker with so-called issues, got the same position as my dad.