Peach Blossoms | park jinyoung

Chapter 11 - Guilt

Jaehee slowly turned his head, the blood draining from his face. "S-sooyeon?" he questioned, voice quivering in slight fear. It was a voice he could easily recognize; the same voice he had heard most days for the past 13 years.

Yugyoem stared at the two of them, confused. "You know each other? Noona? Hyung?"

"YA-" Sooyeon screamed, cutting out when she realized who she was with. She instantly lowered her voice. She stomped over to where Jaehee was and grabbed him by the arm, taking him outside. Jaebeom watched them with weary eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" Sooyeon exclaimed, eyes wide and staring up at Jaehee. He was around the same height as Yugyeom so she had to look up at him.

"I could say the same thing. What are you doing here?" Jaehee snapped back. He sounded irritated, but Sooyeon could hear that his voice was drenched in guilt. He knew he messed up.

"Hyung? Yugyeom literally called you hyung. How long have you known him?" Sooyeon asked. "I can't believe all this time you never told me or Hyejeong-" she stopped mid sentence, unable to go on out of guilt for not telling her best friend.

"Exactly, Sooyeon. You know exactly why I couldn't tell you guys." Jaehee sighed and ruffled his hair in frustration. "God, I thought about how to break it to you guys so many times, but I had no idea how to."

Sooyeon stood frozen, hand still around Jaehee's wrist. She felt too guilty for her own wrongdoings to continue scolding Jaehee. "Jaehee-ah, what are we going to do?" Sooyeon whimpered.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Jaebeom opened the door and said softly to Sooyeon. He glanced down to see Sooyeon still holding onto Jaehee's wrist and he took her hand off his gently. "Come inside, we'll talk this out." He said, sternly. He grabbed her wrist and started pulling her back inside. Sooyeon obeyed absentmindedly.

Jinyoung looked up at the sound of the door opening, face full of concern. "Is everything okay?"

"How do you guys know each other?" Yugyeom asked, mouth full of chicken. "I never thought Jaehee hyung would know noona," he took a sip out of the beer can and made a face right after.

Jaehee laughed awkwardly and stepped in after Jaebeom and Sooyeon, holding the back of his neck. "Ah, we're childhood best friends actually."

Jinyoung and Jaebeom both looked at them in surprise. "Childhood friends?" Jaebeom looked at Sooyeon for confirmation and she simply nodded.

"Wah, that's so cool. I wish I had childhood best friends here with me still," Jackson reminisced while holding a chicken drumstick.

"You have us hyung," Yugyeom linked arms with Jackson. They grinned at each other, oblivious to the room's tense atmosphere.

Jaebeom relaxed, releasing Sooyeon's wrist. "Ah, so he's your long time friend then," he smiled sheepishly at her, eyes disappearing.

"Hyung, come eat with us," Yugyeom gestured at Jaehee to sit down. "Noona should come eat too!"

Sooyeon smiled at Yugyeom and sat down on the floor across from him, next to Jinyoung. Jaebeom stepped forward to sit next to her, but Jaehee beat him to it, stealing the spot just as Jaebeom started to lower himself. Jaebeom glared intensely at his back and plopped down next to Jinyoung.

Jinyoung noticed Jaebeom's weird behaviour and raised his eyebrow, though he shrugged it off after a moment.

"Here," Jaehee sheepishly offered Sooyeon a drumstick with two apologetic hands. He grinned at her with his usual puppy eyes.

Sooyeon glared back at him, though, letting him know how mad she was at him. But she took the drumstick anyways, unable to resist.

"Yuggie, how do you know him?" Jackson asked.