Why So Lonely? || Minsung 1/3 ✔️

81

I didn't show up to school the next day. I refused to. My mom called the school before going to work. Heetuk was still here. I could hear him moving things around in his bedroom. The bedroom that had become a guest room after he left. His shit was in the basement, and I wasn't going to help him bring it up. He had his own apartment, so maybe not everything would be disrupted.

My friends tried calling me all night. Minho did too. I didn't answer. I let my phone die even though I hated the silence.

There was noise coming from downstairs before it stopped. The doorbell had rung. Maybe it was his girlfriend trying to get him to come back to her.

"Jisung, your friends are here. I'm going to work." His voice sounded rough.

I didn't respond. Maybe they would think I was asleep. Maybe they just came to give me my homework. Either way, I didn't want to talk to them. The guilt that surrounded my heart was unbearable.

You know what I'm thankful for though? The lock on my door. That's what I'm thankful for. Why? Because no one could come barging in.

"Jisung," Chan's voice came through, "open the door. Please. We want to help."

I didn't respond.

How many times am I going to have to say that?

"Jisungie hyung, please talk to us. You're so important to us."

Why is it me who always makes people worry when I try to be the least worrying? Why do I have to be the complete mess even though I know their lives are stressful too?

"Babe, if you won't come out, I'm going in," Minho threatens.

Sure, why not.

I hear a few sighs. Why do I have to let them down all the time? I hear footsteps walking away. Just one pair of footsteps. Maybe he wasn't actually bluffing.

A few minutes go by, and Minho's hand is suddenly grasping my window sill. Idiot. I stare at it before putting my head into my arms.

"Angel," he whispers, tapping my arm.

My lip trembled. God, I'm so weak. A sob escaped me, wracking throughout my entire body. As soon as that cry escaped, I could feel the warmth of his arms around me.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered through the harsh breaths, releasing my own body to hug his. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh, you have nothing to apologize for. We're here for you. It's okay to ask for help."

"I-I didn't want to bother you g-guys anymore."

"You weren't bothering us. You could never bother us with things like this. You needed a safe place, and we failed to bring that to you. We're here now," he spoke for all of them.

"I-I'm sorry I never told you I had a brother. I was going to, I swear. I-it was just so much easier pretending that I didn't have one. Pretending that the pain wasn't there."

"It's okay, baby. It was personal business. It's not my place to force you to tell me," he responds.

"How did you e-end up with a wreck like me? You're perfect, and I'm a cold, wimpy noodle."

"You're not a wimpy noodle, angel. You're mine. All mine. A perfectly cooked, delicious noodle."

"Be careful chirren, das a lot of sodium," I quoted, a laugh coughing from my throat.

"God, what has Felix done to you?" He chuckles.

"Hey! Don't bring me into this!" We heard the young Australian shout from the other side of the door.

I stood up, carefully peeling myself from Minho. I unlocked the door, opening it slightly before being pushed to the ground by the entire group.

"Never do that again, hyungie," Jeongin says, squeezing me tightly.

"I'm sorry Innie-"

"And don't apologize either," Seungmin cuts me off. For once, he's the one to give me the affection instead of me forcing him.

"We love you, Sungie," Felix says, kissing my temple while all of us were still on the floor.

"I love you guys too. Can we get off of the floor now? I feel like a squished squirrel," I exclaim, huffing a bit of air since it was hard to breathe with six other fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen year olds on top of me.

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•The amount of times I've reread and rewrote and added shit to the last chapter and this chapter is crazy. I was so insecure about these two chapters because they hold a special — not so good — place in my heart. Thank you for the support <3•