POISONED YOUTH: TWISTED

CHAPTER 48

The moment Yeoreum stepped into the apartment, she immediately caught sight of someone sitting beside her cousin—someone she never expected to see this soon.

Lee Donghyuck.

He was dressed in a loose white shirt with the collar hanging low enough to reveal his collarbones, paired with tight denim jeans that hugged his thighs and a brown belt around his waist. He looked annoyingly stunning, the kind of person who could walk into a room and steal attention without even trying. But Yeoreum refused to let herself stare.

The moment their eyes met, she broke the eye contact and walked straight toward her bedroom, closing the door behind her without locking it.

She slumped onto her bed, her mind immediately filling with possibilities.

Maybe he needs to talk to Yoonoh about something serious?

Maybe Yoonoh called him for some reason?

Maybe he's—

"Don't think too much. You'll get wrinkles."

Yeoreum immediately sat up in surprise.

She turned toward the voice and met those familiar brown eyes, partially hidden beneath his bangs, which had grown long enough to fall over the lower part of his eyes.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Of course she was happy to see him. But the excitement she used to feel whenever he appeared was nowhere to be found.

She was too tired for that now.

"It's not five days, Hyuck."

Haechan's expression shifted slightly. "I just came here."

"If you checked on me because Yoonoh told you to, I'm fine." She turned away and pulled a pair of pajamas from her closet. "Go back there and continue talking."

Her voice was flat, almost painfully calm.

She walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, leaving Haechan standing in the middle of her room.

He froze.

His fingers tightened around the doorknob as he stared at the closed bathroom door. He opened his mouth to call her name, but the only thing that escaped was a shaky breath.

"I didn't come here because Jaehyun told me to," he murmured.

Silence.

"I felt the need to see you."

Still nothing.

Only the steady sound of running water answered him from the other side.

Haechan sighed deeply, his eyes slowly wandering around her room. He remembered how bright it used to be, how the space seemed to reflect Yeoreum herself. But now, all he could see was darkness.

The light was turned off. The blue curtains she once had were now black, drawn tightly across the windows and blocking the moonlight from entering. The little glow-in-the-dark stars that used to cover her ceiling and make the room feel peaceful had somehow become part of the loneliness surrounding her.