Luminous • Jisung

23 • Rest

Rensung ♡

• Chapter 23 •

At the knock on his door, Jisung calmly made his way downstairs. 

A hand in his pocket, he pulled it open, revealing two stressed looking boys waiting on the other side. 

"Hey Jisung, have you seen Cho-a?" Renjun asked hurriedly, glimpsing inside with urgency. Behind him stood Haechan silently yet with an equally stressed look on his face. 

Jisung nodded. 
"Yeah, she's resting upstairs," he replied ever so casually. 

At that, Renjun already stepped into the boy's home when suddenly, the younger one pressed his hand against the other's chest, stopping him midway. 

Renjun frowned. 
"What?" 

"I said she's resting," he hinted, shooting Haechan a warning glare who was already cautious because of Jisung's cold and monotone tone. He just stood there and watched. 

He felt something was off. He also felt it has nothing much to do with him. 

Given that he was friends with either of the boys he decided to just stay out of it, which Jisung appreciated. He focused back on the oldest of the bunch. 

"So what? Can I not check in on her?" Renjun asked. 

"It's not much use checking in on someone who wants to be alone for a moment, is it?" Jisung retorted, both throwing around rhetorical questions as if that was a way to have a proper conversation. 

Frowning, jaw clenched, Renjun pushed Jisung's hand away from him to step further into the house. Yet, he was quickly stopped again by another hand that gripped his upper arm tightly. 

He turned his head slowly, eyes rolling underneath closed eyelids ere he stared at the younger one. 

"What's your problem?" he asked, voice low and threatening. But to Jisung, it was merely annoying. Right now, he was endlessly annoyed by his friend. Though he loved and treasured him, he couldn't help the tight feeling in his chest when he thought of the teary-eyed girl. 

He thought of the first time he saw her like that, thought of what Renjun had said to her in the past that still hurt her to this day. He thought of earlier, when he held her in his arms for way too long as she clung onto him as if her life depended on it. 

Frankly, Jisung wanted to shout at the older one. He wanted to punch him, wanted to ask him why he was acting so caring one second yet wasn't ready to support and stand by her the next. 

He just felt the need to ask him how he felt being at least part of the reason why his treasured friend, his whatever she was to him, cried already twice in front of someone whom she wasn't even close to. 

He really wanted to ask. However, he couldn't. Both times, Cho-a ran away. She tried to be alone so no one would see. Jisung wasn't sure if it would make her uncomfortable if Renjun knew that she was so upset. 

So he didn't say anything. 

He just smiled tightly, raised a brow. 

"She is my guest in my house. If she wants to rest, I'll let her. If she wants to be alone, I'll make sure she gets the chance to." Jisung leaned a little closer to Renjun. "Don't barge in here and act as if this place was yours when you don't even know what damage you are causing." 

More than confused by his words, there was a crack in Renjun's expression. For a second he stared into the younger one's eyes looking for whatever he was expecting to find - something he didn't know about. 

But he couldn't see through him. He couldn't tell what he was thinking. 

Renjun looked at him intently. 
"Do you know something?" 

Jisung hummed as if he was wondering himself. Then he turned his head, eyes on Haechan now who was curious but uninvolved. Although the worry on his face was evident, he also seemed rather calm. 

"You should go now," Jisung suggested. It was an order, obviously. One that Renjun was inclined not to follow. However, he had very little reason to distrust Jisung with Cho-a's safety. He had very little reason to look for a fight with him. 

Even if they annoyed each other at times, they were still friends. 

So with his hands in fists, eyes narrowed down on the younger one, Renjun stepped back. He nodded to himself. 
"If she stays the night make sure she eats something," he said, voice small and worried and still a little angry. "She might forget."

Staying still, Jisung merely hummed, then watched the older ones leave. And once the door was closed, the boy turned on his heel, spotting the girl who took a step around the corner and was now standing at the little platform of the staircase. 

Jisung raised a brow. 
"How much did you hear?" 

"Pretty much everything," Cho-a replied quietly, hands behind her back. "Thanks." 

The boy nodded, didn't say anything as he made his way into the living room. He grabbed his phone on the way, opened his list of contacts, then waited for Cho-a to follow him. 

"I'm sorry for-" she began but got cut off. 

"It was my choice not to let him in," he assured, then held his phone out to her. "Call Kun and tell him you are fine. He is probably worried." 

Cho-a grinned. 
"Very considerate." 

He rolled his eyes. 
"Just call him, I'll order something for you to eat afterwards." 

"Yessir." 

• Rest •