Behind the Curtain [Seo Changbin ff]

33

Jiho POV

It was the following day.

I was standing in front of the police station, Changbin's mother holding onto my hand tightly.

- Why can't I come with you? - Changbin whined once again from the driver's seat of the car, the engine still on.

His mother turned to him, glaring at her son one last time.

- Seo Changbin, you will go to school, stop whining. -

He huffed, waving us goodbye and finally driving to school.

I felt a hand squeeze mine, and I turned to be met with Changbin's mother's eyes. Her gaze was reassuring, a faint smile telling me that everything was going to be okay.

•••

I came out of that same police station 5 hours later after crying my eyes out, my whole face red and puffy.

I had told them everything, every fit of rage, bottle thrown and belittling insult. Every scar, every beating, every detail. And it was emotionally draining.

I was now directing the officers to my house, and I felt like I was carrying the whole world on my shoulders.

Tears streamed down my face when I opened the door of my apartment and I observed them take him and forcefully lead him out of there.

He threw insults at me and threatened me by saying he would have made me regret it. He called me a bitch and a traitor, and once again brought up the memory of my mother by saying I had disappointed her.

And for the whole time, Changbin's mother was there, holding my shoulders and helping me stabilize my breath while she wiped away the tears falling down my cheeks.

I was now sitting in the back of Changbin's car, staring at my lap, everybody dead silent. I was still crying, but quietly, while the other two eyed me worriedly from time to time.

Still in silence, we walked inside their house, where Changbin immediately led me to his room, helping me lay on his bed.

Not even two minutes after, I passed out completely.

•••

- Ji, do you want to come downstairs and have dinner with us? - Changbin asked, waking me up by gently caressing my cheek.

It took me a little while to understand where I was and what time it was, squinting and rubbing my eyes.

He was sitting on the side of the bed close to me, looking to at me softly and protectively, eyes admiring me fondly.

- I'm gonna come downstairs in a few minutes. - I said, earning a faint smile from Changbin, who walked out of the room and closed the door gently.

I sat up on the bed, my head spinning.

Had I made the right decision? I couldn't stop thinking about my father's eyes red with rage, his fists balled up and angry words spat at me. I could have never seen him again, or else my life would have been in danger.

That thought broke me deeply. I loved my father and all the good memories I had with him, but it all had become too toxic to tolerate for me. I needed to let him go to save myself.

I stood up, walking to the shower to freshen up a bit before wearing Changbin's sweatpants and hoodie, both of them fitting wonderfully big on me, making me feel cozy and safe at the same time.

Even though I had just been spending a few months with him, I had grown attached to his sweet smell, which I could recognize anywhere. And at that moment, I was wearing his clothes which were impregnated with it, and it felt like heaven.

My heart quickened its pace as I walked down the stairs, hearing Changbin and his mother chat calmly. I saw them smile to each other, giggling every once in a while to lighten the very heavy and dark mood which had dominated that day.

It was a soothing view.

I couldn't help but smile, walking to them and taking my designated seat on the table.

- There you are Jiho! - Changbin's mother smiled brightly, standing up to bring my plate, which was full of still hot food. - Here, I hope it's still warm. -

I reciprocated the smile, only thinking about how much lighter I felt. I didn't feel like I had a heavy burden on my shoulders anymore. I felt free.

- Thank you. To both of you. I feel so much better after today. Thank you for pushing me into doing this. -

They both cooed and smiled, Changbin reaching my hand.

- You are the strongest person I know, Ji, and I love you for this. -

My cheeks blushed red at his words, and I tried to hid it by looking down at my plate while holding back a smile.

- Do you feel like going to school tomorrow, sweetie? - Changbin's mom eyed me lovingly, smiling faintly as she waited for me to speak.

I thought a little about it.

I felt freer, I felt lighter. They had just lifted a weight off my shoulders, they had been helping me like nobody had ever done.

I felt much stronger, and it made me want to restart again. I wanted to go back to who I was.

I looked up, meeting Changbin's eyes, a smirk making its way on my face. He only looked back at me confused.

- Yeah, I think I can. I want to go back to who I was before I lost my mom. -

Changbin's confused expression suddenly morphed into a smirk.

- Let's go back to compete for grades. -

We high-fived, giggling happily before we both went back to eating.

- So she's the one you told me about! - His mom suddenly said with wide eyes.

She turned towards me, ready to explain while Changbin buried his head in his arms embarrassedly.

- Last year he would always come back home complaining about some girl getting better marks than him, was that you? - She asked entertained, making me nod while laughing.

- You really were complaining? We were always getting the same grades, Bin! - I laughed even harder, remembering all the times we would look at each other in challenge, ready to fight as soon as we would get the tests back.

- What's wrong about it?! - He suddenly replied, his cheeks even redder. - I wanted to be better than you! -

I giggled, eating another bite of my dinner.

- You're too competitive, Bin. - I shook my head amusedly.

He glared at me, huffing and going back to eat silently, though he still had a little smile on his face.