Catch-22, HAECHAN

14 | let me let you go

"You're looking a little sullen." Jaemin's mother comments from behind the counter as she slides a stone bowl of cabbage soup towards Chaerin. "Are you sick?"

"Lovesick, maybe," Jaemin snorts from beside her, earning himself a smack at the back of his head by a grumpy Chaerin.

She groans, burying her face into her arms once more. She figured visiting the café for her mother's hangover soup would help in relieving her headache, but when Jaemin had sauntered in only five minutes after and began chewing her ear off about some celebrity he saw on the streets yesterday, she's beginning to regret not just staying in bed instead.

Chaerin squeezes her eyes shut tighter as she tries to block out the light (and sound) from her surroundings, until she feels a poke on her arm.

She peeks through the gap of her elbow, her stepbrother already staring at her. "Seriously. What's up?"

"I'm hungover. Leave me alone," she grumbles as she turns to face the other side, but Jaemin is adamant as he continues to poke her again, this time on her cheek.

"Exactly. You never drink alone." Jaemin narrows his eyes as he studies her. "Something's up."

Chaerin sighs as she sits up straight, ignoring the swirl in her head at the sudden gesture. She glares at her brother. "Nothing's up. I could have had some friends over yesterday, you never know."

"Like who, Lee Haechan?" Jaemin teases, and despite the stutter of her heart at being caught, Chaerin keeps a straight face. "You don't think my girlfriend would tell me that you had him over last night? And seeing as it's Lee Haechan we're talking about here, I highly doubt you were drinking with him, but rather, over him."

Chaerin looks away as she feels her cheeks begin to heat up, memories of just now morning infiltrating her mind once more. If anything, she's feeling more frustrated than flustered because she couldn't for the life of her remember what the hell had happened yesterday. She remembers Donghyuck coming over, yes, and her mini freak-out session that led to her downing a few cans of beers, but everything else after that was a blur.

Until, of course, a few hours ago.

"We slept together," she blurts, and Jaemin's eyes widen as he spits out his mouthful of coffee, the black liquid wetting the wooden counter and the front of his shirt.

"What?!"

"No, you freak! Not like that!" Chaerin quickly backtracks as she grabs for some tissues, realising a little too late at her poor choice of wording. She glances at her brother before sighing. "Fine. You're right. He did come over, and I may have had a couple of beers, but the next thing I know I wake up on the couch with him under me and his arm was around my waist and it felt kinda nice but I didn't know what the fuck to do so I shoved him away and-"

"You shoved him? Like off the couch?" Jaemin gawks.

Chaerin cringes. "I mean... kinda?"

There was, in fact, no kinda— Chaerin did shove him off the couch.

The warmth of his skin was quick to leave her the very moment she did, the boy toppling to the ground with a loud thud which was then followed by an equally loud groan.

The pain that seared across his cheek was enough to jolt Haechan awake completely at that point, though he was still confused as to how and why he had ended up in this position— that was until he heard a small gasp from the couch next to him, the culprit staring at him with wide eyes and her hands to her mouth.

Haechan groaned as he rubbed his sore cheek. "You need to tone it down with the violence, Cherry."

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked, and Haechan stifles a laugh at how adorable she sounded. It wasn't often that she spoke to him in anything but her usual snappy tone, but Haechan figured she simply just forgot to turn it on with her still freshly awake.