Pain Inside Me (Kenta × Kim)

Chapter 22

Kim found himself standing in the parking lot of the hotel, about to open his car door when he spotted Kenta.

His initial instinct was to hide, but something about Kenta's appearance made him pause.

Kenta's eyes were swollen and a bit red, as if he had been crying. Concern flooded over Kim, and without realizing it, he found himself walking towards Kenta.

Kenta was shocked when he saw Kim approaching him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kim asked, his voice filled with worry as he reached out to touch Kenta's face.

It was then that he noticed a red handprint on Kenta's cheek, though Kenta quickly tried to hide it.

"Did he hit you again?" Kim asked, his voice filled with annoyance and anger.

"Why are you here?" Kenta quickly changed the subject, trying to divert attention away from his bruised face.

Kim realized that he had walked towards Kenta without even realizing it. He should have kept his distance and pretended he didn't see anything.

"I-I came to visit a friend," Kim quickly made up an excuse, hoping Kenta wouldn't see through it.

Kenta read the expression on Kim's face, but decided not to press the issue any further. He simply nodded, indicating that he wanted to be left alone.

Kenta started to walk away, but Kim let out a heavy sigh and decided to grab Kenta's arm.

"Hey, let me go!" Kenta protested, trying to break free from Kim's grip. He wasn't in the mood to play games with Kim.

Kim's eyes hardened as he turned to face Kenta, his fist raised in the air.

"Gonna punch me? Huh?" he challenged.

Kenta let out a defeated sigh and lowered his hands.

"Hands off," he ordered, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"Don't order me around," Kim retorted, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. He opened the car door and gestured for Kenta to get in.

"Why would I-" Kenta didn't even have a chance to finish his sentence before Kim forcefully pushed him into the car. Kim quickly got in and locked the doors before Kenta could escape.

Kenta demanded that Kim unlock the car doors, but Kim ignored him and started driving. Realizing there was no way out, Kenta chose to remain silent.

After a while, Kim pulled into a convenience store.

"Wait, I just need to buy something," he said, stepping out of the car and heading inside.

Kenta watched as Kim disappeared into the store, wondering what he was up to.

Several minutes later, Kim returned with a plastic bag in his hand. He got back into the car and handed it to Kenta.

"Here," Kim said simply.

"What is this?" Kenta asked, looking inside the bag. He saw an ice pack and a bunch of different flavored ice creams. Confusion washed over him as he looked back at Kim.

Kim let out an exasperated sigh, realizing Kenta was a bit slow on the uptake. He reached for the ice pack and gently applied it to Kenta's swollen face.

"Your face is a bit swollen, so I thought this might help reduce the swelling," Kim explained.

Kenta nodded, finally understanding Kim's intentions. He handed one of the ice cream cones to Kim, but Kim declined.

"It's for you," he said, a genuine smile on his face.

"For me?" Kenta asked, his confusion growing deeper. Kim pressed the ice pack a little harder, causing Kenta to let out a yelp.