Friends with benefits||𝐴𝑇𝐸𝐸𝑍

♕𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎♕

If you ask Yunho to describe a time where there wasn't awkward tension around his family, his mind would honestly come to a blockage. He often wondered how it was like to have a dinner with your relatives and talk about how their days were or complain about little pet peeves they had of each other.

But no. Instead, Yunho was sat at the dinner table, his parents sat on each end while his head was lowered, his fork grazing over his food.

The silence was unbearable, but he was used to it. In fact, he preferred it. He knew the moment his mother spoke, he would fall into a negative mindset again and that's the last thing we wants. Whenever she reached to take a drink of water, the boy would instinctively flinch, making the woman feel immense guilt. She wanted to talk to her son, to embrace him, cradle him while telling him how sorry she was. But she couldn't. The moment she even stepped foot within 2m of him, Yunho would step back. They hadn't even made eye contact since.

"How are your studies going?" His father broke the still air, not even looking up from his meal.

Yunho looked at him for a few seconds before answering, "good. I have a great tutor."

"I told you, Lina would be a good tutor. There was no need for you to be fussy about it, was there?"

"Wait." Mrs Jeong's voice was heard for the first time that day. All eyes were on her. "S-Seo Lina? You're still friends."

Yunho just nodded his head, avoiding all eye contact possible.

"How is she? How's her mother? I haven't heard off of her in a while."

Yunho's body tensed. She didn't know that Mrs Seo left her family, abandoned them. He couldn't help but let his blood boil at the question. "Lina is fine. Her mother on the other hand." He scoffs. "Really proves that you two are best friends."

Mr Jeong slammed his hand on the table, "Yunho! That's your mother you're talking about."

He looked his father in the eyes, absence buried on his face. "Do I look like I care?"

Before Mr Jeong could retaliate, his wife's voice was heard again. "You should invite them to dinner."

"Did you not get it? Lina's mother left. Abandoned her family with no explanation." Yunho snapped.

Mrs Jeong sunk lower into her seat, not really knowing how to react. "I-I'm sorry." She uttered.

Yunho scoffed. "Sorry?" He shook his head in disbelief. "That's what you're sorry for?"

"Yun-" she tried, her voice failing her.

He was becoming frustrated, angry, devastated. "You've been back for a week and you haven't even apologised to me. You haven't shown me any kind of acknowledgment or tried to prove to me that you've changed. After everything you did to me, you don't even have the audacity to tell me you're sorry. Your own son." A huge lumped formed in his throat, causing his voice to come out in choked sobs. "I tried to kill myself because of you. And yet you're still too much of a coward to empathise. Do you just expect me to forgive you with the snap of my fingers?" He huffed, ignoring the streaming tears that rolled down his red cheeks. "All I ever wanted was to feel maternal love. You neglected me, abused me, almost killed me. What did I do wrong, aye? Was I really that bad of a child? Why didn't you just give me up? Instead, you inflicted suffering onto me as if I were nothing!"

Her eyes became glossy at his words. "I-I wasn't well." She reasoned with a quiet voice.

"You should have gotten help!" He roared, "you knew were sick years before you got locked up. So why not get treatment? Because of the company imagine? How pathetic. You cared more about what the public think about you more than your own child's well-being."