| 2.26 |

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I quietly closed the door behind me, letting Jungwon get peace while he slept. Sunoo quietly stood out on the hallway just looking at me, he had managed to get Lin to go rest a bit as well, of course she hadn't said no but it was very clear she wanted him to go with her.

"Don't you dare fake your death like that again," I immediately hissed at Sunoo, who let out a small laugh before reaching an arm over and pulling me into his side.

"I had to didn't I? You all thought Lin was dead, but I knew she was alive," Sunoo excused before walking me down to the kitchen, immediately setting me down on a chair before beginning to rumage through the different cupboards in search for some food, "what happened to Jungwon? I've never seen him have an anxiety attack like that."

"The alliance found us," I quietly excused and he just nodded, "apparently his dad is the leader of that and... he shot us a few times."

"A few times?" Sunoo abruptly turned around and looked at me with a frown.

"He was shot in the shoulder and thigh," I nodded at him and he just arched a brow, "I was shot two times in the back... I think it gave him some sort of anxiety of letting me go, he's been very hesitant with letting me go anywhere without him."

"Hm..." Sunoo quietly hummed as a frown grew on his face and he turned back to the food he had found, and quietly began preparing, "you know... he's been very scared to leave you alone for a long time," Sunoo spoke and a small frown grew on my face as I looked at his back, "when we were still in the camper, you had fallen asleep or something... you definitely weren't there. He and I spoke... he tried to cheer me up about Lin being gone. It was more him talking about how worried he always found himself being."

"We used to hate each other," I reminded Sunoo as a small laugh escaped him.

"You used to hate him," he corrected, "I think he warmed up to you completely after you two went to get crops... something in him changed after that. He wasn't as cold as a wall all of a sudden. But you know... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" I questioned him in confusion and he simply glanced over his shoulder with a small nod, "why in the world would you be sorry?"

"Ever since Riki and I faked our deaths it can't have been easy for him," Sunoo excused and sucked in a deep breath, "you might not exactly have seen it, but the three of us were always very close, him and the older boys... it's not that they don't care about each other but he has trouble expressing himself properly to them and standing up for his opinions. For the past month or so you would've been the only one he could freely talk to, and yet he won't dare tell you about the things he struggles with. I think that anxiety attack is him having bottled up everything and then cracking."

Looking back at the time between Sunoo and Niki faking their death and up until now Jungwon never mentioned anything about any hardships he had. He always tried to lead us in a quiet way, not speaking up against the older boys nor telling me if he needed some extra care, just like he mindlessly gave me extra care.

"Here, eat," Sunoo offered and placed a bowl in front of me, "you need meat on that body of yours."

"Can I take this with me?" I questioned and Sunoo simply frowned at me, "I think I should go talk with Jungwon."

"He's sleeping," Sunoo spoke and I shook my head at him.

"Ain't no way he's sleeping with what you just told me," I mumbled and quickly stood up before grabbing the bowl and rushing out of the kitchen.

I was lucky that the room Sunoo had given us wasn't on the second floor, it would've made it harder for me to run away from Sunoo's protests. Even though I knew Jungwon probably wasn't sleeping I still was quiet when I opened the door to the bedroom. The moment I stepped in he sat up in the bed and looked around the room, fingers restlessly tapping the blanket I had thrown over him.

"I knew it," I sighed and he immediately snapped his head to me a small smile spreading on his face, "drop the smile," I warned and closed the door behind me, discarding of the bowl on a nearby desk before walking over and sitting down across from him, "so... speak."

"What?" he let out a small laugh as he just looked at me in amusement, "are you good Ji? You're acting all weird and angsty."

"Comes from the boy that had an anxiety attack less than an hour ago and now is sitting across from me acting like nothing happened," I pointed out and his smile dropped while he gulped down, "tell me what's wrong. What happened out there?"

"Can't we forget it?" he quietly murmured as he directed his gaze away from my face and down onto the blanket that laid sprawled out over him.

"Not a chance," I simply shook my head.

Jungwon quietly closed his eyes tightly before letting out a sigh and just turning his hand around so the palm was upwards. I knew what he wanted so wordlessly I laid my hand in his, which he immediately grabbed onto.

"Can I lay with you?" he questioned quietly. When I didn't answer he glanced up at my face carefully, "please?"

"You're making me worried," I murmured and he just nodded before giving my hand a squeeze, "I... okay then," I hummed.

Jungwon immediately reached out and pulled me into his embrace while I threw the blanket over both of us. Quietly Jungwon helped me lay down before laying his head on my chest and holding a tight grip around my waist. It was almost like looking down over a small kid.

"I like this," he muttered as I ran a hand through his hair.

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