Enemies - Zhong Chenle

⁴⁷

Jaerin opened her eyes to the sun shining onto her bed, causing her to shut her eyes momentarily at the sudden brightness. The beeping above her head was the only sound in the room accompanied by a soft snore coming from somewhere in the room.

She tried pushing herself up from laying down, only to groan when she felt pain shoot up her body somewhere in her leg and on her right arm. Her movements might have caused a pulling on her sewn wounds, and she laid back down slowly, avoiding the pain.

"Hello?"

"Anyone?"

Her soft whispers were met with a long silence in the room. She turned her head to the opposite of the window, checking the bed beside her and the bed at the other corner. Unfortunately, they were empty.

"Hello?"

"Jaerin?"

An unfamiliar voice spoke above her. A female in her 30s appeared in her vision, smiling down at her.

"You are awake."

"You are...?"

"I'm the parent of one of the kids that were trapped under your parents' capture," the woman smiled softly at her. She could tell Jaerin was trying to find her friends and patted her hands.

"I shooed your friends and your brothers to eat while I look over you, they haven't been eating properly since you were the last to wake up."

"I'll give them a call after the doctor checks your condition if you want."

Jaerin nodded, whispering a small 'thank you' to the woman who returned her a small pat on her head and a 'no problem'. 

Jaerin was resting after the doctor came and gave her the report along with her prescribed pills, which she tried to get away with and the doctor didn't continue forcing her. The door to the room creaked, unheard to the girl. A male entered, silently greeting the mother of the kid at the other side of the room before he placed the stuff he brought beside the bed.

His hands found his way to hold the girl's, surprising the girl as she flinched slightly and turned her head towards the culprit.

"Oh my god, you are awake, I didn't know that. Sorry."

Chenle smiled wearily, eyes locking with Jaerin who smiled back at him. He wanted to retrace his hands, but Jaerin held onto it tightly, her smile turned into a frown.

"Have you been overworking again?"

"No."

"Don't lie to me," Jaerin gave him an eye and Chenle sighed. The girl never fails to notice the slight change in other people, most probably because she was used to being aware of the changes of the kids under her parents control in school.

"How long have I been out? And you already have such dark eye bags. You look like you haven't been sleeping."

"I'm fine, I'm serious," Chenle reassured as he squeezed her hand.

"I just had to go through another stack of papers since the next semester is in two months, you know the drill. But thank you for caring for me." He teased the girl, who removed her hand from his grip and smacked his shoulder, hissing later at the pain of her cuts.

Chenle quickly stopped, gently laying her hands back onto the bed so she wouldn't move and pull her new wounds.

"I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Whatever."

They paused in a comfortable silence as Chenle slid his hands back to holding Jaerin's, rubbing circle at the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

Taken aback at Chenle's sudden apology, Jaerin tilted her head to look at the boy who was avoiding her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry you have to go through all this."

Jaerin squeezed his hand, just like how he did just now.

"You don't have to apologize, Chenle. It's not your fault I have such a traumatic childhood. I'm just glad you weren't with us when all went down hill, unless you have something to do with it." Jaerin joked, earning a half hearted laugh from Chenle.

"Yeah...you are right."

"So don't dwell on yourself, okay?"

Chenle nodded, giving her a tight-lipped smile as Jaerin shifted her attention to the door where the other boys bombarded in with big and small plastics in their hands just in time.

Chenle hurriedly hid his hands from their sight to avoid their teasing, and fortunately for him the rest didn't notice it, too engrossed in greeting the girl who had woken up.

I'm sorry, Jaerin. I failed to protect you.

Just before my head hits the pillow, another chapter I had been trying to paste together 

I just finished an English exam today and it was so much easier than IGCSE idk why they are making a ruckus until it was on the news in my country

I am so sleep deprived and after the exams we had to take just to get the cert for the sake of working in my country I still have tests for A levels. So hectic but I'm fine other than lacking of sleep

I should sleep now, thanks for reading this short diary of mine 🤣

Have a great day ahead