The Reason? - Yoon Jeonghan

Chapter 36

Jeonghan heard the pitter-patter of her feet before he saw her emerge from the side of the corridor and into the entryway of the living room. He knew what she needed before she had even entered the room.

She stood in her pyjamas as she looked over the familiar faces sitting around the kitchen island calmly eating. Jeonghan had stood up from his seat, the only one turned to face her. It reminded her of the times she had had a nightmare and she had gone to see her parents as a child, they would already be awake and waiting for her when she would enter their bedroom. Jeonghan, at that moment, reminded her of such.

He was already waiting for her, arms stretched open with a small smile gracing his lips. Ophely could do nothing but walk into his embrace and accept the free comfort.

The boys finally turned to watch the scene unravel before them. Jeonghan, doing like he had for so many of them, caring with softness like no other. He had that thing about him that made it impossible to refuse his help when he gave it out. How could you refuse a hug from such a pretty face? It wasn't just that, he knew what to say, he understood much better than others how one might feel, and he used it to specify his help for one situation.

At that moment, Ophely was in his arms, tightly clutching onto his top as he gently hugged her back and let her cry onto him, his second hand caressing her messy hair.

"I'm sorry." Jeonghan muttered down to Ophely, who was finally pulling back from the hug, eyes raw from the tears she had let fall.

"What for?" She managed to say.

"For being the source of all of this situation." Ophely brushed her tears away with the sleeve of her t-shirt.

"But it's not your fault." She cut him off from apologising more. "You aren't the source of any situation. Back in December it was all due to some bizarre magic and all, and this week wasn't because of you. You are also a victim of this whole ordeal. The fault can only be put on that good-for-nothing journalist and anybody that believes her stupid article."

"Or the second one."

"Second what?" Ophely pursed her face in frown, but couldn't hold it for long as her head still hurt from all of her crying.

"Second article." Ophely hadn't seen it, he could tell with the way her face didn't stray far from its scrunched up position. "The one that followed the statement from the company, which said that you were currently an intern. The writer followed up with another, very, stupid article." Ophely huffed out and made her way to the kitchen, taking some milk and her chocolate powder from the fridge and the cupboard to make herself a warm comforting drink.

"What does it say?" She asked, in between making her drink giving a delicate nod of her head toward the other members, a show to tell them that she wasn't ignoring them.

"In between saying that you are a family member that wants to get close to us and saying that you are dating one of us, again for some ferocious reasons. The only logical thing said in that article was that you might be Vernon's cousin since you looked quite western."

"But I'm European." She huffed out as she put the cup she was making in the microwave to heat up.

The boys chuckled from their seats. "I won't be the one telling them that." Vernon himself huffed as he stood up to leave the room, his phone in hand. He patted her head as he passed by her, affectionately messing up her hair more than it was before.

Jeonghan stayed by her side as she took some breakfast, or snack because it was truly not the right time for that. But he said nothing as she stayed in her pyjamas at half past three in the afternoon, unwashed and with a hair nest above her head. She didn't need to be nagged about her physical appearance, what she needed was moral support. Jeonghan was going to give it to her whenever she needed it. It didn't come for a few hours. With her sitting in the kitchen and just eating bits and pieces as she mindlessly doodled on pieces on paper, deep in thought.