case 143 | minsung

43

following the events in the warehouse earlier, minho returned home in a disheveled state. he appeared to be a complete mess and chose to remain locked in his room, refraining from going outside.

his members started worrying about him; they tried to talk to the older through the door, but they got nothing in response.

jeongin, in particular, made efforts to offer him food by placing it outside his door, but the food remained untouched.

the youngest member's worry escalated, and he teetered on the brink of tears. when minho had rescued him from the human traffickers, their bond had solidified, and they had come to regard each other as older and younger siblings respectively.

minho had taken great care of him, patiently waiting for jeongin to become comfortable around him.

now that the situation was reversed, jeongin wanted to be the one to help minho.

none of them knew what had happened in the warehouse, but hyunjin had a slight clue about it.

inside his room, minho kept on trying to contact jisung, but the younger had blocked him.

now, he was just sitting on the cold floor, his appearance not looking any better.

his hair was disheveled, eyes swollen, tear stains on his cheeks, and dried blood visible on his head and knuckles.

he hadn't even tried to change out of the clothes he had worn when he went to the warehouse earlier.

-----

it was now the next day, and minho remained in the same spot on the cold floor, his gaze fixed on nothingness while jisung's words from the day before echoed repeatedly in his mind.

he hadn't gone to work that day, and messages from the agency kept flooding in, searching for him. however, he ignored those messages, as he was only waiting for messages from jisung himself.

soft knocking could be heard at his door, but he paid it no heed.

"hyung, i brought you food. you didn't eat the food i brought you yesterday. i hope you can at least come out and eat," jeongin's voice came through the door, tinged with concern.

minho felt guilty for causing his members to worry, but he didn't feel capable of facing them right now.

moreover, he hadn't fully accepted that he and jisung were over. minho knew that eventually, jisung would learn the truth, yet a part of him held onto the hope that jisung might understand him.

minho's stomach growled audibly, prompting him to consider going out and eating the food jeongin had brought. he felt a pang of remorse for the youngest member's concern.

jeongin would consistently bring him fresh, warm food whenever the previously prepared meal had grown cold.

with a sigh, he muttered to himself, "i guess... i owe them an explanation."

summoning his strength, minho pushed himself onto his feet, stumbling slightly after remaining in the same spot since the previous day.

as soon as he opened the door, he saw the food jeongin had brought before him.

when the others heard the door open, they immediately rushed up to minho, worry evident on their faces, and jeongin was even on the verge of crying.

"hyung..." the youngest started.

he wasted no time before engulfing minho in a hug, letting his tears fall.

"hyung, I thought... I thought you wouldn't c-come out anymore," jeongin said through his sobs.