The Mafia's Dove (Hyunjin centric)

Makeup

I washed my hands thoroughly before reaching towards the towel, and I froze slightly when I locked eyes with my reflection.

I looked dead.

My face was deathly pale, my eyes were red and swollen, and my throat was covered in angry purple hand shaped bruises. I raised my hand towards my throat, flinching back slightly when my fingers brushed against the tender bruise.

"Hyunjin? Everything okay in there?" I jumped slightly at the sound of Jisung's voice, and I voiced a response before I could remember the pain in my throat. My 'yes' was frighteningly hoarse, and I winced as my throat protested the sound.

I knew flushing was a stupid risk, and now I had to face the one guy who just happened to be around when I broke down. Really looking forward to it.

"Can you open the door for me?" I did as asked, and as he peeked his head in, his eyes widened. His gaze went towards my throat, brows furrowed as he pushed the door open the rest of the way. "We should put ice on that. How are you doing now?"

I gave him a thumbs up, well aware that I was lying, but I was done burdening him with my own pathetic emotions. He smiled sadly, apparently able to see through my ruse, and he gently wrapped his hand around my wrist as he led me out of the bathroom.

Seungmin was nowhere to be found, and Jisung seemed to notice my confusion as he guided me back towards my bed. I sat down like he apparently wanted me to, and looked up at him as I waited for an explanation.

"He had to go to the kitchen to speak with the others about some things. Speaking of which, Changbin is awake. Do you want to go see him?"

Did I?

I wanted to see for myself whether or not he was okay, and I also wanted to apologize, but a part of me was hesitant to. What if he didn't want to see me? What if I only ended up upsetting him further?

"I've decided for us. We're going." He yanked me back up and began to drag me towards the door, but thankfully stopped when he noticed me tugging back. "Jinnie, it will be good for you to see him doing fine. Plus, he's a little concerned for you. We caught him up on what he missed while he was passed out in the bus, and as you haven't gone to see him yet . . . it will be good for both of you. Please?"

Changbin was worried for me? He was recovering from being drugged and he was worrying for me? So even in my absence I couldn't seem to stop bothering him?

"No, you're doing it again. You're making your sad, self deprecating face. Stop feeling guilty for this and realize you didn't have nearly as much to do with Changbin's state as you feel you did. You're giving yourself too much credit. Save some for the guy that actually drugged him."

Usually I would say he had a point. I wasn't the one who hurt Changbin, and I didn't exactly agree to letting it happen, either. However, I swore that Changbin would be fine. I agreed to protect him in case something went wrong, and when it did, I wasn't able to help. I let my pride in my abilities blind my judgment, and forgot that my own tolerance to most drugs wasn't something the average person had. I forgot that I couldn't control Changbin's actions like I could my own.

I forgot how much I sucked at protecting other people.

However, if he really was worried about me, then I owed it to him to help ease his concerns.

Jisung was waiting patiently for me to respond, apparently willing to concede if I insisted on not wanting to see him. It was considerate of him, and I found myself offering a warm smile to him as I walked forward on my own accord.

"I'll see him, but first? We need to go to your room." My voice was still painfully hoarse, and my words came out scratchy despite how much effort I put into speaking normally. I ignored the embarrassment that began to bubble up as I gently slipped my arm from Jisung's grasp, and I began to make my way towards the hall. The squirrel followed behind swiftly, nearly tripping over himself when he finally managed to snap out of his confusion.