hiraeth > EN || JAYWON

chapter 3 - repulsive and unvarnished truth

tw - this chapter contains some triggering events.
read at your own risk.

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Jungwon's eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling as he gradually realized it was now daylight. Feeling disoriented in the unfamiliar surroundings, Jungwon tightly gripped the sheets and attempted to sit up on the bed, his eyes twitching in pain.

He still had a throbbing headache, which caused him to wince in pain. He tried to grab his hair but only felt the bandage wrapped around his head. Confused, he furrowed his brows and promptly removed it.

However, right when he was on the verge of doing so, the bandage unexpectedly slipped onto his hand. Adorned with dried blood stains, the white bandage elicited a sigh from him. "It has been years," he murmured softly while delicately clutching the bandage.

"It's been years what?"

Jungwon flinched and quickly turned his head to the side to see Jay, who had just entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl and a glass of water. His eyes grew wide as he realized that Jay was the same man he had seen on the balcony the previous night.

Jay lifted his eyebrows and shrugged while walking towards the bed's side to put the tray on the small adjacent table. "Stop staring at me in that manner. It makes me believe I caused that harm to you," he commented, while Jungwon stayed silent.

After not receiving any response, Jay let out a sigh. "Why did you remove your bandages? We struggled a lot to put them on you, only for you to take them off so effortlessly?" He furrowed his brows and crossed his arms.

Jungwon quickly shook his head to deny the quick assumption made by Jay. "I didn't touch it. It fell off just as I was about to," he explained calmly, as Jay scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Just eat the food I made you and make sure to drink enough water. You're dehydrated." The male with silver hair made a remark before turning around and walking towards the door with a tray positioned between his arm and waist.

Jungwon felt a gulp in his throat as he observed the other man grasp the doorknob. However, right before he was going to depart, the man with cat-like eyes interrupted. "Hold on!" he exclaimed, prompting Jay to immediately pivot and face him.

Jay hummed questionably, preventing himself from exiting the room. He glanced at Jungwon, who had just called him, only to witness the male becoming motionless, leading Jay to furrow his eyebrows in bewilderment. "What?" he asked, sounding rather irritated.

Jungwon's eyes widened once more as he had a sudden realization. "Oh, um.. It's nothing," he stammered slightly while shaking his head slowly once again.

Jay narrowed his eyes at the younger boy and sighed before walking out of the room without hesitation, leaving Jungwon alone. Jungwon stared at the door with a sad and disappointed expression.

He slowly looked over the bowl and the glass of water on the small table beside the bed, while loosening his grip on the blanket. He stared at the food for a moment, took a deep breath, and leaned in to retrieve the bowl.

He held the bowl with both of his hands and gazed at it. Observing the noodles inside, he slowly pursed his lips, biting his bottom lip as tears welled up in his eyes.

A tear fell onto the blanket, causing him to hastily use his sleeve to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks. His ears and nose were red from sniffling. "It was..." he sobbed, intermittently coughing.

Once again, he took a deep breath to stop himself from choking on his sobs. Tears continued to fall as he finished his sentence.

"It was really him."