hiraeth > EN || JAYWON

chapter 4 - unspoken past

Jay grabbed the bowl of soggy noodles from the table and let out a sigh. He looked at the glass of water and saw that it was still full, causing him to roll his eyes before placing both items on the tray.

He glanced at the bed and saw the bandage that was around Jungwon's head, lying on the blanket. He stared at it for a moment before approaching, picking it up, and subsequently throwing it away.

Afterward, he exited the room and proceeded through the hallway towards the kitchen. However, while en route, the door unexpectedly swung open, unveiling Sunoo who was in the process of removing his coat, emitting a simultaneous groan.

Jay stopped walking and leaned back as Sunoo walked into the living room. "Oh, you're back," the silver-haired man commented, catching Sunoo's attention as he casually tossed his coat onto the couch.

Sunoo's eyes went from widened to narrowed as he sighed and diverted his gaze from Jay. In response, the silver-haired man simply shrugged and made his way to the kitchen to store the uneaten food.

Afterward, he returned to the living room and found Sunoo reclining on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Jay approached him, crossing his arms, causing Sunoo to roll his eyes and redirect his focus to Jay.

"What do you want?" Sunoo inquired, emitting a displeased tongue click due to Jay's unwelcome company, as all he truly desired in that moment was solitude.

Jay reached into his pocket, his fingers fumbling as they searched for something to occupy his restless mind. As he ran his hand through his silver hair, he couldn't shake the nagging question that lingered in his thoughts.

"Who was he?" he muttered, his lips dry as he licked them nervously. His eyes darted around the dimly lit living room, searching for any sign of another presence besides himself and Sunoo.

Snoo furrowed his brow and quickly pushed himself off the couch and into a sitting position. He looked at Jay, who was sitting next to him, and then answered, "My cousin. Why?" he said in an empty tone.

Jay used his tongue to push against the side of his cheek before turning his gaze back to Sunoo. "Can you tell me his name?" Jay inquired, prompting Sunoo to become increasingly suspicious with each question.

Despite having doubts about Jay's motives, Sunoo decided to respond to his question anyway. "His name is Jungwon," he disclosed.

After receiving this response, Jay displayed a slight expression of dissatisfaction as he proceeded to inquire, "Last name?"

Sunoo hesitated briefly, taking a moment to observe Jay's inscrutable demeanor. "Kim," he responded, his gaze still fixated on Jay's face.

Upon hearing Jungwon's last name from Sunoo, Jay's demeanor shifted to one of calmness, which raised Sunoo's suspicions even further. "Why'd you ask?" Sunoo inquired as he received a nonchalant shake of the head in response.

Jay glanced at Sunoo and offered him a warm smile. Then, he slowly rose from the comfortable couch and casually slipped his hands into his pockets.

"There's no particular reason," he said, before bidding Sunoo farewell and venturing off towards the hallway, leaving Sunoo to his own devices in the spacious living room.

Sunoo squinted his eyes and kept his head buried in his phone, but his focus remained on Jay as he walked away down the hallway. Eventually, Sunoo shook off his curiosity and returned to mindlessly scrolling through his device.

Jay let out a heavy sigh as he shut the door to his bedroom, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He rubbed his temples, trying to ease the tension building in his head, and made his way over to the table.