That Stupid List (A Seventeen Fanfic)

Chapter 24: Scarring Memories

"So how'd your rejecting go?" Seokmin asked as he got out of the bathroom after showering. Jin turned to reply to him until she saw that he wore nothing but a towel around his waist.

She immediately turned her head and blushed.

"What?" he laughed when he saw her reaction.

"Put on clothes," she requested sheepishly, looking straight at the floor.

"Don't worry, I'm wearing boxers," he reassured her, seeming amused.

She slowly turned her head to see that the towel that had been around his waist was now over his bare shoulders. Although he was clothed, he was still not really clothed because his wet, bare chest was just demanding her attention. Jin tried to focus on only his eyes.

"So, did you reject him?"

Jin nodded, "yeah, I did."

"Was it easy?" he asked as he took the towel and dried his hair.

"No," Jin answered, trying very hard not to look at his chest, "but I did it."

"Did he take it well?"

Jin nodded, "he's very nice." She averted her eyes. She felt like she could not really tell him everything she wanted to tell him while he was shirtless.

When he finally put on an undershirt, she let out a sigh of relief. She realized then just how comfortable he was around her –which was somewhat gratifying– but she still did not feel like this comfort was reciprocated. She was not as cool with him half naked as he seemed to expect her to be.

Seokmin noticed that his semi-nakedness has flustered her. "You're just like Sena. It must be a Jordanian thing," he joked.

"What?"

"The prudishness," Seokmin said, "Sena was uncomfortable when I wasn't wearing a shirt too."

Jin could not help but wonder when Seokmin had ever been shirtless in front of Sena. Jin was usually with the two of them when they hung out, and she only did not join them when they went to late night parties together. But late night parties are not places where Seokmin would take off his shirt.

She figured that Sena and Seokmin had hung out together without her before. It was only slightly hurtful to find out. She pushed the thought away and just accepted it.

"So now would you stop thinking about Mingyu?" Seokmin asked, "is he off your back?"

Jin nodded. She had been preoccupied with Mingyu for far too long now. It was time she gave Seokmin the attention he deserved. She knew he had been waiting to tell her something...

After more conversations about random things, Seokmin finally brought that something up: "I'm ready to tell you about her."

Jin immediately knew that the "her" he was referring to was the late girlfriend that had passed away recently.

She waited as he gathered his thoughts. Jin could tell he was struggling to keep his composure as he thought about the girl, as he was facing all those dark memories that needed to resurface in order for him to talk about them.

He told her, and Jin could only listen. At one point she felt the need to touch him: to hold his hand, to hug him, to put her hand on his shoulder, to rub his arm. Her touches would comfort him; he would at least stop trembling, and occasionally stop some of the tears that would stroll down his cheek.

When he was done, he excused himself to the bathroom to wash his face. He stayed there for quite a long time.

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