𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞!𝐚𝐮) 𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐙

CH. 21 ~ Talk

"You really struggled with that sentence, didn't you?" I nod, thinking about how ungainly I must have seemed. Seonghwa slaps his shoulder giving him a glance to check his tone. In return, Yunho clears his throat and answers my question, "It's fine, though. You were just scared." I give him a tight lipped smile, turning to face the forecastle. My mind wanders a bit when I realize that I have a question for Seonghwa.

"Seonghwa, How's Jongho doing?" Both men seem to visibly stiffen when I ask this, which must mean he isn't doing very well. The black-haired cook crosses his arms and it's only then that I see how red and blood-shot his eyes are. In fact, Yunho's eyes are just as red as the former's.

"It... it hit him hard to hear the news. He's still in shock, not wanting to accept what's going on. I'm scared for what his reaction might be when he sees his parents."

"Poor kid," Yunho mumbles, focusing his attention back onto where he was steering, angling his body away from me. Seonghwa seems to notice the tension between Yunho and I, so he decides to step forward and the wheel.

"Yunho, I think you should get some rest. It's been a long day and we're gonna need your energy more than ever these next few days." The brunette frowns at Seonghwa's command, starting to put up a protest.

"But i--,"

"Uh-uh-uh, I'm not giving you an option. I'm counting to five and you better get to your dorm before I get mad." Seonghwa warns with a stern expression. Yunho just stands there torn between what he wants. "ONE!" The former begins to count and the latter rushes to his room defeatedly. Seonghwa steps forward taking the wheel in his hands as he stares worriedly at the brunette. Seeing his glances, I feel the need to comfort him so I step closer to him and set a hand on his shoulder. He's a bit startled at my touch but relaxes soon enough, turning his face to face me.

"Hey, How are you feeling?" I whisper earning a lopsided smile from the handsome chef. After spending a lot of time with these guys I've come to see that they all depend so much on him, yet he doesn't have anyone to depend on.

"Aside from the fact that I just gave Jongho a 5 hour therapy session, I think I'm doing fine" he answers back trying to lighten up the mood. "Couldn't sleep?" he asks. I shake my head looking down at his hands. I think really hard about what to say next but I come to a dead end. I'm honestly really trying to find a way in which I can help support these men but I don't even know the first step in counseling. Seonghwa, even with his strong act, seems to be on the verge of melting from all the emotional burden being put on him, yet I can't even come up with one word to make him feel better. Discussing feelings has always been so unnatural for me, how am I supposed to discuss that with these people that I've barely known for a few months? I decide to just screw it and slide my hands in his which confuses him. "What are you doing?" I feel a warmth rise to my cheeks as I look away unsure of how to answer.

"Holding your hand," I respond.

"Sun-Mi, are you feeling alright?" Seonghwa quickly switches his attention to me, lifting a hand to my forehead to check my temperature and eyeing me worriedly.

"What makes you say that?" I swat his hand away with my free hand and grumpily frown at my failed attempt of consolation.

"You're never touchy with any of the members unless you're scared or you have a good reason. Are you sure you're doing alright?" I become annoyed at myself.

"Ugh, Why is this so damn hard for me! I was trying to do my best to make you feel better because I noticed that you seemed so burdened by what's going on, but I don't know crap about consoling people! You make it look so easy by letting everyone rely on you and I just want to do the same thing, especially since Bina told me about how you take care of the guys here--,"