Treasure tales

Jaehyuk #10: What kindness requires

"Are you okay?" Jaehyuk exclaimed, slightly horrified. "Are you okay? What do you need? Food? Water? Company? I'll get you anything, anything as long as it is within my capabilities! Ah...our phones don't work here, right? Maybe I can beg them to let just you off so that you can reunite with your family...I'll do anything! I'm sure if I try hard enough. Oh maybe I can offer them..."

"Stop it," I snapped, my throat hoarse. "Jaehyuk, shut up, shut up." I shook my head, desperately trying to hold back my tears. I wondered, for a moment, why I couldn't tell him the truth. About just how much I missed his company, the softness of his voice, his kindness, why I couldn't admit to just how worried I had been. Why I stuck to this temper tantrum, the exact opposite of how I usually am. I was usually a rational person, so why was I breaking down now?

Jaehyuk stopped. His face was full of concern. I bit my lip, feeling anger rise in me. He was clearly the one enduring all the stress and suffering, the worst out of all of us, and all he was doing now was worry over somebody like me. Why did he need to be so kind? Why couldn't he worry about himself instead?

"Rin...I'm sorry," he murmured timidly. "Did I do something wrong? I'm really sorry..."

"It's...it's not that, I--" I stammered, suddenly flustered. I quickly looked around me in an attempt to diffuse the awkward situation. My tongue remained firmly plastered to the base of my mouth and refused to say all those cheesy words I really wanted to say, and it embarrassed me a great deal. My eyes landed on Jeongwoo, who was shooting us an icy stare.

"J-Jeongwoo-ya," I stuttered. Jeongwoo jumped and quickly looked away.

I turned to Jaehyuk, who had let out a deep sigh.

"I hope you aren't angry with me," he murmured. "Just what did I do wrong? Jeongwoo has been ignoring me the entire morning! He just acts as if I'm some ghost and pretends I don't exist."

"H-hang on, me and Jeongwoo are a separate issue," I quickly clarified. "I'm not angry at you per say. I'm not super sure what got him so ruffled either."

"Aigoo, really?" Jaehyuk asked sheepishly. "Maybe I haven't been a good enough hyung these days, I thought I was doing fine. Just what did I do wrong?"

"Ummm," I said quickly. Then, remembering what Yedam and Junkyu said, I quickly said, "the two of you have a brother-like bond right? They told me about your past with him. Maybe he was just stressed out worrying for you."

"Aigoo..." Jaehyuk groaned. "Have I been that bad of a friend or hyung?"

"N-nononono," I said immediately. Was that what I really sounded like I was implying? 

"Get a room, the two of you," A snarky voice said from the side. I turned my head and saw Jihoon leaning against the bedframe with a smirk on his face. "All of us could hear you two bickering from the opposite corner of the room."

"Omg," I muttered in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry I...were we that loud? I'll try to speak softer."

"These few days must be getting to me," Jaehyuk said, also embarrassed. "I hope I haven't lost touch with everything yet..."

"Lost touch?" Jihoon looked confused. Then he turned to look at Jeongwoo, who was now playing a game with Junkyu. "You mean him? Oh don't mind him. Just a child's tantrum. Kids nowadays are all like that."

"You're only four years older than him," I reminded him.

"Of all the years we've spent together Jeongwoo hasn't acted like this before," Jaehyuk said after a while. "Maybe I really did offend him in some way. Oh wait, there was that once right after he lost his biological brother that he was a little weird for a while, but he seems all right now?"

"Why do you try so hard to help him, Jaehyuk?" I asked him. "I mean, I like Jeongwoo. He's a fun guy. But I couldn't really see myself going so far for anyone. It's just such an irrational thing to do. People could leave you, and abandon you."

"Yea, true," Jaehyuk admitted. "I've had my fair share of it. People coming into my life and seeking my friendship, and then disappearing without any warning."

I paused, waiting for him to continue.

"But you know," Jaehyuk said after a while. "When I first learnt about Jeongwoo's crisis back then, that thought never really did cross my mind. All I saw was him, and myself, two individuals, two human beings. And then came the desire to be there for him, not to help him, but simply be there for him like any human would for another. If that makes sense. It came almost instinctively, all natural-like, just a brainless thing that just led to everything. I just did it, and went along with the flow, and...I guess it ended up like this."

"Don't really know what you see in him, Rin," Jihoon joked. "He's so good that I couldn't bear to be with a guy like that."

"What do you mean what do I see in him?" I asked in confusion. "You're his friend too, right? How are we any different?"

"Jihoon! Are you done? I'm about to lose my mind!" Hyunsuk yelled from the other side of the room. Apparently after he broke down Jihoon had succeeded in comforting him and was now busying him with tutoring the maknaes(other than Jeongwoo who was still in a bad mood) since they couldn't go to school. That's fine, but as far as I could see none of them were focussed, which meant the two leaders were having a very difficult time trying to teach them. I couldn't blame the maknaes either. Who could study when you're being locked up with terrible cabin fever with no way out? I shrugged. At least Hyunsuk was back to normal. He really worried me for a bit there.

"Get me out of this hell!" Doyoung whined petulantly. The usual sweet Doyoung whining. I guess he really must be that bored.

"Hey Junghwan Doyoung I have a plan to fool Hyunsuk and Jihoon. So..."Haruto began loudly discussing his ideas.

"Hyung Hyung Hyung!" Junghwan cheered him on.

"We can hear you you know?" Hyunsuk yelled.

"C-calm down Hyunsuk you're getting too agitated," Jihoon said quickly. A complete inversion from the normal, I realised, since Hyunsuk was usually the mild-tempered caring leader whereas Jihoon was the strict one. Being locked up really does drive one crazy.

I met eyes with Jaehyuk and the both of us burst into laughter.

"At least they're throwing up a ruckus again, I missed that sound," Jaehyuk said happily.

"What did they do to you in there, Jaehyuk?" I asked darkly. "And...why are they keeping us here?"

"I don't know," Jaehyuk admitted. He shook his head. "They did mention once or twice that it's really important I go through with it, but they never tell me why. And I'm still on gag order, so I can't say anything."

He smiled. "I finally get to see you again, though. And the rest of them." He sighed and gazed up wearily at the ceiling. "I just want to go to sleep, and sleep for really, really long. I just want to rest, and lie embedded within rest space, encircled by all that warmth. I'm just so tired now...Rin, would you accept me even though I'm such a weak person?"

"I'm weak too," I responded coolly. "It's just being human. And..." my tone softened. "I don't know what they did to you, but you went through it. It shows you're strong."

"Right?" Jaehyuk asked. For a moment I saw insecurity flash in his eyes. Then I remembered that the man in front of me was actually so unconfident, scared of the big big world like every one of us.

Announcement: Going on a (sort of, on and off)hiatus. My exams have finally ended, but I'm currently at the weird junction between adult life and being a teenager. This fanfic was originally started to destress from exams anyway, so I may still write now and then if I feel stressed, or simply because I feel like writing about Treasure. I do have plenty of plot left to cover after all so it'll be a pity to abandon this. But there are tons of things I have to settle at the moment to ensure I go through adulting successfully. I might start regularly writing again once I enter uni and have to go back to freaking studying>:-( I hate studying asdfghj. If I succeed in going uni that is idk my results yet lol