It had been two days since the incident with the soldiers and Hyungwon's father. Every time you thought of it, you felt sick to your stomach. Even though you tried not to remember the events that occurred, your mind still subconsciously drifted back to it, making it impossible for you to forget.
How the merchants had expressions of fear spread across their faces as the military assaulted them for no reason.
How Hyungwon's face became swollen and red because he stood up for what he thought was right and received punishment.
After Hyungwon made you his promise, your group of friends quickly dispersed in order to let everyone have a chance to take some time to comprehend what they had witnessed. Minhyuk had spoken to Hyungwon afterwards, offering to help in anyway he could, but Hyungwon refused, shaking his head and declaring that the only thing to do was face his father and accept the consequences. Minhyuk had no choice but to leave him with his decision, taking you home instead. The walk back was silent, but not awkward, as you were both lost in your own train of thoughts.
Thankfully, the blue flower was never mentioned during the confrontation, which meant that his father either didn't know about it, or he was waiting to bring it up. Hopefully, he was never told, but it wasn't guaranteed which was why everyone was worried.
However, several things still bothered you. What did Hyungwon's father mean by "his" soldiers? Does he have a large influence in the military? Is he associated with the government somehow? But isn't he a doctor? And what did he do to Shownu to make your friend hate him so much? Thousands of questions swam through your head non-stop, nagging you and confusing you to the point where the only thing you felt you could do was sit in silent contemplation, blocking out everything else in the world around you.
Minhyuk had tried several attempts to get you to open up, but you had just brushed him away each time. He would always leave you alone after sensing your obvious discomfort and waited a few hours or so before coming back to ask again. You knew that you were worrying him like you always seemed to do. The only time you acknowledged him was when he suggested walking around, saying that it was an activity that relieves stress and helps people think.
Taking his words to heart, you spent the next hours pacing around the small house that the two of you shared. Though it was small, the house was made up of two levels. Minhyuk stayed in the bottom level and you stayed on the top, making it seem as though you had your own separate, personal apartments.
Hoping to sort out the inner turmoil that was now giving you a headache, you focused on the things surrounding you to distract you, but there wasn't really much to focus on because of how pathetically empty the house actually was. Dust covered every wall and window, cobwebs strung up in the corners. At the moment, a small bed frame with a grungy mattress was pushed to the very edge of your room in order to give you enough space for your pacing. You and Minhyuk, like everyone else in your broken society, only owned what you needed such as things like food, blankets, and the occasional change of clothes though that didn't happen often. Clothing was extremely rare so when you did manage to find some new ones, you made sure it was something that was durable and could be worn for a long time.
Suddenly, you heard the loud sounds of floorboards creaking, signaling that Minhyuk was climbing the stairs and approaching your doorway. Your head swiveled around and a look of annoyance flashed across your features when you realized he wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. Proving your suspicions, you saw him peek into the room out of the corner of your eye. You ignored him as he stepped inside, a small smile on his face. Minhyuk's smile grew bigger when he saw you walking towards him, only to fall immediately after you turned your back to him to walk in the opposite direction. He signed in exasperation and ran a hand through his already messy blonde hair.
"(Y/N)," he groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "You seriously need to calm down. The only way you'll get answers is by actually going outside and try to figure them out for yourself instead of staying cooped up inside and stressing about it."
You stopped dead in your tracks and shot him a look. "I would, but I'm probably going to get arrested for sticking my nose in things that technically isn't my business. You know how they are."
You could sense Minhyuk's patience rapidly draining and - sure enough - a painful clunk was heard as he smacked his forehead against the door frame in frustration. Even though he was always positive in order to try and keep the mood light, you always managed to find a way to get under his skin. It wasn't hard since patience wasn't his forte. You raised your eyebrows and crossed your arms, unamused, and watched him rub the new red mark on his temple.
"I'm just going to cut to the chase," he started, the redness still visible even though it was already settling down. "I'm going to go to Hyungwon's house to make sure he's okay."
Your eyes immediately widened. "I want to come too!"
He shook his head. He shifted uncomfortably, repositioning himself so that he was leaning against the doorframe before answering with a simple: "No."
You opened your mouth to object, but he held up his hand to stop you. "I don't want you to get caught in the middle of anything if there's still an argument. And based on the way Hyungwon's dad was glaring at you the other day after you started shouting at him, I doubt he'll treat you kindly if he sees you."
You snorted and took a step forward to show that you were clearly upset with his decision. Especially since he didn't even let you choose for yourself. "Then what do you expect me to do? You literally just told me to go outside and do something besides walking around my room all day."
Minhyuk pushed himself away from the wood he was leaning on. "I need a favor from you."
You eyed him suspiciously as he took up your previous activity of pacing back and forth. "What is it?"
"I need you to visit Shownu at his house. He's struggling with something important and I want you to be there to comfort him." Your anger dissipated as soon as you heard those words come from his mouth. If something was wrong with Shownu, you would gladly go there to help.
"Of course I can do that," you nodded, instantly agreeing.
"...and to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
You froze, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Wait. Why-"
"Just... keep an eye on him," he raised his head so that his pleading gaze locked directly onto your own. "Please."
You slowly nodded your head in response, although you were obviously confused, not to mention concerned. What kind of trouble would Shownu even do? Outside of the scene from the other day, he has never been a violent person. You didn't think he would be brave enough to pull off anything dangerous or illegal. Still, it seemed that Minhyuk was almost desperate for you to visit to Shownu. Maybe he just wanted to keep you from following him to Hyungwon's, which was what you would've done had he not asked you for this favor. But Minhyuk was acting as if there's something more than what he was telling you.
Minhyuk's serious expression softened when you agreed, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of relief before gesturing you to follow him as he made his way out the door and down the stairs. You hesitantly trailed behind down the creaking wooden steps, curious about why Shownu would need someone with him. The two of you entered the small, faded corridor that led directly to the front of the house and to the street.
You studied Minhyuk as he walked ahead of you, trying to decipher what he was feeling underneath. His mood was almost always hidden behind a mask of smiles and laughter, making it impossible to tell if he was ever upset about something. The only times he showed his discomfort was when it was truly serious. Right now, you couldn't see Minhyuk's face since you were walking behind him, but the fidgeting hands at his sides and his hasty walking pace practically screamed out at you, telling you all you needed to know. Whatever he was expecting to find at Hyungwon's, it wasn't good. You made a mental note to ask him about his visit later on.
Outside, the sky was completely grey, a thick blanket of clouds covering the sun enough to create a gloomy atmosphere that seemed to match perfectly with the gloomy town resting underneath it. The street that your house was located on was bare, lacking any human activity. Everyone probably wanted to stay inside on this depressing day and you silently agreed with them. Today was going to be interesting if even all the townspeople figured something big, and not necessarily good, was going to happen.
Minhyuk and you kept walking down the gravel path, your footsteps sounding like thunder clashing unpleasantly against the eerie silence. You noticed he quickened his pace and you did the same, matching yours with his in an attempt not to get left behind in his sudden rush. You knew that the two of you would have to split up soon which made you sweat nervously. You hated the idea of walking by yourself in this broken place. It hadn't always been this way, but now people might do literally anything to provide for themselves no matter how illegal or inhumane it was.
Suddenly, Minhyuk stopped, causing you to almost run into him. The two of you must have already reached the intersection where you had to part ways. You hurriedly straightened yourself before he turned around, shooting him a confused look. He gave you a weary smile before grabbing your wrist and tugging you into a quick hug, his arms wrapped around you tightly. You stiffened at the sudden gesture. "Thanks for doing this," he mumbled into your (H/C) hair. "It means a lot."
Minhyuk gave you one last squeeze before pulling away. "I'll see you later, okay?" He grinned widely, but his brown eyes revealed the storm of pent up fear and concern that he was trying so painstakingly hard to hide. "Be sure to tell me how he's doing." You pursed your lips and gave a curt nod in response, already marching away in the direction of Shownu's house. You made sure your strides were as long as possible in an effort to get there faster. You kept your head low and your eyes cast down at the ground, praying that you won't gain any unwanted attention before reaching the end of your short journey.
Sorry this chapter was a bit boring... it'll be getting more interesting in the next one. I was originally going to have both of them combined into one, but it would have been extremely long (like the last one). And I'm going to be switching perspectives for the next one as well, so the splitting of these chapters makes more sense lol 😂❤️