As Melanie came back from work, before she could head home she stopped by the pharmacy buying some essentials she needed. The streets were empty, quiet. Melanie felt some peace walking alone but somehow she felt strange. She passed by the park and it was tranquil. The mist this morning made everything remaining humid and cold in the afternoon. Still watching the view, she perceived a familiar silhouette in the background.
Alone on a bench, the person kept mumbling words, his tone raising at some moments. He seemed annoyed by something. Then, he hid his face in his hands, quietly shedding tears.
Melanie walked closer and with each step forward, she became more and more curious, yet concerned.
She bent down a little, tilting her head. "Youngjae?" she said still uncertain. It worried her to find him here alone, crying. Especially him.
He sniffed few times before revealing his face and he saw it was Melanie. His face was all wet. Her Sunshine faded away.
Surprised, she put her handbag aside and sat next to him.
"Eotteoke? (What to do?) What's going on? Gwenchana? (Are you okay?)"
"Jaebeom hyung... Michyeosseo... (Crazy...) He's crazy... And scream," he trailed off while gesturing with his arms. He mimicked JB.
Melanie's strange feeling suddenly intensified, she heated up from an unknown fear. Her eyes were alert as she listened to him.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt?" She scanned him from head to toe to notice any possible injuries.
"No," he replied in his accent.
"Where is JB now?"
"Home."
Melanie stood up. "Go to Junior. It's cold outside. I'll go see JB."
Youngjae pulled her arm. "No! No! Jaebal (Please), Jaebeom..." He shook his head vigorously and Melanie could see the fear in his eyes. "He's scary. Too angry."
"I'll be fine," she reassured him confidently. The gut feeling told her she had to go, she had to do something. "Go to Junior, okay?" she repeated.
"No, I stay here."
Melanie sighed. This idea of him all alone in the park and the cold bothered her. "Okay, but if you're too cold, you'll go to Junior. Promise?"
She handed out her pinky finger. Youngjae did the sign with her, agreeing, and watched her leave.
After getting out of the park, she walked straight ahead, then crossed the street and continued on her way passing by ten houses. The familiar blue car drove by next to her, accelerating and vanishing out of sight in the corner. She cocked a brow as she thought she recognized JB's parents inside. In only five minutes, she arrived in front of his house across the street.
After pressing the doorbell, she waited but no response. The second time, she waited longer and then decided to put an ear on the door; total silence.
"Isn't he home?" She put her ear again on the door. "Of course he won't op-" she gasped at the sound of a crash of glass. She flinched back, startled. Her heartbeat sped up.
Few seconds of calming herself, she tried considering other options, or even giving up. As she stepped back, she could see the backyard entrance to her left.
"The flower pot!" she exclaimed while snapping her fingers. JB always hid a copy of the house key. She hurried to the back, unlocking the fence, and then went to lifted the flower pot. "Okay!" The key was still there. She walked back to the front door, took a deep breath, and opened the door successfully. She hopped inside and pushed the door behind her.
From her position, she had a good view of the mess that had been created. She blinked her eyes, shocked. Family portraits were on the floor, everywhere from the hallway to the living room. Shattered pieces of porcelain here and there. Petals of flowers bled in a puddle of water. A big plant had been thrown down the stairs; the pot was now for trash and there was soil in every step and corner of the walls. A moment of reconsideration passed through her mind for coming here. Her hand was still on the knob; she could leave at any moment.
She heard a sound coming from the back. Determined to find out, she let go of the door and walked further inside. "JB?" she called. To not get hurt, she tip-toed carefully around the messy floor. After passing by the staircase, she noticed a silhouette on her right.
Sooyoung tried to recollect sharp pieces of glass, her hands red with blood. Her delicate skin on her palms ripped. Melanie's sudden appearance caught her off guard.
"Who are you?"
"Um... Um..." Melanie did as she watched Sooyoung's hand. "Jaebeom's friend... Chingu?" she said. It was their first meeting. "Annyeonghaseyo..." she pronounced awkwardly as it wasn't the ideal first meeting and she bowed slightly showing respect.
Sooyoung stared at her curiously as Melanie kneeled down in front of her.
"Gwenchanayo? (Are you okay?)" Melanie asked. She grabbed her hands and inspected them briefly. She frowned. "Ahpayo? (Does it hurt?)"
Sooyoung shook her head no still fascinated by the girl in front of her. She spoke in Korean and even bowed to her. What an interesting friend JB got, she thought. Way better than that tall blond skinny girl JB brought home weeks ago, Pamela. So arrogant.
Melanie helped her stand up and they headed to the bathroom behind. She ran lukewarm water over her hands which made Sooyoung cringed because of the burning sensation. Then, Melanie rolled a towel around her hands and told her to hold it strongly to stop the bleeding.
From her bag, Melanie found bandages; she used to steal some material from her work for her own personal aid kit.
Sooyoung's right hand was mostly damaged on the fingertips. Melanie then searched for Band-Aids instead and put them on her three fingers, and thumb. For the other hand, she got to make a bandage around it and secured it at the end.
"Oh!" Melanie let out as she heard a loud noise coming from upstairs. She glanced at Sooyoung and let go off of her hand.
She stepped out of the bathroom but Sooyoung held onto her wrist. "No, don't," she warned.
First, Youngjae, and now his mom. It was as if they were warning her from a monster when it was just JB. So much fear, so much precaution.
Melanie glanced back. "It's okay."
She forgot about Sooyoung and turned the corner, heading to the staircase. Except for the soil of the plant which got the floor dirty and sticky, she had to avoid other little stuff; stepping on a pen in the stairs could end up in a fatal accident.
Her feet moved awkwardly side to side. "JB?" she called while going up, watching her feet. The next few seconds, she was right in front of his door.
The room turned upside down; the messiest room she ever encountered. Books were everywhere, half-opened, bathing in an ocean of clothes and pictures. Some photos were torn apart. The lamps on the nightstands were lopsided. The little plant that used to be under the window was on the other side of the room. The only things untouched were his bed, laptop, and Youngjae's stuff. The energy felt inside the room was very strong, almost disturbing.
JB stood still in the middle of the room, showing his back to her, with his two fists on both sides of his body.
"JB?" she called softly while stepping in.
He turned his head slightly to the side.
"What happened?" she asked.
Finally, he turned around and she never saw him at his worst day. Somber expression, his glare intense, Melanie was frightened. One of his eyes was red due to an object entering inside causing the irritation.
"What are you doing here?" he asked mechanically.
"I saw Youngjae in the park earlier and he told me that you-"
"Who told you to come here?" he cut her sharply.
Melanie couldn't recognize him just now.
"You came to help? To comfort me? Just leave. Leave me alone!" he yelled at her.
She jumped, startled by his loud voice, closing her eyes as a reflex. When Melanie opened them again, he still gave her that dark look.
Careful, she said, "you need help, Jaebeom."
He walked up to her. "Aren't you leaving?"
He came closer where only centimeters separated them and bored into her eyes. Melanie shivered momentarily. She thought JB was possessed by a demon, or he deliberately wanted to keep her away from him. She had no reason to be scared, it wasn't the JB she knew.
"I'm not leaving until you're fine," she stated.
JB shoved his hands in his pockets and rested his forehead on hers. "What?" he said while tilting his head side to side to provoke her. "You wanted to see the show? JB going crazy? The hot-tempered JB? Okay. Is my face satisfying enough for you?"
Melanie never left her eyes from his. There was a strong determination deep inside of her as if something had changed. Few months before, she would have run away and cried. She admitted there was a little fear she held against him but she washed it away. Something wanted for her to confront the situation.
"You're not yourself. It's not you. You're hurt." Obviously, JB hit a wall and exploded. His reaction was quite devastating it transformed him into a person she thought he wasn't and she didn't know how long it would last until he would collapse in tears.
"Are you scared?" he asked. "You never know what angry Jaebeom could do."
Confidence burnt inside of her, she stared at him deeply. "I'm not scared because I know you won't hurt me, even in this state... I know." She had enough trust in him to know. "So, stop this. It's enough already."
Melanie embraced his fists in her hands while looking at him. She stroked them gently trying to calm him down. It was hard because JB wouldn't give up that easily at first. But soon, the wrinkles of his frown disappeared, his eyebrows returned to their original state, yet thick but inoffensive. His pink lips relaxed, letting go the rage and softened his face. His eyes filled up with water and his hands lost their force and opened up to let Melanie's hands inside, warm and comforting.
Then, they slid away from hers as he stepped backward and when he hit the end of his bed, he sat down on the floor. The tears escaped, finally.
Melanie sighed, relieved that he calmed down.
"My life was a lie," he began. "It's all their fault, her fault. I hate Sora."
Melanie frowned. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
"The one I thought all my life was my aunt, she's my mom. Ironically, I always preferred her than my 'fake' mom. Now I know why."
"What?" Melanie kneeled down.
"Sooyoung is my real mom, so Youngjae is my brother. And, my dad is a singer from a popular Korean band..."
Melanie put her hand on her mouth in shock. She was now concerned about him. That was a huge change in the family dynamic. "Oh my, Jaebeom."
"... He's really kind. My real dad. Now, I'm 21 and didn't know a thing about it." He let out a mirthless laugh, feeling pathetic. "This home was a jail all along."
"Don't say that... I'm so sorry," she said softly.
His giggles changed into a soft crying. He glanced sideways now noticing the mess he did. "I needed to evacuate my frustration. I've made a disaster." He bent his face down his chest while crying.
It hurt to see him like this and Melanie felt like crying too. She crawled up to him and sat on his legs. Her hands embraced his face and she lifted it up so they could stare at each other.
"You have every right to be furious. That's a lot to swallow but you're not alone. You don't have to be alone. We'll be there to support you, your friends, and me. If you need someone to hear your complaints, cursed words, and then be comforted, I'm here." With her fingertips, she wiped his tears away and cleared his forehead from his long bangs. She did so naturally it felt as if it wasn't the first time. A moment of deja vu.
This particular moment seemed to have made them closer, closer they would have thought. A sense of long lost familiarity, a deep bond waking up between them. As they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity, a weird gut feeling formed itself down their stomachs. Their eyes told a story not to be said but to be remembered.
Melanie inclined her head slightly...
I know these eyes.