Snapshot | Renmin

Chapter 8

Renjun wasn't actually expecting to be let go after that whole ordeal, but like Jaemin had agreed on he had let him go without any problems. Although he was still tied up and blindfolded, when they had released him they were in front of his apartment complex.

Immediately after being let go Renjun reached down to try and check his phone; completely forgetting that someone had taken it from him when he had originally gotten caught.

Although it was his only phone, it wasn't like he was completely pissed off about it though. It was an old phone that he had gotten from the thrift store. He was just slightly angry as he didn't have enough money to buy another phone. Still, it was better than losing his life so Renjun wasn't going to be complaining about it too much.

The brunette lets out a well needed sigh as he drags his feet towards the entrance of the building. Never in Renjun's life has he felt more relieved to see the sleeping receptionist at the front desk or the flickering lights of his run down apartment complex.

Finally the sense of normality runs through him as he presses the elevator button and the door slams open.

It doesn't take long before Renjun is in front of his apartment room and reaching into his pockets to grab his keys. Luckily they had remembered to at least give him his keys before letting him go.

Renjun opens the door and immediately makes a beeline towards his bedroom. He had promised himself that as soon as he had gotten home he would knock out and sleep. That was what he expected to happen anyway because he was awake for the last 18 hours.

With him getting up early to watch Jaemin, following him to a sketchy port, and then getting brought to a warehouse he felt like all his energy was sucked out of him.

But as soon as Renjun had fallen onto his sheets hoping to get some sort of sleep he felt wide awake. The night was quiet and there was physically nothing that hindered his ability to sleep, but mentally he felt wide awake.

Almost all at once everything began to dawn on him. With his eyes closed and body pressed against the soft sheets of his bed Renjun came to a realization.

Renjun was really about to lose everything, his life up to this point was pointless. Going to college with the money he had saved up from China was all for waste. His dream of having a successful life in Korea was about to be completely shattered.

No one was to be blamed except for himself, and he hated himself for it.

The brunette groggily lifts himself up with his arms before dragging his body upward in order to lay on his pillows. Renjun rolls onto his back to stare at the ceiling, the smooth surface quickly blurring as tears begin to form.

He clenches his eyelids to force the upcoming tears threatening to spill from his eyes to go away, keeping his eyes closed before blinking and staring at the ceiling blankly.

Renjun took the moment to think of what had led up to this, the last few days he had in China, the studying and all nighters, the excitement he felt seeing the email that he had been hired.

As much as Renjun loved his family; even though there were more happy memories that he thought of when it came to his parents. He would never forget the way they had screamed at him to just leave already, to never come back if he wanted to become a photographer so bad.

It was the first time in his life his dad had looked at him with disappointment, the first time his mom had screamed at him to do whatever he wanted. Renjun never even imagined that his parents wouldn't approve of his decision to move to Korea and work as a photographer.

He thought they would support him like always, smile at him and say that they'd love him no matter what he chose to do. But that wasn't the case; the situation was the complete opposite.