𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 | jakehoon ✓

- 12. 𝗛𝗶 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗶 -

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Jake woke up at 6 am, way later than he normally did. As soon as he tried to get up a sharp pain went through his whole body. He toughed through it and got out of bed. He got a small bag and added some clothes, a toothbrush, his phone, and other necessities before opening his window and carefully climbing out of it. His entire body was in pain as he limped out of the front yard.

He had no idea where he was going, though. He couldn't go to school or Soobin. He had nowhere to go. He stopped at a park and sat down on a bench. He took out his phone and went to the camera. A tear fell from his right eye when he saw himself. He had a bruise on his right cheek and a black eye on the left. He looked at his arms and saw the bruises that decorated him. His father did not go easy on him the night prior and he had no idea why.

The boy shut his phone off and silently cried to himself. He looked around to see if there was anyone near and realized this place was familiar. It was the same park he and Sunghoon went to the other day. He saw the tree near where the two ate and realized he was on the same bench that Sunghoon comforted him on. How he wished the younger was there to wipe his tears.

Jake's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. It was Soobin. Jake hesitated to answer the phone but decided to do it. He quickly wiped away his tears and accepted the call.

"Where are you?" Soobin asked as soon as Jake answered. "I decided to go to school early," Jake lied. "Oh, why didn't you tell me? I was worried sick," Soobin scolded the shorter. "I'm sorry," Jake apologized. "It's okay. Have a good day. Love you," Soobin said. "I will. Love you too," Jake said before hanging up.

Jake put his phone back in his bag before laying down on the bench and crying himself to sleep once again.

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Sunghoon was fidgeting in his seat as his teacher taught the lesson. He had no idea where Jake was and it worried him. Even though Jake said he was fine Sunghoon had a feeling he wasn't. The excuses he made for example the cat excuse didn't make sense to him. There was no way a cat did that. He highly doubted a cat as vicious as that would deliberately only scratch one of his arms. He had a feeling the older was self-harming but he had no idea why.

He never asked Jake about it because he wanted to believe what he was saying was the truth. Sunghoon just wanted to make sure the older was okay and wasn't gonna try to do anything stupid.

"Hyung," Sunghoon heard someone call out for him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Hyung, class is over," Sunoo informed him. Sunghoon looked around and saw that they were the only ones in the classroom.

"You okay? You seemed very deep in thought," Sunoo said causing the older to shake his head. "I wonder where he is," Sunghoon said just loud enough for Sunoo to hear him. "Maybe he's sick," Sunoo said with a shrug. "Maybe," Sunghoon said quietly. "Don't stress, hyung. He's fine," Sunoo reassured the older. Sunghoon nodded and got up from his seat and followed Sunoo out of the classroom.

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It was now 12:02 pm and Jake was starving. He was trying to think of where to go when he remembered the "date" he and the younger went on. He got up and limped to the café which wasn't too far away, not forgetting to put on a mask to hide his face.

He saw the chalkboard from before but it had a different raccoon on it and it looked like the menu had changed a bit. He entered the café and his mood instantly changed. He smiled looking at the furry animals running around.

He went to the bathroom and got freshened up. He also put on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie.

"Excuse me, is there any way I can stay in your storage room?" Jake asked the very familiar-looking girl at the counter. "I'm sorry sir, but we can't let customers in the back," The girl said. "Please, I'll pay you extra. I don't want people to see me," Jake pleaded. "May I ask why?" She asked. "I-" Jake started before feeling something tug on his pants. Jake looked down and saw...

"Nami!" He exclaimed as he bent down to pick up the raccoon. The girl then remembered who Jake was. "You're the guy who came in here with their boyfriend last week right?" She asked causing Jake to blush. "H-he's not my boyfriend," Jake said. "Oh, sorry. I just assumed because of the way you guys were acting," The girls said. "No, it's fine," Jake said with a smile even though she couldn't see it.

"I'm Seulgi. Nice to meet you," She said with a bright smile. "I'm Jake," The male introduced himself. "Why aren't you at school?" She asked. "Because of my appearance," Jake said. Seulgi looked at him with a confused expression. Jake hesitantly pulled his mask down. It seemed like he could trust her.

"Oh, my G- what happened?" She asked, her eyes wide open. "I fell down a flight of stairs last night," He lied. "Oh, you can stay in the back until my shift is over. You can take Nami with you as company as well," The girl said with a kind smile. "Really?" Jake asked practically beaming. She nodded and led him to a door behind the counter.

"If you need it, there's a first aid kit here. And if you want anything to snack on or drink just tell me," She said as she moved some boxes out of the way. Jake nodded as she spoke. "Make sure she doesn't get into anything," Seulgi said referring to the animal in Jake's hands. "Thanks," Jake said quietly when the girl finished moving everything. "No problem," She said with a smile and left the room.

She went back to the front counter and pulled out her phone. She then texted someone and put her phone down when she heard the bell above the door chime signaling someone entered the building.

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"Where is he?" Sunghoon whispered to himself as he picked at his food. "Hoon, Sunghoon, Park Sunghoon, hey!" Heeseung said as he moved his hand in front of Sunghoon's face, trying to get his attention. Sunghoon snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Have any of you heard from him?" He asked to which everyone denied. Sunghoon put his head on the table and sighed before feeling his phone vibrate from inside his pants pocket.

Kang S.

He's here and he doesn't look too good.
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1172 words