Painful Secrets

Chapter 7

 Bad experiences always stood out in Jeongin's memory more than good ones.

That was because he barely had any good ones .

Life didn't really give him a chance to make any good memories and it was something Jeongin really had to face.

Being yelled at and thrown insults at by his parents and peers , getting slapped , kicked and beaten for no reason , getting whipped by a belt , getting your arms burned by lighters and lit cigarettes , getting molested by your own father in the middle of the night with your mother asleep.

It was really hard to forget things like that .

He could still remember every single harsh word that had been thrown at him until now :

"Whore"

"Annoying"

"Slut"

"Pathetic"

"Useless"

"Bitch"

And then a .....

"Sweetheart?"

Jeongin opened his eyes and found himself in Seungmin's bed , his cheeks stained with tears . He had remembered falling asleep in Seungmin's arms for once , feeling safe and protected . But his mind just had to conjure up memories that made him feel the total opposite .

Jeongin sniffled as he felt a soft palm caress his cheek , wiping his tears away while saying , "Sweetheart."

Jeongin looked up to see Seungmin sitting by his side , dressed in a blue buttoned up shirt tucked in black pants .

Jeongin figured he must have showered since his hair was a bit wet .

"Why are you crying , sweetheart?"Seungmin asked , his voice smooth and gentle.

"Nightmare" Jeongin mumbled as more tears fell from his eyes and he just laid down his back and let the older wipe them away .

Seungmin gently pulled Jeongin onto his chest , wrapping one arm around his delicate waist while using the other to pat his head .

After breaking the hug and wiping away the last of Jeongin's tears , Seungmin gave the younger a quick small peck of his forehead .

"Try not to think about it . You're safe now . There is nothing you have to worry about . Okay?"

Jeongin just nodded .

Jeongin actually found his words comforting.

His father wasn't here and hopefully he didn't know where Jeongin was . He took a deep breath as a way to calm himself down .

"Now , go take a shower . Then we'll go down and have breakfast . Right after your knee is patched up."

Then, Seungmin helped Jeongin towards the bathroom , handing him a towel along with a pair of white sweatpants and a white long sleeved shirt , the smallest pair of clothing he could find in his closet since Jeongin was literally 5 times smaller then him .

Once Jeongin was in the bathroom , Seungmin heard a knock on his bedroom door to which he responded with a quick, "come on."

"Hey, Felix"

"Hey , Seungmin," Felix smiled .

"So did you have a nice flirt session with Hyunjin last night ?"

Felix blushed and lightly slapped Seungmin's arm .

"It was nothing like that . I just had to bandage his arm . Anyway , where is the boy ? I thought I might patch him up before breakfast . Do you have a first aid kit?"

"The boy has a name , it's Jeongin and he's showering . By the way , I do have an aid kit . It's under my bed ."

The door of the bathroom opened revealing the figure of Jeongin dressed in Seungmin's loose clothes , his brown hair wet .

"That;s him. I need you to bandage his knees." Seungmin walked up to Jeongin , picking him up before carrying him to the bed .

"This is Felix and he'll take care of your wounds . It won't hurt much so don't worry ." Seungmin said as he got up to leave but was immediately stopped by Jeongin , looking at him like a child not wanting to be separated by his father .

"Where are you going ?" he asked as he clutched onto Seungmin's arm as if his life depended on it .

Seungmin sighed as he took Jeongin's hand away from his arm and placed it on the younger's lap.

"I'm just going to go make breakfast with Minho . Don't worry about anything , sweetheart . Everything is going to be alright . OK?" Seungmin said as he caressed Jeongin's cheek .

Jeongin nodded as he stared longingly at Seungmin who had now left the room .

Seungmin made Jeongin feel safe in the new environment . Seungmin was nice and kind . He made Jeongin experience what it was like to be actually cared for . So the thought of being separated from him scared him , especially since he didn't trust anyone else .

Seungmin had read Jeongin like a book. He knew and understood the younger's point of view . He knew Jeongin was scared . But it wasn't like he could hide behind Seungmin forever , especially when there were no chances of him leaving the house .

Seungmin shook his head off his thoughts as he knocked on Jisung's door.

The door opened revealing the figure of Jisung , dressed in black shorts and white shirt .

"Can I use your hairdryer?" Seungmin asked , straightforwardly making Jisung sigh .

"Sure."