diadem | hyunho

9. thunder

MINHO:

"Hyunjin, where are you? Please, respond!" I yell out, panic taking over me as my scenarios about how he could be doing get progressively worse.

Just then, I realize I haven't checked outside. Right. Hyunjin could be outside! That wasn't necessarily a good thing for him, but I wanted to find him and bring him back in as soon as I could.

I run towards a door at the end of the ground floor hall, which leads to the gardens outside. I hear thunder once again and I wince. How was he keeping up?

HYUNJIN:

Anger and pain. That's all I felt after Minho said he wanted me out of his sight. I know we aren't that close yet, but is it bad that I thought we were making progress? Why did it have to hurt so much?

I was so sad and angry and I didn't know what to do. I thought of going to Jisung's room and staying there for the night, but there wasn't any response from the other side when I knocked on the door to his room. I sigh.

Keeping up with my gloomy mood, I slowly drag my feet across the corridors, wanting to get some fresh air in the garden outside. I see the guards salute me but I pay no attention to it. It wasn't a gesture I really liked coming my way, but I didn't have the energy to fight with them over it right now.

I slowly open one of the big, wooden doors leading outside, feeling the cool evening breeze touch my skin as I step into the garden. It was only slightly drizzling, so I wasn't too bothered. I just wanted to sit with all these pretty flowers and trees, think about my problems, and then cry my eyes out some more in an attempt to shake off the hurt and anger that I was feeling.

What I told Minho was the truth. I don't think I personally did anything to make him hate me so much all of a sudden. I just wanted to know if he was okay, but I guess he didn't appreciate that. I was even more surprised because I had never seen him this angry. He didn't look half this enraged on the day of our first meeting even if he wasn't happy with the arrangement, so why was he suddenly mad at me?

And to make things worse, my heart was very slowly, but surely, starting to grow soft for him. I was starting to like him, not as a friend but romantically, and exactly then he decides to make it clear that he hates me. It doesn't feel great when, for once in your life you actually start to like someone, they can't stand you. It sucks, and the thought of it alone keeps making me cry.

"Ah, what is wrong with me?" I ask myself, trying to wipe my own tears as I continue to sob silently. That's when I realize that the water droplets on my face didn't all belong to me: they belonged to the clouds. It was starting to rain. As if my day couldn't get any better.

As I continue to to wallow in self pity, I hear thunder strike. Only once, but very loudly.

Great. I'm fine. Totally fine. I can do this. I'm o-

And again it strikes!

I unknowingly let out a scream, lifting my legs up to the bench I was sitting on. I tightly wrap my hands around my knees as I bury my face into them. I wanted to get out of here, but how? I wasn't strong enough to face this on my own. I wanted to go back inside the palace and be in Minho's embrace, just like how he comforted me last time. In this moment of weakness, I didn't care that I was mad at Minho, I just want to feel safe. Why did my day have to keep getting worse? Why did this all have to happen now, when I have no one?

After a few more minutes of trying to compose myself and failing miserably, I hear my name being called from a distance. I couldn't make out the owner of the voice because of the painfully loud rain drops, but I still tried to have hope. What if someone was here to take me back inside?