HIRAETH [under heavy editing]

Chapter 2

"And I'm trying to find my peace of mind
Behind these two white highway lines
When the city goes silent
The ringing in my ears gets violent~"

Silence.

That was all that reached (Y/N)'s ears.

Yes, there was the constant purring of the engine. And there was the occasional laughter from the rest of the boys-- so loud, that if she was zoned out she'd think that they were inside with her and Jin, though they were actually out on the truck's cargo bed.

But silence...

That was what stood out to (Y/N) the most.

Because with the quiet atmosphere came the chaos that was her thoughts-- every fear she didn't want to face and everything she didn't want to hear.

The girl closed her eyes in agitation when the irrational musings began tormenting her again. Her jaw clenched and subconsciously, her dominant hand had inched towards her other-- fingers wrapping around her own wrist, gripping it so tightly she could've sworn that the blood had stopped flowing into it.

She gulped, feeling drowned by the constant wave of thoughts washing over her. Her leg had begun bouncing to combat the growing anxiety within her, but it didn't help her case at all. Her body froze and her breathing shallowed. The whispers in her head had picked up volume, gradually becoming just a deafening, violent ringing in her ears.

She needed something-- anything-- to distract her; to stop her from thinking. Because if this continued on, it would not end well.

As if God had heard her prayers, Jin spoke up for the first time since they've been left alone together. "So..." He drawled. It was one word-- one simple word, and yet it had done so much for (Y/N). The girl's eyes shot open as she jolted upright, though the boy beside her was much too focused on driving to notice.

Her breathing had slowed to a normal pace and her tensed figure relaxed, slumping against the backrest behind her. She looked down at her forearms that she had been hugging close to her chest and rubbed her wrist that was now sporting small crescents where her fingernails had dug into. It stung more as she came down from the unexpected rush, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She's been through worse.