Don't Wanna Cry (Seventeen Jeonghan x CLC Seunghee)

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

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It doesn't sound real to him. It feels like she's just asking him to bite it. But it's real. And in no time, she's sitting on his couch beside him, sipping a cup of tea he brewed. It's a mesmerizing feeling. He doesn't know if he can keep up. But he has to focus on the situation at hand.

"Mind if I ask? What happened?" he inquires.

"That's..." she hesitates but he has to know since she's asking him to let her stay. "I got kicked out. I am the one who can't pay the rent for three months. Don't worry, tomorrow, I'm gonna go to a friend's place, you don't need to worry about me staying here."

"Hey, it's okay. I told you I can always offer you help. And don't think about repaying me."

"I know this is too much to ask but thank you. I really need somewhere to stay right now."

"I don't mind you staying, so don't be shy to ask me for anything."

"No, this is enough. Thank you."

"What about your band mates? Do they know?"

She's hesitant to answer at first but she has to be honest with him. "Yeah. But they... can't take me in."

It's obvious, she's hiding something. The only persons she can go to are her friends, but it seems like there's something going on within the band that he doesn't know of, he thinks. "I see..."

"I should find a part time job soon and find a place to stay too."

"You need a part time job? I can recommend you to work at our bar. Well, the bar we're regular at. They need a waitress there. That's if you'd like to."

"That's very nice of you. I'll take that offer. I really need some wage right now."

But then he recalls, "How about your band?"

She pauses for a bit and answers, "Well, I had to quit. It's a personal thing."

"You quit? Weren't you doing better these days?"

She keeps her silence. She doesn't look like she wants to talk about it so he lets it be. He doesn't want to pry into her business.

"It's okay if you don't wanna talk about it. Then I'll ask our manager to let you perform once they have an opening. Their slots are full right now, so that's the only thing I can offer you."

"It's okay. I'll be fine if I can take the job. Thank you."

She looks exhausted and stressed out so he finally ends the conversation.

"I'll do what I can. It's late, you can sleep in the room. I'll take this couch."

"What? No, I can sleep here. That's too much-"

"I can't let you do that. You asked me if you could spend the night here, so I'm letting you take the bed. And you lock the door too so you can feel safe. Here's the key. I don't have any duplicate of that, just to assure you." He hands her the keys.

She has it in her hands and looks really grateful at him. She's a little moved by his protective nature. She feels really secure with this set up. "Jeonghan-ah..."

"It's okay. You look distressed. I can clearly see you're having a hard time. So let me help you. Go on and rest."

"Thank you."

Seunghee then walks to his room and locks it straight away. Jeonghan just sighs when she's gone. But he contemplates on it. She has some bruises on her wrists and some red marks on her neck. Though she tried to hide them, he could see them evidently when she moved. He wonders what she had been through today. He doesn't want to think some guy tried to assault her or some person tried to hurt her. It makes him mad, it makes him want to protect her even more. It makes him want to confess to her, but of course, it's not the right time. First, he'll make sure she's safe, and maybe later, he'll tell her how he really feels.