Jealousy | Wen Junhui [EDITING]

Chapter 40

I had just arrived home from practise with the girls that day, and let me tell you: it was tiring. I plopped down on the couch next to Winter, who turned on the television to watch Stranger Things. I grabbed a box of cookies and cream 'Peppero' and a bag of 'Lays' for Winter.

"I swear, Dustin is adorable," I cooed.

Winter nodded and hummed in agreement. She reached her hand in the chip bag for another handful of fatty goodness, but started frantically darting her hand around in the hollow bag.

"Why are you molesting the Lay bag?" I queried.

"It's empty! I just started like one minute ago!" Winter exclaimed.

"Wh-"

I checked the contents of the package, and sure enough it was a void of nothingness.

"There were, like, ten chips inside!" Winter ranted. "It's 95% air, 5% contents!"

I snorted, "Sounds like your head."

Winter turned to me, mouth opened and ready to react in hysteria.

"Well for your information, the inside of my head is filled fluid, not air," she stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "How can the inside of my head be dry, Tori?"

"Why are your comebacks dry, Winter?" I retorted, only to be playfully slapped on the shoulder by Winter.

"I hate you with a deep passion!" she sarcastically declared.

"Nado saranghae, yeodongsaeng," I cooed, teasingly, making a heart with my hands.

Just before Winter could sulk under the dark cloud of my comebacks, a loud knock teared through the playful atmosphere. Winter and I jumped at the sudden intrusive noise and grabbed the object nearest to us as self defense.

"Tori? Winter? I think the doorbell's broken. Can you guys let me in?" Caleb yelled from the other side of the door.

Winter and I sighed in relief; it was only my older brother.

"Yell 'ding dong' really loud and I'll let you in!" I instructed.

"No I will not yell 'ding dong' out loud!" he protested loudly.

Winter and I snickered. "You just did, dumb duck. Hang out I'll get the door!" I mused.

There was a sudden silence as I got up from the couch to let Caleb in. Sprinting to the door, I made it in time to hear my brother 'silently' curse under his breath. I opened the door, wide enough for him to see part of our apartment from his point of vision.

I gestured for a hug, when he just stood at the doorway, shoulder lazily leaning against the door frame, and one eyebrow raised higher than the other. I grinned at him, while he showed me a blank face. My 'irresistible' smile melted his tough front, and he slowly cracked a small smile. Caleb sighed and chuckled to himself. I pulled him into a welcoming hug, slightly wincing at the fragrance his body radiated.

"Phew, you need a long bath," I articulated, breaking the hug.

"Shut up, Riri," Caleb shushed, "Winter's right there."

I slightly cringed at the nickname my parents gave me. With that name, Caleb knew how to tease me and make my eyes roll but in private.

"Don't just stand at the door, get in!" Winter exclaimed. "You'll let the mosquitoes in."

"By pesky mosquito, you mean Caleb right?" I asked, stealing a smug glance at my older brother.

He rolled his eyes and slipped into the penthouse. As I was closing the door, I noticed black soot stuck to my fore fingers. I stared at the black ashes for too long, my hands minisculey shaking from the post-traumatic stress. The BGM of the sounds from the television was clouded by a resonant silence that deafened my ears. I tried to sweep away the remains of the ashen memories to the back of my head, but life decided to have a rearrangement.

"Earth to Tori!" Winter called out. "Come on let's continue 'Stranger Things.'"

I jogged back to my best friend, sitting with her leg dangling from the edge of the sofa. She asked me what was wrong and why I silently stood at the door. I then showed her the ashes on my fingers, to which she scrutinized then concluded my hypothesis.

"Go ask him about it," Winter suggested. "I'll make you some tea to calm your nerves."

"Thanks Win-win." I smiled.

I knocked on Caleb's door and entered upon his permission. On his wrinkled bed sat a half bare-skinned Caleb holding his rolled up dirty shirt around his arm against his abs.

"EUNHYUK CALEB CHOI, WHY ARE YOU SHIRTLESS?" I bellowed.

"DON'T CALL ME BY MY KOREAN NAME AND SO WHAT? WE'RE SIBLINGS!" he bellowed back.

"DID SOMEONE SAY EUNHYUK?" I heard Winter holler from the other room. "I'M COMING OPPA-"

There Winter was, through the door, eyes wide open and mouth dangling.

"MY EYES!" Winter screeched, covering her eyes. "I NEED BLEACH!"

"WHY IS WINTER IN MY BEDROOM?" Caleb enunciated.

"THAT'S MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER GET IN YOUR BEDROOM!" I divulged.

"NOW PUT YOUR SHIRT ON!"

"JEEZ, ALRIGHT!" Caleb (or should I say Choi Eunhyuk) obliged and put his dark shirt back on.

I sighed in relief and plopped next to him on his bed after Winter left and closed the door along the way.

"Who said that you could sit on my bed?" Caleb growled.

"Hyukkie, are you okay? You know I was just joking about the whole bedroom thing right?" I inquired.

"Don't say my Korean name or nickname and yeah I know," he sighed in slight frustration. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to ask you about this," I began, holding out my soot-covered fingers. "Why was this on your shirt?"

"That's nothing, Eunsoo," Caleb resonated.

"Why are you so sure of that?" I pried, testing my limits.

"Because I know, now enough questions," he demanded.

"Caleb, why are you frustrated?" I asked calmly. "Please, let me help."

"I said," Caleb began in a venomous voice and stood up, "Enough questions. It's been a long day."

"But-"

"Stop it! Enough!" he burst.

I gathered the will not to flinch at his outburst and stood up to eye level. I didn't cower under his gaze or back down from the fight. Instead I showed him an unfazed expression with my arms defensively crossed. I turned to the door without another word. I may have put on a blank unaffected-looking facade, but under the paint was offense, hurt, and fear.

*~*~*~
YOOOOOOO waddup im rlly sorry for de slow updates. Exams are finished so YAAYYYYYYYY but i got sick so my updates got delayed. im feeling a lot btr now tho:)

anyways i realized that i haven't put in Caleb's korean name so i decided why not Eunhyuk since Tori's Korean name is Eunsoo. For thosr of u who didn't know that, I changed her Korean name from Haesol to Eunsoo in chapter 3 i believe. Sorryy for those of u who were confused.

Das all for today, have a great day:)

-Elle