in silence ᴰᴼᴵᴸ

１９.

☄️☄️☄️

It was getting pretty late and by the time the two arrived at the boy's home, their surroundings were hiding in the darkness, only snow everywhere, flying and acting as the air around them. The house itself looked nice during the day but now it resembled every other house on the street. Except that the light inside was still on.

"Huh? Looks like they aren't sleeping yet." Taeil furrowed his eyebrows.

"Let's go then."

Taeil still wasn't sure if what they were doing was right. Sure it was nice to visit their friend but the uneasy feeling of something bad happening to the mute boy was still there. Was it even a good idea? Does Doyoung want them there? these were questions that were eating up him like bugs, piece after piece. He noticed the other boy's look and immediately understood he wasn't the only one worrying. But he chose to ignore it instead and focus on the road.

The path leading to the house was fully covered in the snow as if no foot stepped inside in weeks. But they soon noticed slight steps from doors to the car that was parked outside - black SUV, now painted white because of the snow. Did Mrs Kim stay at home as well? Taeil thought while they made way towards the entrance. Suddenly the outside light switched on as the sensors noticed the two figures, scaring them for a second.

"I knock, you speak."

"That's childish Johnny."

"I know." He grinned.

Taeil heaved a sigh and held himself before rolling his eyes. Johnny is really a kid. The smaller boy took a step forward and knocked twice. Both of them shared a look, a nervous one and turned their heads in expectancy at the door. Soon, after a few seconds, they could see through the small window next to the doors a moving shadow and they didn't get to process what was happening because the big wooden door suddenly opened.

"Oh hey, boys." Doyoung's mom gave them a smile, as they noticed, a tired one. Black silk robe hung on her thin figure perfectly and her bare face looked healthy and pretty even in the night. For a woman in her age, she looked fresh and young.

"Good evening, we hope we're not disturbing anything, but we wanted to check on Doyoung since he hasn't been answering our texts last two weeks. We got worried because he was just ill the last time I was with him." Taeil met her eyes and she nodded, brushing her bangs off her face while tired sigh left her mouth.

"You must be freezing there, come inside."

She took a step back and opened the doors wider for them. They sheepishly came inside, Taeil recognising his surroundings, whereas Johnny, due to his first time being there, observed the house with his chin hanging open.

"Close your mouth or fly flies in it." Doyoung's mom joked while she took their coats and put them away alongside with their shoes, wet from the melting snow.

She then went to the living room and sat on a couch, where she has been, Taeil supposed, until they knocked. It looked like she was just drinking a glass of wine and reading some book and Taeil could see so much of Doyoung in her. He didn't know if he drank wine though.

And definitely didn't know that he couldn't touch anything of red colour.

"Sit down and make yourself at home." Mrs Kim turned to the two standing at the right side of the black leather couch and motioned to them to sit down.