𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖|michaeng

𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖

𝟚𝟘𝕥𝕙 𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕙 𝟙𝟡𝟠𝟜

chaeyoung's body screamed in pain. her head was throbbing, and it felt as if her throat was going to close up. she curled herself up into a ball to try and reduce the blows, but nothing was working, so she took the harsh impacts silently. she wasn't sure what had caused her mother's rage tonight but, as always, she was her target. the girl knew from experience that if she struggled or fought back that it would only enrage the woman more. so she lay there, biting the inside of her cheek, trying her absolute hardest not to make a sound. her teeth broke the delicate skin. and it wasn't long before blood filled her mouth.

it only stopped when a loud crack sounded. chaeyoung couldn't tell where it had come from, every bone in her body was aching and her vision was blurred from the tears that were yet to spill. she couldn't feel anything anymore. maybe that's why she was delusional. because for a second she had managed to fool herself that her mother was worried. that maybe, after all these months, she had finally realised that what she was doing was wrong. but her beating seemed to end with a harsh kick to the stomach and a malicious grunt. the woman stormed out of the room, and chaeyoung knew she had left when the front door slammed shut; shaking the whole house.

only then did the tears begin to spill. and chaeyoung was sure not an ounce of sympathy was felt in her mother's body.

the girl peeled herself off the floor and stumbled into the kitchen. her vision was still blurred but she could make out a male figure sitting at the dining table. he had broad shoulders and the same dusty brown hair that she did. his knee was bobbing up and down under the table impatiently and it looked like chaeyoung wasn't the only one who had been crying. her brother.
a cloud of rage took over her body and she had to grit her teeth to stop herself from screaming. he had been here this whole time, he had heard everything and hadn't even had the decency to try and help. this was no brother of hers.

"what are you doing here?" chaeyoung grunted,  "shouldn't you be flaunting around college with that scholarship you earned?"

his head turned slowly and only then could chaeyoung see the red mark across his face, undoublty from their mother's hand.
"i got kicked out" he said simply, but chaeyoung could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"oh" chaeyoung muttered, but she was more preoccupied with trying to stop the bleeding from her forehead than feeling any pity. "i guess you hate me too, since mom has probably told you" she croaked. the sentence didn't sit well with her, and the word 'mom' didn't taste right when it rolled of her tongue.

"no" he choked out, and his eyes started to well up again, "i'm not mom chaeyoung, i care about you" he pleaded.

"do you jeong hoon" chaeyoung growled through gritted teeth, "do you? because if you did i wouldn't be getting nearly beaten to death every night"

his face fell and it was as if only then had he realised all his wrong doing. how his ignorance had only made the problem worse. "i'm sorry"

"NO YOU'RE NOT" chaeyoung shrieked, "i'm leaving and don't you dare follow me"

the boy shot up from his chair and made a bee line for the door so he could block the girl's exit. "chaeyoung you can't" he cried, " you're face, let me help you"

chaeyoung swatted the boys hand away from her face and ran for the door, "no. you didn't help me then so you don't get to now" she took off out the door and

chaeyoung ran.
she didn't know where but she had to get away, get somewhere safe. although she couldn't ignore the throbbing in her left arm and she was sure that the huge crack she had heard was the bone breaking. the bleeding from her forehead was getting worse, making it hard for her to see from her right eye. it really was just a matter of time before she would collapse.

after what seemed like hours chaeyoung's legs came to an abrupt stop. she looked around and immediately recognised where she was. she cursed herself for being so dependent, but then realised this was one of the only places she truly felt safe. mina and momo's.
she opened the front gate and made her way up the steps towards the front door. she lightly knocked twice and waited patiently. the door swung open and revealed mina in a small red tank top and grey shorts. chaeyoung's breath caught in her throat and she almost forgot why she was there until she saw mina's face drop.

the older girl reached out and wiped the blood from chaeyoung's eye before resting her hand on the girl's slightly swollen cheek.
"w-what happened" she asked, voice shaking, "what am i saying? oh my god, come inside i'll go and get the first aid kit" mina rambled, before rushing off into the bathroom, leaving chaeyoung standing in the doorway.
she took a seat on a kitchen stool, being extra careful not to get any blood anywhere. mina came running back in a few seconds later, eyes streaming and a small green bag in her hand. the girl took some antiseptic from the bag and started to wipe away at chaeyoung's forehead. their faces were so close, and chaeyoung could feel the girl's ragged breaths fanning her cheek. in any other situation she would have shied away from the contact, but really, she had no choice.

"please don't cry for me" chaeyoung muttered, almost pleading, "i'm not worth your tears."

mina pulled away and furrowed her eyebrows at the younger girl, "no chaeyoung you're not" she said, words coming out a lot sterner than she had intended, "you're worth much more than that"

the girl continued to treat chaeyoung's forehead and gave her a small ice pack for her swollen cheek. "chaeng how did this happen?" she asked quietly, "and don't say it doesn't matter because it matters to me"

chaeyoung thought about it for a moment, she trusted mina and she didn't want to let the girl down. "it was my mom" she said quickly, unsure if she'd regret this in the future, "she hates me."

mina's eyes began to well up again. the situation was all too familiar. she bought chaeyoung into a tight hug and stroked her back softly, "oh chaeng" she whispered.

"mina stop" chaeyoung said quickly, wiping the tears from older girl's cheeks.

"what?" the older girl questioned, pulling away unsurely.

"i'm getting blood on your top" she said, tongue popping out the side of her mouth in concentration as she tried to wipe the stain from the older girl's shirt.

mina smiled softly, grabbing the younger girl's hand and pulling her off the chair, "you know that is the least of my worries right now" she chuckled, "follow me"

mina led chaeyoung up what seemed like a flight of endless stairs before they reached a door that led onto the roof. it was decorated with silver fairly lights and there was a small pink blanket on the floor. mina sat, legs dangling over the edge of the roof and she beckoned chaeyoung to do the same.

"you know my mom hates me too" mina started, making sure chaeyoung wasn't sat too near the edge, and the bandage on her forehead was still in tact, "it's stupid because it's for something i can't change"

chaeyoung reached out, for hope and stability, and she found mina's hand, their fingers intertwining almost immediately. this wasn't just holding hands, this was something much bigger. it was trust. and it was care. and it was everything chaeyoung wanted.
and she didn't want to be shy anymore. if today had taught her anything then it was that life was short, and their was no use hanging onto things that didn't hold onto you.

"then don't change" chaeyoung whispered softly, leaning into mina's side, "i think you're perfect"

she looked out to the sky of endless stars and for the first time that day a smile tugged at her lips. although, as pretty as they were, chaeyoung was sure none of them shined as bright as the apricot haired girl sat next to her did.