INFERNO ༄ PARK JISUNG

forty eight

Immobile.

She laid in the bed that hadn't been made in days, clothes scattered around her sheets and the floor. Her stomach grumbled empty due to the amount of meals she had skipped in the past week, coordinating with the void that filled her chest.

It was Tuesday, well over a week since the party.

Exactly a week since she had found out Jisung was unenrolled from school.

It was her first day being absent from school in her whole career, meaning something was definitely wrong. Though it wasn't a fever or illness, it was the literal breaking of her heart, causing her to fall sick of everything.

She was sickly pale, whiter than she had been in a while. Her organs were begging for a sip of water with the dehydration from her tears that spilled over constantly at night, making her throat and lips dry. As said before, she had been missing meals, making her petite figure even more skinny than before.

There was no energy in her to get up for the day as she laid there with the sheets up to her chin, shivering at the cold air that snuck in through her window. Her phone had blown up with messages, especially from Hyerin who waited outside her house for twenty minutes to pick her up, worried to death about her.

But none of them were from him, deeming them meaningless to her.

With no doubt, Aera felt completely guilty watching her daughter sulk in misery at home, but couldn't risk anything for her safety.

Only the memories of the terrible things Jiwoon was capable of replayed in her mind, knowing that if her and Jisung were to ever fall for each other- it could cost her life.

And the golden swirls in their eyes didn't lie, it was only a matter of time before they fell completely in love.

"Hey, sweetie. I'm going to work in a bit, do you need anything?" she walked into her room that was dimly lit, the curtains shut with little light to shine through.

Seorin remained silent, staring into nothing.

Aera let out a small sigh, walking over to her bedside.

"Rin, I'm sorry." she ran her fingers through her overgrown locks, feeling them get stuck in the knots she hadn't brushed out. Her lips pursed, holding back the tears she didn't know she had left.

"You'll understand soon enough, I promise." she pressed a kiss onto her forehead, making her tear up more.

"I don't understand and I never will." she choked out, feeling the scratchiness in her throat.

"I see your eyes, Seorin. I've seen it all." Aera confessed, gazing into her orbs that turned a worrisome shade of black.

"What about it? Doesn't it show that I'm miserable?" she remarked, feeling betrayal from her own mother.

Aera stood up and walked to her door, stopping with her hand on the knob. The devoid presence in her irises inflicted fear, basically confirming the emotions she wished were never there.

"It shows that you really did love him." she said almost inaudibly before closing the door behind her, choking back her own tears.

As a mother, it killed her knowing she was hurting her own child, being part of the reason of her misery.

But it scared her even more that Jisung's eyes probably reflected the same thing, meaning Jiwoon knew they were in love.

And she had no idea what that monster would do to her daughter.

"Seojoon." an annoyingly deep voice spoke, making the man turn on his heel.

"Jiwoon." he sighed, adjusting his tie. The two stood in the empty hallway of the Neo Office, the place where all authority was controlled.

"I heard your poor daughter was absent from school today, what a shame." he snarked, making Seojoon tense up automatically.

"Whether or not she was, that's none of your concern, Park." he hardened his expression glaring into the man's fiery orbs.

"I think what is of my concern is the way you let her act around my son." Jiwoon raised his eyebrows, inching closer to the man only inches shorter than him.

"I don't know what nonsense you're talking about, Park."

"Can't you see by their eyes? They were in love, Baek." he snarled, letting his natural heat radiate onto his figure.

"Their lives shouldn't be affected by our disagreements, they're just kids." Seojoon glared, well aware of his daughter's emotions.

"She was getting in the way of my son's training- his path to glory."

"Quit your delusions, Park. You can't abuse him into following your footsteps any longer. No one in this government will allow you to carry out your foolish plans." Seojoon hissed, throat to throat with him.

"I hate to do this, Mister Water Leader, but I'm afraid if my son ever sees your daughter again, it's gonna cost."

Seojoon gulped, but quickly recomposed his hard expression. "There's no way in hell I'll let any more of your actions slide."

"You think I won't? Have you even seen my wife in the past twelve years?" he wickedly smiled, making Seojoon's face scrunch up with the mention of his old friend.

"You're a sick bastard, Park. You and your entire bloodline."

Jiwoon's lips didn't waver, only silently taunting the man below him.

"That's right, we're twisted."

chapter forty eight — 119 ; nct dream
"that's right, we're twisted."

sorry if some of these chapters are short :( i just dont want to shove so much information into one to where it's hard to retain
almost done writing the last chapter and wow, im gonna miss writing this book sm