Jin slowly closed the door behind him, his heart hammering against his ribs. The lingering warmth of the close contact with Alex still tingled on his skin, sending his mind drifting into a whirlwind of sweet imaginations.
"I am really falling for him," Jin confessed to himself, a soft smile spreading across his face. But as he looked up and faced the door before him, reality crashed back in.
A wave of guilt washed over him as he felt incredibly foolish for silently swooning while his friend was clearly trapped in a miserable mood.
He then approached the door, raising his hand to knock, but stopped midway.
"What will I even say?" he wondered, his hand hovering awkwardly. "Maybe I should just ask what happened," he murmured softly.
"No, wait! That will make it look like I'm just sniffing around for gossip." He clicked his tongue, frustrated by his own hesitation.
After a moment, a plan formed. "I know. I should talk to him when the food is on the table." Reassuring himself, he turned on his heel to serve the food.
Meanwhile, inside the quiet room, Alex leaned against the shut door. An unfamiliar feeling stirred deep in his chest. Overwhelming, heavy, and far too warm to be dismissed as mere irritation.
His face flushed a deep crimson. "Did he just touch me like that?" Alex wondered, his fingers tracing his own face. He was still furious about his disastrous day at work, but this sudden closeness left him feeling completely shy.
Knock. Knock.
"Uhm, Alex? The food is ready," Jin's muffled voice called out."I'm not hungry. Just eat without me," Alex replied, staring at the floor.
"Please... let's just eat in peace," Jin pleaded softly. "We can vent out our frustrations with filled tummies."
Alex sighed. Deciding to listen just for the food's sake.
Then he pulled the door open. To his surprise, he found Jin crouching low at the doorway, looking entirely defeated.
He felt a pang of guilt from Jin's strained expression.
The kitchen was suffocatingly quiet. The heavy, silent atmosphere made Alex incredibly uncomfortable. The food tasted completely bland, especially since he was the only one chewing.
"Why am I the only one eating?" Alex finally asked."Because it's late," Jin flatly replied.
"That doesn't make sense, right?"
"I had my meal earlier," Jin answered slowly.
He looked at him but Jin averted his gaze.
Once the silent awkward meal concluded, Jin stood up and took the dishes for washing and Alex stepped in to clean up the place he ate from. After that,they prepared to go into their rooms.
"Good night, Alex," he said, keeping his eyes downcast. Without waiting for a reply.
"Jin, wait!"
Suddenly, a hand gripped Jin's wrist. Alex pulled him back, bowing his head in genuine remorse.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me for my awful attitude. Lately, I've been a total pain in the neck... but I'll try to improve. For your sake."
Jin's chest tightened. "It's fine. Maybe I misunderstood your intentions and got angry. But you shouldn't feel bad, okay?" Jin assured him.
However, his smile was entirely forced, and his shoulders remained stiff. Without another word, he hurriedly went into his room, leaving Alex frozen in place.
"Did he accept my apology in anger, or did I completely misread his attitude?" Alex thought worriedly. Seeing Jin's stiff retreat, he knew with agonizing certainty that he had deeply hurt his friend's feelings.
Morning arrived and Alex prepared himself to check on his patient.Dressed his best, but expressed his worst mood. He made his way out of the house and left for work.
Jin did his daily routine, cleaning, cooking, and working at the small restaurant of his foster parent. Estadey was helping to cook breakfast for the children when a child rushed towards her.
She was smiling mischievously, then gestured to Estadey to whisper in her ear.
"Guess what, Granny Mina is quarreling with a young man in the guest room. Maybe he wants to adopt you because you're the main topic in their quarrel."the little girl giggled.
She pointed at the hallway, showing Estadey and gesturing her to go. Estadey didn't wait and hurriedly left.She reached the heavy wooden door at the very end of the hallway.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open. The scene waiting for her inside was nothing short of disturbing.Granny Mina was sobbing, her finger trembling as she pointed it directly at Alex. "I said I don't want anything to do with you!" Alex shouted back, his face contorted in rage.
"But Estadey," the old woman pleaded, her voice cracking.
Before she could finish, Alex's hand swung through the air. A sharp, echoing slap rang out. The force of the blow knocked Granny Mina entirely off balance, sending her crashing hard onto the ground.
"Granny Mina!" Estadey screamed, terror piercing her chest as she rushed forward
But when she held on to her ,it felt like her hand touched in hot boiling water.
And she immediately drew away from the old woman.