CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

A week passed and still, they were no signs from the three boys. Hakyeon and Sanghyuk were away on an assignment which left Jaehwan alone in Paradise – not that it was such a problem. Frankly, it was nice to have some ‘alone time,’ though of course, Jaehwan never really enjoyed being alone. It made him hear things; things he didn’t want to hear.

Jaehwan sighs as he looks out the window. There was a snowstorm outside; probably the reason why no one has entered the building for the past few days. Of course, on any other day, Jaehwan would have appreciated the peace and quiet, but a few days have passed and it was starting to drive him crazy.

Silence covers the whole room when the sound of a door opening and closing resonated. Jaehwan flinches and grabs the nearest item beside him; a wooden stick he used for practice. Gripping tight the stick, Jaehwan prepares himself when the door suddenly opens and Hakyeon enters the room, nose red and snow covering his hair.

Jaehwan lets out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was about to open his mouth to speak when Hakyeon quickly walks towards him and puts a hand to cover his mouth. “Ssh, don’t talk, Jaehwan-ah,” Hakyeon says. Jaehwan nods his head and Hakyeon takes away his hand. The two boys stay silent for a moment; Jaehwan not knowing what to say and Hakyeon waiting for the right time.

A few minutes passed before Hakyeon finally releases the breath he was holding and looks at Jaehwan. “Pack your things up, Jaehwan. Take everything you’ll need but don’t take too much stuff. Also, wear something warm. You should be ready by the time I return,” Jaehwan looks at Hakyeon, asking for an explanation. Hakyeon doesn’t say anything else but mutters before he leaves. “We leave now,”

Hakyeon leaves, leaving Jaehwan to absorb his words. They were leaving? Where were they going? Are they being called on an assignment? If they were leaving, what will happen to the others? Where were the others? Where were Taekwoon, Hongbin and Wonshik? Was Sanghyuk going away with them? And, why did Hakyeon looked panic?

Although a bit dazed, Jaehwan goes ahead and does exactly what Hakyeon said. He takes out his backpack and walks towards his closet, taking out some clothes and shoves them into his bag. He walks towards his desk and takes out a journal and a pen. He looks at the pictures taped on his wall; one picture of his family and one of the six boys. He removes both and inserts them between the pages of the journal before tucking it away in his bag.

Finishing his packing, Jaehwan is left with nothing to do but wait for the older boy to return. He tries to recall how his life was before everything that happened but fails to do so. Jaehwan sighs as he looks at his hands; they were clean on the outside but heaven knows how dirty it really is, tainted by blood. He was only 16 and yet, he has killed people. Jaehwan looks up to his ceiling. He would admit it nor show it to the others but he was tired of everything. They were now fully healed, but unknown to the members, Jaehwan had tried to kill himself; numerous times. Of course, none of his attempts were successful. All they did was produce a thin cut; nothing more. It even came to a point where he began doubting the other boys; something he never should do, let alone think of. Maybe he was only thinking too much. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could throw away all his negative thoughts and return to his old self; but of course, he knew that it was impossible.

“There’s no turning back now,”

Okay, so actually, I wasn't supposed to update BP. I was supposed to update Monstrosity, however, I did promise a Jaehwan-centered chapter and because I didn't want the plot to leave my brain, I wrote it down. This was actually supposed to be updated a few days ago, however, I wasn't able to access the internet and thus, I'm only updating today.

Please take note, however, that updates might and will come slower than it already is. We will soon be starting on a new major plate (sort of like a project) and also, I need to focus on my studies. I will update once I finish a chapter.

Regarding the chapter, I hope I've given Jaehwan a new 'light' of some sort. As you can see (although slightly), I tried to show the more mature side of Jaehwan. He know gives things more thought than he used to. You could also see that he's starting to doubt himself, the administration, his family and even the members. Also, as you can see here, Jaehwan and Hakyeon are about to escape, taking the snowstorm outside as a sort of blessing. Does this mean that the members will be divided? What about Sanghyuk and the three hydes?