“.”

Sehun’s tone is enraged, and even with the roaring sound of the heavy downpour, Jongin can perfectly pick up the fury richly lacing his deep voice. Jongin swallows the tension gathering in his throat, taking two steps backward away from the seething guy just in case Sehun considers bashing someone’s skull.

Amidst the crash of the torrent when they were inside the hospice getting Jongin’s poisoned foot treated, someone decided to mess with Sehun’s parked car. Sehun didn’t even think that there was a possibility of his tires vanishing from its hinges.

But now he’s staring at it. His ing car, looking so ing dumb without all of its tires.

Sehun was already briefed about how ‘bandits’ have become rampant in a particular area of the island. He didn’t bother himself thinking about it since there’s zero chance he’d run into one; not with the tight security the resort had.

“ing hell…” Sehun almost yells, kicking the scattered pebbles beneath his sandals. It slipped his mind that his family doesn’t actually own the whole of Yeosu island. The resort’s security can only cover its boundaries.

Now what.

He’s here, drenched in rainwater, surly scowling at where his tires were once supposed to be. It isn’t really an easy feat to open his car’s doors, seeing as it’s only accessible if the owner opens the door themselves. He figures since that’s the case, these ing bandits just decided to take the tires. His goddamn top-tier tires. He only had them changed literally two days ago and it ing cost him quite a fortune.

Jongin is unsure himself of what to do. He’s under the protection of the umbrella one of the nice nurses from the infirmary lent them. But Sehun, upon seeing what has become of his car, practically sprinted towards it, hence, getting himself soaked to the bones. Jongin gnaws on his lower lip, inching near the older’s crouching form again. He levitates his arm up, just to at least shield Sehun from getting showered even further.

If he isn’t so pissed, Sehun would’ve appreciated Jongin’s little effort from keeping him soused. But his blood is ing boiling and he had never been this furious since Kyungsoo snatched away his last girlfriend years ago.

Standing up, Sehun abruptly pulls the door open, entering the vehicle and slamming the door shut. Jongin fidgets awkwardly outside, eyes wide. For a brief second, the younger feels a spike of anxiety rising in his chest.

Sehun…he’s not going to let him stand out there and deal with the harsh storm, would he?

It's to Jongin’s utter relief when Sehun reaches the passenger’s seat to open the other door. He quickly rounds the car, clambering up inside and closing the umbrella before shutting the door close. Rain pounds the roof of Sehun’s car. The temperature keeps on dropping as the minutes tick by, causing the windows and windshield to be covered with moist. Silence fills the vehicle, neither one speaking. Jongin opts to busy himself with looking at the icy rain clattering on the windows like an endless chorus line of rhythm-challenged tap dancers.

Jongin can see movement from his left side and he tries not to look when he hears Sehun’s voice once again, speaking on his phone. “Eunju. We’re kinda stuck outside of some clinic. Something happened with my car, I need you to send me another car here in—Eunju? Hello?”

Sehun can hear the resort manager’s voice on the receiver, yet it's a mess due to the weak signal. He tries to repeat the call, but the storm is hindering their communication. The line is barely steady, unabling either person from both ends to understand what each other are saying. Jongin can practically feel Sehun’s infuriation radiating off of him.

“Hello? Eunju?! Goddamit!” Sehun cusses, shooting daggers at the foggy windshield. Eventually, the call cuts itself off, too unstable to keep the line going.

Sehun pockets his phone, pursing his lips in a thin line. He can do nothing but shut his eyes tight and hold the steering wheel with a tenacious grip. He is so close to losing his . This is the worst night of his ing life.

The repercussions of getting himself drenched are now starting to kick in. Sehun can feel the chill of the temperature encompassing his body, freezing his fingertips. He gradually begins to quiver from the cold, though he tries his best not to show it to Jongin, whose clothes are partially damp too because of sea water earlier.

The hospital they were supposed to go to is located at the heart of Yeosu Island, in the city which is roughly three hours away from where Sehun and Jongin were. Having no more choice, Sehun was left to seek for the nearest medical center, a one-hour drive from the resort. Sehun’s GPS, unfortunately, chose this day to be inefficient and it ended with them changing routes and getting lost twice before they got to their destination. Sehun was vexed about practically everything, though he let his temperament simmer down for the time being. Jongin’s foot was quickly treated since the clinic wasn’t overloaded.

Walking back to the resort is definitely not an accepted option. It’s bad enough that the darkness clings onto the road in a creepy way and that the weather is being a bipolar , they couldn’t possibly make it to the resort which is a hundred miles away without getting drowned by heavy rainwater, could they?

This is Jongin’s fault. Sehun can’t blame anyone else but him. If he's not such a clumsy heap of mess, he wouldn’t sting his foot and they wouldn’t be here in this useless car, waiting for a miracle to happen. Jongin was the last patient to come out of the tiny clinic before it closed for the night, so the establishment obviously has no help to offer to the stranded duo. They’re left with no source of aid from this predicament.

Jongin slumps on the leather seat, wallowing in guilt. This is definitely his fault. Sehun’s shivering beside him and he can’t do anything since he doesn’t even have anything with him to keep the other warm, much less himself. So much for anticipating for that hot chocolate…

Time lapses with them immersed in their own thoughts. Sehun refuses to say anything. He is sure that if he does, all that would come out of his mouth are curses. The cold is enveloping his whole body and it’s a bit difficult to keep his teeth from its obvious chattering.

Jongin isn’t faring any better, arms wrapped around his lithe form with his conscience prodding him constantly. He wants to apologize for all the mishaps he has caused Sehun since day one. He doesn’t even understand how Sehun can still manage to keep his cool.

Grandma Hyejin said to him awhile back that Sehun isn’t exactly an emotionally attached person of sorts. She said he should give Sehun some time to become adjusted to this new arrangement and for sure, he'd treat him civilly, and maybe even accept him at least as a part of their family.

But his hope had substantially worn out over the course of his first week in the Oh Mansion, and he can’t kid himself. Sehun won’t like him, ever.

Despite the evident hatred Sehun has for him, the older guy has actually already wasted copious amounts of his time helping him, as of recent. The unusual kindness Sehun has given dares Jongin to hold on to that little spark of hope that maybe, maybe, Grandma Hyejin is right. Maybe, Sehun isn’t really that cruel. That he could be nice, just struggling to show it.

Jongin turns his head in the slightest, silently observing Sehun who is sullenly peering out the window. He blinks his eyes a bit too fast, his heartbeat matching the same speed. “Hyung…”

Sehun almost jolts from his seat, snapping his eyes from the fog-covered glass to Jongin, who is equal parts troubled and contrite. The word Jongin just addressed him resonates in his mind. “I’m sorry…”

Jongin is looking anywhere but Sehun. “I…I didn’t think the situation would turn for the worse…I just wanted to help the little girl from drowning but I got stung and…you were just kind enough to help me but…but in turn…I gave you so many problems and…”

Sehun, who can’t find the words for him to speak aloud, just freezes and stares at Jongin who starts sniffling. Though the younger doesn’t want himself to cry, his eyes are still glassy and his nose is turning red. His head is bowed low, hindering his face, and his small hands are resting motionlessly on his lap, looking pale under the faint glow of the lamp post nearby the car. He looks like the harmless young teenager he is, seemingly sorry about the misfortunes he has caused Sehun.

If Sehun was filled with a negative vibe moments ago, now he just feels confused. It’s a wonder how genuine Jongin is.

Yes, he is giving the younger boy a lot of pressure. He is making his life a living hell but here Jongin is, apologizing constantly every time he angers him.

“I…I understand if you hate me so much. I’d feel the same if I were in your shoes, to be honest…” Jongin began, picking at his clothes. “I’m…sorry. I’ve been…I’ve been waiting for Grandma Hyejin to come back because…because I want to ask her to…to call this engagement off…”

Jongin’s words totally snatch Sehun’s attention. “I know you…you have a girlfriend and…you love her,” Jongin worries his lower lip between his teeth, gazing somberly down his lap. “And being engaged t-to some kid you barely know is…is just stupid.”

A sad smile spreads across Jongin’s lips as he lifts his pensive gaze up to the blurry windshield. Thunder rumbles in the skies, water pitter-pattering everywhere. “I know this isn’t…going to work