"You should have just told us you weren't feeling well."

Mr. Kim's voice echoed through the dining hall the moment Jiwon stepped in with her head hung low.

Contrary to the disapproving look Jiwon had expected from her father as she lifted her gaze, Mr. Kim's expression held no trace of any objection regarding yesterday's turn of events.

When Jiwon had blinked herself awake this morning, she had already prepared for her parents' tirade during breakfast over her abrupt leave last night, not even bothering to bid a proper farewell — a behavior which she had believed wasn't really going to be favored upon by her parents.

Instead, what greeted her for breakfast was a family patiently waiting for her to join them over a peaceful breakfast.

"Are you still feeling ill, Jiwon?" Mrs. Kim asked when Jiwon remained glued by the entryway of the dining hall.

Jiwon shook her head lightly. "I'm alright," she responded and made her way to the table.

Settling on her seat, Jiwon caught the questioning look Seokjin threw at her, but much to her disorientation, she ignored it. Though she could still feel her brother's eyes following her movement — or the lack thereof.

"Min Yoongi's mother called me last night," informed Mrs. Kim. "He had already explained the situation to his family. Your soon to be mother-in-law would be delighted if you would tell her that you're doing better now."

Jiwon simply nodded as a response.

After breakfast, Jiwon decided to lock herself in her room for the remainder of the day. Her lack of sleep and appetite wasn't helping her keep herself together, but she needed something to distract herself.

Or at least to snap her out of her haze.

Jiwon took her phone from the nightstand, a plethora of messages and missed calls notification appeared on her screen. Most of them were from her parents last night, around the time that she and Yoongi had left the dinner meeting. Even Mrs. Min had left her a message, asking if she was alright and another wishing that she would get well soon. The most recent ones were from Min Yoongi.

Yoongi.

Jiwon could not even will her own fingers to open Yoongi's messages. She locked her phone and placed it back on the nightstand. She stood in place, grounded, as if she had lost control of her own legs.

The memory of her featherheaded decision flashed before her, and she let out a disgruntled huff. Jiwon crouched down, pressing her palms to her chest.

For all the times Yoongi had made her feel a certain way, Jiwon made sure she was one step ahead with her heart locked within the cages of her chest in the best way Jiwon could protect it.

So it frustrated Jiwon to no end how suddenly, her own heart defied her intentions. She failed to understand the way her own heart rebelled against the doors she had always guarded so adamantly for its own safety.

Because as much as she chided herself for all the words that betrayed her mouth last night, Jiwon knew well enough that in that moment when her unguarded heart bled all the feelings she had been bottling up, there existed the honesty she vehemently tried to hide.

But why would she even dare to kiss him?

She'd rather puke her guts out at his coat once more than the stupidity of bleeding her heart out to him. Jiwon groaned, burying her face on a pillow she had grabbed from her bed.

And then rolled her tears without warning, muffled sobs filled the silence of her room.

Jiwon could not decipher which emotion was responsible for the relentless flow of her tears, nor the rationale of the feelings behind it.

Because if Jiwon was embarrassed by her actions, she couldn't decide over which she felt more bothered with: her unguarded heart finding its courage to kiss Yoongi, or the way how it gave her that sense of warmth she never knew she had been longing for until the moment Yoongi willingly allowed it to happen.

She felt stupid for the latter.

How lonely had her life been that she found comfort from that?

Amidst the mockery, the pity-party on her head had to throw confetti on Jiwon just for the reason that her life couldn't get any funnier as her brother's jokes could reach.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

Jiwon reached for the bureau of her nightstand, pulling the second layer open, and fumbled in search for a particular silver locket. 

The locket was cold against her skin as she brought the object closer. Jiwon opened it with a soft clink, and an almost faded photo of a smiling woman stared back at her. For a fleeting moment, she pretended as if such person was actually in front of her. And while she would do anything to see her and hold her one more time, Jiwon had to find contentment with what the tiny frame of the locket could offer her.

Amongst the list of things Jiwon wished she could change, there were a few that could only be dealt with acceptance.

The bitterness of reality made sure to drill the truth into her mind that some things could never be changed no matter what she did.

Jiwon reminded herself of this unfortunate truth once more. Because whether Jiwon decided to cry her eyes out for today, or get back on her feet and pretend nothing happened, she was bound to wake up the next day to the same old nightmare of her life anyway.

— ✿ —
❝hello! thank you for still reading Double Trouble despite my very long absence. I posted details about the update on my message board weeks ago, and I appreciate everyone's patience and kinds words! ♡ (you can check out the notice on my profile, but in summary, Double Trouble will not be abandoned)

chapter 26 is divided into 2 parts. part 2 will be posted not later than next week. you could use the time to refresh on the story a bit ü alsooo, I don't think anyone has actually figured out the small twist yet hehe but we're almost getting there!

updates will still be sporadic, but hopefully not in aggravatingly long intervals. I'm kinda trying to get the hang of writing again and I'm working on my prose aaa I haven't written in a vvv long time and my writing feels kinda rusty.

(quick shameless plug: I have a new story called 'The Lies of the Heart' and I would be grateful if you could check that out as well. thank you so much if you do!)

thank you for keeping up with this very long author's note. I hope you all are doing well! take care, everyone!❞