Clap - 49

Three different shades of silence filled the air.

Jaemin clutched his cheek. The heat radiating from it was the friction burn. His cheekbone throbbed, and his mouth stung, making it clear that the hit had been solid. While it wasn’t enough to make his head spin, it was bad enough. His mood—was bad.

Jaemin glared daggers at Ihyun. Why hit me? What did I do wrong? From start to finish, everything was your fault, so why hit me?

“Did you just hit him?”

Surprisingly, it was Ichan who broke the silence first. His eyebrows twisted in disgust. How could you hit such a small face like that? What if it left a scar⋯⋯.

“You hit him too.”

Ihyun, still staring at Jaemin, replied.

“That was before he manifested.”

“We each hit him once, so let’s just move on.”

“⋯⋯.”

The two of them had a discussion on a matter that should have involved Jaemin, coming to their own conclusion in no time. Ichan pursed his lips but chose silence instead of agreeing.

Ihyun grabbed Jaemin’s chin as if to crush it. Lowering his head to almost touch noses, he whispered.

“Jaemin. Listen carefully.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Your lack of manners. It’s a really bad habit.”

“⋯⋯.”

“We’re going to love you from now on, but it’ll be a problem if you act like this.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Even if you don’t have a tongue, or if all your teeth are pulled out, or if you lose an arm or a leg, we’ll still love you forever. I want you to understand that.”