subway ? nomin

third-person pov

"jaemin?"

the name rings throughout the sizeable house, ricocheting off the plain, dull walls loudly and clearly.

jaemin strides through the hallway and drops his backpack at the foot of the stairs – next, wandering into the kitchen, where he supposes the voice's source came from.

the sight he's met with makes him heave a crestfallen sigh.

his mother is slumped alone on a chair at the kitchen table, with two empty soju bottles beside her, and one half-full clutched in her hand.
with heavy-lidded eyes, she's distinctly drunk.

"y-yes, mom?"

at the sudden sound, eunkyung looks up and notices her son standing before her.

"jaemin! take a seat!"

but the peach-haired is frozen, rooted to his spot at the doorway.

it's the first time she has ever invited him to sit with her.

although it's his own mother, it's nerve-wracking, jaemin is shameful to admit.

reluctantly, the boy moves to a chair opposite to the woman and drops down, sitting rather rigidly and awkwardly.

the ravenette grabs one of the glass cups arranged on the tray in the middle of the dining table, and pours the alcoholic beverage from her bottle into it.

she slides it over to her son. "have a drink."

the young pink-haired boy just stares at it without moving.

he's not surprised.
he wonders for how long she has been thinking that her son is already an adult; jaemin wonders how old his mother thinks he is.

nonetheless, without another word, the pink-haired picks the glass up and downs the drink. it isn't his first time consuming alcohol, anyway.

his mother swallows down another mouthful from her bottle.

the silence drags on.

after a few more shots, jaemin starts to feel a little light-headed.

still, no one has said anything yet.

so, because his mother won't ask, jaemin does, "how is everything going?"

she gives him a tired smile. "like always."

"wh-where's..." jaemin is hesitant to ask. "where's dad?"

"in someone else's arms."

jaemin raises an eyebrow at eunkyung's rare confidence.

eunkyung knows that jaemin knows.
they're both aware of it, but they have never openly conversed about the topic – about jaemin's cheating father.

jaemin guesses their drunk minds have no fears.

"don't worry, he'll be back at the end of the night."

that is true.

no matter who na jaejoon sleeps with throughout the day, he'll be back in eunkyung's bed before the sun rises. they both know that.

"you two should file a divorce," jaemin straightforwardly says. the alcohol is starting to get to his head.

"i know." eunkyung's voice is dejected, and she sounds absolutely exhausted when she sighs, "i promise we will one day, jaemin. i promise. but not now. i'm sorry."

"but you're both slowly killing each other," jaemin voices exasperatedly.

he's tired and sick of this; he's tired and sick of what they call a 'family'.