Someone Like You

chapter twenty.

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A week had gone by and not much progress had occurred. Lucas and Jungwoo texted each other all the time but they never talked about meeting up or talked about their relationship. Renjun had gone back to avoiding Jeno and Jaemin but he no longer skipped any classes which was some sort of progress. Doyoung and Taeil hadn't gone on their date yet because semester finals were coming up and Doyoung was busy.

Chenle and Jisung got closer after they cleared up all the confusion between them but the two acted like friends. They treated each other like friends and nothing else, they hadn't even brought up the fact that they were soulmates once, not once.

Johnny was well aware of all of this and he came up with an idea to help out a bit. He wasn't a big fan of getting directly involved in his family's relationships but he was going to give them a little push by doing the one thing Johnny did best. He was going to throw a party. It was up to them to show up and make things happen, plus there would be alcohol so some truths would definitely come out.

"Are you sure you want to throw a party right before finals officially start, babe?" Ten asked.

"Yes, it'll help relieve people's stress. Tomorrow is Friday, the exams start on Monday. It's perfect!" Johnny smiled.

"He has a point." Kun agreed.

"Thank you, Kun." Johnny grinned.

"You should invite Jungwoo so that I can meet him and so that Lucas can finally talk to him in person again." Kun suggested.

"Actually, I was going to invite all of my friends." Johnny exclaimed.

"Really? That's great, I can't wait to meet your childhood best friends." Kun laughed.

"And you should bring your soulmate!" Johnny suggested with a bright smile. Kun smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"Great! I guess everyone is meeting everyone tomorrow!" Johnny laughed and Kun laughed along but Ten could see through Johnny's forced laugh.

Ten knew that Johnny worried about his friends and he knew that he worried about Haechan more than anyone else. The fact that Haechan and Mark would be under the same roof must have been driving Johnny a little crazy. Johnny had confessed to Ten that Haechan is the last person that should be getting hurt out of all his friends.

"Johnny, can I talk to you real quick?" Ten asked.

"Yeah, of course babe." Johnny smiled and followed Ten into his bedroom.

"Are you okay?" Ten asked right away.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Johnny smiled sincerely.

"Because Haechan is going to be under the same roof as Mark." Ten acknowledged the fact that Johnny was trying to push aside.

"They've been under the same roof before and have never crossed paths." Johnny noted.

"Yes, but this time it feels different doesn't it. You know that they'll cross paths tomorrow." Ten sighed.

"It was bound to happen eventually." Johnny agonized.

"You know, Haechan has been through a lot but I have never seen him cry. He always has such a wide smile on his face and back then, he always knew exactly what to say or do to lighten the mood. He still does. He always managed to put a smile on our faces.

Everyone always compliments my smile. They compliment Jungwoo's, Renjun's, Taeyong's, Chenle's, Taeil's, all of ours but we only learned how to smile because of Haechan. Haechan is special, I have never met anyone else like him. I just don't want Haechan to lose his smile." Johnny agonized.

"I know I look like a big baby crying my eyes out right now but Haechan really did have it bad. Haechan and Jungwoo both have the roughest pasts, we all do but those two, they're the toughest guys I know." Johnny laughed as he cried.

Ten could only worry and wonder what was so terrible about their pasts that had Johnny crying. Johnny's past was horrible in Ten's eyes but Johnny just admitted that Haechan had it worse, that both Jungwoo and Haechan had it worse. This new information scared Ten because two of the most bubbly, friendly and happiest people he has ever met lived through a more hellish experience than Johnny.

"Then you shouldn't worry about him. He's the toughest person you know, if anyone can handle this, if anyone can handle Mark then he can." Ten consoled.

...

"Johnny's throwing a party tomorrow and we are going!" Chenle yelled as he burst through the front door.

"Where were you? We got here like two hours ago." Haechan questioned.

"Um, I was with Jisung. Anyways! Johnny's party tomorrow, Yes or Yes?" Chenle smiled.

"I don't want to." Haechan sighed.

Renjun and Chenle froze in their spots, a feeling of shock rushed through their bodies as their mouths fell agape and they stared at Haechan in disbelief.

"Lee Haechan, doesn't want to go to a party?" Renjun gulped.

"I-I don't think this is Haechan." Chenle whispered.

"Stop exaggerating, I just feel like it'd be better if I didn't go." Haechan announced.

Renjun and Chenle approached Haechan with caution and poked his face to confirm whether he was real or this was a vivid nightmare.

"Guys, relax. You're making a big deal over nothing." Haechan chuckled.

"Okay but we should really go to the party. It's on Friday so we have plenty of time to get rid of the hangover!" Renjun exclaimed.

"Yes!! I really need to relax, my professors expect way more from me than I expect from myself." Chenle huffed.

"I think I'll pass most of them." Haechan commented.

"What? Seriously, what is up with you today? You're acting weird." Renjun grumbled.

"I honestly have no idea. I think I woke up with someone else's attitude or maybe I made someone cry today." Haechan shared.

"What kind of logic is that?" Chenle blurted out.

"They say when you make someone else cry, the soul knows it so we act guilty and sorry." Haechan informed.

"Nobody has ever said that, literally nobody." Renjun criticized.

"Man, whatever! Who cares! We're going to that party! I'm just feeling off today." Haechan shrugged.

Haechan could feel it in his gut, something was going to happen at this party but he wasn't sure if it would be good or bad. The feeling in the pit of the stomach was bothering him and he really didn't want to go to this party but he was going to go. He was going to go because whatever happens at this party, he'll face head on, he's never been the type of person to run away from situations and he wasn't going to start now.