Hatred - 2Min/Minmin

35

Seungmin had never felt so distracted. It was like his brain was in a blender. There were days he felt helpless and under a lot of pressure. He would see his father's face right in front of him, cursing and tormenting him for the entire two months he would have to spend at home if he didn't get that internship.

He would end up texting Wonpil and they would stay up all night writing to each other. Not that it meant anything, but it kept him a little sane. He might have slipped a few times though, when he was at his weakest, asking him if they were a possibility. Sometimes Wonpil would say 'Yes'. But at such times he thought it was out of pity more than anything else. . . .

But then one day things changed.

SEUNGMIN
I miss you in the college sometimes.

WONPIL
My sentiments exactly.

SEUNGMIN
Which company have you joined?

WONPIL
You will know soon.

SEUNGMIN
Why such a secret?

WONPIL
Just like that, don't want to jinx it. How's your prep going?

SEUNGMIN
Good. But scared. What if . . . .

WONPIL
You wont have to go home. Youre good.

SEUNGMIN
Found a replacement for Jamie yet? *wink*

WONPIL
Haha. No. Not looking for one. Trying to tum over a new leaf.

SEUNGMIN
*millions of hearts break* Why is the only Casanova from our domain hanging up his boots? Making a compromise for someone?

WONPIL
Youre too smart for your own good, Seungmin.

SEUNGMIN
TELL ME! Who's it for?

Though Seungmin felt infinitely jealous of thinking there might be someone else in Wonpil's life, someone who had convinced him that their relationship could work, she told himself not to feel bad about it. Of course Wonpil had found someone else.

WONPIL
Shouldn't you be studying?

SEUNGMIN
Fine, if you don't want to tell.

WONPIL
Will tell you if I can keep up with it.

SEUNGMIN
Name, please? Don't keep me hanging!

WONPIL
Don't do this.

SEUNGMIN
Don't want to jinx it?

WONPIL
Exactly.

SEUNGMIN
I would jinx it? Just to let you know that in Tanzania people like me are considered lucky.

WONPIL
:-)

SEUNGMIN
Smilies mean you don't want to talk any more, so goodnight.

WONPIL
Goodnight.

SEUNGMIN
#foreveralone

WONPIL
Youre funny.

Seungmin switched off his phone and got back to preparations. he told himself not to text Wonpil ever again, leaving him to his turning over a new leaf by not fucking around with pretty PhD students anymore and having found someone who would have a perfect, logical relationship with him. Whatever happened to him thinking of Seungmin as an interesting boy? He didn't take long to move on! People are uniformly disappointing, he thought.

☆*: .｡｡.:*☆

The day of the interview for the internship at MTECH was nearing and he was yet to finish considerable part of the course. MTECH traditionally hired unconventional people with varied skilled sets. Seungmin had won thirty-four debates, not counting the ones he had come second in, and he was at zonal-level TT player. He was sure he would get through.

But despite his apparent nervous exactment, something was amiss. The smart boy he way, it didn't take him long to pin-point it---it was Minho's prolonged absence.

Jisung, who looked like shit now and had slowly been recovering from the break-up, told Seungmin about Minho's father's situation. He had broken down in Seungmin's arm as if he himself were the root cause. "I wish I was with him right now. I wonder how he's taking it. I haven't been good to him."

"He will be okay. I'm sure he will call you if he needs you." said Seungmin and quietened him, stroking him like a stray dog, compassionate but still way of catching rabies.

The thought of Jisung cradling a crying Minho was discomforting. Every night he would find a pretext to sneak out and see if Jisung was still in his room. In college, his eyes would follow Jisung to see if Minho was back, and if he had found a shoulder to cry on in him. Luckily nothing of that sort happened. He would rather have Minho's father die long, prolonged death, than have him in college, in Jisung's arms mourning his father's illness/demise.

When Minho missed three consecutive assignments, something he had been waiting and planning for, Seungmin got the opportunity to talk to Hyunjin about Minho's prolonged absence.

"I need to talk to him. He has not been submitting assignments. The professors keep asking me and I don't know what to tell them," lied Seungmin.

Hyunjin laughed, "Its not about the assignments. Youre just missing him, aren't you? Aww. That's so cute, Seungmin. Finally you found your heart beneath your umm . . . err . . . how do I put it without sounding gross or offensive . . . . chest?"

Seungmin rolled his eyes. "Its about the assignments."

"Can you say that again for me?"

"That sounded very believable! And if its about the assignments are all you want, I will do them for him and give them to you by today evening but I know that's not all. There's no harm in saying you miss him. Hell, I miss him, too. He's the only friend I have. And That's when we are not even friends."

Seungmin shrugged like he didn't care. How blatantly Hyunjin could proclaim his love for Minho, a flawed asshole at the best? "Its about the assignments, Hyunjin."

"I'm your senior Seungmin." Hyunjin lit a cigarette. "And I was as loved by the professors as you were. I have their numbers on speed dial. Not only do I know that Minho's assignments are completed and submitted, but his attendance to is cent percent. Now I wonder who made that possible."

Seungmin went red in the face, he felt dizzy and embarrassed as hell. "I....I.....was just helping out."

"If you have taken care of them, why are you standing here and asking about Minho's attendance and assignments? Do you think I'm six years old?"

Seungmin didn't think there was any merit in continuing the conversation. So he just started to walk away. Hyunjin followed him and said. "He asked about you. Quite few times."

"What?"

"Yes, but in the same way you did. He had even silliest pretext but lets not get into that."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him you were distracted and you keep asking about him. I told him I was sure you miss him."

"Are you crazy? I don't miss him at all," said Seungmin showing fake anger, secretly he was happy about Minho missing him.

Hyunjin smiled. "Chill. He didn't ask anything about you and I didn't tell."

His heart sank. "Good," said Seungmin and hurried into the library.

He heard Hyunjin chuckle in the background and shout, "Let me know if you need help doing his assignments."

☆*: .｡｡.:*☆