Blooming | Ateez Hongjoong

10 • Step back

Sunrise brings its ray through little spaces of the curtain that seeps into an unfamiliar room. The single bed as well as the person who is soundly deep in his slumber look like being soaked under the daylight shower.

Signature red head of the sleeping male is even more glowing under the nature light, as if red is made to be his color.

Hongjoong gets up and ruffles his messy hair. Knowing it is only useless to fix sticking out stray strands, the man decides to let them be. Then a sharp headache kicks in his brain due to being all tipsy yesterday, making him groan.

Where am I by the way?

Clearing his sight better, Hongjoong finally recognises the place is Mingi's house, telling by a glass frame which contains an endearing yet funny photo to both of them. The brothers were 9 and 10 respectively that time.

It was taken with little Hongjoong and Mingi in their boyscout costumes. The contrast between their expression here was absolutely on point and hilarious: Mingi was grinning ear to ear, getting overly excited for the first camping trip ever while Hongjoong was scowling beside.

As a matter of fact, that was also when Hongjoong spent his first year being the older son of the Songs. He always notes in heart how grateful he feels towards his foster parents for letting him keep his surname which is Kim instead of changing into Song ever since he joined their family.

Carefully placing the object back on the bedside table, Hongjoong leaves the room. His small smile is soon replaced by an unknowing expression when a certain thought takes over his mind.

How life would have turned out if my parents had made it after that cursed accident?

"Mingi?"

Hongjoong's hoarse voice echoes but there is no response of the latter. He makes his way towards the kitchen island to fetch himself a glass of warm water. His eyes scan the whole space randomly until a pink sticky note on the large flat screen television attaching to the wall near by catches his sight, causing him to chuckle at Mingi's style of color.

..........................................
I'm off to work.
Spare key is in the fridge, beneath two watermelons with a cabbage between.
Eat anything you want, except my dear cereal bar.
P/s : You were barely alive yesterday tbh :)
..........................................

As reminiscene brings him back to the happening, the young man sighs, thinking of yesterday when he likely received rejection from Hyemi.

A non verbal one to be exact.

It was forgetful of him to get that reality is where things could go any path without prediction, including the goods and the bads.

Collect yourself and move on, Kim Hongjoong!

*°• ✧ *•°๑

I'mma talk to him about yesterday once he gets home.

The certain thought keeps pushing back and forth in Hyemi's mind when she checks the time once in a while.

She can't even call to check up on Hongjoong since he had left his phone in his room for charging before their conversation escalated when Giseok was referred.

There is a feeling of guilt running within her seeing his beautiful face stained by numorous emotions. Although her love life literally has nothing to do with their friendship, she is here with a vague urge to explain to him about her answer yesterday.

Heaving a sigh, she continues vacuum cleaning. The stable sound of the machine doesn't help put her mood in the right place at all.

Absolutely not because of me that he didn't go home right?

.
.
.

"Done!"

A contented grin creeps onto Hyemi's face as she takes a look at the transparent coffee table in the living room. It is no longer a plain one thanks to the crystal clear vase of roses that she has finished decorating.

"Gotta do one for the dinning table as well," she mumbles to herself while one hand is carefully sprinkling beads of water onto the velvet-like red petals of rose and a glass of water is on the other one's hold.

General speaking, she loves roses. Yet, there is something about red rose that mesmerises her everytime her eyes catch sight of this specific kind of flower.

Just then the door bell rings, making Hyemi peer over her shoulder to the direction of the sound. The thought of Hongjoong standing at the other side of the door frame stirs both nervousness and giddiness in her stomach as she shuffles closer to it.

"I would have been super frightened if Mingi hadn't inform me about you stayed the night at his place," the girl nags as soon as she lets her friend enter the house, but her voice softens a little later on, "since you even left both your phone and house key at home."

"My bad." Hongjoong bites back his chuckle as he clears his throat on purpose to hide it.

"Joong, about yesterday-"

When he is about to pat her head like usual, his hand weirdly raises up half way in the air as he stops the movement, then it ends up landing on her left shoulder instead.

"Sorry for unnecessarily lashing out about it," the boy abruptly ends the conversation, "need to take a shower," he mutters, walking away to reach his room with an unreadable expression.

Blinking eyes, Hyemi feels dumbfounded by the change of mood just unfolds between them. Soon, she pushes the feeling away, thinking that her friend is still tired.

Little did they know, one anticipated to be patted on the head as much as one truly wanted to pat the other's head that exact moment.

However, they opted for keeping their inner thoughts to themselves eventually.

***********

First update in 2022 for this story after so long 😀

Almost 2 weeks late, still, HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR 😅