wrong seat | jaeyong

# seven !¡

2:47 PM | Hartford, USA

Taeyong sighed and looked at the blank blackboard standing in front of the class, with bored eyes. A week went by without Jaehyun.

He tried everything he could to contact him, but nothing worked. No reply to the messages and calls. He even visited his house almost daily but never caught any glimpse of anyone.

The rest of his friend's circle still kept acting like nothing was wrong when he knows clearly that something is being hidden from him. Johnny and Ten hardly waited for him anymore, always rushing out as soon as the class gets over.

Mark avoided his gaze and always seemed like he was crying due to his bloodshot eyes and nose but only excused it by saying he has caught a cold.

His brother, however, always gave him worried looks, as if longing to say something, but never said a word. He felt like an outsider. With everyone here he knew, hiding things from him and not telling him anything about Jaehyun.

What actually happened to him? Is he really sick or there's something else going on? "Whatever it is, I'm ought to know, I'm his boyfriend after all." He muttered furiously to himself.

It took him a moment to realise what he said, before blushing. He wasn't his boyfriend. Not yet. He shook his head, trying to take these thoughts out of his mind and focus on how he can contact Jaehyun.

Sneak inside his room? That was a horrible idea, because not only does it disturb someone's privacy, but he was also sure that wherever Jaehyun was, he wasn't in his house.

Taeyong doesn't know why he is so sure about an unconfirmed thing, but it's just what his gut feeling says. But that will mean, he can't find him until he's no clues about his whereabouts.

And then something clicked in his mind. He took his phone out of his pocket and tried to check Jaehyun's location. But his last location showed just some meters away from the school, just a day before when he stopped coming to school after what seemed like 15 minutes of school's dismissal.

His heartbeat increased significantly, as the worst scenarios came into his mind, and he tried shaking them off. But one thing was certain, something much more terrible has happened.

And he has to get it out for them.

He stood up, slamming his hands on the table, the sound echoing around the empty classroom. He packed his things up in his bag, swung it over his shoulder rushed out of the classroom.

He ran through the hallways and downstairs until finally reaching the cafeteria where everyone was having lunch, except for him. He dashed to the corner where his friends sat and surprised them with his sudden appearance.

"I thought you won't come," Johnny said, dumbstruck, as Taeyong took his seat beside him. He glanced at his untouched food of tray which his brother, Donghyuck has got for him, but he had no hunger.

"I need to ask you all something." He announced as all of them kept their eyes locked on him.

"And I want each of you to be honest with me. I absolutely hate liars." He thought of using the guilt-tripping trick, to make them let out the truth. He hopes it works.

Mark gulped, glancing at others. They probably know what's coming. Taeyong sighed, gave each of them a stern look, and then proceeded on with his question.

"What happened to Jaehyun? Don't dare tell me he's sick, that's just a silly excuse and I'm not even that dumb."

All of them stayed silent.

"You know, I checked his location. And guess what? His last location was a week ago, just some metres away from school at around 15 minutes after our dismissal time. You know what that means?"

Again, none of them replied. Taeyong could feel his anger build-up, and it was getting hard to compose himself from shouting at them and making a whole scene in the cafeteria.

"We can't tell you." And it was Johnny who answered him the obvious.

"What is it that y'all can know but I can't?"

"It's about your heart. If we tell you the truth, you will take it harder than us." Ten said, his tone genuine.

"I don't care! Just tell me! I've been already having it hard without any knowledge about him." He retorted, close to tears, but sniffed to hold it back.

They exchanged looks, contacting eye-to-eye, before Mark sighed, and took it upon himself to break the truth.

"Jaehyun is in a coma."

The whole world fell silent for him, time stopped and numbness took all over his body. This has to be a joke. Jaehyun? And in a coma?

"Tell me you're joking."

"I'm afraid I'm not." He said in a small voice, trying not to cry. It broke Taeyong's heart more. Mark, whom he's always seen laughing over small things, now was trying not to cry.

"But.. H-how?"

"A road accident. He's ever since been admitted to the hospital." Johnny said.

"And none of you bothered to tell me?"

"We feared what exactly happened. We didn't want to hurt you." Ten explained, avoiding eye contact.

"Still! I deserved to know!"

All of them looked down in shame, while he let out a long sigh, picked his bag and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Donghyuck asked. He felt kind of weird to hear his brother talking in English, but he just shrugged and went on his way.

Getting out of the cafeteria as fast as he could, he slowed down his steps. Truth to be told, he had no idea where he wants to go. Tears were threatening to pour from his eyes.

The images of Jaehyun cuddling to him, his dimples, his own hands in Jaehyun's hair, their first meet up and so much more haunted him.

So much happened to him, and he has no idea?

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