Love, Not War (Book 2)

Chapter 9

Changbin above

Changbin, who was busy observing, had an inkling that Chan wasn't seeing Taehyun but Felix. It explained the softening of his features and the tender gaze. Knowing Chan, the only person he would look at like that was Felix. That night, he could see it in Chan's eyes. The hesitation. The turmoil. He was torn between wanting revenge and wanting to be with the person who's parents brought him pain. At the end, his mad thirst for revenge won and Felix couldn't take it. Thinking of the day still brought tears to Changbin's eyes and sorrow to his heart.

He thought of something then sent a text to Mingi, enquiring about Chan's health. Physically and mentally since Felix passed away.

There was a cold reply from Mingi. It said, 'Why do you care?'

The implication was clear. All these years, why hadn't they bothered to check on Chan? Now that things were very bad, they suddenly wanted to help.

Changbin glared at Mingi who was seated not far from them. He didn't reply. He just kept his phone on the table and half listened to the conversation between Taehyun and Hyunjin. A minute later, he received another message from Mingi. It was a PDF and it contained detailed information about Chan's mental health.

Mingi didn't want to send it at first but then, he gazed at Taehyun and he felt that the boy really didn't deserve to be treated as a substitute. And Chan had to accept that he can't replace Felix. He had to learn to live without him. Mingi wanted both parties to either break up in peace or have a healthy relationship. Thus, he sent the PDF. He thought a bit then sent another message.

'Let's meet and discuss in detail'

Changbin replied quickly with a date and time. He didn't want to delay Chan's treatment. As his friend, he felt ashamed that he wasn't there to help Chan in his time of need. Now, he would do everything he can to make Chan normal again.

The dishes were served and everyone began to eat, intermittently talking.

"I'll send you our magazines for free every month. You live with Chan right?" Hyunjin asked Taehyun.

Taehyun nodded with a smile. He was really happy. To have the CEO of Hwang company send him free magazines was a great honour. He almost couldn't believe it. "Thank you so much. It really means a lot to me"

Hyunjin waved him off like it was something trivial. "You're my friend's boyfriend. That's basically family so it's nothing. Since you're into fashion, why don't you apply for an internship at my company?"

"Really?" Taehyun gasped. He was shocked. One meeting with Hwang Hyunjin and he was already being asked to apply for an internship. Being Chan's boyfriend was really a bonus!

"Of course!" Hyunjin answered then turned to Chan. "When he graduates, make sure to help him apply and give me a call so I can quickly process his documents okay"

Hyunjin felt that it was the least he could do to help Taehyun. Chan couldn't hide it forever. Things will surely go downhill when Taehyun finds out his true purpose. Hyunjin wanted to help him establish himself a bit. He hoped it might soften the blow.

Chan nodded and continued to eat his spicy chicken wings. His eyes were watery and his lips were bright red, showing how affected he was by the pepper but he didn't stop. He ate everything with a straight face, as if he wasn't bothered at all.

Taehyun was so happy he was shaking. He stood up and bowed respectfully. "Thank you!"

Hyunjin blushed, feeling embarrassed. "Sit down sit down. Don't draw attention" he said, urging Taehyun to sit quickly.

Changbin couldn't help but laugh. Taehyun was a good kid and Hyunjin was very sweet. He couldn't help but plant a kiss on Hyunjin's cheek then whispered, "Thank you".

Hyunjin blushed even deeper. "What's all this? It's just an internship. No talking. Let's eat"

And dinner continued.

Halfway through, Taehyun couldn't take the spiciness anymore and excused himself to get some air. Hyunjin saw this as the perfect opportunity. He had been low-key boiling ever since he saw Taehyun and deduced Chan's plan.

Chan had moved on to a bowl of peppersoup when he heard the crisp sound of chopsticks slamming on the table. Unhurried, he swallowed a spoon of the soup, cleared his throat, then slowly gazed up at Hyunjin. When Hyunjin didn't say anything but only glared at Chan, Chan raised a perfectly arched brow, wondering what was going on.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you Chris?" Hyunjin scolded. "What do you think you're doing to that poor boy?"

Hyunjin was so mad that he wanted to topple the bowl of soup before Chan all over his clothes. Seeing the indfferent expression on Chan's face, he gritted his teeth and glared even harder. "Do you even realise what you're doing? You're playing with that boy's feelings! Do you think it's fair? We get that Felix's death made you devasted but that doesn't mean you'll ruin an innocent boy's life by making him act and look like Felix. I mean, he has his own life to live. Did you even think about that?"

He did. He knew everything Hyunjin was saying was true but he couldn't help it. He couldn't explain the feeling of emptiness he felt inside without that boy by his side. He couldn't explain the guilt, the despair and agony that tortures his heart every single day. He couldn't explain how crazy and restless he gets when he doesn't see that blonde hair everyday. He couldn't explain the relief that comes with having Taehyun by his side.

With the boy, he felt like he could go through everyday successfully. In fact, his last episode was more than a year ago. It only proved his way of remedy was a lot better than the doctor Mingi made him see.

Chan always wore a mask and that mask hides his true and deepest feelings. What other people feel normaly, he feels tenfold. From his very soul. But he couldn't explain any of that.

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