✓LOVER BOY | hwang hyunjin

27. Merged

Hyunjin was standing under the shower, washing off the soap from his body when the lights suddenly went out, a flare of deep bleakness taking over. He turned off the water, and stepped over the mat. His hands managed to get hold of the towel Yeseul had given to him earlier. "Yeseul?" The boy called, his voice echoing against the bare walls. He dried himself up, waiting for a reply.

"Yeah? Wait a second. I'm trying to find the candle. The lightening is fucking scaring me." Yeseul sounded breathless. Just as the sentence ended, a brilliant light flooded inside. Hyunjin caught the girl curse, her breath shaky.

"I'm coming out, don't worry."

"Can you hurry? I really don't think I'll find it all alone." Yeseul felt her heart thump hard against her ribs. She was too terrified to even stay steady. Her hands were turning clammy now.

Hyunjin quickly got dressed, walking towards the door. But when he pulled it open, Yeseul was nowhere to be seen. "Huh."

Yeseul had heard her phone ringing mid conversation in the living room. She made a run for it before another lightening could sprawl over. When she reached the room, her eyes caught the blinking screen on the couch. Her nerves felt relieved. She grabbed it, the screen showing her mother's number. She didn't call back, instead she turned on the flashlight, and turned around to rush towards Hyunjin.

In the momentary hurry, she failed to see where she was headed. Her body suddenly clashed against Hyunjin's. The run in caught him off guard, making him stumble back, hands still holding her arm. His body collapsed, hugging Yeseul.

Silence fell over, Yeseul's hands unknowingly on Hyunjin's chest which was beating too fast to be called medically normal. His head was a fuzz, arms still wrapped around the girl. He could barely sense the reality. Hyunjin couldn't move. Yeseul recovered from the fall, face raising to see him, but her lips brushed against his cheeks. The darkness solidified quickly around.

"Are you okay?" Yeseul spoke, her chest turning into a molten bloom.

Hyunjin wasn't feeling good. He felt sick. Yeseul was too close, and the nervousness made him feel such desperate yearning for her presence. He almost felt like an insane person. "I'm okay." He managed to whisper back.

Yeseul tried getting up, but Hyunjin's hold couldn't allow her. She needed to get away, or something could happen that she wasn't sure was a good thing. "Hyunjin?"

"Sorry." He loosened his grip, letting the girl slip away, sitting near, her leg still against him. She hesitantly brought her hand to his face. "You're burning." A deep worry laced her voice. Hyunjin barely heard her.

"Let's get you to the bedroom." She crawled towards the turned phone, allowing the light to fill in the space. Hyunjin slowly sat up, hand over his chest. Shit.

It turned too silent around. No one was speaking much. Hyunjin was taken to the guest's bedroom. His head was throbbing. He sat under the duvet. Yeseul brought him a mug filled with tea, and an antipyretic. He felt a lump raise in his throat at the sight of her. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was too pretty. Too pretty.

Yeseul sat near, eyes avoiding him. "Does it hurt too much?"

His head hurt. But all his attention was on his chest, and the sudden suffocation it felt when Yeseul was near. He could only think of one pain. "It's tolerable."

"Get some rest. You can call me if you need anything." Yeseul stood up, clearing the bedside table.

Hyunjin wished she could stay. But he watched her leave the room in silence. The thunderstorm outside now taking his attention. A sudden lightening followed by muffled curses from the other side of the wall. Hyunjin couldn't stop himself from smiling.