Charmer // Hyunlix

8 - The Reason Why

It was the middle of the afternoon that Saturday when Hyunjin finally woke up. He stretched out his body under the covers while he slowly processed what had happened. 

His eyes widened a bit when he realized that he had actually gotten a decent night's sleep!

I guess I was finally exhausted enough to fall asleep. 

Not wanting to get out of his bed just yet, Hyunjin rolled over and to play on his phone for a while. He opened Instagram and paused on the first post that appeared in his feed. 

hannieee.j

731 likes

SCREAMING happy birthday to my new Aussie brother @felix_lee ! We had a joint birthday party last night and it was awesome! 🔥 I better see everybody wishing him a happy birthday or else...😤

184 comments

felix_lee Aww! Thank you, Jisung! Happy birthday to you too 🤗

yang.innie HAPPY BIRTHDAY FELIX HYUNG 🥳

puppykim_ you guys are cute

seo_changbin replied to puppykim_ bro 💀

Hyunjin smiled at the post and liked it, continuing to scroll through his feed. 

Eventually though, he remembered something and checked his calendar app. He found that Seungmin's birthday was in seven days.

Locking his phone screen and dropping it on the bed, he stretched his body again before getting out of bed. 

Since it was a Saturday and he had no plans for the day, he decided to walk downtown to the antique store to hopefully find a birthday gift for Seungmin. 

He showered and dressed himself in an outfit very similar to the one he wore the night before. He then headed downstairs to grab something quick to eat before setting out on his walk.

When he entered the kitchen, he found his mom sitting at the island snacking on some fruit. She lifted her head and smiled at Hyunjin, saying, "You guys came home late last night, huh?"

Hyunjin chuckled as he grabbed a granola bar out of the cupboard, answering, "Yeah. Chan and Minho had a surprise cake for them." 

"It's really nice that you guys included the new kid," his mom mentioned. 

"Well, he was already really close with Chan so," Hyunjin added, shrugging at the end of his statement and taking a bite out of his granola bar. 

"Do you like the new kid?"

Her question gave Hyunjin that annoying feeling in his chest. Slightly aggravated, he answered, "Yeah, he's really nice."

Before his mom could ask him anything else regarding Felix, he quickly added, "I'm gonna go walk downtown. Seungmin's birthday is next week, so I'm gonna find a gift for him." 

With that, he wolfed down the rest of his granola bar and escaped out the front door, his mom saying goodbye to him as he went. 

It was a warm sunny day, perfect for a walk around town. Hyunjin put his headphones in his ears and strolled along, enjoying the sunshine. 

He felt excited as he entered the antique store, bowing to the store owner with a smile. 

"Hey there, kiddo! You looking for something or just popping in to say 'hi'?" the older man asked. 

"I'm looking for another birthday present. I have another friend whose birthday is next week," Hyunjin answered. 

"You are a busy boy! Just let me know if you need help with anything," the older man chuckled, and Hyunjin nodded. 

Hyunjin walked around the store with one headphone in, scanning through the various items for something that would catch his eye. 

At the back of the store, his eyes landed on a stuffed toy dog. He stopped in his tracks and picked it up to get a closer look. To him, the face reminded him much of Seungmin. It's fur was also brown, much like Seungmin's hair. 

Thinking it'd be a funny gift that the younger would enjoy, he took the toy with him up to the front of the store to pay. 

As the older man bagged the toy dog for Hyunjin, he asked, "Did your other friend like the ring you got him?"

Hyunjin nodded, answering, "Yeah, he really liked it."

The older man then handed the bag to Hyunjin, asking, "So, you guys are still friends?"

Hyunjin furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to why the man asked that question. 

"Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"

"You didn't tell him about your feelings for him?"

At that, Hyunjin almost laughed in the man's face, but quickly suppressed it as to not be disrespectful. 

Clearing his throat, Hyunjin explained, "I'm asexual, sir. I'm not attracted to anyone."

The older man slowly nodded at Hyunjin's words, responding, "Well, I'm sorry for asking that. I had thought that you had feelings for this friend of yours."

Hyunjin shook his head, and the older man patted his hand lightly, saying, "Well, I'm glad he liked the ring. You take care now."

"I will. Thank you, sir!" Hyunjin bid goodbye before leaving the store to return home. 

The older man sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest with a wide smile on his face. 

"I do believe that boy is in for a big surprise."

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A/N: Since I had uploaded the last chapter early and I already had this one written, I am giving y'all TWO chapters this weekend! Now next weekend, it's very possible that I won't upload. I have midterms this week, and then I will be going home for Fall Break, so I will mostly be studying and visiting people at home. BUT if I don't upload on the weekend, I will do my best to upload sometime next week. And thank you so much for reading and loving on this story! It really does mean a lot. :))

(Side Note: Hyunjin's life in this story is literally CASE 143. Like, bruh.)