Quiet | Seungjin

34

The sincere tone he heard only intensified Seungmin's guilt. He wasn't enough. He wasn't normal enough and he never would be.

Mrs Kim didn't think much of it as Seungmin and Hyunjin walked through the front door together, the boy usually walking her son inside after they hung out. She thought everything was completely normal until she heard a quiet sniffle from Seungmin.

She looked over at the two and examined her son. It didn't take long for her to noticed his flushed cheeks and scratched up arms.

"Did something happen?" Asked the woman although she could infer that she already knew the answer.

While he wiped at his his cheeks with the backs on his hands, Seungmin nodded. He didn't give his mother a chance to ask any more questions before he set off in the direction of his bedroom, leaving both him mom and Hyunjin in the living room.

"What happened?"

Hyunjin took some time to think about an answer—he truly didn't know what actually happened. "At dinner, I think it was something about the clock that...upset him? He's doing better now—I think maybe he's just a little overwhelmed."

Humming at the boys words, Mrs Kim let out a small, "I see..." she glanced around the living room before mumbling, "I'm going to go talk to him for a minute."

✨✨✨

They definitely didn't talk only for a minute. However, it wasn't much of a problem for Hyunjin as he just made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room.

He wasn't quite sure if he was supposed to stay—but it felt strange to leave without saying anything to Seungmin. Especially after everything that happened that night.

Several minutes passed where Hyunjin sat on the leather sofa solely thinking. After some time, Mrs Kim appeared in the living room again.

"Hyunjin," she started hesitantly, taking a seat in one of the chairs next to the couch, "would it be alright if we talked about something?"

Despite his confusion, Hyunjin nodded.

"I think it's about time somebody told you what happened with Seungmin—why things like what happened at your house...happens."

His eyes wondered around the room when he heard her words, and he spewed, "I don't think that's my businesss—I mean I appreciate it but I really don't want you to tell me anything without him knowing."

"You're a sweet kid," she smiled, "he asked me if I would tell you. First because I would be hard for him to explain something and second it's just a difficult thing for him to talk about."

Hyunjin reluctantly nodded once again, still not fully convinced without Seungmin next to him. "Mrs Kim—I really don't want you to feel like you have to tell me anything. I don't mean to intrude on anybody's privacy an—"

"Honey," Mrs Kim started with the utmost sincerity as she reached out to grab one of Hyunjin's hands, "I think it's okay fair that you know. Now it's not my place to tell you two how to go about your relationship—but I think it's best if you this about him before you move any further."

"Is it bad?"

The woman looked at Hyunjin after hearing his weak voice, noticing how his eyes glistened in the light. "It already happened...even if things are good or bad we can't go back in time and change them—it just becomes a part of who we are."

"You say some really smart stuff, Mrs Kim."

"It's because I'm getting old." She watched as Hyunjin let out a small laugh, glad she could ease a little of the tension. "I'll just start from the beginning then."

There were a few moments of silence as the woman gathered her words, trying the easiest way to explain what happened. "When Seungmin was ten," she started hesitantly, her voice wavering ever so subtly, "when he was ten, he was assaulted—sexually assaulted." The words stopped for a moment, the explanation still bringing a wave a nausea over her. After taking some time to breath, she continued, "we were having a birthday party for Seungmin's older brother—and it was an old family friend. I won't go into any details for both of our sakes—but the months after that were...they were really hard. I know it seems like Seungmin hardly talks but when it first happened—he wouldn't even look at me. He didn't say a word, he didn't nod when I asked him a question, he didn't even smile. With time he got a little better and got more and more responsive to things. But when he's with you, that's the most he ever talks since it happened."

Hyunjin listened to every word she spoke intently. He tried his hardest to hide the rush of emotions bubbling to his eyes. "What happened today? He kept saying something about a clock and I just...I still don't know what it meant."

"I think that there are a lot of things that remind Seungmin what happened. There are certain objects or sounds that put him right back in that room. He just...he really can lose sense of reality."

Hyunjin let out a small hum, not too sure how to respond to anything.

"That's all I wanted to say," Mrs Kim spoke, sending the boy a sad smile, "Seungmin's just in his room if you want to go see him before you go."

Watching her get up and walk out of the living room, Hyunjin just sat there for some time. He took awhile to just breathe before getting up and heading towards Seungmin's room.

"Hey," he whispered from where he stood in the door frame, the door already open.

From where he was laying on his side, Seungmin glanced over his shoulder. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his stuffed dinosaur still in his arms.

Hyunjin walked over and sat down next to the boy, looking at his tears slicked cheeks. He wondered if the younger had stopped crying at all. Before he got the chance to say a single word, Seungmin leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Hyunjin's torso, burying his face in the elders chest.

"I'm sorry," Seungmin choked out, "for ruining it."

The elder placed his hand gently on Seungmin's back, rubbing it up and down the space comfortingly. "Ruined it? What did you ruin?" He asked.

"The dinner...with your..."

"My mom?" Hyunjin finished for him, noticing how strained his words sounded. When he saw Seungmin nod, he sent the boy a warm smile, leaning into his hold. "You didn't ruin anything, I promise. We can try again some other time, we have all the time in the world to have the perfect dinner."

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