freedom ;; xdinary heroes

twenty

"Hyeongjun? You've been locked in your room all evening. What's wrong?"

Silence greeted Hajun, and he became more concerned about his younger brother. With a sigh, Hajun put his hand on the handle to turn it, but the door opened before he could. Hyeongjun stood in front of him, eyes puffy and hair messy. "What?"

"Hyeongjun, you look terrible—!"

"Shut up, what if Mom and Dad hear you?!" Hyeongjun exclaimed, pulling his brother into his room and closing the door behind him. "They don't know anything about what's going on right now."

"Well, to be fair, you don't talk to anyone—"

"Yeah, and you're the only one that knows things," Hyeongjun said firmly. "I don't know what's going on with me anymore. I mean, I really like Jungsu, but... why do I feel like he just pities me? Like he doesn't actually like me? What if he just goes 'oh, my autistic best friend likes me, maybe I should date him for now'?"

"Jungsu wouldn't think that, and you know it," Hajun said quickly, pointing a finger at the younger. "Jungsu genuinely likes you, so why are you stressing this much? He wouldn't think any less of you just because of minor issues like—"

"It's not a minor issue!" Hyeongjun exclaimed. "I'm nervous. I'm scared. I'm... not okay. I can't date him. I can't be with him. He just feels too good for me. Jungsu..."

"Hyeongjun, come on. Let's be realistic — Jungsu definitely likes you," Hajun said quickly. "I don't know why you would cry about something like this, Jun-ah. Would you doubt Jungsu even for a second? You like him, don't you? So why would you doubt your own boyfriend?"

"Because I don't deserve him!" Hyeingjun exclaimed. "I'm scared that he just pities me and didn't want to be my best friend either. We don't even go to the same school. How do I know that he doesn't like me and has been... lying this entire time—"

"Get over yourself, Hyeongjun," Hajun said suddenly. "No one cares that you're autistic and neither does Jungsu. You're not doing anything wrong. Jungsu likes you a lot, okay? Don't let anything else affect you. It's okay." Hyeongjun had tears in his eyes again, even as he nodded in understanding. "Should I ask him to visit you? I'm sure Mom and Dad won't mind."

"Could you tell them that we, uhm... yeah...?"

"No problem, Jun-ah," Hajun smiled, gently ruffling Hyeongjun's hair. "It'll be okay. I'll call Jungsu for you."

•

Jiseok sat up from his bed quickly, eyes widened in surprise. "Hyeongjun is autistic?"

"Not... exactly. He isn't in the normal classes with the rest of us, which is why we're not... really classmates," Seungmin explained, turning to his side to face the other. "When he first came to our high school two years ago, he was like any other student. He was a little reserved, didn't speak to anyone, and kept to himself. He's really smart, and he's a genius, but he has... problems expressing himself. It's why he cried and broke down when he tried to tell Jungsu how he feels."

Jiseok sat in thought for a moment. "I thought he was just introverted..."

"It's why he's always around his brother — Hajun is his caretaker and communicates in place of him sometimes," Seungmin continued. "He keeps to himself, but I guess he finds comfort in us, which is why he gets excited when he talks to us."

"Well, I don't know much about autism..."

"He doesn't have the typical autism they show in movies and stuff," Seungmin laughed, shaking his head. "It's just... he's our special boy. Our sweetheart. We care a lot about him. His stim is doing... this with his hands." Seungmin clenched and unclenched his fist a few times. "He does it sometimes, so you'll probably notice it more now that I've told you. Don't treat him any differently after this — Hyeongjun is still Hyeongjun."

"Oh, no, definitely," Jiseok nodded firmly. "He's still my friend. I didn't even notice anything, so I wouldn't treat him any other way. It's just... a surprise, actually. I never thought that he'd be... neurodivergent."

"He's amazing, though," Seungmin hummed. "He learnt to play the guitar in two days. He's in an advanced math class, too. It's also why he's getting bullied at school by those girls — they see that something is wrong with him when he's genuinely just being himself — especially because he likes guys. Poor kid..."

"We shouldn't baby him, though," Jiseok told him. "He's still a big boy. Obviously, I'll see him a little differently, but... I won't let that ruin my perception of him."

"Seungmin, Jiseok-ah! Grandma's here, we're going to make kimchi! Grandma, Jiseok's boyfriend—!"

"Boyfriend?!"

"Let's go greet my grandma," Jiseok grinned, standing up quickly and tugging Seungmin up by his wrist. "Hurry, she doesn't like to be kept waiting. Grandma, I'm here!"

Jiseok hurriedly grabbed the fumbling boy's hand, grinning as he pulled him to the living room. The old woman sat at the door, taking her shoes off with a large shopping bag beside her. She turned around upon hearing Jiseok's voice, arms wide as she reached to hug him. "Oh, my dear Jiseokie! How have you been, my boy?"

"I've been doing well, grandma," Jiseok smiled, giving the old woman a back hug. "I've brought a guest with me today. Seungmin, greet my grandmother."

She turned around, meeting eyes with Seungmin. The boy nervously bowed his head at a full 90 degrees, scared to meet her eyes. "H-hello, I'm O-Oh Seungmin..."

"Oh~ you're the boyfriend!" the old lady exclaimed, standing up from the ground with a cartoonish groan. "My goodness, why are you so skinny? Iyah~ these kids and their fancy diets, hah! No matter, just call me Grandma. How old are you?"

"N-nineteen..."

"Oh, handsome young man~! Good, good, good, now carry these for me."

She playfully hit Seungmin's arm before laughing and walking into the living room to sit on the couch. Jiseok squeezed his hand in encouragement, momentarily hugging his arm. "See? She loves you, she's already ordering you around."

Seungmin seemed surprised, picking up the large shopping bags with a heave. "She carried these on her own? Amazing..."

"Grandmama is amazing, that's for sure."