freedom ;; xdinary heroes

forty

Hyeongjun was relieved to see Seungmin standing at his locker, scurrying over to the other as he held the straps of his backpack. "Seungmin, you're back. Is your suspension finished?"

Hyeongjun's smile fell as he saw a box by Seungmin's feet, his writing books stacked out neatly with other things he had in his locker. "Hyeongjun. I'm—"

"Why are you taking all your books out your locker?" Hyeongjun asked with a frown.

Seungmin stared at Hyeongjun for a moment, not sure of how to explain what he was doing or how he had ended up in that situation. "Hyeongjun, I'm... I'm dropping out."

"Why?" Hyeongjun asked quickly, clearly not understanding the situation. "What do you mean 'dropping out'? You're leaving?"

"Yes, I'm leaving," Seungmin answered with a small laugh. "My parents and I spoke last night, and... they're letting me decide if I want to continue with school. I said I want to drop out of high school, and... they let me. I'll be attending a specialised college next year, though, because... school really isn't for me."

"Y-you're... just leaving?"

"I'll see you at the skate park, it's not the end of the world," Seungmin laughed. "I won't be able to write exams, though, but... it's not for me. I never wanted to do this."

Hyeongjun deflated slightly, spluttering as he tried to figure out what to say. "But... why? I don't understand why you would want to leave so suddenly—"

"It's just a choice, Hyeongjun," Seungmin chuckled, leaning against the locker. "This place isn't for me. School is... restricting. I'm failing classes and I could hardly care about this place, too."

Hyeongjun's expression fell even further before he let out a sad nod. "I-it's fine. I-I mean, I don't have any more friends here, b-but—"

"Hey, maybe you should actually talk to the band kids," Seungmin encouraged. "You're freakishly good at playing that damn bass — and I heard that Jooyeon plays the guitar as well."

Hyeongjun looked away for a second, cheeks reddening in embarrassment. "You know I'm dating Jungsu..."

"Mhm. Jiseok tells me everything, by the way."

Hyeongjun looked up, releasing a weird sound before shaking his head. "Jiseok wasn't supposed to tell you that!"

"Well, he did, and now I'm going to tease you," Seungmin grinned, ruffling the other's hair. "You'll be fine, Hyeongjun. I'll ask one of my friends to keep watch over you to make sure Ryhan doesn't catch on any shit. And please — report those other girls if they try anything. You're meant to be protected."

Hyeongjun nodded with a soft sigh. "Yeah — because I'm too weak to protect myself..."

"I didn't mean it like that," Seungmin scoffed. "What you lack is courage — the ability to be brave despite fear. You still lack that factor of being brave. Start yelling back if you have to. Don't allow yourself to be controlled by them."

Hyeongjun nodded firmly, pressing his lips together in determination. "I-I'll do my best. Let me help you carry your stuff. I'm in no rush to get to class."

•

"So he really went through with it..."

Jiseok's grandma tsked, shaking her head as she put the pot of food down on the table. "But Seungmin seems like such a smart boy! I wonder why he's suddenly dropping out of high school."

"He got an offer from a college to study music production," Jiseok said as he put his phone away. "It's a good opportunity, and the campus is close by. I'm just glad we still get to stay together."

"Well, it's his decision," Mrs Kwak hummed. "Exams are only two weeks away, so he could've held on until then, right?"

"It'll be nice to have him here every day," Jiseok smiled, looking up at his parents with a hopeful smile. "You'll let him stay here even though he dropped out, right?"

"Well, he's not a bad person, at least," Mr Kwak hummed. "Seungmin feels like a son to me, I could never push him away. I'd love to keep him around."

"We need to find a way to get them married," Mrs Kwak said with a laugh. "Oh, our dear little Jiseok is so madly in love with this boy, it'll be a sin to keep them apart."

"It's not that deep," Jiseok chuckled, "but I do like him quite a lot. I'm just... thankful that you accepted him so quickly. His mother still gives him a hard time, whether about his sexuality or not, so he's really happy when he's here."

"As long as he does his part, he's always welcome," Mr Kwak hummed. "Doesn't bother me that he dropped out — I did the same thing, and now I'm somehow a businessman. He'll be fine, I suppose — I'm sure he has a plan. We'll help him through it."

•

"Did you and Jooyeon have fun, baby?"

Hyeongjun nodded his head, smiling when Jungsu pressed a kiss to his head. "He fell too many times, though. Should I kiss him better?"

"If you're feeling brave enough," Jungsu chuckled. "If it's not a problem, I... kissed his cheek when he left. He seemed to like it, so I'm not sure where the boundary of discomfort is just yet. It's almost impossible to read him."

"But he seems to enjoy the attention," Hyeongjun hummed, crossing his arms. "Whatever. I'll treat him the same way I treat you."

"Aww, are you also going to give him cheek nuzzles? I thought they were reserved for me," Jungsu pouted, putting his head on Hyeongjun's shoulder. "In all fairness, I hope he also gets to experience passionate Hyeongjun because this breakroom has definitely seen too much."

"Should it see some more...?"

"Oh, you're getting braver and braver each day," Jungsu chuckled as he stood up, positioning himself in front of Hyeongjun and putting his hands to his cheeks. "I like it a lot."

Hyeongjun held Jungsu's waist as he gently tugged him forward, looking up at him with a small smile. "Then I'll keep being brave for you – and Jooyeon."