[EN] HIM (HyunChan)

V.

Hyunjin ran down the stairs when he heard the doorbell ring. He pulled his sweater closer to his body and opened the door.

"Hi," Seungmin smiled broadly at him, then stepped inside.

"Hey. I'm glad you came," the taller man smiled and waited for his friend to take off his shoes and hang his jacket on the clothing hanger.

"Yeah, but what are friends for?" the boy with braces chimed in.

Hyunjin laughed softly and shook his head at him. "Do you want something?"

"Not yet, thanks."

They climbed the stairs and sat on Hyunjin's bed.

"How are you feeling? Is it better?" Seungmin looked worriedly at his friend.

Hyunjin nodded. "I guess I just needed to be home for one day. I can finally keep the food down," he smiled.

The younger boy sighed. "I thought you were over this..."

"That makes two of us, but unfortunately there are still days when I can't even hold my tea in."

"Do you know what's causing this so we can do something to prevent it?"

The long-haired boy shook his head. "I have no idea, and I don't even know how I always settle it. Thankfully I can keep my food in me the vast majority of the time, and I hope it stays that way. I don't want to go back, Seungmin..."

Seungmin grabbed his cold hands. "You're not going there. Like Chris said at lunch yesterday, if you need anything, you can contact any of us, okay? You're not alone in this."

Hyunjin smiled and nodded, then wiped his teary eyes. "I know. Thank you."

"We all love you very much," the boy with braces smiled and hugged his friend tightly.

"Me too," came a sob from his shoulder.

"Cry it out, it's okay," Seungmin muttered.

The taller one nodded and pressed the smaller one a little closer.

"Is that Chris?" the younger man broke the silence after a few seconds.

"What?" the taller one lifted his head and rubbed his cheeks.

"The sketch you have on your desk," Seungmin smiled.

"Well, yeah," Hyunjin smiled and lowered his gaze. He felt his cheeks flushing.

"You like him, don't you?"

The taller one nodded and turned even redder.

"Did you say anything to him?"

The long-haired boy sighed and shook his head. "No, not yet. We haven't even known each other for two weeks, and besides, I don't even know how he perceives me. And you know how my last relationship went..."

This time it was Seungmin's turn to sigh. He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can tell you with absolute certainty that Chris is not him. He wouldn't hurt a fly, really. Quite the opposite. I don't think I've ever met a more caring person than him."

Hyunjin nodded. "You're probably right. Even though he doesn't know me very well, he's been treating me... I don't know how to describe it, but he's awfully nice."

The younger of the pair nodded. "He'd never get away with hurting you," he laughed.

The taller one smiled. "No, I hope that's not a threat."

"Don't you two have tutoring together again anytime soon?"

"We haven't agreed on anything yet, but I'd certainly like to get him alone again."

Seungmin raised his eyebrow and smiled.

Hyunjin understood the gesture and sighed heavily. "Fine, I'd like to do something else with him than learn English, but that still doesn't change the fact that I don't know how he feels about me, I mean, I don't know if he doesn't just think of me as a friend..."

The younger of the pair just shook his head in disbelief at his friend's statement. "Dude, did you even notice the way he's looking at you? It's so obvious, even a blind man would notice."

"Really?" The long-haired man blinked in surprise and pushed his hair out of his face.

"So you didn't notice," Seungmin laughed. "He looks at you like you're holy or something."

Hyunjin felt himself start to blush, but he smiled. "That's nice."

"When you're together, try asking him out."

The taller one smiled and took a deep breath, then nodded. Seungmin was right.

***

When Seungmin left, it was already dark and even colder than before, and it was snowing quite heavily.

"Are you sure you don't want to spend the night? Our folks wouldn't mind," Hyunjin offered.

His friend shook his head. "Maybe another time. Besides, I'm not living that far from here."

The elder nodded. "Text me when you get home."

"Will do." With that, he turned to leave.

"Seungmin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, for everything."

Seungmin turned to face him and hugged him again. "You're welcome. Take care of yourself."

"Thanks. You too."

It didn't take long for his friend to say goodbye. He locked the door behind him and was about to go to his room, only to be interrupted by his mother.

"Hyunjin, let's get something to eat. You've eaten barely anything today."

So Hyunjin shuffled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to his mother, then folded his arms across his chest. "It's just... I don't want to throw up again, I've had enough for the past two days."

"I know, sweetheart, but you have to eat something. Here, this shouldn't harm you," she handed him a reasonable portion of kimchi fried rice.

"Thanks, Mom," he smiled and slowly began to eat. He had to keep himself from eating too fast.

"What about that kid that was tutoring you, anyway? Chris is his name, right?" The slender woman asked, scooping up a portion for herself as well.

Hyunjin knew he was blushing, but he tried to remain calm. "He's patient, he explained everything to me, and he's also awfully nice if that's what you're asking."

Mrs. Hwang nodded. "Come sit at the table," she urged him, doing so herself. She waited until her son was seated before continuing. "I'd like to see him sometime."

Hyunjin nearly choked on his mouthful. "Mom, we're just friends, really."

"That's what you said about the previous one, and look how that turned out."

He lowered his gaze and silently put another bite into his mouth.

His mother sighed. "Look, I don't care if you like him. I need to know that he treats you right. I don't want him to hurt you."

"I know," Hyunjin whispered, then looked up again. "I promise you he's harmless. I'm sure you'll see him sooner or later."

"I would have preferred it sooner," Mrs. Hwang smiled and continued eating.

***

After dinner he washed up and snuggled under a warm blanket with a sketch of Christopher's face. He was examining the way he captured his short black hair, his friendly eyes, and the deep dimples that appeared in his cheeks every time he smiled. He caught himself smiling. Interesting that he was so attracted to someone he'd only known for a few days.