ꜱᴋɪɴꜱʜɪᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ || ʜᴇᴇꜱᴜɴ 𝟏𝟖+||

Comfort ~ Chapter 4

Sunoo stood trembling in the dining room as he looked up at his parents, the weight of years of silent suffering pressing down on his chest. His throat felt raw from the shouting, his cheeks stained with the tears that refused to stop.

He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms as he forced the words out, his heart pounding against his ribs.

“I’m interested in men.” he whispered at first almost as if testing the words in the air. But then, like a dam breaking, it all rushed out in a shaky breath. “I’m interested in men!” he repeated louder, his voice cracking with emotion.

His face was red, a flush from both the heat of the argument and the intensity of his feelings and his tears continued to stream down but even as his body shook with sobs, there was a strange sense of relief pooling in his chest.

It felt like he’d been suffocating for years and now he could finally breathe. Yet that same breath brought with it a fear so cold it left him trembling.

His parents stood there, stunned. His mother’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide and his father, who had been stoically quiet throughout the earlier shouting, suddenly seemed frozen, his gaze locked on Sunoo as though he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

Sunoo’s heart sank at their silence. He had always imagined this moment. But now that it had happened, he couldn’t predict their next words. He braced himself for the worst—judgment, rejection, the cutting coldness of disapproval. He didn’t want to hear it, but he had no choice. He had already bared his soul.

And then, his mother spoke.

“We know that, son.” she said softly, her voice trembling just as much as his. She looked at him with shock and something else—regret, perhaps. It was the last thing Sunoo had expected.

He blinked, stunned, his tears momentarily forgotten as he stared at her. “You… you knew?” his voice faltered as his mind reeled. How could they have known? And why didn’t they ever say anything?

He had spent so many years hiding, building walls around himself, convinced that he would never be understood by them.

His father cleared his throat, stepping forward as he spoke with a firm voice but filled with a tenderness that caught Sunoo off guard. “You are more precious to us than anything, Sunoo. It’s your life, and you have the right to live it as you want. We would never judge you. All we want is what’s best for you.”

The sincerity in his father’s voice made Sunoo’s chest tighten painfully. He felt his legs grow weak, his body trembling as he struggled to make sense of their words.

How could this be? All this time... all this time, had they really known and said nothing? Had they truly accepted him all along even when he had felt most alone?

His mother stepped closer, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Believe us, Sunoo” she said with her cracked voice, “We never wanted anything bad for you. We… we just didn’t know how to talk to you about it.”

Sunoo’s breath hitched. He felt like he was drowning in his emotions struggling to stay afloat in the chaos of his thoughts.

“Then why?” he demanded, his voice turned hoarse. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why did you ignore me? All those years, I thought… I thought you hated me for being different…”

His mother shook her head vehemently, the tears spilling down her cheeks. She looked at him, her face twisted with guilt. “We didn’t hate you, Sunoo. We were just… scared. Confused. When I found out, I didn’t know what to do.”

Sunoo felt a chill run down his spine. “Found out?” he echoed weakly. “How did you…?”

His mother wiped at her eyes, her hand shaking. “It was when you were in school. I went to clean your room one day and saw the books on your desk. I saw what you were reading and… I knew.” Her voice faltered, and she let out a soft sob.