Reasons to Stay // Hyunin

~24~

"Innie-yah..."

Hearing Channie's voice in the back of his head prodded Jeongin to slowly open his eyes. Half-way open he first saw the many faces staring at him and immediately shut them again. "Give him space," someone said and they cleared away.

"Innie are you awake? Are you okay? I'm sorry..."

Sorry for what, Channie-hyung? Have you ever done anything wrong? Innie's heart flooded with many emotions as memories came back. Firstly, shame for how he's treated his Channie-hyung all these years. Then more recent memories...Seungminnie-hyung is dead. Innie shut his eyes tighter. Regret that he hadn't found him earlier. His face became hot and he felt the tears coming. He felt Chan's hand hold his as the hot tears spilt down his cheeks and he opened his eyes to look at Chan. The sight of his guardian angel made him cry harder. There's still someone who loves him in the world.

"You're okay," Chan comforted gently and wiped the tears from Innie's face.

They were in a room in the hospital, Jeongin realised by glancing around. There was a doctor and two nurses who were giving him space, then Chan beside him. He half expected Changbin and Felix to be sitting in the guest chairs, but there were no one. Chan noticed his glancing and said quietly that Changbin and Felix were at the police station right now, but they're okay. Jeongin nodded and was about to whisper "Thank you" to Chan when his eyes averted to the door which had just now opened quietly and slowly. His eyes widened with confusion, fear, and then suddenly anger as he saw who was coming in.

What the hell was Hwang Hyunjin doing here?

----

"KIM SEUNGMIN?!"

Lee Know and Han were back at the base and Han had gotten messages about what had happened, from a fellow gangster who had done some spying. "Kim Seungmin?!" Lee Know repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah..." Han replied slowly.

Lee Know was silent. Then he quietly said, "Seungmin was Jeongin's best friend. I took care of him like my dongsaeng."

Han was also speechless that Seungmin had gotten into the gang and base. When they were hunting after him, he was lurking right under their noses. Surprising that no one had connected Sky to Seungmin's childhood picture. But Sky or Seungmin, the boy was gone now, and there was no bringing back.

That's when Han remembered.

NO.

JEONGIN!

Where was he?! It was late in night now. And Hyunjin wasn't at the base either. No. Was it too late for Jeongin too?

"No no no no no..." Han was having a panic attack and he ran his hands through his hair savagely and upset. He texted Hyunjin where are you and the Hyun.E who would usually text back right away was nowhere to be found after 10 minutes of waiting.

"Baby I need to go somewhere real quick." Han informed urgently and Lee Know looked at him with sad eyes. He didn't ask why, just bowed his head and quietly answered "ok."

Han put on another jacket and headed out the door. He peered his head back in and said, "I'm gonna lock it, don't let anyone in, okay?"

"Okay..."

Han took one last look at his love then he locked and shut the door. He called Hyunjin who frustratingly didn't answer that either.

He past the front desk. Seeing the empty seat made him wonder why Won left his post in the first place. And now he was being interrogated in the cells. Han was partially happy by that actually. He hoped Won would spill tea about the gang and get Eun in trouble. But Won wasn't the problem right now. The problem was Hyunjin and his plot to murder Jeongin. What was Jeongin up to tonight?

Han suddenly remembered that they had a device which tracked down where all gang transportation vehicles and he helped himself to the front desk pc. Hyunjin usually took vehicle #mt00 out so Han located it, it was at the...hospital?

Hospitals, police, fire stations, and teachers were those types of things that made Hannie's skin crawl. What would Hyunjin be doing at the hospital? He either was planning to do something really weird and bad, or he got caught. Han wished it to be neither.

He took a car in the parking lot and started off toward the hospital. Hannie drove as little as possible because he didn't want the police to pull him over and check his "driver's license", even though he had one that he could show them. No matter how real it looked though, of course he would be scared for fear that someone would realise its fake.

Fortunately for Han he arrived at the hospital without any interruptions. He went up to the desk and asked if anyone -insert description of Hyunjin- had come recently. And the front office lady said, "Yes," he was visiting patients because Han didn't look like he was a bad guy.

Jinnie i'm in the hospital waiting room

what are u doing here

y aren't u answering

On Floor 3, Hyunjin had come into Jeongin's room and the vibrations in his pocket were getting annoying. He tried to ignore them because he knew it was probably a worried Hannie. But he didn't feel like doing anything with the gang right now.

"Hyunjin-hyung what are you doing here," Jeongin whispered with a calm anger. Hyunjin was taken aback, he didn't expect Jeongin to be angry, he expected him to be sad and scared of him. Then he would have apologised to the boy and comforted him and promised him good things and hugged him and naive little Innie would forgive and accept him.

Why did Hyunjin suddenly care that Innie would forgive him? Jeongin'd probably just get him and the gang in trouble.

"Innie-yah...I'm sor--"

"G-get out."

Hyunjin stayed close to the door but he didn't leave. Chan was confused at this because he had no clue who Hyunjin was so he asked, "Who is he Jeonginnie?"

"He's...he's..."

The guy who tried to kill me.

Who pretended to be my friend.

Who lead me on.

Who hurt me.

Jeongin shut his eyes again. He didn't want to look at Hyunjin's face no matter how handsome it was. Still it would be lying if he ever said that Hyunjin wasn't the guy

...Who I had a crush on.

It was painful to think that he had ever fallen for him. It was right that Jeonginnie was surprised at first that such a handsome and could-be popular boy liked to hang around him so much. Because it wasn't that he liked him, it was only that Jeongin could be taken advantage of again...time after time. Hadn't he ever learned his lesson?

Jeongin was still weak and he tried to fall asleep before he could answer any questions. Maybe if he shut his eyes long enough and dreamed long enough, Hyunjin would disappear on his own.

~~~

Hwang?! Where were you, you--

Yah, don't you think we should go before the cops come?

~~~

He hadn't thought about his childhood savior for a while. He only thought of it now because he had thought Hyunjin had become his savior in school the past months, dishing him out of his depression and loneliness. What a coincidence their last name is both Hwang. Then Innie wondered where could that boy who carried him away from the fire, where could he possibly be now?

"Innie?" Chan repeated his name which snapped his dreaming in two. "Hm?"

"Hey he wants you to get out so get out," Chan said to Hyunjin. Hyunjin uncertainly took steps back into the hallway, and Chan would go and have a talk with him but Jeongin spoke up, "No it's ok Channie-hyung, he's just my classmate." He lifted his head slightly to look at Hyunjin again, "Sorry Hyunjin-hyung, I mistook you for someone else. Please stay, I'm really sorry."

I don't want to believe that it was Hyunjin-hyung in the car...