Reasons to Stay // Hyunin

~27~

It was week after Jeongin in the hospital and he was already back in school. He was surprised and kind of upset on how he and life just moved on after such incidents. But he knew he couldn't lie in his dark room forever so he showed up Monday morning.

His heart raced as he spotted Hyunjin waiting for him at his locker, a nervous smile on his face. Jeongin didn't understand why Hyunjin always had that look these days. "Hey hyung," Jeongin said pleasantly as he put in the locker password and swung the door open. His eyes landed on a sticky note lying there. He picked it up and read Meet me at Table 4 library for study hall. –K

"K? Who's K?" Hyunjin's voice made I.N jump because he didn't realise that the taller was looking over his shoulder behind him.

Jeongin stuffed the sticky note in a pocket and mumbled, "N-no one, I mean I don't know..."

Hyunjin frowned. Did Jeongin like other people too? Now that he actually had a crush on the boy, Hyunjin couldn't help but feel jealous. "Who is ittt, why do they want you to meet them?" he pressed, a tinge of anxious in his voice.

Jeongin swallowed. It's not very easy to tell someone that you bet on them, and since Jeongin just won the bet, the girl Kiara was probably angry and wanted to have a word with him.

Wait, but how would Kiara knows that Jeongin had won? Did she know anything about them at the hospital? Jeongin inwardly panicked, how embarrassing that would be. Nobody had been in the room, right? And no cameras? No weird spies?

He had the same feeling as when he had no idea why Hakkun kept pressing him about hot photos. Jeongin now assumed it was either a hack or accidental leak from Felix's phone, he didn't want to blame Felix himself for it anymore. Because technically Felix had been right about the gang and Hyunjin—

It didn't make sense. Felix had said Hyunjin was in a gang and he was trying to target Jeongin. And now a gang did show up and attack Changbin and Felix. And Hyunjin did attack him!

...or did he?

"What's wrong Innie?" Hyunjin asked as he saw Jeongin's hands to his head, eyes closed, he looked like he was having a seizure.

"Hyunjin-hyung you weren't the guy in the car were you!" Jeongin burst out anxiously. His eyes pleaded, "Please hyung tell me it wasn't you..."

"..."

"H-hyung answer me."

Hyunjin paused then whispered, "Innie...I don't know what you're talking about. What car?"

"N-never mind hyung. Forget what I said." The relief Jeongin felt in his heart covered the lie his heart refused to believe. He felt lighter and he reached out to blithely touch Hyunjin's arm, happy that he had a chance with him.

And Hyunjin just wished that he could be a normal high-schooler.

- - - -

"Baby..."

Lee Know was letting Hannie cuddle him back in his locked room. "Hm?" Lee Know answered lazily, his mind blank.

"I have something unfortunate to tell you." Quokka decided to be straight-forward this time, or he'd never get his words out. Lee Know didn't turn his head, "What is it?"

"Eun...is coming back...in a week..."

"Oh?" Lee Know appeared uninterested at the news.

Hannie ignored his disinterest and continued, "Hyung. Do you know why I watch you every day?"

Lee Know didn't bother to answer the question. "Why?"

"Because...because you are my mission, you know...?"

Lee Know was smart and he understood. Han waited anxiously for Lee Know's reaction. Instead the older looked at Han and remarked, "I didn't know you were a murderer."

Han stuttered, "Huh? N-no I'm not! It's my first—I mean—noooo," Han sighed. Lee Know was amused at Hannie's cute flustered-ness. "I mean like, you're the first one they've told me to." He frowned and lay on Lee Know's lap, stressed.

"I see." Is all the hyung said, and Han sighed again. It was hard to get things out of him even though they were relatively close to each other.

"And I'm supposed to finish the task before Eun comes. And he's coming in a week." Han pouted.

"Guess you should kill me soon then."

"Baby!" Han cried, indignant. "Never!"

"Then what're you gonna do?"

"That's what. I have a plan." Han said sitting up. "You'd better be cooperative."

"Let me hear it."

Han cleared his throat and leaned forward. "ESCAPE." He awaited Lee Know's reaction. "I mean like there's no other way and I've wanted to leave anyways. And guess what, I also found out that Hyunjin has a crush on your dongsaeng Jeongin. And now he wants to leave too."

Lee Know expected the "escape" part but Hyunjin and Jeongin was new to him. "Hyun.E? Likes Jeongin?"

"Yeaah," Han slid, "he told me that. He even visit Innie at the hospital. Anyhow I guess you didn't know this either, but Hyunjin's mission is supposed to be Jeongin so that's why he went to school with him."

"Is he in school now?"

"Yup. And did I mention that I think Jeongin does have a humongous crush on Jinnie?"

"...No but it's okay. When are we leaving?"

Han pulled out his phone to look at the time schedule. "I was thinking today after school." He stopped talking as apparently he got many messages from Hyunjin.

I just read the texts abt ur escape plan

It would work ig except that

Innie doesn't believe I'm part of the gang ._.

Idk how u would convince him to leave

And yk if we'll get Innie to hide, then chan better know abt it too

And chan doesn't know anything abt anything, not even that innie's real hyung is still alive?

Theres a lot of empty holes we need to fill in

Hannie showed the texts to Lee Know, who blinked twice and asked "Who's Chan?" to which Han answered "The hyung Jeongin lives with. He's been there for a while now. And according to Hyunjin, Jeongin's really stubborn and it'd probably take some work to convince him to leave the area because he's so insecure." He sighed. Maybe the plan wouldn't be as smooth as he thought.

The two sat in silence, thinking, when Lee Know suddenly got an idea, not necessarily a good one—"I know. We can kidnap I.N."

"Do what?!"

"What I said."

"B-but what about Chan?"

"Hm? What do you mean what about Chan? We don't need to kidnap him too. Just Innie," Lee Know said like his plan was amazing but Hannie wasn't so sure. "Trust me," Lee Know insisted as he saw Hannie's expression.

Han would say "no" to this plan for anyone but he was head-over-heels for this man so he said, "Okay okay. Are we doing that tonight?"

"...no, we need time to think about it. Maybe tomorrow night or night after that."

"Okay but not exceeding 5 days. I don't want to cut it close with the boss's coming back."

"Of course Hannie. Leave it to me~"